The first day of school was already here; Caroline told me about prank day, so I was weary since I got out of bed. Gran drove me to school; I told her I would bum a ride home with Caroline. I didn't see her, Jeremy, or anyone.

I heard a voice call, 'Bella.'

I saw Rosalie approaching; she wore a long grey shirt, white jeans, and black boots. She looked stunning, as always.

'Rosalie, hello. When did you get back?'

'Last night. How was your summer?'

I shrugged. 'So-so, and you, how was your summer?'

'Ugh. My grandparents are still racist.'

'That's... Uh...' how do you respond to that? 'OK?'

'Were you in a hurry this morning?'

'What?!'

'Your outfit screams "I was in a hurry."'

I wore a blue plaid shirt over a white camisole and black sneakers.

'Yeah, apparently.'

'So-'

'I think she looks delicious.' said a female-accented voice behind us.

'Excuse me?!'

Rosalie and I turned to see a beautiful woman with natural light blonde hair, light blue eyes, full lips, and pale light skin with a slight dusting of freckles across her cheeks and nose. She looked like she was about 16 or 17 years old, a teenage girl.

She wore a grey top, jeans and boots.

'She looks delicious.'

Rosalie and I exchange a glance, then look at her.

'Uh... Thanks.' I stammered.

'I'm Rebekah Mikaelson.'

We exchanged another glance, and then Rosalie cleared her throat. 'Rosalie.'

'Bella.'

'We have to get class.' Rosalie grabbed my arm. 'Nice meeting

you.'

'Look at you being all fit.' Stefan said.' Hey, are you going to the bonfire tonight? Sounds like fun, right?'

We were on the field, and Caroline, Bonnie, and the other cheerleaders were preparing for practice. Tyler was with the team, Rebekah was stalking us, and Stefan was on the track following me.

'Seriously, Stefan,' I scoffed, 'leave me alone.'

I turned and ran in the opposite direction, but he ran backward with me.

'You think I'm annoying now?' he teased. 'Wait till homecoming. Hey, who are you bringing, by the way? I don't want to be weird.'

A guy bumps into me accidentally. 'I'm sorry.' the guy said politely.

Stefan pushes him, and he falls on his back. 'Watch it, dick.'

'Who are you?!'

This was not the man loved.

'I'm the guy assigned to protect a human blood bag. I mean, no offense or anything.'

I stormed away. 'What?!' he called after me.

I rushed into the school, stood outside of the girls' room, and silently cried until I heard some footsteps. I hid in one of the stalls as two people entered the bathroom.

'Could have sworn I saw someone come in here.'

That was Rosalie Hale.

'Your stalker into Caroline now. Poor Caroline.'

'Caroline can more than handle Rebekah.'

Bella.

'She seemed more into Tyler Lockwood.'

'Caroline or Rebekah?'

'Both, but I thought she was dating Matt Donavan.'

'They broke up.'

'Damn, how do you know that?'

'Caroline told me.'

'Oh, but I guess his sister's death took a toll on their relationship.'

'I wouldn't know anything about that,' Bella said quietly, 'I don't have any siblings.'

The statement stung more than I believed it would; how dare she!

'What about your birth parents? Don't they have any kids?'

'I met my birth mother's mother.'

'What's she like?'

'She's great. I wish I had met her before her daughter's passing. She's what her daughter could have been if she'd had the chance to grow old.'

'Is she racist?'

'Holy cow, you really hate your grandparents, don't you?'

'I don't hate them,' Rosalie insisted, 'I just the fact that I'm related to them.'

'I know the feeling.' as I quietly stood on the toilet.

'Did you notice Stefan Salvatore shove that guy?

Their voices and footsteps got closer. 'I noticed.'

'What do you think is going there?'

'Elena's aunt and uncle are dead, maybe-'

'Isabella?'

That was Stefan's voice.

'This is girls room.' Rosalie flared.

'Rosalie, could we have a moment alone?'

'What?!'

'Stefan-'

'Rosalie-'

'I'm not going-'

'Rosalie tell Bella you will see her later, and leave.'

'I'll see you later, Bella.'

The door opens and closes.

'Stefan-'

'You and I need to chat.'

'What about?'

'About your sister.'

'Stefan-'

'Are you going to the bonfire?'

'No.'

'Why not?

'What does this have with-'

'Good, I have to babysit Elena, Rebekah, and Tyler, and I don't need you to beguile me.'

'What?'

'I said that you're seductive and I don't you-'

'Why would you need to babysit Elena and Tyler?' Bella sidesteps his remark.

'Well,-'

'And how long have you been back?'

'Bella-'

'And how do you know Rebekah?'

'One question at a time, Isabella.'

There was a long silence before Bella murmured. 'How do you know Rebekah?'

'She's Klaus' sister.'

'What? She's an original too?'

'Didn't anyone tell you?'

'No.'

'Hmm.'

'That would explain the yummy comment.'

Yummy comment?

'Do you need a ride home?'

'Sure...'

'Let's go.'

I heard Bella complain as they left, I unlocked the stall and rushed after them.

'Check it out,' Rosalie nudged me, 'look who wants to be a cheerleader.'

I turned to see Rebekah standing next to Caroline, who looked visibly peeved.

School was over, and I wanted to speak to Caroline but told Rosalie I wanted to walk around the track. She insisted on walking with me to stalk the sports reporter.

'Caroline can handle Rebekah.' I looked up ahead and saw Elena and Stefan.

When did Stefan get back?

A guy bumped into Elena and was promptly shoved to the ground by Stefan. She stormed off as Stefan turned to me, Rosalie grabbed my arm.

'Did you see that?'

'I did.'

'Trouble in paradise, perhaps?'

'Let's go, I don't want anyone to hear us talking.'

We went inside the school to an empty girls' room, at least I thought it was.

'Could have sworn I saw someone come in here.' Rosalie looked at the stalls. 'Your stalker into Caroline now.' she turned to me. 'Poor Caroline.'

'Caroline can more than handle Rebekah.'

Rosalie arched an eyebrow, then went back to looking at the stalls. 'She seemed more into Tyler Lockwood.'

'Caroline or Rebekah?'

'Both, but I thought she was dating Matt Donavan.'

'The broke up.'

She turned to me. 'Damn, how do you know that?'

'Caroline told me.'

'Oh,' again she turned back to the stalls, 'but I guess his sister's death took a toll on their relationship.'

'I wouldn't know anything about that,' I said quietly, 'I don't have any siblings.'

'What about your birth parents? Don't they have any kids?'

'I met my birth mother's mother.'

'What's she like?'

'She's great. I wish I had met her before her daughter's passing. She's what her daughter could have been if she'd had the chance to grow old.'

'Is she racist?'

'Holy cow, you really hate your grandparents, don't you?'

'I don't hate them,' Rosalie insisted with a grin, 'I just the fact that I'm related to them.'

She pointed to the second to last stall, and I saw a pair of Chuck Taylors disappear, presumably to stand on the toilet.

'Did you see Stefan Salvatore shove that guy?'

We inched closer to the stall. 'I noticed.'

'What do you think is going there?'

'Elena's aunt and uncle are dead, maybe-'

'Isabella?'

The sound of his voice made us both jump, for different reasons, Stefan Salvatore approached, us, his eyes never leaving me.

'This is girls room.' Rosalie flared as she turned to him.

'Rosalie, could we have a moment alone?' Stefan said in a silky voice.

'What?!'

'Stefan-' I began.

'Rosalie-'

'I'm not going-' Rosalie huffed.

'Rosalie,' he grabbed her by the arm, and stared into her eyes, 'tell Bella you will see her later, and leave.'

She turned to me, and stated in a robotic voice, 'I'll see you later, Bella.'

Rosalie left us alone. 'Stefan-' I stared again.

'You and I need to chat.'

'What about?

'About your sister.'

'Stefan-'

'Are you going to the bonfire?'

'No.'

'Why not?

'What does this have with-'

'Good, I have to babysit Elena, Rebekah, and Tyler, and I don't need you to beguile me.'

Beguile him?

'What?'

He smirked. 'I said that,' he stepped closer, 'you're seductive and I don't you-'

'Why would you need to babysit Elena and Tyler?' I demanded, sensing that he was trying to divert me away from what he was saying.

Even if I did like what he said, I would not back down.

'Well,-'

'And how long have you been back?'

'Bella-'

'And how do you know Rebekah?'

'One question at a time, Isabella.'

His tongue seemed to caress each letter of my name, why did he have to say my name like that?

'How do you know Rebekah?'

'She's Klaus' sister.'

'What? She's an original too?'

'Didn't anyone tell you?'

'No.'

'Hmm.'

'That would explain the yummy comment.'

He raised an eyebrow. ' Do you need a ride home?'

'Sure...'

He roughly seized me by the arm and dragged me out.

'Hey, what are you doing?!'

We practically flew outside to his car, and he threw me in the car. He didn't stop driving until we reached my house.

'Elena was in there with you.'

'What?'

'Elena was eavesdropping on you and Rosalie's conversation.'

I was angry, but not surprised.

'And I bet everyone will try to justify it.' I turned to him. 'What's going on with Tyler?'

'He's a hybrid now, the first successful one.'

'What happened to the others?'

'Dead.'

'Oh. Wait, how did Tyler become a hybrid?'

'When Klaus killed him.'

'What?!' I choked. 'When did this happen?!'

'Bella, Bella,' he held my face, 'it's okay. I have Tyler talk to you about it later.'

'Wait, wasn't Elena supposed to die for the curse to work?'

'No, that was bullshit. All of the hybrids need to complete the transition by drinking the doppelganger's blood.'

'So she's essentially a human blood bag now? How do you feel about that?'

He shrugged. 'I am I supposed to?'

'You don't fool me.'

'You really are out of the loop, Isabella. Didn't anybody tell you? I'm with Klaus now.'

'Keeping the peace?'

He turned away. 'We got company.'

Banging on my window made me jump, I turned to see Caroline, Jeremy, Elena, and Mr. Saltzman standing outside the car.

'Bella!' Caroline called.

'Let her go.' demanded Mr. Saltzman.

'I think Elena told them I abducted you.'

I sighed and unbuckled my seatbelt. 'I don't want to deal with their badgering questions.'

'I walk you to your door.'