The next day was, alas, notas uneventful as I was hoping. Waking up from a nightmare, with the only details of which I could truly remember was the sound and sight of blood dripping down onto the roof of a tent. Not the scariest I'll admit but it still caused me to jolt awake which led to me being promptly kicked out of my own bed by virtue of Caroline the bed hoarder. She apparently had decided in her sleep that the center of my bed was a far comfier spot and had pushed Bonnie over which then pushed me over and that was how I found myself on the floor of my room.

Finding myself the only one awake at 5:00 in the morning with little hope of falling back asleep, I decided that the best use for such an unexpected early start was to make breakfast for everyone.

After examining what we had in terms of breakfast food, I decided that bread pudding sounded like the perfect comfort food considering the night before (with the added bonus of using up a loaf of bread on the verge of goingstale). Once I had my yummy creation in the oven it wasn't long before the smell was enough to draw everyone else out of bed, only then did the true troubles start.

I honestly felt like I was on cloud 9 as everyone dug in, even Jeremy had decided to have a helping after he had requested only coffee in the beginning. It all came crashing down though after Bonnie asked one little question.

"This is really good, Elena. Where did you learn to make it?"

It was like someone had dumped ice water on me, my mind scrambling to come up with an answer. WheredidI learn it,whencould I have learned it? Making the dish had been as easy as breathing, like I had made it a hundred times before. The mere taste of it invoked such a strong sense of familiarity that it was on the tip of my tongue when I had eaten it last. Slight panic began to rise in my chest as both Jeremy and Jenna said that they had never seen me make it either.

Surprisingly it was Caroline who came to my rescue, proclaiming that she really didn't care where I had found the recipe so long as I would keep making it for her. That thankfully seemed to clue the others in on my discomfort with their inquiries. And just like that, they switched from questions to suddenly heaping praise onto me for making such a wonderful breakfast. It made my face feel like it was lit on fire for a good ten minutes.

Still, I was beyond grateful to the blonde for her intervention and sent her an appreciative look for it. She shrugged her shoulders lightly, glancing around at everyone else before rolling her eyes.

After everyone had finished eating it was a bit of a rush to get Caroline and Bonnie out the door. Sense our sleepover had been pretty spur of the moment, the only clothes they had were what they had worn last night. So, after loading both of them up with coffee in some to-go cups I had found in the back of the mug cabinet, they were off in Bonnie's car to first drop off Caroline at her house before Bonnie would head home herself. That way they could get ready in their respective homes, and we could just meet back up at school.

Not long after that Jeremy left as well, citing that he was going to meet up with some of his friends before school. Leaving just Jenna and I to deal with the breakfast mess.

It was as we were cleaning up that Aunt Jenna checked her emails for anything from her professors only to find she had one from our school instead. From Mr. Tanner specifically, requesting a parent-teacher conference for during a free period later that day.

I couldn't help but frown even as I helped her find something more adult to wear for it. "I bet he did this on purpose, doesn't he need to give you at least 24-hour notice?"

"From what you've told me about him, I wouldn't doubt it." She re-emerges from her closet now dressed in a simple blue dress with a scooped neckline and cap sleeves. "What do you think? Do I look respectfully parental?"

"I think it looks a little too much like you're going to a job interview." I commented.

"It will have to do," she moved to the vanity mirror in her room, gathering up her hair as she did. "Hair, up or down?"

She looked back at me, turning her head this way and that so I could see it up, before letting it go again. "Well, … I think with it down, you look a bit older, more mature."

She turned back to the mirror to examine her appearance before nodding in agreement. "Down it is. You don't know anything about why Jeremy needs a parent-teacher conference your first week back to school, do you?"

"No… But with Mr. Tanner it could honestly be anything," I shrugged helplessly. "He takes his subject way too seriously and he has no time or sympathy for anyone who doesn't have all of human history memorized."

"Yikes."

"Yeah," I moved over to her vanity, looking through the small jewelry box she had sitting on top. I found a nice simple little blue pendant on a short silver chain that would go elegantly with her dress and held it out for her.

"Ooh, thanks." She clipped it on, readjusting the chain briefly before turning back to me. "What do you think?"

"Perfect." I nodded firmly, even as the small nagging in the back of my mind dropped to become an anxious bubble in my stomach. "Just… remember that Mr. Tanner is a total douchebag and in the few days of school we've had, I haven't heardanythingnice being said about him. Heck! Even the other teachers don't seem to like him. So, I'm sure that whatever he has to say about Jeremy is more than likely his opinion and not anything truly factual."

I had obviously rambled a bit too much, going off the concerned look on Aunt Jenna's face as she turned to me. "Did he…saysomething to you, Elena? Is he making you uncomfortable?"

"No! No, not… technically." I quickly reassured, faltering on how to explain. "Just his… whole attitude towards his students, like we're not even real people to him, with our own emotions and stuff.

I just don't want you to walk in there unprepared, ya know?"

"Yikes." She repeated with a wince. "I definitely know of a couple professors like that, luckily I've managed to pretty much avoid them."

She dug through her jewelry box and pulled out a pair of dangling earrings and held them up to her ears, turning to me for my opinion. I tilted my head as I examined the overall look of them before shaking my head.

"It still feels like you're trying too hard," I looked through her earring selection before pulling out a pair of simple sapphire drop earrings. "We're going for casually mature, like you wear this every day."

"You're feisty today." She sent a grin my way before giving herself one last once-over, grabbing her purse off the foot of her bed and turning back to me. "Are you going to be okay getting to school."

"Yeah, now that I know the route to take, I should be good." I shrugged, feeling a bit better now that I had given Aunt Jenna a forewarning of what to expect from the likes of Mystic Falls High's history teacher.

《》

The real fun began when I finally got to school. Dodging both pedestrians and other cars as they all tried to find a parking spot for themselves was quite stressful.

After finding a lucky space, I made my way towards the school building with my backpack swung over a shoulder and spotted Stefan a few yards away heading towards me. The moment our eyes locked I knew it was too late to pretend that I hadn't seen him. (That didn't mean that I couldn't try.) I let my eyes drift as naturally as I could over Stefan, pretending that I was justcasuallylooking for someone else. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to detour him at all, as he continued to stride determinedly in my direction.

It felt like my heart wanted to burst out of my chest with how fast it had suddenly spiked. I know that I had intended to speak to him today, but I had hoped that maybe I could put it off for as long as possible, but it looks like Stefan was an early bird type.

"Good morning, Stefan." I greeted him as he came to a stop in front of me.

"Good morning, Elena." He responded kindly, smiling almost sweetly at me. "I just wanted to check in and see how you were doing after last night sense I wasn't able to catch you before you left."

"Me? Oh, I'm fine." I waved my hand airily, shifting on my feet anxiously. "I guess that's one good thing about basically living in a hospital for a month, being almost completely desensitized to blood… usually it's mine though."

"That's good," he ducked his head bashfully. "I also wanted to apologize for disappearing on you again, I seem to be making a habit of that."

"Don't worry about it!" I reassured more cheerfully now. "If I had a phobia of blood I probably would have cleared out of there too."

A flash of gold over Stefan's shoulder caught my attention and I couldn't help but tilt my head to follow the movement. There, a couple yards away, was Caroline standing near the entrance to the main building talking to a group of fellow cheerleaders. The sight of her was a stark reminder of the night before. Of not just comforting a sad and drunk Caroline but the conversation I had had with Aunt Jenna last night, about making my intentions clear.

I opened my mouth and froze, what if we were wrong? Bonnie seemed pretty certain and usually I would trust her opinion without a second thought, but how certain could anyone be after just meeting someone? Maybe he's just as awkward with human interactions as I am? Whatever the case, I found myself completely unable to voice any of what I had discussed with Aunt Jenna last night.

In the light of day everything felt far more real than any of it had the night before.

"I-I… I think I can hear Caroline calling for me!" Ifinallymanaged to blurt out.

I watched Stefan blink in surprise at my sudden statement, he glanced around briefly before turning back to me. "I, uh, I didn't hear anything."

"Oh, she's just over there, I better go see what she needs before she draws the whole school's attention." I carefully edged around him, adjusting my backpack strap. "Um… I guess I'll see you around, bye!"

I'm spinning away before Stefan can even get a word in edgewise, quickly speed walking my way towards Caroline and her group of fellow cheerleaders. Once I'm only a few yards away I call out, drawing the entire group's attention. "Caroline! I was only a few yards away, there was no need to shout."

Caroline was not the only one to look at me like I had lost my mind, she scrunched up her nose and squinted her eyes at me. But I could see it the moment she undoubtedly spotted Stefan behind me as she wiped the confusion clean from her face and gave me a dramatic sigh. "Well, it's about time, I've only been calling forages."

"Sorry!Sorry!" I responded, trying hard to keep the relief out of my voice as I came to a sharp stop at the outskirts of their group. But Caroline was not content with my placement as she reached out to snag me by the arm and all but yanked me to her side.

I apologized once more, though this time to the girl who had originally been standing next to Caroline after I had bumped into her, I couldn't for the life of me remember her name. Which was unfortunately another common occurrence now after the accident, no matter how many times I was reintroduced to people.

Fortunately for me she seemed quite used to Caroline's antics as she just smiled kindly and assured me that it was alright.

《》

Luckily the rest of the day seemed to go a bit more smoothly, I managed to fly completely under the radar for the most part with only the occasional hiding to avoid Stefan. He seemed quite determined to talk to me but was also unwilling to make too much of a scene. I took full advantage of this.

I did feel a bit bad for dodging him so, especially sense every time I did, he looked a little more hurt by it. Whenever I felt my resolve threatened to crumble, the anxiety of upsetting him beginning to rise, I thought of just how hurt Caroline had been the night before. How, intentionally or not, Stefan had made her doubt her very self-worth.

So ultimately, no matter how bad I felt, Caroline's feelings took priority over the feelings of a boy I hadliterallyjust met the other day.

Thankfully Bonnie seemed to ease off with her insistence that Stefan liked me, though she did continue to throw the occasional sly glance my way whenever she saw his attempts to talk to me.

Which was a whole lot better than Jeremy's reaction to it. Apparently one of his older friends had mentioned how it seemed like the new guy was bugging me and his rather prompt response was to offer for he and his friends to go and beat Stefan up for me. It took a bit of convincing on my part to reassure Jeremy that Idid notin fact need him beating people up for me, but I was very touched by the offer.

The day seemed to look up around lunchtime when just as I sat down at the table, we had occupied yesterday I received a text from Hot Stuff.

-Wanted to check in?-

-Make sure that you didn't forget me again. -

(Hot Stuff? Who the heck was that? - OH!)

I stared down at my phone in surprise, feeling honestly a little guilty about the fact that I had indeed forgotten. Though I think that I could be forgiven considering how eventful the night before had been.

Carefully typing up my response I smiled at Damon's lack of abbreviations, it was very refreshing to be able to just look at a text and know right away what the other person was saying, without having to do any guess work.

-I'm happy to report that my memory remains to be intact. -

He must have been waiting for my text back as his reply came barely a second later.

-That's a relief! I might have had to hunt you down otherwise. -

Giggling at the brief bit of humor from him, I couldn't help but wonder how I should respond back, maybe a joke of my own? Ultimately it was taken out of my hands as my phone gave another buzz.

-Anyway, sense we're BFF now, I want to invite you over for a play date.-

[Play date? What are we, six?]

I shifted my feet awkwardly under the table now, what do I say to that? Looking up from my phone, hoping to spot someone familiar who could possibly help me with this dilemma, I am unfortunately fresh out of luck. While a lot of these faces were finally starting to become familiar, it didn't mean that I was comfortable enough going up to any of them to ask for advice.

What to say, what to say? Did he mean right now, or does he want to meet up later? Wait, I can't meet him right now, I'm at school!

-It will have to wait until after 3pm. I'm at school right now.-

-Oh, that's right. I forgot that you're a child.-

-Well, you did befriend this child. So, you have nobody to blame but yourself. -

And then after that, feeling bold:

-Were you that desperate for a friend?-

-You're hilarious.-

I can't help but grin widely at his retort back, but my good mood was unfortunately wiped away the moment I looked up from my phone and saw Stefan making his way to me, looking quite determined.

I had to resist the urge to groan at the sight of him, this guy did not know how to take a hint, it was actually at this point starting to get a little annoying.

I looked around hoping to spot someone familiar enough that I could use as a human shield, but it was still pretty early in the lunch hour and not a lot of people had made it out here yet. Maybe I could talk to him for a second before telling him that I had to go and meet with a teacher about… something?

My phone gave another buzz in my hand, indicating that Damon had probably sent me another text message. I glanced down at it briefly before deciding to shove it into my pocket without reading what he had said. I don't know why but a part of me didn't want to tell Stefan about him, like somehow it wouldn't end well if he found out.

Feeling uneasy at the thought of remaining sat as he approached me, I stood up, hoping to dispel the notion he may have had of sitting next to me

"Hi Stefan." I lifted a hand slightly to give him a little wave as he came to a stop in front of me. "How has your day been so far?"

That at least seemed to throw him slightly as he paused before replying, "Very well, and yourself?"

"Good." I murmured softly, shrugging my shoulders as I did. Only to snap my head around sharply at the sound of an older woman responding to the right of us.

[You arewellnot good, you silly girl, cookies are good people arewell.]

(But what if I want to be good like a cookie.)

"Elena?" Stefan asked, sounding kind of concerned as he too looked to see what had caught my attention.

"Oh, I thought I just heard…" I turned and abruptly realized that I probably shouldn't be telling other people about hearing voices. "Nothing! Absolutely nothing."

Just like the other day, the voice had sounded like it was coming from someone standing right next to us and yet the only people around were a good 10-15 feet away. And all teenagers to boot, no one nearly old enough to sound like they could be a grandmother.

Stefan looked skeptical at my words but nodded all the same, thankfully willing to let it go for now. "Alright… I uh, was actually wondering if maybe we could talk?"

I smiled awkwardly as I rocked forward onto the balls of my feet before letting my heels drop sharply back down. "Aren't we already doing that?"

"About last night." This obviously came out far more abruptly than Stefan had meant as he shrank in on himself, even taking a half step back. "I uh, I was just wondering if uh, if I had done something last night to upset you?"

"Upset me?" I repeated back.

Had I said something to him that could have come off as upset? I didn't think so, after all I've been tryingnotto talk to him all day.

"It's just that uh, I noticed that you've been avoiding me today." I felt like someone had hit me over the head with a brick at Stefan's hesitant words.

I hadn't even considered how this would seem to Stefan, last night we had talked so amicably and now today I'm treating him like he has the plague. The poor boy probably had whiplash, all the guilt I had felt this morning returned tenfold.

"Oh, I uh, I…" Words left me in this crucial moment, as I floundered on what I could possibly say in my defense.

"If I uh, said something to offend you or something like that, then I would like to apologize, it wasn't my intention to upset you." He seemed to gain more confidence as he went on, gazing up at me through his eyelashes soulfully.

All I could do was stare at him for a moment, contemplating how to tell him orifI even should. "Do you really want to know?"

He perked up at my question, nodding as he answered. "Yes, of course."

"Well… it wasn't what you said to me that upset me, it was what you said to Caroline." I tried to word it as delicately as possible, after all I didn't know what he could have said to her. Mainly because I didn't knowhim, but I did know Caroline or at the very least I'd like to think that I've gotten to know her quite well in the past few months.

"Caroline…?" he sounded truly and genuinely befuddled, which gave me a bit of hope that maybe it had all been just a misunderstanding.

"Mind you, I don't even knowwhatyou said to her," I was talking a little too fast,I know, but I just had to get it all out. "All I know is that whatever you said really hurt her feelings and that is not okay."

He opened his mouth to speak but I bulldozed over whatever he was about to say.

"And the worst part is, I don't understand why." I paused for a breath, gazing up at Stefan for his explanation but he seemed to be frozen. "I know she can be a bit abrasive when you first meet her, believe meI know."

Our first meeting was probably a more cherished memory for me than Caroline. And sure, I could have taken offense to some of the stuff she had said, like one such comment about my somewhat visible stitches. But honestly, all I could think of was how endearing she was. How obvious it was that she had absolutely no brain to mouth filter. What really struck me as odd was how no one else seemed to see it too.

"But once you get past that, she is one of the nicest people you could ever meet." I said with conviction.

A thought occurred to me as I took another gulp of air, and I blurted out before Stefan could say anything. "Maybe you're just not interested in starting a relationship right now, which is perfectly okay."

(Maybe he's gay?)

It made a lot of sense now that I was thinking about it. Caroline might have come off a little too strong and Stefan, obviously not used to the force of nature that was Caroline, got defensive.

"And what if I am interested?" Stefan interjected, taking advantage of my brief moment of thought. "Just not in Caroline?"

(How was I supposed to deny that? What could I even say to that?)

I opened and closed my mouth a couple times, drawing a complete blank, all while Stefan stared at me intensely.

[Play stupid?]

"Uh well, if Bonnie is more your type, then I'm sure Caroline will understand." I smiled awkwardly again as I shifted my feet. "I mean, Bonnie is pretty great."

"Bonnieisnice, but I actually meant you." He tilts his head as he speaks, the intensity in his eyes never faltering.

[Looks like Stefan is done beating around the bush.]

"Me?" It came out as more of a squeak than an actual word. "O-oh well, I uh, I'm not-"

I had to force myself to stop talking and take a deep breath. Now was not the time to become a stuttering mess, another unfortunate consequence to losing my memory.

Taking another deep breath as I focused on a point on Stefan's shirt to avoid looking him in the face. I guess now was the time to use Aunt Jenna's advice.

"I'm… sorry." I wasn't really sure why I was apologizing but it felt as good as any place to start. "If I somehow gave you the impression that I was… in anyway looking to start a romantic relationship. Because I can assure you that I am most certainlynot."

I risked a glance up at his face to gage his reaction and watched as his eyes went almost comically wide and his jaw dropped in surprise. He even took another half step back as he tried to speak.

"Oh, I-I uh I'm sorry, I um misunderstood-" I cut him off before he could string together a full sentence.

"And even if Iwaslooking for a relationship it wouldn't be withyou." That came out far more harshly than I intended, I could see the hurt that had flared to life across his features, the urge to defend myself rising up in my chest at the sight of it. "You made Caroline doubt her self-worth, and yeah, she can be a bit much at times, but we've been friends since the first grade. Even though I don't remember all of it that still means something to me.

"And to be quite honest, I don't know you and you don't know me, heck, I don't even know myself really. I woke up from a comathree monthsago, being interested in anyone is the last thing on my mind."

"I'm sorry… you're right." I blinked in surprise at this and risked another glance up at him, Stefan was staring back at me like he had never seen the likes of me before. He shook his head as he shifted on his feet, looking a little dejected now and I had to fiercely stamp down another wave of guilt. "I… you reminded me of some-"

He abruptly cut himself off, shaking his head again as if to clear the thought away.

"Starting at a new school has been… stressful and last night was hard." He definitely sounded genuinely sorry. "But that doesn't excuse my behavior, I'm sorry it was never my intention to cause anyone any distress."

I frowned down at my shoes as I fiddled with one of the Italian charm bracelets I had chosen for today's outfit, before looking back up at him. "No offense Stefan, but I think Caroline deserves an apology from you far more than I do."

"You're right." He repeated again nodding. "But I think I still owe you an apology for making you uncomfortable."

"It's fine." I tried to wave it off, looking back down at my shoes, but Stefan ducked his head down to meet my gaze.

"It's really not," he shifted awkwardly. "I'm sorry Elena, I hope you know that it wasn't my intention."

"Yes well… I hopeyou knowthat I can't accept your apology until Caroline does." I squared my shoulders as I spoke, determined to hold my ground on this.

"I understand." Instead of looking upset or dejected still like I had feared, he was now smiling at me almost gently. "You really are a good friend, Elena. I hope one day that you might consider me one as well."

I softened at the sincerity in his voice, "I hope so too."

It was at that moment that the double doors I had come through earlier burst open and out came Bonnie and Caroline. The blonde was in the process of saying something animatedly while Bonnie merely smiled along to it. I couldn't help but perk up at the sight of them, relieved that now I had a genuine and better yet true excuse to leave this interaction.

"I uh… I gotta go…" I faltered on what else to say, while I did feel a bit better now that we were able to talk through our- wellmydifferences, I still felt awkward in his presence.

Stefan, who had had also looked over at the sound of the doors opening, seemed to be jolted back to life as he swung back around to face me. "Yes! Of course, I'm sorry, I shouldn't keep you."

He all but jumped out of the way, leaving me a clear path to the pair who had obviously spotted us and were waiting a ways away.

"It's fine," I said softly, side stepping to create a bit more distance between us. "If it means anything, I really do hope that everything works out, I really did want to be friends."

And with that I lost what nerve I had left. Turning sharply back to Bonnie and Caroline, I all but sprinted to them without glancing back.

It was only as I made it to them that I could finally let out the breath I only just now realized I had been holding.

"What were you and Stefan talking about?" Bonnie asked as soon as I came to a stop, leaning forward with interest as she glanced between him and I.

"Caroline." I responded simply, shrugging as said blonde began sputtering next to us. "And how if he really wants to my friend then he better apologize for whatever he said last night."

"I told you it wasnothing." Caroline said exasperated.

"If it upset you then it wasn't nothing." I argued back, glancing over my shoulder at where I had left Stefan only to find him gone without a trace.