Eat Me

Chapter 21: School

School

Katherine felt as if she had been dead a long time, even though she had been only in the hospital for two days. She had come to school the following Monday after being force to eat breakfast in front of Jenna and let's just say the rest of the day was miserable. Most of her classmates were too polite to say that they saw her trip and fall in the Miss Mystic Pageant nor that they had seen her father with a skank, but it didn't hurt less.

"I'm so glad you're back." Rebekah chirped next to her as they walked towards the parking lot. "School sucked without you."

Katherine forced a smile and said in an unconvincing tone. "Yeah, me too." To be truthful she would rather be anywhere else but school, but she couldn't tell Rebekah that. She had been so sweet and forgiving ever since Katherine got release from the hospital and not once had she asked her to apologize for Katherine being such a bitch over the holidays. Besides Katherine wanted things to be normal again and that included being friends with Rebekah.

"So which car should we take yours or mine?"

"Actually, I'm on house arrest," Katherine said grimly. "My parents took my car keys and it was either than or get sent to some crappy insane asylum."

"Well, then I'll give you a ride." Rebekah said chirpily, when Katherine looked confused Rebekah elaborated. "My brother, your loving boyfriend, he invited us both to an early dinner at Betty's. He wanted to catch up, don't tell me you forgot."

Katherine shook her head and lied. "No, I was just teasing you, so will you give me a ride?"

"Sure." The ride to Betty's Diner, was almost normal, pre-senior year, Katherine thought. It was almost the kind of things that Katherine and Rebekah used to talk about that mostly revolved around boys and shopping. The girls entered the small diner, it smelled like hamburgers and meat loaf and Katherine's stomach was growling.

Elijah greeted them with a smile from a nearby booth. "Bekah! Kat!" he gave Rebekah a quick kiss on the cheek and gave Katherine a soft kiss. "How are you feeling?" he whispered.

Katherine smiled. "I'm fine."

Rebekah wrinkled her nose. "Ugh, can you two please do that somewhere else?"

Elijah and Katherine laughed as they slipped into the booth. Within minutes an older looking waitress appeared. "Welcome, darlings can I take your order?"

"Yes, please I'll have the mini chicken burritos and an ice tea." Rebekah said crisply.

"I'll have the bacon cheeseburger and an ice tea as well, please."

"Gotcha," the waitress turned to Katherine. "And you little darling?"

"Yes," Katherine said. "I have the chicken Ceaser salad and I'll stick with water." When the waitress left she turned back to Elijah and Rebekah who were staring at her. "What?" she asked annoyed.

"Rebekah, can you give us a moment." Elijah said in a deadly voice.

Rebekah cleared her throat as she grabbed her purse. "Actually I just remember I have a lot of homework and I lost my appetite . . . I'll see you back home, Elijah."

Elijah didn't respond he was still staring at Katherine. "What are you doing?"

"Why are you getting so upset?" Katherine snapped back.

Elijah took a deep breath and whispered. "Katherine, I'm trying to be patient, but while you may have fooled me for the past several months, you are not fooling me now. I'm not ok with this, and you're not going to use me as your little cover up."

"Why do you care what I do with my life Elijah?" she snapped.

"I care because I'm in love with you!" Elijah said furiously. "And I'm not going to sit here and watch you destroy yourself."

Katherine stood up and grabbed her purse. "Maybe that's the problem, you care too much."

"How was your first day?" Silas asked as he walked through campus, miles away from Amara who was back at Mystic Falls High School.

"It could have been worse," Amara grumbled from the other end. "Though I guess everyone feels that way when you attend school with the same people that you've known since kindergarten."

Silas sighed. "I'm sorry, baby."

"Listen, I need to go Elena is glaring at me to hurry up, but call you later?" she asked hopefully.

"You bet."

Silas turned off his phone and narrowed his eyes when he saw Tessa walking across campus with her two lackeys trailing behind her. "Tessa."

Tessa looked mildly surprise, but smiled. "I'll see you later." She told Anna and Celeste as she approached him. "Silas, well I can't say this is a surprise, though I did know that this was only a matter of time.

Silas stifled a laugh. "You think that because Amara is no longer here that I've found your obsession charming."

Tessa blinked. "I wouldn't call it obsession, but admiration. But now that your doe eye brunette is gone, it's only natural that you see what you've been missing all along. Me."

"You think very highly of yourself." Silas lowered his voice. "I'm not stupid Tessa I know it was you that planted those drugs in Amara's room and I know that you were the one that stole her short story."

Tessa smirked. "Wow, you are smart another thing I admire about you. And yes, since the cat is out of the bag, I admit that I was the one that planted the weed on Amara, it was kind of hard buying it at the last minute, but I know a guy. Oh, and your girl really has talent for writing, or I do in any case. I warned her Silas, don't let her innocent act fool you. Karma can be a real bitch. Laters."

Silas watched as Tessa walked away, he pulled out his phone that had the little record button on. It had recorded Tessa's whole confession. "Yes, Tessa karma can be a real bitch."

"Hi," Elena said shyly as she opened the door and saw Damon standing there. "I didn't expect you."

"Yeah, well I was in the neighborhood and I wanted to drop this off for your sister." Damon said pointing to the stuffed sheep that was holding a get well balloon.

Elena took the stuffed sheep from him. "That's really sweet, but I don't think Kat is in the mood for receiving visitors, she and Elijah got into an argument."

"That's not the only reason I came by," Damon squirmed uncomfortably. "I came to say goodbye. I'm going to go back to my aunt and uncle tomorrow."

Elena's brown eyes widened as she looked at him confused. She had thought that for sure that Damon would leave after the holidays, but when he had stayed for the pageant a small part of Elena had hope that he would be staying here forever. With her. "Wow, you're going back to California? I wasn't expecting that."

Damon gave her a rueful smile. "Yeah, Mystic Falls and I need a break. A long break. Anyway, I was just coming to say goodbye, I don't think I'm coming back anytime soon."

Elena nodded, her throat felt tight and she didn't know why, but disappointment swelled up in her chest. "Well, thanks." She said. "For coming to say goodbye, say hello to the cows for me."

Damon gave her a crooked smile. "I will."

He turned around and before Elena could stop herself she yelled. "Damon!"

Damon turned around and before Elena could regret it she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

"What was that?" he murmured.

Elena pushed the hair from her face. "That was a goodbye kiss."