Eternal Flame

6. Okay? Okay.

  “Well that wasn’t too bad, really,” I remarked optimistically, as Caroline and I walked out of our last class. The whole first day had been busy and a bit nerve-wracking, but I’d survived.

  “Just wait until we’re finished,” she smirked at me, “You’ll be so done by the end of the semester.”

   Bonnie and Elena caught up to us in the foyer, falling into step as we pushed open the large doors.

  “How’s your first day been?” Bonnie asked me warmly.

  “Pretty good, actually,” I responded. “It doesn’t seem as bad as everyone says it is.” Caroline snorted and shared a look with Elena. “What?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “It was bearable because we didn’t have Social Studies today,” Elena grimaced, “Mr. Tanner can ruin the whole school day like nothing I’ve ever seen.”

   “Oh, right,” I slumped a little, forgetting about the renowned teacher.

  Feeling on edge all of a sudden, I glanced up at my surroundings. All eyes on the school grounds seemed to be on me, curiously following me as I walked with the rest of the girls.

  Noticing my discomfort, Bonnie spoke up. “Everyone’s curious about you – you’re fresh meat. Don’t worry, they’ll let it go after a while,” she reassured me.

  “If everyone’s done talking for a minute, I have some news,” Elena said suddenly, a faint blush on her cheeks. We all turned our attention to her, ready to hear what she had to say. “I… well, I met a guy today.”

  Caroline halted in her step, causing the rest of us to stop walking, too. “You what?” Bonnie asked incredulously, “How did you meet a guy? No one’s new here except for Beth and…” She trailed off as a look of realization crossed her face. “Is it the new guy?”

  “Yeah, well I think everyone met Stefan today, Elena. It’s not like you’re the only one,” Caroline huffed, an edge to her tone. I glanced at her in confusion – her mood change came out of nowhere.

  Elena blushed. “Well, I just… We didn’t really talk, but he seemed nice,” she explained as we continued on our way home.

  “Wait, who is this?” I wondered aloud.

  “Stefan Salvatore,” Bonnie announced, “the new guy this year. Smart, mysterious, sort of the loner type – ”

  “Don’t forget hot,” Caroline interjected.

  “That too,” Bonnie grinned. “Practically every girl here is drooling over him.”

  “A hot guy? And I didn’t even see him, too...” I lamented.

  Bonnie chuckled, “Don’t worry. It’s not like he can hide here. Inevitably, he’ll be at the bonfire tomorrow night. Everyone goes to it.”

  “Oh my God, I got the most adorable outfit for tomorrow!” Caroline said, launching into a description of what she bought the previous day at the mall. As everyone started talking about the weekend, I found myself actually getting caught up in the ‘girl-talk’, something I usually wouldn’t have done at my old school. I was normally more focused on school, rather than parties and being social.

  I barely even noticed that we’d reached our street until Bonnie and Elena started to go their separate ways, saying goodbye and heading off. Caroline walked up to the house, but I hesitated by the sidewalk.

  “I was thinking about heading to the bookstore for a while, okay?” I called up to my cousin, who was unlocking the door.

  “Sure,” she smiled back, “Just remember we have school tomorrow.”