B E T T E R M A N | KLAUS MIKAELSON

SEVENTEEN

Klaus Mikaelson.

Despite the fact that Tyler had just informed her that one of her best friends was deciding to skip school on her birthday (which was completely insane considering that Caroline always loved the attention she got from the rest of the school), Klaus Mikaelson was what was taking over her thoughts.

He had asked Tyler, of all people, to watch over. As if she needed someone to look after her, care for her, like some kind of damsel in distress. Klaus of all people should know that Rhine didn't need anyone watching over her. Especially one of his hybrids.

Bursts of anger flamed up in the girl, so strong that the metal of her locker door began to burn away just from a simple caress of fingertips. The blue of the lockers could usually be compared to that of a distressed pair of denim jeans, only a few of them stood out, whilst most blended in with the background. But now, with spots of black and rusted brown, Rhine's locker would be stark against the boringly ordinary lockers beside her.

She took a minute, head leaning against the locker firmly. Quick, puff filled breaths slowly returned to their normal metronome. Whispers broke out around her, nothing of importance, or even out of the usual for the walls of a high school. But their soft shouts and whines about their next class or overdue homework brought her back.

Rhine didn't spare another second to think about what could have happened to those around her if she hadn't taken that minute to stabilise herself.

It was a good thing too, for as soon as her head lifted, skin heating up almost instantly after being away from the cool metal still lodged below the very tips of her fingers, she found herself recognising two very specific voices.

"You should have seen her with Klaus yesterday Bonnie, he didn't even bat an eyelid at the way she spoke to him." Rhine wondered how long they had been talking about her.

"Maybe it's true, what Damon overheard that night I mean." Her soft voice was hushed, trying to keep the conversation just between the two of them.

"I hope to God it's not, " Elena paused, mulling over her next words carefully. "I mean, can we even trust her?"

Trust her?

Hurt blossomed within her in the form that she knew best, red, hot, sparking flames. Her best friends, pretty much since birth, were questioning whether they could trust her because of something that she couldn't even control, something that she hadn't even known about until a couple of days ago. Tears threatened to spill, already brimming at the corners of her eyes, looking over the edge, down the slope of her toned cheek. Ready to jump.

Fragile heart pounded in her ears, blood pumping through her especially quickly after overhearing only part of what she presumed had been an in-depth conversation about her. Embers danced along her arms, burning away strands of hair as they emerged. Rhine was quick to steady her breathing, stabilizing herself the best that she could before something caught fire.

No, the only thing that she would allow to go down in flames, was her.

The two girls slowly strode over to a still Rhine, smiling shyly at the girl to cover up whatever theories they had been discussing. Their blatant ignorance only hurt her more. Their smiles shot daggers through her heart, piercing the organ with their sharp edges, blood dripped out and into the abyss below, leaving Rhine to clean up the mess.