An Elemental Difference - AIR - Book 1 (Stefan Salvatore)

Chapter 79 - Saved by the Bell... literally

MYSTIC FALLS HIGH SCHOOL

When the class was over, the girls gathered their things as Aella downed most of Caroline's water since she'd forgotten hers. As she pulled away, she shrugged at her best friend's, "It's so 17th century, why can't it be modernized?"

"With what?" Elena asked, amused.

Bonnie began popping her body, "A little body pop?"

Caroline nodded and then shook her head, "A little Britney hairography?"

"Or a little booty bounce?" Aella crouched and shook her butt to her friend's laughter.

The laughter only continued as they walked past Carol speaking with the next group of couples to learn the dance. She glared at the four girls as they exited, holding up her hand to her head, "I'm so exhausted with incompetent people. I don't know what to do anymore!"

Bonnie shook her head, "What was with that warm-up? Mrs. Lockwood isn't Jewish."

"And walk and walk, shoulders back and tuchus in, think about that double chin!" Aella sang as she speed-walked around the group.

"Gilmore Girls."

The girls were startled at Tyler's voice and turned to see him sitting on the picnic tables with his football. When they stared at him in confusion, he explained, "She saw it on Gilmore Girls at the weekend and wrote it down for 'inspiration." He finger quoted.

Elena nodded at him with a small smile, they weren't too sure how to act with Tyler following the weekend events, "Makes total sense now."

Tyler looked to Caroline, "How's Matt?"

"Umm.." Caroline's eyes widened; she didn't expect that from Tyler. She quickly nodded, "He's okay. He threw his mom out."

Tyler did a sharp nod at her answer, "Yeah, Jeremy told me."

"Give him time, Tyler," Elena told him after an awkward minute. "It's more confusion and hurt than anger, right now."

Tyler nodded and offered no more, Aella looked to the girls and nodded to Tyler, "I'll catch you up?"

The girls promptly nodded and headed to their cars as Aella walked over to the football player and sat next to him on the table. It was quiet for a few minutes as Tyler spun the ball through his hands. "It looks a lot better than Friday night."

Tyler looked up to her in confusion until Aella pointed at her eye, "Yeah." He felt around the green bruising. "Who knew Cauliflower Cheese sped up the healing process."

Aella chuckled and nudged his shoulder with hers, "We both know it wasn't the cauliflower cheese."

"Yeah," Tyler smirked at her. "It was your magic powers."

Aella shook her fingers, "You know it." Their chuckles faded out into the empty space until there was silence again. "Soooo... how was the weekend?"

Tyler only shrugged. It was still a sore subject, the mortification and embarrassment of Aella, Jeremy, and Matt knowing what his dad had done.

Aella's hands rested next to his, which hadn't stopped turning the ball. She wondered if she touched his hand again, would she see the unfamiliar eyes? Would she discover the owner of such fearing eyes? Would it create more questions?

"Aella!"

The two teens looked up at the call, and Aella's smile returned as she saw her boyfriend in his car pulled up in front of them.

Tyler's eyebrows rose, "New car, Salvatore?"

Stefan shook his head, "Family heirloom."

After letting out a whistle, Tyler stood up to examine the car; Aella took this to mean their conversation was over and ran over the passenger side of the car, dumping her things in the back seats.