(1) Just Magic (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Twelve

Cassandra pulls on her school bag as she hurries down the stairs and towards the kitchen to grab her jacket and an apple or a banana, just something to tide her over until lunch. She overslept, not by much but by enough that she's rushing. She's not even sure if she has a ride, given Damon's behaviour the night before she's not sure if he's going to turn up. She knows what she heard from him. She knows he was being weird. He was being weird. She's not crazy. She ends up having to grab an orange as it is literally the last piece of fruit in the bowl. She shakes her head and pulls open the front door ready to leave. Damon is stood on the other side of the door and she almost runs into him. She stumbles back inside and shoots him a look. He smirks and holds out a travel cup of coffee.

"What is this?" She asks.

"An apology" He shakes the coffee at her. "I was weird..."

"Yeah, you were" She comments and takes the coffee from him. He snorts a little and nods. "But thanks" She shakes the coffee implying she is thanking him for that before she closes the door behind her.

"Where are you going?" He asks.

"To school" She answers. "That is why you're here, right? You did say you were going to give me a ride"

"I did" He agrees. "But shouldn't you be taking it easy" He points out, she raises an eyebrow. "You hit your head pretty hard"

"And I feel fine" She counters. "Great actually" She walks past him towards his car parked on the pavement. Damon raises an eyebrow and follows after her.

"What teenager passes on a day of playing hooky?" He teases, she glances over her shoulder. "Unless.." He then gasps dramatically. "Are you a nerd?" She rolls her eyes as he smirks.

"Shut up" She scolds a little and then takes a drink from the coffee. "I'm not a nerd..."

"Sounds like something a nerd would say" He counters, she gives him a look as she opens the passenger side door of his car. He leans on the top to look at her. "You would really rather sit in class than...." He shrugs a little. "I don't know, hang out with me?" She raises an eyebrow at him.

"And what does hanging out with you mean?" She asks him. "I'm not having sex with you" He snorts and smirks at her.

"Are you sure?" He teases, she gives him a look back. "We can take a drive? Have a drink? Eat some food?"

"Not exactly that exciting" She counters with a disinterested shrug.

"I know a great diner, believe me, it is exciting" He counters with a smirk. The two of them just kind of watch the other, trying to figure out how this is going to go. He raises an eyebrow at her, sort of challenging her to take a chance. Just to say yes. To get into the car.

...............

The Mystic Falls cheerleaders are gathering at the side of the football field. Caroline and Bonnie are stood together talking as they wait for the rest of the cheerleaders to arrive. They tend to trickle in rather slowly at the start of the year.

"Oh, my God! You're here!" Bonnie cheers and hugs Elena who chuckles and hugs her back before pulling away.

"Yep. I can't be sad girl forever. The only way to get things back to the way they were are to do things that were. Oh, and you're coming to dinner tonight"

"I am?" Bonnie asks, not remembering if plans were made between them.

"Mm-hmm. You, me, Cas and Stefan." Elena then looks at Caroline who is giving her an annoyed look. "And Caroline..." Caroline then smiles brightly at her. Elena turns back to Bonnie. "You have to give him a chance."

"Tonight's no good. Have you seen Cas? I texted her like a hundred times." Bonnie shifts focus from having dinner with a man that makes her uncomfortable.

"Don't change the subject, Bonnie Bennett! You're going to be there"

"Fine. I'll go" Bonnie caves.

"Good. And I'll text Cas, see what's going on. It's probably something with her jeep." Elena offers as she pulls out her cell phone.

"She needs to get rid of that rust bucket" Caroline points out. Elena shoots her a dirty look.

"It was our mom's" Elena reminds her.

"I'm just saying, if it's not running, what's the point?" Caroline counters. Bonnie grabs Elena's arm to stop her from hitting Caroline, she really feels like she might. There is a lot of their childhood in that jeep. And Elena understands why Cassandra keeps it, even though it breaks down more than it's worth, she gets why Cassandra can't just get rid of it. Elena doesn't want to get rid of it either.

"Seriously, where is Cas?" Bonnie asks, now worried, it's one thing for her not to come into school, but not even answer their texts.

"I don't know. It's not like her" Elena agrees.

"I'll try her" Caroline counters, Elena and Bonnie share a look, Cassandra is least likely to respond to Caroline.

...........

Damon glances at Cassandra's phone on the table, he watches Caroline's name flash up a few times before stopping. His eyes then shifting to Cassandra as she moves through the diner from the bathroom. Damon's eyes linger on her. He gets why Stefan sticks around Elena. Because of how much she reminds him of Katherine. But these girls are different in their own ways. Cassandra's walk has more determination and sway than Ally's ever did. There is something more powerful in her eyes but something so deeply sad too. Shades of gold and ginger in her hair. She raises an eyebrow at him, noting his look as she sits across from him. Half-eaten plates of food between them, empty coffee mugs. Paper with finished games of noughts and crosses and hangman.

"You didn't tell your friends where you were going?" He asks her and then nods to her phone.

"I wasn't aware I had to" She counters and checks her phone. Notes the missed calls and the texts, she wrinkles her nose and sets her phone down, ignoring them.

"It's what a nerd would have done" He points out, she looks back at him. He smirks at her, she stares at him a moment before she lets out a small laugh.