There Goes the Neighborhood

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Alaric stood in front of the board, rounding out his lesson with a reading assignment. There was so much about him that she didn't know; however, they had a bond that was rooted in grief, one that made them understand each other. But she couldn't understand the way she felt when she saw him dead in the Salvatore living room.

It followed her, this new feeling. She did not push it away; she couldn't. Still, she did not understand it. There was no way to.

The task of finding Isobel had taken over their lives in a way it hadn't before. They knew less than they believed, which meant they knew nothing about what exactly it was that she was trying to hide. Damon had a theory: Katherine sent her. No one wanted to believe him, yet Abigail couldn't find a reason to write him off. Still, she couldn't face him. Not after what he did.

The dismissal bell rang, sending everyone into the hall.

"Don't be late," Alaric warned. "Heard there's a pop quiz in English."

"I love pop quizzes, actually." Gathering her things, she stood up. "Not worried."

He laughed. "Didn't think so."

She approached his desk. "Are you doing okay?" 

Raising his eyebrows, he shrugged. "I'm alive."

Tone wavering from concern to caution, she asked, "Has Damon talked to you about what happened?"

"He tried to kill me, Abigail." There was an edge to his voice, one that he held back at the look in her eyes. "The last thing I want to do is talk to him."

"The last thing he wants to do is talk to anyone. Every time someone tries to talk to him, he shuts them down." She paused. "He's more dangerous than he was before."

He searched her expression. "What makes you think that?"

"I don't know," she said. "He waited a hundred and forty-five years only to find out that Katherine couldn't care less. I mean, it's gotta hurt, right?"

Passively, he said, "And it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy."

"You have every reason to be upset with him." She chuckled, walking backwards to the door. "But I'm glad you were wearing that ring."

"Me too. Who else would I shamelessly eat takeout with? Defiantly not Damon. Unless I planed on killing him that way. Which I don't." Crossing his arms over his chest with a smile, he leaned against his desk. "Let me know how that pop quiz goes."

"I will." She gave him one more smile. "Thanks for the warning."

At the end of the day, Abigail found Elena's side at Stefan's locker. They hadn't talked much about what was going on, just between the two of them. She knew what she would say, the general idea of it, anyway, and it wasn't good. But just as Abigail turned to her sister to remind her that they were going to figure it all out, no matter how long it took, Caroline barreled toward them.

"Do you guys want to do something tonight?" Caroline asked exclusively to Elena and Stefan. "I'm thinking nothing huge. Just a dinner at the Grill, maybe a late movie."

Stefan shoved a book into his backpack. "Like a double date?"

"Two pair out on a Friday night coupled?" Caroline gave them a tight, closed lip smile. "Yeah, a double date."

Elena adjusted her bag on her shoulder. "Do you think that's a good idea?"

"Why not? We all haven't gone out together before, and I don't want it to be uncomfortable for us." She tried to let her smile grow, failing almost immediately. "Look, the couple dynamics have changed and there's been a little awkwardness between you, Matt, and me. I just think it's important that we get over it."

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