Kenzie Gilbert: The Possessive Twin (7)

2: Red Stones & Arguments

Chapter Two

"I want to talk about death. More specifically, I want to talk about what happens after," Alaric was speaking to the class.

I snorted, giving Bonnie a look. She elbowed me from her seat by my side, but the smile on her face told me she was equally amused by Ric's morbidness. "I'm dropping this class," I teased, whispering though I knew Ric could hear me as his eyes landed on me right after.

"Now, I'm not going to pretend like my good looks are the reason this class is so full," Ric said to the class, giving me a pointed look before breaking eye contact. "I've heard the same stories you have about Mystic Falls. Ghost sightings, poltergeists—"

"Zombies!" I shouted amused.

"Witches!" Bonnie joined in, cackling with me and the rest of the class.

After we all settled down, Ric continued wherever he was going with this. "Now, let's talk about it. What's behind all of these stories? Now, almost every culture has the lore of a creature or being that cheats death. Why do our brains insist on inventing the most unbelievable things?" He questioned rhetorically.

Bonnie straightened up beside me, reaching over and grasping my forearm in a dead grip. She was concerned. But why? "What?" I whispered to her.

"It's because the reality of death is actually the most unbelievable thing of all. Now, the most terrifying thing that you're going to encounter in Mystic Falls is a trespassing ticket, okay? So, everyone just stay out," Ric advised.

"You okay?" I asked as the entire class packed there things and quickly started to move out.

"I'll tell you later," she said.

I nodded, packing my things before sending Stefan a text that I was on my way home. He and Matt were patrolling Mystic Falls on a rotational basis. While I was at school on our first day back, Stefan had Maverick. But now it was his turn to patrol the town. And because things were tense between us, we were going to go together. Away from the toddler, away from our friends. Alone time. In his car, driving around and talking. Maybe some music. A good time where we could spend it trying to reconnect some more. We've fallen into this married couple lifestyle, worried about Maverick and not enough time about the state of our depraved relationship with one another. I don't want to spend any more time like strangers or apart. The last two years have been absolute emotional hell. At the end of the day we chose each other. And now every day for the rest of our lives we needed to do the same, devotion is just as important as trust, respect, and our proven unconditional love.

"So, the Great Mystic Falls Evacuation Plan isn't going as well as everyone hoped," I heard Bonnie's voice when I snapped to.

The room had dispersed of my fellow peers and now my bestie was up at Ric's desk. I checked for Stefan's text, making sure he had Maverick packed to go next door with his dad who hopefully was or would be home soon. Of course after I say hi and bye to my baby boy.

"Heh. Well, they turned it into a ghost town. That part worked. Unfortunately for us, ghost towns are like amusement parks for college kids. The Heretics have killed ten people already. Two last night—idiots looking for a ghost selfie," Ric was saying as I joined them.

"Are you okay?" Bonnie asked him. I furrowed my eyebrows, feeling this awkwardness. What was her problem? What I missing? Why wouldn't Ric be okay? "Damon told me what you were doing in Europe," she added.

"Losing my money and my sanity to a series of con artists?" Ric scoffed with a sad smirk.

"Yeah," Bonnie sighed.

"Don't worry, I'm over it."

"I'm sorry what are we talking about?" I asked concerned. "Over what?"

"It's okay if you're not, Ric. Heck, I'm a little offended you didn't come to me first!" Bonnie continued as if she didn't hear me.