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there is no you without me
ATHENA WAKES WITH AN ACHE THAT TRAVELS THROUGH HER WHOLE BODY. The distant throb of soreness makes her groan and bury her head back into the pillows.
Forcibly, she lifts her head and looks around the mostly untouched room she'd chosen for herself in the boarding house and heaves a tired sigh, already done with the day before it even started.
By the time she's downstairs and dressed, she can't help but wince and rub at her chest through the fabric of her dress, wondering how restlessly she must've slept to make her body hurt so bad. Even after her brief stint of unconsciousness at her house last night, she hadn't felt this sore.
Briefly, her hand drifts to fumble with the small gold charm around her neck and she drags her thumb along the small lines of engraving there, relishing in the way it makes her skin tingle.
With a grimace, Athena grabbed her bag, slung it over her shoulder, and walked down the hallway, hearing the faint echo of Stefan and Damon's voices.
When she enters the living room, they both stop and face her and she scoffs under her breath at them. "I'm going to school, cheerleaders are required to help out with school functions."
Damon furrows his brows, facing her inquisitively. "What school function?"
"The job fair."
"How adorable. You in your little uniform, promoting the nine-to-five life," The vampire simpers, making Athena roll her eyes.
"The idea of a nine-to-five job is sad and monotonous, and I certainly don't plan on wasting my life away in some boring cubicle, wishing I wasn't stuck in a dead-end job with a husband or wife I hate and children I resent for ruining my life. But volunteer work makes me look good on college applications, so I can at least fake it 'til I make it."
Damon heaves a sigh, eyes now brightening with something much less artificial than his previous look. "Teenagers these days are so positive," He rolls his head, smirking as he looks at Stefan, who's yet to take his eyes off of Athena. "Don't you agree, Stefan?"
The green-eyed man startles from his stupor and glares at his brother, clearing his throat with a cough. "Yeah, she's a real ray of sunshine," He can't stop the sarcasm that laces in his voice and immediately wishes that Damon wasn't in the room with them because he's going to make some asinine, Damon-like comment that just makes things worse.
"Oh, are we having a lover's quarrel? Do tell,"
"Oh, fuck off," Athena scoffs, turning on her heel. "I'm going to school, try not to kill each other– or do, what does it matter anymore?"
Athena stomps off towards the front door, swinging it open right as the doorbell echoes through the house. She stutters in her frustrated gait and startles at the sight of Liz Forbes standing before her. "Sheriff Forbes?"
