FIRE AND ICE ⎯ n.mikaelson¹

ˏˋ 08

   Realising she was getting far too ahead of herself, Thea quickly jumped out of bed, checking the clock on her bedside table.

   With a groan, the brunette begrudgingly forced herself into her ensuite, knowing that if she took any longer to wake up she'd be late for school.

. . .

   Thea was minding her own business as she walked down the crowded hall of Mystic Falls High. The brunette held her books in one hand and a strawberry lollipop in her other, oblivious to the attention she was receiving as she caught sight of Matt further down the corridor.

   "Hey, Matt," the brunette smiled, stopping beside the blonde as he pinned a poster reading 'live music tonight at the Mystic Grill', to the wall. "Hey," Matt smiled at the Lockwood teen kindly, having not seen her in a while.

   "So, a live band?" Thea asked, gesturing towards the poster before placing her lollipop back in her mouth. Matt smiled, nodding as the two teens began to walk down the corridor, "yeah, business has been a little slow," the human revealed with a sigh.

   "The Grill's trying to stay afloat," Matt stated with a shrug causing Thea to chuckle softly. "Aren't we all," the brunette muttered in response, having felt a little down since receiving Tyler's letter a few nights ago.

   Much to her dismay, Tyler had left town with Jules to learn how to cope with his werewolf gene. In his letter, he had apologised for the way he had treated her and explained how he understood that she was trying to protect him by keeping him in the dark.

   Though Thea felt no less guilty about lying to her brother, she was grateful he no longer hated her. She was still furious, however, that Tyler had chosen to leave town with Jules. The brunette was holding onto hope that the blonde would soon get what she deserved.

   "Have you heard from Tyler?" Matt asked suddenly, his brows furrowed as he spared a quick look at Thea. The Lockwood teen frowned in response, shaking her head, "not a peep," Thea replied with a sigh.

   Thea had called Tyler every day since his departure, wanting to know if he was safe and alright, but Tyler hadn't returned a single one.

   "You?" the brunette asked, looking towards Matt with a slightly hopeful look; praying that at least someone had heard from him, if not her.

   Matt shook his head sadly, a sigh escaping his lips, "no, not since he stopped by the Grill to talk," the boy revealed, "and I've left messages on his cell phone."

   Thea frowned at his words, "he stopped by to see you?" the teen questioned, feeling slightly deflated that her brother hadn't had the decency to say goodbye to her in person. "What'd he say?" Thea asked curiously, pushing away the bitterness she felt.

   "Not much, really," Matt replied with a shrug as the pair continued down the hall. "I mean...I think to say goodbye without really saying goodbye," the human stated with a saddened expression, "I just didn't know it."

   Thea's frown deepened as the pair came to a stop, feeling just as upset as Matt over the absence of her brother. "I'm sure he'll call soon," the brunette stated with a small smile, attempting to reassure both Matt and herself; though both doubted her words.

   "Miss Lockwood, there is a rule about eating food in the corridor," a shrill voice interrupted their conversation. Thea rolled her eyes as she turned to face her English teacher, plastering a false smile on her face as Matt attempted to fight back a smile.

   "There's also a rule about wearing the same skirt three days in a week, Mrs Miller," the Lockwood teen retorted as she trailed her eyes over her teacher's outfit with a scrunched nose. Matt snorted in laughter, quickly covering it with a cough as the teacher set her glare on him.