Chapter Text
Elena got in the car with her friend, Bonnie to go to school for her first day. She had her own car, a really nice one too, but she hadn’t been able to drive it since the accident. “Thanks for picking me up, Bonnie. I know I’m kind of being ridiculous.”
“Elena, you’re not being ridiculous,” Bonnie said.
“My dad bought me a brand-new car just six months ago. It’s in pristine condition and I can’t even drive it,” Elena said.
“It’s about the only thing he’s been good for,” Bonnie mumbled.
“Bonnie, please don’t start,” Elena said.
“Sorry. Anyway, it’s understandable that you’d be reluctant to drive. You went through something really traumatic,” Bonnie said.
“You know what the worst part is? If I had driven my own car that night, it probably wouldn’t have happened,” Elena said.
“Elena, we were at a party with alcohol. You were trying to be safe,” Bonnie said.
“Look how that turned out. My mother and stepfather are dead,” Elena said. Grayson Gilbert wasn’t her father. She carried his last name, but he wasn’t her real father. He wasn’t Jeremy’s either. They had another father. They both the result of one night stands their mother had with the same man, at least that’s the way her mother explained it. Their father wasn’t around a ton. He visited every few months. He even had a house where they’d stay with him when he was there, a very large house, but he was away a lot for business. He was still involved with their lives though. They spoke at least every week, and their mother had been keeping him apprised of their grades and all that. Elena supposed she’d call it long-distance parenting.
“It wasn’t your fault. How are things going with Jenna?” Bonnie asked, changing the subject.
“Good. As good as they can anyway. This is an adjustment for her too,” Elena said.
“Has he even called?” Bonnie asked.
“You can use my dad’s name, Bonnie, and, yes, he calls all the time. I suspect he’ll call today after school. He always calls the first day of school,” Elena said.
“Look, I can’t help it. You know how I feel about deadbeats,” Bonnie said.
Elena sighed. She really hated having this conversation with Bonnie. She had her own issues with her father’s lack of presence, but he wasn’t a dead beat. “Bonnie, my dad calls us once a week. He keeps up to date with all our school and medical records. He sends a ton of money every month to make sure we never need for anything. I don’t think he can be considered a deadbeat.”
“Okay, absentee then. The guy shows up for a week or two every few months and then disappears,” Bonnie said.
“He travels for work,” Elena said.
“He didn’t even show up for your mom’s funeral,” Bonnie said.
‘That’s because he doesn’t know,’ was on the tip of Elena’s tongue, but she didn’t say it out loud. She never told her father that her mother had died, but she let everyone believe she had. She hadn’t told him because she was pretty sure he’d make her and Jeremy leave Mystic Falls with him if she did, and she just couldn’t do that. She’d lost her mother. She couldn’t lose anything else. Jeremy felt the same way, so they’d made the agreement to not tell him for as long as possible. A part of Elena knew she wouldn’t be able to withstand such a lie forever, and when her father found out, he would be livid, but she just couldn’t risk losing anything else right now. She didn’t want anything else to change. “He couldn’t help that. Look, can we just change the subject for now.”
“Yeah, sure, sorry,” Bonnie said before she started discussing her grandmother and her weird beliefs with Elena as they drove.
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Elena made it to the cemetery after school. She’d done there almost every day to be close to her mother. She’d just gotten there when her phone started ringing. She took it out, and the word ‘Dad’ flashed across the screen. She immediately answered it and put it to her ear. She made sure to sound happy as she spoke, something she’d had to fake for the last few months. “Hey, Dad.”
“Hi, sweetheart. How was your first day of school?”
“It was good. There was a new student today, which is pretty much a hot topic for this town,” Elena said.
He chuckled. “Interesting. Listen, I finally received your report card from your mother. Your grades seem to have dropped towards the end. Care to explain?”
Elena cringed. She knew this was going to happen. She’d been exchanging emails with her father all summer, posing as her mother and using her account. Luckily, that was mostly how her parents communicated, as it pissed Grayson off less than when they spoke on the phone. Her father kept asking for hers and Jeremy’s report cards, and she kept telling him they were delayed. Finally, she had to send them, and she knew he wouldn’t be happy. “Um, I’m not sure. Things were a little crazy towards the end of the year.”
“I see. Are you still seeing the Donovan boy? Is that why your grades are slipping?” he asked with an edge to his voice.
“No. Actually, Matt and I broke up. That’s probably why my grades are suffering,” Elena half lied.
“Did that little welp break your heart? I will tear all his limbs off!” her dad snarled.
“No, Dad, it’s not like that. I broke up with him. It’s just that it’s been hard. I promise, I’ll bring my grades up,” Elena said.
“Very well. See that you do. I will be paying attention to when your next report card is due. I expect to see those grades back to normal. On the plus said, I don’t have to kill the Donovan boy the next time I’m in town. He wasn’t good enough for you.”
“You’d say that about anyone I was dating,” Elena said with a smile. Her father had not been pleased when he found out she was dating. In his eyes, she would always be Daddy’s little girl. He’d wanted to kill Matt when he found out they were dating.
“No doubt, my dear. Is your brother with you? I need to speak to him about his own grades, plus his apparent belief that he doesn’t have to answer my calls,” he grumbled.
Elena mentally cursed Jeremy. Her brother had been refusing to talk to their father since not long after their mother’s death. She told him to stop ignoring them. It was only going to cause more problems, but he refused to get on the phone. “No, I’m not home yet. I’ll tell him to call you as soon as I get home.
“Please do. Be sure that he knows answering my calls is not optional. Anyway, I’ll let you go now. I love you, Elena.”
“I love you too, Dad. I’ll talk to you soon. Bye,” she said before hanging up. She then took out her journal. She needed to unwind a bit, especially after that conversation. Managing the deaths of her mother and stepfather was hard enough. Now she also had manage lying to her father about it. It was a lot to deal with.