"You do realize you don't have to be here. It's not like a mandatory class?" Matt couldn't hold himself back from asking the question after Emma let out a desperate groan as he handed her another feathery piece of decorations from the box at her feet. Her only response to his question was an unamused glare. "I'm sure Rebekah wouldn't mind you going back on a promise made weeks ago, after everything." Once again, glare.

Weeks ago, Emma had promised the blonde she'd help her organise the upcoming decade dance. However, now she was starting to regret it. It was her first day back to school and all she wanted was to go home and take a nap.

And, of course, Matt had a point. Rebekah would send her home instantly if she asked. But Emma was feeling fine. Despite everyone treating her like she was about to stop breathing any moment now. She hated every moment of it. Well... Except for when her algebra teacher sent her to the nurse after one cough. She didn't go to the nurse, but she also didn't return to the mind numbing class either.

"Well, if you're so adamant on staying, work faster. There's a lot more in here." Matt relented with a laugh, digging through the box which sat on the bench at Emma's feet while she herself occupied the table.

"You know, you could try untangling some yourself? Not just handing it all over to me." Emma pointed out as if it were the most obvious thing. In reality, the most obvious thing were all the twinkling lights spread out over the table next to them that had been untangled by the Donovan before Emma offered her help.

"Oh, crap. Incoming." Before Matt could point out the same thing, Emma interrupted as a flurry of blonde hair with a rather enraged expression appeared in the corner of her eye.

"What is this?" It took Caroline a couple of moments to get past the shock, but soon after she made a bee-line for Matt.

"It's a decade dance, remember? You made us sign up to help." Matt reminded his friend, for a moment wondering how he ended up being the only one to actually stay back and help.

"No. This!" Caroline turned more specific as she picked up a purple feather boa from the table beside Emma.

"Careful! These things are hell to untangle." The brunette pleaded, her hands instantly reaching to take the boa out of Caroline's tight grip. She was certainly not allowing all of her hard work to go to waste.

"The 20s? We're doing the 70s." Caroline grumbled in displeasure, visibly confused on how the mix-up could have happened. As if her question summoned it, the explanation came strolling into the cafeteria.

"Too flashy, people. It's supposed to be a speakeasy, not the World Fair." Rebekah scolded the dance committee volunteers before her eyes spotted the three of them and she made her way over. "Ah, good. You're here. We need help setting up the tables, so get to it."

"What do you think you're doing?" Caroline didn't even bother acknowledging Rebekah's request. Matt and Emma shared wary looks amongst themselves, this was bound to be disastrous.

"Somebody has to be in charge." Rebekah answered as if it was the most obvious thing. Which... When you evaluated Caroline's absence during the whole planning process, Rebekah did have a bit of a point.

"Yeah, me. I'm the chair of the dance committee. The theme of the decade dance is the 1970s." Caroline spoke in a forceful tone, highly displeased with someone hijacking her idea and making it all their own. The fact that it was Rebekah who'd done it certainly didn't help the situation.

"So you'd rather dress in tacky colours with bad hair than be a classic flapper from the jazz age?" Rebekah questioned, remaining calm and unbothered. "Honestly, I don't know what my brother sees in you." The additional comment had Emma forcing down a laugh with a pretend cough.

"Maybe he sees a challenge. You see, unlike some other people I don't sleep with everyone I make eye contact with." Caroline went for the low blow, and it was obvious the way Rebekah's confident resolve somewhat faltered at the words. Emma's on the other hand hardened, her eyes throwing a piercing glare at Caroline's back as she put down the boa that had been in her hands.

"Let the raging vampires fight it out." Matt put a hand on her shoulder knowing she was about to hit Caroline with something just as bad in Rebekah's defence.

The boy wasn't really sure whether he was protecting Emma or Caroline. But either way, he wanted to de-escalate the situation. "Maybe we could do both decades." He suggested to the blondes only to be met with a harsh synchronised shut-down.

"Let the raging vampires fight it out." Emma repeated his words to him.

"Go on, Matt, don't be a coward."

"Or not."

"You know you loved my 20s idea when I presented it to the group." Rebekah prompted the boy to voice his agreement, which as she said, had been there before. When Caroline wasn't around to see it.

"Traitor!" Caroline turned to him with wide eyes and an accusatory glare.

"Bell-bottoms and disco? I don't know, this just seemed cooler." Matt pointed out the sensible logic behind the theme change. Everyone in the committee had agreed with Rebekah's idea. The 20s seemed fancier, flashier, more luxurious. And there was no way teenage vanity would let them pass up on the chance to get amazing pictures of themselves.

"See? It's just cooler." Rebekah taunted Caroline with Matt's words, making Emma let out a small chuckle.

"Ugh, whatever." Caroline relented, her annoyance making her throw her hands into the air as she started to walk away. "Have fun at your stupid dance."

With that one blonde basically stomped out of the cafeteria, leaving the other to smile a victorious smile at her friends. But the happy disposition lasted only a short second before she spotted someone making a mistake and started scolding again.

"I, uh, better go smooth that over." Matt told Emma as his blue eyes turned to the door through which Caroline had just ran out.

"Should I send out rescue parties if you're not back in ten minutes?" Emma teased. He was definitely in for it if he tried to talk to Caroline now.

"That might be smart." Matt nodded his head, seeming as if it registered in his mind how terrifying an angry Caroline could truly be. "I'll be back soon." He added on seconds later, still not changing his mind as he walked away from Emma and followed after Caroline.

"Where'd he go off to?" Rebekah questioned as she returned to Emma's side, setting her clipboard down as she started to help with the decorations.

"To die." Emma said simply, but the answer was enough tor Rebekah to laugh in amusement once again, still drawing joy from the way she'd gotten under Caroline's skin. "You find this too fun." Emma shook her head at the blonde.

"Oh don't judge. Need I remind you I saw you laughing and having fun with it too?" Rebekah pointed out. Emma could only shrug her shoulders, because, yes, it was fun.

It was actually hilarious. Not the getting under Caroline's skin part, that was just entertaining. What was hilarious that with so many problems in their lives, Caroline acted like the biggest one was the changing of a dance theme.

"And the only reason she's upset is because I'm the one who changed it." Rebekah pointed out without a sliver of remorse.

"And the only reason you changed it is because she was the one planning it." Emma added to that because, while Rebekah's statement was true, so was hers.

"You're still coming over tonight, right? So we can get ready together tomorrow?"Rebekah questioned, switching the topic away from Caroline. At the same time, Emma felt her phone vibrate with a notification.

"Yeah. I have to go home first after school to pick up some stuff, but after that I'm all yours." The brunette said absent-mindedly as she read the text on her phone, unable to hold back a small laugh at the words on her screen.

"Who's got you smiling like that?" Rebekah questioned, her tone simultaneously teasing and curious. The blonde had been around long enough to know when a smile on the face of a woman wasn't just because of some ordinary friend.

"Doesn't matter. What do I do with these?" Emma answered, quickly replying to the text before tucking her phone back in her pocket and reaching for the untangled decorations. In truth, it probably did matter, but Emma didn't feel like listening to Rebekah's "This isn't smart" speech again.

Alas, she would have to.

"Hey!" Emma exclaimed in surprise as the blonde pulled the device out of Emma's pocket before she could put up any sign of a fight. And she did so in the opportune moment as another soft vibration rang through the air.

"Oh, bloody hell." Rebekah grumbled as she saw the contact name displayed on Emma's screen. Her bright ones met Emma's dark ones which were giving her a rather unimpressed look.

"Your family needs to learn the definition of privacy." Emma said, plucking her phone back out of Rebekah's hands. "And before you go on another spiel, I'd like to remind you I'm a big girl who can take care of herself and make her own decisions." Emma added. It'd be quite ironic if now that she'd finally managed to convince her mother to believe that, Rebekah started to be the overly protective one.

"Yes, yes. I know." Rebekah gave in with a sigh before muttering to herself, quiet enough for Emma not to overhear her. "Doesn't mean I won't find a way to kill Kol."