"Lilly! It's time to wake up!" Jenna called from the hallway as she knocked on her niece's door.
The teenager groaned. It was the first day of school after summer break and she so did not want to get used to the early morning routine again. She was a night person and had easily gotten accustomed to staying up late and sleeping in.
Yawning quite loudly and stretching in this directing and that like a cat, Lilly reluctantly got up and sluggishly made her way to the bathroom.
She shared the bathroom with her twin brother Jeremy, but being a typical boy he hardly took any time. A shower and a spritz of deodorant was all he seemed to need in the morning to be fresh and ready.
Lilly took her time. She'd taken a shower last night, so she just had to clean her teeth and brush her long golden blond locks so they would fall in soft curls instead of the birds-nest nature seemed to command them into.
Getting dressed wasn't a huge issue for Lilly. She didn't much care for fashion. Her outfits contained mostly of blue jeans, sneakers and shirts. The shirts only varied between short-sleeved and long-sleeved depending on the season with the occasional pullover thrown in the mix.
Being a member of one of Mystic Falls' founding families she was considered a part of the 'higher society' of this small town and did own a collection of elegant dresses and preppy shoes, but those were strictly reserved for the frequent semi-official events where this kind of wardrobe was mandatory.
If she felt really fancy on a hot summer day she would wear a sun-dress but that was the extend of her fashion sense. She usually couldn't be bothered to care and today was no exception to the rule.
Lilly was also not a morning person at all. She was grumpy and taciturn until the caffeine from her first cup of coffee had a chance to circulate through her body. While Elena and even Jeremy liked to get up at the crack of dawn to get ready, write in their journal (in Elena's case) or do some last minute homework-damage-control (in Jeremy's case), Lilly liked to stay in bed and dream the time away until the last minute. The family naturally knew this quirk of hers and left her alone as long as possible. Being as low-maintenance as she was certainly was an advantage and allowed her a few precious extra minutes in bed.
So even so she got ready for the day fairly quickly Jeremy as per usual had beaten her to the kitchen. He could be miserable or as high as a kite, yet he always made it downstairs before his twin sister.
He was standing to the side casually leaning against the counter and was watching a hectic Jenna rush around the kitchen with the occasional roll of his eyes, while Elena looked on in fond amusement.
Lilly walked over to Jeremy and threw her arms around his waist leaning her head against his shoulder. "Morning" she mumbled drowsily to nobody in particular.
"Morning sleepy-head, awake yet?" her twin chuckled as he ran a hand through her curls, his other hand snaking around her shoulders to pull her closer.
She closed her eyes and sighed contentedly. "Mhmm."
Jeremy kept running his hand through her hair. He knew she needed a little extra affection this morning what with learning to get up early again and everyone waiting to question her about her well-being. He wished he could shelter her from the nosy people, but it was inevitable. After not seeing her as often due to recess, people would be especially nosy now.
Lilly hummed contentedly enjoying her brother's caresses. She was even tempted to fall asleep again, it was that good, but she managed to stay awake, barely. She wasn't yet ready to take part in the conversation and the others ignored her presence for the most part.
"Toast!" Jenna exclaimed with her head in the fridge. "I can make toast!" The woman seemed more nervous about the first day of school than her charges.
It was probably understandable. She got thrown into this situation completely unawares. One day she was a careless college student and the next she suddenly was responsible for three teenagers without any guidance whatsoever.
Sometimes she wished there was a handbook. It would help her not to be so afraid of messing up. She would destroy lives if she messed up. Those kids were not like flowers which demise was sad but they could be replaced. This was very very different and much more terrifying.
Jenna was out of her depth but so were the kids, she realized. They were as lost as she was. How could anyone prepare for a catastrophe like this? It wasn't possible.
All Jenna could do was give it her best. She had pushed her own grief over her sister's death to the back of her mind. The kids needed her and they were sure to be worse off than she was, no matter how much she loved her sister and brother-in-law. It couldn't compare to losing one's parents at such a young age.
She loved Miranda's children, always had. At least they were close. You gotta be grateful for small mercies, she figured. This would be a lot harder if they were strangers.
And the kids were great. She could have had it worse. These kids were brought up right and were very well adjusted. Especially the twins were very independent for their age. Jeremy was a little troubled, he'd been in a rebellious phase to begin with and his parent's death screwed him up even more, but he had Lilly.
Jenna was aware of the twins' close relationship and was thankful for it. Lilly balanced Jeremy out and even though she never outwardly showed it, Jenna had a suspicion that Lilly was even more dependent on Jeremy than vice-versa. She didn't study psychology for nothing, after all. And their current display of affection was further proof of that theory. Lilly clung to Jeremy.
Or maybe they clung to each other. Who knew and did it really matter?
Jenna groaned inwardly. It was too much.
"It's all about the coffee, aunt Jenna" Elena announced, interrupting her aunts thought process, and filled a cup for herself. Jeremy released Lilly as he grabbed the cup from Elena to thrust it into his twin's hands. Elena exhaled exasperatedly as she got herself a new cup but didn't complain.
"It's your first day of school and I'm totally unprepared!" Jenna rambled on. "Lunch money?" She pulled a few bills from her purse offering them to the siblings. Elena and Lilly shook their heads, but Jeremy grabbed the money and stuffed it in his pocket. Lilly had an idea what it would be used for, yet she didn't comment. She wasn't happy with her brother's drug usage, but it was way to early in the morning for this conversation. Besides, in front of her overbearing sister and unsuspecting aunt certainly wasn't the place either.
"Anything else? A number two pencil?" Jenna's gaze switched between the sisters questioningly.
"Calm down aunt Jenna, we have everything we need" Elena tried to calm her down. She was aware of her aunts plight, had an idea how hard this had to be for her and tried to do her best to make it easier to the woman. She was grateful to have her.
The alternative was too horrible to contemplate. She herself was too young to care for her siblings so they would have had to live with strangers or apart and with strangers, if not for Jenna. Elena shuddered at the mere thought of that. No, they got the best deal possible with Jenna, under the circumstances. After all, nothing was lucky about their circumstances.
Lilly's eyes went to the calendar next to the fridge. "Don't you have an appointment this morning?" she questioned her aunt when her eyes landed on today's entry.
Jenna's head whipped around to the clock. "I'm meeting with my thesis adviser at...now. Crap!" And with that she rushed out of the door leaving the siblings alone.
Lilly chuckled lightly as she sipped on her coffee, her spirits slowly waking up.
Elena watched Jeremy skeptically and Lilly already knew what was coming. She would try to mother him and make him angry in the process.
Right on cue the older girl spoke up. "You okay?" she questioned the boy who rolled his eyes at her. "Don't start." He pulled Lilly close again to hug her tightly. "See you later, sis." Being several inches taller than her he easily placed a kiss on the top of her head before making his way out to get away from his eldest sister.
Elena watched him leave with deep frown lines on her forehead. Eventually she sighed deeply and turned towards the younger girl, no doubt to ask the same question. Offering her a smile Lilly beat her to it. "I'm fine, 'Lena, don't worry." Elena smiled in return, but before she could respond they heard a honk outside and they both grabbed their bags, knowing that it was Bonnie who would give them a ride to school. Lilly took a huge gulp of coffee, not prepared to waste any of the delicious brew, before she hurried after her sister.
They got in the car after greeting Bonnie. Elena in the front and Lilly in the back behind her. Back there she could just daydream and ignore most of the conversation while still not fully awake. Bonnie and Elena were used to their companion being silent in the mornings and didn't try to engage her.
"So my Grams is telling me I'm psychic. Our ancestors were from Salem, witches and all. Crazy, I know, but she's going on and on about it and I'm like, put this woman in a home already! But then I started thinking, I predicted Obama and I predicted Heath Ledger and I still think Florida will break off and turn into little resort islands."
Lilly watched the passing scenery only half listening to Bonnie rambling on and on about her summer and her grandmother's recent bout of delusion.
Sheila Bennett, Bonnie's grandmother, was a lovely old lady. As kids they all had enjoyed her company especially during the summers when she would allow them to turn her garden into some kind of water fun park with lawn sprinklers and a kiddy pool, where they would play until exhaustion forced them to rest.
When that happened Sheila had always been waiting with home-made sweet iced tea and freshly baked cornbread to nurse them back to energy for a second round in the garden.
She'd also always been an endless source of herbal remedies for all sorts of ailments, be it a rash from some unknown plant or an itching sting from the various creepy crawlies.
But the older she got the more she seemed to enjoy the gin. When she got drunk she would regal the kids with fantastical stories about monsters and magic.
Lilly didn't mind, it was entertaining, but she knew Bonnie was embarrassed especially since Sheila seemed to really believe in all the supernatural nonsense she talked about.
When the kids grew up their visits became less frequent and Lilly actually had to think about when she had last seen the old lady. It must have been months.
Bonnie stopped talking when she noticed that not only Lilly wasn't really listening, which was expected. Elena also was staring out of the window with a far-away look on her face.
"Elena! Back in the car?" She demanded jokingly.
Elena's head snapped around. "I did it again, didn't I? I'm sorry, I was miles away. You were saying that...?"
"That I'm psychic now" Bonnie repeated proudly and Lilly giggled. Bonnie was Elena's best friend, but her and Lilly were very close too, as with all of Elena's friends. They were a really tight knit group even though Lilly had her own group of friends she hung out with including her best friend, Tyler Lockwood, who wasn't as close to the rest of them, except maybe for Matt, Elena's ex boyfriend.
Matt and Elena had broken up recently. Partly because after their parent's death. Elena had needed distance.
Lilly had also withdrawn from her friends. She didn't hang out with the girls from her gymnastics team anymore and rarely went out. Only Tyler still got through to her and, along with Jeremy, had been a real help. He wasn't fazed by the mood swings she got regularly in the weeks after the accident. He was simply there for her and seemed to sense what she needed. Whether she needed a shoulder to lean on or some fun, mindless distraction, he provided it. Not usually one for tears, like most guys, he didn't seem to mind with Lilly and patiently held her for hours when she couldn't keep it in anymore and cried on his shoulder.
Lilly was brought out of her reverie when she heard Elena respond to Bonnie's statement. "Right" she agreed. "Predict something about me. And about Lilly."
Intrigued Lilly focused in on the conversation again. She didn't necessarily believe in premonitions or fortune telling, but figured it would be interesting, at least.
Bonnie was about to answer when suddenly something hit the windshield with force causing the car to swerve and Bonnie hit the brakes hard to bring the car to a sudden stop. Instantly images of the accident that killed their parents flooded Lilly's mind and her breath became rapid along with her racing pulse.
"What was that?! Oh my god! Elena, Lilly, I'm so sorry!" Bonnie cried turning around to the sisters apologizing frantically. "It was a bird or something. It came out of nowhere!"
Lilly could only stare wide eyed. She wasn't here in the present anymore. Her breathe came in harsh, fast pants, on the verge of hyperventilating. She felt the car plummeting down towards the river, the violent jerk and biting pain from the seat-belt cutting into her shoulder when it hit the water's surface and she expected to feel the icy waters closing in on her any moment. She subconsciously tried to pump as much air as possible into her lungs for the inevitable loss of her ability to breathe which was sure to follow.
She had relived the accident in her dreams often enough to know exactly what to expect, though it never lost it's horror. It didn't keep her from feeling the same overwhelming, all-consuming terror she had that night.
Elena, who no doubt relived the crash in her mind as well, recovered faster.
"It's okay. I can't be freaked out by cars for the rest of my life. Neither can Lilly" she reassured her friend. "We are fine. Right, Lilly?" She reached back to run a hand over her sister's leg comfortingly.
The touch jolted Lilly back to reality and she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and holding it to stop the panic attack.
"Yea right, we are fine, Bonnie" she panted. "Elena's right." She forced the words out for the sake of her friend. She was clearly anything but fine. It wasn't Bonnie's fault though and she didn't want her friend to worry or feel any more guilty than she already did. She couldn't blame the girl for something that was out of her control so she folded her hands in her lap to hide the shaking and plastered a smile on her face. "What about that prediction?"
Bonnie noticed how bad the younger girl was shaking and that breathing evenly seemed to be an effort, but she was relieved to hear the words and nodded eagerly. "Right, right." She put the car back in drive to take them the short distance to school. "I predict this year is going to be kick ass" She announced. "All the sad and dark times are over and you both are going to be beyond happy."
Lilly's forced smile turned into a real one at her friend's kind words. Bonnie really was a good friend and somehow always seemed to find the right words to make a bad situation bearable. It was a gift Lilly cherished.
By the time the car rolled into the parking lot she had her emotions under control again and was back to her usual self. As soon as the car stopped she jumped out and ran to the other side to hug Bonnie. "Thank you, Bonnie! And I know you will be happy too!" She squeezed tightly before she released her and turned around. "I have to find Tyler. See you later!" With that she skipped away towards the school oblivious to the stares of her sister and friend. The two older girls looked at each other with wide grins and shaking heads, both glad she bounced back from the shock so quickly. Lilly was a happy and lively person by nature and nobody liked to see her scared or sad.
Lilly made her way through the already crowded hallways looking for her best friend. She had to stop every so often to greet people, hear about their summer and reassure them that she was indeed fine. She had many friends and in a small town like Mystic Falls there wasn't anyone who hadn't heard about the accident that cost the Gilbert siblings their parents. Many students had been away on vacation over the summer break and hadn't seen the girl for a while, so they were curious to hear how she was doing.
Finally she made it to the lockers where Tyler stood with his friends. With a happy squeal she launched herself into his arms. "There you are!"
Luckily Tyler was used to her antics and being a muscular jock towering over her small frame he caught her easily and lifted her up. "Hey Lils, how are you doing?" He smiled at her with adoration as his arms wrapped around her and pulled her close. Growing serious he added "You know, we can just skip today, go to my place and watch movies."
She shook her head with a light giggle. "That sounds great, but I'm fine, really Ty."
He gave her a look clearly indicating that he didn't believe her, but pressed a kiss to her cheek and set her down without pressing the matter. She appreciated the notion and knew she could take him up on the offer any time. For now though she really was fine and didn't need the out. She knew he would be there for her when and if she needed him.
His friends, mostly teammates from his football team, grinned at her as she turned around to give them a small wave. The affectionate behavior of these two wasn't new to them.
Tyler and Lilly could easily be mistaken for a couple. Whenever they were seen together they would hold hands, she would sit in his lap or his arm was around her shoulders, but in reality they were just extremely close friends. She thought of Tyler as a big brother. The mere idea of dating him or doing anything romantic with him was revolting. For the both of them. Tyler saw her as his little sister, too. To him she was someone to protect and care for, never a potential conquest. It had been like this as long as they could remember.
"Have you seen Vicky today?" He questioned and Lilly's smile slightly faltered as she shook her head. Vicky had been a sore subject lately. Her and Tyler got together near the end of this summer and while Lilly was fine with that, she also knew that her twin was in love with the girl. Tyler deserved to be happy, but so did her brother. She didn't like seeing either one suffer.
Noticing her expression Tyler pulled her close again. "Let me walk you to class first, then I'll go looking for her." Neither one would press the issue, especially not in front of others. They were both determined not to let it get between them.
So she waved goodbye to his friends and allowed him to lead her to her classroom where he pressed another kiss to her temple and disappeared in search of his girlfriend.
Lilly walked into her history class, dropped her book bag at her table and walked over to her classmates to hear about their summer. Even though she was a year younger than her sister they shared a lot of classes. Lilly was quite smart and she loved learning. She wasn't a nerd or teacher's pet by any means, but studying came easy to her and so she had already completed most courses in her grade and moved up.
Technically she had almost enough credits to graduate early, but she had been in grief and not done any studying over the summer break. With a little effort she might still be able to pull it off, but she'd lost the energy. She didn't see the point anymore.
Her parents wouldn't be there to be proud of her and praise her achievements. Without their guidance an early graduation seemed more creepy than like something to strive for. It had seemed a good idea with them around, not so much now. What would she do? Go away to college on her own, without any help and without her twin? Certainly not an appealing idea.
Staying close to her friends was another reason to hold her back. If she kept going like she had last year she wouldn't be able to share classes with her friends, so she'd decided to take it slow this year.
Shortly after she settled down in her seat in the back of the room near the windows, Elena came in. She was talking to a handsome guy Lilly had never seen before. He had to be new. They were deep in conversation and didn't notice being observed by not only Lilly but nearly the entire class. A new student was something of an oddity by itself in their small town and a good looking guy like this one was sure to draw attention, especially if he was getting close to one of the town's sweethearts on his first day.
Elena had always been popular. Not only in school, where she was part of the popular crowd by definition as a cheerleader, but in the whole town. Founding families were still a big deal here even over a century after the actual event. They were practically treated like royalty. Being part of this elusive circle meant that pretty much everyone knew her.
In addition to that fact she actively took part in all the events. Be it charity galas, dances or festivities, Elena had an active part in every single one. That won her a lot of favors and was enough to have the townspeople interested in her life. After the accident that only increased and people fell over themselves to make their sympathy be known or help were possible.
Jeremy and Lilly weren't as active a part in the town's society, but they were included by association.
None of the siblings took much notice to this. They were all used to being treated kindly and with a little extra attention. They didn't abuse it or revel in it. It was just how things were in Mystic Falls.
Studying the new guy and her sister Lilly noticed that Elena looked happier than she had during the past months. She'd broken up with Matt not too long ago. There had been tension between the two for a while.
They had been close ever since childhood and nobody was surprised when they made their relationship official. They worked well together. Matt was a good guy and treated Elena like a delicate flower.
It worked for a while but then the cracks started to appear, slowly at first. They wanted different things. Matt saw Elena as his forever and could hardly wait to start their future, their family, as soon as possible. Elena wanted a family of her own too, but she wasn't in a rush to get started. She wanted to be young and carefree for a while first. Unlike Matt she already had it all, a happy family with loving parents. Although this was her endgame too, she wanted to experience life to the fullest first.
The details of the night of the accident were a bit hazy to Lilly still. All she knew was that Elena and Matt had a huge row about that exact thing. After that night things between them only got worse and Elena wasn't the same person anymore. The break-up was inevitable.
Although Lilly liked Matt she wasn't opposed to her sister finding someone else. As long as the boy treated her well and made her happy, Lilly was fine with it and this new guy seemed to be just as entranced with Elena as she was with him. Lilly gave a mental shrug. She could see it. Time would tell how this played out.
Before Lilly could dive deeper into her musings about her sister and the new guy the teacher appeared to start the first class of the school year. Mr. Tanner, their history teacher, was an ass. There was no other way to describe him. He enjoyed humiliating students and preyed on their weaknesses. Not even Lilly was immune to his questionable methods despite being a good student with flawless grades. If there was a weakness he honed in on it. He could sense your insecurities like a shark sensed blood and he never left an opportunity to expose them.
Usually not one to hold grudges, Lilly made an exception for him. She hated him. Mostly for her classmate's sake, more than her own. It happened, but he rarely got the jump on her. She was always prepared and she knew the material well, usually had studied it ahead of time. Her classmates were not so lucky and Mr Tanner wasn't above playing dirty. If he wanted you to fail he would find a way. There wasn't a student, including Lilly, who hadn't been on the receiving end of his sadistic methods at least once and she despised him for it.
Not one to give him the opportunity to humiliate her, Lilly had to concentrate during his lesson and didn't get the chance to study the blossoming relationship between her sister and the new guy.
The rest of the school day passed without any memorable incidents. With most teachers not doing much more than passing out the course syllabus the day dragged on and Lilly was relieved when it was finally over.
Tyler's offer to watch movies with her at his place still stood and they spent the afternoon doing just that, since neither of them had any homework for the next day yet.
After an afternoon of laughter over silly lines and bad acting Tyler drove them to the grill for dinner.
Elena and her friends were already there, sitting in their usual booth not far from the pool table. The only difference was the new guy being there with them, sitting next to Elena.
Tyler and Lilly first went to see Vicky who was serving tonight and greeted her boyfriends younger friend warmly.
Lilly liked Vicky. She really did. The girl had her flaws, but she wasn't a bad person. Lilly could see the appeal she held for both Tyler and Jeremy. Vicky was a very attractive girl with her long locks and soulful eyes and she knew how to have a good time.
During the summer when Jeremy and Vicky grew closer, they had sometimes taken Lilly along for the tamer, drug-free activities and they had a lot of fun together.
The only issue Lilly had with the older girl was that she felt she strung her brother along. The twins were fiercely protective of each other and Vicky's treatment of her brother didn't sit well with Lilly. She also wasn't quite so sure about Tyler's feelings. She loved the boy, but she wasn't oblivious to his treatment of his frequent conquests. Tyler was a player and not nearly as serious about their relationship as Vicky was. To him it was more of a game and Lilly couldn't help but think that Jeremy would be the better option.
Of course she was biased. Her twin would always come up better no matter who she compared him with, even her best friend couldn't measure up.
It wasn't her business though and when Tyler located his buddies near the pool table she decided to go sit with her sister and her friends instead.
Vicky was asked to bring her food to their booth instead and after thanking Tyler for the afternoon and hugging him goodbye, Lilly made her way over there.
"Hey guys" she chirped happily and they all smiled and greeted her as they made room for her to sit with them at their table.
The new guy watched the exchange silently and once Lilly was situated she reached her hand out across the table for him to shake. "Hi, I'm Lillian Gilbert."
"Stefan Salvatore" he introduced himself as he shook her hand and Lilly positively beamed at him.
"Salvatore as in the founding family?" she questioned enthusiastically. "As in Zach Salvatore?" She was nearly bouncing out of her seat in excitement.
While her friends watched on in fond amusement – they were used to her antics – Stefan merely lifted a brow in surprise. Apparently he wasn't one for showing emotion much. "That's correct" he confirmed. "I take it you know my uncle Zach?"
Lilly nodded eagerly, barely able to contain herself. "Zach and I are friends. It's so great you are here! That house is so big and Zach is living there all on his own. I was worried about him, you know. Now that you're here he isn't always so alone anymore!"
She probably would have kept on rambling if not for Vicky who showed up just then with her food order. So being really hungry she stuffed some fries in her mouth instead, completely forgoing any sense of propriety or manners.
She hadn't been lying. Zach Salvatore and her had grown close over the last year. Lilly had come across him during one of the founders' events. She'd always known Zach or rather been aware of his existence. He was a descendant of the original founders like herself and thus attended all the same events, but they'd never talked. Zach was a loner, never close to anyone and always just on the edge of things.
Lilly had been curious about him for a while and one evening she had found the courage to approach him. They got to talking about history of the town and in general which let to a discussion about literature and they found out that they had a lot in common despite the age difference.
Finally Zach had offered Lilly access to the boarding house's extensive library which was an opportunity she couldn't pass up on.
Since then they'd only gotten closer and Lilly, having seen how lonely he lived, had taken it upon herself to get him more included into town's society.
Her friends knew about the budding relationship and were used to Lilly's enthusiasm, so they didn't comment and Stefan, though clearly curious about the girl's relationship to his distant nephew, only smiled kindly at her explanation.
He might have wanted to ask her about it, but Caroline wouldn't have it. "So, we were talking about the party at the falls tomorrow" she interrupted to bring the topic of conversation back to more important – in her eyes, anyways – issues and Stefan was forced to refocus his attention. "Are you going, Lilly?" Caroline asked in an effort to include the younger girl into the conversation. She might be rather single-minded, but was nothing if not polite.
Easily distracted Lilly nodded at the blonde. "Yeah I guess. Tyler is picking us up, me and Vicky, so we can go together." That caused smiles and approving nods all around. While Lilly was younger they still all enjoyed having her around. She knew how to have a good time and her happy demeanor was contagious. They knew she could be the life of a party, always dancing, laughing and having fun with everyone.
The only one at the table not happy about this announcement was Elena and she made it quite obvious with a disapproving glare and a shake of her head. Lilly only furrowed her brows at her sister's sour expression. She didn't appreciate the notion. Sure, Lilly was younger and wanting to protect her was natural, but Elena herself went to parties at Lilly's age and Lilly hardly ever drank, which Elena knew.
There was no reason for the attitude. Except maybe for Elena's need to mother her siblings and regulate their life. Luckily Elena didn't get the chance to lecture her younger sister as the friends chatted excitedly about the party arrangements.
Soon after Tyler's waving caught Lilly's attention. He was at the pool table with Matt and gestured for her to come over, so she excused herself. "It was really nice meeting you, Stefan. I'm sure I'll see you around" she politely said before skipping away with a wave. "Bye guys!"
"Hey Lils!" She was greeted when she arrived at the pool table.
"Hey Mattie!"she hugged the boy. "I take it you need me as your good luck charm, Ty?"
This had been a joke between them for quite a while. Tyler always seemed to have better luck with her around. A mere coincidence, but they both liked to play it up.
Tyler grinned at her, but Matt was watching Stefan and Elena with a forlorn expression. "Oh Mattie," Lilly noticed and threw her arms around him in a comforting hug. "Don't look so sad. You will find the one, I'm sure. It just isn't Elena." She released him, but didn't pull away, instead she rubbed his arms. "Don't lose a good friendship with her over this. If she can move on, so can you."
Matt returned the hug but still looked haunted. "I know, Lilly, it's just hard." His solemn expression tugged on her heartstrings. She really liked Matt. "Thank you though."
With that he ruffled her hair and pulled away to grab a pool stick.
Lilly crunched up her nose in protest of the gesture, then clapped her hands as she jumped up and faced Tyler. "So, I'm here. Let's play. Show him who's boss, Ty!"
They spent another hour at the grill together. The boys played and Lilly cheered them on, naturally taking Tyler's side for most of the game. They talked, and laughed, joked and had fun together. When it eventually got late for a school night they said their goodbyes and Tyler took Lilly home.