Thank you for clicking on my story, I'm glad that you have decided to take a look at something I care about. You are a dear:)

I took the title from Bridget Mendler's song, so all credit there.

This story is about Hope Gilbert, a quiet book worm struggling to come to terms with who she is and the world around her.

I hope you enjoy reading her story just as much as I enjoy writing it.

I do not own Vampire Diaries.

Off to the races:)

She stood there, staring at her phone and hoping that the words that left Jenna's mouth were a hallucination. She had just been having the time of her life with her friends, one of which she had strong feelings for, when the call came.

Hope: Jenna, to what do I owe the pleasure?

Jenna: There's been accident.

Hope: Is everyone okay? Is my uncle okay?"

Jenna: I'm so sorry, Hope, but both Grayson...and Miranda have passed away in a car accident.

It was at that point that she had to hang up. She stared at the phone in her hand before she dropped it to the floor. She pinched the bridge of her nose, a habit she had picked up by watching her uncle when she would visit during the summer.

"Hope, are you alright?" She turned to look at her best friend, Diana. She thought about telling her that her whole world was crashing down, and that two of the most important people in her life were just taken so cruelly away from her.

"I need to go home." She whispered instead. She looked past Diana to see Jon and Marcus walking towards her, goofy smiles stuck on their faces. Her heart, despite her grievous state, skipped a beat when Marcus turned that smile to her.

"Hope, what's wrong?" She shook her head and turned back to look at the lone swings of the park. It was only eight o'clock, but the night was inky and the wind was cold.

"Diana, if you don't want to have to pick me up off the ground and take me home, then I suggest we leave now." She whispered. The boys walked closer to them, their carefree attitude slipping away as they sensed the tense atmosphere.

"Hope would you just-"

"I just learned that my aunt and uncle just died, Di. Please, just take me home." She whirled on her, a begging gleam in her eye. Diana nodded and headed towards the car, shaking her head at the boys. Hope followed, her head lowered. She slipped into the passenger side without a word, her fingers digging into the underside of her thighs as she sat on them. The car ride was silent as they pulled up to her simple, one story home. She kissed Diana on the cheek and left the car without a word. She unlocked the door to see her mother's husband, Jeff, standing in the living room watching a baseball game.

"What's wrong?" She sobbed and threw herself into his arms. He wrapped her up in his fatherly embrace, the one he used every time she came crying to him, and held her close; his throat closing up at the sounds of his stepdaughter's heartbreaking cries. Those sobs were what agony sounded like.

She was in agony, she was wrecked. Her aunt and uncle were the closest ties to her father she could ever imagine. She spent every summer with them and their two children Elena and Jeremy. She was five months younger than Elena, although she was in a higher grade. Grayson Gilbert was the first fatherly figure she had ever known. He had taught her how to ride a bike, how to throw a punch, how to be confident in herself, and how to drive a car. He had been there for all the huge milestones, and they were as close as he and his own daughter were.

"Grayson and Miranda are dead." She sobbed out against his wide chest. He sighed and squeezed her, sad for her. Jeff had known Hope since she was six, when he had started to date her mother. They got married when she was nine, and had given her two half siblings. They were pretty close as far as step parents and step children go, but he knew that she held Grayson as the number one man in her life; he knew how important those two people were to her.

"Hope? Hope, baby, oh my poor baby." Her mother had just walked through the door, tears streaming down her cheeks. Jenna had called her when Hope had abruptly hung up at the park. Hope tore herself away from Jeff and clung to her mother for dear life.

Never in her sixteen years had she ever felt so torn apart.

Hope was different, you see. She was a person who strives to meet the standards set upon her, though the only person who sets those standards is herself. She felt she always fell short, although her family and friends were very proud of her. She pushed herself way too hard for people who set the bar too high for her, when she was the one who knocked it up a couple notches. She tried so hard to give affection and love because she could never find a reason to love herself.

Hope had issues with her self because she was slightly overweight; she wasn't obese, a size 12 at most. She was pretty (Hispanic on her mother's side) with deep caramel curls that hit just below her shoulders, sea glass green eyes, flawless bronze skin and a smile that was infectious. She didn't see this though. She also didn't see her kindness, her intelligence, her creativity, her compassion, her ability to make anyone laugh, or her selflessness. She saw a number on the scale. She thought herself undeserving, worthless, and a lost cause. These thoughts threw her into a depression she's been battling since her freshman year in high school.

This catastrophe has just thrown her over the edge.

How's that for a first chapter? I hope you liked it! Please leave me reviews so I know what to work on and what you all thought was good:)

The way I envision Hope is greatly influenced by Barbara Mori and plus size model Tara Lynn, they are just so gorgeous!