Chapter 1
Jeremy wasn't exactly sure how the fight had started. He wasn't supposed to be drinking with his new meds but it was the first time he had been out at night. Ever since that night – the rush to the hospital, pumping his stomach, the 72 hours of "observation" and now his new doctor – Jenna and Elena had kept him on a tight leash. But Jenna had gone out to the movies with her just-a-friend Alaric. Elena had gotten a call from Damon and had to rush off after getting a promise from Jeremy not to go anywhere or do anything. Five minutes later Jeremy was walking out the front door to the party in the woods.
Jeremy learned later that he had actually started it. But at the time he was halfway through his second beer and everything was kind of a haze. All he knew is he got shoved and then a fist had hit him in the stomach. He doubled over with the wind knocked out of him and then there was this...ROAR...someone flown across the fire and knocked the other guy down. Jeremy scrabbled back out of the way to see Tyler – TYLER? - wrestling with the guy on the ground and punching him in the face. Tyler was yelling something but Jeremy couldn't really hear over everyone else's shouting. He could understand a little of what Tyler was saying, something like "don't" "Jeremy" and "mine". Which didn't make any sense.
Finally Matt was able to pull Tyler off the guy. The guy was whimpering in pain. His face was covered in blood. It looked like his nose was broken. Everyone was standing back with shocked looks on their faces. Fights were normal, especially with Tyler drinking, but this was brutal. This was a beating, not the usual adolescent blowing off of steam.
Jeremy looked over at Tyler. He was standing there huffing hard. His face was all sweaty and his shoulders hunched over. Tyler looked over at Jeremy and Jeremy thought it must just have been the reflection of the light from the fire but for just a moment Tyler's eyes were animal. Tyler turned around and half strutted/half ran away into the woods.