From Here On

THE DAY HAD ENDED AND THE SCHOOL YEAR HAD OFFICIALLY BEGUN. Now everyone could begin planning for the rest of the year. Everything was normal again, with the exception of the new, forest-eyed Stefan Salvatore. Stefan had fit in so well in this seemingly perfect town, due to his seemingly perfect, well, everything.

All everyone else knew was that Stefan Salvatore was the "new, mysterious, loner guy", that moved back into the Salvatore Boarding House with his Uncle Zach. Stefan would be just fine.

Little did everyone know that a new girl was just around the corner.

"Welcome to Mystic Falls." A raven-haired Latina read with the utmost sarcasm. She could read into the bullshit. The road was engulfed with darkness. No skyscrapers, flashing lights, or blasting music. Just darkness. Even if the sign promised sunshine and rainbows, all Nuelle saw was an abundance of trees. It was too quiet and too eerie. It was easy for the teen to take in everything — there wasn't much to take in.

Seated inside of her family's 2009 silver Mercedes-Benz SL-Class for hours, Nuelle had been looking forward to the welcome sign. However, she masked her relief with contempt.

"Well, no shit." She chuckled.

"Ay, dios mio, mi corazón," Chestnut-haired Carmen Silva pleaded with her daughter, "Your father and I have already decided that will stay in Mystic Falls! Okay?"

All Nuelle did was blink because she had to fully digest that she was actually in Mystic Falls. There would be no more luncheons or mimosas at Saks, or breakfast at Tiffany's.

Nuelle Silva of the Upper-East Side would now have to succumb to (the lives of) small-town beauty queens, small-town gossip, small-town drama, small-town diners, and small-town parties. The Latina was feeling more and more nauseous at the constant thought of her new life.

Her father, the charming Henrí Silva, sensed the escalating tension.

"Look on the bright side míja," He paused to meet her deadpanned look that said is there even a bright side. "Mystic Falls is a wholesome town, the people are welcoming and there are many town soirees. Will the entire town find about your business? Of course, gossip is inevitable in a small town. You'll still gain lifelong friends and a lifelong community. Plus, it's the town where your mother and I met." Henrí looked sweetly at his wife, with the small speech he was hoping to brighten up the mood let's hope that it worked.

Since Nuelle was quiet, probably from contemplating a comeback, her mom saw this moment as the opportunity to end the conversion optimistically.

"You'll be fine mí corazon, you'll see." Nuelle just tightly smiled and nodded. As Nuelle took in her surroundings she found that she was no longer engulfed by the deathly Mystic woods, but by the—somewhat—lively Mystic Grill.

"The Mystic Grill," Nuelle read skeptically, "What are we doing here? I mean it may be the town's only hotspot, but they could have been more creative." She mocked.

Then her mom, while reaching for a card in her plum-colored Michael Kors wallet, turned with a sweet, yet sarcastic smile, "Well do you want to eat tonight or not?" The quick-witted Puerto Rican proceeded to hand her daughter her black American Express card.

The raven-haired teen would have normally fought off her hunger to spite her mom, but Nuelle's grumbling belly sold her out. She opened and classically stepped out of the door, secured the tie of her raven witch cape, begrudgingly took the card from her mother, and shut the door.

Once she's in front of the Grill, Nuelle put on her hood—time to make an entrance. That she did.

With her heels clicking into the Grill, it could be said that Nuelle Silva's arrival changed a fixed fate forever.

Stefan Salvatore knew that returning to Mystic Falls was a risk. However, sitting next to the sweet and selfless doe-eyed brunette that was Elena Gilbert, made the risk of being in Mystic Falls all the more worth it.

Elena was the reason why the brooding vampire was sitting at a table with her friends. It's not that he couldn't handle them, it's just that Caroline Forbes was intense.

"So were you born in Mystic Falls?" Caroline eagerly inquired, with her eyes sparklingly in infatuation for the new guy.

"Mhmm, moved when I was young." Stefan vaguely replied.

"Parents?" Bonnie added.

"My parents passed away." The table got quiet. How horrible. Bonnie sympathized. Oh, my goodness. Why do such terrible things happen to such kind people? Elena empathized. Well, that explains his depressing demeanor. Caroline remarked.

Elena, since she could easily relate, was the first one to respond. "I'm sorry. Any siblings?"

"Um, none that I talk to. I live with my uncle." Stefan moved on—he put his attention only on Elena.

But just as quickly as Stelena began is just as quickly as the ship would sink, because the universe had other plans.

The entrance to the restaurant dinged, and like anyone else would do, Stefan glanced. It was supposed to be just that, a glance. To Stefan's surprise, his eyes were met with a raven enigma. He was captivated. Who's this? Since Stefan's attention was now focused on this mysterious girl. His peers were forced to look at the new object of his affection.

As Nuelle Silva took down the hood of her cape to unveil her face, she was quickly met with a waitress with medium brown. Her name tag had Vicki on it.

Nuelle greeted, "Hi, there was an order put in for Silva."

"Three burgers with a side of fries and wings, yeah, almost ready, but you gotta wait."

"No problem." The Latina responded. Feeling the entire restaurants eyes on her, Nuelle turned to meet her audience. Most of whom were teens around her age, and God, they were beautiful. The males had ripped and muscular builds, with complementary faces. While the girls—with their perfect hair and makeup—really did look like beauty queens.

Everyone was inspecting this mysterious girl, but one set of eyes were the most intense.

The minute that Stefan's forest green eyes locked with Nuelle's charcoal eyes, time stopped. This dirty blonde haired, Caucasian man was the most beautiful, yet complex person Nuelle had ever laid eyes on, with a chiseled jaw, broad forehead, and tinted, tanned-skin. For Stefan, it was the same thing. Unlike Elena, who was conventionally pretty, this raven-haired beauty has an aura around her that was magnetic—confident, dangerous, and demanding.

Nuelle pulled herself together and headed for the forest green-eyed boy. She was determined to put a name to his face. Plus, the table of teens all seemed nice enough.

Smiling Nuelle greeted, "Hi."

"Hey." The girls greeted kindly, but the dark blond remained quiet, studying the raven-haired brunette.

"How are the fries here?" The boy appeared to be a knowledgeable person, so Nuelle zeroed in on the unnamed dark blond.

Stefan, caught off guard by the girl's boldness, as most girls would be intimidated by his gaze, stammered, "Uuuhhhh, umm-"

The doe-eyed brunette, not really sure how to feel about the interaction, decided to interject, "He wouldn't know, he's new. But they're amazing." The brunette on the far right of the table smiled reassuringly, hoping her jealousy didn't show through.

"Good to know." Nuelle's charcoal eyes not leaving those forest-green eyes. Hmmm. He kind of has hero hair. She continued. "My parents and I just moved here, so..."

The boy, tilting his head a little bit, inquired, "From where?'

"New York."

"And your parents chose to come here?" The golden blonde girl, sitting across from the male, scoffed in disbelief.

The raven-haired girl turned her attention to the like-minded girl, and shook her head, " I know."

Changing the subject, Nuelle started, "You guys wouldn't happen to go to Mystic High?"

"We do," The dark blond boy confirmed.

"All of us." The golden blonde included.

"Together," The tan brunette stated.

"We're juniors," The mocha-toned brunette mentioned.

The girl's charcoal eyes lit up, "Me too. But I'm filled with dread."

"Why is that?" The boy leaned forward.

"Are you familiar with the works of Truman Capote?" The girls looked confused, who the hell was Truman Capote. The forest green-eyed boy, however, was impressed.

She proceeded, "I'm Breakfast at Tiffany's," The girls had a lightbulb moment. "But this place is strictly In Cold Blood."

They laugh. "Nuelle Silva." Nuelle introduced.

"Stefan Salvatore." The revealed information only put the opposites in a deeper trance. The forgotten Gilbert, noticing this, cleared her throat.

"Sorry, uh, this is Elena Gilbert, Bonnie Bennett, and Caroline Forbes."

"Wait, aren't you supposed to give me my tour tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I'm your peer mentor." The golden blonde confirmed.

Stefan, ever so polite, offered her to join them. "Would you like to join us?" The others who were seated realized that Stefan may not have been that into Elena as they thought.

"Can't, my parents are waiting for me." Nuelle shrugged.

"So," She began to walk off.

"Wait," Caroline exclaimed, "If you and Stefan are new, then you don't know about the party tomorrow." This obviously peaked Nuelle's interest.

"It's a back to school thing at the Falls." Bonnie backed up.

Stefan, to the fleeting beauty, asked, "Are you going?"

"To a party? Of course am I."

Vicki approached the group, "Here's your food."

"Thank you!" From the smell of the food, Nuelle forgot about how hungry she was.

Looking over her shoulder, Nuelle winked, "So, to be continued." Without waiting for a reply, Nuelle left in strife giving Stefan one last glance. Her retreating figure just left Stefan more intrigued.

The new Silva estate was very monstrous, it put half the houses of Mystic Falls to shame. It was a warm-toned, Spanish style estate. The Silva parents really went all out. Even if Nuelle was pleased with her new home, the size of the house made the move all the more permanent.

"Home sweet home," Henrí exclaimed while putting the car in park.

"Finally," Carmen stepped out, "Let's call the help to take the stuff out, get settled into our new home, and eat!"

Once Henrí was out of the car, Carmen showered her husband with love, kissing all over his face.

Nuelle would normally comment on this public display of affection, but she was reeling from her intense encounter with the intriguing dark blond.

Noticing this, Carmen pulled away from her husband's embrace and tip-toed to her daughter's side of the car. She tapped the window and said, "Mi corazón, mi corazón, are you coming out?"

"Yeah, yeah," Nuelle replied, snapping out of her daze. "Which room's mine?" She requested, headed towards the house.

"Umm, the last room on the right of the second floor." Her mother replied back puzzled. What had gotten into her daughter?

As Stefan was changing, Zach barged into his room. "You promised." Zach held up the newspaper article and then handed the article to Stefan.

"Bodies Found Mutilated By Animal"

Stefan was confused, he wasn't drinking. Stefan already knew the risk of coming to Mystic Falls. How could this happen? Was there another vampire in town? There hasn't been more than one vampire in this town since 1994. Me and Damo-no he couldn't be here. It's probably just an animal attack.

And so Stefan went with that, "This was an animal attack."

Zach refused to believe that, "Don't give me that. I know the game. You tear them up enough, they always suspect an animal attack. You said you had it under control."

"And I do." Stefan defended.

"Please, Uncle Stefan. Mystic Falls is a different place now. It's been quiet for years, but there are people who still remember. And you being here, it's just going to stir things up." Zach pleaded.

"It's not my intention."

"Then what is? Why did you come back? After all this time, why now?"

"I don't have to explain myself." I'm still figuring it out myself.

"I know that you can't change what you are. But you don't belong here anymore." Zach hinted.

"Where do I belong?" Stefan rebuked sorrowfully.

"I can't tell you what to do. But coming back here was a mistake." Zach snapped, and with that being said he walked out of the room and threw the newspaper on the floor.

Stefan Salvatore didn't want to think too much about why he was in Mystic Falls and the consequences, he just wanted to be. Most times he had all these responsibilities of being a vampire, that he felt as though the world was on his shoulders.

Every other injury, death, or incident caused by a vampire was his responsibility. As he turned to the cabinet he was reminded of why he felt that way.

He unlocked the mud-colored oakwood cabinet revealing to himself. He pulled out the thickest journal with no year on the side. The journal was crimson, with a leather exterior. Stefan opened a page to see a really old picture that appeared to be Elena, but below the picture, the writing said Katherine, 1864.

Elena may look like Katherine, but that doesn't mean Elena was Katherine.

Luckily for Stefan, he wouldn't need to convince himself of that daily. There was a certain raven-haired Nuelle Silva on his mind.

"So, I usually have to start off my tours with history and context, which I don't understand why they make me do that when you could just go to the town archives, but..." Caroline got cut off by Nuelle's chuckling, noticing that she's been rambling.

To recover, the chirpy blonde continued, "Anyway, Mystic Falls High School was built on a resident Native American village, and-"

"And for every 50 years, it hasn't been redecorated since. Honestly, I feel like I'm wandering through the lost epilogue of "Our Town" - what's the social scene like here? Any nightclubs?"

Finally, something Caroline could rant about. She took a deep breath and spat it all out, "A strip club called the Uranus and a tragic gay bar called Innuendo. Friday nights it's football games, then tailgate parties in the parking lot, or Lockwood Mansion - whichever is closest, and attendance is mandatory. Saturday night is for parties - at the Falls, the Grill, Lockwood's, or whoever's, and better get there early, because we don't have valet. Sunday nights, well, thank God for HBO."

"I'm impressed."

"Well," Caroline flipped her hair, "I try. I just have to ask, is it true that your dad is a huge business mogul?"

Nuelle smirked, "Trading mogul, if we're being specific. But I'm not one to brag."

"Why not? I would, it's definitely better than having your mom be the sheriff." The blonde complained.

As they strayed further, Caroline was going to resume her rehearsed tour, until they heard Mr. Tanner's booming voice.

"The Battle of Willow Creek took place right at the end of the war in our very own Mystic Falls. How many casualties resulted in this battle?" The volume of his voice interested Nuelle. She went to peek inside his class. To her pleasant surprise, she spotted Stefan.

Pulling Caroline to her view, the raven-haired girl beamed, "There's the hottie you were with last night. The mysterious, hot, brooding, guy. Is he single?"

"Ummm, yeah,-" Caroline hesitated.

"In that case, mind putting in a word? I'm in dire need of a boy-toy to distract me till the spring collections are released, and I've tried every flavor and I do not mind trying blond again."

"He is single...but—,"

"Great! Maybe he and I can have a little fun for now..."

"Uhh...uh."

Stefan, catching the sound of voices, saw the duo through the window. Nuelle's eyes locked eyes with his first, and gleaming, she bit her lips. While Caroline, fearful of Tanner's wrath, gasped and pulled them away.

"Hey," Nuelle yelped, "What was that for?"

"I'm sorry for ruining your little moment. But unless you want to make a bad first impression with Tanner and have a month's detention with him as well, then I suggest that you keep the lingering gazes to a minimum."

"Sorry that I can't help myself, he's just so beautiful. His eyes are so green," She smirked, "Do you think that he'll be at the party tonight?"

"I don't know why he wouldn't be." The blonde scoffed. "But let me give you the rundown of how this school works. Give your schedule."

"Okay," Nuelle searched her bag. "Here."

Caroline read the schedule, "So you have: AP European Lit first period, Chem second, Italian third, Music fourth, a study fifth, Tanner sixth, and PE last. We have the same exact schedule. Briggs is alright, he just acts like he's 15 instead of 40. Garcia is honestly the best. Just make sure not to sit in the front for Guarnaschelli, unless you like a waterfall. Why music? Do you play an instrument?"

"It depends on what instrument I'm feeling." The raven-haired girl shrugged.

"Look at you," The blonde teased, "What do you play?"

"My voice, piano, bass, and sax."

"Sax?"

"Saxophone." She said like it was obvious.

"Don't understand why you couldn't have said that in the first place." The blonde muttered.

Nuelle clapped her hands, "Any more advice on the Tasmanian Devil?"

"Oh God where do I start...If you know your stuff you'll be fine—on a good day. He's excessive—a paper every week. You didn't hear it from me, but I just think that he's like that because the football team sucks," They laugh uncontrollably, "You can do a sport in place of PE, so you better be doing cheer."

"I wouldn't dream of anything else." Nuelle joked.

The bell rung. Before they headed off to their lockers, Caroline locked their arms, and squealed, "This is beginning of a beautiful friendship." Then she ran off.

Left to her own devices, the raven-haired girl was lost, making her stick out like a sore thumb.

This made her easy for Stefan to spot, "Hey." He said calmly.

"Oh, Hi. You scared me." Nuelle breathed. Then for a minute, they gazed into each other's eyes.

"Umm, I thought I would say hi. How's your first day going so far?" Stefan regained himself.

"Not bad. Caroline is like my fairy godmother, if it was not for her then I would be lost. She's like the Janice and Damion to my Katie. Mean Girls reference." She chuckled. Well, this is awkward.

They chuckled together, and as the laughing died down they began to gaze at each other again - but then the bell rang.

"Where are you headed?" Stefan asked.

"I believe I'm going to Chem, with Garcia." She nodded in confirmation.

"Same here." Stefan didn't if he could withstand a class with the raven-haired girl. Something about the look she was giving him in History told him that she was going to be trouble for the younger Salvatore.

"Great, well let's go," They entered the classroom by the end of the hall. Nuelle sat next to Caroline. Stefan sat next to the pair, leaving the brewing couple to steal glances with each other all class.

"So this is a Mystic Falls party...how depressing," Nuelle said unimpressed, eyeing all of the party-goers. And to think I touched up my make-up for this. "Why are we here again?"

"Oh come on, it's not even that bad. You're just mad that a certain someone isn't here yet." Caroline nudged.

"Oh shut up," Nuelle jokingly nudged back. "Seriously, where is the dancefloor, the bar, the fun? Do you really expect me to drink from a cooler?"

Rolling her eyes Caroline responded, "How do you think I feel, hmmm? People look up to me, I have to set an example. Come on, let me introduce you to some people." Caroline proceeded to drag her raven-haired friend to Matt and Tyler.

They walk to the around side of the woods to greet Vicki, with two tall and buff males. On with golden blond hair and the other with dark brown hair. "Hey, you guys. This is the infamous, Nuelle Silva, she is from New York and she is..."

"Puerto Rican and Mexican," Nuelle clarified.

Caroline felt pride, "Since she's new, I've decided to take her under my wing." The dark-haired boy looked at her in a lustful way, and it immediately turned the Latina off. He must be the jock. They all noticed his staring, and Nuelle got uncomfortable. The blond, wanting to ease her discomfort, introduced himself first.

"Hi, I'm Matt Donovan." He offered his hand.

"You're cute." Nuelle boldly stated while taking his hand. Surprised by her boldness, Matt blushed.

"This is great! Now you guys mingle, and I'll be right back." Caroline ran off.

"Care-, wait. And she's gone," Nuelle exasperated. "Vicki right? You gave me my food last night. I love your hair, you make me want highlights!"

Vicki surprised with the compliment, as most people would try to fix her hair, said, "Umm, thanks. I dye my hair every month myself. At least someone notices." Vicki pinched Tyler.

"Ouch, hey! I choose to show my appreciation in other ways." Tyler smirked.

Matt shook his head in disgust, "You guys are disgusting," When he looked up, he spotted Elena. "You know what, I'll be back."

"Is today leave your friends with other friends day?" Nuelle joked.

"I don't know. Caroline is always like that and Matt probably saw Elena," Tyler shrugged. "Actually Vicki and I were just going to refill our drinks."

"We were?" Vicki questioned, but Tyler and she were off before Vicki could protest.

"Great. I guess I'll go find Caroline, then." Nuelle sighed to herself.

As Nuelle walked through a sea of drunk couples, she finally spotted Caroline—with Stefan.

Stefan had just let Elena down. It kind of pained him to reject her, but if he was being honest, the vampire just saw a more secure future with Nuelle.

Nuelle, the person that had occupied his mind in the past two days, was the person that he wanted to see right now. She was the only person that he felt human with. His thoughts were quickly interrupted, as he was met with a bubbly blonde.

"Hey! There you are. Have you been down to the falls yet? Because they are really cool at night. And I can show you...if you want." Caroline hinted.

"I think you've had too much to drink." Stefan snubbed.

"Well, of course, I have. So—"

"Caroline. You and me, it's not gonna happen. Sorry." Stefan rejected, leaving Caroline be dumbfounded.

Luckily for Caroline, when she turned around to recover, she found herself in Nuelle's arms. Being held in the comfort of someone familiar caused Caroline to sob her heart away.

"He's an ass, Carebear."

At the same time Elena's shrill voice echoed the forest, "Somebody help!"

Nuelle was worried, "Let's get out of here Caroline."

"And go where?" Caroline whimpered.

"Do you know any coffee shops?"

Caroline shook her head.

"Come on, who's your ride?

"Bonnie."

"Let's fetch Bonnie and get outta here."

"Hey, ready to go?" Bonnie breathed.

"Yeah, do you know any coffee shops?"

"Yeah, Mainline Coffee. Wanna go?"

Once they put Caroline in the Prius, Bonnie asked, "Is anything wrong?"

"She's depressed drunk due to Stefan's rejection."

Bonnie's eyes widened, "Well he sure is the heartbreaker. He let Lena down tonight. Something about her needing to be alone and find herself before jumping into another relationship." Nuelle couldn't help the skip of her heartbeat. Ughh, I'm the worst.

"So where's Elena now?"

"After finding Vicki, I think she's gonna go to the hospital to check on how Matt and Vicki are doing, and then go home. She's had a long night." Not giving Nuelle any time to respond, Bonnie started the car and drove to the Mainline Coffee.

Stefan was frantic, forget about the fact that he didn't see Nuelle all night—who the hell bit Vicki? Stefan's uncertainty made Zach panic.

"What's going on?" Zach demanded.

"Someone else was attacked tonight, Zach, and it wasn't me." Stefan entered his bedroom, leaving himself with time to think - but a crow appeared. Stefan didn't want to believe it, but the truth was in his face.

"Damon." He turned to the balcony, where a smug, tall raven-haired male, with the most striking blue eyes, stood.

"Hello, brother," Damon smirked.

"Crow's a bit much, don't you think?"

"Wait till you see what I can do with the fog."

"When'd you get here?"

"Well, I couldn't miss your first day at school. Your hair's different. I like it."

"It's been 15 years, Damon."

"Thank God. I couldn't take another day of the nineties. That horrible grunge look? Did not suit you. Remember, Stefan, it's important to stay away from fads." Damon mocked.

"Why are you here?" Stefan challenged.

"I miss my little brother."

"You hate small towns. It's boring. There's nothing for you to do."

"I've managed to keep myself busy."

"You know, you left that girl alive tonight. That's very clumsy of you."

"Ah. That can be a problem...for you."

"Why are you here now?" Stefan persisted.

"I could ask you the same question. However, I'm fairly certain your answer can be summed up all into one little word...Elena."

They had made it to the Grill, but Bonnie was still so unnerved about the touching incident, that she had to call Elena.

"You know what, you guys go ahead and get settled, I'm gonna call my Grams to tell her where I am - I was supposed to be home by 10."

"No problem, we'll order for you. What would you like?" Nuelle offered.

"I wouldn't mind a caramel macchiato."

"K, see you inside." Bonnie dialed Elena's number as soon as she could. Elena picked up on the first ring.

"Bonnie?"

"Hey. We're, well Care, Nuelle, and I, at Mainline Coffee, wait for news."

"I gotta take Jeremy home."

"Elena, there's no way I'm psychic. I know that. But whatever I saw, or I think I saw, I have this feeling..." Bonnie fretted.

"Bonnie, what?" Elena was scared.

"That it's just the beginning."

Damon continued, "She took my breath away. Elena. She's a dead ringer for Katherine. Is it working, Stefan? Being around her, being in her world? Does it make you feel alive?"

Not anymore. "She's not Katherine."

"Well, let's hope not. We both know how that ended. Tell me something, when's the last time you had something stronger than a squirrel?" Damon taunted.

"I know what you're doing, Damon. It's not gonna work."

"Yeah? Come on. Don't you crave a little?" Damon began to push Stefan.

"Stop it."

"Let's do it. Together. I saw a couple girls out there. Or just, let's just cut to the chase, let's just go straight for Elena."

"Stop it!"

"Imagine what her blood tastes like!" With that Stefan's face transformed.

"I can."

"I said stop!" Stefan roared. He ran into Damon, throwing him out of the window. When he landed on the pavement Damon wasn't there.

"I was impressed. I give it a six. Missing style, but I was pleasantly surprised. Very good with the whole face...thing. It was good." Damon teased.

"You know, it's all fun and games, Damon, huh? But wherever you go, people die."

"That's a given."

"Not here. I won't allow it." Not to Elena, not to Nuelle.

"I take that as an invitation."

"Damon, please. After all these years, can't we just give it a rest?"

"I promised you an eternity of misery, so I'm just keeping my word."

"Just stay away from Elena."

"Just Elena? Because word on the street is that you've found yourself a new lady friend," How did he— "Oh Nuelle. She's sexy. Latina too with those catlike eyes. Mhmm. I wonder how she is in—"

Stefan growled.

"Where's your ring? Oh, yeah, the sun's coming up in a couple of hours, and, poof, ashes to ashes. Relax. It's right here."

Damon grabbed Stefan by the throat and threw him against the garage. "You should know better than to think you're stronger than me. You lost that fight when you stopped feeding on people. I wouldn't try it again. I think we woke Zach up. Sorry, Zach." He walked off. Stefan began stressing over Damon's arrival. This was going to be a long year.

Meanwhile, Caroline was lamenting and it was up to her two friends to "comfort" her. Across from her right was Bonnie and on the left was Nuelle.

"Are you sober yet?" Bonnie asked.

Caroline raised her head slightly, but she sighed with, "No."

"Keep drinking. I gotta get you home. I gotta get me home."

"Why didn't he go for me? You know, how come the guys that I want never want me?"

"I'm not touching that."

"I'm inappropriate. I always say the wrong thing. And...Elena always says the right thing. She doesn't even try! And he just picks her. And she's always the one that everyone picks, for everything. And I try so hard, and...I'm never the one."

"He didn't even pick her Caroline," Bonnie revealed. "He picked no one." That's what she thought. "And even if he did pick anyone it's not a competition, Caroline."

"Yeah, it is." Nuelle remained quiet throughout the conversation, it was painful, observing the friendship. From what Nuelle gathered, she could see that Bonnie and Elena were definitely closer. Nuelle felt a surge of inspiration rush through her body, as she could be the best friend that Caroline needed.

"I gotta go, Caroline. Make sure she leaves sober." Bonnie emphasized to Nuelle.

Once Bonnie was out of sight, Nuelle positioned herself in front of Caroline, grabbed her arms, and said, "Caroline you are a beautiful, bubbly, sassy, confident, and spirited girl. If Stefan couldn't see that, then screw him."

"Easy for you to say, Stefan only has eyes for you." Can't argue with that.

"Enough about me Care, I'm serious. There will be a day when a guy, so hot, powerful, and sweet will shower you with love and overwhelm you with passion. You may not believe me now, but you'll see.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Well, I was in your position once, I would throw myself at guys for acceptance just to get slapped in the face. I was emotionally abused. But then one day, I realized that they're not worth it. I realized that I am strong, fierce, and sexy. I don't need assurance from others. Fuck 'em. You know what?"

"What?"

"Let's make a tradition. Since Friday nights are the games, on every Friday night we'll have a sleepover. We'll rotate houses, biweekly. We can rant, cry, sob, laugh, and just be ourselves together."

Caroline's eyes sparkled, "We can watch reruns of The Notebook, A Walk To Remember, Mamma Mia, Breakfast at Tiffany's," She dazed off. "This is going to be amazing."

Nuelle giggled, "Of course it will. Now I'm gonna go, it's now, wow, 11:30, I'm going to miss my full 10 hours of sleep. Well, this was fun."

"Wait," before she can walk off, Caroline stopped her. "Thanks for putting up me."

"Seriously Care, it was no problem. See you tomorrow." The fleeting Nuelle missed a certain raven-haired, blue-eyed vampire. Unfortunately for Caroline, she just gravitated towards trouble.

"Hi sweetheart," Carmen opened the door and appeared in a navy satin pajama suit "How was your day?"

Stretching Nuelle beamed, "It was actually pretty good. I made a new friend," Hmm, met some gorgeous boys, mingled. "Mystic Falls may not be so bad after all. Why?" Her mother had already asked.

"Well," Carmen sways closer to where her daughter is seated on her vanity. "Your new friend, I believe his name is Stefan, is requesting your presence."

"He's here?!" Nuelle exclaimed, "Well, let's not keep him waiting." Nuelle rushed down the hall, down the stairs to the foyer, opened the door to be, and was met with forest green eyes.

"Hey." She said breathlessly.

"Hi," Stefan grinned.

"What are you doing here?" Nuelle wondered - she obviously knew what he was doing here, but with her mother breathing down her neck, she couldn't let her know that.

"We're partners for the Chem project, I just wanted to get a head start now," Stefan studied Carmen's face. "Is now a bad time?"

"No."

"Yes."

Carmen and Nuelle frowned at each other.

"What I meant is that, it's a bit late, so maybe at another time?" Carmen wasn't asking.

"Yeah, sure," Stefan cleared his throat. "See you tomorrow." At this moment, Nuelle couldn't despise her mother anymore.

"Let me walk you out." Nuelle closed the door and walks with Stefan.

"I didn't get to see you at the party tonight—"

"There is a tree right next to my window, and my window will be unlocked." She whispered.

Nuelle ran back into the house and into her room. She locked the door. Before she had time to open the window, Stefan was already there.

"Oh my goodness," She grabbed her pearls and gasped, "You scared me—again."

"Sorry, you just took me by surprise, so I was anxious. Really want to start the project that bad?"

"No," She said flatly. "I want to get to know you. You're so tense all the time, like do you ever smile?"

The forest-green eyed blond chuckled, "Okay, what did you have in mind?"

"What about 21 questions. I'll start. What's your favorite ice cream?"

"Oreo cookies and cream, you?"

"I am shocked, I would have expected plain old vanilla. I'm a rocky road type of a girl."

"From the looks of your closest," He pointed to the open closest. "Why do you only wear skirts?"

"I don't know. Skirts are a trademark of femininity, I guess. I am very much a smart, independent, soft, kind, compassionate, nurturing, fierce, and positive woman on the inside, as much as I am on the outside. If someone is going to generalize me on my clothing or femininity then that's their problem, not mine."

"That's amazing." Stefan blurted, causing the Latina to blush.

"I know. What's up with you and Elena and Caroline?"

"Nothing," Nuelle raised an eyebrow. "Umm, Caroline is intense and would just be better as a friend?"

"Oh I heard, what was it "You and me, it's not gonna happen," I mean could you be any harsher."

"I didn't want to lead her on," Stefan defended and moved on. "Elena and I had a connection, but something better came along the way." He gazed intently as Nuelle, making her feel warm all over.

She fanned herself, "Could it be anymore?"

"No."

"Well, good to know."

"Do you have a boyfriend?" Their eyed lock.

"No. Have you ever been in love?"

"Yes, you?"

"Maybe once."

"Could you ever fall in love?"

"Possibly."

It's now 1:30 in the morning and Stefan and Nuelle were playing Hot Hands.

"You're cheating." The raven-haired girl laughed furiously.

The blond laughed back, "You're just too slow. Come on, one more round."

"No, no, no," She shook her head. "You're not even letting me win."

"I'm supposed to let you win?"

"Obviously."

"One more round, come one," He held out his hands.

"Okay," Nuelle hesitates. 1...2...3. BAM

"I lost, again." Nuelle dryly stated.

Stefan couldn't help but laugh, "Better luck next time."

"I'm never playing with you again," She shunned. "You can leave."

"Now you're kicking me out." Stefan teased.

"Yes, I'm kicking you out." She mimicked. They arose, and Stefan opened the window while Nuelle got his jacket from her futon. As he was turning around to say goodbye, Nuelle turned to hand him his jacket. And so, there noses touch.

"Goodnight." Nuelle stammered.

"Goodnight," Stefan whispered. However, none of them made a move to leave—but Stefan heard footsteps. "See you tomorrow." He began to head down.

"See you tomorrow." Nuelle leaned forward. Stefan smiled and climbed further down. Nuelle closed her window and bit her lip.

"Mija," Her dad knocked on her door, "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I just had a rough draft of a paper to finish. I'm going to bed now. Love you."

"Love you too." Nuelle turned off her lights and scurried off to bed. I think I love it here already.

not edited

italics are for thoughts

word count: 6,323

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