Chapter 1

Where were you?

He tried not to stare. But the laugh kept grabbing his attention. He felt foolishly jealous of the small group of friends who gave her their rapt attention. Her voice low as they were in the library. She and her friends had a system of communication, hand gestures, and expressions that made their daily conversations in the school library possible.

He had seen her around the school off and on starting with his first day as a transfer student. And it was the laugh that caught his attention. From a distance, in rather dim lighting, he almost mistook her beauty for an illusion. She was slim and with a lovely carefree innocence about her. Long hair cascaded passed her shoulders in waves and curls with a subtle auburn tint to it. In profile, her lashes and glow from her skin couldn't possibly be that visible.

No one is that striking.

That afternoon he had noticed her again at dismissal. Their lockers were far apart enough for him to see her without looking deliberate.

"Hey you coming over after school?"

His new friend, ever present, blocked his view, leaning clumsily against the neighboring locker.

Matt had been assigned to be his tour guide on Stefan's very first day, 2 weeks ago, and hadn't left his side since.

"I don't know," he stammered trying to hide his irritation.

The rest of whatever Matt rambled on about was lost on deaf ears. Something about...getting together with the guys...so-in-so is going to be there...you never hang out...you never hang out...why don't you ever hang out...flat line, buzzzz, thats all he heard.

"I got some stuff I've got to do."

"Like what?"

"I'm going to get a run in, study for a test." Stefan tried to placate Matt with lame but acceptable excuses, all the while trying to glance past him for a view of Elena without seeming creepy and obvious.

Even Matt, who was not particularly swift, picked up on this. Matt followed Stefan's line of view and realized who his friend was staring at. And of course, at that moment, Elena who was rummaging though her bag felt their stare and looked up.

A little too loudly, "Ahhh, yeah, good luck with that dude!" Matt chucked and walked away.

Well, if she wasn't onto him staring at her before, she was now.

He continued to rifle through the clutter in his locker trying to find whatever he needed to take home with him.

He didn't dare look up again but turned on his heels after closing his locker and headed out the door in the opposite direction. He didn't have the nerve to walk past her and make an attempt at a charming introduction after that.

Elena had noticed the new guy looking at her and then Matt turning around laughing. What the hell was Matt saying about her? And after Stefan's abrupt departure, she wasn't sure if she should approach him or not.

She had been admiring him from afar. But had yet to mention this to her two best friends, Bonnie and Caroline. They had been on the outs for a while and had just gone back to their normal routine without the back stabbing and jealousy. Or at least for now, it was on the back burner.

Bonnie and Caroline had been best friends for years and only in the last year or so, after classes had put them together, Bonnie and Elena had become close. Caroline had been jealous. She was known to be moody but their new friendship infuriated her. Feeling left out whenever she found out about Elena's and Bonnie's shopping trips, sleep overs, dinners with each other's families. It was never their intent to leave Caroline out. But Caroline put Elena in a deep freeze that actually drove Elena to another lunch table and to find her own ride home. Bonnie caught attitude from Caroline during this time if Caroline saw the two friends even talking or walking out of class together. Caroline was insecure but no one could pinpoint the cause of this imaginary competition.

But after a softening of Caroline's heart, she approached Elena asking if she wanted to talk. She missed her friend and grew tired of being jealous and angry. The "talk" never really eventuated. She really just meant she wanted to be friends again. Girlfriends were exhausting. But Elena missed her and was grateful to be included again. She had that kind of forgiving nature.

Girls were not always each other's advocates. So, the last thing Elena wanted to do was give Caroline the option of taking away her new interest. Elena wasn't clear on the details as to where Stephan came from, why he moved, or where exactly he lived now. She was going to make it a personal goal to befriend him without interference.

Although, after his quick departure she wasnt sure how approachable he would be. That just made him all the more interesting.

Stefan had only recently moved in with his Uncle Zack after his parents had started to seriously contemplate divorce. He wanted to be out of the line of fire and seriously doubted his parents even noticed he was gone. Zack had rescued him from the war zone. Having no children of his own, and plenty of room, he welcomed his nephew with whom he had always been close.

Children were always told not to believe they were the cause of their parents marital strife. But Stefan was old enough to notice some things. The family had moved frequently for no apparent reason.

Stefan never quite caught the entirety of the hushed conversations between his parents that made him feel paranoid,

"He...him...I dont know...Someone mentioned it again... and I don't even think he was home... I'm not overthinking things!"... and then it would get loud but no longer be interesting or necessitate eavesdropping.

Zack was at work. Stefan came home to an empty house but welcomed the quiet. He probably needed a job or an after school obligation to keep occupied. After school he was usually a little tired and it was either a nap or caffeine. He chose the ladder on the way home with a large coffee and took the opportunity to take the dog on a long walk. He was never one for morning exercise so this was how it went. Daisy knew the routine and would jump all over him as soon as he walked in the door. He could hear her wimpering before he even got the door unlocked. When he or Zack came home, she always seemed to be in a panic that maybe this was the day that they were not coming home. And greeted either of them like a long missing relative...now the walk...lets walk... walk,...how about now?

She was a beautiful six year old border collie with the enthusiasm of a puppy. Daisy had worked her way into Stefan's heart in no time at all, much like a child would. If he ever had to move out, it would be a long drawn out custody battle between himself and Zack for Daisy. Once he entered the house there was no leaving until she got her walk.

Stefan had moved in only a few weeks prior and had kept to himself. Upon noticing Elena, he realized that was going to have to change if he wanted her attention.

He and Daisy made there way past a few neighboring houses. He was still learning who his neighbors were. Matt was among them. He wasnt going to be rude, if he saw him, but he wasn't staying around for the fraternal gathering Matt had mentioned. It was sure to be fueled by the cheapest beer possible. Hence the attraction for all Matt's buddies. If they couldn't entice and women over, the evening would probably end with "gaming" in a cloud of Cheetos dust. No thank you.

But Stefan made his way past Matt's without incident. Probably too early anyway.

He and Daisy broke into a run and continued on to the park and made at least four one mile loops before retiring to the next door dog park for a water break and a little rest.

He didn't realize he had been spotted by Elena. She was on her way home with her shih tzu, Lucy, as she saw Stefan coming along with his dog. She didn't exactly do the marathon he and Daisy did. Little Lucy would have knocked herself out trying though, not even noticing if she was getting too tired. He looked preoccupied and Elena didnt want to bother him. She resolved to talk to him at school, next opportunity. It didn't hurt that he really seemed to love his dog. There was a light behind his bright green eyes when interacting with Daisy that certainly wasn't there at school. This would give them something to talk about. He always seemed quiet. But his playing with the dog made his face light up in an almost childlike manner. Maybe he was approachable after all.

And there goes her phone with a demanding message from Caroline.

TBC

Will update soon. Reviews and constructive criticism appreciated!