Stefan Salvatore is in his room getting ready for school when he receives a text. He pauses, hoping that it is his best friend, Lexi. Sadly he is wrong.
~ Hey, Salvadork! You are such a fucking loser. I'm looking forward to seeing you at school. ~
Stefan makes a face, wiping a hand over his eyes. Of course, the message came from none other than Tyler Lockwood. The kid is an asshole who has been giving him grief ever since they were five years old. But in the last year, things began to escalate.
For as long as Stefan can remember, Tyler has always called him Salvadork, and worse. It probably started as early as their first day of school together, when Stefan had already been way ahead of everyone.
He can't help it, he has always loved to learn and for some reason that has made him a fun target for Tyler Lockwood and his best friend, Matt Donovan.
"Stefan! Lexi's here," Damon calls up the stairs just then, jolting his younger brother from his thoughts. Stefan comes running down not long after, his bag on his back. "Hey Stef, here's your lunch." Damon hands his little brother the lunch with a smile.
"Thanks, Damon." Stefan smiles back, trying to hide all his fear and misery underneath that expression. Quickly, he stuffs the lunch in his bag then goes on to hug his brother. "Bye," he whispers as he holds on to him.
"See ya, bud." Damon grins down at his brother and ruffles his hair. The kid is too cute for his own good: with his big green eyes and brown hair, and dressed in Damon's old Mystic Falls Leavers hoodie, which comes down to his knees, he looks so tiny, and adorable... The kid is like a stick! Damon is waiting for the day little Stefan will eventually grow into his own.
"Let's go, Stef. We don't want to be late," Lexi Branson, Stefan's best friend, interrupts the two brothers, knowing that if they keep talking, she and Stefan will be late.
"She's right Stefan. You have a good day now." Damon winks as he watches the friends walk away.
"You too," Stefan replies, stopping briefly at the open door before he and Lexi walk out.
"You heard from them today yet?" Lexi asks once they are on their own, shooting her friend a worried glance. She knows what Stefan is going through and she is always there for him. The bullying is usually a whole day thing. They will abuse him over texts before school, tease him and push him around at school and then once again abuse him over texts when he gets back home.
Stefan starts kicking a rock before finally replying to Lexi. "Tyler texted me," he mumbles, not wanting to say any more.
"Let me see," Lexi orders, holding her hand out for his phone. She cares so much about Stefan and doesn't understand why he is picked on. He is sweet, kind, probably the most adorable boy she has ever met. The fact that someone can be so awful to him makes her sad and angry.
"I would rather forget about it," Stefan replies, letting his head drop as he shoves his hands in his pockets. He doesn't want Lexi to know every single detail about his bullying. It is already bad enough having to deal with it, but seeing her pained face when she witnesses it, or reads any of the messages, somehow that makes it even worse.
"Just give it here," Lexi demands, urging him with a motion of her hand. She knows that Stefan is stubborn and wants to keep her out of it whenever he can. She doesn't like it, of course. As his best friend, she wants to be there for him, but sometimes that isn't so easy.
Stefan sighs wearily, then reluctantly hands over his phone. Lexi quickly goes through it, reading the message in question. Gnawing on her lips, she looks back up, her expression sombre, worried.
"Stef, you really need to tell someone." The text message isn't the worst one that he has ever gotten by any means, but that isn't the point. The point is that he receives these messages so frequently, and they are all bad.
"No! I can't," Stefan exclaims, panicking. Taking a deep breath, he tries to calm down enough so he can explain. "The worst punishment that they would get is a suspension," he says as they continue their walk in the direction of the school, "Then they would come back for me even harder."
"You don't know that, Stef!" Lexi argues. She wants nothing more than for Stefan to be left alone.
"Yes, I do! - Look, I get called names and get the infrequent shove against the lockers. It is not that bad." It is a lie. It is bad. It is awful. He isn't going to say that, however, even though Lexi knows it.
"You get shoved a lot," she mumbles now. She is aware of how he tends to downplay everything. "Stefan, I care about you, I don't want you to get hurt. Matt and Tyler are nearly twice your size!" She gives a disgusted grunt, appalled how those two jocks can pick on someone who has no chance of sticking up for himself.
"I know that you care about me, but that's exactly why I cannot do anything. You think they are bad now, but they will only get worse if I tell on them," Stefan reasons. There is no way that he can report them. He doesn't even know whom to tell. No one will take him seriously, no one will believe him that these picture-perfect football heroes are really bullies. So why bother?
"Or they might learn their lesson and stop." Lexi shrugs, trying to sound hopeful although she knows that that would never happen.
Stefan chuckles softly at that. "Yea sure. The two top Freshman jocks are going to learn their lesson. They are going to get in no trouble at all, all because they play sport!" Stefan groans. He doesn't like talking about telling on them when he knows that it will never fix anything.
"Just promise me you'll always talk to me," Lexi whispers as she grabs ahold of Stefan's hand and squeezes it. She hopes that Stefan knows he can always come to her when he needs it.
"I will talk to you until pigs fly." Stefan grins at her, and she immediately starts laughing and nudging him lightly. Her best friend is a dork, but she loves him for it. It's part of his personality.
They walk in silence for a bit before Stefan eventually looks at Lexi. "Why are you even friends with me, Lex?" he asks, looking so lost that it pains her.
"You could be friends with anyone you desired..."
"I want to be friends with you because you are special, Stefan Salvatore. And these assholes, they're a bunch of losers." Lexi smiles at Stefan, taking his hand. A moment passes between them, long and yet too short, before they resume their walk, deciding to change the subject for the remainder of the way.
When Stefan and Lexi reach the school, they both make their way to English only to be stopped by Tyler.
"Hey, buddy!" Tyler grins, and suddenly Stefan finds himself circled by Tyler and Matt as well as their girlfriends Caroline Forbes and Elena Gilbert. They also happen to be Stefan's ex-best friends, which of course had changed when they hit High School.
"Leave him alone!" Lexi yells trying to shove Tyler away from Stefan, but he doesn't budge.
"Where are you off to, nerd?" Tyler asks, not paying any attention to Lexi.
"The bell rang... I am just trying to get to class," Stefan whispers and shuffles slightly. He hates how he can't even look at them when he is talking. It is as if his body just shuts down.
"Oh, in that case, go ahead." Matt grins and pretends to make room for him.
Wary, but desperate to get away and to class, Stefan starts to walk through only to be shoved back hard into the lockers, causing all of his bullies to laugh hysterically. The hallway is full of kids talking and laughing with their friends; a few even turn to look, but no one helps him, they just walk away. Lexi, on the other hand, looks furious.
Stefan feels so small and weak, unable to do much. He hasn't had a growth spurt yet, and while everyone else seems to have grown a few inches over the school break, he is still tiny. Another reason why Matt and Tyler find him so fun and easy to pick on. There is a significant difference in size between the two of them and Stefan. He looks like he is 12 when he is 14. He is short and skinny. He also wears t-shirts and hoodies that are two sizes too big for him, and that his abusers have labelled "dorky." Tyler and Matt, on the other hand, are over a whole head taller than him, and they are starting to develop muscles.
Stefan's shoulders slump. He has still not even looked at them. He is far too terrified. If he just lets them have their fun, then they usually let him go with probably only a punch or two. Which is better than the alternative...
"You're so gullible, Salvadork." Tyler laughs and quickly sends a punch into Stefan's stomach which causes him to moan out in pain, holding his abdomen.
"Hey. I said leave him alone!" Lexi barks. These guys make her so mad!
"Oh, I see, Salvadork, you've got your girlfriend sticking up for you. How utterly adorable." Tyler laughs menacingly.
"I said go!" Lexi glares. She hates them so much. The first class of the day hasn't even started, and they already have made Stefan miserable.
Stefan doesn't move, he is still so scared. But thankfully, he was right: the two bullies walk away with their girlfriends laughing without throwing additional punches.
Lexi races over and helps Stefan up, watching him closely to see if he was physically okay. "Stef?" she questions.
"I am okay," he mutters, although Lexi knows that he isn't. She can see that his shoulders are still too slumped. His eyes are a clue as well, they look sad and miserable. It pains her to see him like this. She sighs and makes sure to
keep an eye on Stefan.
...
Tyler is sitting in his Earth and Science class. His best friend is right next to him.
He has had a great start to the day. He has made Stefan Salvatore's - or as he likes to call him, Salvadork's - life a misery.
It was an easy feat to get two of his best friends away from him.
He remembers how he shoved Stefan up against the lockers on the very first day of high school after Stefan had gotten 100% on a practice test and everyone in the hallways erupted with laughter. Elena and Caroline were so embarrassed because they were immediately named dork's girlfriends and the next time that Tyler shoved Stefan down they ended up laughing at him as well. They had chosen popularity over Stefan. Ever since then Tyler had continued to shove Stefan around because it didn't only make him feel good, but everyone else seemed to enjoy it, too.
Tyler is disappointed that Stefan managed to find himself a new best friend after losing his old ones. That wasn't supposed to happen. Lately, he's been seeing them together more and more, has even noticed Stefan laughing with that girl, and it strangely grates on him. It makes him irrationally angry. Maybe whoever befriends a geek like the Salvadork shouldn't deserve to be treated any better, either.
Tyler will have to do something about that. He will have to show that Branson girl that being friends with Stefan is dangerous for her.
"Dude, you reckon Salvadork is crying?" Matt laughs, nudging Tyler in the ribs, pulling him away from his thoughts.
"Probably bawling his eyes out like the baby that he is," Tyler smirks.
He doesn't care who hears him. He is untouchable, and he can do whatever he wants to anyone he wants.
"Make sure you humiliate him in French," Tyler tells him, grinning wide.
"My pleasure." Matt laughs.
Tyler grins in satisfaction. He wants Stefan to have an awful day. It makes his day better. If he could, he would make it so that Stefan was miserable every second, every day for the rest of his miserable life.
He really hates him. When they were younger, it was just because Tyler thought that Stefan was a major nerd but as they grew up his hatred only grew. He had to listen to his parents go on and on about how amazing Stefan Salvatore was. Excellent grades, polite, hard-working, trusting. Blah blah blah. It makes Tyler sick. This year it only got worse, his father isn't the amazing mayor that everyone thinks that he is. He is abusive and has given Tyler more than a few hits when Tyler didn't live up to the expectations that he had for him. Stefan Salvatore being a smart and reliable 'example' - as his dad calls him - does not help at all. It just makes his dad yell at him even more about how great Stefan Salvatore is.
"Damon Salvatore mentioned that Stefan got top in your year Tyler, why can't you at least pass everything?" is one favorite question his dad liked to ask, but there is also the odd "Why can't Stefan Salvatore be my son? At least he would make me proud. Unlike you!"
Seriously, Tyler thinks, the boy is such a total nerd, and he gets top marks in all of his classes! What sort of kick does he get out of that? Every single question that he has ever been asked he got right! In Tyler's opinion, he has it all coming. Why couldn't he just be average? Why does he have to be the smartest? Ty wouldn't pick on him as much if he was just smart. But no, he has to be a major nerd and until he doesn't try to be more average Tyler is going to continue making his life a misery every chance he gets.
Stefan has made it through the first lesson of the day. Only four more to go. Sadly those are all classes he shares with his bullies.
Lexi is walking with him to his French classroom to save him from what can happen if she isn't there.
"I'll see you straight after class Stef," Lexi explains, she always tries her best to be there with Stefan.
Stefan puts his head down as he passes Matt, who sits two rows in front of him. That isn't a good idea, for right then he suddenly gets tripped and roughly makes contact with the floor, causing everyone to burst out laughing. He knows that it was Matt. His suspicions are only confirmed when he turns around and sees Matt grinning at him, waving his hand.
"That's enough!" The teacher yells as Stefan pushes himself up and takes a seat. He hears a few students still laughing and making cruel comments.
"Such a loser."
"Klutz."
"Wimp."
"Dork."
"Waste of space."
Heat creeps into his cheeks, but he forces himself to swallow the pain and humiliation he feels. Getting out his French book, he tries to hide his face. He can tell people are still looking at him. All he wishes is for the day to end already. The sad thing was that it had only just begun.
Eventually, Stefan hears the bell ring, and the teacher dismisses the class. Stefan slowly makes his way to the door only to be tripped by Matt once again.
"Matt Donovan!" the teacher yells.
"I'm sorry, Miss. I didn't see him honestly!" Matt lies and turns to Stefan as if to help him up. Once he bends down, however, he slaps Stefan on the head, but in a way that the teacher can't possibly tell that it isn't affectionate, so she doesn't say anything else.
"Loser," Matt whispers in Stefan's ear before finally walking away.
Stefan slouches out of the classroom and sees Lexi standing by the door. Together, they walk into homeroom and with dread, Stefan notices that Tyler and Matt are already there, too, sitting in the back throwing bits of paper at another kid. "Why do people like them?' Stefan asks his best friend as he turns back to her.
"They don't like them; they're just scared of them," Lexi mutters as she briefly turns to shoot a glance at the two, who are now laughing hysterically.
Just then the teacher walks in and starts to read the morning announcements, and with a sigh, Stefan forces himself to turn his focus away from his bullies.
After homeroom, it is finally lunch time. Thankfully, Tyler and Matt usually don't bother him then since there are teachers everywhere. Still, Stefan makes sure they choose a table far away from them to sit down and eat.
After they have eaten in silence for a while, Lexi eventually looks up at Stefan.
"Hey, Stef? Think you could help me with my maths homework?" she asks.
"I really need your brains..."
"Yea, of course." Stefan smiles as Lexi hands over the homework in question. "Oh, this is pretty straightforward," Stefan says, then gets out his pen and moves to the seat next to his best friend. "Look here," he begins, pointing as he starts to explain. It takes them a few more minutes, but as usual, Lexi is able to finish the homework easily under Stefan's guidance. There is just something about the way he can explain things that make it a lot easier to follow.
Eventually, he looks up with an almost proud smile.
"There you go," he says, after Lexi answers the last question correctly. "You accomplished it!"
"You are a lifesaver!" Lexi grins and pulls her best friend in for a hug. She has maths the class after next and would have been in so much trouble if she hadn't finished this before then.
"I am just amazing," Stefan smirks at his best friend. It's weird, when it is just him and Lexi he is an entirely different person.
"Don't get cocky now." Lexi laughs as she put her books into her bag again just as the bell starts ringing.
"I will see you later, Lex."
"See ya, Stef."
...
Stefan frowns with renewed worry as he stands up. He has maths and then gym straight afterwards, and he already knows that gym class is going to be horrible. The thought makes his stomach turn. If only Lexi could be in these classes with him.
With a sigh, he makes his way to his class, making a face when he sees that Tyler is already in there waiting for him. Slowly, Stefan walks past - because what other choice does he have? With dread, he is waiting for Tyler to trip him and sure enough, just like every other day Stefan hits the ground hard after passing Tyler.
"Klutz," Tyler coughs under his breath.
Stefan pushes himself back up only to trip over his shoelaces, making the whole class erupts with laughter. Stefan rolls his eyes. This is so unfair, not only does he have to deal with all the bullying but he has to deal with his own clumsiness. It sucks so much! Quickly, he does up his shoelaces, never once looking up. His face is burning with humiliation as usual, and he is so so tired of that feeling.
Forcing himself to stand up, he finds his seat and slumps into it. As he pulls out his maths book, he can already feel paper balls hitting him in the back. He has long given up on even acknowledging it, not to mention complaining about it. The only reaction he does show is a weary sigh.
These kids will never stop, will they? Don't they realise how lame this all is?
After the bell, Stefan reluctantly makes his way to Gym.
Another class comes and goes, and by the end of it, Stefan is reluctant to go to the next. It's a constant ebbing and flowing of confrontation, and the next one is surely waiting around the corner. Thankfully, Tyler races off, so he
can avoid him for now.
...
Walking into the boys changing rooms Stefan is immediately met with laughs. That is nothing new; he has come to expect it.
As he gets to his locker, he feels the presence of people behind him. Turning around, he sees Tyler and Matt.
Stefan looks down at his feet, trying to be as non-confrontational as possible.
"Hey, dork!" Matt laughs and grabs Stefan's bag to hold it above his head.
Stefan starts jumping to try and get it back, but he can't reach it, which causes the whole locker room to erupt in laughter. Stefan's face turns bright red in embarrassment. Why was no one here on his side?
Matt chucks the bag back at Stefan, shaking his head lightly. "You're such a loser," he says with a dismissive sneer and walks away with Tyler, leaving Stefan miserable.
Taking a shaky breath, he then gets changed. He has to do it as quick as possible so that no one can tease him. It is always a race against time.
It gets horrible sometimes. Kids will make him stand there practically naked and give him all sorts of grief, their favourite thing to tease him about being how skinny he is and how he is so underdeveloped. He hates being practically naked around them, all it causes him is pain. He still remembers the first day that they mocked him.
...
Stefan was at his locker starting to get changed when the clothes that he was holding were ripped from his hands.
"Look how scrawny Salvadork is! He doesn't have any muscles at all!" Tyler howled with laughter as he put Stefan's clothes in his locker and locked it.
Stefan was left standing there in just his boxers. He merely stood there with his head down, not knowing what to do. They were all bigger than him. Heat surfaced to his face as he was made to stand there practically naked.
"Well, gonna say anything loser?" Tyler sneered as he shoved Stefan against the locker. Stefan's arms came up to try and push the larger boy away, but it didn't help much.
He stared up, his eyes shuttered as he tried to swallow his pain and looked around the room hoping that someone would save him. Anyone.
"The baby is too scared!" Lucas, Tyler and Matt's follower, laughed. The kid wasn't even friends with them. All he did was try to prove he was just like them.
Stefan sat down on the seat and just waited, they would get bored soon enough.
This caused Matt to get mad, he grabbed ahold of Stefan's arm and squeezed it hard. "Did we say you could sit down?!" he yelled out loudly. Stefan couldn't help but squeal, and he involuntarily started to swing his hands around, accidentally hitting Matt. He immediately froze. He was so dead…
A fist came and struck him against the cheek. The momentum sent him crashing to the ground where he started sobbing uncontrollably. He looked up to see Tyler and Matt staring, he was used to this, but the fact that he was lying there in only his boxers made it so much worse.
They grabbed ahold of him and started pulling him towards the door to the gym. "Enjoy geek!" They laughed and shoved him out and quickly stood in front of the door blocking it. Stefan was unable to get back to the changing room with the rest of his class who already made their way out the gym laughing at him.
Defeated, Stefan looked around at his fully dressed classmates, he the only one in boxers. A group of friends had built around his bullies, kids pointing at him, making faces. And just as usual, he was standing on the other side, not a single one of them rooting for him.
"Alright, you had your fun, give him back his clothes." Mr Clark, his PE teacher, sighed, not even sounding like he cared.
"On it, after you, loser." Tyler taunted, shoving Stefan into the changing room and getting his clothes out of his locker. "Here you go, dork. See you out there." Tyler laughed knowing that he was going to humiliate Stefan once again but this time in class.
Stefan screwed up his face and fought back the tears that were threatening to fall. This all sucked!
...
Pushing the memory away Stefan then rushes out to the gym where he can see it was all set up for dodgeball. Oh no...
Stefan shuffles over to the wall. They pick teams when they play dodgeball. He's going to be picked last. As usual. No one needs someone with his lack of athleticism and talent - and even just damn plain luck - on their team. He sucks at sports, and he is always tripping over his own feet.
"Lockwood, Smith, you two are captains," Mr Clark calls.
"Matt," Tyler makes his first choice.
"Nate." Liam Smith points at a tall, athletic kid.
One by one every single person's name is called out with Stefan being the last one as usual.
"You can have Salvadork," Tyler says mock-generously to Liam and laughs.
He and Matt grin at each other knowing that Mr Clark won't say anything as he used to be a bully himself in his day.
"Thanks," Liam replies bitterly with a roll of his eyes.
Stefan hangs his head, embarrassed. No one ever wants him in their team, and he couldn't even blame them. Still, the public choosing always feels like a display of humiliation, and it gets to him. He should be used to it by now, should be able to ignore it, but this is easier said than done. He knows that everyone thinks that he is a major loser but to be reminded of this every single gym class really hurts.
Reluctantly, Stefan walks over to his team and lines up with them on their wall. He can see Tyler whispering to his whole team with what Stefan suspects is team talk.
"Go!"
Everyone runs to get the balls. Stefan is shocked when he isn't hit right away. One by one his teammates get hit and out until it is just him. Before Stefan knows it, eight balls hit him with full force. He collapses down to the ground, trying to hide his face in his arms as everyone around him is laughing. Even his own freaking team is laughing!
"New game. Salvatore, get up!" Mr Clark eventually orders as Stefan pushes himself up. He shuffles along to the wall again, and they start to play a new game. This time he gets out right away when Tyler throws a ball that hits him right in the face. Grabbing it in pain Stefan walks over to sit down.
Thankfully for him, they don't have time for a third game, so he is able to go to the changing room and quickly get changed.
"Hey, Salvadork, wait up," Tyler calls through the hallway. Stefan immediately stops. Of course, he does, because if he doesn't, the consequences won't be pretty. It has worked so far: in order to protect himself at least a little bit, he has long begun to let everyone walk all over him. Immediately he feels himself getting shoved hard against the lockers and falls to the ground, dropping the books that he has been carrying.
"Owww," Stefan whimpers as his back makes impact with the lockers. He looks around, seeing every single student just passing them by, no one there to help him. Most don't even bat an eye or blink.
High School sucks. His fellow students suck.
"Harden up, geek!" Tyler hisses and snatches Stefan's bag off of him only to tip everything on to the defenceless Stefan, causing both him and Matt to laugh loudly. They begin laughing even louder when they start kicking the books around. Until they come upon his journal…
Stefan's face immediately loses all colour as he already sees unfolding what will happen next. Swallowing bile, he tries to snatch it but is not quick enough.
"Look what we have here, man," Tyler says, laughing as he picks it up.
"Dear Diary," he jokes, pretending to read. "I am a total loser. Why am I such a geek?" He laughs so hard his face scrunches up, Matt doing the same beside him.
Stefan can only stare up at them feeling broken while he is finishing gathering up the rest of his books, chucking them back in his bag. All he wants now is to get away from them as soon as possible.
Tyler tosses the journal back at Stefan, hitting him straight in the head.
Flinching, Stefan bites down hard to stifle a yelp before quickly putting the journal back in his bag along with the other books. At least they didn't actually read it, he thinks. This could have gone way worse.
With the hit to his head, he can deal. With them reading all his secrets, not so much. He needs to be more careful in the future. This was a warning...
"Hey, hey guys," he forces himself to say, barely looking at them as he speaks. "Ummm… I'm going to be late. So can I go to class, please?" Stefan wants the ground beneath him to swallow him up. He hates having to rely on these guys' perceived generosity. He hates that he is catering to them, instead of standing up for himself. And why the hell is that so difficult? Why-why-why. Gosh, he hates his life.
When neither Tyler nor Matt move to do or say anything, Stefan quickly pushes himself up only to be shoved against the locker again, though this time by Matt. And again, he collapses to the ground, whimpering softly now.
"Why? Worried your big brother is going to ground you if you miss one class? That it?" Tyler mocks, laughing as both boys' girlfriends arrive at the scene, shooting Stefan on the ground disdainful looks that he tries to ignore.
Everyone knows that Stefan's big brother is raising him and that he is very strict. He even walked Stefan in on his first day. That had not helped at all with the bullying...
"No. I want to get to biology, is all," Stefan mumbles, looking at his feet.
When he starts to stand up this time, he is not shoved down. However, when he tries to get away, Matt grabs him by his t-shirt, pushing him up against a locker.
"You're such a pathetic freak," Matt taunts, laughing at him as all the others join in.
"Just leave me alone please," Stefan begs, eyes downcast. He can't even meet their gazes. He is completely at their mercy.
"Hey! Cut it out." Lexi yells as she runs up to them, she was held back by her teacher to talk about the up incoming speech competitions and she realised that Stefan probably made a run for the biology classroom. She stands in front of Stefan and glares at all the bullies. "Can't you just leave him alone?" she hisses.
"Or what, Blondie. What are you going to do?" Tyler laughs as he stares down at Lexi.
"I'll tell a teacher, the principal, just anyone." Lexi glares up at Tyler. He doesn't scare her.
"Oh, yea... Do it, if you do, little Steffie here will only get worse and so will you." Tyler laughs as Matt reaches over Lexi and shoves Stefan against the lockers once again.
Stefan watches as Matt then walks off with Elena's hand in his, Tyler slinging an arm around Caroline, playfully kissing her ear, making her giggle.
They are all laughing their heads off as if what has just happened is the funniest thing they have ever seen.
"You have to tell someone Stef, they aren't leaving you alone," Lexi says.
"I can't. You heard them." Unbidden tears well in Stefan's eyes, and he turns away from her, wiping at them. "You might as well find new friends, I do not want you to get picked on because you are friends with me." Stefan sobs lightly.
Lexi's heart feels crushed as she hears this and she lays an arm around him to pull him into a slight hug.
Stefan, however, tries to pull away from her ashamed that he is crying. But Lexi doesn't let him because she knows that he needs the comfort, she also knows that he knows this as well. Deep down.
"I'm never going to stop being friends with you," Lexi promises and rests her head against his shoulder.
...
Luckily for Stefan, he only has one class left before the end of the day so with any hope he won't be bothered by them until tomorrow. Slowly, he pushes himself up with help from Lexi and follows them at a distance, far enough behind his bullies that they won't notice him as he finally makes his way to the biology classroom.
Once they get there, he can see Tyler and Matt sitting with Elena and Caroline. All four of them are grinning at him. Thankfully, he and Lexi sit right at the front so neither Matt or Tyler will be able to trip him. He takes his seat and listens to the teacher as she explains what they are going to do today.
When Biology class is coming to an end, Stefan begins packing up his things, interrupted by his teacher calling him over.
He is gutted. All he wants to do is walk to the history classroom with Lexi where he is going to meet Alaric who is not only the school's history teacher but his brother's best friend.
"I need to use the restroom, but I'll meet you outside the classroom soon, okay?" Lexi whispers in his ear. "Stay in here as long as you can."
Taking a deep breath, Stefan tries to remain calm as he walks up to his biology teacher and smiles at her.
"Stefan, how would you feel about moving into sophomore year biology? Mr Davidson, who is the teacher in that year, said that he would help you catch up with what they are doing, but we both just feel like you are far too advanced to be in this class." Mrs Bright explains, looking at him with a hopeful smile.
Stefan doesn't know what to say. He loves to learn and if he is in a year above he will be able to learn even more, but he doesn't want to get more grief. Then again, moving up to Mr Davidson's class will mean he won't have to sit in the same room as either of his bullies.
Thinking hard about what will benefit him in the long run, he eventually decides to go for it. "I would like that," he informs the teacher, "Thank you for this opportunity." Stefan smiles but then turns his head to see Tyler and Matt waiting for him by the door. His heart sinks, and his smile vanishes.
"Wonderful Stefan," the oblivious Mrs Bright says, "I'll pass it on to Mr Davidson. You will probably be able to start right after the break. - You have a good rest of the day now. I'll see you tomorrow." She smiles, then looks down at the paper in front of her.
Stefan, however, doesn't move, Lexi isn't out of the restroom yet, and he doesn't want to go out there alone.
"Stefan, is there anything else I can do for you?" Mrs Bright asks. She wonders why Stefan is waiting behind. Most kids run out as soon as school finishes, wanting to get home.
"No, no it's okay." Stefan stutters as he realises that it does look suspicious.
"Bye," he says. Sighing, he lets his head droop as he walks to the door. Suddenly he lands hard on the floor. Either Matt or Tyler have tripped him. For the fifth time today… Well, fourth but it is all Tyler's fault that he tripped over his shoelaces.
Nostrils flaring, he turns around to look for Mrs Bright, but she is still busy with the papers, and hasn't noticed anything. That is just his luck.
Matt grabs him just then, picking him up and leading him a bit further away from the classroom, probably so Mrs. Bright can't hear them. Then he shoves Stefan hard against the lockers. "Hey, nerd! Congrats on being so big of a nerd you have to be in the year above! Now here's your prize!" He laughs as he punches Stefan hard in the stomach before shoving him into Tyler who covered his mouth while Matt punches him twice in the ribs, causing Stefan to whimper. Tyler then spins him around and gives him a shove in the chest only for Stefan to trip over Matt's foot and thump hard on the ground.
"Got no one to fight your battles for you now, wimp! Has your girlfriend ditched you?" Tyler taunts.
"She is not my girlfriend," Stefan mumbles as he rubs the back of his head.
"She is my friend." Why he even bothers to explain it to these assholes, he has no clue. Sure enough, the reply he gets proves that it is useless.
"She's not even your friend. She pities you." Matt chuckles and grabs Stefan by the shirt and slams him back into the lockers as Tyler approaches to also grab ahold of him.
"You couldn't get a girl to date you no matter how hard you try. You're just a little wimp!" Tyler smirks. He squeezes Stefan's arms so tightly that he can't stifle a squeal.
"Just please let me go," he begs. Why did they have to pick on him? What did he ever do to them? Nothing! That's what! He tries to wriggle out of Tyler's grasp but can't. His opponent was just too big and strong. He can hear Matt laughing.
"No. Dorks like you need to know their place!" Tyler grins and starts to shove Stefan into the locker that Matt had opened. Stefan is small, and he easily fit in. This wasn't the first time, either, that they have shoved him in a locker.
"Hey..." Stefan starts to call out but is stopped when a hand is put over his mouth. The locker door is then shut, and Stefan can hear them laughing. His face burned with the shame of it all. Why did he have to be bullied? Why is he such a loser?
"See ya tomorrow, dork!" they call out, their laughs receding as they walk away. Stefan can still hear them laughing as they got further away, and he begins banging on the locker.
"Hey! PLEASE!" he begs, wanting nothing more than to get out of this locker. He hates it so much! "Please, anyone!" he pleads when he finally hears footsteps. "Hello!"
"Stef?" He immediately recognises the voice as Lexi's
'Thank god!' Stefan thinks. He is going to get out fast this time at least. He usually spends an hour locked in. Sometimes even more.
"Lexi! Yea...Yea it is me. Please let me out," he begs.
"On it, Stef," Lexi says, "Look, I'll have to go to the office and get Mrs Harris to give me the combination for the lock. Will you be okay here?"
As Stefan forces himself to reply with a yes, he feels himself shaking nonetheless. But thankfully, Lexi is back quickly and unlocks the locker door to let Stefan out. "Hey, you okay?" Lexi asks as Stefan tumbled out, and he straightens his shirt.
"Yea," Stefan mutters, not quite looking at his best friend. "They got me."
"This is getting out of hand. I'm telling Alaric." Lexi grunts only for her hand to be grabbed by Stefan.
"This is nothing, Lex. Please, I am begging you. Please." Stefan has tears in his eyes.
Lexi doesn't know what to do. Here is her best friend who is so brutally bullied begging her not to say anything.
"I'm telling Alaric, Stef," Lexi explains, making up her mind.
"What's happening?" A voice calls from behind them, they both turn around to see Alaric.
"Nothing," Stefan replies far too quickly for Alaric's liking.
"Lexi?" Alaric turns to the girl.
She looks at her best friend and can see his eyes begging her to lie and say nothing happened. "Stefan got shoved in a locker," she blurts out, she had to tell Alaric. Stefan is her best friend, she wants to protect him. But as she sees the betrayal on his face, she can't help but change her story slightly. "By seniors!"
"Stef, you okay kiddo?" Alaric asks as he crouches down to Stefan's level. He is like a little brother to him.
"Yea, you know how it is... they are seniors, and I am a freshman. I will live." Stefan replies, putting on a smile.
Groaning, Alaric runs a hand through his own hair. Stefan usually isn't a problematic kid. "Fine, but I'm telling your brother," Alaric replies.
"No! I am fine. He will just get mad and make a huge deal out of it. I do not need that. Please Ric, please just keep this to yourself." Stefan begs.
Alaric clenches his jaw, he knows that telling Damon would be the right thing to do, and that is precisely what he is going to do. Whether Stefan liked it or not.
"Stefan I'm telling him. Now have you two got all your homework?" Alaric sighs, he knows that Stefan and Lexi always do their homework together. The two get on really well, and Alaric couldn't be more thankful.
"Yea," Lexi replies looking at Stefan who was avoiding her gaze. He is mad at her.
Alaric looks at Stefan who still hasn't replied. "Stef?" he asks. Stefan avoids his eye, he is obviously sulking. "Stefan do you have all your homework?' Alaric asks sternly.
"Yes," Stefan replies, still not looking at either Alaric or Lexi.
"Okay, let's go then." Alaric smiles at the two kids. "Stef, it'll be okay bud. I know that you don't want Damon to know, but it'll all be better when I tell him," Alaric promises.
...
Damon is waiting for Alaric to arrive with his little brother and his best friend.
He's so glad that Stefan is doing so well in High School. As soon as the door opens, Stefan sulks in before making his way slowly to his brother to give him a hug.
"Hey, bud." Damon smiles as he runs a hand through his brother's hair. Damon nods at Alaric. He then frowns down at his brother. While it's not unlike Stefan to show affection, he's still a fourteen-year-old boy. The fact that he hugs him like this, in the presence of Ric even, seems a bit odd.
"You alright, kiddo?" he asks.
"Yuh," Stefan replies awkwardly letting go of his brother.
"How was school?" Damon asks.
"It was good," Stefan mutters and runs off to his room. He still isn't very happy with either Alaric or Lexi. Rolling her eyes, Lexi quickly follows him.
"Is he okay?" Damon asks, jerking his head in Alaric's direction for an explanation. His friend grimaces, not looking forward to this.
Lexi slumps down on the bed next to him, where he has already put all his books out, working on his homework. Nudging him, she hopes for a reaction. She even ruffles his hair awkwardly. Still no reaction
"Stefan, please! You know I love you, I did it for you, you know that." Lexi nudges him again, then sighs. Stefan is still giving her the silent treatment. He is predictable that way, whenever he is angry at her he reacts this way, but at least it doesn't happen often, and he's usually his sweet self around her.
"Okay…" Resigned, she pushes herself up again, deciding it's probably best to leave him be for now. "I'll see you tomorrow Stef, I'll be here the same time as always." Lexi sighs. As annoyed as she is at her best friend, she knows that Stefan needs her and she wasn't going to let him walk to school alone, it would be like leading a lamb to the slaughter.
Stefan looks at his best friend as she gets up to leave. This girl is his saviour. Ever since the day she found him rolled up in a ball on the ground, getting kicked and being called a geek, she had stepped up to try and help him. She had not been afraid back then, or repulsed by him like everyone else.
Instead, she had grabbed his hand and pulled him out of harm's way single-handedly. She had even yelled at them. "GET A LIFE, ASSHOLES!" she had screamed. Stefan remembers it vividly. She had pulled him into the library and grabbed the box and tissues and had led him into the corner where she had sat next to him while he had finished up crying. She had told him over and over again that they were just losers and not to listen to them. And they have been best friends ever since. And she had continued to be there for him since. As his best friend, his only friend, and now he was treating her like this? Was allowing her to leave just like that? No.
"Lex, wait." Stefan stops her before she can get to the door. "I am sorry, I was just mad. I really don't want this to get out, but thanks for telling Alaric that it was Seniors. I know that you did not want to. So thanks." Stefan smiles shyly at Lexi. Who immediately runs up to Stefan and hugs him.
"You promised me that you'd always talk to me Stef." Lexi mumbles.
Stefan drops his head, he had broken his promise. "Sorry Lex, momentary lapse of intelligence. Won't happen again." Stefan grins sheepishly. "You are such a dork." Lexi laughs and pulls him into another hug. She still wants Stefan to talk to the Principal but after the silent treatment, she thought that she probably shouldn't bring it up.
She turns to see Damon standing in the doorway. He has his protective big brother face on.
"Lexi, Ric's going to take you home, I need to talk to Stef," Damon orders. He was quite mad... Actually very mad. Worried as well. But how could his brother not tell him this?
"Bye Stef, bye Damon," Lexi waves awkwardly as she walks out of the room, shooting her friend an almost apologetic glance.
Stefan looks at his brother, knowing exactly what is coming. "It is nothing Damon."
"Seniors shoved you in a locker, how is that nothing?" Damon glares at his little brother, raising an eyebrow.
"Damon it is just school," Stefan mumbles, averting his gaze. He knew that his brother was going to react badly and just wishes that Alaric had kept his mouth shut.
"Just school?'" Damon scoffs, shaking his head in disbelief. "That's bullying, kid. Now give me their names! I'm going to bring this up to the Principal!"
"I do not know their names, they are seniors!" Stefan's eyes well up with tears, and he wipes them away angrily. He really doesn't want to talk about this, certainly not with his unpredictable brother. What if he made it all worse by accident?
Damon runs a hand through his hair. His job was to protect his brother, and it hurts to see him cry. "Stef, hey buddy. You know that all I want to do is protect you, okay?" Damon crouches down to his brother's level beside the bed, looking lost. "Please..."
For a moment, they're both quiet, frozen in time, before Stefan abruptly leans over to fall into his brother's arms, giving him a brief hug to try and appease his brother.
"It's over Damon, it was just a stupid prank," Stefan sighs.
"A stupid prank is right, they should be punished!" Damon glares at his little brother.
"No, look they do this sort of stuff all the time to different freshman, they've had their fun with me, and now they will move on." Stefan smiles lightly determined for his brother to drop it.
"Well then, you should have seen what we did to each other when I was in school." Damon laughs it off obliviously.
"Yea, anyway, Damon. I have homework, is it alright if you leave so I can do it?" Stefan asks.
"No worries squirt, I'll start on dinner." Damon smiles as he ruffles his little brother hair and leaves the room.
As Stefan watches him leave he hears his a text come through. He is not shocked when he sees who the message is from.
~Had a great time today, Salvadork! Can't wait to do it all again tomorrow! :P~
Stefan chucks his phone down and pulls lightly at his hair fighting back the tears. When would this all stop?