I sat on the cold, hard floor and waited. Jeremy hadn't woken up yet and I don't know what I would do if he didn't. I loved him. Sure, we had our ups and downs but I love him, no matter what. Suddenly, I heard a gasp and a fast heartbeat.
"Jer?" I said, kneeling over him.
"Hayley? What happened?" He asked.
"You were staked. I gave up my blood. I thought you'd never wake up." I said, happy tears streaming down my cheeks.
"You saved my life." He said, smiling. I shrugged in response.
"You should rest." I said, offering him my hand. He took it and I helped him stand up. I guided him into his room and he got into his bed and under the covers.
"Stay with me?" He asked, hope in his eyes.
"You need to rest, I don't wanna distract you. I'll be back later." I said, leaning over him and giving him a quick kiss. I walked out the door and started home. When I got home, Damon was pulling on his jacket.
"Where are you going?" I asked.
"Elena's. She called and said she needed me to do something." He said.
"Why didn't she just call Stefan?" I asked, confused.
"They had a fight. She broke up with him." Damon explained. I was surprised, no one had mentioned it to me.
"Oh." I said, figuring I would ask Stefan about it. Damon walked out the door and I walked to Stefan's room. He was sitting at his desk, writing in his journal. "So you and Elena broke up?"
"Uh, yeah." He said, sheepishly.
"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked.
"Didn't think it was important." He said.
"Why'd she break up with you?" I asked, curiously.
"She said she couldn't deal with supernatural."
"How many times have we heard that? She came running back every time." I scoffed. "I'm gonna go talk to her."
"No, it's fine. I'm fine. It's her choice." He argued.
"No, that's stupid. I'm talking to her, whether you like it or not." I said. Stefan sighed and didn't argue. I grabbed my keys and walked back to my car.
I walked into the Gilbert household and heard voices upstairs. I walked up the stairs and followed the voices into Jeremy's room. Damon was sitting on Jeremy's bed, with Jeremy looking straight into his eyes.
"What's going on?" I asked.
"Let me talk to you." Elena said, grabbing my arm and pulling me out into the hall. "Jeremy is leaving town. For awhile."
"What? Why?" I asked.
"This isn't right. He's 17 years old and he's died 3 times. He needs a normal life. He's gonna stay with family friends in Denver. He's gonna have a fresh start without anything to hurt him." Elena explained.
"What? You're just sending him away?" I questioned. Elena nodded. "You can't just make decisions for him! It's his life, not yours! Jeremy should have a say in everything he does. You can't just take that away from him!"
"It's for the best. He'll be safe. I'm doing this for him." She said, calmly.
"No! You're doing this for yourself! That's what it always is! You think it's for them but it's always about YOU! You can't control someones life! What about other people? His friends, his memories here, his girlfriend! His whole life is here!"
"I know you're upset, but you'll understand." She said.
"No, I never will. You're a bitch, Elena." I said, pushing past here and walking into Jeremy's room. I sat down on the bed next to Jeremy an grabbed his hand, squeezing it. Damon was still compelling him and I let the tears fall freely.
"You're gonna leave Mystic Falls, without a second thought. Meet some new people, new girls, a fresh start..." Damon was saying. I eventually stopped listening and just sat there. I was pissed. How could Damon even agree to this? Of course, I knew the answer but I tried to convince myself that it wasn't true. That my own brother would chose a girl over his own family. I saw Damon sigh and stand from the bed. I didn't say anything and just watched him go.
"Babe, why are you crying?" Jeremy asked, wiping away a few of my tears with his thumb.
"Please don't leave me." I croaked. Jeremy looked like he was gonna say yes but then the forced look came back to his face.
"I have to. I feel like I'm stuck here. I wish you could come with me." He said sadly.
"That's it! I'll go with you!" I said. I kissed Jeremy and then stood from the bed. "I'll be back tomorrow morning. We can have a day to ourselves." I said, walking towards his bedroom door.
"Love you." Jeremy called to me.
"Love you too!" I said, blowing him a kiss. I walked downstairs and opened the front door, shocked at what I was seeing. Damon and Elena were kissing. I cleared my throat to catch their attention. They broke apart and looked at me sheepishly. Elena backed away from Damon and quietly went into the house.
"What the hell?" I asked.
"What?" Damon asked, playing dumb.
"Why would you agree to compel Jeremy?" I asked.
"It's the right thing to do." He said simply.
"I don't think that's why. I think you want Elena so badly that you'd cause your own sister pain just to make Elena happy." I paused. "You know she's just using you? To clean up her mess? She wants everything and thinks she can do anything. You're pretty much her bitch." I said. Suddenly, I was pinned up against the wall of the house. Damon's hand around my throat.
"Shut up. It was the right thing to do. Move on." He growled. I just stood there. "You don't know anything! You left!"
"I had to. Katherine changed me, I didn't want to hurt anyone." I said, once he let go of me. He ran his hands through his hair.
"Not then! With Klaus!" He said, saying Klaus' name with disgust.
"I had to! He was gonna kill everyone, he was gonna kill you! I couldn't live with myself if I knew that I caused all those deaths." I said. "Please don't be mad."
"Mad? I'm pissed. You left me! Your own brother. You were everything I had left, the only one who I knew I could trust and you left." He said, staring straight into my blue eyes. "So she helped me. She trusted me, she helped me when you weren't there."
"She doesn't love you!" I said, feeling hurt that Elena had replaced me. "She never will, okay? Just get that through your damn head!"
Damon just looked at me, hurt. I regretted what I said. I'm just hurt. Hurt that he could let her replace me that easily, without thought.
"I'm going with him." I said, shakily. "I can't just let him go. I love him."
"No, I'm not letting you. Jeremy needs this. No vampires, no werewolves, no hybrids. Just let him go." Damon said.
"No. I need to go with him. Those months I was gone were horrible. I won't go through it again." I said, not giving up.
"You're staying and that's final. I wouldn't try anything if I were you." He replied.
"So that's it? You're just not gonna let me be happy? Make Elena happy, right? Cause you're sister doesn't mean anything anymore?" I asked hurt that he wouldn't even let me go with Jeremy.
"I never said that. Of, course you mat-" He was saying. I cut him off.
"I don't want your shit, Damon." I said. walking to my car. I drove home and immediately went upstairs to my room.
I couldn't hold my tears in any longer. I broke down on the ground in sobs. I heard someone knock on the door but I ignored it, not wanting to speak with anyone.
"Hayley?" I heard Stefan ask. I looked up and he was poking his head in the door. "What happened?" He said, stepping in the room and sitting next to my spot near the door.
"They compelled him. They're making him leave!" I hiccuped, bursting in to tears again.
"Who's making who leave?" He asked, pulling me to his chest.
"Elena had Damon compel Jeremy to leave town for a while." I said. Stefan tensed, telling me he was upset too.
"Everything's gonna be okay." He said, stroking my hair softly. Me and Stefan had never been close but I had a feeling this was a new start for us. I felt safe in his arms, like it used to be with Damon. That's changed now.
"I wanna turn it off. It would be so much easier that way. Not feeling anything, no pain, no sadness. Just...numb."
"No, you can't do that. What about the times your happy? When you feel love? Every person deserves to feel that." He argued.
"But I'm not a person. I'm dead." I paused. "Maybe it would just be easier that way. Dead. The real, in the ground, dead."
"No, don't think like that. We all need you." He told me. I didn't believe him.
"He kissed her. Damon and Elena." I said. I needed to tell him, he deserved to know.
"I knew it would happen at some point." He sighed. I nodded in his chest.
"Thanks, Stefan." I said, looking up at him. He nodded, smiling at me.
"You should probably go to sleep so you can be with Jeremy tomorrow." He told me. I nodded. He hugged me and kissed my forehead before leaving the room. I changed into pajamas before laying down and going to sleep.
I woke up the next morning, feeling excited about seeing Jeremy even though it might be the last for a while. I got changed into white skinny jeans, a blue and white striped loose top, and navy blue TOMS. I left my hair in waves and walked downstairs into the parlor. I saw Damon sitting on the couch, with a glass of bourbon in his hands. I decided not to talk to him and grabbed my bag by the door. I went to open the door but Damon said something.
"Where are you going?" He asked.
"To Jeremy's." I said.
"He's leaving today." Damon said, not looking at me. My heart sank. I thought I could at least have a full day to spend time with him. I left the house without saying anything to Damon.
I got to there house in a few minutes and I quickly walked to the door. I knocked and luckily, Jeremy answered.
"Hayley!" He said. I threw my arms around and kissed him. He picked me up and spun me around, not breaking the kiss. "I'm gonna miss you so much!" He said, in between kisses.
"Jeremy can I ask you something?" I asked, as he put me down.
"Sure, anything." He said smiling.
"You're not gonna break up with me, are you?" I asked, looking down at my worn TOMS.
"Of course not." He said, pulling me into his chest.
"Good." I said, smiling.
"We are still gonna text and Skype and call and all that good stuff. Maybe you can visit me sometime." He suggested. I smiled.
"Of course."
Alaric came down the stairs holding 2 suitcases. It was time. I barely even had 5 minutes with him before I had to say goodbye. I let Elena hug him and she took a while.
"You know you're gonna have to let go?" Jeremy said to her, chuckling. She let go and he walked over to me. "I love you."
"I love you too." I said. He leaned in and kissed me. This was the last time I was gonna kiss him for who knows how long. I wrapped my arms around his waist and he did the same with me. We broke apart and he leaned his forehead against mine. "Be safe...please."
"I love you. More than anything."
"I love you too." I said, smiling at him even though tears fell down my cheeks.
"Don't cry." He pleaded. We walked hand in hand to the car where Alaric was waiting.
"I guess this is goodbye." I said, sadly. He kissed me again, to my surprise.
"Far from it." He said. He smiled at me one last time, then got in the car.
They drove off, taking my heart with them.
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