I was going to make this a one-shot but I decided to keep going as I was writing the first chapter. I didn't have a plan for this story and am sort of making it up as I go along. As this is one of my first pieces of writing, any advice is appreciated.

Elena stared her phone as she sat in her room. After being lectured by Jenna, she had come up to her room and contemplated calling Damon. She felt silly. She couldn't believe she was being this pathetic. Who gives so much thought into something as simply as a phone call? What she really wanted was for him to call her. That way she wouldn't have to be the one who calls for no reason after such a short amount of time. Except he couldn't call her because she hadn't given him her number. God, she was such an idiot.

With a sigh, Elena tossed her phone onto her bed and reached for her journal. She didn't want to dump all her feelings of her parents' death onto Damon. It would be much easier to pour all those feeling onto a piece of paper. She plucked a pen up from her dresser and began to spill all of her thoughts onto the small notebook that had become her outlet.

The next day, Elena is preparing herself for her first day back at school. She had seen her friends at the funeral, but she was a little... out of it, to say the least. As she opened the door to the school, she took a big breath and stepped inside. Immediately, heads began to turn and mouths began to move. Elena couldn't say she was surprised. It was a small town, and there wasn't much to gossip about. She knew she would be the center of attention for a while. That didn't mean she was comfortable with it, though.

When Elena spotted Bonnie walking down the hall, she raced to catch up. "Bonnie!" she called out.

Bonnie turned around. "Elena! I didn't know you were going to be here," she exclaimed as she pulled Elena into a hug. After Elena had been released, Bonnie asked quietly, "Are you okay?"

Elena faked a small smile as she replied, "I'm fine." When most people asked her this question, they only wanted to be told she was fine. They didn't really care what she was feeling. Although Elena knew Bonnie genuinely wanted to know the real answer, she couldn't bring herself to talk about it. She took a deep breath and started over to her locker before she heard a loud squeal.

"Elena!" She turned around and suddenly her face was buried in blonde hair. "Oh my God! How are you? You seemed so upset at the funeral. Which is totally understandable! I'm always here for you, you know that, right?" Caroline was rambling. Elena knew she didn't know what the right thing to say was. Most people didn't.

"Caroline! I'm okay. Thank you." Although Caroline could be a bit hard to deal with sometimes, she was still one of Elena's best friends. Sometimes her positive personality could be just the thing to cheer her up. Unfortunately, it just made Elena feel drained at this moment.

Elena dropped her bag at the lunch room table before collapsing in a seat next to Bonnie. School was proving to be more difficult than she had expected. Her teachers were being sympathetic, but she still had to catch up on her assignments. The academics weren't the worst of it though. The stares and the not so quiet whispering was getting on her nerves.

She was brought out of her thoughts when someone behind her cleared their throat. Elena had to hold back a groan. With her luck, it was probably a reporter for the school newspaper wanting an interview about the tragedy of her parents' deaths. However, it was much worse. It was Matt.

He shifted awkwardly on his feet before saying timidly, "Hi."

She stared back at him and sucked in a breath. "Hi."

He looked around at the other people at the table before his eyes returned to her. "Could we, um, talk?" She nodded her head and got up. They both stood and stared at each other for a moment before he began to walk to the cafeteria door. She followed behind.

They ended up right outside the school. Elena opened her mouth to speak. "Look, Matt-"

"No. Let me go first." She nodded her consent, and he took a deep breath. "I know you were pretty clear when we spoke before... well, you know. But I... I was hoping that you would change your mind. What we have is special. I know you must be so confused at a time like this, and I'm not asking for an answer right now. You can think about it for as long as you want. I'll give you as much time as you need."

Elena bit her lip and shook her head. "Matt, I love being around you and spending time with you. I love how comfortable I am with you and how I can talk with you. But... I'm not in love with you. I can't force myself to love you. Believe me, I've tried. I know you must thin this is grief talking, but I felt this way long before my parents went off that bridge. I don't need any time. I've already made my decision. I'm sorry."

Matt nodded his head bitterly. "Well, then that's that." He walked away before Elena could respond.

Despite Caroline's begging, Elena decided to skip cheerleading practice and go straight home after school. Her day had been hard enough without the reminder that she was now the worst cheerleader because she hadn't practiced over the summer. She felt terrible about what she said to Matt, but she knew she had made the right choice. She couldn't continue to be in a relationship with someone she didn't love.

After such a tough day, she really just needed to talk to someone who didn't assume they knew everything about her because of the gossip. She reached into her bag and pulled out her phone. She hesitated only for a moment before dialing Damon's number.

Damon twiddled his thumbs as he sat in the small coffee shop he was supposed to meet Elena in. He had gotten there a little early and she still hadn't arrived yet. He couldn't explain the odd feeling of nervousness that had been present since he had arrived.

Before he could dwell on it, he heard the bell on the door that announced Elena's arrival. She looked around the coffee shop and began walking over once she spotted him. He stood up to greet her. "Hey."

"Hey." They both took a seat at the small table and looked at each other awkwardly.

Damon was the first one to break the silence. "So, how have you been?"

Elena shrugged her shoulders. "It's been tough, but I'm... dealing." She surprised herself with this answer. It was the first time she felt as if it would be okay to be honest.

Damon nodded his head in understanding. "That's the only way to get through." When she gave him a quizzical look, he explained, "My mom passed away a while ago."

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said sincerely.

He smiled softly. "You don't have to apologize. It's not your fault." Elena chuckled lightly at Damon's reply. She had never thought of it like that.

She barely knew him, but Damon was already giving her a new point of view.

I hope you enjoyed it. Any guidance is greatly appreciated!