Set in S1xE01 - 'Pilot'
Song - Painkillers by Rainbow Kitten Surprise
CHAPTER 01 - LIVING JUST COMES WITH A BIT OF HEARTACHE
"Willow! C'mon! It's the first day of school and we can't be late!"
Willow sighed as she rolled over in her bed. Caroline's shrill voice was enough to force anyone out of bed. She contemplated just burying herself back under the covers and never facing the world again. But a series of knocks came from behind her bedroom door followed by her cousin's loud voice, "Willow if you do not get out of this room in the next 30 seconds I'll break this door down and drag you out myself!"
Willow rolled her hazel brown eyes and huffed. "Alright! I'll be out in a sec!" She pushed the bed covers off of herself knowing that Caroline was serious with her threat if she took any longer to get ready. She went to her closet and grabbed a pair of black skinny jeans and a plain grey long sleeved shirt. She had had a shower the night before as she knew that she wouldn't have a enough time to get ready with how long it took her to get out of bed.
As she sat at her desk chair so that she could do her hair in the mirror her gaze moved to the pictures she had in frames and some taped to the side of her mirror. A few were pictures of her and Caroline, some with her Aunt Liz, and even a couple of herself with Elena, Bonnie and Matt. She even realised she still had a picture of her ex-boyfriend Tyler stuck to her mirror. Though any pictures of her father Willow had tossed in the drawer of her dresser, she didn't need a reminder of the father that had abandoned her. But it was the pictures that had her mother in them that really hit her hard.
She should be here now, waking Willow up so that she wouldn't be late for school, not her cousin. Shaking her head, Willow quickly got to work brushing her dark brown hair and applied a light amount of make up to her face just to make herself look fairly normal and not like she hadn't gotten a wink of sleep for weeks.
Willow dressed quickly and stepped out of her room before Caroline could break down the door in her impatience. Her cousin was standing right in front of her bedroom door with her arms crossed. Her blonde hair was set in perfect curls and was wearing a nice blue blouse with skinny jeans and ballet flats. She looked immaculate and Willow knew that Caroline had picked the outfit out the day before.
Caroline had her hands on hips and raised an eyebrow at her cousin, her blue eyes analysing her choice in outfit. "Really?" Caroline shook her head. "It's the first day of school and that's what you're wearing."
Willow rolled her eyes, used to Caroline's behaviour and not taking any offence to her critical words. "Sorry. We can't all look as good as you."
The blonde gave Willow a disapproving glare but chose not to respond. Her expression quickly changed to one of worry and sympathy. "Are you okay?"
Willow brought her lips into a thin line and nodded her head once. "I'm fine. Thank you."
Caroline gave her look, knowing that she was lying. "Look if you ever need to talk to me I'm here for you." She smiled kindly at Willow, raising a hand and placing it on her shoulder. "And if you wanna ditch today then I completely understand."
Willow returned Caroline's smile, feeling grateful for having someone like Caroline in her life. "I know you are and I really appreciate it." She shrugged her shoulders. "And I can't ditch. It's like you said last night; I have to try." She glanced behind her, back into her room spotting the pictures of her mother on her mirror. "The world is gonna keep on spinning, gotta try and live in it now."
Caroline nodded her head as she listened to her cousin, amazed by how strong she had been lately with her mother's death and the car accident. She shook her head and pulled Willow into a tight hug, surprising her cousin. Willow laughed lightly and returned the hugging. "Thanks, Care."
Caroline gave Willow a final squeeze before leaning away from her, her hands still on her shoulders. She winked at Willow and grinned. "See you downstairs in five?"
Willow nodded her head, keeping the smile on her face until Caroline left down the stairs. When she was out of sight the smile fell and she quickly made her way to the bathroom, freshening up quickly and trying not to look at herself in the mirror again.
She could already hear Caroline arguing with her mother as she was walking down the stairs. Willow had no idea what the fight was about but wasn't surprised to walk in on the two having a disagreement. It was a normal everyday occurrence to see mother and daughter in some sort of dispute over something.
"Morning." Willow interrupted before the argument could escalate.
The fighting stopped almost immediately. Liz sighed and smiled at her niece. "Morning, sweetheart." She gestured between herself and Caroline. "That was nothing."
Willow raised an eyebrow at Liz and snorted. "Sure." She made her way to the kitchen to get herself a mug of tea and coffee for her aunt and cousin. "What was that about?"
"Nothing." Liz immediately replied.
Caroline scoffed and crossed her arms over chest. She followed Willow into the kitchen and accepted the mug of coffee from her. "It wasn't nothing." Caroline hissed. "She doesn't want us to go to the bonfire tonight."
Willow blinked and turned back to her Aunt Liz. Liz was the sheriff of Mystic Falls and was often over protective of both her daughter and her niece. She had become worse over the last few days since man and a woman were found dead the other day.
"I just don't think it's such a good idea." Liz insisted.
Caroline rolled her eyes and huffed dramatically, "Mom, you're being ridiculous. It's an annual thing and we're going."
Willow glance between Caroline and Liz, sipping her tea slowly. "Is this about that couple that was killed just outside of Mystic Falls?"
Liz visibly became uncomfortable and cleared her throat. "No." Willow frowned at her aunt. Liz spotted the look she was giving her. "It's nothing to worry about." She raised her hands up. "I just know what you kids get up to at that bonfire."
"We won't be that bad. I promise." Willow insisted. "And we'll stick with eachother, like we always do."
Caroline gave her mother a stern look but said nothing else. Liz sighed as she looked between the two teenagers. "Fine. But look out for one another." She pointed at the two of them. Caroline went to say something but Willow elbowed her in the ribs, wanting her to let it go.
"Sure thing, Aunt Liz." Willow gave her a tight lipped smile, hoping that was the end of the discussion.
"Okay. I've gotta go." She accepted the thermal mug with her coffee in it that Willow had made. "I probably won't see you both when you finish school so have a good day." She gave them both one more concerned look. "And stay safe tonight." She reiterated before grabbed her work jacket, phone and keys and leaving.
Caroline groaned once her mother had left the house. "God! She is such a buzzkill!"
Willow shook her head and frowned at her cousin. "She's just looking out for us."
"She picks and chooses when she wants to be a good mom."
Willow gave Caroline a disappointed look, "Caroline, you know that's not true."
She waved Willow's comment off. "Whatever." She finished the rest of her coffee quickly. "C'mon. We better get going."
Willow nodded her head, finishing the last of her tea and following her cousin in grabbing her school bag, phone and keys before leaving the house. Willow locked the door and then made her way to Caroline's car, getting in the passenger seat.
Caroline's rambling and the music from the car radio had just become white noise to Willow on the journey to Mystic Falls Highschool. She wasn't sure if she was prepared for all the questions and the sympathetic looks but as Caroline parked the car in the parking lot of the school she found that she had no choice. Her anxiety began to spike as she stared up at the school building and she hesitated in opening the car door.
Willow jumped as she felt a hand touch her own. "Hey," Caroline began delicately, "It's gonna be okay. You can do this." She gave her an encouraging smile and squeezed her hand in reassurance.
Willow let out a breath that she hadn't realised she had been holding and nodded her head back at her cousin. Taking another deep breath to calm herself, she grabbed her bag and opened the car door.
Caroline followed her and the two began making their way towards the school. Caroline looped her arm through Willow's, tugging her along. "You know, I think this year is going to be great." Caroline insisted, grinning down at her cousin.
The two made their way through the school, heading for the front desk so that they could collect their school time table. The entire time Caroline criticised the way that various students were dressed. Willow only shaking her head and giving mock disapproving looks. While Willow knew what Caroline was like, a lot of people did not like her because of what they perceived to be a "bitchy queen b". And while the two had their own fair share of fights and were polar opposites, ultimately they always made up and ended up close than ever. Willow always defended her because she knew who Caroline really was; a loving, caring person with a heart of gold. Willow had always viewed Caroline as more of a sister than a cousin, and Caroline felt the same about Willow.
After they had gotten their time tables the two girls immediately began comparing to see what classes they would be in together. The two were happy to see that they had English, Gym, Math and French together. The two chatted idly as they made their way down the corridor to find their lockers, running into Bonnie and Elena on the way.
"Elena!" Caroline gasped and rushed forward to Elena. "Oh my God!" She wrapped her arms around the other girl tightly. Elena's head poked over her shoulder and she patted her on the back. "How are you? It's so good to see you." She pulled back and turned to Bonnie. "How is she? Is she good?"
Willow stood back and allowed the train wreck of a social interaction to continue. She loved Caroline but sometimes the girl had no tact. Elena moved her head so that Caroline could see her. "Caroline, I'm right here. And I'm fine, thank you."
Willow cringed at hearing her own words from earlier that morning repeated. She didn't realise how rehearsed it sounded. Caroline stole a glance back at her cousin, before turning back to Elena. "Really?"
Elena nodded her head quickly. "Yes, much better."
Caroline sighed and pulled Elena into another tight hug, "Oh, you poor thing."
Willow intervened by this point, stepping forward she tapped Caroline on the shoulder. "Okay, Caroline. I think you're suffocating her."
Caroline pulled back and Elena and Bonnie finally addressed Willow. Willow smiled awkwardly at the two, more so at Elena than Bonnie. "Hey, Willow." Elena greeted, offering her kind smile.
"Yeah, hey Willow." Bonnie repeated.
Willow cleared her throat and nodded at the two. Elena stepped forward and wrapped Willow in a gentle hug that was nowhere near as constricting as Caroline's. "It's good to see you." Elena whispered in her ear.
Willow pulled back slightly but did not remove herself from her embrace. "You too, Elena."
An understanding was clear in eachother's eyes as they pulled apart. After the car accident Elena and her brother Jeremy had stayed with her, Caroline and Liz until their Aunt Jenna could get things sorted and get to Mystic Falls. While Elena and Willow had never been very close, after the accident they had found comfort in one another and now considered eachother good friends. They often stayed up talking to one another about things; originally talking about the accident and found that they both felt a considerable amount of guilt for surviving the crash unlike her parents. Over time the conversations between them turned to other things, such as their likes and dislikes, their friends, about Matt and Tyler. Willow deeply cared for Elena and the feeling was returned.
Caroline glanced between the two, narrowing her eyes. She saw the look the two were giving eachother and the way they had held onto one another. Caroline had no issues with Willow having or making friends, she wasn't that kind of person. But Willow was her best friend. She knew it was petty and silly of her to feel jealousy over her cousin but she always felt competitive with Elena. And she did not want to compete over Willow now too.
Caroline cleared her throat, interrupting her conversation with both Elena and Bonnie, "Willow, let's get to our lockers quick." Willow blinked in confusion. But Caroline didn't wait for her to reply before reaching forward and grabbing Willow's hand and pulling her towards herself. "See you guys later!" Caroline threw an overly large grin towards Bonnie and Elena.
"I guess I'll see you two in history." Willow said to the two other girls.
Elena smiled and nodded, raising a hand to wave goodbye, "Yeah definitely. Catch up later?"
Willow immediately nodded her head as Caroline began to drag her away. "You too, Bonnie."
Bonnie laughed as she watched the girl get hauled off down the corridor. "Good luck." Bonnie simply said with snicker.
Willow huffed and rolled her eyes good naturedly. "Thanks. I think I need it." She waved one last time before allowing Caroline to tow her away. Once Caroline had pulled her over to her locker, Willow yanked her hand out of her cousin's grasp. "What's up with you?" Willow demanded, crossing her arms over her chest.
Caroline kept her back to her and opened her locker. "Nothing." She insisted. "I just wanted to sort my locker out before we had to get to class."
Willow scoffed, not believing Caroline's excuse. She pressed her lips together to hide her smile, "You're jealous." She sing-songed.
Caroline let out a loud, single laugh and whirled around. She was about to insist to Willow that in fact was not true but her eyes caught sight of someone walking passed them, behind Willow. Her eyes moved away from Willow and focused on them instead, words escaping her.
Willow frowned in confusion. She turned around and followed Caroline's eyeline. It was a boy, someone new by the look of it. Willow couldn't see his face as he had already gone passed her and was making his way to the men's bathroom.
Willow rolled her eyes knowingly and turned back to Caroline. "Seriously?"
Caroline grinned haughtily at Willow, moving her attention back to her cousin. "He's cute."
"You saw him for like two seconds? And did you even see his face properly?"
"He's cute, okay?" Caroline insisted as the bell rang.
Willow shrugged her shoulders uncaringly, "Whatever. I got chemistry first so I'll see you in English."
Mrs. Amos' voice had become background noise and the lesson had barely even started. Willow glanced around as the teacher finished calling out the register for the class when a knock came from the door. Mrs. Amos stopped calling names and announced for the person to come in.
The door opened and in walked the guy that Caroline had been drooling over. And Willow was embarrassed to admit that her cousin was right, he was cute. In fact he was very handsome in that classic kind of way.
"I'm very sorry I'm late. I'm new didn't exactly know where this class was." The new guy explained. Willow glanced around and saw that he had managed to gain the whole class' attention. All eyes were on him. His own gaze scanned the room before they landed on her own. Once his eyes landed on Willow he did not look at anyone else. Willow found her own eyes locked on his, almost mesmerised by him.
Mrs. Amos nodded in understanding. She was a fairly nice teacher. "It's alright. What's your name?"
"Stefan Salvatore."
"Well Mr. Salvatore, welcome to Mystic Falls." Mrs. Amos greeted. The chemistry teacher glanced around, trying to find somewhere for him to sit. "You can sit with Willow."
Willow swallowed and again looked around her, wondering if there were any other tables for him to sit. She found that the majority of people were sat with people. Whoever they were sat with then they would normally be eachother's chemistry partners.
Stefan made his way toward Willow's table and took a seat. Willow smiled at him in greeting and he returned it immediately. Mrs. Amos continued speaking, mainly to Willow and Stefan, "Be prepared to get to know one another, because who you're sat next to will be your chemistry partner for the rest of the year." She confirmed what Willow assumed. Some people around them quietly cheered as they were most likely paired with their friend for the rest of they year.
Willow kept her attention on Stefan, unsure how to start a conversation with him. She cleared her throat, "I know we kind of just got introduced but I'm Willow Anderson."
Stefan smiled at her, turning his body to face her slightly in his stool, giving her his full attention. "Nice to meet you."
Willow glanced towards the teacher as she began the first lesson of the year. She lowered her voice slightly, "How's your first day been going?"
Stefan shrugged, flicking a pen between his fingers. "It's not been that bad." He glanced behind him to find some people still staring at him. "A lot of weird looks though."
Willow pressed her lips together to hold back her laugh, "Yeah you're fresh meat. We don't get that here a lot." She shifted slightly in her seat so that she was nearer to him. "You any good at chemistry? Because I'm really sorry to say that I suck at it."
Stefan ducked his head as a full smile came across his face and nodded his head. "Yeah I'm pretty good, don't worry. I can carry us." He winked at her jokingly.
Willow let out a shocked gasped. "Hey, I'm bad but not that bad. You just might have to explain it like three times to me first before I get it."
Stefan gazed back at her and sent her a gentle smile, "Happy to help."
Mrs. Amos interrupted them both then and the two conceded that they would not be able to talk till after the lesson was over. Willow turned and faced forward. She could feel herself smiling despite herself, and as she dared to steal a glance to her left she found Stefan doing the same.
Willow and Stefan were quick to get to talking once their chemistry lesson was over. Willow found that she shared a few classes with him; other than chemistry she had biology, physics, history and French. She was pleasantly surprised to find that they had so many classes together. Stefan was grateful that Willow had stuck with him after chemistry. While they did not have the next class together Willow was more than happy to show him where to go. She'd even promised to meet up with him to go with him to their shared history lesson together.
"Thanks for chaperoning me." Stefan said to her as she met up with him after their separate classes of math and English.
Willow shrugged her shoulders, "God knows where you would've ended up otherwise, right?"
Stefan chuckled, "I think I would've given up and just gone home."
"Me too probably." She agreed with a small laugh. Willow led them both down a corridor and then came to a stop outside of a classroom. Stefan frowned when she stopped in front of him. "Fair warning Mr. Tanner is an ass. If you wanna leave now I won't blame you."
Stefan narrowed his eyes jokingly at her, "I'm sure I can handle it. But thank you for the warning."
Willow held her hands up as if surrendering, "I tried. Just be wary; you're new and he'll probably pick on you."
"I'm pretty good at history."
"We'll see." She said as she made her way into the classroom alongside many other students. She saw Elena already in her seat and smiled at her as she walked by to get to her seat. "Hey."
Elena returned the greeting and offered her a kind smile. Her smile faltered when she watched Stefan follow her in. He took the empty seat behind Willow, his attention moving to Elena as he sat down.
Mr. Tanner arrived and started the lesson shortly after. He was already in a bad mood as all of the students seemed to irritate him. Willow wrote down what she thought was important if only to not get caught off guard by the history teacher.
Once the bell rung for the final time Willow turned around to face Stefan. She noticed that his focus was on Elena for a few seconds before he turned his eyes to Willow's. Willow flashed him a welcoming smile, "It was nice meeting you today."
Stefan nodded, returning her smile, "It was nice meeting you too. Thanks for showing me around."
Willow nodded at him, gathering her stuff in her bag. "No problem, anytime." She holstered her bag on her shoulder and stood up. "I wish I could stay and chat but my cousin will murder me if I don't meet up with her. I'll see you tomorrow."
Stefan stood up with his own bag, readying to leave. "Definitely."
Willow waved back at him. As she stepped away from him she acknowledged Bonnie and Elena. "I'll see you both soon."
"We'll probably be at the Grill later." Bonnie told her. Elena nodded along with her in agreement.
Willow gave them both a thumbs up. "I'm working a shift tonight, so see you both then." She offered another goodbye wave to Stefan before walking out to meet up with Caroline.
Once she'd left the building she spotted Caroline leaning against her car, looking desperate to leave. As soon as Caroline spotted her she began going on about Stefan. Willow listened to her ramble on about him the entire car ride home without a complaint. She nodded her head and gave small answers every now and then.
The Mystic Grill was slowly starting to fill up, getting busier and busier. She was on shift with Vicki Donovan, Matt Donovan's older sister. Willow was wary around her as she had heard from Caroline that Tyler was now in a relationship with her. Willow just didn't want to deal with the awkwardness of it all.
Willow spotted Vicki ignoring Jeremy Gilbert, Elena's younger brother. Willow liked Jeremy and felt a bit sorry for him. On her way back from delivering empty plates back to the kitchen she went toward Jeremy by the bar.
"Hey, Jer." Willow greeted quietly. The two had always gotten along fairly well and she had tried to help him once his parents died but he had become distant. She didn't blame him.
Jeremy glanced behind him to Willow. He sighed and rolled his eyes. While Willow wasn't like Elena in that his sister constantly badgered him but he really did not want her coddling him too. "I'm fine, Willow." Willow went to open her mouth to reply but Vicki had now returned and he quickly turned his attention back on her. He practically chased after her as she walked away.
Willow huffed and turned around to continue her job but instead ran into someone. "Oh, I'm sor-" She stopped herself when she saw that it was Tyler. Willow gulped nervously as she stepped back from him. "Tyler..."
His gaze was intense as he stared back at her. "Hey, Will."
Willow licked her lips and made to walk passed him but he stepped in front of her. Willow looked down and let out a nervous breath. "Can we not do this here?"
"Well then where? I've been wanting to talk all summer."
Willow scoffed, "I don't think you've been wanting to talk to me." She glanced back toward Vicki who was serving a couple at a table. "I think you've been doing pretty good all summer."
Tyler followed her line of sight and glared when he saw Vicki. Tyler grabbed Willow's shoulders and forced her to turn her attention back to him. "She means nothing to me." He insisted, his tone hard as he gripped her shoulders. "Let's just talk, please."
Willow glowered at him, pushing his hands off of her. "There's nothing to talk about, okay?" She gestured between them. "We're not a thing anymore and you've moved on." She stepped away from him, offering him a sympathetic look. "Maybe soon we can be friends but for now I think that it's best that we just get some distance from one another."
Tyler scoffed, a look of disbelief quickly coming across his face. "Friends? Are you serious?" He reached forward almost lightning fast grasped her hand tightly. "I can't just be friends with you."
"Let go of me." She tried to pull her hand back but Tyler was holding onto her tightly. "Tyler, let me go." Willow demanded.
"I just want to talk, that's all!"
Willow shook her head and attempted to pull away from him but someone interrupted her. "Ty! Let her go, man" Willow turned to the voice, feeling relief flood her when she saw Matt. Tyler didn't let go immediately so Matt reached forward and gripped Tyler's wrist. "Don't do this. Just let her go."
Tyler's eyes darted between Willow and Matt before reluctantly releasing her hand. He took a step back and glared at Matt but said nothing else but instead stormed off.
Willow sighed in relief, rubbing a hand over her forehead. "Thank you."
Matt shrugged and smiled at her, "Hey, anytime." He looked behind him to where Tyler had stomped off and saw that he was now starting up a game of pool, though the scowl on his face was clear. "He doesn't mean it." Matt began. "All summer all he talked about was you. I know he really loves you."
"I know he's not a bad person and he wouldn't hurt me, that's not what I was worried about." Willow shook her head and looked anywhere but Tyler. "But I just can't deal with a relationship and all of his drama right now. My head is not in the right place right now, I can't be with him."
Matt held his hands up, "You gotta do what's best for you. I'm just saying as someone else who was also dumped by the girl they love over the summer, I get where he's coming from."
Willow closed her eyes, remembering that Elena had also ended her relationship with Matt not long after the car crash. "Thanks again, Matt. I gotta get back to work." She pointed her thumb behind her and then promptly left. She didn't want to hear anymore about Tyler and his feelings towards her.
She quickly got back to work, allowing it to distract her from the drama going on around her. She had taken Bonnie and Caroline's orders when they arrived. She even managed to sneak some time into sitting down and stealing some of Caroline's fries.
But it was the sight of Stefan arriving in the alongside Elena that got Willow's, and everyone else's, attention. It seemed almost like the restaurant had gone completely silent with their arrival. It was Matt though who ended up going over and greeting the new guy. Willow was proud of Matt for being the bigger person and not starting a fight with Stefan just because he was with his ex-girlfriend.
Willow would have gone over to greet Elena and Stefan but a few kids from her school had called her over wanting to order food. She quickly dropped their order off in the kitchen and then searched around for her friends.
She found Stefan on a table surrounded by Bonnie, Caroline and Elena. Willow felt a bit sorry for him being ganged up on by the three girls. Deciding to add a fourth one to the mix she made her way over to their table.
"Hey," She greeted both Elena and Stefan. "Can I get you guys anything?"
Elena turned around in her seat, "Hey, Willow." She looked around and then said. "Why don't you join us for a bit?"
Willow shook her head, "I would love to but-"
"Just take your break with us." Caroline interrupted.
"Yeah," Bonnie joined in before Willow could even get a word in. "And we'll vouch for you if your boss comes looking for you."
Stefan watched her with mirth in his eyes and gestured to the spare seat at their table. "Looks like you don't have a choice."
Willow raised her hands and sighed, "Looks like it." Elena moved over so that Willow could sit between herself and Caroline.
"So, Stefan," Caroline began her interrogation, "you were born in Mystic Falls?"
Stefan nodded his head. "Mm-hmm. I moved when I was still young."
"Parents?" Bonnie questioned as she took a sip of her coke.
"My parents passed away."
Both Willow and Elena looked at him with empathy, both understanding the pain of losing parents. While both of Elena's parents had died in the car accident, Willow's mother was the only one who had died out of her parents. But her father may as well be dead as she had not seen him in seven months and the pain of him abandoning her was just as bad as her mother dying.
"I'm sorry." Elena practically whispered. Stefan simply nodded his head in thanks.
"Do you have any brothers or sister?" Willow asked quietly, leaning forward so that she was resting on the table.
Stefan turned his attention to her. "None that I talk to." He answered cryptically. "I live with my uncle."
"That's so crazy!" Caroline gasped dramatically, looking at Willow. "Because Willow lives with me and my mom, who's her aunt."
Willow gave Caroline a stern look, "Caroline..." Willow bit out. She didn't want to get into her tragic backstory tonight. Willow lowered her head down, allowing her hair to become a curtain.
Caroline's eyes darted between Willow, Elena and Stefan. She began to look sheepish, feeling bad that she had blabbed about Willow. The blonde quickly attempted to change the subject. "So, Stefan, if you're new here then you don't know about the party tomorrow."
Bonnie quickly joined in with changing the subject, "It's this back to school thing at the falls."
Stefan's attention turned to Elena, staring into her eyes intensely. "Are you going?"
"Of course she is." Bonnie answered for Elena, grinning at her best friend. Elena rolled her eyes at her best friend before giggling.
Stefan's own smile broke out across his face at the sound of her laugh. His gaze turned to Willow and could tell that she was still a bit uncomfortable where the conversation was going a few minutes ago. "What about you, Willow?"
Willow's head shot up and she raised her eyebrows. "Huh?"
Stefan chuckled, along with Bonnie, Caroline and Elena. "Are you going to the party tomorrow?"
"Yes she is!" Caroline insisted for her cousin. She gave Willow a mock glare, "Even if I have to drag you."
"I never said I wasn't going, Caroline." She rolled her eyes at her cousin's dramatic behaviour. Her hazel-brown eyes drifted back to Stefan. "Yeah, I'll be there."
Stefan nodded, appearing pleased with her answer as he looked between both Elena and Willow.
Willow was sure that she was close to falling asleep as Mr. Tanner droned on about the Battle of Willow Creek. He had been asking a couple of students questions to see if they had been paying attention. Matt and Bonnie had both made the class laugh with their responses but the lesson quickly took a bad turn when Mr. Tanner targeted Elena.
"Elena?" He addressed her. "Surely you can enlighten us on one of the town's most significant historical events."
Elena shrugged her shoulders, "I'm sorry, I don't know."
Mr. Tanner seemed to glare at the teenager. "I was willing to be lenient last year for obvious reasons, Elena. But the personal excuses ended with summer break."
Willow's mouth fell open in utter shock at the history teacher's words. She could feel the pure rage building up in her and the need to defend Elena. Who the hell did he think he was? Willow gripped her desk tightly, readying herself to give him a piece of her mind and willing to suffer the consequences.
"There were 346 casualties, unless you're counting local civilians." Stefan interrupted Willow's rage. She glanced behind her to where Stefan was sitting.
Mr. Tanner narrowed his eyes as he looked to Stefan. "That's correct, Mr...?"
"Salvatore."
The history teacher nodded his head. "Salvatore. Any relation to the original settlers here in Mystic Falls?"
Stefan seemed to hesitate for a moment before replying, "Distant."
"Well, very good." The teacher made his way back around his desk. "Except, of course, there were no civilian casualties in this battle." He seemed smug as he correct Stefan. Willow scoffed quietly and leaned back into her. She did not understand why this man even bothered to be a teacher.
"Actually there were twenty-seven, sir." Stefan corrected. "Confederate soldiers fired on a church, believing it to be housing weapons. And they were wrong. It was a night of great loss." Mr. Tanner actually looked shamed with the way he ducked his head. Willow raised her eyebrows in surprise but it appeared that Stefan was not done with the teacher yet. "The founder's archives are in Civil Hall if you'd like to brush up on your facts, Mr. Tanner."
The entire class snickered and gasped in shock and awe at Stefan putting Mr. Tanner in his place. Willow let out a laugh and turned around to face him. She shook her head at him in disbelief, "That was amazing!"
Stefan bit his lip trying to hide a grin just the bell rang signalling the end of the lesson and the school day. "Yeah, well, like I said yesterday; I'm good at history."
"More than good." Willow smirked. She glanced to Elena who was gathering her school things into her bag with Bonnie waiting beside her desk. Willow turned her attention back to Stefan. She smiled sweetly at him, "It was nice what you did."
Elena and Bonnie had both now left the classroom, leaving Willow, Stefan and a few stragglers in the class room. Willow began shoving her books into her bag.
"What do you mean?" Stefan questioned almost innocently.
Willow scoffed as she stood up. "You jumping to Elena's rescue." Stefan raised an eyebrow at her. Willow held her hands up, "Hey, if it wasn't you it was gonna be me." The two began making their way out of the classroom. Willow gave Mr. Tanner a hard glare as she walked passed his desk to the door. She leaned towards Stefan and whispered. "He's an ass."
Stefan chuckled, holding the door for Willow. "No kidding. And I could pretty much see the smoke coming out of your ears so I figured I'd better jump in before you said something that got you expelled."
"Yeah, so technically you saved us both." Willow pointed at him with a grin.
Stefan kept his dark green eyes on her, smiling lightly back at her. His gaze was intense and Willow was about to say something but he just nodded at her. "You're welcome."
The two headed down the corridor towards Willow's locker. "Seriously, I'm glad you stepped in." Willow said as she unlocked her locker. "Elena's been through a lot, it was wrong of Tanner to say that." She shoved books into her locker with a bit more force than necessary.
Stefan leaned against the locker beside hers, watching her. "You care about her."
Willow sighed and closed her locker. She nodded her head slowly, "She and I kind of..." She hesitated, not sure if it were her place to say anything. "we both kind of went through something last summer." She shrugged her shoulders, crossing her arms over chest. The memories of the night of the accident flashing through her eyes. She cleared her throat and began walking down the corridor to the exit, Stefan following her, listening to her every word. "And I dunno, I just wanna be there for her, you know?"
Stefan kept his eyes on her as they both left the school. He watched her with a look of understanding and affection. "You're a good friend, Willow."
Willow gave him a tender smile, her eyes meeting his own. He had such intense eyes that she almost always found herself getting lost in them. She could understand why the majority of the people in the school had a crush on him. Willow cleared her throat and elbowed him in the arm lightly as they walked passed students saying goodbye to their friends, "You going to the party tonight?"
"I'm sure you and your friends asked me that last night."
Willow rolled her eyes and stopped near bench. "Yeah and you never answered." She spotted her cousin over Stefan's shoulder, leaning against Willow's car. "I'm going because I'll never hear the end of it from Caroline."
Stefan shouldered his bag and glanced behind him, also noticing Caroline waiting beside Willow's car. "Yeah, she's... intense."
"She means well." She pulled her phone out of her jean pocket. "Look, give me your number and text me when you're there."
Stefan blinked, seeming surprised that the girl had asked him for his phone number. Eventually told her his number when she raised her eyebrows at him when he hadn't said anything. She quickly entered his number into her phone and then sent him text so that he had her number too.
"There." Willow beamed at him. "So text me when you're at the falls and I'll come meet you." Willow looked over Stefan's shoulder to see Caroline glaring in their direction in what Willow assumed was impatience. "I better get going before Caroline has an aneurism." She waved at him and gave him a warm smile, "See you later, Stefan."
He held his phone up that had just pinged with her text. "Definitely."
Willow made her way over to Caroline and her car, unlocking it. "Hey, Care." Willow greeted happily.
Caroline still had a look of thunder on her face as she ignored her cousin and got into the passenger seat. Willow frowned at Caroline's blatant blanking of her and the scowl she was giving her. Willow shook her head and got into the car, eyeing Caroline warily. "What's up with you?"
For a few seconds Caroline said nothing, just glared out the window with her arms still crossed over her chest. Willow decided to start driving and wait to see if her cousin would start telling her what was bothering her. Eventually, Caroline cracked. "I can't believe you!" Caroline burst out suddenly.
"What?" Willow wondered, genuinely confused. "What did I do?"
Caroline scoffed, "Oh please! Do not act like you weren't hitting on him!" She pointed an accusing finger at Willow. "I saw you exchange numbers!"
Willow let out a breath in disbelief, shocked by Caroline's accusation. "I wasn't "hitting" on him, Caroline! We were talking about the bonfire tonight!" She shook her head in anger. "And I'm allowed to give my number to someone."
"Yeah, well that's what it looked like from where I was standing!"
Willow gnashed her teeth together, wanting to desperately bite back to Caroline but kept her mouth shut while she was driving. The tension was high and the silence dragged on through the entire journey back home. When Willow pulled up outside of their house Willow immediately turned to Caroline with deep scowl on her face. "Caroline, I love you and but I am not one of the cheerleaders who's intimidated by you. So I'm not gonna stand by while you accuse me of getting with a guy you like. I was just trying to be a friend to someone who's new here. Maybe you should try it some time." And with that Willow tossed her car keys to her cousin and got out of the car. "Lock it up when you're done wallowing." She slammed the car door closed and stormed off inside the house, stomping up the stairs.
Willow shoved the door closed to her bedroom as she rushed inside. She felt furious at Caroline's words. She knew of her cousin's insecurities and always tried to reassure her. But Caroline had never started on her over a boy. Willow shook her head and aggressively looked through her closet for something to wear to the bonfire, tempted to not go just to spite Caroline.
Willow was in half her mind to take all of the hot water from the shower after her argument with Caroline. Ultimately she decided against it and only spent ten minutes in the shower. When she left the bathroom she ran into Caroline and she could see that her cousin was about to try and speak but Willow had practically shoved passed the blonde and almost ran back to her room.
She dried her hair quickly, then straightened it in and added a small amount of make up on her face. Once that was done she dressed herself in a pair of black skinny jeans, a leopard print blouse and her faux suede lace up boots. After she was dressed she grabbed her leather jacket and phone and then left her bedroom.
She knew that she would have to face the music with Caroline, especially if they were suppose to be going to this party. Willow didn't like to fight with her cousin; she was her best friend and only ever wanted what was best for her.
Willow could hear the laugh track of 'Friends' as she made it down stairs and into the living room. She spotted Caroline sitting on the couch watching the episode where Phoebe tries to teach Joey to speak French.
"You ready?" Willow asked, making Caroline jump.
The blonde stood up quickly, stepping around the couch to be in front of her cousin. "Yep." She fiddled with her fingers for a minute and then loudly apologised, "I'm sorry!" Caroline's head fell into her hands. "I'm sorry, I'm awful and insecure and a bad best friend!"
Willow was silent as Caroline continued to profusely apologise. She allowed the blonde to carry on grovelling for a few seconds more and then interrupted her. "Okay, okay, I get it."
Caroline raised her head from her hands, the anguish clear in her eyes. "I really am sorry. I don't know why I said the things that I said."
Willow stepped towards Caroline, placing her hands on her shoulders. "You don't need to compete with me, Caroline. You know that I wouldn't let a boy get in between us."
"Me neither! And I don't know why I did."
Willow smiled, "All is forgiven, don't worry."
Caroline's face lit up, "Really?"
"Really."
Caroline grinned so wide that Willow was worried it would break her face. The blonde then launched herself at Willow, wrapping her arms tightly around her. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
Willow patted her on the back a few times, laughing at her affection. The two then leaned away from one another and it slowly grew quiet between them. Willow sighed and then asked, "Seriously though, what was that about in the car?"
"I just really like Stefan!" Caroline pouted. "I really want him to notice me and he just seems to have his eyes on Elena or..." She trailed off, her eyes falling onto Willow. "And I know that you two are friends but..."
Willow nodded her head. Caroline was always competitive when it came to Elena. It was just a friendly rivalry but Willow knew that sometimes it really got to Caroline how Elena appeared to be most peoples' first choice. "Caroline, if you're interested in him then go get him. You're beautiful and amazing and he'd be lucky to be with someone like you." Caroline blushed at her cousin's words. Willow nudged her shoulder, "Maybe you should talk to him later."
"You really think so?" Caroline asked uncertainly.
"Whatever he says at least you'll know then."
Caroline let out a breath and nodded her head. She then steeled herself and smirked at Willow, "You're right. If I don't put myself out there then I'll never know."
Willow winked at her, "Exactly. Now are we heading to this party or what?"
Caroline grinned happily, linking her arm with Willow's. The two then made their way out of the house and onward towards the falls.
The falls were already packed full of teenagers when Willow and Caroline arrived. Alcohol was already being handed out and people were drinking through the beers as quickly as they were handed them. Willow and Caroline both quickly found Elena and Bonnie once they arrived.
"Hey, you two." Willow greeted the girls.
"Hey," Bonnie returned. "You both look great."
Caroline placed her hands on her hips, smirking, "I should hope so."
Willow rolled her eyes and laughed, "What Caroline meant to say is that you two look great too."
Elena giggled, "Thank you, 'Caroline'."
"Let's go get drinks!" Caroline demanded, grabbing the nearest girl's hand which was Bonnie's, and dragging her with alongside her. Elena and Willow slowly trailed behind the other two.
"I went to the cemetery yesterday." Elena told her once she was sure Bonnie and Caroline were far enough away.
Willow blinked and raised her eyebrows, coming to a stop. "Really? I thought about going but then..." Willow shook her head and looked away, towards the bonfire.
"I just wanted to tell them about my first day back at school and to write in my diary."
Willow gave Elena a tender smile, "That's nice." She sucked in a deep breath. "I can't bring myself to visit her most days." Realising how bad that sounded, she quickly made to recover. "That's awful I know-"
"No it's not, Willow." Elena interrupted. She gently took Willow's hand, squeezing her fingers in comfort. "You're grieving in your own way. Sometimes I can't bear thinking about them let alone visiting their graves. If you want I could go with you, just for moral support."
Willow felt her heart fill with affection from Elena, grateful for her kindness. "Thank you." She told her genuinely. "And if you ever want someone with you when you visit, or just to talk, about anything I'm here."
Elena leaned into the other girl just as Bonnie and Caroline returned with drinks. "Drink up, girls!" Caroline cheered, handing Elena and Willow a bottle of beer each.
"This is not gonna end well." Bonnie told the three girls.
The four of them laughed and went about chatting and drinking. Willow felt kind of glad that Elena and Bonnie had kind of welcomed her into their friendship group. While she had always been best friends with Caroline she had never become very close to either Elena or Bonnie. She had no problem with either of them and would often sit and chat with them, she just simply never became anything more than an acquaintance to the two of them. Willow was grateful though for her new found closeness to Elena and hoped to build on her friendship with Bonnie.
At some point Caroline had disappeared off to get another drink and Elena and Bonnie had spotted Jeremy so Elena said she needed to speak with him quick. This left Willow alone near the bonfire. She took a swig of the beer that she had been deliberately drinking slowly and glanced around for anyone she might know. As she looked around at the hoards of drunk teenagers her phone went off signalling a text message.
She pulled it out of her jean pocket and saw a message from Stefan. She tried to hide back the grin on her face as she opened the message.
Stefan: I'm here
Willow looked around, trying to find him. She quickly typed back a message.
Willow: By the bonfire. Where are you?
Just as she went to turn around to search for him someone turned up on her right side. Stefan smiled as he walked up to her and waved, "Hey."
"Hey!" Willow grinned. "You made it."
Stefan returned her smile. "I made it."
"You want a drink?" Willow asked, already making her way over to the cooler to get one, Stefan following behind her.
He took the bottle as she offered it to him. "Thanks." With ease he popped the cap off.
Willow raised her eyebrows in mild surprise. "Wow, brains and brawn. What more could a girl ask for?" She teased with a wink.
Stefan shrugged and casually took a sip from his beer, not disagreeing with her. "You're not wrong." He returned her own joking wink.
Willow chuckled and the two made their way back to their original spot in front of the bonfire. "Cocky much?"
Stefan held a hand up, "Hey, I was just agreeing with you."
Willow laughed again and brushed some of her hair behind her hair, she ducked her head. It was strange how comfortable she felt around Stefan despite the fact that he was new to the town. He easily managed to make her laugh and get her to forget about her guilt and anxiety for a little while.
"Did you find this place easy enough?" She asked after taking a sip of her beer.
Stefan nodded. "I just followed all the drunk teenagers."
Willow glanced around, spotting people attempting to drink from a keg stand. She snorted and nodded her head. "Yeah these parties can get pretty wild." She looked back to Stefan, giving him a friendly smile. "I'm glad that you came though."
"Well, I wasn't going to," Stefan sighed, "but I got this feeling that my uncle wanted me out of the house." He took another gulp of his beer.
"My aunt was the opposite. She didn't me or Caroline to go tonight." She turned her gaze to look into the fire. "I think it was because of that couple that was killed the other day."
It went quiet between the two for a moment and when Willow turned her attention back to Stefan she saw that he was almost glaring into the bonfire. His posture was tense and his face was set into a deep brooding scowl. Willow frowned in question at him, "You okay?"
Stefan blinked a few times and looked away from the bonfire. "Um, yeah, sorry." He cleared his throat and changing the subject. "So how did you end up living with your aunt and cousin?"
It was Willow who seemed to freeze this time. She wasn't sure how to talk about her parents and if she even should. She had only known Stefan for a day and wasn't sure if she could even trust him with something like that. It wasn't a secret that her mother was dead and her father had disappeared but not many people knew the full details surrounding it all.
Stefan could clearly see the change in her behaviour; she no longer looked happy but quite forlorn, maybe even frightened with how wide her eyes were. She was gripping her beer bottle so tightly that her knuckles had turned white.
Stefan placed a hand on her forearm gently. Willow jumped, not expecting him to touch her. She turned away from the fire and met his gaze with her own. He was looking at her with a deep understanding even though he had no idea what had gotten her so down all of a sudden.
"I'm sorry." Stefan apologised softly. "I shouldn't have asked."
Willow immediately shook her head, "No it's okay..." She let out a deep breath, psyching herself up to tell him. She hesitated for a moment and then began quietly, "Um... mom died eight months ago." Her throat seemed to close up on her but she cleared her throat and continued. "She... she killed herself and then my dad ditched after the funeral..."
She ducked her, her fingers picking nervously at the label on the beer bottle. "And I had nowhere else to go so my aunt's was the next best place..." Willow could feel her heartbeat racing in her chest, could hear it in her ears. She knew that her breath was picking up, finding it difficult to get air into her lungs.
Suddenly she felt a hand grasp her own. Willow looked down and watched as Stefan threaded his fingers through her own, rubbing his thumb against her knuckle. Slowly her eyes moved back to Stefan's face, forest green eyes meeting hazel-brown. For the first time since she met Stefan she felt like she had seen him somewhere before just by looking into his eyes. She didn't know how to explain it but she felt like Stefan walking into her life would be one of the best things that ever happened to her.
"Hey!" Caroline beamed, interrupting the moment between the two. Both teenagers released eachother, Willow taking a step back to allow Caroline to talk to Stefan. "You made it."
Stefan glanced at Willow quickly and then back to Caroline. "I did."
"Well, let's get you a drink." Caroline offered, smirking.
Stefan held his beer up, "Willow already got that covered, thanks."
Caroline whipped her head around to Willow, her blonde curls bouncing as she did so. She gave Willow a questioning look and Willow simply shrugged her shoulders and then nodded to Stefan with her eyebrows raised. Caroline smiled back at her cousin and then turned back to Stefan. "Let's get you another one then." Caroline practically purred.
Stefan's eyes darted to Willow, an almost panicked look came over him. Willow gave him a haughty grin and shook her head. "Well, I'm-" Stefan began.
Caroline quickly grabbed Stefan's arm and began to tug him with here. "Oh, c'mon!"
Willow chuckled as her cousin dragged Stefan off. Caroline looked back towards Willow as she led Stefan away and Willow gave her a thumbs up which the blonde quickly returned.
Once the two were out of sight Willow stepped away from the bonfire and began to wander around in search of someone she might know. She eventually spotted Jeremy sitting alone drinking a beer. Jeremy had blown her off yesterday but this time she was determined to get a conversation out of him. Before everything that had happened Willow got along fairly well with Jeremy. But since his parents' death head become distant towards her and it worried her.
With that in mind Willow made her way toward him. He hadn't noticed her as she stepped up to his side. "Hey, Jer." Willow greeted quietly, almost shyly. She was worried of his response to her.
Jeremy huffed when he heard her voice. "You come to check on me like Elena?"
Willow shrugged, "Is that such a bad thing?"
He scoffed, pushing off the log he was sat against. "I don't need this from you too."
Willow rolled her eyes, fed up with his attitude, "I'm not doing anything, Jeremy. I've just come for a talk, about anything."
Jeremy was about to reply with a scathing remark but was stopped when he saw Tyler leading Vicki into the woods. Willow frowned and followed his line of sight. She sighed and looked away. It stung to know that he was spending so much time with Vicki but then she had ended the relationship. Plus, Tyler did tell her yesterday that he would drop Vicki if Willow ever said she wanted to get back with him. But that information only made her feel worse, for Vicki and now Jeremy who clearly had feelings for the girl.
Before Willow could show to Jeremy that she understood his pain when it came to Vicki the teenager stormed off in the same direction that Tyler and Vicki went. Willow sat herself down on the log that Jeremy had occupied. She did not want to get involved in any fight that was bound to happen between Jeremy and Tyler.
Willow placed her head in her hands and looked around at all the drunk teenagers and feeling out of place. She was not even remotely drunk being that she had only had one beer. While she was glancing around she spotted Stefan being intercepted by Caroline again. Willow could only see Caroline's face and her cousin was smiling, grinning drunkenly to begin with. But slowly Caroline's grin fell away to one of disappointment.
Willow stood up as Stefan stepped away from Caroline. Willow immediately made her way over to her cousin as she could see the heartbreak on her face. Once Willow reached her she placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "Hey, Care. You okay?"
Caroline sucked in a deep breath. Willow could see tears building in her eyes. Caroline's teary eyes were fixed on Stefan who had made his way to Elena. Willow followed her line of sight. Willow slumped her shoulders, understanding why Caroline was so upset.
"It's always her. Always." Caroline sniffled.
"Oh, Care." Willow quickly wrapped her arms around Caroline's shoulders, pulling her into a hug. Caroline returned the embrace, clinging to her tightly and crying into her shoulder.
Willow allowed her cousin to cling to her as long as she needed, but decided that it was time for the two of them to go home. Just as she was about to suggest to Caroline that they start making their way home screaming came from the woods.
Caroline wiped her eyes and lifted her head off of Willow's shoulder, "What's going on?"
Both girls made their way over to where the commotion was coming from and were both horrified to see Jeremy carrying an unconscious Vicki with an open wound on her neck that was bleeding profusely. Willow held onto Caroline tightly as Matt shouted for someone to call for an ambulance and Elena attempted to stop the bleeding coming from Vicki's neck wound.
It wasn't long before police, animal control and an ambulance turned up. The paramedics got to work on ensuring that Vicki would be okay as they loaded her into the of an ambulance, Matt immediately getting in along with her. The police asked various questions of the students sober enough to give a decent answer. Willow wanted to avoid Aunt Liz, especially with Caroline drunk, but it looked like it was inevitable that she would find the two teenagers.
"Oh, my God!" Liz exclaimed once she spotted her daughter and niece. Caroline was clearly the drunk one as she was leaning against Willow She rushed up to the teenagers and demanded, "Are you both okay?"
Willow nodded, "We're fine."
Liz closed her eyes in relief. She then eyed Caroline up and down critically. "Is she drunk?"
"I'm standing right here, by the way." Caroline slurred, leaning further into Willow.
"I take that as a yes." Liz sighed and placed her hands on her hips.
Suddenly Bonnie joined them at their side, "I'll make sure they both get home safe, Sheriff. I'm not drunk."
Liz looked relieved and nodded her head at Bonnie. "Thank you, Bonnie." She focused again on Willow. "Call me when you're home."
Willow nodded her head immediately. Liz sighed again and then made her way back over to the other police officers. "Thanks, Bonnie. We appreciate it." Willow told Bonnie sincerely.
"Anytime." She gestured behind them. "I was thinking we go to the Grill first, try and sober up a bit. My dad will kill me if I come home even remotely drunk."
"Sure. Maybe we'll get some news too." Willow agreed. With Bonnie's help Willow managed to get Caroline walking and with a few other students they got a lift to the Mystic Grill.
The three were sat at a table, drinking coffee in an attempt to sober up. Bonnie sighed and looked to Caroline. "Are you sober yet?"
Caroline lifted her head that was slumped in her hands and mumbled, "Nope."
"Keep drinking." Bonnie insisted. "I gotta get you home. I gotta get me home."
Willow pushed Caroline's coffee closer to her and encouraged her. "C'mon, Care. I'm tired and so done with this night."
Caroline seemed to ignore both girls. "Why didn't he go for me?" She questioned. Willow sighed and understood that she was talking about Stefan rejecting her. "How come the guys that I want never want me?"
Bonnie shook her head quickly, "I'm not touching that."
Willow frowned at Bonnie but allowed Caroline to continue to vent. "I'm inappropriate. I always say the wrong thing." Caroline shook her head slowly, staring down at the table as she went on. "And Elena always says the right thing." Bonnie let out a breath and glanced at Willow but found that she was listening to the blonde intently, a look of understanding and sympathy written all over her face. "Ugh! She doesn't even try!" Caroline almost exclaimed. "And he just picks her. And she's always the one that everyone picks for everything!" She was now gesticulating wildly with her hands as she continued with her rant. She pointed to her chest, her attention now fully on Willow once she realised that her cousin was fully listening to her. "And I try so hard and I'm never the one..."
Willow's heart broke at hearing her say that. She reached over and placed her hand over Caroline's. Caroline sniffled and gripped her hand tighter. Willow understood Caroline's pain and she felt awful that Caroline had such a low view on herself.
Bonnie offered her a small smile, seemingly used to this constant comparison between Caroline and Elena but now had no time for it. "It's not a competition, Caroline."
Caroline raised her head, turning away from Willow and stared at Bonnie for a few seconds. Eventually she stated quietly, "Yeah, it is."
While Willow did feel for Caroline she did not like that her cousin was constantly butting horns with Elena. Willow liked both Caroline and Elena and cared for them both deeply so it hurt Willow that Caroline was so antagonistic towards Elena.
Bonnie only shook her head and got up to pay for the coffees even though Willow had offered to pay for herself and Caroline. Bonnie smiled and insisted that it was fine and went off to the bar to pay for the drinks.
Willow leaned back in her chair, glad that the conversation with Caroline was over with. She grabbed her phone from her pocket and opened her messages. Willow had not seen Stefan when Vicki was taken to the hospital so she assumed that he left before hand. Willow glanced at Caroline, hoping she didn't see her texting the boy who had rejected her.
Willow: Hope you're ok after tonight
Willow didn't expect a response from him but her phone buzzed with a new message.
Stefan: I'm ok thank you. Are you? Are you home safe?
Willow smiled lightly at his concern and typed up a quick reply.
Willow: About to go home now. Crazy what happened to Vicki
Stefan: Definitely. Hope Vicki is ok. Text me when you're home?
Willow: I will
Willow blushed at his concern for her. She had her phone back into her jacket pocket and tried to hide her reaction to Stefan's messages from Caroline, not wanting to upset her further.
"Oh, my God..." Caroline whispered.
Willow frowned and looked up at Caroline. Her cousin was staring intently ahead. Willow followed where she was looking and saw a man sitting a few tables from them. He had dark hair and bright blue eyes. He had a broad smirk on his face and he was gazing back at Caroline. Willow swallowed, getting a bad feeling from the way the guy was looking at her cousin.
Bonnie arrived back at their table, gesturing for the three of them to get up. "Let's go. I'm exhausted."
Willow nodded, following the girl. She nudged for Caroline to follow. "C'mon." Willow practically dragged the blonde away. Just as she was about to exit the restaurant she looked back behind her at the man that appeared interested in Caroline. He was still seated at his table but this time his eyes were on her. His smirk seemed to grow as he eyed her.
The man winked at her and Willow scowled, getting a bad feeling from him. Willow darted out of the restaurant in an instant, knowing that she would have nightmares about bloody necks all throughout the night.