As the sun shone through the window panes, warming my bare skin, I rubbed my eyes and checked the clock, pausing for a second so my vision could focus. Oof… I overslept.

Groaning, I scrambled out of bed, almost tripping as I ran into the bathroom, splashing water on my face and hurriedly brushing my teeth. I threw on my usual black skinny jeans, a navy blue tank top and some black high-top chucks. Glancing in the mirror, I messily brushed my fingers through my disheveled hair and grabbed my things before pulling open my bedroom door.

To my surprise, Elena and Aunt Jenna were talking in the hallway. Attempting to play it off like I hadn't just woken up, I leaned my shoulder against the door frame as I observed the two. Elena was glowing, sporting her usual maroon long sleeve shirt with a light blue shade of mom jeans. Jenna looked all business, dressed up in a dark blazer and straight legged pants, and she kept switching between holding her hair up in a ponytail, to then letting it down so it draped down her shoulders, waiting to hear Elena's thoughts.

Elena reacted in real time to the different looks, commenting, "Sexy stewardess… Boozy housewife."

Jenna scoffed, "Up it is! You're feisty today."

"I feel good, which is rare. So I've decided to go with it. Fly free, walk on sunshine, and all that stuff."

Beaming, it was clear Elena was in a great mood, which was great to see. She leaned over, peering into Jeremy's room before asking, "Where's Jer?"

"He left early. Something about getting to the wood shop to finish a birdhouse."

Elena and I both raised our brows as Jenna shifted her eyes side to side between the two of us, "...There is no wood shop, is there?"

We laughed, "No. Not at all."

Sucking in a breath through her teeth, she shook her head, embarrassed that she was fooled, "Right. Of course not."

–

The last class of the day dragged on longer than usual. Mr. Tanner preached on and on, while Elena and Stefan continued to steal glances at one another. Their chemistry had definitely turned up a notch since the last time I saw them together - it seemed to be a safe assumption that the conversation last night had gone well.

The bell rang and Stefan stood up, as Elena immediately joined his side. Not wanting to be a third wheel, I jogged ahead and caught sight of Bonnie and Caroline mid-conversation. As I got closer, Bonnie flashed me a smile and I looped my arm through hers and listened as their conversation continued.

"Technically, Grams says I'm a witch. She kept saying my ancestors were these really cool Salem witch chicks or something. Grams tried to explain it all, but she was looped on liquor so I kinda tuned out. Crazy family, yes. Witches? I don't think so."

Despite the fact that it seemed apparent that Bonnie wanted to write off her "witch heritage", part of me wanted to believe her. What she saw when she touched Elena was pretty spot on to the story Elena had told me last night, but I guess it could have been a coincidence? My dad and I used to talk about witches and vampires, but I had assumed the stories were folklore or campfire stories. It would be pretty fascinating if there was any hint of truth to it all, but then again… evil creatures wandering in the night sounded like a nightmare.

Caroline, taking things very seriously, added, "Yeah, well feel free to conjure up the name and number of that guy from last night."

Bonnie smiled and nudged her with her elbow, "I didn't see him, you did! Why didn't you just talk to him?"

Caroline pouted, "I don't know. I was drunk."

Grinning, I chimed in, "When has that ever stopped Caroline Forbes? No man stands a chance against liquid courage Caroline. Now… where are we going?"

Smiling with pride, she looped her hand through Bonnie's other arm, "Yeah, you're right. Next time I'm going to walk right up to him and say something. And as for our plans, we're going to the Grill! Text Elena to meet us there."

–

The four of us had taken a seat at an open patio table outside of the Mystic Grill. While they discussed the upcoming Night of the Comet Celebration, I zoned out, feeling the lazy afternoon air seduce me.

Taking a sip from my tea, I stretched as I leaned back into the iron chair, feeling the warmth of the sun-kissed metal on my back. The conversation now fading into the background, I took a deep breath, appreciating the beautiful day. I could smell the fresh breeze blowing through the crisp autumn air, allowing me to take in all the scents of the nearby maple trees and lavender flowers planted across the street at the town park.

Miscellaneous sounds of life flowed around me as I heard the bark of a man's energetic Jack Russell Terrier, then the tantrums of a young girl as she pulled her mother's hand, begging for candy.

My eyes continued to wander around until they landed on… Tyler Lockwood. His eyes met mine, as I felt an immediate knot of discomfort form in my stomach. He paused for a brief moment, as if unsure if he should acknowledge me or not. To put an end to his struggle, I forced a smile and subtly waved. Nodding back curtly, his eyes immediately fell to the ground before he continued into the restaurant bar. I had refused to speak to him after the night we had broken up, and he hadn't taken it well.

It had been impossible to see him, or even look at him after that night, the same night of the accident. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't help but project my anger and frustration onto him, to blame him for being the reason I hadn't attended that party months ago with Elena. Every time I saw his face, my mind would spiral back to our last conversation where he had ended things crudely, then think about what could've happened if he just, hadn't. If he hadn't broken up with me, then I WOULD have gone to that party, and I would've been the one to take Elena home, and then my parents would still be alive. The what if's drove me crazy, and in the raw aftermath of the accident, I fully took advantage of the fact that it was easiest to just pin everything on him.

But looking back, I now realized how unfair that was. Regardless of how things had ended, it wasn't his fault that I had chosen to selfishly focus on that being the reason, instead of coming to terms with the more painful truth that it was no one's fault - life was truly that cruel and unjust sometimes. Seeing him was an agonizing reminder of not just the breakup and accident, but my own shortcomings in how I had refused to accept the harsh reality and instead, boxed Tyler into being my own mental scapegoat for it all.

And despite our last conversation, despite no longer having romantic feelings for him, I still cared about him deeply. While Elena had ended up being right, and I should have ended the relationship long before he had, I knew he wasn't always a bad guy - there were several precious moments where I got to see a much softer side to Tyler, the moments that made me fall in love with him. Behind that rough and impulsive exterior, he had a genuine heart. It didn't justify how cruel he was, but I liked to think those rare glimpses I saw spoke to a much deeper, sincere part of him. For his sake I hoped he would mature out of this asshole, angsty phase sooner rather than later, and for my sake… I hoped I'd learned my lesson to stop trying to believe in men that didn't want to change.

Realizing I had been lost in my own thoughts for too long, I snapped awake, deciding to pay attention to the conversation again. Glancing at their faces, I realized they had been too busy discussing their plans for the night of the comet that they hadn't even noticed my brief interaction with Tyler.

Bonnie continued on, "Well, I was talking to Grams, and she said the comet is a sign of impending doom. The last time it passed over Mystic Falls, there was lots of death. Apparently there was so much blood and carnage, it created a bed of paranormal activity."

Intrigued, I asked, "Sounds real grim Bonnie, but what do you mean by paranormal activity?"

Before she could answer, Caroline cut her off, "Yea yea, and then you poured Grams another shot and she told you about the aliens. So then what Elena?" She pivoted her chin toward Elena pointedly.

Slightly annoyed by Caroline's rude interruption of Bonnie, Elena answered, "So then nothing."

"You and Stefan talked all night? There was no sloppy first kiss or touchy feely of any kind?"

Shaking her head, Elena responded "Nope. We didn't go there."

Caroline, relentless as always, continued pushing, "Not even a handshake? I mean, Elena, we are your friends. Ok? You're supposed to share the juicy details."

"We just talked for hours."

Caroline huffed as she snapped, "Ok, what is with the blockage? Just jump his bones already! It's easy, okay? Boy likes girl, girl likes boy, sex!"

Rolling her eyes, Elena muttered "Real profound."

Then, as if what Caroline said got through to her, Elena abruptly pushed her seat back before standing up. Gathering her things, she exclaimed, "You know what? Caroline's right. It is easy. If I sit here long enough, I'll end up talking myself out of it instead of doing what I started the day saying I was going to do."

Caroline, clearly impressed with her work, shot Elena a smug smile. Without another word, Elena confidently walked off.

Giving Caroline a side eye, I poked sarcastically, "Astounding, Caroline."

She gave me a quick glare before responding, "What? Come on. Don't give me that, you know I'm right."

"I'm not saying you're wrong, but I think you're projecting your own desires onto Elena."

Caroline scoffed, flicking her hand in my direction, "Come on, don't be boring! Not all of us are 'one with nature' and swearing off men, Rae."

Laughing, I conceded, "Yeah, yeah. Now let's discuss what you need from us for the celebration tomorrow night, we all know you've already assigned roles."

Caroline, who had been planning the Night of the Comet for months, pulled out her red planner.

"Of course! I thought you'd never ask."

–

Once I arrived back home, I noticed Elena's car was still gone. Assuming that had to be a good sign, I walked into the kitchen where Jenna seemed to be sulking over a platter of Mexican food. I patted her on the back as I walked past her, leaning against the kitchen island to stand next to her.

"Rough day today, huh?"

"That obvious?" She groaned out as she sighed.

Grabbing a chip and popping it into my mouth, I nodded. "Anything you want to talk about? Elena's with Stefan and I'm pretty sure Jeremy's been sneaking off to see some girl."

Jenna picked up her quesadilla, taking a moment to frown into her food. "That's just it. I had a talk with Mr. Tanner. Jeremy is failing most of his classes with horrible attendance. I got all this food in hopes he would sit down and talk to me, but he just brushed me off and left."

Motioning for her to wipe a glob of cheese off her cheek, I replied, "It's okay Jenna… with Jeremy, there's definitely a lot to unpack there, but he just needs some time to feel better. Between you and Elena I don't think he has much of a choice… or breathing room."

Jenna's face softened into a smile as she agreed, "You're right. I don't doubt he's hearing it from both ends, I just hope we can get through to him eventually. Enough about me though, how are you doing? I feel like I haven't talked to you in forever. I've been so overwhelmed with my thesis paper I've forgotten to check in with you."

"Well… there's good and bad days, more bad than good. Honestly, if it weren't for Elena, Jeremy and you, I don't know where I'd be." Pausing, I took a deep breath, "But each day gets a little easier. What's worked for me is finding a way to reconnect with mom and dad. The more I retrace our memories, the more connected and grounded I feel in my day-to-day."

Aunt Jenna's eyes moistened as she nodded, "They'd be so proud of you. I know Grayson always was, but I mean it."

Feeling a lump in my throat, I flashed a smile. Getting up, I grabbed my bag and turned to head upstairs, "Hang in there. Mom would be proud of you, too, Jenna."

It was easy to forget that Jenna was going through a lot too. It wasn't just Jeremy, Elena, and I dealing with a great loss… She had lost her sister. Not only that, but she was then thrust into becoming our guardian. Jenna needed us, now more than ever. If only we could get Jeremy to see that so he could stop taking his anger out on her.

–

Wanting to wait for Elena so we could eat dinner together, I took a quick jog, a shower, and settled into bed for a short nap. Twenty minutes later, I woke up with a startle to the sound of the front door closing. Realizing that must have been Elena, I wiped my bleary eyes and headed downstairs to join her and Aunt Jenna in the kitchen.

Eager to hear about how things had gone with Stefan, I asked "So… are you going to keep me waiting or are you going to spill?"

I was surprised to see Elena frowning before she answered "Well… not great. I went over to Stefan's house, only to find out he has a brother named Damon. He never brought him up once, in all of our conversations."

I thought back to our previous conversations, "Well, when you asked the other night at the Grill, he didn't deny having siblings, he just mentioned he didn't talk to any."

Clearly dissatisfied with my response, Elena continued, "Damon told me Stefan's on the rebound from his ex. After that, Stefan walked in and told me to leave, like what the hell! I went all the way over there just to hear that? It was so obvious that they have raging family issues. You should have seen the tension between the two, it was so unnerving."

Jenna responded, "Well, at least it's an ex-girlfriend. Wait till you date a guy with cheating issues or mommy issues. Or amphetamine issues."

Elena shrugged, clearly still thinking about her encounter, before our conversation was suddenly interrupted by someone slamming the front door.

Jenna rushed out of the kitchen, yelling out, "Jeremy? Jeremy, where were you this late?"

Peering down from the top of the staircase, he responded, obviously under the influence, "Look Jenna, I get it, you want to talk but… yea… I'm good… yea I'm good."

"Oh no, no, no!" Jenna shouted as she chucked the dish towel she had been holding at him.

"Ow! Why? Why… why did you do that?"

"Listen up! Quit ditching class or you're grounded. No discussion."

Jeremy smiled lazily before responding, "Parental authority… right. Sleep tight."

He continued up the stairs and we heard his bedroom door slam shut. Jenna let out a sigh of exasperation, shaking her head before she ascended the staircase. We heard her bedroom door close and awkwardly looked at one another.

Elena asked, "So... what was up with that?"

"Eh, Jenna found out from Mr. Tanner that Jeremy isn't doing well in school and cutting classes. I think she feels a lot of pressure to make things right. Speaking of Jer, that reminds me, do you know how Vicki's doing?"

Elena took a final bite out of her taco before replying, "Ooof. I guess I missed a lot. Matt said she's recovering, getting lots of rest. Oh yeah, apparently he asked her what animal attacked her and she said vampire? What kind of weird comment is that? Must be the painkillers she's taking. Anyway, I'm going to go to bed early, I'm not feeling great."

Nodding sympathetically, I responded, "Goodnight El, I'm here if you need to talk. Don't let Stefan's brother taint your view too much. There's clearly something going on between the two and the one you know hasn't given you a reason to distrust him… yet."

Forcing a smile, Elena turned to head upstairs. Now alone in the kitchen, I slowly began to collect the paper plates, emptying the leftovers into the trashbin.

A vampire? First witches, and now vampires? There was no way, Dad would have told me if all of that was real… right? Why would he have talked about these things, but not emphasized the reality of it? Am I just going crazy? Frustrated, I shook my head and sighed.

Thinking back to what Elena had talked about earlier, there was no way Damon was right. I hadn't known Stefan long, but I had seen how he looked at her and that was not the look of a guy on the rebound. Was there something I was missing? I mean sure, the guy has some secrets hiding underneath, but there is no way he's using Elena.

Throwing the last plate away, I grabbed a glass of water before heading upstairs. Before exiting the kitchen, my finger rested on the light switch as I gazed at the empty dining table. For a brief moment I could picture my family gathered around for dinner. Dad, sitting at the end, quietly smiling as he watched Elena, Jeremy and I bickering over our food. My mom, bless her heart, always tried her best to quell the chaos that was a traditional Gilbert family meal. Flicking the lights off, I smiled to myself and continued my way upstairs.

–

As promised, the next day Caroline tasked Elena, Bonnie and I to hand out program pamphlets for the night of the comet. I honestly wasn't looking forward to this, but I knew Caroline took her events very seriously. My limited options were to face the wrath of Caroline, or annoy a couple of random people I would hopefully never see again… I chose to take my chances with the latter. We stood at the center of the town park, attempting to get rid of as many fliers as possible.

Bonnie, doing her best to gather the attention of every passerby, flailed her pamphlets in the air "Tonight, night of the comet! Would you like a program? Would you like a program?"

As people ignored her, she sighed and looked at Elena, deciding to take a break. "He didn't call, did he?

"Or text. But I realized we never even exchanged numbers. We've never even gotten to the texting part."

Shocked by her answer, Bonnie replied "How could you guys have not even exchanged numbers?"

"Well, the timing is wrong, anyway." Elena muttered as she shuffled her fliers around in her hands.

"When is it ever right?" Bonnie let out, exasperated.

"I'm not ready, Bonnie."

"When is anyone ever ready?" Bonnie sighed.

I handed a pamphlet to a reluctant resident and interrupted, "Come on Elena. You know that's not how relationships work. You're just throwing out excuses."

Pivoting to face us, Elena sighed, "At least I put myself out there."

Bonnie disagreed, "Is that what you're calling it?"

"What do you mean?" Elena asked indignantly.

Gently putting a hand on Elena's shoulder, she answered "All I'm hearing is reasons why you can't."

Feigning defeat, Elena seemed to concede, "Fine. Next time I see him, I'll talk to him."

It was obvious Elena wasn't telling the truth. She was clearly still very disappointed and the hesitation in her voice was impossible to ignore. I wasn't sure what more we could tell her, but we would fight that battle when we got there. Deciding to call it quits, we walked back to the Town Square to grab a bite to eat and wait for the event to start.

–

With the celebration kicking off, the town bustled under the moonlight. Caroline handed out candles, passing them around to the group. I watched Matt hesitate, before approaching to light Elena's, his eyes catching hers in a silent plea. She smiled and politely thanked him, before breaking eye contact and turning to light the candle of the person next to her. Her eyes caught sight of a familiar leather jacket, before moving up to meet eyes with Stefan.

Still upset from the day before, she immediately frowned, brushing past him to walk toward the empty clearing on the grass field. He looked back at me, with questioning eyes. Waving my hand in her direction, I mouthed "Go after her." Nodding, he followed.

The group began dispersing as people searched for friends. Uninterested in the festivities, I decided I'd rather spend my time enjoying some food. Wandering off and making my way over to the Grill, I passed a trash bin, tossing my unlit candle inside. Seconds later I heard a stranger comment, "Well that's not very celebratory of you."

Startled, I turned around only to see the guy I had run into by the cemetery standing a couple of feet behind me. He wore an almost identical outfit to the afternoon we met, this time sporting a black pair of jeans. Remembering how our last interaction left off, I crossed my arms, glaring back at him. His eyes were trailing up and down my frame, as he didn't bother hiding how he was checking me out.

I flashed him a fake pleading look, before retorting, "Promise you won't tell?"

"Promise not to hit me again?" His lips widened, revealing his perfect smile. "I'm kidding, your secret is safe with me."

It was obvious he knew how smooth of a talker he was, and embarrassingly enough, I felt my cheeks redden. Conceding, I smirked, "I suppose I can refrain from hurting you... for now. Anyway, you don't seem to be very interested in the town's traditions, what are you doing wandering the streets alone? Though, that does seem to be a recurring theme with you."

"You caught me! I'm much more of a lone-wolf kind of guy. I'm choosing to spend my night at the bar with my favorite vice, a bottle of bourbon. Though, given the chance, spending some time with you could become a close second."

"A romantic!" I scoffed, though I would be lying if I said I wasn't enjoying this attention. "And a bourbon drinker? Why am I not surprised? If you're heading to the Mystic Grill, I was just heading there. Care to walk me?"

"My pleasure, beautiful," he said, grinning ear to ear as he approached me. "So, what's a girl like you doing alone on a night like this? Seems odd there's not at least one person you'd rather be with."

Following his lead as he caught up with me, I matched my pace with his, "Is this your indirect way of asking if I have a boyfriend? Because no, I'm swearing off men for a while."

"Ouch, what'd we do to you?" he quipped, shrinking the gap between us, "You haven't met a guy like me, I could change your mind."

"Thanks, but no thanks. To be honest, I prefer the quiet and I have my reasons. I'd rather spend some time focusing on myself. Things have been a bit hectic lately and dating isn't really my priority."

Stopping outside the door of the Grill, he turned and faced me, looking deep into my eyes, "That's a shame. Care to share?"

Breaking eye contact, I looked down at my hands, spinning the golden ring on my finger. "It's nothing, I'm working on keeping the past where it belongs. Besides… It's dark and complicated… Life hasn't been the easiest lately."

Realizing I wasn't going to share more, he propped the door open, "I'll be here if you change your mind… I understand the dark sides of life more than you know."

A dullness consumed the brightness that once shined in his blue eyes, each word carrying an unusual heaviness. A moment later his eyes glistened, leaving no trace of the sorrow that just riddled his features, and he gently placed a hand on my lower back, guiding me through the doors. For a brief moment, I was close enough to smell a hint of his cologne. A touch of sandalwood and bold spices flooded my senses, as I felt tingles trail down my back. Despite my growing fascination towards the beautifully mysterious man that stood in front of me, I reached my hand out to say goodbye.

Amused by my choice of farewell, he grinned, "So all I get is a handshake? At what point do I get your name?"

"We'll leave that up to chance, maybe next time you'll get lucky." I said coyly, shaking his hand. "And don't forget, I said I wanted quiet and something tells me you're no good for that."

He held onto my hand without letting go, his icy blue irises boring into mine intensely as he stated firmly, "Where's the fun in that? I insist you come with me instead."

And there it was, that cocky persona I sensed the first time I met him. Standing my ground I rejected his request with a smirk, "Sorry to let you down, but it'll take a lot more than one conversation to score a night with me."

Surprised by my deflection, he furrowed his brow and reluctantly withdrew his hand. After a moment he regained his composure and winked "Well, I'll be looking forward to the next time we cross paths then. Something tells me this won't be the last time I see you."

Intrigued by his confidence, I observed his features one last time as a subtle grin danced at the corners of my lips. Finally, I laughed and turned to find a booth. Settling in, I propped my head up on my hands, and began spectating him from afar as he took a seat at the bar. Something about him was amusing, that was for sure. He carried such confidence while being incredibly bold, but what was most enticing was the aura of mystery that surrounded him. I could feel my curiosity clashing head to head with my past experiences with men like him... men like Tyler. That cocky arrogance that exuded from him had red flags written all over it and I had promised myself I wouldn't give a guy like that a chance again. Putting my head down on the table and getting comfortable, I zoned out, enjoying the rare bit of quiet I finally had.

–

I had ended up dozing off, before I was jarred awake by the sound of Tyler and Jeremy arguing. Sitting up straight, I leaned my forehead into my hand and thought, "Well the peace was nice while it lasted."

Looking around, I noticed everyone had made it to the Grill, including Elena, Bonnie, and Caroline, who were watching with concerned expressions as the confrontation continued. As I paid more attention, it seemed they were arguing over Vicki - it sounded like she had been discharged from the hospital, and was supposed to be working her shift at the Grill but had never showed up. I immediately felt uneasy to hear that - despite my history with Vicki, the last thing I wanted was for her to get hurt again.

"She probably found somebody else to party with. Sorry, pill pusher, I guess you've been replaced." Tyler sneered as he stared at Jeremy with contempt.

Pill pusher? I immediately stepped out of the booth and walked over to the group. I knew that if I had heard it, Elena had too, and that meant Jeremy was about to receive another earful.

Right on cue, Elena interrupted, "What do you mean by pill pusher, Ty?"

"Ask him." Tyler motioned to Jeremy with a smug smile on his face.

Jeremy's eyes flashed with anger as he threatened, "You really wanna do this right now?"

Elena squeezed herself between them and placed her hand on Jeremy's chest, her eyes full of disappointment, "Are you dealing, Jer?"

Tyler, sensing Jeremy getting cornered, spat out, "You know Vicki's never gonna go for you!"

Jeremy let out a dark chuckle over Elena's shoulder as he retorted, "She already did. Over and over and over again."

"Yeah right." Tyler scoffed.

Flabbergasted by the ridiculous scene unfolding before me, I pulled Elena from between the two. My life was almost comical at this point - who would have guessed that four months after our break up, Tyler and Jeremy would be here fighting over the same girl.

Caroline, always good with her timing, decided now was the moment to chime in, "You slept with Vicki Donovan? I mean, Vicki Donovan slept with you?"

Tyler, seemingly still in denial, shook his head, "There's no way. He's lying"

Jeremy had a sardonic grin as he replied, "And I didn't even have to force her into it."

Forced? What was Jeremy insinuating here?

It was clear that Tyler still hadn't fixed his anger issues, and this argument was starting to spiral out of control. I started to feel bad for Matt, who had to listen to his own friends saying horrible things about his sister.

Clearly riled by Jeremy's comment, Matt stepped forward, getting in Tyler's face "What the hell is he talking about, Ty?"

"Nothing, man, just ignore him, he's a punk."

Matt dragged a hand over his face in frustration, letting out a loud sigh as he exclaimed, "You know what, how about all of you just shut up and help me find my sister?

Bonnie grabbed Caroline's arm, looking for an excuse to get away from this awkward altercation, "We'll check the back!"

Knowing we had to deal with our own family drama, Elena and I grabbed Jeremy and dragged him to the side table. Elena shoved him into a chair and immediately began interrogating him, "So that's your game now? Dealing?

"I'm not dealing." Jeremy hissed as he shrugged Elena's hand off of him.

Elena shouted, crossing her arms, "Look I'm sick of the tough love speech, Jer. It's clearly having no impact."

Hitting his breaking point, Jeremy slammed the table before yelling back, "You and Jenna, enough with this shit! I know you see it too, Rae!"

The last thing I wanted was for things to spiral even further tonight. Knowing I needed to neutralize things quickly, I looked at Jeremy and said calmly, "Jer, I know you're frustrated and the nagging doesn't help, but if you're dealing we need to talk about this. Smoking weed is one thing, but if you're doing other drugs that's a different story. Elena and Jenna are just trying to look out for you."

Elena, still clearly irate, added on, "We can stop if you want. Send you to a therapist where you'll be forced to deal with it or to rehab where you'll sit in a group and tell some stranger how you let your life fall apart. Or you could just talk to us."

I felt my heart sink as I watched Jeremy flare with renewed rage as he pushed Elena away to stand up. He snarled before he walked away, "I vote for none of the above."

Looking at Elena, I could see her tough maternal act start to crack at his response. Reaching my arm out to comfort her, she turned and hugged me, burying her face in my chest. Silence enveloped us - there were no words that could make this situation any better.

Elena began sobbing, her shoulders heaving as I rubbed her back. As I sighed, I caught Tyler out of the corner of my eye watching us from across the bar. Glaring at him, I could only shake my head in disappointment. He seemed conflicted, his eyes now looking lost as he stared back. A couple of seconds passed before his shoulders sagged, and he mouthed "I'm sorry".

I shifted Elena as I turned away from him in disgust. He wasn't sorry. This was what he did - his temper would spark, and he would then relish in pushing people's buttons, intentionally hurting them as much as he could. It was disheartening to see he hadn't changed at all. Refusing to give him another ounce of my energy, I focused on the one thing I could control, being there for Elena.

–

The car ride home was quiet. Glancing over at Elena, it was clear she was drowning in her own thoughts as she leaned her head into her palm, gazing out the window.

"Elena, what's up? Are you thinking about Jeremy?"

She let out a soft sigh, her breath fogging the window before responding quietly, "Did I push him too hard? Am I making things worse? I'm just so worried-"

I immediately cut her off, "Stop - I know you're just looking out for him, and honestly, when this is over, I'm sure he'll see that too. But for now, I think you can ease up a bit - he's clearly not handling things well, and I don't think he's in a good headspace to listen to you right now."

Elena let out another breath, before replying, "You're right. I hope he knows how much I care about him. I've just been so much happier lately, you as well, and I think I was trying to force him to snap out of it too. I don't think I realized that just because I'm in a better place, it doesn't mean he is too."

I nodded in pensive thought. "I don't think there's any right way to get over something. Let's just try to be as understanding as we can. We know better than anyone what he's going through right now."

A comfortable silence fell over us until I decided to change the topic.

"So where are you at with Stefan? What happened earlier at the clearing? I saw him follow you."

"Well… he started off by apologizing for last night, and how he talked to me." With how her voice trailed off, it was clear she wasn't sure how she felt about it.

"An apology is always a nice start."

"Yea, but then I asked him why he never told me about his brother, and he basically confirmed what we had thought… that it's complicated. I also asked about the whole ex thing, and he said it happened a long time ago. I don't know Rae, at that moment it was just too much - a complicated brother, a complicated ex too? I'm already going through that myself, I don't think I can handle a guy who's going through the exact same thing."

"So… that's how the conversation ended? Did you even wait to see what he had to say?"

"No but… doesn't it sound like too much? I'm barely getting back into the swing of things and I don't know if I can handle more complications."

I responded matter of factly, "El, I get that the last thing you want right now is to be caught up with a boy only to be disappointed. But I seriously think you should go for it. Ever since you've met him, there's just a spark in you that I think's been gone ever since the accident. I think he's different. I know it's scary, but just be patient. I promise I'll be with you every step of the way."

"Maybe you're right. I know I've been hesitating a lot, but I just don't think I can handle being let down again."

"I know El, I know."

Wrapping herself around my arm, Elena leaned in, her head resting on my shoulder. I leaned my head against hers as we continued home.

–

Nothing felt better than taking a nice, long shower after a rough day. I closed my eyes under the water, letting the soothing heat pour over my body and ease the tension that had built up.

After changing into a comfortable tanktop and joggers, I flicked the lights off and walked over to the window just in time to see the brilliant streak of the comet as it soared through the sky. Resting my hands on the window sill, I continued to watch as it faded into the distance.

Bonnie had been right again… the comet had definitely brought chaos to Mystic Falls. I still had no idea what to do with Jeremy, but I would leave that problem for another day. I let out a deep sigh, feeling the stress of the day dissipate with it. As I moved to shut my window, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye, and I noticed a black bird with beady eyes on a tree nearby. A crow.

I stared back at it, cocking my head to the side before I said aloud, "I'm starting to feel like you're a bad omen."

The bird continued to rest on the same branch, watching me before it suddenly took off into the night, its wings flapping before it disappeared into the darkness. Shaking my head, I decided it was time to call it a night.

Closing my window, I pulled the curtains shut for good measure and climbed into bed, pulling my comforter up to my chin. The shadows from the trees outside danced across the ceiling, calming me before I closed my eyes, ready to surrender to sleep. As I drifted off, I thought to myself, "Please let tomorrow be a normal day…".