Chapter Fourteen
Days have passed since the confrontation with Damon and Elena has not left her room since. She's heard numerous knocks on her door but didn't bother opening it. Her phone had also been ringing nonstop so Elena chucked the battery.
Deciding that enough was enough, Elena got up and grabbed her laptop. After a whole lot of typing, Elena sighed and closed it again.
She had done it. She had bought her ticket to New York, and her flight was in two days.
Elena opens her door to see a bunch of people sitting in the hallway. "What the hell is this?"
Caroline immediately shoots up and tackles Elena in a hug, sobbing her eyes out. "Oh, god, Elena. Oh, god, oh."
Bonnie also stands up, along with her mom, dad, and Jeremy.
"I'm going to kill him. No excuses, no nothing," her father seethes.
"I'm helping," Jeremy adds, looking quite pissed off.
"Me, too," Caroline states, her lips stretched in a thin line.
"Count me in," Bonnie says in a quiet voice.
Elena notices that Alaric and Stefan were still on the floor. She breathes out a long breath and shakes her head.
"Don't bother. For one, he's not worth the effort. And two, I'm not even going to be in town."
Everyone's eyes shoot up to Elena who walks down the stairs and into the kitchen. They all follow her with concerned looks on their faces.
"Elena...what are you talking about?"
"Where are you going?"
"You're planning on leaving?"
Elena slams the glass she got out of the cupboard onto the counter. "Would all of you shut up, please? Look, I need to get out of town. Nothing personal to any of you, but I can't be here. I already bought the ticket and my flight leaves in two days. It's one-way." Elena opens the fridge and gets out the pitcher of water just as everyone starts speaking at the same time. Elena calmly pours herself a glass and sips it while tuning everyone else out.
"Elena, you can't run away from your problems. Heh, I mean, all of us would be willing to kick Damon's ass in your honor," Stefan nervously says.
"I'm not running, Stefan. I was going to go to New York anyways since I got accepted in NYU for pre-med," Elena explains.
"You did?! That's amazing!" Miranda shrieks. "Congratulations, honey!"
"Uh, thanks, Mom. Hey, do you have any things of, umm, vervain? I kind of threw the necklace that had some at Damon's face, so…"
"Oh...yes, of course. I'll go get you some…"
"I remember when Damon first got that necklace engraved. He was so excited to give it to you. I guess it was a symbol of his 'eternal love' for you," Stefan says, looking pretty glum.
"People change. He changed. As much as we all hate to admit it, I can't be with the person he is now. Oh, and by the way, you know the secret he's been keeping from me these past few weeks?"
Everyone nods.
"Well, he's been hanging out with another vampire and started feeding on people. He said I screwed him over, keeping him from his true nature and whatnot. I know I should feel really angry right now for the lies and everything he yelled at me...but I don't feel anything. Heh, how messed up am I?" Elena humorlessly chuckles, tracing the rim of her glass.
"There wasn't any violence, was there?"
"He tried to compel me, so I slapped him across the face."
"Oh my god. I really hope you slapped him hard enough to knock some sense into his clearly diseased vampire brain," Caroline muses.
"He'd really go as far as compulsion?"
Elena shakes her head yes.
"Damn...wow, he sounds very messed up. Do you think this vampire he's hanging out with is trying to make him think this way or something?"
"I wouldn't know. Um, all of you guys don't have to stay with me. I'm not going to have mental breakdown, at least not anytime soon. If I do, I'll be sure to call for a family therapy session," Elena smiles her fake smile. "Once I find my phone better," She mutters.
"We'll be back to see you tomorrow then, 'Lena."
"Actually," Stefan says, "How about Elena comes over to my place and we can all hang out, considering it'll be your last full day in Mystic Falls."
"Your house? Stefan…" Elena starts to shake her head no, but Stefan stops her. "I swear, I'll make sure Damon won't be there. I actually haven't seen him in the past couple days, anyway. Please, Elena? It'll be like a little goodbye party."
Elena sighs and looks around at all of her friends' hopeful faces. She gives in and offers a tiny smile. "Okay, okay. As long as you promise that Damon won't be there, I'll come."
"I promise," Stefan grins.
"Thank god for the one trustful Salvatore," Elena teases and ruffles Stefan's hair. "Your hero hair was looking a little too perfect today. I had to mess it up a little."
—
Elena looks at herself in the mirror, and she had to admit, she looked a little worse for wear. There were dark bags under her eyes, which she covered with a little concealer. Her skin was noticeably paler since she hasn't been outside in a while, and she was looking a little thin. Her hair looked less shiny than usual, and her eyes didn't have their usual brightness to them. Not to mention, she still had the splint on her hand.
Elena tiredly runs her fingers through her hair and looks around her room for sentimental things she wants to bring with her to New York. She grabs a picture of her, Caroline, and Bonnie from her nightstand and put it in her suitcase. Another one with her, Jeremy, Miranda, and Grayson all laying on the grass together. She takes a frame with her and Stefan, and one more with Matt.
Inwardly, Elena wished she had digital versions of all of these pictures, but she didn't. And she needed some reminder of all her friends and family who were still in Mystic Falls, while she was in New York, all by herself.
Now her dresser had bare spots of where they used to sit. There were only a few left, but most of them were of her and Damon, and they're placed flat on the surface so Elena couldn't see the reminders of what they used to have. It would hurt too much.
She throws a bunch of clothing into her suitcase and packs the necessary toiletries, including her favorite shampoo and conditioner. After adding shoes, pajamas, chargers, and her laptop, Elena sat on her suitcase and attempted to zipper it up, which was almost impossible. Once she managed to close it completely, Elena dusts her hands off and looks rather pleased with herself.
Her face falls when she sees a shirt hanging in her closet, one that was once Damon's. It was her favorite shirt of his to sleep in, so she stole it, plain and simple. Elena takes it off of the hanger and examines it in her hands. The familiarity of scent, cinnamon and mahogany, was mixed in with her own green apple and honey. She buries her head in the shirt, breathing it in one last time before she puts it back in her closet. Elena had contemplated throwing it away, but she changed her mind, wanting the last reminder of him in her past.
Elena brushes the tears seeping from her eyes and rolls her suitcase near her bed. She ties her hair up in a bun and goes downstairs to see her parents quietly talking at the kitchen table. They stop when they see Elena and give unconvincing smiles.
"Elena, honey, are you going over to the boarding house?"
"I am," Elena nods, fiddling with her sleeves. "Uh, I finished packing. Heh, I'm raring and ready to go."
Both of her parents give her sad smiles. "We're really proud of you, Elena. You made it into NYU for pre-med, and now you're going to be living on your own. Ugh, you're all grown up," Miranda says, a little tearful.
Elena turns a little red and slightly smirks. "Just as long as you don't rent out my room to strangers, or worse, give it to Jeremy, I'll come and visit as often as I can. Who knows, maybe I'll be back before you know it. I'm probably going to stay to get my medical degree, so I'll end up applying for NYU School of Medicine. Eight years will be a long enough break from this town."
"Take a break, see what New York has to offer. Don't dwell on what's going on here," Grayson advises, squeezing Elena's shoulder.
"And...Elena? It's okay to move on while you're gone. I know not anytime soon, but when you're ready, give yourself a chance to find a nice, normal man. Who knows, maybe you're the kind of woman who has two soulmates in the world," Miranda says.
"One can only wish. A part of me will never be able to move on, since I knew and loved Damon for so long, but...I'll give it a chance."
"Oh, before I forget, here's a vervain bracelet, like you asked for. You can never be too careful," Miranda warns. Elena smiles and puts the bracelet on her wrist.
"Okay, thank you. Hey, I gotta get to the boarding house, but I'll see you guys soon," Elena replies with a wave before exiting the house.
—
When Elena arrives at the boarding house, she inwardly groans, noticing all of the balloons floating by the entrance. She thought that this would be a low-key goodbye party, but if Caroline had something to do with it, it'd be everything except small.
Once Elena enters the house, she nearly trips over all of the balloons and streamers scattered everywhere. Looking up, Elena sees Stefan, Bonnie, Jeremy, Caroline, Matt, and Alaric all sheepishly grinning.
"Heh, what is this, a celebration?" Elena questions, looking up at the banner that reads 'we'll miss you!'. "How did you have time to blow up all of these balloons?"
"Oh, trust me, that was all Bonnie. She has a lot of hot air," Matt explains and then gets smacked by her.
Elena notices the table covered with booze and grins widely. "Now that's what I like to see. I call the tequila," Elena shouts before grabbing the bottle and taking a sip.
Jeremy grins and attempts to steal the bottle from her but Elena pulls back. "Hey, hey," Elena admonishes.
"Come on, 'Lena, you're leaving us tomorrow. Cut your little bro some slack with the alcohol," Jeremy teases.
Raising an eyebrow, Elena takes another sip from the bottle. "I was going to say go get your own. I trust that you'll be responsible with your booze intake when I'm gone, though. I don't want a call from the hospital saying that my little brother got alcohol poisoning from indulging too much."
"Deal," Jeremy agrees before grabbing his own bottle of bourbon.
"Alright, everyone," Caroline announces, "Even though this is a super sad occasion, we are all going to have fun tonight! No self-pity, or sulking, or brooding of any kind! Got it?"
"Got it!" Everyone choruses. Caroline flashes a smirk before turning on some very loud music. Everyone stares at each other for a moment, and then they all erupt into party-mode.
The night starts off with dancing. A whole lot of dancing. Elena somehow ends up on Matt's shoulders, gulping down vodka. "Damn, that's some good stuff!" She exclaims before throwing the bottle into the fireplace. Leaning her head back, a blissful smile appears on Elena's face.
When Elena starts seeing flashes of light, she turns her head to see Stefan snapping pictures of her on Matt's shoulders. She throws him a wink and a smile before hopping off of Matt's shoulders.
She saunters over to him and plucks the phone from his hand, facing the camera towards them. "Say cheese, Stef," Elena grins and takes the picture before he has a chance to react. "Man, are we photogenic or what?" Elena laughs, staring at the picture of them.
"Oh, god, Elena, delete that picture. I blinked!" Stefan protests, trying to steal the phone back.
"Nope!" Elena giggles. She quickly types something before handing Stefan his phone back. "Here you go, I sent the picture to my phone."
Stefan's eyes widen but Elena's already skipped away.
—
Elena, Bonnie, and Caroline are dancing around the parlor, each with their own bottle of wine. They waltz on over to the couch and collapse in a heap of giggles.
"We are going to have such a hangover tomorrow," Caroline exclaims while pouring herself more wine.
"Oh, sleep it off, Care," Elena replies with a grin. "If I didn't have a flight tomorrow, I'd be staying in bed all day, watching Netflix with a trash can by my side."
"Well, you just described all of my weekend plans, 'Lena!" Bonnie laughs and steals Caroline's bottle of wine, only to see that it's empty. "How much wine did you drink, Care?"
"You know, just a tad," Caroline attempts using her fingers to reference how much she drank.
"God, we're all practically alcoholics! Hah, I mean look at us all wasted," Elena wiggles her eyebrows.
"Whaaat? I am not even drunk! My tolerance is, like, way up here!" Caroline jumps, indicating with her hand in the air.
"You'd fail the walk-and-turn test, Care!"
"Mm, you're probably right. Hey, where are the guys at?"
"Ehh, probably in the library taking shots."
Caroline's eyes widen and she jumps up, wobbling a little. "Let's go join them!" She dashes off towards the library, so Elena and Caroline uncoordinatedly follow her.
When they arrive in the library, they see a bottle of whiskey that's almost empty.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you girls drank more than us," Alaric says with both of his eyebrows raised. "You know, if I was a responsible adult, then I wouldn't condone underage drinking."
"And yet, here you are, Ric!" Elena grins, "You're hanging out with all of us, which automatically makes you irresponsible. How about we kick it up a notch and do shots?"
"Ooh, we should play Never Have I Ever!" Caroline immediately takes a seat next to Stefan and picks up another bottle of whiskey.
Everyone agrees, some more reluctant than others, and they all sit down.
"Okay, who wants to go first?"
"I'll go," Elena says, staring around the room. "Never have I ever flirted my way out of a speeding ticket."
"Hey! That's not fair," Caroline grumbles as she pours herself a shot and downs it. She's not the only one, as Alaric also takes a shot. Elena smirks at the two of them before gesturing for someone to go next.
"Alright, I'm going next. Never have I ever...fainted," Alaric says, looking each person in the eyes. Elena, Matt, and Caroline all take shots.
"Matt, you, too?" Elena teases, elbowing him slightly.
"Well, yeah, I was just at work one day, and then someone came in smelling like rotten fish. No joke, I could not stand being around the guy, so I asked someone else to cover that table. Too bad the smell was so strong because I ended up fainting behind the bar," Matt explains with an embarrassed chuckle.
"Aw, poor Matty."
"My turn," Stefan says. "Never have I ever injured myself trying to impress the person I liked." Alaric and Jeremy take shots.
"Jer, what did you do? And who was it for?" Elena questions with a giggle.
"Umm, well, heh, it was actually for Bonnie."
Bonnie's eyes widen and she leans forward, looking intrigued. "What'd you do, 'cause I don't remember you doing anything dangerous before."
"Technically, it really wasn't the most dangerous thing. Honestly, it's kind of embarrassing. I remember when we were little how you always wanted to pet a groundhog, so when I saw one in our yard one day, I managed to trap it. I was going to give it to you on your birthday, but he ended up biting me and escaped. So...that's why you got a really crappy ninth birthday present."
"Oh, yeah! I remember you gave me a stuffed groundhog that year, which, by the way, I still have. It was still a good gift, Jer, and honestly, the fact that you tried to catch me a groundhog is really sweet," Bonnie grins and pecks Jeremy on the cheek. "You were a pretty cool nine year old, even if you did get bit by a groundhog."
Jeremy blushes when everyone starts smiling uncontrollably. "Alright, alright, we're pretty adorable, I know, but stop looking at me."
"Okay, one more because I'm starting to feel really beat. And I'm pretty sure I can't feel my cheeks," Alaric says, squishing them together.
"Umm, I'll go. Uh, never have I ever made a mistake that I'll regret for the rest of my life." Bonnie crosses her legs and leans back on the couch, watching Elena, Alaric, and Stefan all take shots.
"Wow, bad decision central, huh? I'm not even going to ask because you all have those sad faces on," Caroline remarks. "I feel really wasted right now. Can we just have a sleepover or something?"
"My flight doesn't leave until the evening tomorrow, actually, so I'm cool with staying over," Elena replies, laying down on the couch and letting her feet rest on Jeremy's lap.
"Elena, I love you, but get your nasty feet off of my lap," Jeremy teases before pushing Elena's feet away.
Pouting, Elena tells him, "Jer, be a nice brother for once and let me use you as a footrest. Pleaseee?"
"Ugh, whatever. And by the way, I'm always a nice brother," Jeremy states, rolling his eyes. Elena swings her feet back onto Jeremy's lap and blissfully closes her eyes.
"Make sure I'm up, anyone, before noon tomorrow so I won't miss my flight," Elena says sleepily before closing her eyes and passing out.