Ch. 2: The Night of the Comet.
"Originally discovered nearly 5 centuries ago, it hasn't been over Mystic Falls in over 145 years. Now, the comet will be its brightest right after dusk during tomorrow's celebration. Are we bothering you, Mr. Salvatore? Ms. Gilbert?" Mr Tanner spoke, catching the attention of Elena and Stefan who simply blushed and looked away from each other. Stella watched with a glare; it was happening. He was more focused on Elena than even trying to talk to Stella. He hadn't even said sorry. He didn't even try. Why would he? He had Elena now. He didn't need Stella, she thought.
The bell went, ending the class, and Stella was the first out of the classroom. She made her way out of the school building and past the stoner groups, but stopped when she watched Jeremy Gilbert, who'd she'd finally learnt the name of, walking toward Tyler Lockwood. She got that from the chatty blonde in first period English. Caroline Forbes, a friend of Elena's, unfortunately. She was surprised she didn't recognize the Lockwood teenager. He looked just like his ancestor. The Lockwood's were always a snobby bunch, she didn't like them much, even if they were close friends with her family.
"Hey, Tyler. Hey, I'm sorry to interrupt. I was just wondering how Vicki's doing, since you guys are so close. Is she okay?" Jeremy asked, trying to roar up Tyler, who stood with a couple of teenage girls.
"She's fine, now get out of here." Tyler demanded, squinting at the younger teen.
"How bad is she? Do they know what attacked her? Is she going to make a full recovery? Was she happy to see you? What room number was she in?" Jeremy pressed, making Tyler angry.
"I'm gonna kick your ass." Tyler hissed.
"No, you're not." Stella glared at the Lockwood. "Dude, you need-" Jeremy ignored her.
"Yeah, you keep saying that, but when are you actually going to do it? Huh? 'Cause I vote for right here and right now." Jeremy pushed Tyler, making him stumble back a little.
"Yeah, no you're not." Stella muttered, grabbing Jeremy hard by the arm, making him look at her. "Don't be stupid and leave." She told him, not compelling him, but hoping he'd listen. She didn't know why she was helping the kid not get his ass kicked, but she figured she liked him more than the Tyler Lockwood kid.
"Listen to the girl, Gilbert. Walk away." Tyler snapped. "Final warning."
"No, this is your final warning, dick. I'm sick of watching you play Vicki. If you hurt her one more time, I swear to God, I will kill you." Jeremy hissed before Stella became fed up and literally dragged him away by the end of his jacket. "Hey, ow, ow. What are you doing?" The kid demanded to know once they were far enough.
"That kid would easily kick your ass. Have you seen him? He looks like the hulk." Stella scoffs.
"I don't even know you, why would you care?" He asked.
"Because that Tyler kid seems like a dick, and I saw how you protected Vicki the other the night at the party, and since you seem like a semi nice kid, you shouldn't get your ass kicked." She claimed. "Besides, that kid doesn't need a bigger head." She murmured, staring back at Tyler Lockwood who'd gone back to chatting up the two other girls. Jeremy let out a small chuckle.
"Seems like everybody is trying to keep me in line just because my parents are dead." He glared.
"My parents are dead too and I'm not going around trying to shove big, fat headed jerks like Tyler Lockwood." She rolled her eyes and Jeremy raised his eyebrows. She sighed. "It gets better, you know. I know you've probably heard it a hundred times, but it does. You'll be happy soon, and you won't need drugs, or alcohol or sex, even though they are nice to have once in a while." She smirked. He cracked a small smile.
"Why are you being so nice to me?" He asked. "I'm a stranger." He sticks his hands in his pockets and looks away, but it was obvious that her words were sinking into his brain.
"You remind me of my brother." She looks at him. "A lot, actually." She smiles softly. "He was kind of like you. Always thought he was stronger than everyone else." She smirked and he chuckled. "But all around, he just cared too much for everyone he loved." She continued, and he stared at her for a moment, taking in what she'd just said. "Well, I'm going to go." She said. "Try not to get into trouble." She smirked before walking away.
"Hey, wait!" He called out. "I'm Jeremy." He said. She smiled and walked backward.
"Stella!" She shouted back before turning back around, clashing into the hard chest of Matt Donovan. She looked up at him and sent him a sorry look. "Sorry." She murmured before trying to pass.
"Hey, Stella." He called out. She sighed and turned around. He walked up to her and stuck his hands in his jacket pockets. "I heard you were attacked with my sister, are you okay?" He asked. She shrugged and nodded. "Elena told me they found you trying to carry her out of the woods, so thanks." He said. "If you hadn't been with her, she might have died, and..." He shook his head. "Just thanks." He spoke.
"Don't mention it." She smiled fake. "Uh, how is she by the way? Did she wake up?" She murmured.
"They're keeping her overnight to make sure there's no infection, but she should be able to come home tomorrow." He told her, and Stella nodded, but what she really wanted to know was if Vicki remembered Damon.
"Did she say what kind of animal it was that attacked her?" Stella asked. "I was kind of knocked out for a little while." She shrugged.
"She said a vampire." He raised his eyebrows, and if her heart could beat, it would have stopped.
"What?" She laughs a little, and it was obvious she was nervous.
"Yeah. She woke up last night, blurts vampire and falls back to sleep." He shrugged. "I think she must have been drunk or out of it, whatever." He shrugged. "We never really got to talk properly." He frowned.
"We did talk."
"No, you talked. Well, guessed, but I never got to put my two cents in." He spoke.
"So you're saying that you weren't going to tell me those things last night?" She glared, and he bit his lip. "See?" She smirked.
"But you never let me say why." He sighed. "I get that we didn't meet in the right way, and we definitely shouldn't have slept together, though from what I do remember of it, it was great." He smirked, and she laughed. "But I'm still in love with Elena, and if I started to see you, it wouldn't be fair to you, and the last thing I want to do is string someone along, so maybe when this thing with Elena is over we can give it a try, but for now, we should be friends." He sighed. "But trust me, if I weren't just getting out of a relationship I would totally ask you out. Like, seriously, you're hot." He murmured, and she laughed again.
"Honestly, Matt, it's okay." She assured him. "It's not like I expected you to ask me out anyway." She smiled and his eyebrows raised.
"You weren't? I mean, girls, they-"
"I'm not the relationship kind of girl, Matt. Love isn't my thing, and I've come to terms with that, so thank you for explaining it, but I wasn't worried at all." She put her hand on his arm. "Okay?" She smiled and he nodded. "Cool, so friends?" She smirked.
"Friends." He smiled and nodded.
"Cool." She smirked and walked away, leaving the blonde quarterback in a daze.
"Stefan?" Stella shouted, walking into the Salvatore boarding house. She looked around and sighed when she heard nothing. "Stefan, get your ass down here! I need to talk to you!" She shouted before walking back to the front door hearing footsteps. She stopped when she saw Elena standing there. "Elena." She grunted. "What are you doing here?" She asked.
"Now, that's no way to talk to a house guest, Stell." She heard a voice, turning around to see Damon standing there.
"Damon." Stella warned with a glare.
"Stella? I didn't know you lived with Stefan." Elena frowned.
"Yeah. Their bedrooms are right next to each other. I wonder why that is. Care to elaborate, Stella?" Damon smirks and Stella glares.
"I... I'm sorry for barging in. The door was... open." Elena speaks up.
"You must be Elena. I'm Damon, Stefan's brother." Damon grabbed Elena's hand and kissed it. It took Stella everything she had inside of her to not kick Damon across the room.
"He didn't tell me he had a brother." Elena said.
"Yeah, well, nobody likes bragging about Damon." Stella smirked, crossing her arms while Damon glared.
"Please, come. I'm sure Stefan will be along any second." Damon said.
"Wow. This is your living room?" Elena asked.
"Living room, parlor, seventies auction. It's a little kitschy for my taste. I see why my brother's so smitten. It's about time. For a while there, I never thought he'd get over the last one. Nearly destroyed him." Damon brought up Katherine, making Stella walk over to him and pinch him hard in the back, making him squirm.
"The last one?" Elena asked.
"Damon." Stella hissed.
"Yeah. Katherine, his girlfriend? Oh, you two haven't had the awkward exes conversation yet." Damon went ahead anyway, and Stella pinched him harder before pulling away. Damon turned to her and glared.
"Nope." Elena answered awkwardly.
"I love it when you play rough." He whispered in Stella's ear. "Well, I'm sure it'll come up now." He turned to Elena and smirked. "Or maybe he didn't want to tell you because he didn't want you to think he was on the rebound. We all know how those relationships end." Stella looked at him with disgust and amusement.
"You don't know when you're not wanted, do you?" Stella growled.
"You say it like every relationship is doomed to end." Elena speaks, hoping a fight isn't to break out between the two.
"He's a fatalist." She glared at Damon.
"You know me so well." He smirked at her, looking in her big brown eyes. "Hello, Stefan." He says without taking his eyes off Stella. Elena and Stella look up to see Stefan standing on the stairs.
"Elena. I didn't know you were coming over." Stefan says.
"You really shouldn't just walk into people's houses, you know." Stella glared at Elena.
"I'm sorry, I know I should have called-" Damon interrupted Elena.
"Oh, don't be silly. You're welcome any time. Isn't she, Stefan? You know, I should break out the family photo albums or some home movies. But... I have to warn you. He wasn't always such a looker. Stella, however-" He smirked, but shut up when Stella stomped her foot on his, causing him immense pain. Something only one vampire can do to another.
"Thank you for stopping by, Elena. Nice to see you." Stefan murmured, glaring at Damon.
"Yeah, wish I could say the same." Stella smirked over at Elena.
"Yeah, I should probably go. It was nice to meet you, Damon." Elena murmurs quickly before leaving.
"Great meeting you, too, Elena." Damon called out and soon as the click of the door sounded, Stella had Damon pinned up against the wall.
"Oh, you like it against a wall? Kinky. I like it." He smirked at her. She growled and dropped him.
"Great gal. Whoo. She's got spunk." Damon smirked. "Not as feisty as Stella here, but still." He smiled. "You, on the other hand, look pooped." He cocked his head to the side, staring at his brother. "Did you over-exert yourself today? Let me guess... hospital." He clicked his fingers.
"You went to see Vicki?" Stella asked, and Stefan nodded.
"Someone had to clean up his mess." He shrugged.
"Did it even work? You know your powers don't work properly, Stef." Stella muttered.
"Oh, right. The bunny diet doesn't let your tricks work as well as when you're on the human diet." Damon waggled his eyebrows.
"How long was Elena here?" Stefan asked.
"Not long." Stella muttered.
"Were you worried, Stefan? Scared we may be doomed to repeat the past? Isn't that why you play your little game, "I'm a high school human"?" Damon mused.
"I'm not playing any game." Stefan shrugged. "What game are you playing Damon?" Stefan asked.
"Guess we'll have to wait and see?" He smirked before turning around and walking away. Stella sighed and sat down.
"I hate him." She murmurs. Stefan is staring into space. "Have you seen my book, Wuthering Heights? I can't find it." She asked. "I was on the last chapter." She said. He looked up at her with a guilty look. "What?" She asked.
"I gave it to Elena." He mumbled. "She wanted to read it." He said. She glared and stood up.
"And what the bitch wants, the bitch must get, right?" She cocked her head to the side, looking at Stefan angrily. "Just like Katherine, Stef." She growled before blurring upstairs.
"Stella." She heard the light tap of Stefan's knuckles against the hard wood of her bedroom door before he let himself in to see Stella standing in front of her vanity, applying lip balm to her lips to keep them soft and plump. She was dressed nicely, in a pair of skin tight black jeans, and a cream colored tank top that read 'bite me'. "I like your shit." He complimented. She looked down and smirked for a moment before looking up at her best friend.
"What do you want?" She asked, turning back to the mirror and buttoned up her coat.
"I wanted to apologize." He said truthfully. "I've been," He paused, thinking of a word.
"A dick?" She offered.
"Yeah." He chuckled. "I've been a dick. I shouldn't have treated you that way, and I'm sorry. I know you, Stella, and I know you wouldn't hurt someone." He tells her. "Not unless they annoyed you too much, anyway." He said, and she tried her best not to smile. "And I know you feel that history is repeating itself, with Elena and all, but it's not. I won't leave you for Elena like I did with Katherine. I'm here for you now, Stella, and I'll always be here." He told her.
"That's what you said with Katherine." She glared, looking at him with an annoyed look on her face. "Right before she ruined us all." She finished, turning off her flat iron and looking in the mirror, staring at her reflection before she turned on her curler, adding only a few soft curls around her hair.
"That was then and this is now." He told her, walking up to her. "Elena is a girl, someone I could myself falling in love with in the future. But my future is nothing at all without you." He tells her honestly. "You promised me best friends forever when we were thirteen, and I hope that you'll keep that true, because forever is all we have now." He says. "I couldn't imagine my life without my best friend, so I'm hoping you'll forgive me." He told her. She stayed silent and looked down. She hated it when he gave these cute little speeches, and she'd most likely always forgive him. "Best friends forever. It's cheesy, but true." He told her, a small smile on his lips before he placed her Wuthering Heights novel on the vanity. She looked down at it before hearing a click of the door, and just like that, Stefan had left the building.
Stella sat at the Mystic Grill, waiting for the time where the comet would pass their view, and she'd most likely go outside, stare at it and remember the first time she saw it, one hundred and sixty something years ago. Back when her life was happy. When her family was alive and her life was normal. She didn't think of Vampires and Witches, and all she needed were her parents, her little brother, and her two best friends, Stefan and Damon. No Katherine. No supernatural business. No drama, and no worries. She slowly finished the contents of her drink before seeing Jeremy Gilbert walk into the Grill.
"Vicki, what are you doing here?" Jeremy asked, walking up to Vicki Donovan, who Stella hadn't noticed was already here.
"Fighting with Robert about my schedule. You'd think getting ripped up by a rabid animal would merit an extra sick day." She smiled softly, looking at Jeremy with glimmering eyes. 'Rabid animal'. Stella smirked. So Stefan had managed to do the entire compulsion thing right.
"Are you feeling okay?" Jeremy asked and the concern in his eyes made the young looking vampire smile. She remembered when she used to get looked at like that. She was once the prettiest girl in Mystic Falls, and before Katherine happened, she was in love. Like Jeremy loved Vicki, and felt bad because she knew Vicki was only stringing Jeremy along. She liked him, sure, but that was nothing compared to the feelings he had for her. She felt silly watching the couple being sweet, so she stood up and walked away from the bar and outside and into the town square.
"Hi! Stella, right?" The chatty blonde, one of Elena's friends greeted Stella with a bright smile. Stella became amused at how smiley the girl always seemed to be. She was so positive, and Stella was... Well, Stella.
"Yeah, it's Stella." She nodded. "Caroline, is it?" She smiled, though she knew it was for sure Caroline Forbes, daughter of Liz Forbes, the sheriff. She'd compelled herself some information from people around the town and it worked in her favor. She was up to date with all the latest gossip.
"Sure is." Caroline smiled. "Stefan's looking for you. He asked to keep an eye out for you." She smiled.
"Of course he did." She muttered, spotting him across the town square with Elena. They were staring into the sky, and she noticed the comet slowly making its way across the sky. It was going slower than she'd remembered one hundred years ago.
"So, is he like, really into Elena?" Caroline asked.
"As into her as he could be." Stella pursed her lips into a fine line, and looked at Stefan again, who was staring at Elena the same way she saw Jeremy staring at Vicki inside. She rolled her eyes and looked at Caroline. "Go away, you're annoying me." She compelled the girl. Caroline nodded and walked off. She grunted on the inside, feeling a presence beside her.
"That wasn't very polite of you, Estelle." Damon mused, offering an extra candle.
"You can't talk about polite, Damon. You're anything but polite." She muttered, taking it from him. He shrugged and nodded, agreeing with her. He lit her candle for her, and she sighed. "Thanks." She muttered, looking back over at Stefan.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were jealous of Elena." Damon smirked.
"Well, you don't know any better." She looked at him with a glare. "And I'm not jealous of her." She lied. "I just don't want Stefan hurt." She growled. "Elena's a bitch, and I don't like her." She smirked.
"She seemed nice to me." Damon shrugged.
"Yes, but you're a bitch, too." She smirked, and he rolled his eyes at her childishness. She sighed and looked back up at the comet.
"I remember how excited you were to see the comet last time." He spoke up. She looked at him to see him staring up at the comet. "You also nearly lit Stefan's hair on fire with your candle." He murmured and she smiled.
"Actually, I did light it on fire, but you put it out before he lit up entirely." She reminded him.
"Stupid thing to do, really." He rolled his eyes. "Should have let him burn." He murmured and Stella glared at him.
"What do you want, Damon?" She asked, annoyed with him.
"What makes you think I want something?" He scoffs.
"I doubt you came over to reminisce about the times where everything was once normal." She rolled her eyes. She looked up at him since he was about an inch or two taller than she was, though she was quite tall for the age she appeared to be. "Why are you back in Mystic Falls? You've got some big, bad plan, I know you, and you never do anything without a cruel intention." She glared.
"I don't know whether to find it endearing or not to hear you still know me so well." Damon gave her a smile, and in an instant it was gone.
"Can't forget a personality like yours, Damon." She muttered, blowing out her candle and turning around.
"Where are you going?" He pulled her back.
"Something else I know about you, Damon. You're not going to tell me your plan, why stick around?" She raised her eyebrows and looked at the comet one more time. "You should have let me die." She looked at him, and he looked down at her. "That night, in 1864 when you found me... You should have just let me die." She murmured. The look on his face looked laced with confusion and she swore she could have seen a look of hurt in his eyes, but she was almost sure that he didn't care about her anymore. She sighed and walked toward the Grill.
She'd stolen a bottle of whiskey from the bar at the Mystic Grill and sat on the roof of some building she didn't really care about. She watched and listened to the happy people below her talk, and laugh and do stupid family stuff. She missed her family. So much. She never showed it though, but she was hurting. She looked up at the comet, and took another swig from the bottle, a memory coming to mind.
"Estelle?" She looked to her door to see Damon standing there. She closed her eyes and turned away.
"I'm not decent, Damon." She whispered, wiping her cheeks. She felt the weight of the mattress go down and figured Damon must have sat down with her. "Go away, Damon. I do not wish to talk to anybody at the moment." Her voice came out soft and hoarse. She was dying, and he didn't even know.
"Then just listen to what I've to say, Estelle." He urges. She closes her eyes, the hot tears streaming down her cheeks. "I realize you must feel awful, after the passing of your parents, and now the dissapearance of your brother, Christopher..." He trails off, and she tries to ignore the stinging pain in her wrists, and the feeling of hurt that wouldn't stop in her heart. "And though you may feel as if you are lonely, please don't." He murmured. "I'm here, and so is Stefan. My father loves you more than he loves me, and the rest of the town is here for you." He tells her. "We will find Christopher, so please don't cry." He mutters. He wasn't good with these emotional kinds of talks, but he loved his best friend enough to do it anyway. He places his hand on her shoulder.
"Damon, please." She whispered. She could slowly feel herself fading away. "Please go." She murmured.
"Estelle." He muttered, pulling the blanket up to tuck her in. His eyebrows furrowed when he saw the small stain of blood on the top that had seeped through. He pulls the cover down to see the rest of her, mostly her arms, covered in dripping blood. His eyes widen. "Estelle, what did you do?" He asked her.
"Let me die, Damon." She croaked out, and looked at him. "I want to die." She whispered. He stood up, shocked and hurt at what she'd done. "Please." She whispered. She wanted nothing more than to die, to be reunited with her parents, and someday see her brother again, and there was only one way to do that.
"No." He murmured. "I won't let you do this to yourself." He shook his head before he ran down the stairs, shouting out the name of his father, his brother, anybody.
She scrunched her face up at the bitter taste of the alcohol. She wasn't supposed to be sitting up here on this building roof. She should be dead. She shouldn't be a Vampire, and she shouldn't be feeling like this. She turned her head when she heard the door bust open, and Damon pushing Vicki into her view. She frowned and stood up.
"Damon, what the hell are you doing?" She asked, as Vicki landed on the ground. She dropped her bottle, letting it smash as she kneeled down to help Vicki. "Hey, are you okay?" She murmured, helping the poor girl up. "Are you insane?" She snapped at Damon. He smirked.
"I've been called worse." He smugly spoke before we were quickly joined by Stefan. "Not bad, have you been eating bunnies?" Damon asked, pulling Vicki back up and moving her to the edge of the roof.
"Let her go." Stefan demanded.
"Really?" Damon scrunched his face up before shrugging. "Okay." He said, letting her go for a split second, but catching her again when Stefan and Stella screamed "No!" to stop him. Vicki screamed, and her hands began to shake. He held her back over the edge. "Just give me the word, Stef." He looked at his brother.
"No." Stefan growled. Damon rolled his eyes and threw Vicki toward his brother.
"Relax." He smirked at his brother.
"What's happening?" Vicki cried, looking between Damon, Stefan and Stella. Stella felt her unbeating heart pang just a little when the poor girl looked her in the eyes and begged for help. "Please, help me." She whispered.
"You're not killing her if that's what you're thinking, Damon." Stella glared.
"Oh, no." He shook his head. "See, I don't need her dead." He told the brunette vampire. "But you might." He smirked. He leaned down to Vicki and looked her in the eyes, not compelling her, just intimidating her. "What attacked you the other night?" He asked. Vicki looked around at the vampires, looking hopeless.
"I don't know. A-An animal." She whispered.
"Are you sure about that?" Damon smirked. "Think about that. Think really hard. What attacked you?" He asked, and Vicki's expression seemed to be putting things together.
"A vampire." She whispered in shock.
"Who did this to you?" Damon shouted at her.
"You did." She cried.
"Wrong." Damon smirked and looked at Stella.
"Damon, don't." She hissed.
"It was Stefan." He tells the young girl. He grabs both sides of her head, making her focus on nothing but him. "Stefan Salvatore did this to you." He urges her, and she nods.
"Stefan Salvatore did this to me." She repeats.
"He's a vampire. A vicious, murderous monster." He tells the girl, and she hangs on every word he says.
"Damon, don't." Stella snaps. "Damon, don't do this." She begs. He looks her in the eyes, and for a moment, she thought he might have listened to her, but she should have known better. He stands up, ripping Vicki's bandage off her and throws her toward Stefan, making Vicki screech.
"Your choice of lifestyle has made you weak. A couple of vampire parlor tricks is nothing compared to the power that you could have, that you now need. But you can change that. Human blood gives you that." Damon lectures his younger brother.
"Stop it, Damon!" Stella shouts.
"You have two choices. You can feed and make her forget. Or you can let her run, screaming "vampire" through the town square." Damon ignores her.
"That's what this is about? You want to expose me?" Stefan scoffs.
"No! I want you to remember who you are!"
"Why? So what, so I'll feed? So I'll kill? So I'll remember what it's like to be brothers again? You know what, let her go. Let her tell everyone that vampires have returned to Mystic Falls. Let them chain me up, and let them drive a stake through my heart, because at least I'll be free of you." Stella was shocked at her best friends words, and obviously, so was Damon.
"Huh. Wow. Come here, sweetheart." Damon urges Vicki. She tries to get away, but before she can, Damon whispers something in her ear, and the screaming and crying stops. Stella watches intently, as does Stefan.
"What happened? Where am I? Oh, I ripped my stitches open." She murmurs.
"Vicki, are you okay?" Stella frowns.
"I took some pills, man." She smirks. "I'm good." She nods before walking back to the fire escape door and walking inside.
"It's good to be home. Think I might stay a while. This town could use a bit of a wake-up call, don't you think?" Damon smirks, sticking his hands in his pockets.
"What are you up to, Damon?" Stefan asks.
"That's for me to know and for you to... dot dot dot. Give Elena my best." He smirks at his brother before looking at Stella. "Good catching up Stella." He nods before jumping off the building. Stella sighs and turns to Stefan with a worn out expression before using the exit, leaving Stefan all alone. She made her way back to the bar in Mystic Grill, and noticed Vicki being bandaged up again by her brother. He looked over at Stella and mumbled something to his sister before walking over to the brunette.
"Hey." He smiled at Stella. "She said you and Stefan found her wandering around." He crossed his arms. She simply nodded. "So, um, thanks." He nods. "You seem to be the one saving her recently." He chuckles.
"I know what it's like to be in her position." Stella gives a small shrug. Matt nods.
"You know, she's dramatic, and troublesome, and a hand full, but... She's my sister, and I need her, so thanks, again. It means a lot." He tells Stella. Stella simply nods as a welcome before he walks back over to his sister. She sighs, and looks around the bar, seeing Damon sitting in a booth far at the back, staring at her. He smirks when she sees him, and he waves. She walks over, and sits in front of him.
"That was stupid, what you did with Vicki." She told him.
"What do you mean you know what it's like to be in her position?" He asked. She rolled her eyes, realizing he must have been listening.
"When you and Stefan were all loved up for Katherine, I was alone. I had nobody. I know what it's like to feel like you've got nobody at all, even if you're surrounded by people you know." She muttered and grabbed his glass of bourbon. "I see your taste in alcohol hasn't changed." She sipped the drink. "Good. I like bourbon." She muttered, and Damon gives her a crooked smile that he quickly covers up.
"Do you really wish I'd never saved you that night?" He asked. She thought for a moment.
"No." She murmured. "Some day I feel like it would have all been better if I died back then, but no. I'm glad I'm here today. I mean, someone needs to keep Stefan in check, and you out of trouble." She smirked. He rolled his eyes.
"You stopped trying to keep me out of trouble when you realized I am the trouble." He joked.
"Funny." She smirked, and downed the rest of his drink. "I never did thank you for saving me, so... thank you." She looked at him, and he looked surprised. "I mean, even though you've threatened my best friend, almost killed an innocent, and actually did kill a couple of innocent people, I feel I should thank you anyway." She shrugged. "You were once my best friend, too, Damon, remember that." She nodded and looked up to see Jeremy enter the Grill. She cringed for him as he watched Tyler and Vicki kiss. The pained look on his face made her feel bad for him. "See you 'round, Day. Try not to kill anybody." She murmured and followed Jeremy out of the grill. Damon watched her leave. She called him Day, and she hasn't called him that in one hundred years.
"Jeremy!" She shouted, watching him pacing against the pavement. He stopped and turned around. He sighed, seeing Stella before quickly turning away and wiping his face of the tears she'd already noticed. "Hey, you okay?" She asked him.
"No." He turned around. "I treat her right, don't I? I tell her she's beautiful, I'm nice, I'm kind, I take care of her, and she still goes for the complete asshole! What the hell is wrong with me?" He shouted, turning to his right and kicking the trash can, emptying it of its contents. She sighed and walked forward.
"Hey, Jeremy, look at me." She grabbed his arms. He looked up at her. "She doesn't deserve you. You're right. You're nice, and kind and you take care of her. It's her loss if she's going after Tyler." She assures him. "She'll realize it sooner or later, don't worry." She murmured. He stared into the sky, and breathed in.
"I feel normal, with her. I feel happy, and not like the poor kid who's parents died." He tells her, and he doesn't understand why he's venting to a practical stranger, but he goes on anyway. "I don't want to be the poor kid anymore, I don't want to be him." He murmured, and Stella nodded, hugging him. He was surprised first, but ended up hugging her back, tight.
"When my parents died, everybody told me how great they thought my parents were, and how they were so sorry for me, and ever since then, whenever I wasn't smiling, or I was sad, they assumed it was because my parents were dead, and I earned this stupid title, of the poor little orphan girl who misses her parents." She told the young boy. "I felt alone, and it was like nobody could make me happy." She stepped back and looked into his brown eyes. "But I had my brother, and I had my friends, like you have Elena, and Matt, and Bonnie and Caroline." She listed.
"Those are Elena's friends. I don't have friends." He muttered.
"Then you've got me." She sighs. "The poor little orphan girl who misses her parents." She smiles sadly. "Okay?" She offers and he nods and pulls her into another hug, surprising her, but nevertheless, she hugs him back. "Look." She says, and pulls back. She unlocks his phone, surprising him.
"How did you get that?" He asked as she entered her number in.
"It was in your pocket, I took it just now." She shrugged and he smiled small. She saved her number and handed it back to him. "I've always got my phone on me, so whenever you need to talk. Just call. Okay?" She smiles at him. He looked like he was off in space. "Hey, idiot, are you listening to me?" She smacked his arm and he laughed.
"You know, you're the first person who hasn't tread carefully with me apart from my sister." He said.
"You're a person, not a ticking time bomb." She rolled her eyes. "Call me whenever you need it, Baby Gilbert." She tells him.
"Baby Gilbert?" He raised his eyebrows.
"I like nicknames." She smirks. "Do you want a ride home?" She asked, and he meekly nodded. "Come on then." She smiled, and he followed her to his car. He fiddled with her radio even though she told him countless times that she didn't want him to. She finally arrived at the Gilbert residence.
"My sisters not here, that's weird." Jeremy murmured. "She's probably with Stefan." He murmured.
"Ah, great." Stella muttered. "If I heard them sexing it up in the bedroom next to me, I will not hesitate to kick your sisters ass, and Stefan's ass." She let the younger Gilbert know and he laughed.
"I didn't know you lived with Stefan." He spoke.
"We go way back." She smirked and shrugged. "Now get out, I'm tired." She smirked. He chuckled and got out of the car. "Remember, Baby Gilbert. You call for anything okay? I never had that, and I know I needed it." She told him. He nodded and walked inside. She sighed and drove back to the Boarding House. She stopped seeing Elena's car in her parking spot, making her growl internally and roll her eyes. She stopped hearing voices and decides to eavesdrop.
"See, the thing is, I got home tonight planning on doing what I always do, write in my diary, like I have been since my mom gave me one when I was 10. It's where I get everything out, everything I'm feeling. It all goes in this little book that I hide on the second shelf behind this really hideous ceramic mermaid. But then I realized that I'd just be writing things that I should probably be telling you." Elena's voice spoke. Stella rolled her eyes. What a drama queen.
"What would you write?" Stefan asked.
"I would write... "Dear diary, today I convinced myself it was okay to give up. Don't take risks. Stick with the status quo. No drama, now is just not the time. But my reasons aren't reasons, they're excuses. All I'm doing is hiding from the truth, and the truth is that..." I'm scared, Stefan. I'm scared that if I let myself be happy for even one moment that... the world's just going to come crashing down, and I... don't know if I can survive that." And surprisingly, Stella knew exactly what Elena was talking about.
"Do you want to know what I would write? "I met a girl. We talked. It was epic. But then the sun came up and reality set in." Well, this is reality. Right here." Stella smiled at Stefan's smoothness. She hears them kiss and groans out loud.
"Stella.." Stefan trails off and finally, Stella appears in front of them.
"My bad?" She gave an innocent smile. Stefan blushed. "Oh, don't stop on the account of me. Do whatever. But if I hear sex noises from my bedroom, I will be kicking someone's ass, alright?" She smirked, opening the door to the boarding house.
"Um, we're uh- None of that." Elena blushed.
"Yeah, okay, sure. Whatever you say. Just letting you know, Elena, that Stefan's got AIDs and when-"
"Stella, please, go." Stefan groaned, a pained look on his face. She laughed and walked upstairs into her room before making her way to her room.
Author's End Notes:
Thank you the beautiful fav, followed and reviewed! Means so much 3 I hope this chapter is up to your hopes, and that you review? 3 Love love love.
- Kayla.