It was like déjà-vu. Sitting alone at the local bar, drowning my sorrows in liquor. My head was pounding from the stress of possibly losing Elena. I rested my head on the palm of my hand and one side of my face became scrunched up.
"Another round!" I slurred to Doug the bartender. He nodded hesitantly and poured me another drink before turning to his other customers. Despite the alcohol, my vampire senses were able to pick up on a human heartbeat approaching me.
"I think you've had enough…" the voice said beside me. I rolled my eyes and turned my seat to face a concerned looking Alaric. I smirked lightly before turning back to Doug and jerking my head towards Alaric.
"Bring buzz kill Bob a drink, would ya?" I asked. Doug raised his eyebrows in question before pouring Alaric a glass of bourbon. Alaric eyed it hesitantly before I picked it up and put it to his mouth.
"Drinky drinky…" I coerced.
"How many of those have you had?" he asked, gesturing towards the empty glass in front of me. I followed his gaze and turned back to answer his question.
"I'm gonna be honest with you Ricky, I lost count…" I whispered behind my hand before chuckling. I took a deep breath before speaking "I slept with Andie…" I revealed as I took another sip of bourbon. I didn't have the guts to look at Alaric's reaction. I'd disappointed enough humans today.
"I know," he said.
"Who told you?" I asked.
"Andie…she called me and told me," Ric said quietly before taking a sip of his drink. I turned my gaze back to Ric.
"Do you wanna hit me?" I asked bluntly.
"What?" he asked, surprise etched on his face. I gestured by fake-punching myself in the face. He rolled his eyes and turned back to his drink.
"Steffie didn't fight me either…" I mumbled.
"That's what this is about isn't it? Stefan and Elena?" Alaric whispered.
"I mean – I get it…and that's what sucks. Lennie has every right to hate me and push me away but like…I love her and she's pushing me away and she hates me and I don't want her to but she will probably always love Stefan and I'll always be the lone ranger…" I pouted.
"Lennie?" Alaric questioned.
"Elena…would you keep up?" I asked, slightly annoyed. He threw his hands up in surrender before turning to listen. "Anyway I just assumed that she'd pick Stefan…everyone else does…" I rambled before Alaric interrupted.
"You thought she'd be Katherine," he said. I furrowed my eyebrows in surprise and put my head in my hands and nodded. Alaric sighed and got off his chair and tugged on my shoulders lightly.
"Alright, I think it's time to get you to bed…" he suggested. I shrugged off his gesture quickly and mumbled into the palm of my hands.
"I don't swing that way!" I slurred, taking another sip of bourbon before tipping the glass upside down and frowning when it came up empty. "I can't catch a break!" I said loudly out of exasperation before yelling at Doug to just bring me the bottle. Under compulsion, he obliged.
"Damon – I think you've had enough...you don't wanna be a spectacle of yourself…" Ric offered quietly.
"But spectacles are…" I searched for the perfect word. "Spectacular!" I decided.
"I have a class tomorrow and I can't spend the night here listening about your lady problems…you need sleep, it's a whole new day tomorrow…"
"Nothing gets by you, Ricky…" I mumbled before laying my head on my folded arms. I listened as Ric walked away outside. What a great friend… I thought sarcastically.
…..
"Come on, pick up…" Alaric whispered to himself, glancing back through the window and seeing Damon talking to teenager at the bar.
"Hello?" Elena answered.
"Hey, it's me…Ric…" he clarified.
"Oh hi?" Elena said confused.
"Listen uhh…I don't know what happened with you and Damon but he's really upset…" Ric offered, still eyeing Damon through the window.
"I appreciate the concern, but it's none of your business…" Elena said defensively.
"Yeah no kidding, but right now Damon's at the bar drowning himself in bourbon by the bottle and buying what I can only assume is weed from a teenager…" Ric said before shaking his head in defeat.
"Get him out of there…" Elena offered.
"I tried, he won't go…look…he's not in his right frame of mind right now. I've never seen him this far gone…"
"What do you expect me to do? He's a big boy!" Elena said, exasperated.
"I know he is…but he loves you, and he needs you…"
Alaric listened intently and heard Elena take a deep breath.
"I'll be right there…" she said quickly before hanging up the phone. Alaric went inside and resumed his place beside Damon.
…
"Ricky-Dicky-Ding-Dong...I thought you left," I mumbled as I continued making a cootie catcher out of a napkin. Ric eyed the teenager and the blonde, brown eyed boy blushed. "My apologies…Ricky this is…" I searched my mind for the name of the teen.
"Liam," Ric finished. I eyed him questioningly. "He's my student…" Ric explained.
"Hey Mr. Saltzman…" Liam said quietly.
"Why are you at the bar?" Alaric asked, raising his eyebrows.
I rolled his eyes and put my arm around Liam's shoulders. I looked to Liam who was searching for an answer. I patted his shoulder lightly before turning to Ric "What is this? Interrogation Tuesday?"
"It's Friday..." Liam mumbled. I smiled widely to myself as I stumbled off the barstool and headed towards the jukebox.
"Oh no…" I could hear Ric mumble.
7am, waking up in the morning
Gotta be fresh, gotta go downstairs
Gotta have my bowl, gotta have cereal
Seein' everything, the time is goin'
Tickin' on and on, everybody's rushin'
Gotta get down to the bus stop
Gotta catch my bus, I see my friends (My friends)
Kickin' in the front seat
Sittin' in the back seat
Gotta make my mind up
Which seat can I take?
It's Friday, Friday
Gotta get down on Friday
Everybody's lookin' forward to the weekend, weekend
Friday, Friday
Gettin' down on Friday
Everybody's lookin' forward to the weekend
Soon enough, I could feel everyone's gaze on me as I shuffled my way back to the bar. I probably would have collapsed if it weren't for the nifty counter.
"You should sing this to your students…it's very educational…" I suggested to Ric. I was about to order another drink before a human heartbeat had all of my attention. I could recognize that heartbeat anywhere. I turned my head and even through my drunken stupor, I could see the brown hair, brown eyed angel approach me with nothing but worry in her eyes.
"Elena…" I breathed before getting off the stool and stumbling towards her. The room began to spin and I would have fallen if it weren't for her warm arms catching me. I buried my face in her hair.
"I'm sorry…" I mumbled over and over again. She patted my back before whispering in my ear.
"We'll talk about that later but right now let's get you home…" she suggested, tugging lightly on my arm.
"Thanks for coming," Alaric said.
"You're welcome…" I mumbled in response. Elena shook her head and chuckled lightly.
…..
"I think I can take it from here…" I whispered before putting my arm around Damon's waist, leading him outside. I could see that fresh air was something that he had been deprived of while sitting and drowning himself in bourbon. I opened the passenger side of the car and I helped him inside.
The car ride to the Boarding House was silent. I looked over to see that he was drifting in and out of consciousness until I stopped the car in the driveway.
"Come on…" I whispered as I unbuckled his seatbelt and moved to open the door for him. He stepped out hesitantly and I wrapped my arms around his waist again, leading him back to the house. Once he was close enough not to fall, he immediately collapsed on the couch and closed his eyes in frustration. I left the room briefly and came back with an empty bucket and a damp wash cloth. I placed the bucket beside the couch and dabbed his forehead with the cloth.
It pained me to see him like this. And it pained me to know that I was the cause.
"Andie was a mistake…" he mumbled suddenly. I opened my mouth to interrupt before his blue eyes were staring into mine as he spoke. "She was a pain killer to numb the inevitable loss of you but there is no way to numb that kind of pain…I'm sorry…I love you…" he mumbled. He closed his eyes and whispered his final words of the night. "If you let me, I can love you forever…"
This chapter was really hard to write but I liked the way it turned out…please comment and let me know what you think. Do you think everyone was OOC or did you think everyone was in character? Please tell me what you thought of this new chapter! **130 REVIEWS TO CONTINUE!**