Elena's POV

I'm so shattered after what happened that I can't make myself sit in one single place. At first I wanted to help dad while he was stitching Stefan, but my hands shook so hard that he gave me one of his demanding looks and I went out of the room. He joined me in a minute, made me sit down and tell him everything. I started crying in the middle of it all and couldn't stop until he hugged me and rocked me like a little kid. I honestly don't remember how I ended on this street, I just went out to clear my mind. Caroline got on my nerves today and I was so mad that I couldn't keep studying. Plus it was Friday evening-people my age don't even consider doing homework on Friday-they go out and have fun, but I wasn't just any girl, actually as I think about it I was even worse than an ordinary one. There wasn't anything special about me and I was desperately hiding myself from the world. Even the most ordinary girls had friends-I think I was surrounded by nothing but false ones.

Once I've realized where I've ended up, I immediately got the feeling that something wrong was about to happen and when this guy caught my wrist I thought this was the end of it-I had no idea what they could do to me or more like-I didn't want to let the thought of what they could do to me sink in. And then he just appeared out of nowhere-I had no idea what he was doing. When he stood before me and started fighting those guys it almost seemed surreal-like I was watching a movie. He was moving fast as if he knew what he was supposed to do, though in the moment when he caught the blade I knew those weren't his initial intentions-he acted rashly, without giving it a second thought, without considering how much pain it could cause him-there was a light in his eyes-a very interesting one. It wasn't only that he was brave-he was also indifferent to what could happen to him and that completely amused me. Most of the time I noticed him throwing me worry glances, I'm pretty sure half of the time he wasn't even looking at them, which is why they eventually pinned him to the wall. I've never before seen people fight like that, maybe that's why I was so startled and couldn't make a move until he yelled at me to get behind the corner.

He was so stubborn after we finally got out of there and kept insisting that he should just get home on our way back to my house. He was such a different kind of person, I couldn't figure him out at all. Mostly, I think tonight I found out he was extremely selfless-he kept saying that he didn't do anything, that he's fine. He was desperately trying to avoid attention.

I didn't get the chance to speak with him tonight anymore though. My father-even though he was more than understanding, was also quite mad at me for leaving like this and not thinking where I was going, so he send me up to my room and ordered me to get some sleep. I couldn't fall, though, no matter how hard I tried and I heard someone open the front door after half an hour or so has passed, which meant Stefan has found the strength to leave and my father has failed to convince him that he can give him a ride.

I couldn't stop thinking about Stefan though. I couldn't figure why he was so bend on leaving, as if he was disturbed by something. He didn't want to come here, to owe me anything, which I found very strange. Why was he refusing people's help? What was wrong with trying to make him feel better just after he has literally saved my life? I wondered what kind of person he really was and for the first time in forever I was curious. I wanted to know him better.

I have seen him in the hallways so many times and I've failed to actually notice him-he was a jock and until now I've always considered those guys to be simply dumb and definitely far from interesting. But now that I've actually managed to see through this, I've figured out that he was not the person I initially thought he would be. And once I've let this thought sink in, I realized I want to know more about him. I needed answers.

How does someone just throw himself in the dark for another one without wanting anything in return? How could he not just stop and think about it for a second? How could he remain indifferent to the danger, to the possibility of him getting hurt?

I see boys around me who act all confident and masculine and who think they own the world, just because they are the most popular people in the school, but at the end of the day it turned out that the real people, those who would always give you a hand are people like Stefan-who are silent, kind and even a little insanely brave.

People who just act without expectation, who are willing to toss whatever they have in life without thinking twice about it so that they could help another human being. And here I am, in the middle of the night, startled and still shaky, figuring that all out just now. Why was I so blind all those years? Why did I desperately wanted to fit into a perfect cheerleader Caroline Forbes reality when in the end I could be nothing but a ghost in it?

I'm not sure I was even that willing to participate in that world-a reality which was nothing but an actual fantasy. I don't know why I was trying, I don't know why I was going up and down the hallways after Caroline Goddess Forbes when I could've been in the library reading my favorite books or trying to write out some idea that has appeared in my head a while ago.

I guess the thought of simply not doing it has never occurred to me by now and that terrified me even more.

Somehow I suddenly felt relieved-there was no need for me to live by rules I hated so much anymore. Even thought tonight was probably the worst night in my entire life it was also the best one because it helped me realize that I could be myself. I could stop living in the shadow of another person and do whatever feels right.

And I can't believe that the most silent and lonesome kid in the school was actually the one to help me come to this conclusion.

How strange is this world exactly? How did I never notice this before?

Stefan's POV

I slowly walked all the way home. I'm honestly not sure how I managed to do it-the only thing I was able to comprehend as a thought in my head was that I wanted desperately to get to my bed. Elena's father offered to drive me home, but I refused, he has done more than enough this evening and plus I wasn't that bad, for now. He gave me some painkillers for tomorrow since he was sure I would be struggling while in my head I was making plans for going to the court and at least throwing the ball around with my healthy hand, even though he reminded me a few times that I shouldn't do any physical activity. I realized I wouldn't be actually able to play decently for quite some time and yet here I was-stubbornly trying to convince faith that I will be able to somehow turn things the other way around.

Elena's father thanked me a countless times before I left and I honestly felt very uncomfortable. I didn't do anything so remarkable-just fought with a few guys so a girl could go safely home. Since when is doing the right thing considered to be such an unbelievable act that it people thought they have to praise it?

I've been in far worse condition after fights and I couldn't figure why he seemed so concerned. Or maybe he was just too shaken by the whole story and couldn't comprehend that such thing could happen to his little girl? He was a nice person though, I think I might have misjudged him and his whole family for that matter, not that I've spent much time thinking on the subject. I was glad that she was safe.

As I approached our house I noticed that the kitchen light was on, which meant that Damon was home and awake. Mother was supposed to be at work, thankfully, because I have no idea how I would have dealt with her right now, when it was becoming harder and harder for me to walk. I'm not sure I was even up to talking with Damon about it-I really didn't want anyone to know what happened, I liked to keep things to myself. It was better if they decided that I just fought with someone instead of knowing that I've come to the rescue of Elena Gilbert-the daughter of the best doctor in this god forsaken town.

It takes some time for me to find my keys since there's a bandage on my left hand and I'm pressing my broken rib with my right one so by the time I've found them I could hear my brother's steps in the hallway-he has figured I was coming home. I took too much time anyway. Just as I open the door he appears on the living room door post. As soon as he sees me he stops abruptly, obviously quite disturbed from what he was seeing before him. I try to compose myself and close the door behind me with the last strength I am left with. He rushes to me as soon as I stagger after desperately trying to put my shoes down.

"Stefan!" he says with a concerned voice and puts his arm over mine "What the hell have you done again?" I can't believe that for the first time in months I am the one to come home late, looking like hell and not him.

"I'm fine, brother" I try to free myself from his grip but he doesn't even let me go. We stop in the middle of our way to my room.

"Jesus Christ, how did you manage to do that? I left you alone for a few hours and you come home like this." my brother-he accepts things fast. He's just like that-he sees a problem and he either deals with it or comes to terms with it until he could figure out what to do. Now that he has seen me like that his first priority is to make sure I'm fine-that's just the person he is. I definitely looked up to him all those years while I was growing up. More or less, he is the reason I helped Elena today, he's the reason I didn't just pass by those gang of idiots trying to take advantage of a poor girl. Ok, metaphorically poor, cause her family-they definitely had quite the fortune.

"Damon, seriously, I'm fine." I said barely audible again

"Yeah, right." we slowly come closer to my room door and he opens it up. I make him stop on the way to my bed though, because it's hard for me to catch my breath-ok maybe Mr. Gilbert was right to give me all those painkillers. Damon waits impatiently besides me, there isn't a trace of smile on his face, now he's serious, trying to figure out what has happened. He's worried. And I hate it and appreciate it at the same time. In a minute I finally hit the bed and slowly try to lie down, but he stops me and pulls my jersey up.

"Damn it, Stefan. Did you break it?" he looks at my right side, without failing to notice the big bruise there.

"Damon, leave me alone." I push his hand away and lie slowly down, trying to find myself a place where it wouldn't hurt me. I close my eyes with the hope to fall asleep while he leaves my room, but he doesn't even make a move. Instead he catches my hand with the intentions to bring my attention back to him. But I don't look up, I don't have the strength to.

"What happened?" he asked silently which is his way of showing me that he wants to know.

"Nothing."

"You come home like this and the only thing you get to say is nothing? Come on, Stefan. You know mom will be pissed off, after she passes her initial shock. Is that what you're going to say to her as well?"

"No, you'll cover up for me." I say partly as a joke, partly seriously, because I really need his help this time.

"No way!" he's pissed off now. He can't understand why I'm being so stubborn. Honestly-I can't even explain it to myself "Not until you tell me what happened?"

I just shake my head and close my eyes again. I can hear him letting a deep sigh out.

"Will you ever stop being so stubborn? I am your brother, don't you trust me?" he's hurt now. Interesting, how many stages do we go through only so we can get a hold of the truth.

"It's not about trust." I let out tiredly "I just don't want to talk about it. Not now." even though he was very mad, he also understood my inability to comprehend a decent answer right now so he stopped pushing me, because he knew, deep down, that if it has happened to him I wouldn't ask any questions, I will just patiently wait until he feels he's ready to talk. And so he respected my decision and asked if I needed anything, after which he stayed by my side for quite some time until I felt myself dozing off.

Damon's POV

I spend some time by my brother's side, I don't know how much, I just sit there and think. Sometimes I even stand up abruptly when I notice him moving uncomfortably. I know he'll be fine though it might take some time, but I'm just concerned, especially after he refused to give me a proper explanation about what has happened.

Mom always said I was the one who brought more troubles, that was until Stefan grew up and started losing himself as well. I can't figure out what happened with him, I just can't, no matter how hard I try. He just..broke, out of nowhere. Not that he used to go out that much or be the center of attention, but he seemed to have shut himself off the whole world so much, especially lately. Or more likely-after he got expelled last year.

We didn't even talk that much anymore and now I think it's partly my fault-I have also drifted away. I went out every evening, then came back early in the morning when he left for training, I don't think I was keeping track of his life at all and this wasn't just some boy-he was my brother, I should be aware of what was going on with him. Mother was right all this time-I had no idea what was going on in his life. Maybe this is why he kept making all those mistakes-he was looking up to me, after all, and what was I doing-getting drunk and losing myself on my way home. Or even worse-making him come find me.

He has lost all kind of guidance in his life when he needed it most, when he was at this time of his life when he was supposed to figure out his future, to make important decisions. And he had no one. Yeah, mother was here of course, but lately things in our family were going just all the way down and I'm not sure that she even realized what was happening inside him, even though she was so bent on making me see how I have no idea what's going on in his life. I'm not sure she was able to as well. Sometimes you just need a wall behind you when you feel like falling so you can lean on something-instead he was just constantly making free falls into the nothingness.

Around five in the morning my mom came home back from work and found me in his room. I didn't hear her at first because I've started to fall asleep as well, but once she opened the door and managed to catch a glimpse of what was going on a worried expression appeared on her face. She was both startled and angry-she couldn't believe that he has done this for yet another time. I stood up and caught her hands nodding her to the door-he needed some sleep.

Once we ended up in the kitchen she pulled herself away from me.

"What on earth has happened again?" she was tired of it all, I knew it. But she was also worried, it was her little boy who has done yet another stupid thing and got himself hurt. "Why is he like that?"

"It's ok mom, it's fine. He just got into some quarrel with the guys from the other team after the game. He's alright, just a little bruised, nothing serious" I'm not sure I was even lying to her, since I didn't know how much he was hurting actually. I admit I was good when it came to lying. Or maybe she was just too tired which made it easier for her to believe me.

She leaned on the chair and put her hand on her forehead, while gently rubbing it-I guess she had another one of her headaches. We stood in silence for a while, both trying to assimilate the whole story, which wasn't probably even remotely close to the truth. I really hated it when I lied to her. But I owed him too much as well, especially after I brutally told him out that night when he got me home after I've got myself drunk.

"God, I should've went to see him play. He shouldn't have been alone. " she said tiredly after a while.

"He wasn't." she looks up surprised "I was there. But then he said he wants to take a walk for a while and I left him alone."

"I have no idea what I'm going to do with him anymore, Damon. He has to stop doing this."

"I know. " I said understandingly. After all she was right-the fact that I was lying to her didn't mean I couldn't actually be on the same page with her. "I'll talk to him, I promise. He just needs some guidance, it will all be fine." I tried to reassure her and she let a deep sigh out, seemingly a little relieved.

"Zach called me the other day" she said out of the blue and I furrowed my eyebrows. I couldn't see where she was going with this "We talked a lot about what's going on and he offered to take Stefan with him to Boston if things don't work out. He said that in the summer Stefan was staying away from troubles." our looks met and the strong disagreement in my eyes hit her "I thought a lot about it and I was against at first, but the more this keeps happening the more I think it will be better for him. Maybe he needs to get away. "

That suddenly got me extremely mad.

"You think sending him away will solve things? Really, mom?"

"Damon, I am trying here. Do you think that I just want him to leave so far away? This is half the country, not just a few miles!"

"Exactly! You are his mother-you are trying and you're going to try even harder. I know that I haven't been here lately and that I seemed like I don't give a damn about neither you nor him, but you can't just send him off. That's not how it works. He needs us, don't you get it?" I suddenly realized that I have raised my voice while trying to prove a point "And it's not only about him actually, it's also about us." with that I meant the words I couldn't say out loud simply because it was hard to get over myself -I needed him, that was the truth.

We looked at each other for quite some time until she finally nodded understandingly and I let a deep relieved sight out. Then I send her off to bed since she looked pretty much as worse as Stefan and I sat on the kitchen table, drinking a cup of strong black coffee and watching the sports channel. I don't think I was paying attention to the TV at all. I was just too lost in my own thoughts. But I was sure of one thing-I was bent on making things get better from now on-for all of us.

I couldn't bear watching yet another person from my life disappear. It was too painful.