❝her love was engrossing,
rampant, and enliving.
so much that,
she became an indispensable
part of him.❞
-j.o
After two tragedies that struck her deep into a depressive state, Carter...
She was alone. After finishing breakfast, she had decided to go out and explore the new town. She dressed up in a white button up, the shirt covered with a maroon sweater. She slid on a pair of mom jeans before slipping her feet into a pair of tennis shoes. She had to drive to town, which was actually pretty stress free. The cool air splashed against her face from the vents as Vance Joy sang to her through the speakers. She sang along to the songs she so dearly loved, probably looking like a complete weirdo to the cars speeding by her, or parked next to her at the few red lights she had to stop at. It was nice; really nice. It was even nicer outside with the sun's rays beating down on her smaller frame.
The people were remarkably kind, save for a select few. If they bumped into you, they apologised, which never happened in her old town. She walked around for a while, looking through boutiques and stores, before stopping at the restaurant for lunch. It was furnished with wooden tables and booths, and one large bar in the back of the room. It reminded her a lot of the restaurant in She's The Man, her all time favorite movie. It wasn't packed, but it was definitely busy. The five foot three girl weaved through people until a cold liquid spilled down her left shoulder and a cup clanked on the ground. She gasped in shock, bumping right into the table behind her. "Shit," the blond male gasped, setting a small, yellow rag onto her shoulder as she looked at him incredulously.
"Shit, I am so sorry," he told her, unable to say anything else. And, although her arm was now freezing, she couldn't help but laugh. Her action caused a shy smile to crawl onto his lips as she handed him back his rag. "It's okay. I didn't realise you were turning," she finally responded, recovering from her fit of laughter, wiping away non existent tears. He scratched the back of his neck, his bicep flexing beneath his white t-shirt. She noticed, swallowing thickly. The boy was attractive. His blond hair was messy on top of his head, and his had these beautiful blue eyes...
Blue eyes.
She shuddered slightly involuntarily, his eyebrows falling. "Are you cold? I have a jacket. I mean, its the least I can do," he rushes out, but she quickly declined his offer with a polite smile. "At least let me buy you a drink."
"Too young," she replied.
"So am I. I meant a water or soda," he chuckled.
"Oh, God. I'm sorry. I..."
His laugh was golden. His smile was perfect. She smiled to her as her words stopped, observing him as he calmed himself. "How old are— wait, that's rude." It was then her turn to laugh. She couldn't get over how cute and awkward he was. "I'm seventeen," she spilled, just like the glass he had spilled on her. His eyes seemed to light up at her statement; just like a Christmas tree. She bit her lip to hold back my smile. "No way. Me too!" Oddly enough, she actually became very excited. "Where do you go to school?" She ran my fingers over the damp fabric, responding: "Mystic Falls High." Once again, his eyes seem to twinkle and the pit of her stomach started tingling. "Me too!" She had to hold back a joyful squeal and quickly replaced it with a nod. The cute guy was going to be near her five days of the week. She couldn't help but rejoice in her head.
"I'm Matt, by the way. Matt Donovan," he introduced himself, sticking out his larger hand. She slipped her own hand into his, smiling. "Carter, Carter Harmon. Its a pleasure to meet you," she responded sweetly, her cheeks heating up, a faint rose color coloring his own cheeks. "The pleasure is all mine." She cracked a smile with a small chuckle, my heartbeat filling my throat. "You're a lot different than most boys I meet," she commented, her head tilted to the side. His milky skin began to pink again, his eyes casting down to the floor. "Yeah, well, I'm pretty different." She had no idea that he implied his living situation, or the fact that his family was completely screwed up. She never realized he meant that he had to grow up too soon.
Within their shared silence, she turned to see that her table was now occupied by two females and her cousin, Tyler. She rolled her eyes, silently. Matt seemed to know them, also, Tyler and the blonde girl beside him waving. Their eyes fell on the strawberry blonde, who shifted uncomfortably beneath their gazes. She ignored the sudden jitter in her fingers as she looked around her for another table. There was a free table a few feet away, it's surface begging the girl to sit down. She whirled back around to face her new acquaintance. "I'm going to go sit and eat. Maybe I'll see you tomorrow," she told the blond boy, and he nodded in return with his heart melting smile. "Definitely." She looked down to her shoes with a grin, purposely ducking her head to avoid the others' curious eyes.
Soon, she was sitting down, half a burger left and ketchup covered fries. The restaurant had excellent food and attractive staff. I will definitely be coming back here, she thought with a smile. After finishing her food, she paid and left. Matt waved from the bar, which caused her heart to leap out of her chest. Seeing his smile and the lines beneath his eyes sent butterflies in her stomach. Once she stepped out of the building, the warm sun rained its heat down on her, causing her to take in a nice intake of air. It was the last day of summer, and she was actually quite excited.
Who knew what was to come? Things could be different. She fished in the small brown leather satchel across her chest for her keys. She gasped as the restaurant door hit her from behind, causing her body to move slightly forward. Aggravated, she rolled her eyes and bit her tongue. She didn't want to come off as an unpleasant person her first day, not when there were so many kind people so far. "Jesus. Sorry. . . Again," Matt's voice spoke out, causing her teeth to unclench. She slowly turned to look at the rosy cheeked boy, shocked. "I just thought that, maybe, I could get your number? Just for school. You know?" He was rambling, his left hand scratching the back of his neck. A smile burst across her face like a set of fireworks. "Never mind, it sounded better in my head."
Before he could turn around, his face fallen, Carter snagged the pen out of his pocket and scribbled the digits to her phone number on his arm. The dark ink stood out against his milky skin, her handwriting neat. "Don't forget to use it, even for non-school related subjects," she commented, her fair skin tinted pink. "Yeah, I definitely will." He smiled at her widely, cheeks red. She bit back any words that would embarrass him and it seemed he was speechless. He nodded, with that shy smile, and turned on his heels, leaving the strawberry blonde to smile in silence. And that was probably the most comfortable silence she'd been in ever.
After digging for what felt like forever, she finally pulled out her keys and made her way to her car, only to spot the mystery guy in the woods. But only for a moment, though. It was as if she was just seeing things; like flashbacks. While her heart slammed against her ribcage at a million miles per minute, she stumbled to get her key into the door. Her hands were shaking and her breath rattled past her lips. That was when a hand slapped against the car window next to her, landing right beside her face.
