❝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...
Alcohol. That's all you could smell. Elena pulled Carter through the door behind her, talking vividly about what she was going to say to Stefan. Apparently, tonight was the night she was going to tell him she liked him. Carter squeezed past Tyler and Caroline, following Elena into the kitchen. Matt and Bonnie were there, drinks in their hands. "Hey!" Matt cheered, pulling her smaller frame into an embrace. She laughed against his chest, standing on her toes to press a kiss to his lips. "How are you?" he asked her over the music, kissing her head. She scrunched her nose; she could practically hear the girls snickering behind her. "Good. Better now," she teased, feeling Elena pull at her arm. "He's here," she whispered to her best friend, biting at her lip. "Don't wait up."
She leaned her head against Matt's shoulder, smiling to herself. "Let's get you a drink," he hummed, unraveling his arm from around her waist and clutching her hand. A beer was shoved in her other hand, and the two were off. After three, a bubbly feeling began to take over her stomach. She didn't think she was drunk, not necessarily. The music pounded through her ears, and Matt's lips were toxic. She was pushed up against a wall, Matt's lips on hers, heated and feverish. Her body was tingling with electricity, stinging against his touch. "I really like you, Carter," he hummed against her lips, sloppily kissing down her jaw. A gasp slipped past her lips as his hands felt free to roam. One large hand gripped her thigh, and she instinctively pulled him closer, allowing him to move her leg around his waist.
"I like you, too," she whispered, their lips parted. His forehead rested against her, blue jems hidden behind long lashes. His lashes casted a shadow over his cheeks, colors illuminating his face. Blues, greens, and purples lit up the room, showering over their closeknit bodies. His other hand found her cheek, thumb running along her cheekbone. She giggled drunkenly at his soft action, her green eyes twinkling. "Be my girlfriend?" he asked the girl, his voice as soft as a whisper. Her heart sped up, slamming against her chest. She couldn't speak, not yet.
As an answer, she pushed her lips against his once more, fingers tight in his hair. He smiled against her lips, deepening the kiss. Feverishly, his hands gripped her bottom, lifting her off the ground in one swift motion. He had her pinned against the wall, one hand in her strawberry blonde curls, the other on her bottom. His touch sent chills down her spine. She tilted her head, his mouth leaving open kisses down her neck and to her chest. His hand followed, pulling at the dip of her neckline to reveal a lot more cleavage than she thought was there. "Matt!" someone shouted, causing his lips to leave her skin and for her body to be set down easily until her feet hit the floor. "We'll continue this later, okay?" he assured her, kissing her forehead.
His usual sky blue eyes were as dark as the distressed ocean, lips swollen, and cheeks red. His hair was disheveled from her raking fingers. She nodded with a shy smile, only imagining what she had to have looked like. Matt followed a jockish boy toward the front door, and that's when Carter spotted Elena running toward them. What was going on? She looked around, hoping to find Bonnie, but the girl was nowhere to be seen. They say curiosity killed the cat. Maybe that's true, but Carter fought through the crowd until ahe could see through a window what was going on. Matt was holding back a shouting Tyler while Stefan and Elena held onto a bloodied boy that looked a bit like Elena. She pushed past a couple that was making out, and jogged down the steps the best she could.
"What's going on?" she asked someone else who was standing there, watching the whole ordeal. He snickered, large arms crossed over his chest. "Little Gilbert picked a fight with Tyler. Apparently they like the same girl," he replied, shaking his head. "I'd leave her to the druggie. Neither of them are worth it." She glared at the ground, angry that he would insult Jeremy like that. He seemed like a good kid, he's just going through a lot. "No, Elena!" Jeremy shouted, shoving her hands from his body. He stomped off toward the front gate, leaving an anxious Elena to turn to Stefan. Quickly, Carter raced over to Elena, engulfing her in a hug. She held tightly onto her friend, her eyes screwed shut. Carter could feel her hand clutch her top, nose pressed to her burning neck. "Its okay," she told her, smoothing her hair down.
The two parted slightly before her eyes looked over Carter's head. "Someone's waiting for you," she told her with glossy eyes. She looked over her shoulder to see Matt standing there awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Go get 'em, tiger." Her cheeks burned as color came to life in them, but she smiled and nodded. Her small hands left her shoulders, but her fingers quickly combed through Carter's wild curls. "Okay, now go," Elena giggled, wrapping her arms over her chest. Carter hesitated, biting down on her lip. "Are you sure?" she asked, only to be shoved gently toward Matt. The strawberry blonde smiled, turning on her heels, almost tripping in the process. He was closer than she had thought.
"Wanna continue?" he asked cheekily, sticking his hand out for her to take. The blush on her cheeks continued to redden as she let out a laugh, slipping her hand into his. He lead her toward the stairs to walk into the house, Matt's hand squeezing her hand gently. People still danced along to the music, alcohol splashing out of red solo cups and heated make out sessions in pretty much every corner. She huddled closer to him, pushing through the thickening crowd. A smile grew on her face, until she heard her name being called by Caroline. She turned at her voice, dreading the decision. Beside her stood Damon, his icy blue eyes sending daggers in Carter's direction.
"If I see you again, I'll kill you."
"Matt, please get me out of here," she quickly and quietly whimpered, stuck to her spot, eyes met with his. A smirk grew on his lips as his arm slung over Caroline's shoulders. It felt like time stopped. Beneath all that beauty of Damon's perfectly sculptured face, Carter could see the scars. He was ugly underneath, face blackened by his personality. "Are you okay? Is something wrong?" Matt asked her, his hand capturing her cheek. She flinched, watching as the blonde and her date began moving closer to them. "Please, get me out of here." Her voice cracked with fear, and he noticed. Dropping his hand, her took her by the shoulders and pulled her away from the scene.
In that moment, she could see her own death. She could see her blood covering Damon's smiling lips, dark veins sprouting beneath his eyes. Her eyes were dead, her own blood smeared across her face like she was some kind of prized masterpiece. Like she was his biggest kill of the year. The cold air chilled her, her shaky hands fighting away from Matt. "Where's Elena? I need to leave. Oh, God," she babbled on, feeling her knees go weak beneath her. "Carter, hey, what's going on?" he asked, capturing her shoulder's once more. Fat tears began to trek down her face. "Did that guy hurt you? The guy Caroline's with?" She whimpered, wrapping her arms around his shoulders tightly.
"I need to get out of here," she cried, Matt's arms holding her waist tightly. "Okay, okay," he whispered. He held her close, whispering soothing words in her ear to calm her down. Damon was here and he was going to kill her. How could this get any worse?
