The Vampire Diaries(BxB)

Meeting Stefan

The Sun is rising, as I'm sitting next to my window, writing in my black leather journal. "Dear Journal, today will be different. It has to be. I will smile, and it will be believable, not like most people would ask me anyway. I'm just a shy person when it comes to new people. The smile will say, I'm fine, thanks. Yes. I feel much better. I will no longer be the little boy who lost his parents. I will start fresh, be someone knew, but I will still be a smartass, considering its my nature. It's the only way I'll make it through." I write. I stand up and go look over at the mirror at my short brown hair, with blonde highlights, and my gray shirt and jeans, and grab my gray Herschel Heritage backpack, and put my beanie on, and walk downstairs to the kitchen, and to the coffee machine, as Aunt Jenna is in the fridge. "Toast. I can make toast." She says, as I pour coffee. "It's all about the coffee, Aunt Jenna." I say. "Is there coffee?" Jeremy, my younger brother, says, as I look at him, while putting the coffee pot down. "Your first day of school, and I'm totally unprepared." She says, as Jeremy takes my coffee, and I roll my eyes, and pour another cup. "Lunch money?" She asks, holding out cash, as I look at her. "I'm good." I say, and look back to make sure I don't spill my coffee, and put it back on the machine, and walk around Jeremy. "Anything else? A number two pencil? What am I missing?" She asks, as I look at her. "Don't you have a big presentation today?" I ask. "I'm meeting with my Thesis Advisor at.. now." She says, looking at her watch, and takes her hair down. "Crap." She says. "Then go. We'll be fine." I say, as she looks at me, and sighs, and runs to the door, as I look at Jeremy, and hear the door open and shut. "You okay?" I ask. "Don't start." He says, and walks off, as I turn around, and watch him walk off, and I turn back around, and sigh, and sip my coffee. I'm in the car with my best friend Mark. "So Grams is telling me I'm psychic. Our Ancestors were from Salem, which isn't all that, I know, crazy." He says, as I smile, and look forward. "But she's going on and on about it, and I'm like, but this woman in a home already!" He exclaims, as I look out my window. "But then I started thinking, I predicted Obama and I predicted Heath Ledger, and I still think Florida will break off and turn into little Resort Islands. Ethan!" He exclaims, as I look at him. "Back in the car." He says, smiling, as I look down. "I um. I did it again, didn't I? I. I'm sorry, Mark." I say, as I look at him. "You were telling me that.." I say. "That I'm psychic now." He says, smiling, and looks forward. "Right. Ok, then predict something. About me." I say, and he looks at me, and sighs. "I see.." He says, and looks forward, as a Crow hits our window, and spins the car, and stops the car, as we both gasp. "What was that? Oh, my God. Ethan, are you okay?" He asks. "It's ok. I'm fine." I say, looking at him. "It was like a bird or something. It came out of nowhere." He says. "It was a Crow. Really, I can't be freaked out by cars for the rest of my life." I say, and he exhales. "I predict this year is going to be kick ass." He says, and I nod, smiling. "And I predict all the sad and dark times are over and you are going to be beyond happy." He says, as I smile a little more, and he smiles back, and he starts the car again. We arrive to school. "Major lack of male and female real estate. Look at that shower curtain on Kelly Beach. She looks a hot. Can I still say, Tranny Mess?" He asks. "No, that's over." I say, smiling. "Ahh, find a man or woman, coin of phrase. It's a busy year." He says, and opens his locker, smiling. "I'm gay, so unless your talking about yourself with the whole woman part." I say, and turn around, and see Matt, my ex, and give a small wave, and he looks at me, and looks at his locker, shuts it, and walks off, and I sigh, and turn back to Mark. "He hates me." I say, crossing my arms. "That's not hate. Thats, you dumped me, but I'm too cool to show it, but secretly listening to Pink's Greatest Hits." She says, and I look down, and hear footsteps, and look back up to see Tony, a friend. "Ethan. Oh, my God." He says, hugging me, and I pat his shoulder. "How are you?" He asks, and releases me. "Oh, it's so good to see you. How is he? Is he good?" He asks Mark. "Tony, I'm right here. And I'm fine." I say, as he looks at me, smiling. "Thanks." I say. "Really?" He asks, nodding. "Yeah, much better." I say, nodding, and he hugs me again, a little tight. "Oh, you poor thing." He says. "Ok, Tony." I say, and he stops. "Oh! Ok, see you guys later?" He asks, and walks off. "Ok, bye." I say, and look back at Mark. "No comment. I'm not gonna say anything." I say, as we walk off. We're walking past Guidance, as I'm holding books. "Hold up. Who's this?" He asks, and we stop walking, and I see a guy with his back turned in sunglasses, a leather hoodie, and dark blue jeans. "All I see is back." I say. "It's a hot back." He says, as I give a small laugh. "He's probably not even into guys. And if he were, probably not into me." I say. "Oh, cheer up." He says, as I sigh. "I'm sensing Seattle, and he plays a guitar." He says, as I look at him, and give a small laugh. "You're really going to run this whole psychic thing into the ground, huh?" I ask. "Pretty much." He says, as I look up, and see Jeremy with some guy. "Jeremy, good batch, man." The guy says, and Jeremy walks off to the bathroom. "I'll be right back." I say, and walk off to the bathroom. I open the door, and walk over to Jeremy, and grab his face, making him look at me, as I'm checking his eyes. "Great." I say, and take my hand down. "It's the first day of school and you're stoned." I say. "No, I'm not." He says. "Where is it? Is it on you?" I ask, patting his pockets. "Stop, all right?! You need to chill yourself, all right?" He asks, pushing my hands off. "Chill myself? What is that, Stoner Talk? Dude you are so cool." I say, sarcastically, searching again, and he pushes my hands off. "Look, stop! I don't have anything on me. Are you crazy?" He asks. "You haven't seen crazy, Jeremy! I'm the smartest kid in school, so don't think crazy yet. I gave you a Summer pass, but I am done watching you destroy yourself." I say, and he trys to walk past, and I push him back, and put my hand down. "No, you know what? Go ahead. Keep it up. But just know that I am going to be there to ruin your buzz every time, you got it?" I ask, and exhale. "Jeremy, I know who you are. And it's not this person." I say, shaking my head. "So don't be this person." I say. "I don't need this." He says, and walks past me, and I turn around, and he opens the door, and walks out. It's a few seconds later, as I open the door, and walk out, and look backwards, and begin to walk forward, as I turn around, and bump into someone, as I almost fall, as do my books, but he catches my hand, and my books, and pulls me up, as I look at him. "Oh, I'm sorry. Are you okay?" He asks, and I give a small smile, and realize it's the guy from Guidance. "Uh.. yeah. I'm. I'm fine. Thanks. Nice, um.. nice reflexes." I say, and he nods, and I begin to walk off, but he goes the same way, and I give a small laugh. "Just.." I say, and try to walk the other way, but it happens again, and he smiles, and moves to the right. "Thanks." I say, and walk off, and look back to see him looking at me. I'm in Mr. Tanner's class, History, as he's talking about Virginia. "Once our home state of Virginia joined Confederacy in eighteen sixty one, it created a tremendous amount of tension within the state." He says, as I look at Matt, and he looks back, and I face forward, and look down. "People in Virginia's Northwest Region had different ideals than those from the traditional deep South." He says, as I look up, and turn to my right, and look at the guy from Guidance. "Then Virginia divided in eighteen sixty three with the Northwest Region joining the Union." Tanner says, as the guy looks at me, and I smile, turning my head, and my phone beeps, and I look at it, to see it's a text from Mark. "Hot E staring @ you." I read to myself, and look up, giving a small smile. It's after school, as I'm walking towards the Cemetery, and walk in, and hear a bird squawk, and look behind me, and turn back around. I'm sitting under a tree, writing in my journal. "Dear Journal, I made it through the day, somehow. I must have said, I'm fine, thanks, at least fifty six times, and I didn't mean it once. But no one noticed. I'm not as popular as my friends." I write, and look up at my parents grave. "When someone asks, how are you, they really don't want an answer." I say, writing, and hear a bird squawk, and look up. "Ok. Hi, bird." I say, and it squawks again. "That's not um.. creepy or.. uh.. anything." I say, and sigh, and see fog coming from nowhere, and I put my journal down, and the bird squawks again, and I walk over to it, and shoo it away. "Shoo!" I exclaim, and it flys off. "That's what I thought." I say, and turn around, and see it again, and it squawks, and I step back, and reach for my journal, looking at the bird, and grab my journal and bag, and run off, as it flys off. I look behind me, and see someone standing there behind the fog, and I turn around, and begin running again. I fall down a hill, and get back up, and turn around, and see the guy from earlier. "You okay?" He asks, and I breathe heavily. "Were you following me?" I ask. "No, I, uh. I saw you fall." He says, and I shake my head. "Mhm, and you just happened to be hanging out in a Cemetery. I saw someone back there." I say. "I'm visiting. I have family here. So, you saw me leaving." He says. "Oh, God. Wow. Indiscreet. I'm sorry. It's the fog, and then back there, there was this bird, and it was all very Hitchcock for a second. That's the bird movie, right, the Hitchcock?" I ask, as he smiles at me, and I give a small laugh. "I'm, um.. I'm Ethan." I say, giving a small smile. "I'm Stefan." He says. "I know. We um.. have History class together." I say. "And English and French." He says. "Mhm." I say. "Oh, you got some um.. grass." He says, taking the piece of grass off my shirt. "Thanks." I say, and notice his ring. "Cool ring." I say. "Oh. Um, it's a Family Ring, yeah. I'm kinda stuck with it. It's weird, huh?" He asks, smiling. "No, no. Um.. it's just, I mean, there are rings, and then there's that." I say, giving a small laugh, and he puts his hand down, and he looks down, and back up. "Did you hurt yourself? With the uh.. fall?" He asks. "I don't know." I say, walking over to a tombstone, and roll my jeans up, and see it's bleeding. "God." I say, and look at him, as he has his back turned. "You okay?" I ask. "You should go. Take care of that." He says, and I look back my jeans, and roll my jeans down. "I'm okay." I say, and put my leg down, and look forward, and see he's gone. I'm at home, as it's later at night, in a black shirt, carrying my Drake Owl Hoodie. "I'm meeting Mark at the Grill." I say, walking past Aunt Jenna. "Ok, have fun. Wait, I've got this." She says, as I look at her. "Don't stay out late, it's a school night, and don't forget to eat." She says. "Don't worry, I have the alarm set on my phone, and I'm also eating when I get there. New me, I guess. And well done, Aunt Jenna." I say. "You too." She says, smiling, and walks off, as I walk to the door, and put my hoodie on the table next to my bag, and open it, and see Stefan, and gasp. "Sorry, I was about to knock. I wanted to apologize for my disappearing act earlier. I know it was.. strange." He says. "No worries." I say, nodding. "I totally get it with the whole blood makes you squeamish thing." I say, and we both laugh. "Something like that. How's your leg?" He asks, looking down, and back up, and so do I. "Oh. It's fine. I cleaned it up. How did you know where I lived?" I ask. "It's a small town. I asked the first person I saw." He says, as I give a small smile, and he reaches in his pocket. "Uh, I thought you might want this back." He says, handing me my journal. "Oh, I've must of dropped it." I say, taking it. "Thanks." I say. "Don't worry, I didn't.. uh.. read it." He says, as I look up at him. "No? Why not? Most people would have." I say. "Well, I wouldn't want anyone to read mine." He says. "You keep a Journal, too?" I ask. "Yeah, if I don't write it down, I forgot it. Memories are too important." He says. "Yeah. I'm just gonna. Uh, you don't have to stay out there." I say, walking backwards, and grab my hoodie, and put my journal in my bag, and walk back over to him, as he's still outside. "Sorry, were you going somewhere?" He asks. "Yeah, uh, I'm meeting a friend." I say, and walk out my door. "Do you by chance want to come?" I ask. "I'd love to." He says, smiling, and I put my hoodie on. I arrive to the Grill with Stefan, and see Tony and Tyler staring at us, and I look back at Stefan, and give a small smile, and see Matt approach us. "Hey, I'm Matt, nice to meet you." He says, offering a handshake. "Hey. Stefan." Stefan says, shaking it, and they release, and Matt looks at me, and I smile. "Hi." I say. "Hey." He says. Stefan and I are sitting with Tony and Mark. "So, you were born in Mystic Falls?" Tony asks Stefan. "Yep. And moved when I was still young." Stefan says. "Parents?" Mark asks. "My parents passed away." He says, nodding, and looks at me. "I'm sorry. Any siblings?" I ask. "None that I talk to. I live with my Uncle." He says. "So, Stefan, if you're new, then you don't know about the party tomorrow." Tony says, as we look at him, and I sip my Pepsi. "It's a back to school thing at the Falls." Mark says. "Are you going?" Stefan asks, as I look at him. "Of course he is." Mark says. "I don't think so. Last time I went to one, I already hated it. It was.. uh.. that night." I say. "It'll be fun." Tony says, and I sigh. "Fine. I'll go. But this counts as my first official high school party." I say, and Stefan smiles. We're in Tanner's class. "The Battle of Willow Creek took place right at the end of the war in our very own Mystic Falls. How many Casualties resulted in this Battle? Mr. Bennett?" Tanner asks. "Uh.. a lot? I'm not sure. Like a whole lot." Mark says, as we all laugh except for Tanner. "Dumb becomes stupid in a instant, Mr. Bennett. Mr. Donovan. Would you like to take this opportunity to overcome your embedded Jock stereotype?" Tanner asks. "It's ok, Mr. Tanner, I'm cool with it." He says, and we all laugh, except for Tanner. "Hmm. Ethan? I'm sure you can enlighten us about one of the town's most significantly historical events?" He asks. "Yes, I have it in my notes." I say, looking through them, and it falls on the ground, and I scramble to pick it up. "Not fast enough." He says, and I look up at him, and set my notebook down, looking down. "Personal excuses ended after Summer break. Even though I was lenient for obvious reasons." He says. "There were three hundred and forty six Casualties." Stefan says, as I look up, and at him. "Unless you're counting Local Civilians." He says. "That's correct. Mr?" Tanner asks. "Salvatore." Stefan says, as I smile, and look at Tanner. "Salvatore. Any relation to the Original Settlers here at Mystic Falls?" Tanner asks. "Distant." Stefan says. "Well, very good. Except, of course, there were no civilian casualties in this battle." Tanner says. "Actually, there were twenty, sir." Stefan says, as I look at him. "Confederate soldiers, they fired on the church, believing it to be housing weapons. They were wrong. It was a night of great loss. The Founder's Archives are, uh, stored in civil hall if you'd like to brush up on your facts, Mr. Tanner." He says, and we all laugh, except Tanner. It's later at night, as I'm at the Falls with Mark. "Just admit it, Ethan." He says. "Oh, ok, so he's a little cute, not like I'm special or anything." I say. "He has that romance novel stare. Stefan looked deep into his eyes, piercing hair very soul." He says, and I give a small laugh. "So where is he?" He asks. "I don't know. You all peer pressured me into coming here. You tell me, your the psychic one." I say, and he smiles. "Right, I forgot. Ok, give me a sec. Grams says I have to concentrate." He says, and I hold up one finger, and I put it down. "Wait, you may need a Crystal Ball." I say, and look around for a beer bottle, and pick one up. "Ta da. More or less." I say, handing it to him, and he takes it, and stares at me, and pulls his hand back. "What?" I ask. "That was weird. When I touched you, I saw a Crow." He says. "What?" I ask. "A Crow. There was fog, a man. I'm drunk. It's the drinking. There's nothing psychic about it. Yeah? Ok, I'm gonna get a refill." He says, and walks off. "Ok. Mark!" I exclaim, looking back, and then look forward, and see Stefan. "Hey." He says, smiling, and I give a small laugh. "Hi." I say. "I did it again, didn't I?" He asks, and I nod. "Yeah." I say. "I'm sorry. You're upset about something." He says. "Oh, uh.. no, it's Mark. He's.." I say, and pause for a moment, looking to my left, and back to him. "You know what? Nevermind." I say, shaking my head, and smile. "You're.. here." I say. "I'm here." He says, nodding, and we walk off together. "You know, you're kind of the Talk of the Town." I say, smiling. "Am I?" He asks. "Mhm. Mysterious new guy, oh, yeah." I say, as he smiles. "Well, you have the mysterious thing going, too. Twinged in sadness." He says. "What makes you think that I'm sad?" I ask. "Well, we did meet in a Graveyard." He says, as I'm looking forward. "Right." I say, and look at him. "Well, no, technically we met when I was coming out of the Men's Room." I say, and we both laugh. "You don't want to know. It's not exactly party chit chat." I say. "Well, I've never really been very good at, uh, chit chat." He says, and I look down. "Last spring.." I say, and look up at him. "My parents' car drove off of a bridge into the lake. And I was in the backseat and I survived, but.. they didn't. They came for me because of some stupid party I went to that my friends convinced me to come to. So that's my story." I say, walking forward, and don't notice him walking next to me, and turn around, looking at him, and step closer. "You won't be sad forever, Ethan." He says, and I exhale and nod. "I like Mark, he seems like a good friend." He says, and I smile. "Best friend in the World." I say. "And Matt, he can't seem to, uh, take his eyes off of us." He says, and I look behind me at Matt, and look back at him. "Matt's that friend since childhood that you start dating because you owe it to yourselves to see if you can be more." I say, and he nods. "And?" He asks. "And then my parents died, and everything changes." I say, looking down, and back up to him. "Anyway, Matt and I, together we just, I don't know, it wasn't, um.. it wasn't.. uh.." I say. "Passionate." He says, as I smile. "No. No, it wasn't passionate." I say, and see something in his eye change. "Hey, uh, are you okay? Um, your eye, it just, it's. It's changed." I say, and he turns around and rubs them. "Oh, um.. yeah, no. It's, uh. It's nothing. Uh, are you thirsty? I'm gonna get us a drink." He says, and walks off. I'm walking around where everyone else is, looking for Stefan. "Looking for someone?" Matt asks, as I look at him, and see he's holding a beer. "Hi." I say. "When you broke up with me, you said it was because you needed some time alone. You don't look so alone to me." He says."Matt, you don't understand, it's." I say, and he interrupts me. "That's ok, Ethan. You do what you have to do. I just want to let you know that.. I still believe in us. And I'm not giving up on that." He says, and turns around, and walks off. "Matt." I say, and sigh. I'm sitting on a wooden fence, and see Stefan and Tony talking, and see Stefan walk over to me. "I was wondering who abducted you, but now I know." I say, and look at Tony, and back to him. "Is he that with, uh, all the guys?" He asks, looking down, and back to me. "No. Uh, you're fresh meat. He'll back off eventually." I say, smiling, and he looks down, and back up, and I see Jeremy, drunk."God, you gotta be kidding me!" I exclaim. "What is it?" He asks. "My brother." I say. "The drunk one?" He asks. "That would be the one. Excuse me." I say, and hop off the fence. "Need some help?" He asks, as I'm walking off, and look back at him. "Trust me, you're not gonna want to witness this." I say, and turn back around. "Jeremy! Jeremy! Jeremy, where the hell are you going?" I ask, as I see him, and he turns around. "I don't want to hear it!" He exclaims, and falls. "Yeah, well, too bad!" I exclaim, as he grunts. "Vicki? No!" He exclaims, and I see Vicki, with a wound on her neck. "Oh, my God, it's Vicki!" He exclaims, as I crouch down next to her. "Oh, my God!" I exclaim, and take my bag off, and pull out medical supplies, and I apply alcohol and a bandage to her wound, and she gasps, and Jeremy lifts her up, and we run back to where the people are. "Somebody help!" I yell, and Tyler and Matt come running towards us. "What happened to her?" Tyler asks. "Somebody, call an ambulance!" Matt yells. "Everybody, back up, give her some space!" Tyler yells. "I applied some alcohol and a bandage to her wound, but she needs to see a doctor. It's her neck. Something bit her." I say. "Vicki, Vicki, come on, open your eyes, look at me. The Ambulance soon arrive with Animal Control, and are taking Vicki to the Hospital. "Hey." Mark says, as I look at him. "We're gonna go mainline coffee, wait for news." He says, and I nod, and look to my right at Jeremy, and back to him. "I gotta take Jeremy home." I say. "Ethan, there's no way I'm psychic. I know that. But whatever I saw, or I think I saw, I have this feeling.." He says, and I shake my head. "Mark, what?" I ask. "That it's just the beginning." He says. I walk over to Jeremy, as I see he's drinking a beer, and pat his shoulder. "You okay?" I ask, and put my hand down. "I called Jenna, she's on her way." I say, and look at the Police. "Those people in uniforms, last time I checked, they're the Police." I say, looking at him, smiling, and he finishes his beer, and throws the bottle behind him. "People are going to stop giving you breaks, Jer. They just don't care anymore. They don't remember that our parents are dead, because they've got their own lives to deal with. The rest of the World has moved on. You should try, too." I say, as he's looking forward, and looks at me. "I've seen you in the Cemetery, writing in your Journal. Is that. Is that supposed to be you moving on?" He asks, and I shake my head. "Mom and Dad wouldn't have wanted this." I say, and look down, and back up to him. I'm at home by my window, writing in my journal. "Dear Journal, I couldn't have been more wrong. I thought that I could smile, nod my way through it. Pretend like it would all be okay. I had a plan. I wanted to change who I was. Create a life as someone new, someone without the past. Without the pain. Someone alive. But it's not that easy. The bad things stay with you. They follow you. You can't escape them, as much as you want to. All you can do is be ready for the good. So when it comes, you invite it in, because you need it. I need it." I write, and look out the window, and see Stefan, and close my journal, and get up, and run downstairs, and open the door, and see him standing there. "I know it's late. But, uh.. I need to know that you were okay." He says. "You know, for months, that's all anyone's wondered about me. If I'll be okay." I say. "What do you tell them?" He asks. "That I'll be fine." I say. "Do you ever mean it?" He asks. "Ask me tomorrow. It's warmer in the house. We can talk." I say, and step to my right. "Would you like to come in?" I ask, and he smiles. "Yes." He says, and I walk backwards, and he walks in, and I shut the door, smiling.