On My Own (TVD Series)

Tolerance Over Dignity

Grabbing a bowl from the top cabinet, I heard the upstairs rooms creak open followed by footsteps echoing down the steps.

"Hey," Stefan whispered as he walked over by me.

"Hey, you came back late last night."

Pouring some milk into a glass, I grabbed my plate filled with eggs and bacon and sat on the highchairs.

"I went to talk to Elena...ended up having a 4-hour conversation with her instead."

"Wow...about what?" I asked taking a bite of my eggs.

"Away from Damon and my past, just about everything."

Raising my eyebrows quickly, I continue eating my breakfast as Stefan looks around the room to find something to eat.

"Oh, I was going to ask you...Do you still have 'Wuthering Heights?" He asked.

"Um, yeah. It's in the attic on the shelf, why?"

"I told Elena about Ellis Bell, turns out she's a fan." He sighed, staring down at the counter in front of me.

"Does she know that she doesn't actually use her real name? Because if she doesn't then we have a problem."

"No, she knows." He chuckled.

"Good."

Sitting down beside me, he sips on his cup of coffee and reads the newspaper when we hear the front door open and close.

"I'm home!"

"Great..." I hissed.

Finishing my last bite of bacon, I grabbed my plate and glass of milk before hopping down from the highchair and dropped my dishes in the sink.

"In a hurry?" I heard Damon say, leaning on the doorframe which led out of the kitchen.

"I have...I have art class early in the morning."

"Hmm...that's weird. I swear I saw your class schedule and I didn't see an art class on there?" He said in a low tone.

"Damon, just let her go," Stefan added.

"Our little sister needs to stand up for herself, Stefan. One day she'll have to fight her own battles and her big bro isn't going to be there to save the day. I know I won't, I'll enjoy watching the fight." He said with a sarcastic smile on his face.

Shutting the sink off, I stood up straighter and started to make my way to the door when Damon took one large step forward forcing me to flinch at the quick move.

"Sorry...did I scare you?" He whispered, close enough to send shivers down my neck.

"Excuse me, Damon." Stepping to the side, I slowly moved past the door and released a giant huff of air once I made it to the front door.

"Pathetic." I heard Damon just as I opened the door.

Glancing over to the kitchen, I tighten my grip on my bag strap before stepping down and heading to my car.

~

Parking in the first row of cars, I stepped out grabbing my bag and my art book from the back seat, when I see Matt walking towards me.

"Hey, I didn't think I'd see you again?" He said, walking around my car.

"Yeah, sorry...I sort of freaked out about your sister. I'm sorry, by the way. How is she?" I asked, following him towards the front entrance for class.

"They're keeping her overnight to make sure there's no infection, but she should be able to come home tomorrow."

"That's good news," I said.