Wrong Decision ✖️ Stelena

Chapter Thirty-Two

I remember the days after Stefan first came to town. It was a time where I felt absolutely alone, but after one day, I was filled with hope, hope that everything would get better, hope that I would happy, and hope that the upcoming year would fill me with joy. Those days with Stefan were the beginning of a love story almost everyone in town new, but they were also the memories I held closest to my heart.

Walking through the halls of Mystic Falls High School brought back a tidal wave of memories, especially when I saw the plaque that said "Cutest Couple" with our pictures underneath from Junior year. The halls were absolutely epic, except for a few wandering students, considering it was the first period, which meant that I could roam wherever I wanted. One of the teachers I didn't seem to recognize stopped me in the hall.

"And you are?" he said, sending me a glare, which slightly terrified me.

"Elena," I said, wanting to get out of this uncomfortable situation. I needed too, but I was just hoping one of my old teachers would show up. I still wanted to replay all the memories from what was both the best and worse year of my life.

Everyone assumed that I was still brokenhearted over Stefan, so they let me visit quite constantly. Especially my sophomore English teacher who worked on the yearbook as well, considering he saw all the pictures from the dances, which also meant that he was the only other teacher that seemed to know the two of us best besides Ric. I seemed to have a pretty good relationship with him. Part of me thinks that he was responsible for all those years of the two of us winning "Cutest Couple" all those years. He seemed to like me enough to do that for us. I didn't even think about it until now and the thought made me laugh. No matter how cheesy they were, I was just reminded of how much I love him. They also seemed to excite Caroline, considering how much she loved our relationship for some odd reason. Not that I minded it, though—actually, I had done the same for her and Klaus on many occasions. I snapped out of my trance, heading towards the gym because that was where most of our memories were, during both our best and worst times.

"What are you doing here?" I jumped at the sound of the cheerleader coach. I was even surprised that she recognized me.

"I thought it would be nice to come for a visit."

"I thought you would have stopped by. If I recall, you and I haven't spoken in quite some time?"

"Are you still coaching the cheer team?" I hadn't heard much about the high school. However, I was still able to hear the fireworks that went off at the football games. They seemed to still be going strong on having one of the best times even after Stefan left.

"I have an assistant coach that's been coaching six months," she said. "I've had a lot more time on my hands. A nice way to close the school year if I say so myself. Where were you planning on going next, Elena?"

"I was going to head over to the gym," I muttered and fiddled with the locket around my neck.

Following the hallway down and to the left was where the place that held so many memories was located. I was overcome with a wave of memories and feelings whenever I seemed to walk into this room. Considering the fact that we were each other's hope, this was the area that showcased just that, which tended to make me even more sentimental—What would have happened if these moments never did?

Walking around the room, I took everything in. I noticed the red colors in the room, noticing how similar it was to blood, but pushing the thought to the back of my mind. Those thoughts just reminded me of his Ripper stage, how the entire thing hurt him, and how he must be feeling right now.

There was no doubt that he was well-liked by almost everyone, but I also knew that he could also be making a number of enemies. He was also known as a hero, as well as the good brother. This was why everyone was shocked to see him hated and off the wagon, considering everyone who actually knew him could see how much of a perfect boyfriend he was.