Ruins || The Vampire Diaries [2]

10: I Know What You Did Last Summer

   The majority of summer had passed and there was still no sign of Stefan. I had searched for the signs that he was a ripper again, searched for any sign that he was somewhere nearby. In the end, every search came up empty. So, I gave up. I stopped looking for him, tried to stop thinking about him, and pushed every feeling behind that infamous red door in my head. Even then, there were still times where he came into mind. Him. His kisses. His touches. Every damn thing. It came to the point where I began to hate him, to the point where I couldn't stand being in the same rooms where he had kissed me, so I spent the majority of my time out of the boarding house, mostly with Caroline.

   I watched her pack her clothes, a wide grin on her lips as she moved around her room. There was excitement bubbling from her, but this time I didn't catch it. I watched from her bed, a bottle of water in hand and eyes moving towards everywhere that she moved. When she took too many things, I stopped her and reminded her that she would be able to buy more over there. She would laugh and say, "It's because you'll miss me."

   "Of course I'll miss you," I said, pouting. "You're leaving me all by myself here in Mystic Falls while you have the time of your life in Whitmore!"

   "Then come with me," she said, grinning. "I can compel us a dorm for the four of us!"

   I shook my head and my hand at her. "College is not the best place for me now, Care," I told her with a small smile. "Give me a few years. Maybe we can do this whole high school and college thing together."

   She scrunched up her face and shook her head. "You're on your own there," she said. "I'm not going back to high school; one time was already enough for me." She stopped moving and slowly looked over at me, hesitating. After a few seconds, she let out a sigh and crossed her arms. "Have you heard from–"

   "No," I quickly interrupted her, not wanting to hear his name. "I've already told you that the last time I heard from him was the night he left." I glanced down at my hand and let out a deep sigh. "I tried looking for him, Caroline, I did. I called him so many times, and he never picked up." I shrugged my shoulders and took a drink from the bottle of water that stood between my thighs.

   Caroline stared at me for a couple of seconds, then threw her hands to the hair. "Forget about him!" she said. "Come with me to Whitmore, we can find you someone better than him!"

   I let out a soft laugh, but shook my head. "I'd love to, but I have to take care of two idiots back here." I was referring to Jeremy and Damon, more the latter than the former.

   "They can take care of themselves!" Caroline groaned, rolling her eyes. "Come on, Clara!"

   As tempted as I was to tell her yes, I stood with my answer of no and continued to help her pack. Liz came in a few minutes later and helped as well, all while sniffing and blaming allergies. Caroline and I joked about it, making her laugh and then throw whatever she had in her hand at us. In that single moment, I felt like I was truly part of their family. I stopped moving and watched Caroline and her mother, a smile on my face. It felt strange to feel part of their family, to feel as if I were more than just the ancient great-aunt who died a bit too early. At that moment, I felt as if I were the older sister helping Caroline pack, telling her what not to take to college, like the panini press she insisted she needed to take. No matter how much I told her that she didn't need it, she insisted that she did.

   Liz laughed and told me to let her have it, because she wouldn't use it. It was then that Caroline moved towards her mother and hugged her as tight as she could. I was going to leave, but was stopped by Liz by telling me that she would drive me back to the boarding house, to stay a little longer and spend time with them before Caroline went off to college. I did stay, and I smiled, I laughed, and we ate the buggers Liz went to pick up from The Grill. At that moment, I felt as if I were part of their family. At that moment, I truly felt like a Forbes.