❝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...
Three days go by and everything had changed. Elena locked herself at home after the whole deal that night at the Founder's Day Celebration. Stefan vanished into thin air, only leaving a vague voicemail to tell Carter and Elena he would talk to them in a few days. Scott and Kaitlin became best friends with Tyler and Caroline, and have been hanging out with them frequently. The only one who stayed with Carter the full three days was Jackson. They stayed in her bed, Jackson listening to her whole life story in Mystic Falls. He found out about the vampires and her banshee ways. It was Monday, and she was still in bed, blocking out voices calling her name. It was the trio's first day at school, and they were plenty excited.
"Carter, get up before I get you up!" Kaitlin shouted from her room, causing the tired girl to groan loudly, but she obliged. She rolled off the bed and trudged to her closet, picking out a cute brown leather skirt and a yellow button down shirt, covering the top with Bailey's old pug shirt. She quickly changed and drug a brush through her messy hair, leaving it naturally wavy. She then twisted two sides of her hair and tied them in the back. She slipped her feet into brown boots and gave herself a second glance in the mirror, swiping mascara and lip balm from her vanity. "I'm coming!" she shouted, grabbing her phone and book from her bed before running out of the room and down the stairs.
She filled her favorite thermos with coffee, ate a few pieces of bacon, and followed her three friends out the door. Kaitlin rode shotgun, sending the two boys to sit in the back, and Carter drove. She quickly hooked her phone up to the AUX chord and began shuffling through her playlist, only to land on No Scrubs by TLC. The driver let out an excited squeal, Scott laughing from behind her. "Oh my God. Carter, remember the time you sang this at the talent show? You obsessed over it so much, you even tried to tell people you're a descendant of the band members," he reminisced, causing Kaitlin's eyes to go wide. "Where was I during this whole ordeal?"
She rolled her eyes at the two, speeding down the road for school. The song filled her ears and brought back amazing memories. The chorus hit, and she started singing. "I don't want no scrubs. Scrubs are the guys that get no love from me. Hanging out the passenger side of his best friend's ride, trying to holla at me," she sang, the road slowly dissolving from her view. In front of the small girl stood Bailey, her dark curls bouncing as she excitedly talked about the talent show. A blue beanie covered her head, her arms wrapped in a jean jacket that she wore so often. But instead of her normal dark jeans, she wore a black skirt that stopped just above her knees, with fishnet leggings and bulky black boots. "We should sing!" she suggested, shutting her locker with a loud bang, causing the glasses wearing girl to startle. "No Scrubs!" the two sang in unison, breaking into a fit of laughter as everyone stared.
"Carter!" Kaitlin screamed, her hand pulling the steering wheel to the right. She gasped loudly, watching as a car zoomed past the car, blaring its horn angrily. She steadied the car, her eyes wide. "What the hell, Cee? Are you trying to kill us?" Scott barked, his fingers digging into the seat. She shook my head, her breathing off and choppy. "No, no.. I'm sorry. I don't know what happened," she explained softly, watching as the small girl beside her held her heart in fear. She almost killed her friends because she saw her already dead best friend. Was she going insane?
They continued to sit in silence. Kaitlin had changed the song and Ed Sheeran was now playing. Minutes pass and Carter was pulling into the school parking lot. Matt was by the door, throwing a football with Tyler. She felt my heart speed up. She parked the car in the closest spot, and watched as everyone got out and gathered their things. Hopefully things would get better. She got out of the car, bag thrown over her shoulder and coffee in hand, and started to walk towards the entrance. Jackson and Scott were already talking to these jocks she didn't recognize and Kaitlin was on the search for her blonde friend. Carter kept my eyes forward, soon approaching a distant looking Matt.
"Hey," she greeted shyly, his blue eyes meeting her green ones. He looked so sad and bothered. "Haven't heard from you in a while." He tossed the football at her cousin before he turned to face her fully. "Yeah.. I'm sorry about that. I've just been so busy with Vicki, I—"
"No, I completely understand. Family comes first."
"Yeah.."
"Are you.. Are you okay?"
"Look, I'll talk to you later, okay?"
He kissed her on the cheek so fast and turned to walk away. He was gone before she could respond. "Are you guys okay?" Tyler asked, his eyebrows furrowed. She stood there, stiff, looking at the place he used to be, with this emotionless kiss pressed to her cheek. "I don't know," she admitted, straightening her shoulders. "If you'll excuse me." She pushed past him, and through those doors, headed straight for her locker. Who stood at her locker shocked her. Stefan Salvatore, in a t shirt and jeans, with a lost look, stood at her locker, looking dead at the approaching female. With a roll of her eyes, she approached him, pushing him off her locker door.
"Hey, Carter," he greeted, but she ignored him. "I'm sorry about not calling." She huffed and shoved a book straight into her locker. "Oh, you know, no biggie. I'm used to it. My boyfriend has been ignoring me for a week, so it's not like I didn't need you or anything. Oh, and did I mention how my best friend's psycho brother was torturing Caroline and wouldn't leave me the hell alone? No?"
He looked hurt at her words, rubbing the back of his neck. "You know, I could actually feel the sarcasm dripping from your words," he joked, his eyes melting with emotion. She felt tears well up in her own, but held them back. She puffed out her cheeks, shrugging her small shoulders. "I missed you, Stef. I missed everyone. I was all alone," she told him, feeling his arm snake around her shoulder. He pulled her into the warmest hug, her ear pressed against her chest. She could hear his breaths, but no heartbeat. Did she even really expect one? "It won't happen again. We'll get together soon, okay?"
She nodded at his words, his frame retreating, probably to find Elena. She closed her locker door, only to hear her name being called again. She searched the hallway for a source, but everyone was chattering away to their friends or on their phones. She sighed. She really was going crazy. "Carter!" Kaitlin scurried up to her, Caroline by her side. "The sexy suds car wash is tomorrow. We're doing it, right?" she asked excitedly, Caroline forming a pleading smile. "I know we started on the wrong foot, but please do this. You're hot, and we need hot people," Caroline explained, the strawberry blonde's cheeks flaming. "Ugh, fine. Only because you said I was hot." The two girls laughed and thanked her before running off to find more victims.
She took one giant sip from her coffee before letting out a sigh. Let's make today better, shall we?
