wickery bridge } { it's time to say goodbye to turning tables

[braveandstupid]

She walks away, and she doesn’t look back. She doesn’t listen when Stefan pleads with her to get in the car, and she doesn’t take the easy way out to go with him in the car. She can barely even look at him right now, so she isn’t going to make things worse by trapping herself in a car with him, again.

She had been fighting for so long to save him, to believe that the part of him that she had fallen in love with is still there, and in five minutes, it is all thrown back in her face. She can’t give up on him, she won’t, but now she’s starting to wonder if what she thought was there, if what she thought this meant was ever really there at all. She’s eighteen years-old, and she knows that people say things always feel so much more intense when you’re a teenager, but she never realized that that also meant the bad as well.

She still wouldn’t give up on Stefan. She still would fight for him with everything that she had, because it’s the only thing she can do, but she isn’t sure if she can love him again. She isn’t sure if the person she fell in love with is ever coming back.

The tears are starting to dry sticky against her skin, and she knows that she should probably call someone to come get her. Wandering through the streets of Mystic Falls at night with all the hybrids around isn’t the smartest move. They probably wouldn’t kill her, given who she is to Klaus, but she isn’t sure that they’ll completely leave her alone either.

She couldn’t call Damon—given his feelings for her at the moment, she isn’t sure she could trust herself to be alone with him. Bonnie is mad at her, Alaric is probably drunk at this point—in fact, most people she knew were probably drunk at this point. Her fist closes around her phone in her pocket, and then releases it. She just needs to walk. She needs to get all her emotions out so that she can put on the brave face tomorrow, and go on saving Stefan as though nothing’s happened.

Damon has done worse to her and she’s still managed to forgive him. It wouldn’t be fair if she didn’t do the same for Stefan, who she actually loves.

So she just keeps walking. Eventually she’ll find her way home, but for right now, she’s alone on the side of the road, and needs to keep walking.

Comments

[forsake]

It's more than enough. After the night she's had -- hell, after the year or so she's had, it's amazing she's able to laugh at all. He pretends he's considering it (because really, Jeremy's arsenal of movies are probably more along his line of tast, but...) He smirks fondly at her, leaning down just a bit. "I'll let you pick this time," he says.

It's not uncommon knowledge he's a sucker for your face, Elena Gilbert.

[braveandstupid]

The smile widens, and she gets up to make her way over to the DVD cabinet. "Then you have sealed your fate, and are stuck with whatever I pick."

She picks something at least tolerable on Matt's end, before popping it into the player and returning to the couch.

[forsake]

"As long as there's popcorn, I think I can handle it," Matt says with a broad grin, and he'll go over to make some for them as she picks out the movie. And honestly, whatever takes her mind off of the terrible night she's just had, Matt's willing to do. He's dated Elena before, and he also dated Caroline -- he's knowledgeable on what movies girls tend to like.

He returns around the same time she makes her way to the couch, so he follows in suit, placing the bowl on the table before he plops down next to her.

[braveandstupid]

Elena shifts to settle in next to him, reaching for a handful of the popcorn with one hand while she starts the movie with the other. The motion itself is familiar enough that for a moment she forgets.

She doesn't really feel inclined to remember at the moment.

She pops a couple of the kernels into her mouth before nodding. "Good job with the popcorn."

[forsake]

"You know me. I can be counted on for the popcorn," Matt says with a faint smile, glancing at her as she starts the movie, his voice more of a murmur. It is a familiar motion. He can't count how many times he's been on this very couch, watching a movie with Elena. It's the same and it's different, but he doesn't think about that, either.

He settles further into the couch alongside her, keeping close.

[braveandstupid]

Matt can be counted on for a lot of things. But Elena has said enough about that tonight.

As the movie progresses, she feels the emotional exhaustion of the day starting to catch up with her. Her head slowly starts to drop to Matt's shoulder as she relaxes against him. A few minutes later, she's fast asleep and probably not going to be roused anytime soon.

She promises she'll make it up to you later, Matt.

[forsake]

Matt knows the moment Elena's fallen asleep. The movie wasn't that gripping in terms of his interest, and he glances down at her, watching her sleeping form. He quiets the anger that threatens to bubble up to the surface at what happened, what was done to her, what keeps being done to her. Anger won't make it better for her.

He shifts a bit to the side so she'll be more comfortable, a hand wrapping around her shoulders as he brings her in. He'll place the blanket nearby above her frame. His throat works tightly and then he shakes his head, lowering the volume of the television so it doesn't wake her.

She has nothing to make up to him. He said he'd look out for her.

And Matt Donovan always will.