Chapter Text
Pilot.
Elixis slipped into Mr. Tanner’s classroom just as the low murmur of students settled into a hush. The overhead lights hummed faintly, casting a pale glow on the rows of desks already filled with restless teenagers. With visible reluctance, she made her way to the front, peeling the sticky note from her hoodie pocket and handing it to the teacher.
Mr. Tanner, tall and lean with the permanent scowl of a man who considered himself smarter than everyone in the room, snatched the note without a word. He scanned it, his lips curling ever so slightly. "I’ll be calling Mrs. Carlson after first period to confirm this," he said, his tone dripping with suspicion.
Elixis bit the inside of her cheek to keep from rolling her eyes. She didn’t need a mirror to know she was wearing the same flat, unimpressed expression that always seemed to irritate him. What an insufferable prick.
"Seat," he barked, already turning back to the chalkboard as if she weren’t worth another glance.
She slipped to the back row, the place she always claimed - where shadows clung a little thicker, where teachers tended to forget you were there. She dropped her backpack to the floor with a soft thud, slid into her chair, and pulled out her spiral notebook along with her mechanical pencil. She flicked it once, the click of the lead sounding louder than it should have in the stale, chalk-scented air.
Mr. Tanner’s voice droned over the classroom, crisp and self-important as he launched back into his lecture. "Once our home state of Virginia joined the Confederacy in 1861, it created a tremendous amount of tension within the state…" His chalk scraped across the board, underlining words with aggressive precision. "…The people of Virginia’s northwest region had drastically different ideals than those of the deep South. That divide eventually led to Virginia splitting in 1863, with the northwest forming the state we now know as West Virginia."
The class scribbled notes dutifully - or at least pretended to. Elixis sighed, propping her cheek against her hand, letting her pencil hover uselessly over the page. Mr. Tanner’s voice faded into background static as her eyes wandered.
From her vantage point in the back, she caught Elena leaning slightly toward the new student seated nearby. A grin tugged at Elena’s lips, the kind she didn’t give just anyone. Elixis narrowed her eyes, curiosity prickling.
Her gaze drifted then to Matt Donovan, two rows over. His posture was stiff, his jaw tight, blue eyes locked on Elena with the sour intensity of someone barely hiding his jealousy. Elixis almost snorted aloud. Of course. Same old Matt. She rolled her eyes, returning to her notebook but not bothering to write a single word.
Movement in the corner of her eye drew her attention again. Bonnie, seated closer to the front, slid her phone discreetly from beneath her notebook. Her thumbs moved quickly, face tilted downward in concentration. Seconds later, Elena shifted, pulling her phone from her lap with practiced subtlety. A smile flickered across her features as she read whatever Bonnie had sent, then tucked the phone back into her bag before anyone could notice - anyone except Elixis.
Elixis leaned back in her chair, lips curving faintly. She knew all their tells, all their rhythms. If anyone asked her what Mr. Tanner had been rambling about for the last ten minutes, she couldn’t repeat a single word - but she could read her friends like an open book.
By the time second period rolled around, the stale tang of formaldehyde still hung faintly in the biology lab, mixing with the chalk dust that clung stubbornly to the air. Rows of microscopes and glass slides gleamed under the overhead lights, waiting for pairs of students to claim them.
Elixis slouched into her seat at the long black-topped lab table, propping her elbow against the cool surface. She wasn’t thrilled about the assignment - especially after Mr. Richards, their bespectacled biology teacher with a perpetually rumpled tie, announced the prize.
"Two tickets," he declared, holding up the glossy stubs between his fingers as if they were gold. "Brand new film, comes out next month. I was going to see it with my wife, but she’s lost interest. I don’t want them to go to waste. Winner of today’s assignment earns the pair."
The class buzzed immediately, students whispering and shifting with excitement.
Elixis stifled a groan the second she caught the title on the tickets. A romance. Her least favorite genre - sappy, predictable, unbearable. She’d rather sit through a three-hour war documentary. But when she glanced at Caroline Forbes, already seated beside her with a gleam in her bright blue eyes, Elixis knew she was doomed.
Caroline looked like a soldier going into battle. Her blonde curls bounced as she straightened her notes, every movement sharp with determination. "We’re winning this," she whispered fiercely, as if the words themselves would bend fate.
Elixis raised a brow, twirling her pencil between her fingers. "It’s just a movie."
"It’s not just a movie," Caroline hissed. "It’s the romance event of the year. Critics are already raving about the chemistry between the leads. Do you have any idea how impossible it’ll be to get tickets once it’s out?"
Elixis smirked faintly. "Can’t wait to not care."
But when Mr. Richards began outlining the assignment, Caroline’s focus turned razor-sharp, and Elixis - despite herself - leaned in. The task was simple enough: correctly identify and diagram a set of slides under the microscope faster and more accurately than the other pairs. Caroline’s excitement was infectious, and though Elixis dragged her feet at first, she eventually matched her best friend’s energy.
They worked like clockwork - Caroline rattling off possibilities with quick precision, Elixis double-checking her observations, their whispered exchanges building into a rhythm. Elixis found herself grinning despite her own boredom, more invested in Caroline’s happiness than the assignment itself.
When Mr. Richards finally called time, he moved from table to table, tallying results. The tension in the classroom mounted like a rising tide until he stopped at theirs. His smile tugged wider.
"And the winners - Caroline Forbes and Elixis Morgan."
Caroline squealed, throwing her arms around Elixis in a burst of enthusiasm that nearly toppled them both off their stools. Elixis laughed, bracing herself as Caroline squeezed tight, her voice a flurry of delighted gasps about opening night, red carpets, and perfect cinematic kisses.
Elixis only shook her head, smirking. She didn’t give a damn about the tickets, not really. But watching Caroline beam like she’d just been handed the keys to the universe? That, she thought, was worth every second of effort.
The shrill echo of sneakers squeaking across polished hardwood filled the Mystic Falls High gymnasium. Fluorescent lights buzzed faintly overhead, throwing a cold glow across the towering bleachers and shiny backboards. The air smelled faintly of rubber and sweat, sharp and humid.
Elixis stepped out of the girls’ locker room, tugging at the hem of her plain black shorts, her white T-shirt loose over her frame. She had shoved her regular clothes deep into her pink backpack and locked it away without thought - now her braids, pulled into twin buns on top of her head, swayed slightly as she walked toward the gathering crowd of students.
Coach Bell, a broad-shouldered woman with a whistle constantly dangling at her chest, stood at the center of the gym with a clipboard tucked under her arm. "All right, listen up!" she barked, her voice bouncing against the high walls. "Today is fitness exam day. You know the drill."
The entire class groaned in unison, a chorus of misery echoing across the gym floor. Everyone except Elixis. She only tilted her head, her lips twitching into the faintest smirk. Fitness tests didn’t bother her. If anything, they were the easiest part of school - no textbooks, no lectures, just movement.
Attendance was called, names checked off, and then the test began.
Push-ups. Sit-ups. Laps. Timed sprints across the gym floor. One by one, students dragged their feet, groaned, or bent over gasping for air. By the time Coach Bell blew her whistle for the mile run, the complaints had turned into open rebellion.
Elixis, though, moved like the tasks were second nature. Her breaths were steady, her strides long, arms pumping with controlled rhythm. She barely broke a sweat, her face composed as if she could run the mile twice without losing her pace. Coach Bell noticed, of course - she always noticed.
"Outstanding form, Morgan!" the coach shouted across the gym, her voice brimming with pride. "Textbook example, everyone. That’s how it’s done."
A few students rolled their eyes. One in particular - Dana Anderson.
Dana dragged herself to the finish line, hair clinging to her forehead, her chest heaving as though every breath weighed a ton. She glanced up at Elixis, who was standing tall, barely winded, wiping a nonexistent bead of sweat from her temple. Dana’s brown eyes narrowed into a glare sharp enough to cut glass.
Elixis caught it instantly and, instead of ignoring it, let the corner of her mouth curl upward into a smug, deliberate smirk. She raised her chin slightly, letting Dana see just how easy this all was for her.
It wasn’t just competition. It was history.
Since elementary school, Dana had been a thorn in her side. Elixis could still remember the sting of laughter from classmates when Dana had pulled that stupid whoopee cushion trick on the school bus. The rumors that spread like wildfire. Three months of being called stank - three months of sitting alone at lunch while Dana basked in the glow of her cruelty.
The years hadn’t changed much. Dana still had that mean streak, that desperate need to chip away at Elixis’s confidence. But now, with Coach Bell singing her praises and Dana struggling to catch her breath, the tables tilted in Elixis’s favor.
Elixis let her gaze linger on Dana for just a moment longer, her smirk sharpening like a blade. Then she turned away smoothly, shoulders squared, as if Dana’s glares weren’t even worth her time.
And that - Elixis thought with quiet satisfaction - was how you won without saying a single word.
By the time the final bell rang at 3:30, Elixis felt like she’d been dragging chains behind her all day. The chatter in the hallways, the slamming of lockers, the hum of gossip - it was all white noise she tuned out the second she stepped off school grounds.
She didn’t linger. She never did. While Elena veered toward the cemetery, her bouquet of fresh flowers clutched to her chest like a fragile shield, Elixis cut straight through town, her sneakers kicking up dust as she walked the familiar path to the Gilbert house.
The front door creaked as she pushed it open. "I’m home!" she called out automatically, her voice echoing into the quiet foyer.
The smell of garlic and tomatoes drifted from the kitchen. Inside, Jenna was standing at the counter, sleeves rolled up, frowning down at a cutting board as though the onion halves in front of her were a personal enemy. A pot of something simmered halfheartedly on the stove, the steam curling toward the ceiling.
Elixis made a quick move toward the stairs, her backpack slipping from her shoulder with a thud against the hardwood. But Jenna’s voice cut through before she made it three steps up.
"Not so fast. I could use an extra pair of hands in here."
Elixis froze mid-step, shoulders sinking. Of course. She could outrun almost anyone in Mystic Falls - sometimes literally, when she let herself - but there was no dodging Jenna when she used that particular tone. With a dramatic sigh, she dropped her bag by the front door and trudged toward the kitchen.
"Knife or stirring spoon?" she muttered, leaning against the counter.
"Stirring," Jenna said, handing her a wooden spoon with mock solemnity. "Less chance of you losing a finger."
Elixis rolled her eyes but took the spoon anyway, giving the pot a slow swirl. The bubbling sauce licked at the edges of the pan, popping quietly in protest.
"So how was school?" Jenna asked, her voice light but curious.
"Lame." The word slipped out flat, automatic, and Elixis didn’t bother elaborating.
Jenna gave a small, skeptical hum, then casually dropped the real bomb. "Your mom called."
Elixis’s hand paused mid-stir. For a split second her chest tightened, but she masked it quickly, shrugging one shoulder as if it were nothing. "She’s not-" She stopped, cutting herself off. What was the point of finishing that sentence? The same argument had been circling in her head for years. She exhaled sharply through her nose and muttered, "What did she want?"
Jenna set the knife down and turned to face her fully, arms crossing. "She wants you to answer her calls."
Elixis stared hard at the sauce, pretending to be deeply invested in its consistency.
"She asked me to let you stay here while she’s away on her business trip," Jenna continued, voice gentler now. "Because she thinks I’m responsible enough to look after you. But if you keep dodging her like this, Elixis, you’re going to ruin that trust - for both of us."
The wooden spoon clinked against the pot as Elixis set it down a little harder than necessary. Her jaw tightened, words pressing at the back of her throat, but instead of spilling out, she swallowed them down.
Silence hung between them, the only sound the low bubbling of the sauce on the stove.
Jenna must have noticed the way Elixis’s shoulders stiffened, the way her gaze burned holes into the sauce as though she could will herself out of the conversation entirely. The air between them had grown heavy, thick with words neither wanted to say out loud.
So Jenna cleared her throat, reaching for the salt shaker as if nothing had just been said. Her tone shifted, lighter, careful - like someone tiptoeing across fragile glass.
"Anyway…" she began, sprinkling salt into the pot. "I heard the school’s football team actually has a shot at not completely humiliating themselves this season. Matt Donovan’s quarterback now, right? He’s… decent."
The abrupt change of subject made Elixis glance up, a flicker of surprise softening the hard line of her jaw. Jenna was giving her an escape hatch, and she gratefully took it.
"Decent’s pushing it," Elixis muttered, the faintest curve tugging at her mouth. "The guy’s about as exciting to watch as paint drying."
Jenna chuckled, tension slowly unraveling from the room. "Still, it’s Mystic Falls. People live for that Friday night football nonsense."
Elixis smirked, leaning against the counter with her arms folded now instead of clutching the spoon like a weapon. Relief spread through her chest, subtle but undeniable. Anything - literally anything - was better than dissecting her adoptive mother’s absence.
The subject was buried, for now.
That evening, the kitchen was filled with the comforting scent of garlic bread and simmering tomato sauce. Jenna set the serving bowl of spaghetti in the center of the table, its steam curling upward like little ghosts, and cleared her throat in that way she did when she wanted everyone’s attention.
"So," she began casually, though her tone held a deliberate weight, "I guess this is as good a time as any to officially announce that Francine had to leave town on short notice. Business trip. She’ll be gone for a few months, which means Elixis is staying here until at least December."
Elena’s face lit up instantly, her fork clinking against her plate. "Wait - really? That’s amazing!" she said, her brown eyes sparking with excitement. "You’re living here! Finally." There was a genuine warmth in her voice, the kind that made the words sound less like an announcement and more like a celebration.
Jeremy, on the other hand, barely blinked. He just shrugged, twirling pasta lazily onto his fork. "Cool, I guess," he muttered, though his lack of enthusiasm wasn’t unkind. He’d known Elixis practically his whole life - since they were both awkward little kids at each other’s birthday parties - and her being here didn’t feel like any sort of dramatic change. She’d always been in and out of this house; now it was just official.
Still, he gave her a sideways nudge with his elbow, his mouth twitching into the faintest grin. "Hey, pass the Parmesan."
Elixis smirked, reaching for the container. "You mean your block of cheese for spaghetti? Sure." She slid it toward him and added, "At this point, you’re not even eating pasta. You’re just eating cheese with some noodles buried underneath."
Jeremy rolled his eyes but couldn’t hide his laugh. "Piss off, Lex."
That did it. Elixis chuckled under her breath, while Elena shook her head with a smile, and even Jenna let out a soft laugh as she poured herself a glass of water. The table warmed with the easy sound of shared amusement, the kind of moment that made the house feel less haunted by its losses and more alive with its small, ordinary joys.
For Elixis, who had spent the day dodging conversations she didn’t want to have, it felt like a reprieve - sitting at the Gilbert table, teasing Jeremy, and hearing Elena’s laugh fill the room like it used to before everything fell apart.
Later that night, the house had gone quiet, save for the faint hum of crickets outside the open window. Upstairs in Elena’s bedroom, the soft golden glow of the bedside lamp lit the walls, casting a warm cocoon around the two girls. Their laughter from brushing teeth together in the bathroom still lingered in the air, light and silly, like the remnants of childhood sleepovers.
Elena had slipped into her favorite cotton pajama shorts and a tank top, her dark hair tumbling loose around her shoulders, while Elixis padded across the room in oversized sleep shorts and a worn t-shirt, tugging her baby-pink bonnet snugly over her braids with practiced ease. Both girls climbed under the covers, settling shoulder to shoulder the way they had since they were kids sneaking whispered secrets past bedtime.
It was Elixis who broke the silence first, a mischievous curve pulling at her lips. "So," she drawled, turning just enough to catch Elena’s eyes. "Are we going to talk about the way you were practically melting in your seat when Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Handsome looked your way in Tanner’s class?"
Color immediately bloomed on Elena’s cheeks, and she pressed her pillow against her face to muffle a squeal. "Oh my god, stop. His name’s Stefan - Stefan Salvatore." She said it like the name itself was poetry, her voice soft, almost giddy.
Elixis couldn’t help it; she snorted, sharp and ungraceful. "Stefan Salvatore? That sounds like some brooding vampire prince out of a bad gothic novel." She shook her head but softened, her grin loosening into something warmer. "Still… it’s good to see you smile again. For real, I’ve missed that."
Elena’s grin faltered, just slightly. She stared up at the ceiling, her voice quieter now. "I don’t think I’ll ever really be myself again. Not with Mom and Dad gone. I feel like… like half of me went with them."
For a moment, the air between them grew heavier, sadness sinking into the cozy little bubble of the room. Elixis swallowed, thinking of her own ghosts. "I kinda get that," she murmured, tugging absently at the edge of her bonnet strap. "When Christopher died… it was like the ground shifted under me. Even if I didn’t always show it."
Elena turned her head, brows knitting. "But… I thought you didn’t even like him. You used to call him boring."
A small, wry smile tugged at Elixis’s mouth. "Yeah, he was boring. But he was still good to me. He never treated me like I didn’t belong, even though I wasn’t really his. He was… steady. And steady’s hard to lose."
The weight of her words settled gently over them, and for a while neither girl spoke, both staring at the shadows dancing across the ceiling. Then Elena reached out, brushing her hand against Elixis’s in the space between them.
"Maybe that’s what Stefan is," Elena whispered after a pause, her lips quirking faintly. "A little piece of steady."
Elixis gave her a side-eye and a smirk. "Or maybe just a distraction with nice cheekbones."
Elena giggled again, softer this time, but it was enough to lift the heaviness. The two of them drifted back into the comfort of their old rhythm - banter and teasing laced with affection - until eventually, their voices grew drowsy, and the warmth of the room carried them into sleep.
The next morning unfolded with the same sleepy rhythm as the day before - hallways crowded with chatter, lockers slamming shut like tin drums, and teachers corralling students into order as though it were a daily ritual.
Elixis, however, carried herself with a kind of practiced ease, a quiet confidence stitched into the seams of her outfit. She wore a long-sleeve white crop top, the fabric soft and ruched along the front, hugging her figure without feeling restrictive. It paired perfectly with the loose, high-waisted gray sweatpants that swished against her legs as she walked. On her feet, white sneakers gleamed with delicate pink star accents that caught the light every time she moved. Her braids - glossy and rich in a chosen brown color - were styled half-up, half-down, the upper half pulled into a sleek knot while the rest cascaded freely down her back.
By the time the final bell rang, Elixis was more than ready to leave. The school day had been a blur of notes, whispered comments from classmates she ignored, and Mr. Tanner’s voice droning on like he was allergic to joy. But instead of heading straight out, she found herself pausing in the main hallway near the bulletin board where dozens of brightly colored sign-up sheets fluttered under the air-conditioning vent.
Clubs. Debate Team. Theater. Yearbook. French Club. Art Society. Even Chess, for god’s sake.
Elixis stood there for longer than she intended, eyes tracing over the lists of names already scribbled down in messy penmanship. For a moment - just a moment - she imagined her own name on one of those lines, imagined herself staying after school for something other than detention, surrounded by people who cared about whatever niche interest they were there for.
But the thought made her chest tighten. The idea of standing in a room full of strangers, pretending to belong - it felt foreign, suffocating.
She let out a quiet breath, almost a laugh at herself, and shook her head. "Not a chance," she muttered under her breath. With a quick tug of her backpack strap, she turned on her heel and headed toward the exit, pushing through the double doors and into the fading warmth of the late afternoon.
Outside, Bonnie’s little sedan was already pulling into the school lot, sunlight bouncing off its windshield. Caroline leaned out of the passenger window, her blond hair catching the glow like a halo.
"There she is!" Caroline called, waving dramatically.
Elixis smirked, jogging the last few steps toward the car. Sliding into the backseat, she felt the weight of the school day finally fall away as Bonnie adjusted the radio and Caroline twisted around in her seat with a grin full of energy.
"Grill?" Bonnie asked, though the question was rhetorical - the Mystic Grill was their usual spot, their refuge after long days like this.
"Grill," Elixis confirmed, stretching her legs across the seat as the car pulled out of the lot, the three girls carried toward the familiar heartbeat of their small town.
The Mystic Grill wasn’t famous by any means, but in Mystic Falls it didn’t have to be. It was the only restaurant, the only bar, and the closest thing the small Virginia town had to a social hub. Tucked right off the main street, its wood-paneled walls and dim overhead lights gave it the feel of a place that hadn’t changed in decades - and no one really wanted it to. In Mystic Falls, everyone knew everyone else, and the Grill was where you went when you wanted a drink, a meal, or just a reminder of how small the town really was.
At one corner booth, Matt sat across from Tyler Lockwood. Tyler leaned back in his chair like he owned the place, one arm slung lazily over the backrest, while Matt picked at the label of his soda bottle. Their friendship was the kind born more out of circumstance than choice - they’d known each other since elementary school, grown up in the same small town rhythm - but sometimes Matt wondered how much of it was genuine and how much was inertia.
Across the room, Vicki Donovan wove between tables with her order pad clutched in one hand, her hair falling into her face as she tried to keep up with the dinner rush. She looked exhausted, dark smudges under her eyes betraying the weight she carried. With their dad long gone and their mom too drunk to keep a job, Vicki had taken on more than she should have at eighteen. Most of the bills that kept the Donovan house from collapsing fell on her shoulders, and the strain of it showed in every hurried step she took.
Trailing close behind her was Jeremy, lanky and restless at fourteen, his voice pitched low but insistent as he spoke. "You can’t just act like it didn’t happen," he muttered, catching her arm when she tried to pass him.
Vicki jerked her arm free, eyes flashing. "Jeremy, stop. You’re Elena’s brother. You’re a kid." She kept her voice sharp, but there was a tremor of unease there too, the kind that came from knowing he was right - it had happened. One stupid night she couldn’t take back, no matter how much she wished she could.
Jeremy frowned, his jaw tightening. "I’m not a kid."
Vicki exhaled through her nose, already scanning the room for Tyler. Of course Tyler. He was seventeen, reckless, infuriating, but safe in the way Jeremy wasn’t - at least in the eyes of everyone else. Plus, Tyler was attractive, charming when he wanted to be, and as the mayor’s son he carried a certain kind of security. His family had money, power. Hers didn’t. The Donovans barely scraped by, and she’d learned to see opportunity where it presented itself, even if that opportunity was wrapped in arrogance and smirks.
Jeremy’s gaze lingered on her, hurt flickering across his face as she pulled away. But Vicki didn’t let herself dwell on it. Not here, not now. She forced her smile back on and returned to the table she’d been serving, pen scratching down orders while the weight of her choices pressed heavy against her ribs.
The late afternoon sun slanted across the Mystic Grill parking lot, painting the asphalt in warm gold as Bonnie eased her car into a spot. The moment the engine cut off, Caroline practically bounced in her seat, unable to contain herself.
"Okay, so - Stefan," Bonnie started casually as she gathered her bag, "he caught my phone earlier. I dropped it when some guy bumped me in the hallway, and he-"
"Of course he did," Caroline cut in, already starry-eyed as she twisted around in her seat to face them. "He’s practically a knight in shining armor."
Elixis groaned, dragging herself out of the backseat with exaggerated slowness. "God, here we go…"
Neither Caroline nor Bonnie paid her any attention. By the time the three of them crossed the lot and reached the restaurant doors, Caroline was in full monologue mode.
"His name is Stefan Salvatore," she declared dramatically, as if she’d uncovered a state secret.
Elixis muttered under her breath, "No shit," too low for them to hear as she tugged the door open.
Caroline followed, lowering her voice like she was delivering classified intel. "He lives with his uncle at the old Salvatore boarding house. He hasn’t lived here since he was a kid - military family, moved around a ton. He’s a Sagittarius, and his favorite color is blue." She beamed, pivoting on her heel to flash them both a smug smile.
Bonnie arched an eyebrow, amused. "You got all of that in one day?"
Caroline scoffed, brushing a curl out of her face. "Please. I got that between third and fourth period. We’re already planning our June wedding."
That earned a sharp snort from Elixis, who slid into the nearest booth with a smirk. "Oh, so when I mapped out my fake wedding to Avril Lavigne two years ago, I was delusional - but this is perfectly sane?"
Bonnie laughed softly and gave Elixis a playful nudge with her hip before sitting down beside her. "Shush."
Elixis rolled her eyes but couldn’t stop the corner of her mouth from quirking up. Same old Mystic Falls - small town, big drama.
A few minutes later, their waitress appeared - Vicki, balancing a tray of empty glasses with her usual brisk, distracted energy. Her hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail, a few strands sticking to her forehead under the restaurant’s dim overhead lights.
"Hey, guys," Vicki greeted casually, offering them the faintest smile as she pulled out her notepad.
The three girls answered in unison, polite but not exactly warm. Vicki was a year older, and though she had history with Elixis - back in elementary school they’d hovered somewhere between casual friends and partners-in-trouble - things had shifted after Elixis was held back a grade. Since then, they’d drifted into that limbo space of "friendly strangers," still exchanging hellos in the hallway but nothing deeper.
"What can I get you?" Vicki asked, clicking her pen.
They rattled off their orders, and Vicki scribbled quickly before darting off to another table, already pulled into the chaos of the evening rush. Caroline excused herself a moment later, muttering something about lip gloss and the bathroom, leaving Elixis and Bonnie alone in their booth.
It didn’t take long for someone to fill the empty space. Matt Donovan slid into the seat Caroline had just vacated, the legs of the chair scraping against the worn wooden floor. He leaned forward, forearms braced on the table, looking earnest in that hopelessly boyish way of his.
"Hey," he said, directing his attention squarely at Bonnie. "How’s Elena? Has she… has she said anything? About me?"
Elixis immediately opened her mouth, a snarky retort bubbling up, but Bonnie shot her a sharp look from the corner of her eye - a silent warning to behave. With a dramatic sigh, Elixis flopped back against the booth and pulled out her phone. The pixelated world of Subway Surfers lit up her screen as she swiped at it furiously, though her ears stayed tuned in.
Bonnie shifted uncomfortably, folding her hands together on the table. "Matt… her parents died four months ago. How do you think she feels?"
Matt swallowed, guilt flickering across his face, but his stubbornness returned almost instantly. "Yeah, I know, but… has she mentioned me? At all?"
Elixis smirked at her phone screen, fighting the urge to say something cutting. Instead, she cranked up the volume on the little subway jingle just to amuse herself.
Bonnie, however, didn’t waver. Her tone firm. "I’m not doing this, Matt. I’m not going to be in the middle. If you want to know what Elena thinks, then pick up the phone and call her yourself."
Matt sat back, jaw tightening, his disappointment obvious. Elixis pretended to focus on her game, but her grin widened. If she wasn’t under Bonnie’s watchful eye, she would’ve had a field day tearing into him.
"Look, I just… I feel weird calling her. She’s the one who broke up with me," Matt admitted, his voice low, almost defensive.
Bonnie tilted her head, her expression soft but firm, the faintest smile tugging at her lips as if she were trying to soothe him without encouraging false hope. "Then maybe you need to give her more time, Matt. Rushing it isn’t going to help."
Before Matt could respond, the bell over the entrance gave a sharp jingle, drawing half the room’s attention. Caroline was just stepping out of the women’s restroom, smoothing her skirt with one hand, when her eyes caught on the new arrivals. Her bright expression faltered the moment she saw Elena walking in - with Stefan at her side. Caroline’s mouth pulled tight into a small frown she quickly tried to mask.
From across the Grill, Vicki glanced over while juggling a tray and taking down another order, her gaze flicking briefly toward Elena and Stefan before returning to her customers. Bonnie’s head turned next, curiosity sparking in her dark eyes, while Elixis leaned lazily against the booth seat, already bracing herself for the storm. Tyler, too wrapped up in a competitive game of pool with one of his football teammates, barely noticed, though the clack of billiard balls punctuated the tension filling the air.
And then there was Matt. His face shifted, bitter realization tightening his jaw. "More time, huh?" he muttered, the words sharp as he pushed back from the booth. He didn’t wait for Bonnie’s reply, striding toward Elena and Stefan with the heavy tread of someone walking straight into a confrontation he couldn’t avoid.
Elena froze, caught between them, her smile polite but strained, a little too wide at the edges. Matt extended his hand to Stefan, his voice dipped in the kind of politeness that sounded more like a threat than a greeting. "Matt Donovan."
"Stefan Salvatore," Stefan replied evenly, taking the handshake with calm composure, though his eyes flickered, studying Matt’s grip, the set of his shoulders.
Elena’s gaze darted between them, her awkward half-smile giving her away - her ex-boyfriend meeting the boy who had already caught her attention was the last thing she wanted tonight.
From their booth, Bonnie pressed her lips together, watching the scene with mild dread. She turned to Elixis, only to find her best friend sitting forward, biting down a grin like she was seconds away from exploding.
"Elixis," Bonnie hissed, warning already in her tone.
Elixis’s brows shot up innocently, but the corner of her mouth twitched.
"Fine," Bonnie sighed in defeat.
The moment she said it, Elixis leaned in and blurted without hesitation, "Okay, but tell me I’m wrong - this is making him look so pathetic."
Bonnie groaned, dragging a hand over her face as she sank deeper into the booth