A Chance With My Crush

Back to School

Chapter One

I furrowed my eyebrows, glancing over my shoulder at my big brother, Matt, who I was waiting to answer my question. He had both hands in his new locker but his head was turned towards something behind us. I pushed myself off the wall to see around his body at what had captured his attention. I rolled my eyes at the culprit, Elena Gilbert. Matt's ex, a girl we've both known our whole lives. She was his best friend for years until they started dating. He loved her, she never said the three words back, then her parents died, and the relationship ended simultaneously. That was over six months ago. Needless to say, he wasn't over their unspoken breakup.

"Matt," I hissed, swatting his arm.

"What?" He grunted, turning to look at me.

"It's the first day of school and you're off to a terrible start," I said, hopelessly, shaking my head. "Forget about her. It's over. It's done. Let it go. Let her go."

Matt slammed his locker shut and stepped around me to walk down the hall. My brows raised in shock for a second. "Really?!" I shouted after him.

I blushed in embarrassment as the whole hallway was looking at me. Elena gave me an awkward smile and a wave while our mutual friend Bonnie Bennett laughed softly, walking over to me. I stood still, waiting until I could greet her with a hug.

"Matt still playing Air Supply's greatest hits, huh?" Bonnie joked.

"On repeat, daily," I snorted.

"Hey, the girls and I are meeting up at the grill tonight after school. Say 5? You in?"

"Yeah, I'll see if Vicki can give me a ride," I answered.

Bonnie grinned, "cool." She then glanced over at Elena still at her locker. We both grimaced as she was being hugged by a blonde: Caroline Forbes, Bonnie's other best friend other than Elena and I. She was OCD, boy crazy, and insensitive due to her lack of awareness. "Ouch. I have to go be a buffer before Caroline suffocates Elena emotionally... and physically."

"Go, bye," I chuckled. She headed across the hallway to her friends and I went the opposite direction, looking for the closest exit. If I was going to the Mystic Grill tonight, I'd need a ride because I was fifteen without a license, a clue on how to drive, and a car even if I did know how. I was hoping my big sister could drive me, seeing as she worked there part time.

I scrunched your my nose as I spotted my sister handing out in a deserted area in the back of the school. She was standing around with a couple guys, all smoking cigarettes next to a dumpster. Disgusting wasn't a strong enough word to describe the scene in front of me.

"Vick!" I called out. My tall sister glanced my way to see me waving her over. She rolled her eyes, flicking her cigarette butt to the ground and stepping on it. I waited impatiently as she walked sluggishly to meet me. "Hey, can you give me a ride tonight to The Grill? I want to meet some friends—"

"No, I can't," she cut me off. "I have to be there right after school. So no."

"That's fine, I can go right after school too," I shrugged. "I'll wait for them."

"Look, find another ride," she said, flinching and looking over her shoulder at her friends. "I can't give you a lift. Sorry."

"Seriously?" I scoffed. "Why not?"

"Hey," Jeremy Gilbert, greeted in a low voice full of insecurity and vulnerability. He came up from behind Vicki, digging his hand into his front pocket of his baggy jeans.

"You got the stuff?" Vicki said in a hushed tone, turning her back to me as if I was too stupid to still see or hear this amateur drug deal.

"Yeah, yeah," Jeremy mumbled, pouring a couple pills into her hand from a prescription bottle. "Don't take more than two in a six-hour window," he advised before handing her the whole bottle.