Max got out of the car when matt finished speaking.
Then was about to enter the school when someone called out to him.
"Hey, Max!"
Max turned and saw a fifteen-year-old boy standing among the trees, waving at him.
He sighed and walked over.
"What is it, Jeremy? I told you I quit that stuff. I don't want to go back to it."
Jeremy Gilbert—Elena's younger brother—looked at Max and said,
"Come on, man, you must have some. You know how badly I need it."
Max sighed, looked around to make sure no one was watching, and pulled a small plastic bag from his pocket.
It was drugs.
He handed it to Jeremy.
"Take it. It's free. And next time you want to get high, don't call me. I don't want to be a drug addict anymore."
Max turned and walked into the school, completely ignoring Jeremy.
Max had started using drugs the previous year as a way to escape reality and stop thinking about his miserable life. They also made him good money—money he used to support himself and his siblings.
But he quit a month ago after waking up naked in the middle of a forest with no memory of how he got there.
Only a few people knew this dark secret—Jeremy among them, who himself was drowning in grief after his parents died that summer.
Jeremy clenched the small plastic bag in his hand, watching Max walk away.
"You're an asshole, Max…"
he muttered bitterly.
Max didn't hear him—or maybe he did, but simply didn't care.
Inside the school hallway, the noise hit him immediately.
Laughter.
Shouting.
Lockers slamming.
Students greeting each other like nothing in the world was wrong.
Max walked through them like a ghost.
No one paid him much attention.
And honestly, that was exactly how he preferred it.
He stopped at his locker, opened it, and stared at the books inside as if they belonged to someone else.
"Another year", he thought.
"Another pointless year".
Suddenly, a loud voice echoed behind him.
"Well, well… look who's still alive."
Max froze.
He didn't need to turn around to know who that was.
Slowly, he closed his locker and faced the voice.
A tall boy stood there with a smug grin on his face, surrounded by two of his friends.
This was Jackson.
Jackson was the definition of "the king of high school."
Captain of the football team.
Dating beautiful girls.
High grades.
Successful.
Rich.
Everyone either flirted with him or sucked up to him.
High school was his kingdom.
Anything he wanted—he got.
Anything… except one thing he had always wanted.
Elena Gilbert.
Elena was simply one of the most beautiful girls in school—if not the most beautiful. She was also a popular cheerleader, well-liked, with a good reputation.
Jackson had tried every possible way to flirt with and seduce her, but Elena never gave him any attention because of his controlling, narcissistic, and bullying personality.
And the worst part for Jackson?
It wasn't that Elena rejected him.
It was that she chose Max over him.
That same weak, shy, introverted Max—who, in Jackson's eyes, couldn't compare to him in any way.
Jackson couldn't understand what Elena saw in Max. He believed he was better than Max in every possible way.
And like any other teenage boy who loses the girl he wants to another guy, intense jealousy and hatred ignited inside him.
From that point on, Jackson began bullying Max and trying to humiliate him in every way possible.
Jackson crossed his arms and looked Max up and down mockingly.
"Damn, Donovan… you look like shit. Did Elena dump you so hard that you forgot how to eat?"
The boys around him laughed.
Max said nothing even though Elena didn't dump him officially.
He simply looked at Jackson with empty eyes.
That annoyed Jackson.
He stepped closer and poked Max in the chest.
"What? Cat got your tongue? Or did you finally realize you were never good enough for her?"
Still, Max didn't react.
No anger.
No fear.
No sadness.
Just silence.
Jackson's smile faded slightly.
He hated this.
He wanted Max to snap.
To beg.
To cry.
To fight back.
Instead, Max looked past him and said calmly,
"Are you done?"
Jackson blinked, taken aback.
"What?"
"Are you done talking?"
Max repeated, his voice flat.
"Because I have class."
Jackson's face twisted in anger.
"You think you're better than me now?"
Max shrugged lightly.
"I don't think about you at all."
That did it.
Jackson grabbed Max by the collar and slammed him against the lockers.
The sound echoed through the hallway.
Some students stopped to watch.
Others pulled out their phones.
"Say that again, you little freak!"
Jackson snarled.
Max winced as his back hit the metal, but his expression didn't change.
He looked at Jackson straight in the eyes and said quietly,
"Do whatever you want."
Jackson hesitated.
There was something wrong.
This wasn't fear.
This wasn't bravery.
It was… nothing.
Complete indifference.
For a split second, Jackson felt uneasy.
Come on, Jackson! Show him what you've got!"
Jackson's friends shouted from behind him.
Then Jackson smirked sarcastically and said.
"Oh, I'm so scared. What am I going to do?"
He laughed mockingly.
"Just kidding. Here—take this!"
Jackson slapped Max on the back of the head as he finished speaking.
Max stumbled and fell to the ground because of his thin, weak build.
He slowly stood up and stared at Jackson with an empty expression. Then he spread his arms wide and said,
"Go ahead. Give me your best shot. Make me feel something."
Jackson's smile froze when he saw Max's expression, then it twisted into intense anger.
Whispers and gasps filled the air as a crowd gathered to watch the morning drama.
Jackson glared at Max with rage and hatred, then smiled coldly.
'Oh, I'm going to enjoy this', Jackson thought sarcastically.
He clenched his fist and swung it toward Max's face—but suddenly felt a very strong grip seize his wrist.
'What the hell?!' Jackson thought in shock.
He turned toward the person holding him and saw Matt Donovan, furious, standing beside him.
"Get away from… my brother!"
Matt shouted angrily.
He twisted Jackson's arm in one swift motion and shoved him hard into the lockers.
BANG!
Jackson slammed violently against the metal lockers, stumbled several times, and fell to the ground.
He quickly got back up and felt something warm running down from his nose.
He wiped it—and saw blood.
Jackson clenched his fists in rage and glared darkly at Matt.
Matt stood in front of Max protectively, staring at Jackson coldly.
"You're dead," Jackson growled.
Matt smirked and replied,
"Try me, and a bleeding nose will be the least of your injuries."
"Aaaagh!"
Jackson yelled angrily and charged at Matt—only to stop when a voice echoed through the hallway, a voice that made every student at Mystic Falls High tremble in fear.
"HEY!! BOTH OF YOU—STOP!!"
A loud, furious voice thundered through the hallway. The crowd immediately parted, and silence fell.
A massive, muscular man—nearly two meters tall, with dark skin—stormed through the students and stopped between Jackson and Matt.
"Really? What is wrong with you two? Fighting on the first day? The school year is still long, and I don't want to see this nonsense again until it's over—or you'll both be in serious trouble. Is that clear?!"
It was the hallway supervisor and school security officer, Mr. Bruce.
"Yes, sir!"
Matt and Jackson answered immediately, neither daring to complain.
Mr. Bruce's reputation and authority were unquestionable among the students.
"Good. Now,"
he turned to the gathered students and clapped his hands,
"Everyone—back to class!"
Mr.Bruce went to his way after he solved the problem.
The crowd dispersed quickly, each student rushing to their classroom.
Matt turned to Max and said angrily,
"What's wrong with you, Max? Were you really going to let Jackson beat you up?"
Max looked at Matt and replied calmly,
"It doesn't matter, Matt. You didn't need to interfere. I was handling it."
"H...help... Me!".
Max stopped then looked around in confusion, then looked at his brother, and said "did you just asked my help?".
Matt looked at him coldly and respond, "i don't know what are you talking about".
Max looked at Matt then said nothing els, and, then he walked back to his locker, grabbed his books, closed it, and headed straight to class.
Matt stared at his brother's back in anger, then shook his head helplessly and went to his own classes
At the end of the hallway, two girls watched everything with worried expressions.
"Did you see that, Bonnie? I told you Max isn't okay. The Max I know would never let Jackson lay a finger on him,"
one of the girls said.
She was very beautiful, with brown eyes, brown hair, and a slim figure.
She was Elena Gilbert.
Bonnie turned to Elena and said,
"Don't worry, Elena. Maybe he's just having a bad day."
Bonnie Bennett was nearly as beautiful as Elena, with emerald green eyes, dark skin, and black hair like the night.
Elena looked at her best friend and said anxiously,
"I don't know, Bonnie. He's changed so much since last year. I don't want to be with him anymore, but I'm afraid that leaving him will destroy him even more. And what kind of person would I be if I abandoned someone I love during their darkest time?"
Bonnie sighed and replied seriously,
"Elena, your love for Max faded before his mother left and before he fell into depression. You stayed with him out of pity and fear of hurting him. But sometimes telling people the truth is far better than lying to spare their feelings—even if it hurts. You can't keep this up forever. You need to be honest with Max so he can move on instead of clinging to false hope."
Elena hesitated.
"But what if I lose him forever? What if he can't accept it… and hates me?"
"You won't lose him, Elena. You'll be setting him free. You can't lie and pretend forever—and you need to think about yourself too."
Elena sighed.
"Okay, Bonnie. Thank you."
"Anytime," Bonnie said.
Elena looked warmly at her friend and was about to respond when she suddenly stopped upon hearing a worried voice.
"Elena!!"
Elena turned toward the source of the voice and saw a beautiful girl with blonde hair and blue eyes approaching her and Bonnie anxiously.
It was Caroline Forbes, another of Elena's close friends.
"Oh Elena, how are you? Are you okay?" Caroline asked worriedly, hugging Elena tightly.
"I'm so sorry about what happened to your parents, Elena," Caroline continued, holding her tightly.
"Caroline… can you… can you please let me go? I… I'm suffocating here," Elena said, her voice trembling and her expression embarrassed.
"Oh my God! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean that!" Caroline quickly apologized, then turned to Bonnie and asked,
"How is she? Is she okay? Is she depressed? Is she eating well?"
"Caroline, I'm here. I'm fine. I'm not depressed, and yes, I eat well, thank you," Elena said.
"Really?" Caroline asked quickly, concerned.
"Yes. Much better," Elena replied.
"Oh my God, poor Elena," Caroline said sadly, hugging Elena again.
Elena patted Caroline on the shoulder quickly and said,
"Okay, Caroline, that's enough hugging."
"Oh! Okay, see you later?" Caroline said, then headed to her locker.
"Goodbye!" Bonnie waved to her friend with a smile. She then looked at Elena with a teasing expression.
"No comment," Elena said cautiously.
Bonnie smiled playfully and said,
"I won't say anything."
Bonnie and Elena walked toward their classroom, and as they passed through the hallway, they saw the principal's office open with a student standing in front of it.
"Hey, who's that?" Bonnie asked, confused.
Elena looked in the direction Bonnie was pointing and said,
"All I see is a back."
"A hot back," Bonnie said with a mischievous look in her eyes.
Amanda Rancroft, the principal of Mystic Falls High School, looked annoyedly at the file in front of her, then glanced at the new student.
"Mr. Salvatore, your records are incomplete. Your vaccination records are missing, and we insist on getting a copy," she said.
The new student looked carefully into Amanda's eyes and said,
"Please check again. I'm sure everything you need is there."
The student's pupils dilated and contracted as he stared at the principal. Amanda blinked, confused, then looked at the file again.
"You're right. Everything is indeed here," she said.
At that moment, a boy happened to pass near Elena and Bonnie and said to Jeremy,
"Good push, man."
Elena turned toward the boy, watching him talk briefly with Jeremy before, Jeremy headed toward the boys' bathroom.
"I'll be right back," Elena excused herself, then followed her younger brother and his friend.
"Please be hot," Bonnie whispered to herself while staring intently at the new student's back.
Meanwhile, Elena burst into the boys' bathroom and shouted,
"Jeremy!!"
A teenage boy who was urinating quickly raised his pants and said,
"Hey!! This is the boys' bathroom!!"
Elena ignored him and hurried toward her little brother. She grabbed Jeremy's face and looked into his eyes to see if he was under the influence of drugs.
Elena stepped back and said,
"Wow, it's the first day of school and you're already on drugs."
Jeremy shook his head slowly.
"No, I'm not."
"Where is it? Is it with you?" Elena asked angrily, searching Jeremy's pockets.
Jeremy stepped back and said,
"Elena, stop, okay? You need to calm down."
Elena looked at Jeremy sarcastically and said,
"Calm down? What kind of addict talk is that? Wow, you're amazing, Jeremy."
She then started searching his pockets more forcefully.
Jeremy stepped back and shouted,
"Look, I don't have anything with me!"
Elena ignored him, grabbed his shirt collar, pushed him against the bathroom wall, and continued searching his pockets.
"I said stop!!" Jeremy snapped, fed up with his sister's behavior, and shoved her away.
He glared at his sister angrily.
"Are you crazy?!"
Elena stepped back a few steps and said,
"Crazy? You haven't seen crazy yet, Jeremy! I gave you the summer off, but I'm tired of seeing you sulk! No,no,no, you know something, just keep going like this, i am not going to this with you anymore, i am so tired, and sick, from lecturing you to not take drugs anymore, but know that I will be there to ruin your fun, got it?!"
She shouted the last part forcefully.
The boy standing behind them looked embarrassed and slowly said,
"I better go…"
Then he quickly left the bathroom, muttering about the early morning family drama and how he always finds himself in such situations.
Elena looked at Jeremy and said,
"Look, Jeremy, I know who you are. You are not this person. So don't be this person. Just… be my brother."
Jeremy looked coldly at Elena and said,
"I don't need your stupid lecture, Elena. You have no right to lecture me because you are the reason I'm in this state in the first place! You're the one who caused our parents' death, so… leave me alone!!"
He stormed out of the bathroom angrily.
Elena's eyes widened at Jeremy's harsh words. She stood frozen, tears welling up.
Meanwhile, the new student finished his procedures, thanked the principal, and left her office.
Bonnie stared intensely at the new student's face, and what she saw pleased her. The new student was very handsome, with a sharp jaw, broad shoulders, blue eyes, and brown hair styled elegantly. His name was Stefan Salvatore.
Bonnie stood frozen, staring at Stefan in astonishment. She had never seen a boy as handsome as him before.
Stefan walked slowly past Bonnie and headed toward the boys' bathroom. On his way, all the girls in the hallway stopped to gaze at him, stunned and impressed.
Stefan reached the bathroom, but Elena accidentally opened the door and collided with him.
Elena stumbled, but Stefan managed to catch her by the shoulder before she fell.
"Are you okay?" Stefan asked worriedly.
Elena looked at Stefan in shock and stammered,
"Y-yes… I'm fine."
Stefan looked at her curiously, then glanced at the boys' bathroom she had exited.
"Umm… excuse me, but is this the men's bathroom?"
Elena tensed and said,
"Uh… yes, I was just… ummm… i was..... ummm.... it's a long story."
"Oh, that's fine. We all have long stories," Stefan replied with a warm smile.
Elena opened her mouth and stared at Stefan in astonishment.
"Now, do you mind if…?" Stefan gestured toward the bathroom door.
Elena blinked and quickly said,
"Oh!! Yes, go ahead."
She stepped aside for him. Stefan thanked her politely and entered the bathroom.
Elena continued staring at the bathroom door in astonishment as Stefan went inside.
"Wow… who was that? He's the hottest boy I've ever seen," Elena thought to herself, amazed.
"Elena!!"
Elena trembled when she heard Bonnie's voice.
She turned to her friend and said,
"Yes, Bonnie? Did you say something?"
"I called you three times, Elena, but you kept staring at the bathroom door in shock. What's wrong?"
"Me? I… I was just thinking about something," Elena replied nervously.
Bonnie smiled slyly at Elena and said,
"Really? Something? Does this something have to do with that handsome boy you just bumped into in front of the boys' bathroom?"
"No, no, no, it's… it's nothing," Elena replied quickly but stopped when she saw Bonnie's widening smile.
Elena sighed and said,
"Not a word."
Bonnie shrugged, and said "i didn't say anything, yet".
Elena sighed then she quickly headed to the class.
Bonnie watched her friend's back with a smile. It seemed the new student had completely captured Elena's attention.
Bonnie felt happy seeing Elena show admiration for a boy, because her friend was going through a very difficult time.
Elena's parents had died when their car fell off a bridge and was submerged in water. Elena had survived, but her parents had died.
After that Elena fell into depression and suffered from survivor's guilt. And it didn't help that her parents had gone to pick her up from the party she had sneaked into without permission, and therefore the car accident happened, and then they died, which made Elena blame herself severely for what had happened.
Bonnie shook off her thoughts and quickly followed Elena, as they were late for their first class.
Bonnie followed Elena with an optimistic expression, wondering what would happen in this new school year.
Little did she know that this was the beginning of her life turning into living hell
-------------------
Note: Drugs are bad and harmful to society and health, and if you take them and become addicted to them, they will destroy your life. So no matter how deeply sad and depressed you are, do not take drugs and stay strong 👍🏾.