Keep holding on

THOMAS, JEREMY, AND SUKI ALL sat in Thomas's bedroom talking about nothing and everything. It was rare they could all hang out at the same time and the Kim girl enjoyed it, even if Jeremy always seemed to find some way to irritate her beyond belief. They were all friends in the end, which the girl did need more of at times.

"I'm just tired of Elena always making decisions for me, it's driving me insane." The Gilbert boy said, leaning his head on Thomas's bed.

"What did she do now?" Suki questioned, she had never had a sibling before but now that she had Stefan it sure felt like she did.

"She gave a family heirloom to the Lockwoods, she knows I hate Tyler and he was being a dick when he came to get it." Jeremy shook his head. "It's like she doesn't even try to understand me."

"Do you try to understand her?" Thomas asked, it always seemed like he knew the answer to everything, like he was wise beyond his years.

"I guess not." The Gilbert boy shrugged his shoulders and looked down at the drawing in hands, he started sketching Suki and didn't even notice. He quickly shut his sketch book before she could see but Thomas had already glanced at it, a slight smile on his face.

"I need to go get some snacks." The Beckingridge boy stated. "I'm sure my mom has made 1,000 different ones by now, you guys want anything?"

"A soda." Both teens responded at the same time, sending each other glares as it happened.

"Okay." Thomas said awkwardly before slowly backing away and closing the door behind him.

"So, uh.. what are you doing tomorrow night?" Jeremy asked, setting his book down as he looked toward Suki.

"Not sure, Stefan and Damon are both going to the Founder's Ball so maybe i'll hang out with Zach or something." The Kim girl shrugged her shoulders lightly, not wanting to look him in the eye. Every time she did, she was reminded about his it looks better on you comment. To be honest, she had worn that jacket about a million times since that night because of it.

No, she hadn't given it back yet.

"Yeah, Elena and Aunt Jenna are going and they are making me." The Gilbert boy looked around the room uncomfortably. "It would probably be more fun with a date."

"Hm, going to ask a girl from school?" Suki questioned, writing down little flowers in her notebook, the drawings more intricate looking the closer you got to it.

"Technically, yeah I am." The dark haired boy nodded his head. "I'm asking you."

The Kim girls eyes widened slightly as she scribbled outside the line of the flower she had just drawn, her hands starting to shake nervously.

"Why me?" The teen asked, trying to regain her composure.

"You are my friend, and it'll probably be easier to stand with you there." Jeremy admitted, there were more reasons but those were the ones he was willing to say out loud. "Even if you are super annoying."

"I-..uh yeah, sure. I'll go." Suki laughed before pointing her pen at the boys chest. "If you promise to never call me annoying again."

"That's what it takes?" The Gilbert boy asked, raising a slight brow at her.

"Mhm." The girl hummed, slightly nodding her head as the brunette boy nodded, making her drop the pen. "I guess it's a date, friend."

Because friends was all they could be, right?

  SUKI SMILED LIGHTLY AS SHE LOOKED at herself in the mirror. Zach had taken her to buy a dress for the night and it was something straight out of a movie. The light pink color went with her skin tone perfectly, and the shape of it fit her just right. The girl felt confident for once, and she loved it.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Stefan asked Zach as the two came up the stairs and towards her room.

"You'll be there watching her, right?" The eldest looking Salvatore questioned.

"Of course, I just don't like the idea of her going on a date with Jeremy, he's a messed up kid." Stefan explained, his reasoning making absolutely no sense.

... he was quite literally dating the messed up kid's sister.

"I can hear you." Suki called out, turning away from her mirror and towards what was now her little Frankenstein family. "How do I look?"

"Like you'll be the belle of the ball." Zach replied proudly, he always wanted children but never had the opportunity, scared a small child would get hurt by his family.

He was still scared to this day that they'd ruin Suki.

"You look great, Su." Stefan smiled, he was worried about her, extremely worried. Sure, Jeremy was Elena's brother but he was also involved in things that Suki's innocent mind couldn't even comprehend.

"Thank you." The Kim girl smiled, looking forward to her evening. "Can we all just relax a little bit? Jeremy is just my friend and we are going as friends."

"Fine, but i'm keeping an eye on you." Stefan warned, narrowing his eyes playfully.

"Noted." Suki got her small purse and swung it over her shoulder with a smile. "Are we ready?"

"Of course madam." The younger Salvatore boy put out his arm, the girl taking it as they walked to the door.

"Have fun you two!"

SUKI AND JEREMY FILED INTO THE Lockwood mansion behind Stefan and Elena but in front of Jenna and Bonnie. Everyone was basically determined to keep an eye on both of them, like they'd commit a crime if they got more than two seconds alone. It was offensive honestly, being young didn't exactly equate to being dumb or reckless.

"Let's lose the secret service." Jeremy whispered as he bent down to ear level, a smile on his face.

"How-" while everyone had their head turned, he took the girls hand and pulled her up the stairs, away from the whole party. He had been to about a million events in the Lockwood home and knew which areas to sneak off to in order to not deal with boring small talk and chit chat.

"Elena never finds me in here." The Gilbert boy said, opening the door to a room and gently pulling the girl inside before closing it behind her. "I know how awkward you get when you have to meet new people."

"Is it that obvious?" Suki asked with a smile as the two sat down on the floor of the room, her heart strings being tugged at, as much as she tried to ignore it.

"Super obvious." Jeremy laughed, pulling a flask from the pocket on the inside of his suit and taking a drink.

"Well, thanks for saving me the trouble." The Kim girl looked around the room, observing every inch of it. Tyler was painfully rich, probably the reason he was a major asshole.

"You know, we don't know a lot about each other." The Gilbert boy commented, setting the flask down. He knew Suki would never want to drink from it, he appreciated that she never changed herself for the people around her.

"What do you want to know?" The teen asked, looking down at their knees which were touching by accident.

"I don't know, I feel like I just know the sad things about your life like... your parents." Jeremy cleared his throat, knowing how it felt to lose someone so important. "I just want ti know something happy."

"Sometimes it feels like that one thing in my life is what defines me." Suki glanced down at her hands that had started to shake, something that happened when she relived her last memories with her parents. "Nobody had ever tried to care about me like them and Thomas and now that they are gone, it just feels like if I ever care about anyone like that again, they'll disappear."

"I know how you feel." The Gilbert boy replied, moving closer to wrap his arm around the girl, she responded by placing her head on his chest and closing her eyes.

"I can't care about anyone else, Jeremy." The teen said, holding back a few tears. She had been holding it back for months with a smile, knowing that if she cried, she'd break.

She just wanted to cry one time.

"What if you did?" He glanced down at the top of her head while running his hand up and down her arm comfortingly. "What if you wouldn't lose them?"

"I guess I wouldn't have to pretend to be happy anymore." She responded, keeping her eyes shut. "But everyone dies, Jer."

"I guess you're right." The boy said quietly, letting his fingers run through her hair.

After that, the two stayed silent just listening to the other breathe. The only sign of life for someone is that one sound, a sound that they both desperately needed to hear. At this point, them losing someone else would be detrimental.

  SUKI WAS WAKEN UP BY THE SOUND of someone bursting through the door. She jumped slightly, her heart beating rapidly against her chest because of it. It had reminded of her of the night her parents died, the girl tucked nicely into bed as someone bursted through the door to tell her that her parents had been taken from her.

"Are you kidding me, Su? I've been looking all over for you!" Stefan yelled, making Jeremy wake up from how he was sleeping.

The Gilbert boy was leaning on the bed with the Kim girl in his arms.

"I'm sorry—"

"Seriously, Jeremy? Jenna was worried sick about you!" Elena added on, backing up her boyfriend. "You guys have been missing for hours."

"We just fell asleep, it wasn't Suki's fault—" The teens were once again caught off by their family.

"This is exactly why I said it wasn't a good idea for this date to happen." Stefan interrupted with a sigh. He was worried Damon had gotten to the Kim girl, he had already hurt Caroline a few minutes before.

"Can you both calm down, please? We were talking and fell asleep. It's not a big deal." Suki explained as Jeremy got up and helped her to her feet.

"Not a big deal? Do you know what's been happening in Mystic Falls lately? Coach Tanner died last week." Stefan reminded them angrily, running a hand over his face.

"They killed the animal that did it, Damon told me this morning." The Kim girl replied, completely annoyed by how Elena and Stefan were just jumping to conclusions.

Her and Jeremy were not them.

"Let's go, we are all going home." The Gilbert girl said. "To our own separate homes."

"This thing with you two isn't happening again." Stefan stated, Elena nodding her head in agreement.

The two younger ones in the rooms exchanged somber glances before following them out of the room, their heads hanging low.

AUTHORS NOTE—
Here is chapter 5, I really hope you like it because this couple is one of my faves to write.

Favorite scene so far?

Hope you enjoy!