SEASON ONE — EPISODE NINETEEN
"𝙡𝙚𝙩'𝙨 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙙𝙧𝙪𝙣𝙠"

‧˚꒰🍷꒱༘‧—

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'✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹ "I'M WALKING DOWN THE HALLWAY NOW. TURNING THE CORNER AND—" Bonnie's voice was cut off down the line when Brooke abruptly ended the call and a squeal was heard from the other end of the almost empty hall. A few students passing by looked, but Brooke couldn't have cared less.

"BonBon!" Brooke ran down the hallway towards the darker—haired girl and threw her arms around her, holding her close, "I missed you!"

"I missed you, too, Brookie." Bonnie embraced her back tightly before quickly pulling away, dragging Brooke down the hallway, "But, we can catch up later. I can't be late to my first day back." Bonnie smiled and Brooke let out a giggle, nodding in agreement.

They entered their History classroom, Bonnie first with Brooke trailing behind and the former quickly apologised to Alaric for being late before they took their seats, "Looks like we will be at full occupancy." Alaric replied with a smirk as Brooke sent a look towards Stefan, surprised he was back, before taking her seat in between Stefan and Bonnie, Elena on Stefan's other side, "Welcome home, Bonnie. Right, Founder's Day! What does it mean to have a Founder's Day?"

Alaric continued to drone on about Founder's Day as Bonnie looked over at Elena, smiling but when her eyes connected with Stefan's, her smile dropped into a frown, a deep, pained frown. Of course, Brooke knew why but nobody else did...

Bonnie quickly looked away and Brooke reached over, placing her hand over the Bennett's, causing the aforementioned girl to smile to herself, feeling slightly safer with her friend's support. Stefan's foot nudged against Brooke's ankle and she looked over, her brows knitted together.

Elena leaned forwards, locking eyes with Brooke and she mouthed 'What's going on?', only for Brooke to reply with a shrug — it wasn't her story to tell. So, yes, Brooke was going to be a bitch as long as it meant Bonnie had trust in her.

At the end of class, Brooke had found Caroline after the blonde had returned from seeing her father and told her about Bonnie's return, which only caused Caroline's energy levels to burst out of its seams.

Brooke found herself being dragged out of the school hallways and out into the courtyard, where Bonnie was stood talking with Elena, "Bonnie. Bonnie, thank God you're home!" Caroline ran over, letting go of her best—friend to run into the arms of her other one, "I know we talked every day but I missed you. How are you doing?"

Brooke smiled wide as she approached, locking eyes with Elena momentarily, noticing the confused look on the Gilbert's face. Brooke knew a lot about everyone, so of course she knew that Bonnie hadn't been talking to Elena everyday like she used to, so she assumed that was the reason for Elena's confusion.

"Better. It's better, you know? Glad to be back. And I'm trying to keep myself busy." Bonnie explained as Brooke rounded Caroline, wrapping her arms about both of her closest girl friends. One thing Brooke hated was leaving people out, but after everything, after the countless times Elena showed zero interest in how Brooke was doing, she couldn't care less anymore.

"Well, I can help with that! Major wardrobe confab needed, ASAP. You need to help me pick the perfect dress for the Founder's Court." Caroline gushed, clearly excited whilst Brooke's eyes widened with surprise.

"That's tomorrow?" Brooke asked, she was so overwhelmed with Stefan and everything else that was going on to remember.

"The Founder's Court? Did I miss something?" Elena added, also surprised, only she was more bewildered if anything.

"The Founder's Court. You know, Miss Mystic Falls? They announced it today. And you and I are both on it. And yes, Brooke, it's tomorrow! I'm so excited." Caroline snuggled up into Brooke's side with a squeal of happiness, feeling more joy than she had in a while and Brooke grinned, letting out a giggle of her own.

"Oh, my God, we signed up for that so long ago. I completely forgot." Elena replied, her eyes mostly on her shoes and Caroline let out a light chuckle before she clicked on.

"Wait, so are you dropping out, then?" Caroline asked as Brooke dropped her arms from their shoulders, pulling out her cell phone to check for messages from Stefan. He was back in school, which probably wasn't the best idea for anyone and she was worried, he didn't even run it by her first — not that he needed to...

"I can't." Elena shook her head as Brooke stuffed her cell back in her pocket.

"No?"

"Her Mom is the one who wanted her to enter." Bonnie explained to the blonde, who quickly nodded.

"Wait, why didn't you enter, Brooke?" Elena questioned, drifting the conversation away from the topic of her dead mother.

"Because I'm not from a founding family, Elena." Brooke had her hands in her pockets, rolling back and forth on her heels as she snapped at her cousin, who was clearly offended by the tone in her voice.

"Woah, okay. I just thought... Because..."

"No, my mother was hardly even noticed. Nobody even remembers her as a Gilbert, so why does it matter? Even Mr. Saltzman knows her as Mary Elliot." Brooke rambled, an insensitive tone in her voice and Caroline's eyes widened as she placed a hand on the Elliot's shoulder in hopes it would soothe her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know it was that serious." Elena pressed her lips together, feeling a sense of guilt as she watched her cousin try to regain her control of her anger.

"It is to me." Brooke sent Elena a look before she spun around, rushing away from them through the courtyard. 

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MATT AND BROOKE WORKED TOGETHER TO SERVE ALL THE CUSTOMERS, switching between waiting and cleaning tables to make the process fly by smoother. She let out a small laugh when she threw the cloth at the back of his head, causing him to gasp in shock, grabbing it from atop his head, "Real mature." He rolled his eyes, handing the tray filled with empty glasses to her and she smiled, taking the tray from him.

"As if you can talk." Brooke scoffed before making her way to the kitchen, smiling when she was met with Tony, frying the french fries.

"Señorita." Tony greeted as she washed out the glasses as quickly as she could, placing them on the dish rack to dry. Once she was finished, she dried her hands and exited the kitchen, grabbing the next drink—filled tray from atop the bar. She made her way through the restaurant, delivering drinks to their destination.

"I talked to Caroline." Matt spoke as he walked past and a smile spread across Brooke's lips. She didn't approve of the relationship, but she at least wanted them to be happy while it lasted.

"Really?" She asked enthusiastically, placing a glass down on somebody's table before rushing after her best—friend, who wiped down more tables for new arrivals.

"Yeah, she didn't really help much but it was a nice distraction." He chuckled, throwing the cloth over his shoulder as he grabbed empty glasses and Brooke smacked him atop the head with the empty tray, causing him to spin around with a playful look, "Ow." He scoffed, attempting to grab the tray from her hands and Brooke held it behind her back, giggling uncontrollably.

"How do you feel about escorting Caroline to the Court?" Brooke asked as they made their way to the kitchen side—by—side and Matt scrunched up his face, unsure of what to say.

"Well, uh..."

"Don't let her down, or I'll hunt you down." She squinted her eyes in his direction as she entered the kitchen, his back against the door which he held open for her. Tony let out a laugh, on the phone and the two teenagers exchanged curious looks.

They stood around for a few minutes until Tony ended the call, giving them an expectant look, "What?" He snapped, raising his brows and Brooke lifted her hands, shaking her head.

"Nothing, Tony. Just thought you were on the phone with a guy." She smirked, grabbing the now dry glasses from the dish rack and Tony laughed, a mischievous expression on his round, tanned face.

"That's for me to know." Tony picked up his spatula in Brooke's direction and then he pointed it towards Matt, who now held his hands up in surrender, clearly threatened by the Spanish chef, "What's your name again?"

"It's—"

"I've told you his name a million times, it's Greg." Brooke rolled her eyes, ushering Matt out of the kitchen with a giggle and Matt furrowed his brows, allowing her to push him out, "It's an inside joke." She told the boy, who nodded with a slight chuckle, deciding not to question it.

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NATHAN AND BROOKE STROLLED INTO THE FOUNDER'S COURT PARTY WITH THEIR HEADS HELD HIGH, people were scattered everywhere, in the front yard, on the porch, inside the Lockwood mansion and in the massive backyard. Brooke was wearing one of her mother's outfits from back in the day when Mary and Phillip would go to visit Phillip's family, a beautiful Chinese cultural dress which stopped just above her knees with her black heeled boots and her hair was pinned back using a diamond pin she found in their mother's stuff they'd kept in the storage cupboard.

Nathan was pretty much matching, though he wasn't wearing his father's old outfit. After realising Phillip wasn't returning all those years ago, Nate had a fit and threw everything out, that day was a nightmare for everyone.

Brooke immediately made her way up the stairs towards the dressing rooms, knowing that the first room on the left was Caroline's. She knocked lightly on the door with her knuckles and when she heard a quick "come in", she entered the room, her eyes landing on Bonnie and Caroline. The Bennett was stood up, curling Caroline's hair, the aforementioned girl sat at the vanity in front of the mirror.

"Oh, wow. You look stunning already." Brooke complimented with a sweet smile, rushing over to start on the blonde's subtle makeup. Caroline giggled lightly, her cheeks flushing just barely but enough to be noticeable.

"And you look phenomenal, Brooke." Bonnie added with a shocked expression whilst curling a strand of Caroline's hair. Brooke's eyes trailed across Bonnie's dress, black, jewelled across the chest and she looked absolutely beautiful, they both did.

"Says you." Brooke smiled towards her witch friend as she began to pull makeup supplies out of Caroline's makeup bag.

"That concealer is better for a warm day. It's still warm, right?" Caroline asked, keeping her head still but her eyes looked to her left up at Brooke, who nodded, opening up the concealer.

"Why do you think I'm jacket—less?" Brooke joked, beginning to apply the concealer to Caroline's clear, pale skin. It was silent as the two girls worked on the blonde, but it was a comfortable and peaceful type of quiet, the type of quiet Brooke wished she could listen to everyday.

Dealing with Stefan, Elena and Damon and just everything supernatural was becoming too much for her, she was two steps away from ripping her hair from her head using her bare hands. She was slowly going insane without a break, and now she finally had a break from it all, laughing and joking with her closest friends.

"I love you guys!" Caroline gushed as Brooke and Bonnie finished with her look, standing up from her seat to hug both brunettes. The aforementioned girls exchanged smiles before they joined together in a group cuddle, holding each other as tight as they could.

"We love you more." Brooke replied as they pulled away and Bonnie checked the large minimalist clock which hung on the wall across from them, her eyes widening at the time.

"It's time to get your dress on. We'll be waiting and watching outside." Bonnie grabbed ahold of Brooke's hand before the two rushed towards the door and Caroline squealed excitedly, despite the fact Matt hadn't arrived yet.

"Goodluck! And don't worry about Matt." Brooke reassured her best—friend with a sweet smile, to which Caroline returned with a curt nod before the two brunettes left the room, making their way downstairs to where everyone else was.

Bonnie, feeling a little alone, followed the only person she could trust in that place everywhere, the two holding hands the entire waiting time. They decided to wait outside by Alaric and Jenna, who'd been too busy flirting to notice the two teenagers joining their side.

Nathan was stood on the other side of Jenna, a glass of whiskey in his hand as he watched his sister and her friend approach, a smirk appearing across his lips, "Thank God you're both here, I felt like I was dying with these two." Nate joked, nodding his head in the direction of the two flirts and the girls both looked over at Jenna and Alaric, letting out small laughs.

"Tell me about it." Brooke giggled, giving Bonnie's hand a squeeze just as Mrs Lockwood began to tap on her microphone, informing them that it was time. But, they all still talked amongst themselves in hushed tones, finding the entire thing pointless.

"Wait, so Matt's working?" Bonnie whispered and Brooke nodded, rolling her eyes.

"He told Caroline he couldn't get out, but I did offer to take over his shift. I'm useless being here." Brooke let out a scoff, leaning against the girl in black, who smiled softly, resting her head on the Elliot's shoulder. They weren't as close before Grams' death but it was like the entire situation had brought them closer for the better. They had two things in common, they had both lost someone close to them and they were both still grieving — even Brooke after so many years.

"You're not useless, you're my support buddy." Bonnie smiled even wider, watching through the double doors as names were called out and beautiful girls with their escorts began to exit, making their way onto the dance floor in the middle of the backyard, "Oh, wow. Anastasia looks gorgeous."

"Agreed, though it'd look better without sleeves." Brooke inferred, chewing down on her bottom lip as she listened to Caroline's name being called out and shortly after, the blonde in green appeared with a random escort on her arm — as expected.

The last to appear was Elena and Stefan, but when the Gilbert girl appeared through the doors in a beautiful purple dress, her arm was hooked in the wrong Salvatore brother's arm. Brooke furrowed her brows, as did everyone else, clearly confused. The only one clueless was Nathan, who continued to sip his whiskey without a second thought, he hardly even knew who the Salvatores were.

"What is she doing with Damon?" Jenna looked up at Alaric momentarily before her eyes trailed around the two men towards the two teenage girls, who were both now stood up straight. Brooke didn't reply, her eyes glued to Damon and Elena as the couples began to dance.

"I have no idea." Alaric replied when he realised Brooke wasn't going to. The girl was silent, but her brain was a complete contrast, a complete wreck, a screaming mess.

"I'll be right back." Brooke told the four, mostly Bonnie, and the group watched as Brooke sped—walked over the grass courtyard, rounding the mansion as quickly as possible. When nobody was in sight, she began to run like a track—star, her heart and soul begging for Stefan to be where she expected him to.

Her heeled boots hit the gravel flooring of the parking lot, her eyes scanning all of the cars when she noticed a blonde stood by a Stefan's red sports car, which only caused her panic to rise, "Hey!" Brooke called out, somehow managing to run across the gravel in heels without at least twisting an ankle. The blonde — who was Amber — looked over towards Brooke, a terrified expression on her face and as soon as Brooke managed to get close enough, she gave Amber a one over to make sure she was okay, "Are you okay?"

"Yes, but he isn't..." Amber nodded off towards 'him' and when Brooke looked to her left, Stefan was stood with his back to them, his face buried in his hands. He was hoping Brooke would take Amber and they'd both leave, he was internally begging for Brooke to give up and to not be her for just a day. But, that was impossible because even when Brooke — more stressed than ever before — felt like ripping all of her hair out, she still loved her friends.

"Run." Brooke told Amber, staring into the girl's eyes with what looked to be reassurance and the aforementioned girl quickly did as told, running off back towards the mansion. With a heavy sigh, Brooke slowly turned around, her eyes trained on the back of Stefan's head, "You're a dumbass." She muttered and just like that, as if she used magic, a low chuckle erupted from Stefan as if he just couldn't help himself.

But he still stayed quiet, refusing to reply and she took a slight step forwards, the mere sound of All I Need by Within Temptation playing at the Court, though Stefan could hear it much clearer. Brooke took one more step forwards, her chest almost brushing against his back and she hesitantly reached out for one of his hands he had dropped by his sides.

He stiffened just slightly when he felt her soft skin brush against his, but quickly relaxed as her fingers wrapped around his palm, "You hear that?" Brooke smiled softly, her voice hushed and Stefan chewed on the inside of his cheek, nodding despite the fact his back was turned to her, "I love this song." She expressed, her eyes scanning the trees as she listened to the music.

And, without even having to try, Stefan slowly turned around, the veins under his eyes just visible as if he was trying his absolute hardest to control his hunger. Brooke, despite wanting to punch him for bringing Amber outside to feed on, smiled up at him, knowing the last thing he needed was to be rattled by her unnecessary arguing.

Brooke realised he'd turned and her eyes moved back over to him, their eyes locking, "Come on." She grinned, lifting their intertwined hands into the air and spun herself around to the quiet music. The simple gesture caused the corners of Stefan's lips to upturn just a tad, but enough for her to notice, knowing it was working, "What are you? A statue? Move yourself, Stef." She rolled her eyes, tugging on his hand gently and her words of encouragement managed to pull him into gears.

Stefan interlocked their fingers, the veins under his eyes now having vanished as he placed a hand on her waist, beginning to sway side—to—side with his best—friend. The reaction from her was enough for all of his thirst for human blood to disappear for just a moment, his eyes locked onto her smile.

"Don't tear it down, what's left of me..." Brooke mumbled along to the lyrics she could barely hear, feeling completely at peace but her eyes widened when Stefan lifted their hands into the air once again, only now willingly, and he span her around before dipping her, using his other arm to support her, making sure she didn't fall.

The sudden movement caused Brooke to mutter curse words under her breath out of slight fear and Stefan let out a loud laugh, lifting her back up onto her feet, only to dance with her again. A few seconds later, they were both laughing and smiling messes, unable to contain their happiness in that moment alone.

For ten minutes, the feeling of wanting to rip her hair out had gone, as if someone had picked the idea right out of her brain and thrown it into the trash. For ten minutes, the feeling of wanting to rip some poor girl's head off had gone, as if someone had picked the idea right out of his brain and thrown it into the trash. They were thoughtless, stress—free, happy, and while it wouldn't last forever, they made the moment worth it while it lasted.

( FOUNDER'S COURT OUTFITS )

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@amxliewrites — starring role
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