Save Me from Myself

"Guys, stop! Everyone is staring at us." I shouted at them, throwing my hands up in despair.
Damon looked at Jeremy with dark eyes and threatened him: "You're so gonna regret this!", then punched him back. Jeremy fell to the floor and his nose started to bleed.
"Stefan, do something!" Elena screamed terrified, looking at Jeremy's nose and then at Damon whose eyes became unusually dark.
"Come on, Damon! We're leaving!" Stefan demanded, pushing Damon aside. Soon, Stefan convinced him to walk out of the bar.
Elena came closer to Jeremy, gently touching his face. "Are you ok?" she asked him on a motherly tone.
"Never been better!" he ironically replied, pushing her away.
"Where are you going?" Elena asked worried.
"To wash my face." Jeremy replied, rolling his eyes while he was heading to the men's room.
"It's all my fault. I shouldn't have played pool with Damon." I blamed myself for the scuffle.
"No, it's not. It's Damon's fault. He always gets on people's nerves." she replied bitterly.
"Did you see the look on his face? His eyes were really dark." I added, still shocked about Damon's reaction.
Elena ignored me as she saw Jeremy coming towards us. "Let's get out of here before we get kicked out." she said looking at me and Jeremy.
"Come on, I'll walk you home." Jeremy told me with a friendly voice.
"No, don't worry about me. I can take a cab. You should go with Elena. She looks pretty upset." I replied.
He insisted on walking me home, so I finally accepted. First we walked Elena home and then we headed to my apartment.
After a few moments of awkward silence, Jeremy decided to break the ice. "I'm sorry about what happened tonight." he said visibly ashamed.
"Why did you punch him?" I asked, looking Jeremy in the eyes.
"He was making you feel uncomfortable." he replied, trying to avoid my glance.
"Thank you for defending me, but next time try not to punch anyone, ok?" I said with a smile. He didn't reply.
"Can I ask you a question?" I added on a serious tone.
"Umm... sure." he replied a little confused.
"What were you doing at the cemetery at 5:30 in the morning?" I asked curiously.
"Well... ever since my parents died, people constantly ask if I'm ok or if I need anything. They all changed, including my friends and even my family. I feel like they're trying to remind me all the time how lonely I am, so the cemetery seems the best place where I can avoid being stared at." he replied with sadness in his voice.
"Oh, I'm so sorry! I had no idea about your parents. Elena never told me about your loss." I responded on a gentle tone.
"It's ok, Maddy. Thank you for listening." he replied with a sad smile.
"If you need someone to talk to, you can always count on me. You know that, right?" I told him with a friendly voice and he smiled.
"I'm serious, Jeremy. You can talk to me about everything you want. I won't laugh and I won't judge, I promise." I said with a smile.
"It's getting cold. You should go inside." he replied with a week voice.
"Ok... Take care of you, Jer!" I replied, then I waved him goodbye.
"Good night!" Jeremy said with a brittle smile, then went on his way home.
I unlocked the door to my apartment and went to the kitchen to have a snack. I made myself a fruit salad, then I grabbed my laptop and went to the bedroom. After two hours of playing Diamond Dash and Angry Birds, I fell asleep thinking about what happened that night at the bar. I couldn't forget the look on Damon's face while he was staring at Jeremy's nose. Somehow, it reminded me of Kyle's story about the vampires. 'Elena was right, I should stay away from him as much as possible.' was the last thought that crossed my mind before I closed my eyes and fell asleep.
The next two days I tried to concentrate on the cheerleading practice and I finally managed to buy some decorations for the house. I also had to call for a plumber because the kitchen sink started to leak. Fortunately, my neighbor Kyle knew someone who helped me solve this problem.
When Friday morning finally came, I couldn't help but dream about the weekend. All I wanted was to stay home the entire weekend and watch some cheesy romantic movies while eating popcorn. But first I had to work, so I got out of the bed and looked for some suitable clothes. The weather was really nice, so I decided to wear a sleeveless top and a skirt.
The cheerleading practice went smooth as always and the girls were very happy with their routine. After I attended a meeting with the principal and the other teachers, I was ready for the weekend. I grabbed my backpack and started to walk home, enjoying the beautiful weather.
As I was going up the stairs to my apartment I saw a woman waiting at my door with a small suitcase in her left hand. When she saw me approaching, she walked up to me and she greeted me with a cheerful voice: "Thank God you finally showed up. I was beginning to think that I got the wrong address."
"Mom? What are you doing here?" I asked surprised.
"That's how you greet your mother after a 10 hour-bus ride?" she replied sarcastically.
"You should have called. I would have picked you up from the bus station". I added while I was unlocking the door.
"I already did that. What happened to your cell phone? Was it abducted by aliens?" she continued being sarcastic.
"Hmm, looks like it ran out of battery." I replied, looking at the cell phone's black screen.
We stepped inside and she took a seat on the couch in the living room while I was changing into something more comfortable.
"Hurry up, we have a lot of catching up to do!" she shouted on a joyful tone.