Dear Diary,

Today will be different. It has to be. I will smile and it will be believable. It will say I'm fine, thank you. Yes...I feel much better. I no longer want to be seen as the sad little girl who lost her parents. I will start fresh and be a better me. It's the only way I'll make it through.

: :

ALIZA WALKS down the steps, setting her bag on the table in the kitchen. She immediately rushes over to her aunt, Jenna,
the only parental figure she has and kisses her on the cheek. Jenna reciprocates.

"Toast, I can make toast." Jenna suggests.

"It's all about the coffee, Aunt J. It's our fuel." Aliza says, pouring her own cup of coffee before passing it to her sister, Elena, who did the same.

"Is there coffee?" Jeremy asks, rushing downstairs. The boy smiles at older sister, who smiles back and nods over to the coffee in Elena's hands.

"It's your first day of school and I'm totally unprepared." Jenna comments, rummaging through her purse, stressed. "Lunch money?"

Winking at Aliza, Jeremy not only takes Elena's cup of coffee, but the money handed out to them. The girl only shook her head amusingly as Jenna releases a breath. "Anything else? A number 2 pencil?"

Aliza moves over to Jeremy, sipping on her coffee. "I'm still driving you to school, right?"

"You still offering?" Jeremy raises his eyebrows.

In response, Aliza hits him on the back of his head. "I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't, Jere."

"Then, of course you are, Liza." Jeremy responds.

"Thought so."

"Aunt Jenna." Elena grabs her attention. "Don't you have that presentation today?"

"I was supposed to be meeting with my thesis advisor at... now, crap." Jenna quickly gathers all her belongings.

"Go, we'll be fine." Elena assures. Jenna turns her gaze to the two other teens, who give her a thumbs up and gesture for her to go. She needed this job and she needed to know that they were going to be okay.

As soon as she was out the door, Elena looks at her two siblings. A sad look on her face and Aliza knew exactly what was going to happen next. "You guys okay?"

"Elena..." Aliza huffs, tired of constantly being asked the same question.

"Don't start." Jeremy replies, grabbing a hold of Aliza's and pulling her outside.

"Hey, I left my coffee!"

"Here take mine, now let's go." Jeremy says, throwing Aliza her keys as he grabs both their bags.

"Don't rush me, little brother!"

"By two years, Aliza! Get over it."

"I'll never fail to bring it up." Aliza smirks as they settle into the car. Immediately, music starts to blare from the speakers as they take off.

"Hey, so what was it you were telling me about Bonnie the other day?" Jeremy asks. Aliza never failed to tell Jeremy any secret that was told to her. They were two peas in a pod. Siblings and best friends. The death of their parents definitely brought them closer together. They depended on each other for almost everything.

"Oh, she said that Grams told her that she's like a psychic or something like that. Her ancestors are from Salem."

"I love Grams, but I think the old age is getting to her." Jeremy states. The two share a look before they break out into laughter. To anyone, this would be a rare sight. The two depressed siblings finally smiling and laughing, but this always happened. They healed each other.

The laughter stops when Aliza lets out a gasp, her eyes landing in a gorgeous black crow that flew over their car. "Look, Jere, it's a crow! It's beautiful.".

" Yeah, so beautiful, now eyes on the road, please."

"We are going to have the best year ever."

"I hope so. As long as we have each other right?"

"As long as we have each other."

::

"Look at the shower curtain on Kelly Beach." Aliza hears Bonnie mumbles as she walks up behind the girl, prepared to frighten her.

"Boo!"

Bonnie flinches as she lets out a squeal, holding her chest. "Damn it, Aliza, don't do that to me!"

"I thought you were a psychic, Bon" Aliza teases, laughing.

"Yeah, whatever." Bonnie playfully hits her chest before looping their arms and making their way to her locker. Elena joining them on the way.

Standing next to Bonnie and leaning back against the lockers next to hers, Aliza eyes settle on Matt Donavan, Elena's ex. Tapping her sister on the shoulder, Aliza points over to where Matt resided.

Elena gave him a sad smile, along with a little wave. All he did was ignore her and in response, slam his locker closed and storm off like a child. The sight making Aliza stifle a chuckle.

"He hates me."

"That's not hate. That's you dumped me, but I'm too cool to show it and I'm secretly listening to Bruno Mars's greatest hints." Aliza retorts, Elena suppressing a smile at her antics.

"Elena, Oh my god. How are you?!" A loud voice shouts and they all knew who it belonged too. The one and only Caroline Forbes. The blonde pulls Elena into a tight hug.

Aliza rolls her eyes, wanting to pull Caroline off her sister. The two were never close. Not at all. It was like Caroline always had something against her. Like, she was always jealous for some reason. Aliza never knew why.

"How is she? Is she good?" Caroline wonders, looking at Aliza and Bonnie for an answer.

"Uh, Caroline I'm right here and I'm fine. So is Aliza." Elena points over to her sister.

Caroline pulls Aliza into a short hug before pulling away. "See you guys later?"

As she walks off, Aliza found it hard not to roll her eyes. She shares a look with her sister and best friend before shaking her head. "No comment."

::

After leaving Elena and Bonnie, Aliza went to search for Jeremy and sadly, she knew exactly where he would be. In the back of the school, Jeremy stood outside smoking and talking with Vicky Donavan. Aliza knew that the girl had took her little brother's virginity and the Gilbert swore to make her life living hell if she ever tired anything ever again with her little brother.

Tyler Lockwood, the perfect son of mayor Lockwood joins them and immediately all in Jeremy's face. The action makes Aliza rush over and loop her arm with Jeremy's, hoping to calm him. Jeremy mocks the Lockwood. "Carson Daily fan?"

"Ty..." Aliza warns him, seeing the heated look in his eyes. Tyler turns his gaze to Aliza and he instantly softens. "You always know how to start a fight."

"Only to get your attention." Tyler replies, smiling. Aliza smiles back.

The two have had an interesting past. From being childhood best friends and then to a weird on again, off again relationship. No matter what, Tyler would always have a soft spot for Aliza Gilbert. It was inevitable.

The interaction them, causes Vicki to grow jealous and pull Tyler back. "Be nice."

"Tyler, you already know the run down." Aliza ignores the glare being sent her way by Vicki. "Leave it alone."

"Only because you asked nicely." Tyler moves from Vicki's grip and pulls Aliza into a hug.

"You know I'd kick your ass either way." The Gilbert girl teases as she pulls out of the hug.

"Debatable." Tyler teases back as he steps back. "It was nice seeing you, Aliza."

"I'm sure it was." Aliza winks at him before she grabs Jeremy and drags him away from them, throwing his blunt in the floor. "You really need better taste in girls."

"Shut up." Jeremy says, laughing.

The two walk towards the boy's bathroom and as Jeremy deals with his red eye problem, Aliza stands guard, not wanting anyone to catch her brother. Though, she felt like she jinxed it when she saw Elena heading her way.

Quickly running inside and telling Jeremy that Elena was coming, Aliza watches as he put his eye drops as slowly as possible. Not really caring for Elena. Speaking of, the girl came in hot, trying to get to him, but Aliza stood between them, knowing how hostile it would get.

"It's the first day of school and you're stoned." Elena spoke with slight disgust.

"No, I'm not." He lies through his teeth.

"Where is it? Is it on you?" Elena goes to go around Aliza, with the intention to check him, but the girl wouldn't let him. Elena huffs. "I gave you a summer pass, but I am done watching you destroy yourself."

Aliza never liked the way Elena spoke to her brother. It truly pissed her off. Pushing Jeremy towards the door, Aliza spoke. "Go, now."

"Aliza—."

"Go, Jere." Aliza kisses his cheek. "I need to talk to her."

Jeremy didn't want Aliza to be alone with Elena, but with a stern look from his sister, he was out, practically running out the bathroom. Elena scoffs. "You're just going to let him get away with it?"

"You need to let him live his life. He doesn't need your lecture. You lecturing him makes him want to do it more. Whenever he's with me, he doesn't even look at the pills or blunt. He's actually smiling and he's happy. Let him cope. That's all you have to do. He can make right from wrong on his own."

With that, Aliza left the bathroom. Elena has been pestering them nonstop about every little thing they do wrong. It was growing tiresome. Just let them cope and deal with the pain and consequences.

As soon as Aliza stepped foot out the bathroom, she ran into a hard body. The impact causing her to stumble back, though a pair of warm and soft hands, steadied her. And as she connected eyes with the culprit, it was like the world stopped. She was met with stunning forest green eyes and she felt at peace.

Like her problems were nonexistent.

I love writing this. I can't wait to write the other ones.

Aliza and Jeremy are sibling goals❤️

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