Chapter 1: The BBQ

My name is Elena Gilbert and I am 18 years old and preparing to start my senior year of high school. However, I am not as excited as I should be. Three months ago my parents were killed in a car crash that I escaped from unscathed minus a few scratches. Since then my Aunt Jenna and her boyfriend, Alaric Saltzman, have been taking care of me and my 16 year old brother, Jeremy. While I put on a brave face so no one worries, Jeremy has been turning to drugs as his escape. Jenna, Alaric and I have been trying to help him but he doesn't really respond to us. All we can do is keep trying and hope something sticks.

In keeping with trying to bring us back to a place of normality, Jenna and Alaric are throwing a backyard bbq this evening, which my parents did every summer. They have invited their friends and allowed me and Jeremy to invite ours. Our guest list includes my best friends since birth Bonnie Bennett and Caroline Forbes, my ex-boyfriend Matt Donovan, Matt's best friend and Caroline's ex Tyler Lockwood, our friend Stefan Salavatore, and Jeremy's best friend, Kol Mikaelson. Except for Matt, we are all from Mystic Falls's Founding Families. Matt fell into our group in elementary school and we have adopted him as a Founding Family member, without the responsibilities.

It is a bit awkward with Matt now but we are trying to find our way back to the friendship we had before we started dating. We broke up right after my parents died, however, we should have broken up long before that. He was ready to plan our future and I couldn't see myself in that future. It was bad timing on my part and I should have let him go way before I did. He deserves to find the life he's looking for and the girl who will share it with him. It just can't be me.

Caroline and Tyler have finally found that balance but it's easier for them because they weren't best friends before they started dating and they were more fun than serious. Lately though, she's been spending a lot of time with Stefan. I hope that goes somewhere because they would be really good for each other. He's very serious and she's as lively as it gets and they could bring out the best in each other.

Speaking of Caroline, I hear she and Bonnie come through the front door and I head downstairs to greet them.

"Caroline, Bonnie, I'm so glad you guys could make it!" I exclaim when I see them.

"Elena, you know we wouldn't miss a Gilbert BBQ." Caroline says, hugging me.

"Plus we haven't seen much of you lately and we have missed you so much," adds Bonnie as we pull her into the hug.

"Why don't you girls come on in and help with the finishing touches?" Aunt Jenna calls from the kitchen.

We bound in and I stop short when I see a raven haired blue-eyed gorgeous guy standing next to Alaric, drinking what I think is bourbon, Alaric's favorite. He looks familiar but I can't place him. I definitely think I would have remembered meeting him.

"Elena, Caroline, Bonnie this is Damon Salvatore, Ric's friend," Jenna introduces us.

Damon takes my hand and kisses the back of it and I feel chills and a spark of something at his touch. I have never felt like this before.

"Stefan's friend Elena?" Damon questions me.

"Yeah, and you're his brother?" I answer, while he's still holding my hand.

"Damon, why don't you and I go outside and get the grill going?" Ric interrupts and Damon follows him outside.

As they leave, I try to pull myself back together much to the amusement of my friends and Jenna.

"Yes, Elena, he is ridiculously hot, but a little too old for you," Jenna says with an amused smile. "After you pick your jaw up off the floor, why don't you and Caroline finish cutting up these vegetables and Bonnie and I will get the rest of the stuff together?"

The evening went by smoothly, with Damon and me sneaking glances at each other but otherwise we had no contact. After everyone finished eating, the girls sat on the back deck talking while the guys played football in the yard. It was good to see Jeremy out and having a good time. Maybe this could be the start of a new path for him.

"So Elena, what's with you and Damon?" Caroline finally gets around to the question on everyone's minds. That's what she's good at.

"Nothing. We've barely said two words to each other."

"Yeah, but you were both looking at each other all through dinner."

"Caroline, I think your imagination is working overtime again. He's like 24, Jenna's right, he's way too old for me and there is no way he was looking at me as anything more than Jenna's niece and Stefan's friend."

"Elena, I don't know. I think Caroline might be onto something. He's glancing over here now," Bonnie says, as I look up. Damon looks away but he was definitely looking at us.

"It's because we're talking about him, not because he's interested," I deflect. I really don't think there's any way a guy who is that gorgeous, has that much experience and is his age could be interested in me. Just as I was thinking this, the game ended and Damon walked over to us.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" He asked gesturing to the empty seat on my right. Caroline and Bonnie were on my left.

"Sure," I squeaked and then cleared my throat while Damon smirked and the girls giggled.

"I think we'll go help Jenna with the cleanup," Bonnie said, standing up and pulling a reluctant Caroline with her. "We'll catch up later, Elena."

"So, Elena, do you go to school with Stefan?"

"Yeah, I'm a senior this year so it's my last year cheering. Caroline is head cheerleader while Bonnie and I back her up, along with Rebekah Mikaelson. Tyler and Matt are on the football team with Stefan." I babble nervously. When I look up at Damon, I notice Matt is watching us. Crap, that's awkward.

"Kol and Jeremy aren't on the team?"

"They aren't really into the whole team sport thing. To be honest, I haven't been crazy about cheering since the accident with my parents."

Damon took my hand and said, "That's a tough thing to go through when at any age but when you're still in high school it's really tough. Stefan and I lost our mom when I was 17 and he was 11. Why are you still cheering if you're not into it anymore?"

"It was something my mom and I shared. She was head cheerleader and it made her so happy to go to the games and competitions to watch me. She never complained about how much time it took or how much it cost to keep up with it all. Now that's all on Jenna's plate."

"That's understandable but you need to do what makes you happy now. Ric is giving me the evil eye so I'm guessing he is not nuts about us holding hands and talking. I'm going to go but it was great talking to you and I hope we can see each other again." He stood up and kissed my hand again. There are the chills and sparks again. Does Damon feel it to or is it just me? It's probably just me but he is so sweet.

"I would like that," I manage to choke out. I watch as he turns and walks toward Ric to make his goodbyes and I go in the house to find Caroline and Bonnie.