They sat in the main room, laughing loudly as Matt tried to act out the title of a film. Caroline sat perched on Tyler's knees as she yelled things at Matt and Tyler just grinned at the back of her head happily. Bonnie and Jeremy were sat on the floor beside each other, their backs against the large dark wood coffee table. Occasionally their fingers were skim against the other's leg and they would blush secretly thinking Elena couldn't see but of course she did and she just smirked happily. Elena was sat on one side of the couch with her feet tucked underneath her as Stefan sat on the other side, stealing glances at Elena, watching her tuck the hair behind her ear as she got even more desperate to find out what Matt was trying to act out.
"The square!" Caroline cried and Matt gave her such a death glare that even she remained silent for a few seconds.
"The, the, the path!" Elena tried and Matt groaned and mimed hopping up and walking with his arms outstretched.
"The balance beam!" Caroline yelped when Matt threw a piece of popcorn at her.
"The walk!" Elena laughed loudly as Matt looked ready to burst into tears.
"The bridge to Terabithia." Everyone in the room spun round suddenly at the voice.
The deep, amused but mocking voice that came from the entrance to the room.
When Stefan narrowed his eyes to see through the darkness he gasped and stood up angrily off the couch, much to the amusement of the stranger who stepped further into the room.
It was time for everyone else to gasp now as they saw the army pants and green t-shirt tucked into them, his dark hair short and a lot less appealing except his bulkiness made even Tyler approve.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Stefan growled angrily as Damon dropped his bag on the floor.
"I'm on a break." He shrugged and stretched his arms over his head with his fingers linked.
"Bullshit!" Stefan snapped and Damon's eyebrows shot into the sky.
"Jeeze, being gone for a couple years really shows the change in little brothers." The tension between the two brothers was making it almost painful for the others to breathe. "So did I guess right?" He turns to Matt who nods slowly, confusion etched over his face.
"How are you here Damon?" Stefan hisses and Damon rolls his eyes.
"I told you, I'm on a break."
"You don't get breaks at military school!" Stefan shouts and Damon's mouth pulls into a large smirk.
"How would you know baby bro? You've never even been in the visiting quarters." A fractions of hurt slips into Damon's voice and Stefan seems embarrassed for a moment before his anger shows again.
"You broke out of military school? Are you really the stupid?" Damon walks around the couch to pick up a piece of popcorn from the bowl on the coffee table, he looks at Damon with a pout.
"I'd like to think it requires quite a bit of intelligence actually." He looks down at Jeremy suddenly and points at him with a finger. "When did you hit puberty?" He asks both shocked and amused at the same time. "I mean, I assume your balls dropped, your what... fifteen now?"
"Sixteen." Jeremy says quietly and looks at Bonnie briefly who chews her lip.
"Hm, congrats man. You'll love puberty." Jeremy blushes profusely as Bonnie looks at the floor. "Who else do we have? Caroline and little Lockwood? Well that was inevitable, he had a crush on you since you turned him down to the dance thing years ago and went with... Matt Donovan." Damon turns to Matt and smiles at him. "Are you and Elena married yet then?" Damon asks and Matt swallows and looks away quickly.
"They aren't together anymore, Damon." Stefan tells him, too gladly for Elena's liking who is just sat watching Damon.
"Well that one I did not see coming. You guys have been together since the sand box, it was kind of writing in the stars. Am I right?" He looks around at the faces and a sinking feeling fills his stomach.
"You've been gone too long, Damon. Everyone's moved on from looking up to you as the hero." Stefan says smugly and Damon looks at him.
"That's hardly my fault, is it. Liking the new hero hair by the way, much better than the Bieber sweep."
"How is it anyone else's fault that you got your ass kicked into military school?" Stefan says, crossing his arms waiting for a sarcastic answer.
"I did my time, Stefan." Damon turns to Stefan angrily and glares at him. "I was sent there for six months and it's been four years!" Anger erupts from Damon and everyone jumps.
"That's what happens when you don't stick to the rules." Tyler blurts out and Damon turns to him, the lines of his neck becoming visible.
"Stick to the rules? Where's Mason? Huh? What did he get? He got sent back home at the end of the summer! Purely because his parents fucking wanted him there, I got kicked into military school because Giuseppe asked the judge to do it!" Everyone goes silent now. It was an unanswered question after the incident, Damon was seen being pushed onto a bus headed for the military school by Giuseppe while Mason finished his summer with his aunt and uncle in Mystic Falls before returning home to his parents.
"Dad didn't ask for you to get sent there. You were on your last warning Damon." Stefan mumbled and Damon's jaw visibly clenched.
"You think he couldn't have pulled strings for me?"
"No, he couldn't have." Stefan says adamantly.
"Well he pulled them to keep me there. Four years, Stefan." Stefan looks nervous suddenly when Damon's eyes settle onto Elena, she looks up at him with a completely neutral face. "I thought maybe you would have come to see me." He pulls a face as if to say nope, nothing. "You guys carry on playing your little game of charades, I'm going to be in my room." Damon walks past everyone but swipes a bottle of his father's whiskey off the drinks table and holds it in the air to show everyone.
They all stay silent as Stefan winces when Sam barks suddenly.
"GET THIS FUCKING DOG OUT OF MY BEDROOM BEFORE I THROW HIM OUT THE WINDOW!" Damon yells so loudly that it feels like the boarding house shakes, Stefan quickly jumps up the stairs to get his dog while the others look at each other awkwardly.
"The clothes are vile." Caroline concludes and laughter fills the room while Elena frowns to herself.