The Third Salvatore, Part Two
The rest of the party was torture for Elena. How could this perfect combination of Stefan and Damon not be as in love with Elena as she was with him? Sure, she had just met him, but she knew Stefan and Damon… and how they used to be. She imagined he would be something like that, but some how even more appealing.
She had made her choice. She didn't want Stefan; she did not want Damon. The one for her was Henry, and she was going to have him no matter what it took to get him.
But right now it didn't seem very likely. He was sitting by the pool, holding Bonnie's hand. The two had immediately been attracted to each other. Elena knew she should have felt happy for her friend, but she was just so jealous she couldn't.
"Why is your name Henry?" Bonnie was asking him. "That doesn't sound very Italian, somehow."
Henry grinned at her, and one of his cheeks dimpled. "It's not. When I was born, our dad was really drunk, and he just basically spurted out random syllables and said that that was my name. You won't believe all the torment I got from that as a kid."
Bonnie giggled. "Yeah, I can imagine…."
"So, Bonnie," Henry said. "I know I just met you, but how would you like to go out sometime soon and see a movie with me?"
Bonnie blushed in pleasure, and smiled at Henry in an annoyingly adorable way. "I would love to, Henry."
It was so unfair. Bonnie had a reasonably okay boyfriend. Why did she need another? But thinking this felt hypocritical Elena. After all, she had two ridiculously handsome boyfriends. Why did she need another?
Because, she answered herself, my boyfriends are terrible. And they really were. Elena did have memories of when she'd loved them, of when she'd found them competing for her cute, but it felt like they had regressed in some ways and no longer cared about Elena. All they cared about was upping the other.
"Stefan, your hairs all flat from the water… you better go shape it," Damon teased, running a hand through his own thick wet hair, which Elena had to admit looked great. But just a few feet away, Henry was sitting there, with curls that looked so soft and wonderful that Elena felt near tears she was so cheated.
Stefan desperately tried to fix his hair, glancing at Elena like he thought she might care at all how his hair looked. Maybe if his behavior improved then she might start focusing on the details. Right now, though, he was too far gone.
Elena jumped into the pool and sank down to the bottom, squeezing her eyes shut and willing Stefan, Damon, and Bonnie to all disappear. Meredith and Matt could stay. They weren't bothering Elena right now.
Elena rose to the surface slowly, trying to think of a way to get Henry all for herself. But her thoughts were interrupted by Matt. "Hey! Elena! Aren't you hungry? I made some more Bratwurst for you!"
"No thanks, Matt," Elena sighed, swimming back over to the edge of the pool. She was immediately greeted by a hug to her neck from Damon.
"Hey, princess," he whispered. "Stefan's inside messing with his hair, so I've got you all to myself right now…."
"Great," Elena muttered. She braced herself for what she knew would happen next– it had happened at least twice already this summer.
Stefan jumped through the open window of the upstairs bathroom and threw himself into the pool at a crazy fast speed and swam over to Elena, who he hugged and pulled away from Damon. "I don't care about my hair… I care about you. More than Damon does, coincidentally."
Damon growled and slid into the pool himself to get closer. "You do not. Notice that I didn't leave Elena to go inside at all this entire time– which obviously proves that I am far more devoted to her than you will ever be, little brother."
Elena closed her eyes again and squirmed out of their arms. "You know what, Matt? I think I am hungry," she said, climbing out of the pool and completely ignoring her boyfriends.
"Great!" Matt said, throwing Elena a towel. "Dry off and come over here… I'll show you the choices…."
As she dried herself she could clearly hear Bonnie and Henry having the kind of conversations that people who actually like each other had (as opposed to the conversations Stefan and Damon had with Elena).
"So what year were you born, exactly?" Bonnie asked.
"Oh, I don't even remember…. It was the year after Damon and the year before Stefan, or something like that. I kind of forgot the exact date over the years."
Bonnie giggled. "That's cool. I probably would, too. Stefan's been alive for just about forever, so if you're older… wow."
"But I look eighteen!" Henry said. "Being a vampire certainly has its bonuses."
Elena watched them, her heart aching in the absolute injustice of the entire situation… the Salvatore brothers were hers. Every one of them. She would make Henry see that. She could do it.
"Wow, look at you," Meredith remarked gently as she walked over to the pool. "Now I know what people mean when they say 'green with envy'. Are you okay?"
"No," Elena said shortly. "But soon enough, I will be. Just mark my word…."
She started towards the table of food, but didn't make it three feet before she was flanked once again by Damon and Stefan.
Stefan grabbed her hand; Damon put his hand around her shoulder and leaned in close. "Are you okay, princess?" Damon asked her.
"Angel, what's wrong?" Stefan asked.
Elena pushed them both aside as hard as she could. It was impossible to walk when people were coming at you from both sides. "Guys, can you please leave me alone for a minute? Why don't you go have some more of your races or whatever?"
Her idea was received well by Damon and Stefan, who both yelled at once "BECAUSE I ALREADY WON ALL OF THEM!" and then, deciding that more challenges were in order, ran off. "God," Elena said, collecting a plate from Matt and letting his obsessive ramblings about the different kind of chips wash over her. "My life is so awful."
Meanwhile, Damon beat Stefan at a race around the pool, but refused to take up Stefan's rematch. Instead, he grabbed his brother's arm and pulled him over into a shady corner underneath a tree to make sure they had some privacy.
"Something's up with Elena. She hardly even congratulated me for the twenty-five feet leaps in the air I was able to make earlier today."
Stefan smiled at him gloatingly. "That's because I beat you."
Damon rolled his eyes. "You did not. Anyway, I think that her attitude– it has something to do with Henry's return."
Stefan's eyes widened. "You don't think that maybe she–" He broke off, unable to voice the horrible, nightmarish idea that Damon was suggesting.
I do think, Damon thought at him. She probably thinks he's the Bratwurst of the Salvatore family.
Stefan grew paler than he already was, which was very hard. He began hyperventilating, too. "Oh, no!" he said. "Why does she would she like him? Why? Besides, he likes Bonnie. Can't she see that?"
Damon shook his head at him. That's not the question, he told Stefan. The question is… what're we gonna do about it?
END OF PART TWO
