Chapter 3
Elena sat in awkward silence; Miranda and Giuseppe were opposite her, two sets of eyes watching as she ate. Damon was nowhere to be seen, but when Miranda had tried to question Giuseppe, he had, as usual, shrugged it off and changed the subject.
Honestly, Elena was slightly relieved he wasn't there. The dinner was tense as it was, and she had a feeling that Damon held the power to make things a lot more uncomfortable for her if he so desired.
"So what did you do today?" Her mother asked.
Elena looked across at her; she was waiting for an answer, smiling politely. They had been close before Giuseppe came along, they told each other everything, they were best friends. But now they were strangers. Strangers forced to make polite conversation around a dinner table set with crystal glasses.
Elena swallowed the lump in her throat, she knew she would adjust to the changes eventually, but at that moment she had never felt more alienated.
"I went to the Grill with Caroline and Bonnie." She answered quietly.
She scraped her fork across her plate, creating tracks through a pile of rice. Miranda cleared her throat and Elena sighed, setting the utensil down neatly on the table.
"How do you like your room Elena?" Giuseppe asked.
She forced a smile.
"It's beautiful, thank you sir." She murmured.
He nodded, seemingly satisfied with her response.
They heard the front door open and slam closed before the sound of a girl's airheaded giggle reached their ears.
Damon stumbled past the door to the dining room, a scantily clad blonde girl draped around him. He paused and glanced at the three people seated around the table. Giuseppe's face was stony, Miranda's shocked, Elena's vaguely disapproving.
He smirked.
"Sorry, I won't be able to make dinner, I have…more urgent matters to take care of." He said, meeting his father's gaze steadily.
The girl, who was clearly drunk out of her mind, began kissing his neck. With a nod to Elena and Miranda, Damon turned and made his way up the stairs, the girl traipsing obediently behind.
There was a long, pregnant pause, the silence even more heavy than before.
Elena looked at Giuseppe, waiting for him to say something, laugh it off, excuse Damon's behavior, shrug and mutter something about 'young people these days'. But he did nothing. And so neither did anyone else, they carried on eating, the clinking of silverware the only sound.
Elena groaned and pulled her pillow over her head. Her room was in the same side of the house as Damon's and the sounds coming from down the hall were not the best lullaby.
She felt completely alone, lying in the enormous dark room, listening to unfamiliar sounds. She missed her old life, before everything had started to go wrong. When Jeremy was still alive.
He had died when he was ten. Elena had been twelve and she still remembered that day as though it was yesterday. From then on it had been one thing after another. Every time things started going okay, life would throw some new challenge her way.
The floorboards creaked and unsteady footsteps could be heard heading down the hall. Elena frowned and slipped out of bed, creeping to her door and cracking it open.
The blonde girl was half dressed, her shoes clutched in her hands as she walked. She looked dejected, and drunk. Elena wondered how she was going to get home, she was in no state to drive.
"Are you ok?" She whispered.
The girl jumped and peered through the darkness, searching for the source of the voice.
Elena approached her, a reassuring smile on her lips.
The girl looked at her groggily.
"Yeah, fine." She murmured, turning to walk away.
Elena grabbed her arm.
"The way out's that way." She said, pointing the girl in the right direction.
"Thanks." Was her short response.
Elena nodded but followed her down the stairs, watching as she pulled her jacket on, over her unbuttoned shirt.
"Do you have a car here?" She asked.
The girl paused, as though searching through her brain for a memory from earlier in the evening.
"No." She finally groaned, her face twisting in anguish at the realization.
Elena contemplated the situation for a second. The girl was clearly upset as well as intoxicated. She was completely helpless and by the looks of her, not much older than Elena herself.
She sighed and grabbed her jacket from the back of the door.
"I'll drive you." She said, fishing in her pocket for her keys.
The girl stared at her, surprised, before nodding gratefully.
"Thank you."
Elena led the way outside, heading towards her car.
"So what's your name?" She asked.
"Tessa." Came the soft reply.
Elena smiled and gestured for her to climb in the passenger side.
"Where do you live?" She inquired as she started the car.
She gave the address before slumping back against the seat and closing her eyes.
Elena glanced at her nervously, praying she hadn't had anything other than alcohol that night. She felt a surge of anger towards Damon as she looked at the vulnerable girl in her car. He was going to let her just walk out into the night, alone without a car. She grit her teeth and drove to Tessa's house, deciding to give Damon a piece of her mind at the first opportunity.
Damon watched out of his window as Elena helped the girl to her car. He watched as she smiled comfortingly, looking at the girl with what seemed to be genuine concern. She was in pajama shorts, her leather jacket doing little to keep out the cold, but she wasn't complaining. He could see, by the warm, comforting look on her face, that her thoughts were on her companion, not herself.
Damon's brows furrowed as he watched the little scene. There was something different about Elena Gilbert. She wasn't like any other girl he'd ever met. She was completely selfless.
Hey guys! Thank you so much for all your kind reviews, they inspire me to keep writing :)
To answer your questions about Damon's age/occupation etc. He is the same age as he is in the show (early 20s) he doesn't live with Giuseppe full time... but later on in the story we will learn more about that whole situation ;)