Chapter 4: Family Ties
"Scum ball. Scum bucket" Jenna grumbled, staring at the TV.
I raised an eyebrow at her, looking confused "news guy?" I questioned.
"Yes. Him" Jenna told me and Elena, pointing over at the TV, "also known as Logan 'Scum' Fell".
"Did your mom ever tell you guys why I moved away from Mystic Falls?" She asked bitterly.
Elena laughed in disbelief quietly, looking at her, "No way! You and him?"
"He's cute" Me and Elena said in synchronization, and Jenna let out a frustrated noise.
"No, he's not!" She insisted to us firmly, "There's nothing cute about him."
"What are you doing with that?" Jenna asked Elena, staring at the ring in her hand.
"Scarlett and I went yesterday and got it from the safe deposit box. Mom had told Mrs. Lockwood she would loan it to the founder's council for their heritage display." Elena explained.
"Is that Grandma Beth's wedding ring?"
"Well originally it was great-great-grandma Mary's wedding ring" I piped in, snatching it out of Elena's hands to take a look.
Jeremy walked over to the table, and grabbed the ring out of my hand, "How much do you think this stuff is worth? You know, like on eBay?"
Leaning over towards him, I grabbed it back defensively, holding It close "You're not going to find out" I scolded.
"That stuff it mom and dads, you can't just give it away" Jeremy said, anger evident in his voice.
"I'm not giving it away. It's called a loan, Jeremy" Elena told him, irritated.
The doorbell rang, and Elena jumped up to get it. I glanced over to the front door, and saw Elena and Stefan kissing quietly, before heading upstairs.
Rolling my eyes, I walked over to the fridge, looking for something to eat.
"You're taking Damon to the founder's party? What about me" Bonnie complained to Caroline as we all walked into the grill.
"Go with Elena" She said simply, as we sat down at our table.
"She's asking Stefan".
"Bonnie, why don't we go together? I don't have a date either" I told her, and she turned to look at me.
"Yeah, that would work." She agreed, before turning to Caroline, "What about your mom? Is she okay with you bringing Damon?"
"And I'm supposed to care why?"
"He's older, sexy danger guy" Bonnie explained, and I laughed loudly.
"Accurate" I commented. I felt incredibly guilty about not telling Caroline about my encounter with Damon. I knew I had to tell her at some point, and it was very out of character for me to have not told her right away. I tried to rationalize with myself that the only reason I hadn't told her yet was because I didn't want to hurt her feelings.
"Older sexy danger guy, is that an official witch twitter tweet?" Caroline mocked
"No more witch jokes, okay? That whole Mr. Tanner prediction thing has me freaked."
"Damon's not dangerous" Caroline clarified, and I rolled my eyes to myself, "he just has a lot of issues with his brother, you know, like major deep rooted drama".
"Like?" Bonnie questioned, and I leaned in, curious to hear about what she had to say.
"I'm not really supposed to say anything" Caroline said with a sigh.
"We're your best friends Caroline" I said, mildly offended.
"Caroline Forbes. When have you ever kept a secret in your life?" Bonnie asked
It took very little convincing for Caroline to give up on keeping the secret, and she smiled, ready to spill the gossip.
"Okay. But you can't tell Elena" She told both of us sharply, and me and bonnie both agreed.
I loved Caroline, but Elena was my twin, and if this news was serious enough I knew that I would be going straight to Elena.
The doorbell rang, and I sprung up from the couch to go get it. Opening it, I came face to face with Tyler.
"Uh… Hey" I said awkwardly, staring at him with suspicion.
"I'm here for my mom. I was supposed to pick up a box of stuff" Tyler told me, staring at me with an unreadable expression on his face.
Before I could say anything, Elena walked up behind me, carrying a box.
"Right here. Please be careful" She told him, handing it over.
"Yeah, be careful with it, dick" Jeremy said harshly, having come down the stairs.
"Hey! Let's tone down the testosterone fest okay" I said, annoyed.
"I'm fine Scar, he's just being a punk" Tyler said to me, and I cringed slightly at hearing his nickname for me.
Swallowing hard, I struggled to come up with a response. I missed Tyler a lot, he had been my first love, my first time, really my first everything.
"Hey, would it make a difference if I told you I actually like Vicki?" Tyler asked Jeremy, making an effort to avoid looking at me.
"Not even if you weren't saying it just because Scarlett's here" Jeremy said angrily, before walking away.
After a few tense moments, I sighed, looking up at him, "You should go".
He nodded at me, taking a few steps away from my house, before turning to look at me.
"I miss you Scar" he said simply, before quickly walking to his car.
Later on in the day, I sat with Elena and Bonnie in the kitchen. We were all getting ready to go to the dance tonight at our place, and I was eager to get a chance to tell Elena about what Caroline had said.
"Delicate flower or Naughty Vixen?" Bonnie asked, holding up two different perfumes.
"Naughty Vixen" I said instantly, grinning at her.
Elena laughed, and looked at her in concentration, "Hmm… tough call. Can we mix them?"
"Look at you, getting all pretty for your date" Bonnie said happily, "You seem happy-ish".
Elena sat down at the table with us and nodded, "I am happy…ish".
"Tonight's going to be great" I told her, and she nodded, before setting a hard stare on both of us.
"Don't let that stop you guys from telling me whatever it is you wanted to tell me as soon as you guys got back from the grill".
I stuttered slightly, about to think of some innocent act, before sighing.
"I don't want to ruin your night" I told her, and Bonnie nodded.
"What if I tell you in the morning?" Bonnie asked.
"Out with it" Elena demanded.
"Okay, but it has to go in the vault because Caroline will kill us if it gets back to Damon that she squealed".
"Apparently Stefan has a very interesting back story" Bonnie started, "Do you know what happened with his ex-girlfriend Katherine?"
"Scarlett told me they both dated her, and that's why they have issues" Elena said.
"Apparently, she chose Damon over Stefan. That drove Stefan pretty crazy so he did some horrible things to try and break them up. Manipulating Katherine, filled her head with lies until finally it worked." I explained casually, with a shrug, "Sounds like one side of the story though. I don't exactly know if I would trust what Damon said".
Elena nodded, clearly agreeing with me, "that definitely sounds like one person's side of the story".
"We just wanted you to know" Bonnie said, clearly concerned for Elena.
"His past relationships are none of my business anyways".
"Unless he's a calculating, manipulative liar".
"Stefan is none of those things" Elena said defensively, and I had to agree with her. From what I saw, Damon was the calculating, manipulative liar if anything.
"How do you know?" Bonnie pushed.
Me and Bonnie showed up to the party with Elena and Stefan, and I greeted Mayor Lockwood, somewhat awkwardly.
"Hi Mayor Lockwood, it's good to see you" I said with a polite smile.
"Scarlett, Hi" He said to me personally, before greeting everyone. I knew he had been a big fan of mine and Tyler's relationship, and was quite disappointed when we broke up.
The night went on as usual, dancing and polite socializing. I had lost Bonnie at this point, so I was standing with Stefan and Elena.
We stared at our parents wedding rings, on display in the area where founding family items were.
"Your parents?" Stefan questioned quietly, staring at them with us.
"There's a lot of history here" Elena said, before grabbing Stefan's hand.
"Is that the original registry?" I questioned, motioning to a large and antique looking list.
"Wow, look at all the familiar names" Elena started, glancing in amazement, "Sheriff William Forbes, Mayor Benjamin Lockwood."
I widened my eyes slightly as she kept reading, suddenly feeling a little bit uncomfortable.
"Is that Damon Salvatore? And Stefan Salvatore?" Elena questioned, her voice changing.
Before Stefan had a chance to respond, Damon appeared behind us.
"The original Salvatore brothers" Damon said, staring at me with an unreadable expression.
I glanced briefly down at my outfit, wondering why he was staring. My hair was in large, bouncy girls and I had a knee length black dress on.
"Our ancestors. Tragic story, actually" Damon said, breaking me out of my thoughts.
"Oh, we don't need to bore them with stories of the past" Stefan protested, glaring at Damon.
"It's not boring Stefan" Elena reassured, smiling at him, "I'd love to hear more about your family".
"Well I'm bored. I want to dance," Caroline complained, hip bumping into Damon, "Damon won't dance with me".
Damon shook his head at her, brushing her off.
"Mind if I borrow your date?" Caroline asked Elena, and I raised my eyebrows at her.
"Oh, uh…" Elena stuttered slightly, visibly uncomfortable.
"I don't really dance" Stefan said, and I smiled slightly. He clearly knew Elena was uncomfortable with it, and I applauded him for how he handled the situation.
"Sure he does" Damon interjected, oddly set on Stefan dancing with Caroline, "you should see him. The Waltz, the Jitterbug, the Moonwalk. He does it all."
"You wouldn't mind, would you Elena" Caroline pressed, staring at Elena in an almost catty way.
"It's up to Stefan" Elena finally said in defeat.
"Well sorry, but I'm not going to take no for an answer" Caroline said cheerfully, grabbing Stefan's hand and leading him off.
"So, Scarlett." Damon said once they left the room. Elena had walked off shortly after, probably to find Bonnie, and I had been left alone with Damon.
"Not interested in hearing it" I cut him off, crossing my arms over my chest.
"Listen to me. I really wanted to apologize to you" He told me, attempting to sound sincere, "for being such a world class jerk the other night when I tried to kiss you. There's no excuse".
I sighed, resisting the urge to just give in to his charm, "Listen. If you're not happy with Caroline then fine. That's not my business or problem. But to go and try to kiss her bestfriend is a big no. Show some respect" I told him seriously, stepping an inch closer to him.
He seemed to be almost amused at my anger, and he nodded at me.
"I would love to Dance with you Scarlett, if you would do me the honor".
I contemplated for a few moments, before giving in and nodding.
He grinned at me, holding out his hand, and I took it, letting him lead me out to the dance floor.
We started dancing together, and I was intensely aware of how close our bodies were and the positions of his hands.
While many young couples were dancing with space in between them, clearly inexperienced and not knowing exactly the right way to dance, Damon moved with ease.
His hand on my back was resting just low enough to be slightly intimate, but not so low that it was clearly inappropriate, and he led me effortlessly.
"You look stunning tonight" Damon told me softly in my ear, and I shivered slightly, his cool breath right at my ear.
"Oh, uh, thanks." I managed to get out, feeling almost hypnotized by him.
His lips were still close enough to my ear that I felt him grin in response, and he twirled me.
We continued dancing for a few moments before the song changed, and I stepped back, composing myself.
"I should probably… go" I managed to say.
He gave me a very charming look, his bright blue eyes looking knowing. He appeared as if he was completely aware of how he made me feel.
"I hope you have a great night Scarlett" He told me, leaning forward to press a soft kiss onto my cheek.
I sat to the side, contemplating my reaction to Damon. I wasn't exactly proud of how I reacted around Damon, especially considering he was my best friend's boyfriend.
I looked up, somewhat startled out of my thoughts as I felt someone sit down next to me.
"What do you want" I groaned out, looking at Tyler with an irritated expression.
He appeared to be somewhat upset, and he stared into my eyes for a few seconds.
"You look great" He told me finally, and he hesitantly put his hand over mine.
I scoffed, but didn't move my hand, letting it rest limply under his.
"I should have came with you" He told me firmly, a determination in his voice.
"Well Ty, you sort of cheated on me and broke my heart" I said sarcastically, avoiding eye contact.
He let out a somewhat pained noise, and didn't move to defend himself.
"What if I was sorry?" He questioned softly, moving his hand from over mine to cup my cheek gently, "What if I regretted it?"
I swallowed hard, looking into his eyes. I was angry with him, but most of all hurt. We had ended so abruptly, and it had left a lot of unresolved feelings.
"Tyler…" I started to protest softly, and he leaned forward before I could continue, pressing his lips against mine.
I kissed him back instinctively, our lips moving together in synchronization.
This lasted for a few brief moments, before I abruptly yanked myself back.
"What, did Vicki not want to put out tonight? So you came looking for me? I know you came here with her, she's your date." I said angrily, standing up from the bench.
Tyler scoffed at me, clearly upset, "Don't be like that Scar, please. That has nothing to do with it" He insisted.
I looked around dramatically, before turning back to him, "Really? Because I haven't seen her in a while, I'm guessing she left. Sorry you don't have anyone to sneak off with Tyler, but you can go bang some other chick."
With that, I stormed off, emotions flooding through me.
I walked into the bathroom, and saw Elena and Caroline standing in there, touching up their makeup.
"Hey" I greeted, and they said hi to me.
Caroline glanced at me with an almost dirty look, and I realized she must have seen me dancing with Damon. The way he had been touching me was a lot more intimate than how most of the couples were dancing.
"So, Elena, how are things going with Stefan?" Caroline finally asked, turning to look away from me to her.
"Great" Elena quickly said in an unbelievable tone, and I raised my brows.
"Really? Well my radar must be off, because I was getting all sorts of other vibes" Caroline said, leaning forward to put on lip gloss.
The scarf she wore lifted up a little bit, and my eyes widened. I noticed Elena staring too, and I stepped over towards her.
"What is that?" Elena asked seriously, staring directly at what appeared to be a wound on her neck.
"Don't" Caroline flinched back from her, and I lifted her scarf quickly, before gasping in horror.
What appeared to be a large bite wound was on her neck, and it looked horrible.
"Oh my god, Caroline!" I said loudly, my heart dropping.
"What happened" Elena pushed, horrified.
Caroline yanked herself away from us, clearly flustered.
"Nothing, okay!" She insisted.
"That is not nothing Caroline!" I said in shock, and Elena looked her in the eyes.
"Did someone hurt you?" Elena asked.
"No! Okay, nothing, It's just… my mom would kill me" she oddly said, refusing to tell us.
Noticing another wound, Elena pulled the shoulder down on Caroline's cover-up, to reveal another horrible looking wound, with bruises around it.
"Did Damon hurt you?" Elena yelled, and I felt shock flood my body.
The man who I had just danced with so closely, who I had felt such a strong attraction to had abused my best friend. I felt sick to my stomach, and put a hand over my mouth.
"What, no! Of course not! Just leave me alone!" Caroline yelled, before quickly running out of the bathroom.
Me and Elena locked eyes with each other briefly, anger and horror visible, before storming out of the bathroom.
Once we got out, we saw Damon. I was ahead of Elena, and I reached him first.
I shoved him violently, although it barely made him move an inch.
"There is something seriously wrong with you. Caroline is covered in bruises and bites. I can't believe it, never talk to me again you dick!" I yelled in his face as Elena simultaneously yelled at him.
"If I see one more mark on her, I will go straight to her mother, the sheriff. Got it!" Elena said, before storming off. I stared at him for a few seconds longer, feeling sick to my stomach with tears in my eyes, before running off.
I spent the next 20 or so minutes struggling to find Caroline, before I saw her laying in the grass by the house.
"Caroline!" I yelled out, jogging over as fast as I could in my heels.
"There you are, I've been looking everywhere for you" I said, confusion evident in my voice as she slowly stood up.
She had a look of confusion and trauma on her face, and she was slightly shaking.
"What happened, are you okay?" I questioned, concerned as I put my hands on her shoulders to steady her. She nodded unconvincingly, stuttering out a confirmation.
"What happened" I asked more softly, my heart burning for her.
"I'm fine, I'm fine" She stuttered out softly, shaking harder.
Her breathing was heavy and labored, and I pulled her into my arms.
She started to sob loudly, her arms tightly holding on to me as she kept saying she was fine.
I cried with her, my heart so filled with pain as I thought about the things she must have went through at the hands of Damon.