A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I really appreciate it. :)
Disclaimer: I do not own any songs mentioned in this fic.
Chapter Four
Jeremy stood up from the table and smiled at Tyler's mom. She smiled back and it was bittersweet to know that she liked him so much but would hate him completely if she knew his true relationship with her son. He was supposed to have dinner with both of them but Tyler's after school project ran long so he ended up just dining with his mother alone. The strange thing was they got along great. The easy trick with the woman was flattery. It got him everywhere with her. He was from a respected founding family in the community so a few winks and compliments was all it took to earn him a spot in her good graces.
There was a pep rally that Friday night to celebrate the seniors in the athletic department. Football season was over but Tyler and the rest of his pigskin comrades would be praised along with the basketball, baseball and everything else teams. There was a lot of crossover anyway. High school was a horrible ego-inflating business, filling meatheads with false feelings of superiority. But Jeremy thought Tyler deserved some recognition. He was going to Virginia Tech on a football scholarship, which was not an easy accomplishment, so Jeremy would sit in the back somewhere and root him on from afar.
"Thanks, Mrs. Lockwood. Dinner was delicious. I wish I could cook so I could return the favor." He praised her.
Not that she cooked the meal. He knew the Lockwoods often brought cooks in to prepare their meals especially if there were guests coming. Jeremy just counted himself lucky to be thought important enough to call one up. He liked being liked by Tyler's mom, even if it was based on a lie.
He wondered what Tyler was doing as Mrs. Lockwood escorted him to the door. When the cheerleaders roped the football and swim team into helping with pep rally preparations they couldn't have expected much. He doubted any of the guys were sitting around making posters or hanging streamers. At most they were picking out the music they wanted to be played and goofing off.
"You know, sweetie." Mrs. Lockwood stopped him at the door so he turned back around politely. "I wanted to ask you something." He smiled so she would continue. "This is kind of awkward." She started and seemed genuinely uncomfortable.
Oh God. Jeremy was horribly aware of how close he was to getting out of there now that he was faced with an uncharacteristically nervous parent. He didn't think she could possibly have seen him and Tyler together in any revealing way. She wouldn't have sat down to dinner with him. Unless she poisoned the food… Jeremy's hand went to his stomach instinctively.
"It's about Tyler." She peered past him through the open doorway as though she suspected her son might have materialized within earshot. Jeremy's eyes slipped to the side and returned to her blankly. "I'm worried he might be…" Jeremy held his breath. "…drinking too much."
A million pound weight dropped off his shoulders. If she had said 'gay', he would have had to bullshit better than he ever bullshitted before to get his way out of answering.
"Uh…" He tried to wrap his mind around the actual issue and realized it wasn't that much better of a topic.
"It's just," and Mrs. Lockwood looked genuinely concerned. "Obviously I would prefer he not drink at all, but he's eighteen-what am I going to do? Lately though his partying seems to have increased and I'm concerned it might be getting out of control. Have you noticed anything?"
It was surprisingly insightful of her. She and Tyler didn't have the greatest mother-son relationship. She was often hurtful and hardly ever understanding, but the look in her eyes right then was sincere. If Jeremy was honest with himself, he shared her concern.
"I've worried about that myself." He answered delicately, but the last thing he wanted to do was make her even more nervous or get Tyler in trouble when he wasn't entirely sure there was anything serious to address. Tyler might just be going through a phase. It was the end of senior year after all. Almost everyone was rebelling in some way, so he tried to smile reassuringly. "But I'm sure he's fine. It's just end-of-year fever. Everyone's got it."
She smiled so he figured he said the right thing. Thanking her again for dinner, they said goodnight and he excused himself politely.
Jeremy leaned in Elena's doorway watching the three girls prepare for the trip back to high school. Elena was living at home and commuting to college like Bonnie, and Caroline was taking time off to do newborn vampire things or something. Jeremy didn't know but seeing the three of them there fussing in front of Elena's floor length mirror brought him back to their high school days. They graduated less than a year ago but it felt like forever since he saw them in the hallways at school.
Tonight would bring them back. Caroline jiggled a cheerleading uniform at Bonnie who shook her head adamantly.
"Come on, Bonnie!" Caroline whined. "It's tradition! Last year's senior athletes and cheerleaders put on their uniforms and cheer on the new graduating class. It's a great way to catch up and show off without having to wait for the ten year reunion. I haven't gained a single pound-thank you, vampirism-and I'll have Stefan on my arm so we are going!"
Elena and Caroline were already dressed in their short cheerleader getup but Bonnie was sitting stubbornly in her street clothes away from them.
"You ready?" Stefan appeared beside Jeremy in his old football jersey and leaned into the room. Tyler moseyed over behind him in a matching maroon uniform, and Jeremy took in the sight of all the sportswear around him with a sigh.
"I don't know." Caroline turned sharply to Bonnie and shook the uniform again. "Are we?"
With a frustrated groan, Bonnie stood from the desk chair and snatched it out of Caroline's hands. The blonde clapped happily.
"Yay!" She grabbed Elena's arm and pulled her toward the door, sending a dark warning over her shoulder. "Hurry up, and do something about that hair."
When she turned around she was all smiles again. Stefan opened his arms to her and she grabbed his side, squeezing through the doorway with him.
"You coming, Jer?" Elena asked as she trailed slowly after.
He pushed himself off the doorjamb. "Nah, I'm going with Anna later. Don't cheer too hard. Wouldn't want you to strain yourself."
Elena shot a frown at him and shook her pompoms, sliding into the teasing. Jeremy laughed and shook his head as he watched her go. He was surrounded by mindless drones.
Tyler slipped up behind him and tied his upper arms back with his, hugging him tightly. Jeremy grinned and leaned into it.
"You going to cheer for me? Shake your sister's pompoms?" He teased, resting his head against his and talking into his ear.
Jeremy raised a lip at the visual that created of himself decked out in the male cheerleaders' maroon pants and acting like he supported the guys who bullied him day in and day out. "Maybe." He lied anyway.
Tyler hummed against his cheek, suppressing a laugh. "Nah, don't do that. The guys would kick your ass." He gave him a hard kiss on the neck and let him ago.
Jeremy's eyes followed him to the staircase. He was right. There was a reason Mystic Falls hadn't had a male cheerleader in six years. Tyler waved as he started to descend them and Jeremy called good luck wishes after him. He didn't think anything was actually expected of the jocks but who knew? Luck was always nice to have.
"I gotta stop by my house first. Stupid Stanley forgot his backpack when he stopped by yesterday." He stopped and leaned against the banister as he called up, and Jeremy looked down at him from the second floor landing. Stupid Stanley was a linebacker who was stupid. People called him that to his face like a pet name. He figured it was probably offensive despite the endearment behind it but he never intervened when any of the other guys called Jeremy a queer in passing, so Stupid Stanley it was.
"Kay. You still stopping by after the rally?" Jeremy asked quietly and looked around. He didn't think Jenna was within earshot but it was better safe than sorry. Late night trysts with his boyfriend weren't allowed, senior year or not.
Tyler smiled and it was full of promise and affection. It sent fluttery waves through Jeremy's belly.
"I'll be here." He followed Jeremy's example and lowered his voice before turning back down the stairs.
Jeremy waited at the top for Tyler to look back at him. A foot off the steps, Tyler glanced over his shoulder and smiled sweetly. Jeremy's chest tightened in happy satisfaction. He always looked back. Tyler bowed his head as he made his way to the front door and Jeremy waited until he was out of sight before heading back to his room.
It was noisy. That obnoxious indecipherable kind of noise. Jeremy sat on the back of one of his friend's blue pickup truck listening to Anna rattle off names of art schools she attended throughout her extended life. It was a long list. Tricking her way into that many schools with that much faked paperwork and identification must have been hard. Jeremy thought vampires should make it easier on themselves and just come out already. They'd like it. He would know.
Their group was sort of an anti-rally, sitting around the truck parked on the grass, listening to music and applauding sarcastically at each genuine cheer over at the real rally thirty feet away behind the football stadium. It was a stupid waste of time, but they had nothing better to do and Jeremy wanted to be there anyway.
He could see his sister and her two best friends standing with the current cheerleaders and a few of the other past seniors, raising their arms straight up into the air and hooting for a member of the baseball team as the coach rattled off a list of his accomplishments during that season into a microphone on a small assembled stage. He exhaled in amusement.
They commended the football team first. Jeremy had tried to seem ironic when he clapped and whistled for Tyler when his name was called but judging by the hugely entertained look on Anna's face as she gawked at him he must have come off a little too eager.
"Hey." Vicki Donovan sauntered over to them. Jeremy greeted her with a smile and raised his chin. Anna looked up and waved.
"What's up?" Jeremy looked over at the cheering crowd. Her boyfriend, Kevin, was one of the blondes standing with the lacrosse team. He couldn't tell which, they all looked the same from behind.
"Nothing." Vicki hopped up on Jeremy's other side and reached behind her, stealing the blue plastic cup out of some guy's hand who was leaning against the truck. Jeremy didn't recognize him. There were a lot of outside guests at the rally. The guy eyed her oddly but Vicki didn't seem to care about his stranger germs. She drank whatever was in his cup without hesitation.
The music at the rally switched and the new song that blared through the speakers nearly made Vicki spit out her drink.
"Avril!" She screamed, pointing at him with a laugh. "You love Avril!"
Jeremy raised his eyebrows responding monotonously. "No, I don't."
Vicki hopped off the truck, dancing mockingly with the cup in her hand. Avril Lavigne really was a guilty pleasure for her and she used to make Jeremy listen to her CDs when they were together. Thanks to her he shamefully knew all the lyrics to every song on both the Let Go and Under My Skin albums. He didn't recognize the song playing now so he figured it must be new. Now that they weren't going out Vicki had no say over what music he listened to.
"All my life I've been good! But now!" Vicki rocked back and forth singing along to the lyrics as they pumped out. "IIIiiiIIIIIiiii'm thinking what the hell!"
Jeremy shook his head embarrassed. Vicki was cool. She liked good music and laughed at all the right stupid movies. Avril was her one point of interest that he couldn't forgive her for, but she knew the quality of what was coming out and sang along with as much condescension as she did joy. He could let her have a few pop obsessions. No one was perfect.
"Come on," she set the cup down and reached for him with both hands.
"No way." He protested.
Anna chuckled and scooted back on the truck bed to avoid any attention Vicki might swing her way too. She was focused on Jeremy though.
"Come on!" She insisted and leaned forward, grabbing his hands and pulling him to his feet. She started singing again, "Don't get me wrong, I just need some time to plaaaAAaay!"
She let go of his hands as she backed up and started dancing again until Jeremy cracked and his face broke into a smile. She was so ridiculous. After a while he started miming her movements as she rolled her shoulders and slid her arms side to side specifically. He knew what she was doing but couldn't reel in the hilarious pressure to mirror her. As she got low to the ground, she repeatedly turned her legs out in goofy bowlegged fashion and continued to alternately extend her arms out in front of her smoothly.
He let himself give in and danced like a dork alongside her. They grinned at each other with nerdy glee. He couldn't sing worth a damn but he could sure as hell dance and kept up with her easily as she perfected the movement. Loud laughter encompassed them around the truck as they moved around each other turning their legs out while others swayed more tamely. Their friends chuckled and pointed as they did the dougie to Avril Lavigne.
As the song wound down with a lot of 'la's, they broke down in laughter and fell against each other. The group clapped and whistled. Anna snapped her fingers, grinning widely. Collapsing down onto the edge of the truck bed again, he was still laughing when he looked up and spotted Tyler walking their way. The happiness in his laughter transferred to a large smile. They made it a point to rarely socialize in public, so to see him walking over in the middle of a crowded pep rally sent shivers of delight through him.
The stadium lights kept the large assembly from getting too rowdy but there were too many kids to keep track of and too few chaperones to keep track of them. Jeremy knew there were spiked drinks going around but he hadn't expected the drunken glaze over Tyler's eyes as he approached. More than that he looked angry. Really angry.
"What did you say to her?" Tyler yelled as he got within range and Jeremy's heart sank at the unexpected aggression in his voice.
Anna looked over in surprise and Vicki glanced between the boys in confusion.
"Say to who?" He asked, sitting deathly still. Drunk Tyler was bad. Drunk Angry Tyler in public was much worse. If he wasn't thinking clearly he could say something that would put himself in a compromising position.
"My mother." Tyler answered with an alarmingly tense emphasis on the word.
Jeremy shook his head. "I don't…I don't know what you're talking about." He wished there was a way to transport D.A.T. to a safe private location without having him bring more attention to himself by going ballistic.
"You're lying." The words sounded like a growl as Tyler took a step closer to him.
Vicki jumped off the truck bed and stepped between them, putting her hands on Tyler's chest to hold him at bay.
"Calm down, Lockwood." She tried.
He glanced at her and there was no love in his eyes. Feeling suddenly drained, Jeremy slowly got to his feet and walked over.
"What's going on?" He asked, trying not to think about the crowd of his friends watching the exchange with interest. To everyone but Vicki and Anna, Tyler was just some jock who occasionally gave Jeremy the time of day.
Tyler walked through Vicki's weak attempt to act as a buffer with ease. He glared at Jeremy. "I got home to get Stan's bag and my mother was there with an addiction counselor and Father Erikson."
"Oh no…" Jeremy murmured under his breath. Dread spread through him like a cancer. He tried to recall exactly what he said to her but his memory failed him. All he knew for sure was that he could not have said anything that warranted that kind of reinforcement.
"You told her I'm messed up all the time, that I'm changing-"
"What?" Jeremy cut in, eyes growing at his words. "No."
"You said I was moody and giving up in school-"
The angrier Tyler got the softer Jeremy became. He held a hand up but kept himself from reaching out for him with an effort.
"No," he said quietly, careful to pick words that wouldn't set off any imaginations. "I just…said I was worried."
"Ratting on me to my mother." Tyler's jaw set in a nasty smile. "Really fucking cool."
Jeremy dropped his head to the side. It was like staring at an oncoming train and not being able to get out of the way. He had to consciously drop his arms to his sides to keep from touching him. If Tyler would just slow down and sober up they could actually talk about it, preferably away from here.
"You know," Tyler started harshly without a trace of his normal self in his eyes. Jeremy looked up at him wearily. "It's too bad your mother's in the goddamn ground. I could tell her what a dumbass narc she has for a son."
The words struck so sharply, Jeremy flinched.
"That's enough." Anna pushed herself off the truck bed.
Jeremy stared back at Tyler and his next few breaths were strained. Tyler knew the devastation he felt at the loss of his parents. He couldn't breathe or blink for several seconds, caught in the horrible moment and locked in Tyler's detached gaze. With an effort he slowly turned to walk away.
Tyler grabbed his wrist and pulled him back. "Hey-"
The contact was too much. Jeremy flipped back around and slammed his fist into his face. The force of it knocked Tyler sideways, but he was up the next second and slammed Jeremy backward into the truck. His back plowed into the metal wall and he struggled against Tyler furiously.
"Stop!" Vicki screamed.
Others scattered out of the way. Tyler slammed him to the ground but Jeremy quickly shoved him off and rolled on top forcefully, punching him hard in the stomach. Tyler flipped him back over and Jeremy's head popped against the grass. The next moment Tyler was pulled off of him and Jeremy panted on the ground, staring up at Anna as she had to pretend to struggle to keep Tyler back. Stefan must have caught sight of them from the rally because he was running over and quickly moved to help Anna.
It was pointless though because Tyler wasn't struggling or making an effort to resume fighting. He stared down at Jeremy and as he looked up he saw something shift in Tyler's eyes. A bit of his normal self seemed to flicker in his gaze, glittered with shock and regret. Jeremy stared up, breathing heavily and Vicki squatted beside him grabbing his arm in concern. Looking at his boyfriend made him feel shaky and cold.
Tyler stumbled backward and turned, hurrying away across the field. The air felt hot and thick, resisting the pull of his lungs. The dark night seemed to be draining of oxygen, leaving him there to suffocate. Jeremy ignored the hand Stefan offered to help him up and watched Tyler's disappearing form as he tried to get himself to breathe.
A/N 2: At this point everyone's probably heard that Avril song, but if you haven't and don't know how to dance like Jeremy & Vicki (just dougie, you know you want to) check my profile for links to the song and an instructional vid from a couple of Glee clubbers on how to dougie.
