Author's Note: I am so sorry about the super long wait! I'm back at school and things are hectic, so unfortunately, updates won't be as often as they were in the summer. Don't get me wrong, I'll be continuing this, it's just with homework and studying, I don't have all that much free time. I've also started reading 'Lord of the Rings' which I can barely put down! I hope you guys can forgive me and thank you for being patient! Enjoy this chapter (which is shorter than usual).
Unpleasantville
Jessica stared at the necklace bound around her neck. It was golden (not real gold, but it sure was pretty). Elena gave it to her. "Wow. What's the occasion?"
Elena smiled. She still felt guilty about having Damon compel her to forget, but he was right. It was kind of was for the best. Jessica wouldn't be able to handle all of that, and she had Damon to thank for that. "No occasion. Just a... friend gift. Hey, can you give Caroline this?" She held up another necklace.
She frowned. "Caroline's been avoiding me. I think it has something to do with Matt."
She took the necklace anyway and put it into her bag. "Well, Caroline's interested in him. It might be good if you gave her the go-for. You are cool with them, aren't you?"
Jessica nodded her head, even though she wasn't sure if she was. "Um, yeah. Anyway, what about our birth parents? Found out anything?"
Elena sadly shook her head. "No. Nothing. Stefan's looking into it."
She furrowed her eyebrows. "What would Stefan know? Is he a chief detective or something?"
Elena laughed. "No, he's just... he wants to help. It's weird, though. That we're adopted."
"Incredibly weird," Jessica agreed. "I'm really curious about how our mom looked like. Or maybe we got our looks from our dad..."
They didn't really get their looks from either of them, whoever they were. They got their looks from Katherine. Elena knew that now, having seen the picture. "Maybe we'll find out. This is nice. I miss having regular sister talks like this."
Jessica smiled. "Aw!" she exclaimed, throwing her arm's over Elena's shoulder and wrapped her in a tight hug. "I love you too!"
Elena pulled back, laughing. "So, what's up with you and Tyler Lockwood?"
"We're friends." Elena shot her a look. "What? It's true. It's kind of a bet... anyway, he's actually not that bad. Sure, he has those anger issues but other than that, he's alright."
"Well, if you're happy..." her sister said unsurely.
Jessica nodded. "I am."
At school, Jessica and Caroline were walking around the school lawn. The blonde cheerleader was playing with the necklace Jessica had given her. "It's pretty," Caroline noted happily. "Tell Elena how much I love her."
Jessica laughed. "Mhm, I will."
"Are you two talking again?" Caroline asked, giving her friend a worried glance.
She nodded. Caroline was surprised to see that there was no sense of animosity or dislike for her identical twin sister on her face. "Yup. I can't even remember why I was mad at her in the first place."
"Something about her keeping secrets," she told her.
Jessica shrugged her shoulders. She didn't seem to care anymore, which was very unlike her. "It's none of my business, I guess. I just don't feel mad anymore. It's kind of weird, but all this worrying is going to give me wrinkles. So, what's up with you and Matt?" Caroline chewed her lower lip. They sat down at a bench on the lawn. Jessica shot the blonde an encouraging smile. "Come on! I'm totally happy for you. So, what's the smut?"
Caroline rolled her eyes, but smiled nonetheless. "I was gonna talk to you about that. I was, but there's just not much to say. You know, we've hung out a couple times. That's it, but... I just feel like we've peeked as friends." Jessica nodded understandingly. "This is weird. I shouldn't be talking to you about this. It's weird. It's weird, right?"
"Just tiny bit," Jessica said, using her index finger and thumb to indicate how small the awkwardness was, a small gap between them. "But, if you guys are happy, then it's not about me."
"But it's all about you!" Caroline insisted sadly. "Matt's so not over you, and we all know it."
Jessica sighed. "Well, he's gonna have to. After Damon, I think I might become a nun." Caroline laughed. "Matt understands that. He knows he has to move on."
Caroline stared at the brunette as she unwrapped her chicken sandwich, completely unconvinced. She shook herself out of her mood and continued chirpily, "How about you, missy? Tyler Lockwood." She shot her a wink.
"Not you too," Jessica groaned. "We're friends. F-R-I-E-N-D-S. Why can't people fathom that?"
"Because," Caroline started, "you guys already slept together." The Gilbert winced. "Sorry, I know that it's a sensitive topic for you, but this is high school, of course people are gonna make a big deal about it!"
Jessica bit into her sandwich, a thoughtful look etched on her face.
"History, physics, geography and then Math," Bonnie listed, groaning. "Such an amazing afternoon."
"Technically, it's midday," Jessica piped up, raising her finger. The Bennett witch shot her a glare. She obviously was not a morning person. "Geez, chill. What's got you so worked up?"
Bonnie sighed and opened her mouth to respond, but closed it when she realised that she didn't know what to tell her. Elena had told her that Damon compelled Jessica. She didn't agree at all, but Elena used her Bambi-eyed trick and Bonnie promised not ot say anything. "Uh, just... school. Totally stressed out." She gave her a reassuring smile. "But I'll be fine."
Jessica nodded, staring behind her and at Matt and Caroline, who were talking happily by the bathrooms. Bonnie furrowed her eyebrows and turned around to see what Jessica was looking at, before whipping back around and raising her eyebrows. " I thought you were cool with them."
"I am!" she exclaimed, her voice was high-pitched. Bonnie shot her a questioning 'are you serious?' look and she sighed, her shoulders falling. "Fine, maybe I'm a little... not cool, but it's not like I can tell him not to go for it! He deserves to be happy."
"Yeah, he does," Bonnie agreed.
Sarah approached the two of them, giving Jessica a warm smile. "The hockey team's on the noticeboard if you want to check it out."
Jessica's face lit up like a lightbulb. She grabbed Bonnie's arm and dragged her over to the board. The brunette skimmed through the names until she reached hers. "Oh my God! I'm on the team!" She turned back to Bonnie, smiling madly, and gripped her shoulders, shaking the innocent girl. "I got on the team!"
"Great," Bonnie said, evidently uncomfortable, but that didn't seem to process in Jessica's overjoyed brain. "Can you, uh, not shake me? That'd be even more great."
"Oh, right." She took her hands off her and smiled sheepishly. She turned back to the noticeboard, more specifically the list of names that caused her so much joy. "This is gonna be a good year."
"Miss Bynes! Miss!" Jessica called, running through the halls and trying not to bump into the students who were rushing to class.
The blonde teacher turned around and groaned. "Yes, Jessica?"
She ignored her biting tone and continued. "You put me on the team. I thought you hated me?"
"I don't hate you," Miss Bynes admitted. Jessica's face lit up. "I just don't... particularly like you." Her expression crumbled. "Don't take it too personally, you remind me of the type of girls I hated at school."
She furrowed her eyebrows together. "How?"
"Cheerleader, snobby, spoilt, popular, completely naive and stuck up," she listed. Jessica's shoulders fell as she sent her hockey coach another incredulous glance. Miss Bynes shook herself out of a trance. "Anyway, I've got to get to class. Congratulations on making the team."
She spun around and left, leaving a thoughtful Jessica behind her.
"You remember Ben, right?" Bonnie asked over the phone.
"Uh, yeah!" Jessica exclaimed as she scribbled down her French homework. "Total babe, football God, now working at the Mystic Grill as a washed-up jock? Pretty hard to miss."
"You're being shallow, he's nice," she insisted.
"Hey, I didn't say don't date the guy, just don't take it too seriously. You'll be thanking me when you dump him 'cause he's taken you for too many coupon dinners."
"I just need a break."
Jessica smirked. "From witchy juju?" she whispered. "Yeah, I would too."
"Do you still have those trances?"
Her face contorted in confusion. "What trances?"
"Oh, nevermind."
She knew that something was going on, but strangely she felt the urge to just ignore it. She had no reason to be suspicious, did she? "So, decade dance. What're you wearing?"
"Having fun?" Elena asked the three girls in front of her.
"No," Caroline responded. "But this took about two hours, so I'm at least staying half of that."
Caroline, Jessica and Elena laughed as Bonnie looked at something or someone past Elena. "Fair enough," Jessica commented.
"What's Damon doing here?" Bonnie inquired suddenly.
Jessica raised her eyebrows and turned around, as did Caroline and Elena. Damon, the very bane of Jessica's existence, was standing beside Stefan. Elena whipped back around. "He wanted to come. I promise, he'll behave."
"Is this a threesome or something?" Jessica asked and Elena shot her an incredulous look. "You and the Salvatore brothers?"
She shook her head frantically. "No, but if I'm gonna be with Stefan, then I have to learn to tolerate Damon. It's not like I can kill him."
"There's a thought," Bonnie said.
"Mmm, I'll help," Jessica chimed in.
"And I'll drive the getaway car!" Caroline exclaimed happily, giggling.
The three of them clinked their glasses and Elena looked at the floor, trying to suppress a very large smile.
"Ugh, Damon's a dick," Bonnie groaned, pouring herself a glass of alcohol.
Jessica raised her glass. "And don't we all know it."
Bonnie smiled slightly as her friend took a very long swig of her drink. Something had gotten her upset, Bonnie was curious as to what it was. "Uh-oh, you're stress drinking."
The brunette quirked an eyebrow. "I do that?"
She nodded in response. "I thought you were the psychological go-to girl?"
Jessica shrugged. "I guess I'm not as good as I thought."
Bonnie shot her a pointed look. "Off topic. Come on, spill. What's up?"
She let out a sigh and plopped down on one of the chairs, propping her head up with her hand. "Why's it always her?"
"Who?" she questioned, somewhat confused.
Jessica's gaze was on Damon and Elena, who were talking on the dance floor along with Stefan. She noticed the longing in both of the Salvatore brothers' eyes and it broke her heart. "Her. Elena. Even Damon prefers her, and we look the same!" Tears welled up in her eyes. "What's wrong with me, Bonnie? What the hell is wrong with me?"
Bonnie gave her a sympathetic smile and sat down beside her. "They just don't see the real you, but I do, and so does Caroline and so does Matt and Tyler. And we love you for it."
She looked up with hooded eyes. "You do?"
Bonnie nodded frantically. "We do."
