The Vincentio II
Chapter Fourteen
Awkward Moments
Val's POV…
I sat next to Jenna playing with James' ring on my finger. I had come over to talk to Jeremy but when Jenna told me what was going on upstairs I decided to stay downstairs. I had nothing against Jeremy being with Vicki. I was actually happy for him.
The reason why I didn't leave when I found out was because Stefan had just disappeared. Sure I got a message that told me that he wouldn't be around for a couple days but to me he technically disappeared.
It has been three days since I got that message and those three days have given me time to calm down from what happened at the party. I no longer blamed myself but I still felt a little guilty that Caroline got hurt by Damon.
"Jenna," Elena whispered as she came into the kitchen. "Are you aware of what's going on upstairs?" she asked before she smiled over at me.
Over the last three days Elena and I have been getting closer. We were okay friends now that she understood that I only wanted to be friends with Jeremy and nothing more. I had a feeling that she still felt I had bad things planned for him but I was hoping after this morning that would change.
"Uh-huh," Jenna replied.
"And you have no objection?" Elena asked.
"He could be craftier about it. At least make an effort to sneak her in and out," Jenna said.
Elena walked over to one of the cupboards in the kitchen and started to make her breakfast.
It was odd because when I told my mother that I needed to get out of our house and do something she had no objection. I think it was because I now knew that Damon was dangerous and I was going to avoid him at all costs, which had been easy because he has disappeared as well.
"Oh, and just so you know, I won't be home for dinner," Jenna said.
"Oh. So you're actually going to do it. You're gonna go out with Logan," Elena replied as she started making her cereal.
"Who's Logan?" I asked.
"The news guy," Elena replied.
"I'm gonna show up and torture him, yes," Jenna said.
"I don't like the news," I said randomly.
"I don't like it much either," Elena said. "But he is cute," Elena added as she looked up at me.
"Haven't noticed," I replied.
"Have you heard from Stefan?" Jenna asked.
"Not since he left that very vague message three days ago," I said.
"'Hi. Um, Elena, I, um… I have something I have to do. I'll, uh, explain in a few days," Elena said imitating Stefan.
I smiled as she said that.
"Haven't you called him?" Jenna asked.
"Nope, not going to either," Elena replied.
"And you're okay with everything?"
"No, I'm not okay with any of it. But I'm not gonna cry about it either. I was gonna write in my diary, and then I thought: 'what am I gonna write?' I'm not gonna be one of those pathetic girls whose world stops spinning because of some guy," Elena said.
"Okay, then," Jenna replied.
"Yeah," I said just as shocked as Jenna.
"I'll be fine," Elena said before walking out of the kitchen with her cereal.
I exchanged a look with Jenna before shrugging.
I got a lift to school with Elena but I brought my skateboard because I had brought it over to Elena's house that morning. I leant against the row of lockers with my skateboard in my arms and one foot leaning on one of the lower lockers.
"The sexy Suds Car Wash is tomorrow. The football team and the band have committed. Well, not all the band, just the ones who can pull off a bikini. I want in-your-face sexy. I mean, it's a fundraiser, for god's sake," Caroline said as her little possie followed.
"Unbelievable," I said.
"It's like nothing happened," Elena said.
"She's in denial," Bonnie said.
I spotted Stefan before he made it up to us. Just seeing Stefan at school after so long put my day off.
"Hey," Stefan said to us.
Elena turned to face Stefan while I was already staring at him. Bonnie suddenly appeared awkward.
"Hey, uh, you know. I gotta go… uh, be somewhere right now," she said before she walked away.
"I should really go too," I said as I turned.
"Please don't go," Stefan said.
I turned back to face Stefan and Elena. Elena seemed okay with me staying so I decided to stay.
"I'm so sorry I haven't called, either of you," Stefan said.
"No worries, I'll live," Elena said while I shrugged.
"I was dealing with Damon," Stefan said.
"And did you, deal with Damon?" I asked.
I was angry that Damon would hurt Caroline like Elena said he had. But I still felt guilty for the whole thing. But the anger covered my guilt.
"Yes, yeah," he replied.
"For four days?" Elena asked.
"You have every right to be upset with me, but can I explain it all to you, please?" Stefan asked.
"Sure. When," Elena asked.
"I gotta be home after school, but The Grill around 4 o'clock," Stefan said.
I nodded slightly.
"Okay," Elena said.
"Thanks."
Caroline came over to us.
"Stefan, where's Damon? He has some serious apologizing to do," Caroline said.
"He's gone, Caroline," Stefan said.
Good, I thought.
"When's he coming back?" Caroline asked.
"He's not coming back," Stefan replied.
His reply shocked me a little but not enough for me to express it. The way he said it almost sounded like he killed him but that couldn't be the case because that was something my imagination would come up with for a solution. It was something that I wouldn't do and a normal person wouldn't do unless they were mentally wrong and Stefan wasn't. As far as I knew he wasn't. Plus it was illegal and everything.
"I'm sorry," Stefan said.
Stefan looked at Elena and me before walking off. Caroline appeared a little shocked that Damon wasn't coming back. I was a little shocked myself by what just happened. Stefan seemed so calm.
"This is a good thing, Caroline," Elena said as she held Caroline.
"I know that," Caroline replied.
At that moment the guilt started to flow over my anger.
After school I headed home with Tristan because he had gone to school that day even though he missed half of the morning classes. He didn't tell me where he went but he promised that it was important and that it had nothing to do with me.
I was sort of glad it had nothing to do with me but I was sort of jealous as well.
Elena and I were going to meet Stefan at The Grill at four so I got to spend a little time with Tristan at my house. I know it should be odd that Tristan was living with my mother and me but it wasn't because he had spent a month living with us when we lived in New York.
When four o'clock came around I was already at The Grill because my mother had left for work and said she could drop me off at The Grill.
Before Elena arrived I had an odd chat with the Sheriff who I remembered was Caroline's mother. That must be a hard life.
"Val isn't it," she said as she stepped up to me.
I had been sitting at the bar because you could see everything from the bar.
"Yeah," I replied.
She held out her left hand and I shook her hand with my right hand. Her eyes seemed to look down at our hands like mine had. It wasn't that odd but it still gave me an odd feeling.
I saw Elena step inside The Grill and I decided to go over to her.
"It was nice meeting you again," I said before I walked away.
I had met her before. It was when we first came to town.
I walked over to Elena.
"Is Stefan here?" she asked.
"Let me think, I just walked over to you without Stefan so I'm going to say no," I said.
Elena just smiled because she was getting used to the way I talked.
"Stupid question," she said.
"Yep," I replied.
We stood there chatting a little more until we decided to ask Matt if he had seen Stefan since I hadn't been looking the whole time. I was the one that suggested that we should ask Matt since he had been here longer than the both of us.
"Hey, Matt," Elena said. "Um, have you seen Stefan?" she asked.
I decided to let her talk to Matt since I haven't talked to him since he attempted to talk to me on the Night of the Comet thing in the town square.
"Nope," he replied.
I shrugged and started to walk away. Elena followed me.
"But if you wanna kill sometime, you can rack," Matt said.
"I suck at pool," I lied.
Elena just remained silent as she thought about it.
"Come on, we haven't played in forever," Matt said. "I'll let you break," he suggested.
I sat stood to the side as they started to play. I wasn't that bad at pool but I didn't want to wreak their moment with my awesome pool playing skills.
They started to talk about Jeremy and Vicki and I had nothing against their opinions because it was their brother and sister.
"And there's Vicki all nonchalant in the bathroom like it's no big deal that they're hooking up," Elena said.
"Yeah, I'm not gonna lie, your brother and my sister, that's weird," Matt said as he quickly looked over at me.
"Don't look at me, I found out when two found out," I said.
"Yeah," Elena said.
Elena checked her phone for the time because Stefan was totally late.
"How late is he?" Matt asked.
"Hitting the hour mark, nothing wrong, though," she said. "Which means I'm not talking boy problems with you," Elena added.
"Good, I mean, it's not like we were ever best friends or anything," Matt said.
Elena scoffed before she spoke again.
"Okay. Here goes, what do you think of Stefan? Is he a good guy?" Elena asked Matt.
I was tempted to jump in make a comment but I didn't.
"Why? What's he done?" Matt asked.
I started to get interested.
"Not any one thing, he's just so secretive all the time. I think there's something that he doesn't want me to know, which makes me wanna know all the more," Elena said.
I realised that she was just like me but in a different context. I knew there was something that my parents didn't want me to know, which makes me wanna know more.
"Like what that's he's a serial killer and he keeps a clown suit in his trunk?" Matt asked.
Shock filled me because that was something my imagination imagined when Stefan said that Damon wasn't coming back at school earlier that day. Well minus the clown suit.
"No, of course not, but what do we know about him, really?" Elena asked.
"He's great at football," Matt said.
Elena and I scoffed. That was typical thing for Matt to say.
"Little bit of a loner and as much as I hate saying it, he might be a nice guy," Matt said.
"So you think I'm just being paranoid?" Elena asked.
"Yep," I said.
Elena looked at me sharply and I smiled.
"I think you should talk to him," Matt said.
"Talk to whom?" Stefan asked.
Elena, Matt and I looked towards Stefan who wasn't there minutes ago.
"I'm so sorry that I'm late," he said.
"What happened?" Elena asked.
"I got held up."
"Is everything okay?" I asked.
Stefan walked towards the pool table and us.
"There's this thing with my uncle," Stefan said.
I started to get a little worried for Zach.
"And you couldn't call and tell us you're gonna be an hour late?" Elena asked.
"Technically he couldn't call me, he doesn't have my number," I said.
I didn't have to say it but I liked to say things like that. The only reason I got the message Elena got was because Elena told me.
"Okay, you three have fun," Matt said before he left.
"I'm really sorry. It was unavoidable," Stefan said once Matt was gone.
I started to get the feeling that I should leave but I really didn't want Stefan begging for me to stay again.
"What was unavoidable?" Elena asked.
Stefan looked down to the floor before he looked back up at Elena.
"Okay?" Elena said.
I really wanted to leave now.
"No, Elena. Please," Stefan said.
"No, Stefan, don't you get it? Every question gets a vague non-answer. What is so awful that you're afraid to tell me?" Elena asked.
"I know you," an old man said.
This wouldn't have been that odd if he was talking to Elena or Stefan because they have both lived here in the past but he was staring at me.
AN: I really had no idea what I was going to put into this chapter to make it different from the show until I came to the part where the old man says he recognises Stefan. I hope you don't hate me changing that part but I thought it would be fun to have that in there.