Checking in again! This is when the story, in my opinion, really picks up so I hope you've been enjoying! Really loving creating the relationships between Rhea and the other characters, especially Damon (of course). As always, follow or subscribe to get posting updates!

I groaned as I awoke to the shrill noise of my alarm clock blaring on my nightstand. I felt awful, exhaustion weighing on me like a thick blanket. Despite falling asleep relatively easily, I had tossed and turned all night, half awake, half in a dream state as my muddled thoughts jumped in no logical order from images of Jeremy and Tyler, to the random crow, to Elena sobbing as I hugged her, and lastly… to the charming stranger who had seemed so reluctant to let my hand go.

I knew he must be bad news. His overt flirting raised every flag, and yet, against my better judgment, I couldn't help but be drawn to him. His confidence, his smug smile, and the way his cerulean eyes twinkled with a mischievous allure - it was these similarly shared qualities that had made Tyler stand out, but I knew what opening that door had led to. Despite this attraction, I knew I had to be careful here to ensure I didn't make the same mistake again.

The door suddenly burst open to put a hard stop to my thoughts as Elena said, "Oh, you're up! Bonnie's here."

Grumbling, I washed up in the bathroom, pulled an oversized hoodie over my head, and grabbed my bag. I was about to head out before I glanced at the mirror, realizing I looked worse than I thought, I put on my dark, silver-rimmed aviators - lord knew I needed them today.

I stayed quiet on the car ride to school, closing my eyes as Bonnie and Elena went back and forth talking about Stefan. Through my hazy state, I was able to hear that Elena and Stefan were now officially dating after she visited his house last night, where they had apparently shared their first kiss. It sounded like Bonnie wasn't completely happy about this for some reason, and normally I would have spoken up in favor of Stefan, but I was still drained from my lack of quality sleep.

By the time we arrived at school, the conversation felt a little tense as Bonnie slammed the car door shut and shot Elena a stern look, "I'm not saying don't date the guy. I'm just saying you should take it slow."

Elena looked utterly confused, "You were the one who said I should go for it."

Bonnie crossed her arms, her lips pursed as she responded, "Now I'm saying, take it slow."

"But why the about-face? What am I missing here?" Elena held her ground - it was clear something had happened for Bonnie to change her mind.

"It's not an about-face. I'm pointing out that you're single for the first time in your entire high school career. This is the perfect time for you to play the field, see what else is out there."

The unusualness of her statement stood out so I finally spoke up, "Okay Bonnie… play the field? Since when has that ever mattered to you? That's so unlike you."

Elena laughed incredulously as she added, "Right, because I'm sooo that kind of girl. Seriously, what are you not saying?"

Bonnie hesitated, her eyes avoiding Elena's as she bit her lip and looked at the ground before she let out, "...You're going to think it's stupid."

Grabbing Bonnie's arm to force her to meet her eyes, Elena said firmly, "Bonnie. Come on, spit it out."

A beat passed in silence as Bonnie looked back at Elena, the defiance in her eyes replaced with obvious concern before she blurted out, "I accidentally touched Stefan and I got a really bad feeling."

A look of disbelief fell on Elena's face, "...Is that it? Bonnie, come on."

As if this was what she had been afraid of, Bonnie immediately tore away from Elena's hold, turning to walk toward campus. Before she could take a step, Elena reached out again, "Bonnie?"

The distress in Bonnie's eyes was evident as she exclaimed, "You don't understand, it was bad bad!"

"Is this the whole witch mojo thing again?" Elena asked skeptically.

Bonnie's face immediately fell, hurt written all over it, and honestly, with all the strange incidents over the last couple of days, I couldn't write off what she was feeling, even if Elena was unconvinced. Wanting to neutralize things, I stepped in, "Bonnie's just trying to look out for you Elena - she's just worried. And Bonnie, I honestly think Elena and Stefan have been getting along really well. Instead of shutting down the idea altogether, I think they can just take things slow like you said yourself, and see where things go."

"I can't shake off what I felt - I'm just concerned my gut is right, and the last thing I want is for you to get hurt again Elena."

Gently placing her hands on Bonnie's shoulders, Elena leaned in with a grateful smile, "And I love you for it, I really do. But Bon, I feel good. It's been a hard year, and I'm just starting to kind of feel like things are getting back to normal again. And Stefan has been a big part of that."

Realizing Elena wouldn't waver, Bonnie let out a sigh and surrendered, letting out a tired smile in return. Pointing at me, she joked, "As her sister, it's your job to deal with her if things go south."

I grinned back and nodded, pulling an arm over her shoulder, "Come on. We've gotta get to class."

The three of us began walking toward the school entrance when we noticed Stefan walking in the same direction - he hadn't seen us yet, but he would soon.

I felt Bonnie tense up next to me, as she subconsciously squeezed my arm. Elena, oblivious to her discomfort, beamed as our steps approached closer before Stefan finally noticed us. His eyes immediately honed in on Elena as he gave her a warm smile, "Good morning, Elena."

His eyes shifted over to me and Bonnie as I felt her grip tighten even further to an uncomfortable degree. Stefan politely greeted us, "Bonnie, Rhea."

Squirming under his gaze, Bonnie panicked, "Hey, um - we've gotta go find Caroline. She's not answering her phone. We'll see you guys later!"

Her eyes flitted to mine in a desperate plea as I squeaked out, "Yeah, uh, it's so unlike her y'know."

With the air hanging heavy after my failed improv, Bonnie immediately began dragging me toward the school entrance, muttering under her breath "Walk. Now." I glanced back to see Elena's eyes trailing after us, her brows furrowed, and Stefan looking confused.

–

It was time for the cheer season to begin again, and today was our first day back after the summer break. I had wondered what sport to get into my freshman year, and had eventually landed on cheer after being intrigued by randomly seeing the team doing a rigorous routine on the field one day. It had quickly turned into much more than just an after school activity, and after enjoying it so much, I had convinced Elena to join once she became a freshman, who in turn brought Bonnie and Caroline. After two years, Caroline had successfully politicked and climbed her way to becoming cheer captain as a junior, and this would be her first season at the helm after the last captain had graduated last year.

Aside from my mental fatigue over recent events, I was surprisingly excited to get back into a physical sport again. Having always been involved in some form of athletics, my body was itching to push itself beyond the daily jogs I had restarted again.

The clang of metal doors opening and shutting clamored all around us in the locker room as Elena and I began changing to get ready. As she pulled her shirt over her head, she filled me in on how she was trying to convince Stefan to try out for the football team, which in theory, sounded like a great idea, with one small catch - Mr. Tanner was the coach for the team, and I honestly wouldn't have put it past him to deny Stefan just to pad his own ego.

Elena finished changing first, as she pulled out her phone to wait for me. Struggling with a pair of old red spankies, I finally succeeded after some considerable effort. Walking over to the full length mirror, I checked myself out, admiring the physical progress I had made since picking up exercising again. Seeing what I was doing, Elena rolled her eyes, putting her phone away as she began walking to the exit first, saying playfully, "Get over yourself."

As we made our way across the football field, we realized we were still a bit early and decided to go wait by the bleachers, opting to watch the football team practice while we waited for Caroline. Bonnie was already there, and as soon as her eyes met with Elena's, they lit up as she ran toward her yelling, "Oh my god! You're here Elena!"

It made sense why Bonnie was surprised - when the rest of the team had joined summer cheer camp to continue training, Elena had decided not to attend as she had still been heartbroken over the accident. While she had pulled away from her normal routine, I had decided to join cheer camp alongside everyone else in an effort to block out our parent's death. Bonnie had been worried Elena wouldn't come back to cheer once the school year started, and hadn't wanted to ask or pressure her just in case.

Elena smiled, "Yep! I can't be a sad girl forever. The only way to get things back to the way they were is to just get back into the swing of things. Oh, and you're coming to dinner tonight."

Bonnie glanced at me, as if hoping I'd be able to offer some clarity here, "I am?"

Wanting nothing to do with this, I waved my hands and replied, "Nope, don't look at me, I'm not involved in this."

"She's right, it was my idea! You, me and Stefan. You have got to give him a chance." Elena demanded.

"Oh… uh, Tonight's no good." Bonnie said, her eyes darting around in hopes of changing the subject. Noticing the time, she finally added on, "Have you guys seen Caroline? I texted her like a hundred times."

"Don't change the subject, Bonnie Bennett! You're going to be there." Elena exclaimed firmly.

Realizing Elena wasn't going to take no for an answer, she finally conceded quietly, "Fine. I'll go.. Only if Rhea's there."

"Good." Elena smiled with satisfaction, then pivoted to look at me pointedly.

After a few seconds of silence with her continuing to stare, I let out a long sigh, "Why do I always get dragged into these things?"

"You're my sister, it comes with the territory."

Not having the energy to argue, I merely nodded and plopped down, beginning to stretch for practice. A couple of minutes went by with no sign of Caroline, and Bonnie's curiosity as to where she was had now escalated into concern from all of us. Where the hell was she?

Bonnie became more and more impatient until she blurted out, "Seriously, where is Caroline?"

Elena took another look around the field, not seeing her signature blonde hair anywhere, "I don't know. This isn't like her."

"I'll try her again."

Just as Bonnie pulled out her phone for the umpteenth time, we heard music off in the distance, coming from the back road. As our heads turned in unison, we noticed a blue Chevy Camaro ambling its way up the road to the back field.

Squinting, I could just make out a girl with familiar golden curls and giant sunglasses on, sitting in the passenger seat… Caroline? And the driver… I noticed a head of ebony, artfully tousled hair, a worn, leather jacket, and even from this distance, I could see that smug smirk over the dashboard.

I couldn't believe it. The mystery guy Caroline had been talking about was him? The charming stranger I was now ashamed to have dreamt about, the guy I had been so hesitant to open up to, was now pulling up to the football field with an obviously smitten Caroline beaming proudly next to him for the world to see.

Despite my best efforts, I could feel a heavy lump of disappointment start to grow in the bottom of my stomach. Realizing my face had twisted into a scowl, I looked down, trying to regain my composure.

Elena, now recognizing the scene unfolding before her, muttered, "Uhhh?"

As the car slowed to a stop next to us, Bonnie took a moment to look him over before saying out loud what we were all thinking, "Oh my god, he must be the mystery guy she said she met at the grill!"

Elena's lips pursed into a grimace as she said, "That's not just a mystery guy. That's Damon Salvatore".

I felt my mind go white for a second as I processed what she had just said. Damon Salvatore… aka Stefan's brother… was the guy I had been thinking about? The man that was stirring up trouble with Elena's relationship? The man that apparently went home with Caroline last night after I had rejected him?

I suddenly felt like an absolute fool for having spent any energy thinking about him at all, my earlier disappointment compounding with this new information into utter disdain.

Bonnie, stunned by Elena's revelation leaned in as she asked, "Salvatore, as in Stefan?!"

Before Elena could respond, we all watched as Caroline leaned over to kiss Damon. The brick in my stomach weighed heavier than ever as I grit my teeth, doing everything I could to maintain a straight face.

The three of us watched in stunned silence as she then hopped out of the car, a light bounce to her steps. I could see Damon's pale blue gaze follow after her, until it fell on us. Refusing to look at him, I kept my eyes on Caroline as she skipped over to us. She tapped on Elena's shoulder as she walked by, "I got the other brother, I hope you don't mind!"

Once Caroline passed us, the tension in the air was palpable while Elena glowered at Damon as he began to drive away.

We slowly turned around, making our way back to the rest of the group before Caroline quickly motioned for the girls to gather around her, "Sorry I'm late girls. I uh, was busy. All right, let's get started with the double pike herkie hurdler, what do you say?"

Without another word, we all fell in line and started rehearsing the steps to our routine, Caroline counting out the movements for us to follow. As we began moving in unison, Caroline's eyes immediately focused on Elena, as she noticed she was the only one struggling to recount the moves.

As the rest of us kept going, Caroline called out to Elena, "Elena, sweetie, why don't you just observe today, okay?"

Elena immediately flushed red with embarrassment, a bit taken aback by how callously Caroline had called her out. She dropped her head as she walked to the front to watch us from behind Caroline. Paying no mind, Caroline continued as chipper as ever, "Keep going! Ok, do it again from the top!"

As we shuffled to get back into formation to restart the routine, I kept glancing at Elena, feeling helpless as I couldn't do anything to make her feel better. The last thing she needed was to feel even more out of place, when returning to cheer had already been a difficult decision for her after missing the entire summer camp.

While we continued to go through our choreographed steps, I noticed she stepped away, slowly making her way over to the bleachers. It seemed she was taking the opportunity to watch Stefan try out for the football team. Her apathy for cheer was pretty evident at this point - maybe it would be a good idea for her to leave it behind.

Realizing I missed an eight count, I snapped to my senses and refocused on practice.

–

Elena had made the executive decision to pick up food from her favorite Italian restaurant so that we could eat it from the comfort of our home, bringing Bonnie along with her. Arriving home first, I realized it had been a while since I had had a reason to dress up, so I decided to take my time in getting ready.

Poring through my closet, I settled on a strapless black corset, my favorite pair of black skinny jeans, and a black set of knee-high boots to top it off.

Upon zipping up my boots, I stood up and looked in the mirror, appreciating my selections for the night. Feeling that something was missing, I sifted through my jewelry, before landing on a beautiful gold chain that fell right above my breast bone. I grabbed a matching pair of golden hoop earrings, gently putting them on. Finally satisfied, I fluffed my hair one last time before heading downstairs.

Bonnie and Elena had already returned home and were chatting in the midst of pulling out plastic containers of pasta from to-go bags onto the kitchen island.

"I'm telling you, I knew that commercial would play before we saw it!" Bonnie said as she pulled out the last container.

"Bon, that commercial is on like every day." Elena laughed, as she pulled out some serving bowls. Luckily, it seemed Bonnie wasn't taking Elena's skepticism too sensitively tonight.

Taking a quick look, I was pleased to see our favorite Italian meals - heaping servings of chicken fettuccine alfredo and spaghetti bolognese. Elena began moving the pasta into serving bowls, as Bonnie chuckled, "Putting it into a nice bowl isn't fooling anyone, Elena".

As Elena carefully transferred the spaghetti into a bowl, she ignored Bonnie's comment before asking, "Ok, we need serving spoons. Where are they again?"

Without missing a beat, Bonnie responded, "Middle drawer on your left."

I rolled my eyes - with how the two had been going back and forth on whether or not Bonnie was a psychic, this seemed like yet another test. Elena reached out to the drawer hesitantly, resting her hand on the handle for a moment before pulling it open. Seeing the spoons sitting there, Elena let out a heavy sigh before saying, "Okay, but you've been in this kitchen like a thousand times."

I could tell Bonnie didn't want to get into it again, as she responded shortly, "Yeah, that's it."

Leaning against the kitchen island next to Bonnie, I gave her a reassuring look. It felt unfair for Elena and Caroline to keep mocking her witch background, even if it was Elena's own way of navigating her own discomfort.

Before the silence could thicken, the doorbell rang. Elena immediately perked up, making some quick adjustments to her hair. Before she ran off to let Stefan in, she glanced at Bonnie and said, "Ok, he's here. Please, just be your normal loving self."

She dashed out of the room, clearly eager to begin the night. Starving, I reached out and snuck a strand of fettuccine, quickly placing it into my mouth just as Elena walked back into the kitchen, dragging Stefan behind her. We exchanged quick hellos as we grabbed our respective plates and served our own portions of pasta.

Silence loomed over us as Stefan took a seat at the end of the dinner table, Elena to his right and Bonnie to his left. Knowing Bonnie needed it, I decided to sit next to her for support.

Despite her initial exuberance, Elena's face was now fraught with discomfort as Bonnie stared down at her plate, refusing to look up.

Looking up at Elena's face, I could see the discomfort written all over her. Unable to handle the quiet any longer, she asked Stefan, "Did Tanner give you a hard time today at football practice?"

Stefan smiled and twirled his fork around his spaghetti as he responded "Well, he let me on the team, so I must have done something right."

Trying to get Bonnie engaged, Elena leaned forward as she said, "Bonnie, you should have seen Stefan today. Tyler threw a ball right at him, and-"

Before Elena could finish, Bonnie interjected solemnly, "Yeah, I heard."

Blinking once, Elena quickly picked up her glass and took a big gulp of water, attempting to hide her frustration. I kneed Bonnie under the table, giving her a firm look when she glanced over before hurriedly adding on, "Yeah, Matt mentioned it to us after class. About time someone takes Tyler down a peg."

Deciding to try another approach, Elena took a deep breath before asking Bonnie, "Why don't you tell Stefan about your family?"

Looking up from her plate for a brief moment with an indifferent expression, Bonnie said flatly, "Um, divorced. No mom. Live with my dad."

Watching this was like witnessing a trainwreck. My eyes flicked from Elena to Bonnie, the former now openly glaring at the latter. Bonnie held her ground, matching Elena's glower.

Elena gritted her teeth, "No… I meant about the witches. Bonnie's family has a lineage of witches, Stefan. It's really cool."

Her voice laced with acid, Bonnie responded, "Cool isn't the word I'd use."

Somehow staying collected throughout all of this, Stefan finally chimed in, "Well, it's certainly interesting. I'm not too well-versed, but I do know that there's a history of Celtic druids that migrated here in the 1800's."

It felt like we were all suspended in real time as I held my breath, waiting for Bonnie to react. The corner of her lip twitched up for a brief moment and I instantly felt my tension release… Good job Stefan.

Letting up a little, she gave Stefan a chance and responded, "My family came by way of Salem."

"Really? Salem witches?" Stefan asked with unfeigned curiosity.

"Yeah."

"I would say that's pretty cool."

I had to give it to Stefan - he sounded genuinely interested in Bonnie's family. It was clear Bonnie wasn't immune to his sincerity as her eyes softened, "Really? Why?"

The tension was noticeably dissipating and Stefan seemed to be in his comfort zone as he continued, "Salem witches are heroic examples of individualism and nonconformity."

A shy grin overtook Bonnie's face, "Yeah, they are."

Pleasantly surprised by the turn in conversation, Elena eased back into her chair and smiled. Distracted by the dinner conversation, I hadn't realized that I had already finished my food. Just as I was debating whether I should grab another plate, my thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. Looking up at Elena, I questioned, "Did you invite someone else?"

Elena flashed me a confused look as she shook her head. Cautiously standing up, she made her way towards the door. Curious, I also got up and crept towards the door, peering through the banister of the staircase. Elena reached for the handle and slowly opened it, propping it open just enough for me to make out Caroline's golden locks and the shoulder of a man standing behind her.

Before I could think about who she could have dragged along with her, Caroline abruptly held out a red velvet cake and yelled, "Surprise! Bonnie said you guys were having dinner, so we decided to bring dessert."

At that moment, a familiar, arrogant drawl added on, "Hope you don't mind."

My heart sank in realization as Caroline promptly placed the cake in Elena's hands, waltzing past her. He was the last person I wanted to see right now.