It had been roughly a week or so since Elena found out Damon turned Isobel. Alaric and Esmeralda had a (sort of) awkward talk about his magical ring and her witch life after Elowen filled her in about it. Esmeralda knew that the ring had to have some sort of spell on it and she couldn't exactly bring it up without bringing up the witch thing. As for Elowen…. She was feeling better, but still wasn't 100%.
When she woke up for school this morning, she felt better but at the same time, still felt shitty. Esmeralda was worried she was going to fall into her old habits, but Elowen reassured her that she wouldn't. She couldn't tell if she was telling that to her mom or herself.
She had thrown on literally anything, not only due to the fact that she didn't care, but her laundry was piling up and she was running out of clothes. So, she wore an old, embarrassing graphic tee from middle school that was a bit more snug than it should've been, and a tore up pair of washed out jeans that were usually reserved for yard work. They had faded dark splotches of dirt from past activities that never came out and dried paint from when she painted her room. The bags under her eyes were darker than usual and her hair, greasy from lack of showering, was tied up in a haphazard ponytail.
Stefan was waiting for her at her locker. These past few weeks, he'd been the best boyfriend (and best friend) anyone could ask for. He didn't talk about her current disposition too much (because it was obvious she didn't want to be constantly reminded), didn't make her feel like a burden, and didn't keep reminding her that she wasn't being healthy.
Instead, he would do check ins every time he saw her. He would ask, 'how are you feeling?' instead of, 'are you okay?' (so it was harder for her to lie). He would help her with tasks she was struggling with without being told or asking questions. He would bring her food when it was apparent she hadn't eaten. He would keep her company so she'd feel less lonely and miserable, even if it meant sitting in silence. He would even just simply hold her if she asked him to without a second thought. He was her rock, helping her through this bout of depression from Sheila's death and Bonnie's accusation. She couldn't be more grateful.
Stefan was holding a bag from a fast food joint that was close to the school, no doubt containing breakfast, which she had skipped. In his other hand was a to-go cup of a green smoothie for an extra pick-me-up. Elowen felt her chest swell with multiple emotions. He'd been doing this every morning, and every morning she never knew what to say. Thank you wouldn't cut it. Stefan nodded at her, a sign saying that he understood her feelings, and handed over the smoothie. She took a sip and could already feel a burst of energy.
"You really don't have to do this-" She started to say, but Stefan lifted a finger to cut her off.
"Yes I do. Besides, I want to. Here, eat."
She took the paper bag from him and opened it. There was a single breakfast burrito sitting inside. Still at a loss for words, she leaned up and gave him a thank you kiss.
They now sat outside in the courtyard, sitting at one of the empty benches as Elowen wolfed down her breakfast. She was worried the bell would ring before she was finished.
"Damon hasn't said a word to me." Stefan was filling her in on his brother's situation after the whole Alaric thing. Apparently he was convinced him turning Isobel was some twisted means of fate bringing him Katherine back. "Every time I try to talk to him, he shuts me down."
Elowen washed down the last of her food and thought about her answer.
"Well, I haven't heard from him. Maybe he really has given up on her."
"I dunno," Stefan shrugged. "He waited 145 years only to find out that Katherine couldn't care less. I mean, that's gotta hurt at least a little." He paused as he watched her nurse her smoothie. "You feelin' any better?" He asked softly.
Elowen gave a small nod. "Yeah. Not feeling as useless. But… still feeling….. Blah."
Stefan reached over and rubbed her shoulder. "You deserve a bit of normal after everything that's happened. It might make you feel better. We should do something fun."
Elowen scoffed. "Fun? I don't know what that is."
"Well, then, maybe I should teach you."
During various passing periods, Stefan had talked to Elena, Josiah, Caroline and even Matt. He tried to loop Tyler into it, too, but he had rolled his eyes and said it was dumb. He wanted to surprise Elowen with a very normal Friday night hangout with friends, and he was determined to make it work.
When school was over, Stefan casually caught up to her in the halls and looped his arm through hers. "We're hanging out with everyone tonight," he announced.
"Everyone? Who's everyone?"
"You, me, Caroline, Elena, Josiah and Matt. A normal, fun night of friends just hangin' out."
"Okay…." Elowen stopped and turned so she was facing Stefan. "And what fun things will we be doing? Oh, wait, lemme guess," she held up a hand to stop him from answering, "it's Friday night, so we're gonna be…. Partying? Getting totally trashed to the point of no return?"
Stefan playfully rolled his eyes at her joke. "No. We're all gonna chill at The Grill. Talk, play a couple games of pool, bullshit around," he shrugged, "teenager stuff."
A small smile began to play on her lips. "You did all this for me?" She asked quietly. Stefan brushed her bangs from her face and trailed down to cup her chin.
"Of course I did." He grinned. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Lemme walk you home. I'll come back later to make this whole, 'friend date' thing more….." he trailed off as he tried to think of the right word.
"Normal?" Elowen supplied. Stefan snapped his fingers in a sarcastic manner.
"Normal. Right on the nose." He laughed and nodded his head in the direction of the exit. "Let's go."
The front door opened and slammed shut. A second later, Josiah came sliding into the kitchen in a rush. Elowen and Esmeralda looked up from their respective seats at the ruckus.
"Code red," he blurted breathlessly. "Jeremy's figuring it out again."
Elowen and Esmeralda both sat up in their chairs, suddenly alert.
"He- He was in this vampire chat room and was asking a bunch of questions and he wouldn't drop it even when I told him there was no such thing. I dunno what to do!" Josiah explained everything in a haste, his words slurring together in some parts.
Esmeralda got up to calm her son down. "First things first, breathe. We already took all the precautions we could, remember?"
"So, what? Do I just tell him then?"
"No, but if he does put the pieces together," Esmeralda shrugged, "his best friend's a witch. He was bound to get curious eventually."
"I guess you're right…" Josiah mumbled. He shook his head as if to get the thoughts out of his head. "Tonight is supposed to be…. Normal. I'll worry about it later."
"There ya go," Elowen praised. "Come join the club."
Josiah sighed at her and plopped into the chair next to hers. "You can only hide away for so long, Ellie."
Elowen grumbled. She set her chin on her palms and squished her face in between her hands. "I knooooooow," she drawled. "We'll deal with this together." She got up and ruffled Josiah's hair. "Love ya, Joey."
She left, grinning to herself, as Josiah scowled and fixed his hair.
Later, there was a knock at the front door. Elowen answered it, revealing Stefan on the other side with a bouquet of flowers. She was now showered and had even done a small load of laundry so that she could have something nice to wear tonight.
"Aww, you got me flowers!" She gushed. "It's a shame that I'm terrible at taking care of them."
Stefan laughed. "I figured, it's sort of a date, so why not do it right? I even took the bus here to make this whole night as regular as possible."
Elowen took the flowers from him and motioned for him to come inside. He did, closing the door behind him. They walked to the kitchen so she could get a vase for the flowers.
"Why didn't you just, I dunno, drive? I know you've got to have a car. There's no way you don't."
"And you would be correct. I do have one. I just prefer not to drive it."
Elowen rolled her eyes. "Of course you don't." She filled an empty vase with some water and set it in the middle of the dining table. "Jo! We're getting ready to go!"
"You can do without me! Caroline said she'd pick me up!" He shouted from upstairs. Elowen smirked and glanced at Stefan from her peripheral.
"Looks like you're not the only boyfriend who uses their girlfriend as a chauffeur."
Elena and Matt had beaten Elowen and Stefan there. They'd already pushed two tables together to accommodate the six of them. They were awkwardly seated across from one another, carrying on with idle conversation until Matt looked up and saw Elowen and Stefan approaching.
"Hey!" He greeted, redirecting Elena's attention. Elowen gave them a wry smile as she removed her jacket.
"Y'know, if you wanted to avoid the whole, 'hey we used to date but we're trying to be friends now' thing, you could've carpooled with us instead."
Both Elena and Matt widened their eyes, darting to look at one another. Stefan lightly hit Elowen with his elbow.
"Uh! N-No, it's…. We're good." Elena nodded at Matt, who nodded back.
"Yeah," he agreed. "We're good."
Sensing that they probably talked it through before they showed up, Elowen changed the subject and plopped down in her seat. Stefan took the chair next to her, leaving the last two across from them empty for Josiah and Caroline.
"I can't be the only one who noticed The Adults over at the bar."
All four of them looked over at Damon, Kelly and Jenna, who were laughing and taking shots. Elowen vaguely wondered how Jenna was okay with being around Damon again, but figured it had something to do with Kelly being back in town. She was tolerating him.
"Yeah," Matt sighed. "Same old Kelly. She's trying this time, sort of."
"Y'know, Kelly and my mom were best friends growing up." Elena told them, bringing Matt's eyes off of his mom. "That's how Matt and I first met. We shared a crib together."
"Aww," Elowen cooed. "That's so sweet. It's like something out of a movie."
"And it almost played out that way, too," said Matt. "We grew up, became high school sweethearts. We just didn't get that happily ever after ending."
Elena shot him an apologetic look but he shook his head. "Don't worry about it," he said. "I'm okay about the whole thing now. I think."
Everyone shared a light laugh. Maybe this night wouldn't be too bad after all.
About an hour and a half or so had passed. Josiah and Caroline finally showed up shortly after Elena told them how her and Matt knew each other. They'd eaten and were now snacking on what was left on their plates, lounging around the pool tables.
They were playing a round, couples against couples (and Elena and Matt, of course). So far, Josiah and Caroline were the losing team. Caroline huffed as she once again potted the cue ball and leaned against her stick.
"At least they're having fun," she observed. The others once again looked back at the bar.
"They're drunk," said Elena.
"Remember when Elena's parents busted us here after homecoming?" Matt asked, a grin on his face. Caroline laughed as the memory resurfaced.
"Oh my god, yes!"
"We were wasted," Elena elaborated. "It was the first time I ever got drunk. I blame Matt."
"Her parents got seated at the next booth," continued Matt.
"And Matt had me pretend that I was choking so we could get away," added Elena.
"Except that her dad was a doctor, so he jumped up to save her." Matt sighed in shame, the bottom of his neck turning red as the embarrassment came flooding back.
"I ran, slipped on the wet floor and bit it in front of everyone. Do you remember that?" She asked Matt and Caroline. "Three stitches, a hangover for days and I was grounded from seeing this one," she glanced at Matt, "for a week."
"Yeah, hangovers are a bitch," Josiah remarked absentmindedly. "Pro tip: ginger and citrus does wonders for those things."
"I've never seen you drink, though," Caroline innocently replied. Josiah seemed to realize what he said and loudly cleared his throat.
"I don't anymore."
"I'm gonna use the bathroom," Elowen quickly butted in. Josiah obviously hadn't delved too far into his past with her yet, so she was buying him time. He shot her a thankful look as Caroline piped up.
"Ooh, good idea! I kinda have to go, too."
Elena stayed behind with the guys while they went off to the restroom. It didn't take them long. When they exited, a man suddenly reached out and caught Elowen's arm.
"Katherine?"
Startled, she whipped around and used the momentum to rip her arm away. The man blinked, realizing his mistake when he got a better look at her face.
"I thought you were someone I knew. My apologies." He smiled, meeting eyes with his friend. Still spooked, she gave a weak nod.
"It… happens sometimes. Don't worry about it." She rushed off when Caroline started to turn back for her. Back at the pool table, Josiah immediately noticed something was off and nodded in her direction at Stefan, who looked down at her.
"Everything okay?" He asked quietly, running a hand down her arm.
"Mm-hmm," she gave a strained hum of approval. At the same time, she pulled her phone out of her pocket and wrote out a fresh text message to show him.
That man over by the bathrooms thought I was Katherine.