FRIDAY NIGHT BITES
"I'm not saying don't date the guy. I'm just saying take it slow," Bonnie and I were standing on the sidewalk at school, and she was trying to convince me to not go "all the way" with Stefan.
"Oh, really, Ms. Bennett?" I teased Bonnie, "Who was the one who said for me to "go for it"?"
"I know what I said. But now, I'm saying, take it slow," she said. I looked at her, confused. Why is she suddenly so concerned about me being with Stefan? Just a few days ago, she was telling me how hot she though he was.
"Why? What happened? Did he do something?"
"No! No, nothing like that...it's just..." Bonnie paused, "Look. For the first time since like, the sixth grade, you're single. It's the perfect time to play the field."
"Bonnie," I giggled, "You know I don't "play the field". But, seriously, what're you not telling me."
She bit her lip, and looked away,"...It's stupid..."
"It can't be stupid Bonnie," I assured her, "Whatever you have to say; I'll listen," I gave her a "go ahead" look.
She sighed. "I accidentally touched Stefan. And... I got a really bad feeling." I was surprised. It was because of a bad feeling? I was expecting her to say that she had witnessed Stefan doing something bad. Or even, having her say that Stefan was, well, with another girl.
But a bad feeling? "You mean, like, one of your psychic visions?" I asked. I felt weird just saying it.
"Sort of," Bonnie said. Great. How was I gonna deal with a witch best friend, if one really did exist. There was enough crap that I already had to deal with in life. Just add "witch" to the list. See what happens. What's next? Vampires? "Look, I'm just concerned. I just don't want to see you get hurt. This is me expressing concern about my best friend's new boyfriend."
Boyfriend. I liked the sound of that. I smiled. "Thanks, Bonnie. You know, I love you so much. But I feel really good. And it's all because of you, my friends, family, and now Stefan,"
"Okay," Bonnie succumbed, "Fine. But promise me you'll be careful."
"Promise,"
"Good," she said, and then gave me a hug.
Once we broke apart, Bonnie's eyes shifted from mine, to behind me. And suddenly, her smile was gone. I turned around slightly and saw Stefan walking up to us.
"Good morning, Ariana," He nodded to me, as I smiled. "Good morning, Bonnie,"
"Hey," Bonnie said uncomfortably, "I gotta do find...Caroline. She's not answering her phone. So I'll see you guys later."
"Okay," I said worried, "Tell her I said 'hi', " She nodded once, then turned around, and half-jogged away. Wow. She really thought that Stefan was bad news, didn't she?
I was also worried about Caroline. Neither Bonnie, Elena, or I, had gotten calls from her. Not even a text message.
Stefan broke me out of my thoughts, by saying, "She doesn't like me very much,"
I felt bad for him. I didn't think Stefan was a bad guy at all. I mean, what drew me towards him, part of it was because of how gentlemanly he was.
"She's my best friend. She's just looking out for me. But when she starts getting to know you, she'll love you," Or at least, I hope she will. But, I didn't add that part.
3rd person POV:
Matt and Tyler were throwing the football to each other across the lawn. When Tyler caught the ball, he spotted Ariana and Stefan, walking together, towards them.
"Look," Tyler said to Matt, "There's Ariana and her new boyfriend. Now what are they doing? Oh, they're walking, walking, walking. Yep. Right into the sunset." He through the ball to Matt. Matt followed Tyler's line of gaze.
"You're a dick," Matt said, as he frowned.
"Who knows," Tyler said, as he caught Matt's throw, "Maybe she'll dump this guy, and come looking for me," he smirked.
"In your dreams..." Matt muttered. But his clenched jaw suggested that he was angered by Tyler's comment.
Ariana POV:
"Here's what we should do," I walked till I was right in front of Stefan, then I turned around, and faced him. He stopped walking. "Are you busy tonight?"
Stefan didn't even pause for a second: "No."
"Cool," I said, "Come, eat dinner. My house. 8:00. You, me, Bonnie, Elena. You'll all spend some quality time together. And you can show Bonnie what a great guy you are. Mission accomplished." I smiled, as he gave a little laugh.
3rd person POV:
Matt threw the ball back to Tyler, eyeing Stefan and Ariana. "Hey," he asked Tyler, "What am I supposed to do, Ty? She made her choice." Even though he hated it.
"Let her know she made the wrong one." Tyler said, after he caught the ball. He looked over to the couple.
"What are you doing," Matt looked to Tyler as if what Tyler was about to do was insane. "Ty, don't! Ty!"
It was too late. Tyler threw the ball in Stefan's direction. The ball whizzed through the air as a perfect spiral. It was about to hit the back of Stefan's head, when suddenly, faster than anybody could comprehend, Stefan whirled around, and caught the ball.
Stefan gave a little wave with the ball in his hand, then through it back. Even Tyler had a tough time trying to catch the returned ball. The two best friends were shocked. When Stefan turned back around to face Ariana, she giggled.
Ariana POV:
"Oh, my god," I said to Stefan, once we were inside the school's hallway. The first bell had rung, so I was busy getting my books out of my locker, while Stefan waited for me. I was still shocked to believe what had happened just outside a moment ago. "That throw was insane. You must play football,"
"I don't, but I used to," Stefan clarified, "A long time ago,"
Then, suddenly, an idea popped into my mind, "You should try out for the team!"
"Yeah," Stefan said, "I don't think so..."
"Why not?" I asked.
"Well," he explained, "I love football. I think it's a great sport. But in this case, I don't think football likes me." he smirked, "You saw Tyler over there, and we both know how Matt feels."
"Oh, please," I pushed him playfully, "You just gotta get with the program. Show 'em what you got. You know, that kind of attitude."
He smirked, "Oh, and what about you?"
"I," I dragged out the word, "Cheerlead," his eyes lit up. "So you, should join the team, and we'll fulfill the stereotype that "jocks date cheerleaders". And while you play, you'll know that I will be cheering you on."
"Care to show me some time,"
"I would love to," I smiled at him. Then, he pulled me into a kiss.
Once I got to History class, I sat next to Elena, while Stefan sat on my other side. Bonnie was seated somewhere near the back. I made a motion for her to sit behind me, but she was too engrossed in whatever is was she was writing down in her notebook.
I wasn't paying attention - like always - when Mr. Tanner called my name;
"Miss Gilbert?" I knew he wasn't talking about Elena because he was staring right at me. But apparently, Elena thought that he was.
"What!" Elena suddenly shouted annoyed. I realized that Elena had been sleeping. Her eyes were red, and her hair looked like a bird's nest. But her scrunched up eyes suddenly widened as she took in the classroom. I guess she forgot to realize that she was in a class full of children. Because then, the entire class erupted in laughter, as she blushed red like a tomato.
"The other Gilbert," Mr. Tanner teared his gaze from me to look at my embarrassed twin.
"Ye-Yes," she stuttered, only making the class laugh harder.
"For sleeping in class, disrupting my teaching and my students learning, you have detention," Mr. Tanner then signed a blue sheet of paper and handed it to Elena.
"But-but-" Elena started to complain.
"No buts," Mr. Tanner said sternly. The class continued to laugh. "Alright, now back to Pearl Harbor," he looked at me again. Damn it. "Miss Gilbert, the one who wasn't sleeping,"
A few kids snickered but instantly shut up when Tanner glared at them. I felt bad for Elena, but I couldn't help but feel nervous that the teacher was staring me down.
But before I could give an answer, that would've been incorrect, next to me, Stefan said, "December 7, 1941."
"Thank you," Mr. Tanner said sarcastically, "Miss Gilbert," he emphasized my last name.
"Anytime," Stefan replied with a smile. Thank God for Stefan. Totally just saved my from myself.
"Very well," Tanner said, "The fall of the Berlin wall."
"1989. I'm good with dates, sir," Stefan said.
"Are you?" Mr. Tanner challenged, "How good? Keep it to the year. Civil Rights Act."
"1964." Was Stefan's immediately reply. How did he know all of these dates. I sighed. I really needed to pay attention more. Or I'll end up like Elena, who was trying to keep herself from bursting into tears.
"John F. Kennedy assassination." Said Tanner.
"1963." I started looking back and forth between Stefan and Mr. Tanner. They were having, what Caroline would call, a "showdown".
"Martin Luther King." Tanner said.
"'68." Came Stefan's reply.
"Lincoln."
"1865."
"Roe vs. Wade."
"1973."
"Brown vs. Board."
"1954."
"The Battle of Gettysburg."
"1863."
"Korean War."
Their staring contest was so intense, that it was hard to look at them, but harder to look away.
"1950 to 1953."
"Ha!" Mr. Tanner said, in a very non-teacher like attitude. "It ended in '52."
"Uh," Stefan disagreed, "Actually, sir, it was '53."
"Look it up, somebody. Quickly." Mr. Tanner said urgently.
To the far right and back of me, came an answer, "It was 19... 53."
Mr. Tanner's ego dropped as the whole class started clapping. "Nice," I said, clapping slowly, sending an unspoken thought just between us. He smiled at me.
After class, Stefan and I walked out into the hallway, where students were already piling into. "Hi, Mr. 'I know more than the teacher does'." I teased Stefan, "How did you know all of those dates?"
"Years, and years of crossword puzzles," Stefan smirked, "It's what people do when they're not jocks,"
I laughed. The bell for the next class was about to ring, so I said to him, "Come on, let's go," He reached down and took my hand as we walked to French. I could feel the electric buzz the entire way there...
After school, I had cheerleading practice. I could see Stefan sitting on the bleachers, watching the football team intensely. I could almost guess his thoughts: Wow, are football team really sucks. They were playing football on the center of felid which was about seventy yards away. I couldn't be sure, but I thought I saw Mr. Tanner give Tyler a rebuke. Aww...poor Tyler.
I guess Stefan really must have riled the coach up. Because now, Tanner was taking out his anger on the football kids.
I was dressed in a outfit that was fit for cheerleading. I had on a navy blue tank top, black short-shorts, and white sneakers. My hair was in a high-ponytail, as a few strands of curls were loose. I was sitting next to Bonnie on the benches, when she suddenly said, "Hey, Elena. Guess you decided to show up."
I followed Bonnie's gaze and saw Elena approaching us. She wore an olive-green tank, blue shorts, and black sneakers. Her hair was also in a ponytail. But because her hair was so thin, it didn't look quite right. Her face was also in a frown. Guess she still had the "bruise" from Mr. Tanner's remark. Then, that reminded me.
"Hey," I said to her, "Don't you have detention with Mr. Tanner,"
"Oh," Bonnie said, and giggled, "I heard about that. You, sleeping in class,"
Elena glared at us. "Yeah, well, since Tanner," she sneered his name, "Had to coach the stupid team," she shrugged, "he let me go,"
"That was nice of him," I said, even though Mr. Tanner was probably doing it for his own benefit. Though, he could have just sent her to some other teacher. There's always at least one of them making some poor kid's life miserable.
"No," she denied, "It was not! Mr. Tanner's such a dick! Even Stefan knows more than he does. God, I swear, some day, he's going to get murdered for his stuck up - but we all know - nonexistent, ego!" Bonnie and I glanced at each other, then back to her. We could both see her glaring at the teacher who was now coaching Matt. I wouldn't have doubted for a second if Elena said she would someday murder him.
"Well," I said, trying to clear the air of awkwardness and...death - coming from Elena. "How about, tonight, you," I pointed to Bonnie, "And you," I pointed to Elena whose anger still hadn't faded away, "Stefan, and I, have dinner at our house," referring to mine and Elena's house. "And we'll all get to bond over how much of a 'jack-ass'," I made quotation marks with my fingers. "Mr. Tanner is. How 'bout it."
"Sure, I'm in," Elena said, still standing instead of sitting down.
"Um..." Bonnie hesitated.
"Come on, Bonnie," I tried to persuade her. "It'll be fun. Just the four of us. And I'll order takeout," I winked, "because we all know that I can't cook."
Bonnie and Elena laughed. Elena said, "That's so true,"
"Hey," I smirked at her, "You can't cook any better than I. Remember that time you tried cooking that chicken in the microwave with the tin foil still under it?"
"..." Elena couldn't find anything to say.
"Oh, yeah," Bonnie laughed, "You told me! It caught on fire, didn't it!"
"Yep," I laughed too. "We had to get that "ice bucket" and pour it onto the microwave. Aunt Jenna freaked!" I laughed, recalling the memory. It was about a month ago, when Elena was trying to prove that she could do anything. So she tried making dinner, and it turned out that we were having a super burnt chicken...or, at least, whatever was left of it.
"Okay," Elena said, "Enough. I've been made fun of already today. No need to rub salt on the wound."
"Sorry," Bonnie tried to stifle her laughter, but couldn't.
"Yeah, sorry," I was still smiling.
"And, I'll go," Bonnie told me, referring to today's dinner.
"Good," I replied.
3rd person POV:
Matt and Tyler were on the field practicing, when they saw Stefan come over to them in some football gear. Mr. Tanner must have allowed him to "try-out".
"First my girlfriend," Matt said, annoyed, "Now my team?"
Tyler said, "Dude, this is an opportunity. Football's a contact sport." He smirked, "Sometimes, people get hurt. Whoo! Ha ha!" Tyler said, as he ran over to the rest of the team, leaving behind a sullen looking Matt. He sighed.
Ariana POV:
The afternoon sun shone brightly. The suns rays were yellow-orange as it lit up the entire school. It was pretty, even though, I couldn't look directly at the sun. Bringing me out of my own thoughts, Bonnie suddenly asked, "Where is Caroline?"
I was wondering the same thing, "I don't know. It's not like her. She'd usually text, but she hasn't responded to any of mine. I called her a few times, but she didn't pick up. I hope she's okay..." I said.
Then, I saw a car pull up in the middle driveway. It was an eggshell blue color, and the hood was down, so I could easily see the people inside. Damon was the person behind the steering wheel. He gave me a wink, and I would've felt happy, if not for the person next to him. It was Caroline.
I looked, shocked, when Caroline gave him a kiss, and stepped out of the car.
"Umm..." I said, not really knowing what comment I should have made. Then, with a wave, Damon drove away.
"Whoa," Elena was awed, "What a hot guy,"
"No kidding," Bonnie agreed, "That must be the mysterious guy from the grill,"
"Actually," I said, "That's Damon Salvatore, Stefan's brother."
"You know him?" Bonnie asked.
"Yeah," I responded, "I met him the other day when I was looking for Stefan..." I trailed off, when Caroline walked up to me, and said, "I got the other brother. Hope you don't mind."
"Bitch," Elena muttered. "When's my hot guy gonna come swoop me up, huh?" She asked no one in particular.
"Come on, guys," I told them, "We're starting," I looked to Caroline, and tilted my head to the side, at what she was wearing. There was a scarf around her neck, and it was the middle of the summer. Strange.
"Sorry I'm late, girls. I, uh, was busy." Caroline said. Yeah, "busy". "All right, let's start." She took her position in the front of all the girls. Bonnie, Elena, and I, each took out own position. "Let's start with the double hurdler. And 5, 6, 7, 8. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8." I was doing the routine, when Caroline suddenly said, "Elena, why don't you just observe today? Ok?"
I felt bad as I saw Elena stand at the back of the cheerleading squad. Caroline had sent me the routines over the summer, and Bonnie had also helped me practice. But, Elena, didn't care to practice, so she hadn't learnt anything.
"Keep going," Caroline shouted. I sighed, and continued the practice. "Do it again from the top. And 5, 6, 7, 8. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8." Cheerleading practice continued on.
I think Elena had gone home, because when practice was over, I couldn't find her anywhere. But I did see Stefan.
"Hey," I jogged up to him. He was covered in sweat from the workout. "Did Tanner let you on the team?"
"Yep," he said. "I saw you cheerleading. You're really good, probably the best."
I shrugged, "Thanks. I practice. I let Caroline be the leader, cause, well, you know. I don't want her to be mad at me. She's my best friend."
"That's really kind of you," Stefan smiled.
"Thank you," I smiled. "So, see you later, tonight?"
"I'll be there,"
"Great," I walked back to my car, and drove home, to set up tonight's dinner.
3rd person POV:
When Stefan got back to the boarding house, he walked into his room, and saw Damon on the couch, reading Stefan's diary.
"How were tryouts," Damon asked, pretending to be interested, "Did you make the team? Very Emerson," he was referring to the diary, "the way you reveal your soul with so many...Adjectives." he smirked. Stefan walked over to Damon, and ripped the journal out of his brother's hands.
He was wrapping the string around his journal, when Stefan asked, "What are you doing here?"
"I've come to apologize," Damon lied, though Stefan was unaware. Damon got up off the couch, and walked towards Stefan. "I've been doing some thinking, some soul searching, and...I want us to start over. We need to put the past behind us. You're my little brother, and if you want to live a normal, happy human life, than that's what I want for you. Maybe...I can do it, too." Damon seemed so genuine, that Stefan actually started to believe him. "That I can learn to be a non-living living person. Maybe there's hope for both of us."
Damon couldn't help himself anymore, he bursted out laughing. Damon's hand went to his little brother's shoulder. "You know," Stefan said, "It doesn't have to be this way, Damon."
"Of course it doesn't," Damon smirked, "I saw Ariana today," Stefan glared at Damon, "BTW. That means 'by the way.' She was at cheerleading practice. She looked so perky in her little short-shorts."
Stefan growled at him. "Stay. Away from her."
"Just...simmer down," Damon smirked, "I didn't even go near her. I've got my own cheerleader now. Ooh," Damon pretended to look down at a watch, "that reminds me... I gotta run. I have a date," he put his hands up, palms facing towards Stefan, "Sweaty palms. Wish me good luck." Damon strode out of Stefan's room.
Stefan clenched his jaw.
Ariana POV:
It was about 7:30, and Bonnie, Elena, and I, were setting up dinner at the dining room table. We went into the kitchen to collect napkins and utensils, when we started talking about Bonnie's "psychic" abilities.
"You explain it," Bonnie was saying. "Last night, I'm watching Nine-o, a commercial breaks come on and I'm like, I bet it's that phone commercial. And sure enough, it's that guy and girl with the bench, he flies to Paris and he flies back. They take a picture."
"Yeah, right," Elena refused to believe her, "You watch TV way too much. I've seen that commercial...like...a zillion times."
"Fine," Bonnie said, "Well, how 'bout this? Today I'm obsessed with numbers. Three numbers. I keep seeing; 8, 14, 22. How weird id that?"
"Ooh," I said, "Maybe we should play the lottery. That way, we can hire ourselves a personal chef." Bonnie smiled, I continued and asked, "Have you talked to your Grams?"
"She's just gonna say it's because I'm a witch." Bonnie said, "I don't want to be a witch. Do you guys want to be a witch?"
"Nope," Elena said, popping the 'p'.
"Exactly." Bonnie said.
Then, I said, "Actually, I think you should embrace it," They both gave me an "are you insane" looks. "If your Grams says you're a witch," I shrugged, "Then maybe you should give her time to explain her reasonings on why she thinks that."
"Hmm," Bonnie looked as if she just realized it, "Maybe you're right. I'll go ask her, next time she isn't drunk," she paused, "If there ever is a time she's not drunk."
I shook my head, and laughed.
I saw Elena putting the to-go food into a China bowl. I knew she'd give up on cooking.
"Putting it in a nice bowl isn't fooling anybody," Bonnie said to her, speaking my thoughts.
"Whatever," Elena said back.
"Alright," I spoke up, "We have forks, spoons, napkins, plates...all we need are the serving spoons," I looked into one of the close drawers to try to find one. I got nothing.
"Middle drawer on your left," Bonnie said, suddenly. I raised my eyebrows in question, and looked to her. As I pulled the drawer open, I found the serving spoons. I held one up for them to see. Bonnie smiled in victory, but Elena said,
"Whoa, Bonnie. Don't go all freaky on us," Bonnie turned to glare at Elena.
"Cool, Bonnie," I said, before they could get into a fight, "So, you are a witch, after all."
"I guess I'll find out once I visit my Grams," she said. Then, the doorbell rang. Bonnie stiffened.
"Okay," I said, "He's here. Don't be nervous, guys. Oh, and Elena?" she turned towards me. "Could you help put the food and utensils on the table, while I get the door."
"No," she said. "Do it yourself,"
"I'll do it," Bonnie said, glaring at Elena again, and moving to pick up the plates.
"Thanks, Bonnie," I said gratefully. I sighed. Elena could be so difficult sometimes.
Once I opened the front door, Stefan kissed me. No longer was he all sweaty. He actually smelled really good. I couldn't place his scent.
At dinner, Bonnie sat at the front of the table. Stefan and I occupied one side, as Elena sat on the other side. We all started eating, while the silence was deafening.
"So..." Elena started awkwardly, "Did Tanner give you a hard time today?" She directed the question towards Stefan.
"Well," Stefan answered, "he let me on the team, so I must have done something right."
I nudged him playfully, and he smiled at me. He was so modest. "Bonnie," I said, "He was amazing today. He threw the ball and-"
She cut me off. "Yeah, I heard."
It was silent for a few more seconds, when I suddenly thought of something, "Why don't you tell Stefan about your family?" I asked Bonnie.
"Um," she looked at me weirdly, "divorced, No mom. Live with my dad."
"I'm talking about the witches," I tuned to Stefan, "It's really cool."
"'Cool'," she said, "Isn't the word I'd use."
"Well," Stefan started, "It's certainly interesting. I'm not too versed, but I do know that there's a history of Celtic druids that migrated here in the 1800's."
Whoa, Stefan seemed to know everything, huh?
"My family came by way of Salem," Bonnie stated.
"Really," Stefan asked in disbelief, "Salem witches?"
"Yeah,"
"I would say that's pretty cool." Stefan said. I smiled.
"Really? Why?" Bonnie questioned. Mission accomplished. Bonnie was starting to be interested in what Stefan was saying.
"Salem witches are heroic examples of individualism and nonconformity." Stefan explained all "knowledgable" like.
"Yeah, they are." Bonnie agreed, a hint of a smile on her face. Yay! They were talking to each other.
Then, the doorbell rang. Elena, Bonnie, and Stefan looked to me in confusion. "Is someone else joining?" Elena asked.
"I don't think so," I said, "I'll get it." Even though that's what I said, Elena followed me.
When I opened the door, I had to blink a couple times. "Surprise," Caroline said in a giddy voice. "Bonnie said you were doing dinner, so we brought desert."
"What the hell are you doing here?" Elena sneered from behind me. She must still be mad at Caroline for making her "observe". Caroline just silently glared back.
"Elena, don't be rude," I scolded her. Elena was about to talk back, when she finally noticed the guy that was behind Caroline: Damon. Elena was gawking at him.
"Hope you don't mind." Damon said to me as he smirked. I had no idea why they were here, but, well, Caroline was one of my best friends, and Damon was Stefan's brother.
But, just when I was about to invite them in, a voice behind me suddenly asked sternly, "What are you doing here?" It was Stefan. He wrapped an arm around my waist possessively, and pulled me back slightly, so that I was a few inches behind him.
Damon's glanced at the hand wrapped around me, then his eyes locked with mine. "Waiting for Ariana to invite me in."
I almost got lost in his ice blue eyes, as I said, "Oh. Of course, you can-"
My invitation was cut off as Stefan said, "No, no, no. He can't, uh... he can't stay. Can you, Damon?" The two brothers were staring at each other intensely. One with a smirk, the other with a frown.
Caroline was already in my house. "Get in here," she said to him. As if it was up to her to decide who I can or can't invite into my house. But then, I realized that Stefan can't either.
"It's okay," I said to Stefan. He was pulling me so tight against his body, that I could barely breathe. I could feel how tense he was, as if any second he would snap. My gaze went back to Damon's, "You can come it, Damon."
Stefan's eyes followed his every movement as Damon entered the house. "You have a beautiful home, Ariana." he said to me.
"That you," I replied. There was something off about him. And what was he doing with Caroline?
After that, everyone got seated in the living room. Stefan, Bonnie, and I were seated on the couch, with me in the middle. Elena sat in the chair closest to Bonnie as she continued to shamelessly check out Damon. Caroline sat on the love seat closest to Stefan, with Damon on her other side. Stefan had settled for holding my hand gently.
"I cannot believe Mr. Tanner let you on the team." Caroline said, talking to Stefan. "Tyler must be seething." He was. "But good for you. Go for it."
"That's what I always tell him." Damon said. "You have to engage. You can't just sit there and wait for life to come to you. You have to go get it." He smirked.
"Yeah," Caroline then looked to Elena, "Elena wasn't so lucky today. It's only because you missed summer camp. God, I don't know how you're ever going to learn the routines."
I could see from Elena's face that she was pissed off. She's been having a pretty bad day. "Caroline," I said, "I missed summer camp, and I still learnt them. I'll work with her. She'll get it."
I tried to send a reassuring smile Elena's way.
"I guess we can put her in the back..." Caroline said thoughtfully. Oh, no. Please, God...I tried to plead, but it didn't work. Elena snapped.
"You know what Caroline: Fuck you!" Elena got out of her seat, and shouted in rage at Caroline. Four mouths popped open; Damon's in amusement, Stefan and Bonnie's in unexpected surprise, and Caroline's in hurt. I was the only one who knew this would happen. Elena continued to scream, "You're always bossing everyone around. Being all 'I'm Caroline, a dumb blonde, I can do anything I want'. Well, guess what," she pointed her index finger at Damon, who was looking at Elena like she was crazy, "He's probably only with you for the sex!"
"That's enough, Elena!" Bonnie commanded, as she glared daggers at Elena.
"No!" Elena turned to Bonnie. Stefan's hand automatically tightened around mine, as Elena came closer. "You're just as bad. You only care about yourself and your stupid lineage. You're the 'witch', or whatever the hell. You freak!"
I gasped, "Elena, please..." I tried to plead with her. Both Bonnie and Caroline were on the verge of tears.
"Shut up, Ariana. I don't want to hear it." she said to me. Then, after her tirade, she glared at Bonnie and Caroline, and went up to her room, slamming the door. Not only was my brother turning his back on me, but so was my sister.
I didn't realize there were tears in my eyes until Stefan wiped them away with his cool fingers. "Shh..." he said softly. He wrapped both arms around me as I leaned my head back against his chest. It felt right there. I felt complete. He kissed my head softly. I said to my friends, "I'm sorry guys, she's just under lots of stress."
"It's not your fault, Ariana." Bonnie said, a grim on her face. "Elena's just not a nice person."
"We always knew it," Caroline spoke up, "Since she was your sister, we didn't want to upset you by leaving her out. But once a bitch, always a bitch. Not to offend you or anything," she said to me.
"It's okay. What she did was way out of line." I told them. I looked to Damon, who was, for the first time ever, not smirking.
"You okay?" he asked me. There was nothing in his features which suggested that he was trying to be mean. No laughter in his eyes whatsoever.
I could tell that everyone was surprised by Damon's change. I couldn't see him, but I knew that Stefan must have been confused. So was I. "I'm fine," I lied. I didn't want anyone to worry. "I'm going to, um, put the dishes in the washer," I was about to get up when Bonnie said,
"No, I'll do it."
"It's fine, really," I said back. She gave me a look understanding, she finally caught on that I just wanted to be alone. After giving Stefan's hand a squeeze, I walked into the kitchen. I could feel all four of their concerned gazes on me as I turned the corner...
I was just about to close the door of the dishwasher, when a voice rang out. "One more," Damon called as he entered the kitchen with a glass. He was smiling, so I automatically smiled too.
"Thanks," I said as I reached for the glass. Suddenly, his hand slipped and it dropped, but he was able to catch it. Then, he handed it to me. Did he just drop it on purpose? "Nice save," I laughed. It felt good to laugh, especially after that huge fight that had just happened between my sister and best friends.
"It's good to see you smiling again," Damon said. "I'm sorry that your sister acts that way. She should treat you better."
"Says the guy who seems to be on the last straw with his own brother," I teased.
He smirked. I knew it would finally happen. "I like you," he said, "You know how to laugh. And you make Stefan smile, which is something I haven't seen in a very long time. Everything started with her..." he trailed off. I didn't have to ask to know who he was referring to.
"What happened to her?" I asked softly. It was obvious that he had really cared about Katherine too.
"She died. Tragic fire." Damon said.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," I felt really bad for the two brothers. They had lost a girl that they had really loved. "What was she like?" I asked softly.
"She was beautiful," He smirked, "A lot like you in that department," he looked like he was trying not to laugh from an inside joke. I smiled, he called me beautiful. Well, indirectly, but still. "She was also very complicated and selfish and at times not very kind, but very sexy and seductive."
It sounded like me and Elena. Good twin, evil twin. Once I had the dishwasher running, I started to fold the table cloths.
"I saw you cheerleading today," Damon said, suddenly. "Elena wasn't doing to well. But you, on the other hand, looked fantastic." He smirked.
"Thank you." I said. "Bonnie helped me with the routines so that I didn't fall behind,"
"It was more than that." Damon said, and then he leaned forward so that his lips were almost touching my ear. His breath tickled me, as he said, "I won't tell Caroline if you decide to do it; but I think you should become the captain of the cheerleading squad, or whatever it is you call it." He pulled back and stared into my eyes.
"No, it's okay," I said. Trying to keep my voice steady, I could hardly focus. What was Damon doing to me? My heart was beating a mile per minute. "It used to be more fun. But Caroline loves it, she practically lives for it. So," I shrugged, "I let her lead. Anyways, she's born to be a leader. Can't you tell?" I smiled.
He chuckled, "I can. But so are you," he said to me. I blushed as I caught on to what he was saying. He thought that I was born to be a leader? Me? Yeah, right. I thought sarcastically.
"Need some help?" I heard Bonnie's voice. I looked at her, and smiled.
"Sure," Damon smirked, as he turned around, "Why not?"
3rd person POV:
"Matt tries," Caroline said to Stefan. They were the only ones left in the living room, "But he's just having a really hard time. You have to understand that they were each other's first, like, from the sandbox."
Stefan knew that Ariana was together with him now. But he couldn't help but feel jealous when he realized just how close Matt and Ariana were.
After Damon compelled Caroline to go help Ariana and Bonnie with the dishes, Stefan glared at his brother. "All right," he said, "You've had your fun. You used Caroline, you got to meet Ariana, good for you. Now it's time for you to go."
"That's the problem," Damon smirked, "Because... I've been invited in, and I'll come back tomorrow night and the following night and I'll do with your pretty, little cheerleader whatever I want to do. Because that is what is normal to me."
Stefan had to restrain himself from punching Damon in the face. Stefan had to protect Ariana, no matter the cost...
Ariana POV:
I couldn't remember how Stefan and I had gotten into my room, but, I felt comfortable with him as we sat on my huge four-poster bed.
"Tonight wasn't so bad. I had fun. Maybe, minus the whole Elena part." I said.
"Hmm." Stefan mused, "That makes one of us," he was referring to the "fun" part.
"Come on," I said, "Your brother isn't as bad as you seem to think. Actually, he was-"
I was cut off by Stefan, when he kissed me. Passion flooded through me as he pushed me gently across my soft bed. He leaned over me and deepened the kiss. Then, as he lifted up his arms to take off his shirt, I screamed. It wasn't Stefan, it was Damon.
I woke up, panting. It was just a dream. No worries, just a dream. But, why had it felt so real?
3rd person POV:
Stefan was in his room, writing in his diary, as he realized that there was a way that he could protect Ariana. It definitely wouldn't be full protection, but it was a start.
He took out a small wooden box, and inside, lay a necklace.
Ariana POV:
Today, was the day of the football game. With Stefan's help, the team might just win a game finally. I spotted Stefan, who was walking towards me, in the high school jersey, smiling.
"Ooh," I said, "Don't you look hot."
"I could say the same about you," he looked down to my cheerleading outfit, as his eyes heated. He shook his head, and looked back up to my eyes. "I wanted...to give you something." He said. He pulled out a small dark brown box from his back pocket, and opened it. His fingers took ahold of something inside, and he held it up for my to see.
I gasped. It was beautiful. The thin silver chain was weaved through a silver round locket. On the locket, were intricate designs that surrounded one ruby stone. "Oh, my god, it's so beautiful," I breathed out, then shook my head. I couldn't take something like this. It was probably an antique, and very expensive. "But I can't," I said to Stefan. "It seems...too much."
"I've never wanted to give this to anyone...until now," Stefan said. My heart swelled. The look he gave me, made me accept his gift.
"Thank you, so much," I said, gratefully.
"You can wear it for it for good luck," he said. I tuned around, and pulled my hair to one shoulder, as he clasped the necklace around my neck. His fingers lingered there for a few seconds, then they were replaced by his lips.
"Stefan," I giggled as he kissed my neck. "I..can't... think straight...when you... do that," I turned around, and his lips left my skin. But his arms were still wrapped around me.
He kissed me on the lips once, then said, "I want to thank you for making me try out for the team. It feels really good,"
"Your welcome," I said, "And anyways. We're a pair." I smiled. He bent down, and kissed me, long and slow.
I let myself forget about everything. About Jeremy, Elena...my parents. I relaxed into Stefan's arms...
The sky was turning dark when I saw Jeremy and Tyler fighting. Not again... I thought. The game was less than an hour away. Then, I saw Stefan there, trying to break the two apart.
"Jeremy, no!" I yelled as Jeremy struck at Stefan with a broken glass bottle, slicing my boyfriend's hand. I saw the blood from his hand glisten in the stadium lights.
"Tyler, knock it off!" I heard Matt yell. "Stop!" He pulled Tyler away from Jeremy. I saw a cut on his forehead.
"Jeremy!" I shouted half-angry, half-worried, "Put your head up, you're bleeding." I went to put my hand on his face. He smacked my arm away.
"I'm fine! Just stop okay." I looked to him, hurt.
"Hey, not cool man," Matt came up to him.
"Leave me alone," Jeremy stormed off.
"Hey," Matt came over to me and hugged me, "It's okay. Jeremy's just a bit drunk. He's not thinking straight."
"I'm worried that he never will," I admitted to him. He took my face between his palms.
"It'll be okay." He said. I couldn't be sure, but I thought I saw him start to lean forward. Then, I remembered something.
I gasped. I whipped my head around, and saw Stefan looking at us, sadly. "Stefan!" I choked out. I wasn't paying attention to his facial emotions right then, so I ran up to him. "Your hand!" I remembered the deep gash that I'd seen. "Is it okay?"
"It's fine," he assured me.
"You sure?"
"Yeah." He opened his palm and showed me the smooth skin. No cut. No blood. "He missed. It wasn't my blood. I'm fine."
I was certain that I had seen the glass slash his skin. I was absolutely positive. But there was no evidence. And anyways, he seemed fine, that's what was most important.
"Alright, if you're fine, then I believe you," I wasn't really sure if I did believe him, but I had to trust him. I turned around, just in time to see Matt, walking away, his head down.
"I think it's kick-off time," Stefan said, uncomfortably. So many emotions were running through me, that I couldn't place an individual one. "I'll see you at the game,"
"Okay..." I said. He kissed me once, then ran off to join the rest of the football players. I watched him leave, wondering: Where the hell did that cut go? Run away? I swear, Caroline would start freaking out once she realized I was already turning senile.
"Hey!" Bonnie asked, once she saw me, "Where have you been, the game's about to start."
"Just trying to figure out my brother." I replied solemnly, "Bonnie, can you tell me what happened when you touched Stefan. And I mean the bad feeling that you got."
"Oh," Bonnie said, "Don't worry about it. Your dinner party plot totally won me over," She smiled.
I gave her a pleading look, "Bonnie, can you please explain it to me. Or, did you see something?"
Bonnie must have seen the serious look on my face, because she answered, "When I touched Stefan, it was a feeling. And it vibrated through me," Vibrated? "and it was cold, and..." she paused, "...and I imagined... death."
I pondered over what Bonnie had told me as I walked towards the parking lot. What was Stefan? And who was his brother? I had totally forgot to bring my pom poms from the car. Anyways, I still had a few minutes till it was time to cheer. I took out my pom poms from the trunk, and turned around. I almost stumbled right into Damon.
"Oh, geez," I said, catching my breath, "You scared me,"
"Sorry," He smirked. Once I thought that him smirking was friendly, now it seemed dangerous. He lowered his voice to a whisper, "I'm hiding from Caroline." Wow, he was hiding from Caroline? That was... I didn't even know what to think about that. He continued, "I needed a break. She talks more than I can listen." Wasn't that nice, I thought sarcastically.
"Maybe it could be a sign," I said to Damon. His eyes twinkled.
"Well, she's awfully young," He said. Okay, that was total bullshit, and he knew it.
"Look," I said to him, "I get that Caroline can sometimes be a bit shallow. But she's been my best friend forever. And you can be nice, when you want to," he stopped smiling, "But, that doesn't excuse you from being respectful. I don't want to see her hurt. So, either, you break it off with her completely, or you get used to her. Because, if you keep stringing her along... you'll break her heart."
He smirked, "How do you explain the connection between you and Matt, then?"
"How do you know about that?"
He shrugged, "Stefan's my brother."
I sighed, and ran my fingers through my long wavy hair. "I've made it perfectly clear to Matt that we're over. But you..." I narrowed my eyes when he smirked, "say one thing, while you mean the other."
"You're right," he admitted, "I do have other intentions," His ice blue eyed seemed to melt. "But so do you."
Oh, really, "And what would they be?" I asked him.
"I see it," He said, "You want me." Okay, I'll admit, my first thought was; how did he know? But, though Damon was a hot guy, he was probably the most confusing person I'd ever met. And, besides, I was with Stefan. "I get to you." He continued. His eyes were hypnotizing, but I made sure to not fall for his crap. "You find yourself drawn to me. You think about me even when you don't want to think about me. I bet you even dream about me." Now that was creepy, because it was true. "And right now..." he leaned so close, that his lips were only about an inch away from mine. "You want to kiss me."
I'm usually not the type to hurt anyone, or start a fight. That's Elena's job. But, right then, I was really pissed off. With everything I had, including my frustration, anger, annoyance, and stress, I slapped him across the face, with my free hand. How can he say that to me? Especially since he's with Caroline? "I don't know what game you're trying to play with Stefan here," I said to him sternly, as he touched his cheek, "and I don't know what happened in the past. But let's get one thing straight... I am not Katherine."
His face was a mix of shock and surprise. I'll bet my slap barely even hurt him. I tried not to let the fear get to me, as I walked away with my pom poms. God, the Salvatores were so confusing. But right now, I had a game to cheer for...
3rd person POV:
Matt and Stefan had finally made up. They agreed that despite them being rivals, the key thing here was to protect Ariana. The game was about to begin, but before Stefan could put his helmet on, he heard a slow, exaggerated clapping, coming from the school alley. He slowly turned around, and spotted Damon there, leaning against one of the concrete walls, swallowed in the darkness.
"Isn't that nice?" Damon smirked, and said sarcastically. "Stefan joins a team, makes a friend. It's all so, "rah, rah, go team, yeah!" Damon pretended to be enthusiastic.
"Not tonight," Stefan said, annoyed that his day with Ariana was only getting interrupted time, after time. "I'm done with you."
"Nice trick with Ariana." Damon said, knowing it would rile up his brother. "Let me guess... vervain in the necklace?" It wasn't even a question. "I admit, I was a bit surprised. It's been a while since anyone could resist my compulsion. Where'd you get it?"
"Does it matter?" Stefan asked. He was angry that Damon had even dared to try to compel Ariana. It was a good thing he had decided to give her the vervain necklace.
"Guess I could just seduce her the old-fashioned way." Damon smirked as Stefan narrowed his eyes. "Or I could just... eat her."
"No," Stefan said with certainty, "You're not gonna hurt her, Damon. Because deep down inside, there is a part of you that feels for her." Damon didn't say anything. "I was worried that you had no humanity left inside you, that you may have actually become the monster that you pretend to be."
"Who's pretending?" Damon smirked.
"Then kill me."
"Well, I'm..." Damon said, "I'm tempted."
"No, you're not," Stefan explained. "You've had lifetimes to do it, and yet, here I am. I'm still alive. And there you are. You're still haunting me. After 145 years. Katherine is dead." Damon's eye twitched. "And you still hate me because you loved her, and you torture me because you still do. That's why you won't hurt Ariana. And that, my brother, is your humanity."
Damon had stopped smirking while Stefan gave his "speech". Of course he wouldn't hurt Ariana. She was too pure, too kind. Her heart was filled with so much love, that sometimes she couldn't bear it. Would it really be so hard to let Katherine go?
"Salvatore!" Mr. Tanner's "coach" voice sounded from where he walking towards Stefan. "What the hell? We've got a game to play!"
"If that's my humanity... then what's this?" Damon smirked, then his face transformed. He vampire sped over to the coach, and sunk his fang into the flesh. Warm blood traveled into Damon, until the last drop was drawn. Then Tanner fell to the floor, dead.
"No!" Stefan shouted.
"Anywhere, anytime, any place." Damon smirked through the blood smeared on his mouth and his demonic features.
Then, a shrill scream of terror pervaded through the air of death. The brothers stopped glaring at each other, they'd know that scream anywhere: Ariana.
Ariana POV:
Where was Stefan? The game was about to start, and everyone was wondering where he and the coach were.
I was turning the corner of a dark alley, trying to find Stefan, when I heard a voice I knew only too well.
Damon's back was turned to me, but I could hear him very clearly: "Anywhere, anytime, any place." That's when I noticed Stefan there, looking very tense, but there was something else. Something on the floor. A body.
I screamed.
I was backing away when I saw Damon and Stefan turn their eyes on me. I screamed again. Damon's face was smeared in blood, and Mr. Tanner's body was on the ground. Had Damon killed him? Mr. Tanner... I mean, sure, sometimes he could be an ass, but he didn't deserve this. I felt fear rush through me. It all made sense now: Why Stefan was always afraid for me when Damon was around. How Stefan knew every single piece of history as if he was there. The large gash he got when Jeremy cut him, how it went away.
"Ariana..." Stefan whispered brokenly. He took a step towards me, but I just took one back. "Please, let me explain."
I looked towards Damon who was only staring at me in shock. "Why?" I whispered the question to him. "What are you?" I looked between the brothers, back and forth. I had an inkling of what they were. But they could only exist in books and movies... right? They were fiction, supernatural creatures. They couldn't be real. Yet two of them were right in front of me. One of which had just killed my History teacher.
"I'm sorry..." Damon whispered. Then, he disappeared. I'm serious. One second, he was standing there, looking guilty, and the next, he was gone. I was really freaked out.
Stefan looked surprised by Damon's reaction, but he said. "Ariana... I'll explain everything to you. Please, don't be afraid of me." His eyes pleaded with mine.
I was afraid of him. Very much so. But he's never done anything to harm me. Actually, he's made me feel more alive then ever before. So I'd give him the time to explain. I pushed down my fear, and said. "Then tell me."
3rd person POV:
In the boys locker room, Tyler and Matt were changing. It was silent, until Tyler broke it. "Tanner's M.I.A. I think he had a little bit too much beer."
"Don't talk to me right now, all right?" Matt said as he glared at his "best friend". "I'm pissed at you."
"What's your problem?" Tyler asked him.
"What's my..." Matt started, giving Tyler a "you seriously don't know" look. "You're my problem all right? You're a bully. A freakin' 12-year-old bully, man. And I'm sick of it... I mean, what was that about tonight? What's beating up the new guy going to prove? Or screwing with my sister or pummeling my girlfriend's kid brother."
Tyler raised his eyebrows. "Girlfriend. I don't know how to tell you this, but she dumped your ass."
Matt moved towards Tyler, his fist raised. "Are you going to hit me?" Tyler asked in disbelief. "I'm on your team."
"That was over the line." Matt's jaw clenched. "Even for you."
Matt left the locker room, feeling angry. Rage burned through him. He didn't want to admit that Ariana had broke it off with him. When he touched her face today, he was only a second away from kissing her. He missed her, bad. Matt walked through the alley, and saw a body on the ground: Mr. Tanner's dead body.
"Somebody help!" he shouted.
Ariana POV:
Stefan had explained everything to me. I was calm enough to have a conversation in the parking lot. Stefan told me about vampires. About the blood, sun, daylight rings. How he drank from animals, while all the other attacks - Vicki, the two couples, Mr. Tanner - were all by Damon. He told me about the vervain in my necklace, how it protected me from Damon's compulsion earlier. He explained the myths: mirrors, garlic, holy water, etc. About the super strength, speed, senses, agility.
He even told me about Katherine. She was Stefan and Damon's love, and a vampire. She turned them, back in 1864. Then she died, in a fire. He told me everything.
I spent the entire time silent. The processing of it all was constricting. Stefan, my boyfriend, was a vampire. His brother, kills people. Damon, who I thought was an okay guy, had turned out to be a serial killer, one who drank the blood of humans.
I had started out the week, wondering about witches and vampires, never actually believing that my best friend would turn out to be a witch, and my boyfriend, a vampire.
When I got home, I changed into a black tank top, and red shorts. Red... Blood... Nope. I changed my shorts. I wore a pair of dark green ones. I needed to sleep before my head exploded.
I heard a tapping on my window, it was Stefan. I hesitated at first, but then realized; ah, what the hell. He could bust down the door if he really wanted to... and so could Damon...
No. Jeremy. Elena. They were already asleep. Would Damon hurt them? I hoped not. If he did, it would be my fault. I'm the one who invited him in.
After opening the window, he swung his legs into my room and landed beside me. "I'm just checking," he started awkwardly, "Making sure that you're okay."
"Thank you," I said, and stared at the floor, not willing to meet his eyes. "Stefan... I need some time, that's all." I looked at his green eyes, and saw hurt and regret. "We haven't even known each other that long... and I just found out you are..." I couldn't even say the word.
"Hey..." he said softly, "I understand. Call me. Whenever you feel like you're in danger, or scared. I'll be here." I simply nodded. I had to look out for my family, they came first.
"Goodnight, Stefan." I said to him. I saw his hands reach out, as if to touch me. But he thought better of it.
"Goodnight...Ariana." His words were mixed in with the soft breeze as he swiftly disappeared, out my window. Perhaps, if given some time, I could learn to accept him for who he was. Though he was a vampire, he was still Stefan. A gentleman. The one who made me feel happy, and joyful. I just needed to make sure that my family was safe from his brother first. I wanted to protect them.
3rd person POV:
Damon entered Ariana window, and saw the beautiful girl sleeping quietly in her bed. She actually looked peaceful, like an angel. She was the light, in darkness. She made Damon feel as if he was human again.
But now Ariana knew about him. That Damon was a vampire. Even though he had come back to Mystic Falls for Katherine... he was starting to think that Katherine wasn't the reason. She was his first love, a beautiful girl. But she was also mean and secretive. Ariana, on the other hand, looked exactly like Katherine. But instead, Ariana was kind, sweet, compassionate, and caring.
The only thing in the way... was that Damon knew, she would never go for him. It would always be Stefan. And if Damon got into the middle of it, Ariana might get hurt.
Damon's hand reached down, and ever so gently caressed Ariana's face. Her skin was smooth, and it seemed almost pale under the moonlight streaming in from the window. Placing a quick kiss on her forehead, Damon left, making sure to close the window, before she awoke.
Thank you for reading my story! Review please! Thanks!
-Spiralcloud