Okay so I know everyone dying for the next chapter so I'll keep this short. Thanks. I never expected this kind of response. You all keep me motivated. As a treat, the next chapter will be up in a couple of hours but first I need to feed myself before I starve. Enjoy. ;)

"Girls! We run this mother! Yeah!" Elena sang along with Beyoncé through the kitchen.

She danced around the kitchen as she made her sandwich completely oblivious. She had avoided Damon, Jeremy and Isobel for an entire week. Jenna started her job today so Elena texted her 'Good luck!'

"My persuasion can build a nation. Endless power. The love we can devour. You'll do anything for me. Who run the world? Girls!" Elena exclaimed going into the fridge.

She continued to move her hips as she looked through the fridge. She found her private fruit bowl and pulled it out. She got a bottle of lemonade out and put both her items on the counter as she closed the fridge with her hip. Elena did not care that anyone could home and find her in her panties and a camisole dancing around the kitchen. She hardly had a care in the world now. She had not been to work since that Saturday night.

She was pretty sure Jeremy thought she was sneaking around which she kind of was. She had been hanging out with Tom in North Grove where she would sure no one would find her unless their names were Caroline or Katherine. North Grove was two towns too many out of Jeremy and Damon's territory. She left her phone turned off on her bed. She would hang out with Tom and get advice from him then she would dive until late. She was sleep when Jeremy had to be at work and made sure to be in bed sleep by midnight so he could not talk to her. It had worked so far. Elena was so into her own world that she didn't hear two engines pull up in the driveway by the kitchen.

Jeremy and Damon had just come back to the Gilbert Resident. They looked at one another curiously when music could be heard loudly from the kitchen. They looked through the window to see Elena on top of the counter dancing in her underwear.

"This goes out to all the women getting it in you're on your grind. To other men that respect what I do please accept my shine. Boy you know you love it how we're smart enough to make these millions. Strong enough to bear the children then get back to business." Elena sang eating her fruit and dancing around.

"My persuasion can build a nation. Endless power. The love we can devour. You'll do anything for me. Who run the world? Girls!" Elena exclaimed.

Both of their eyes widened. She got off the counter and slid across the floor in her socks. Jeremy noticed she was unmindful to the world around her. The song came to an end and she just laughed drinking some of her lemonade. They could the bass to another song start.

"Up in the club, we just broke up. I'm doing my own little thing. You decided to dip but now you wanna trip. Cause another brother noticed me. I'm up on him, he up on me. Don't pay him any attention. Cause I cried my tears, for three good years. Ya can't be mad at me. Cause if you liked it then you should have put a ring on it. If you liked it then you should've put a ring on it. Don't be mad once you see that he want it. If you liked it then you should've put a ring on it."

Elena flashed her ring finger which had a big diamond that she inherited from her grandfather that was her late grandmothers who passed when Jer was just three. She popped a piece of a peach in her mouth and dipped down to the ground to the beat.

Damon watched as his best friend's fist turned white from squeezing together so tight.

"Did you know she was going to be home?" Damon questioned.

"She's never home unless she's sleep now. I have no idea where she's been so this is a surprise."

"Are we going to go in?" Damon asked stepping away from the window and leaning on his motorcycle.

"I am. Wait out here." Jeremy said heading for the door.

When he opened the door, Elena looked toward it then continued to eat her fruit. 'What the hell did he want?' Elena wondered drinking some lemonade. She continued to bob her head to her music as he headed out of the kitchen. She internally rejoiced that he chose not to speak with her. Chris Brown filled the room from her laptop next and she just moved her hips back and forth as Jeremy came back into the kitchen.

"I haven't seen you around lately. Are you still working for me?"

Elena looked at her brother and a giant smile spread across her face.

"Yea I am. Just some things have come up. Today was just me being lazy. I'll be in tomorrow even though it's Friday. I could use a break."

"You've had a break. Have you even been diving?" Jeremy questioned with an accusative glare.

"Well Dad, I have." Elena said sarcastically.

"Don't be like that Lena. It was just a question."

"Whatever floats your boat …" She replied.

Jeremy narrowed his eyes at her. 'What the hell was her problem?' He thought.

"Can I see you laptop right quick? I need something." Jeremy told her.

Elena nodded and continued to eat her fruit.

"Maybe I should put on pants." She said walking into the hallway.

She found her discarded short shorts and slipped them on. She hummed her way back into the kitchen to find Jeremy watching something on it. She came back toward her original spot then froze when she saw what was on the laptop. It was their video, the video from the night Damon and Isobel went out. Who the hell showed it to him?

"Where did you get this?" Elena questioned.

Jeremy just laughed sarcastically then gave her a hard look.

"No, the better question is: what the fuck was wrong with you? Where the hell were you even at?"

"Obviously out of your reach." Elena replied with an attitude.

Jeremy jumped up from leaning on the counter and into his little sister's face.

"What the hell has gotten into you? Why were you doing that on bars like you're some little slut?"

"Nothing has gotten into me. This is me. I'm not seven Jer. You can't lock me in the house and wait for some expectant doctor to rescue me. I don't need to be rescued!" Elena shouted.

"That video begs to differ." Jeremy yelled back.

Elena looked back at the screen to see herself swinging her legs off the bar and singing to the guys nearest to her. She smiled at the memory and turned back to Jeremy.

"Is this funny to you?" Jeremy hissed toward her.

"Yea, now that you mention it. It is kind of is hilarious. The really funny part is how I see you yelling at me and not Kat or Care. Or how you aren't yelling at Jenna who is fucking twenty-four yet she took your two seventeen year old sisters and your seventeen year old surrogate sister to a damn bar! It's fucking funny as shit!"

Jeremy seemed to back up when those words flew from Elena's mouth.

"For your information I already talked to Kat, Care and Jenna. I expect this from them. The dancing in unknown bars but not you. What the hell is up with you? You haven't come into work, you're dancing on bar tops, and you're dancing in the house in your underwear. Are you sneaking around with some guy? What about Mason?"

Elena just laughed. That was what stopped her from her most immediate reaction which was to kick her brother in his nuts.

"Why do you always assume me doing something which you consider out of character has something to do with some effin' guy? There is no guy! No guy Jer! And as for Mason, catch a clue! I never liked him and I never will. So he can quit calling you and quit arranging dates. I don't need a doctor to get out of this hell hole of town. Getting away from you and all these assholes is enough inspiration for me!" Elena shouted heading toward the door.

Jeremy caught her arm and brought her back to him.

"This conversation was never over!"

"Jer, I don't care what you have to say. No matter what you say. I danced on top of a bar top because it was fun and I felt like I was having a panic attack! I danced in my underwear because I could. I've been around, just out of your reach which is perfect for me! I was in that famous Western bar in North Grove when I supposedly acted like a slut! I ditched work because I needed some freedom! And for your information I have been with a guy!"

Jeremy opened his mouth to accuse her of doing something with the guy.

"Who just so happens to have a girlfriend! So no we did not sleep together to answer the question that was going to fly out your mouth next! I am an effin' virgin for the last time! I never slept with Elijah or Matt or whoever else is on your list of imaginary sex partners for me. He is my friend and he's helping me through a hard time and no it's not Stefan! No, I won't tell you his name or where he leaves. Just leave me the hell alone!"

Elena snatched her arm away and grabbed her laptop, fruit and lemonade. She headed out the door to see Damon leaning against his bike in front of her car.

"Of course he brought Thing 2 with him." Elena said opening the passenger door.

Damon moved toward her and she rolled her eyes.

"Lena I've been calling you."

"Oh trust me. I got the forty-six missed calls, twenty voicemails and fifty text messages. I am choosing not to reply so if you excuse me, I need to go."

She wrenched open her driver's door and he stopped her from closing it.

"Why have you been ignoring me? Did Kat tell you I needed to talk to you?"

"Yea, she did. Like I said, I am ignoring you which is kind of hard to do with you stopping me form leaving." Elena replied, starting the engine up.

Nicki Minaj came through her speakers and she turned it up so that the bass was loud and blaring.

"Lena, what the hell was that video?"

"I know you heard Jer and me fighting two minutes ago so you know exactly what that video was. Now bye." Elena said closing her door hard.

She pulled out her phone and dialed a number she knew by heart as she pulled back from the driveway.

"Hello?" He answered.

"Can I come over? I really need to talk to you." Elena pleaded.

"So you cursed out your brother and basically told mine to go to hell?" Stefan asked as the two sat on the roof of the Boarding House.

Elena laughed, grabbing her best friend's hand. She laced their fingers and looked at him. He looked at her and smiled.

"It's just hard Stef. I can't be around Damon and Jer is an idiot."

Stefan nodded and smiled to encourage her.

"Lena, where have you been? You haven't returned my calls either while you were ditching the other Salvatore." Stefan questioned.

"North Grove."

"What the hell is in North Grove?"

"Tyler's cousin Tom."

Stefan raised his eyebrows at his best friend. Elena laughed and swatted his shoulder.

"Not even. We're just friends. He's just a great listener."

"I'm a good listener." Stefan reasoned.

"I needed to talk to someone who wasn't caught up in this mess. Tom was perfect. I talk to him about the Damon and Isobel situation and he talks to me about Lexi." Elena said.

"Lexi?" Stefan asked with curiosity.

"He's dating your ex apparently. Her brother came home from war and found out about Lee who hadn't hit Lexi yet. Though he was saying something to make her afraid of him. The brother basically beat him bad and Lexi left him. So now she's dating Tom."

"Small world." Stefan said smiling.

"Yea I know. However Tom thinks I need to talk to your ass of a brother."

"Maybe you should." Stefan offered.

Elena rolled her eyes. The two leaned back and lay down on the roof.

"Not going to happen. I learned my lesson for the last time. If I talk to him, I take the risk of being caught in that trap again. Not going to happen to me yet again. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice and I need to be slapped."

Stefan and Elena both laughed in unison. The two looked up to the sky which was clear on this hot July day and observed the stars like they use to do when they were little. Elena remembered sneaking up on the roof with Stefan when they were eleven. They would count stars and name constellations.

"Did you ever find out if the rumor was true?" Stefan asked through the silence.

"What rumor?" Elena asked in confusion.

"The Isobel and Damon behind Starbucks rumor. Did you ever ask him if it was true?"

"No and that was one of my lesser mistakes."

"What was the major mistake?" Stefan asked.

"Letting him in the first time. Obviously if he hangs out with Jer, fidelity was never going to be his specialty." Elena explained with a sad smile.

"How does it feel?" Stefan inquired.

"How does what feel?"

"To get your heart broken. Lexi and I, we broke up because we knew we were better as friends. I dumped Rebekah for Kat. Kat and I have been together almost three years now. I don't know how it feels."

Elena looked to her best friend with tears in her eyes. Stefan squeezed her hand.

"We don't have to talk about if you don't want to." Stefan offered.

"No, I'll tell you. Not like you will ever go through that. Umm … it's like having a continuous panic attack. I couldn't breathe for five minutes when I heard he was taking her out. I just wanted to cry myself to sleep. I couldn't feel anything for a while thus the drinking at the bar. The only thing I can feel now is free. The dancing, the sneaking around and the drinking it makes me feel free. No one can take that from me. Damon took my heart but that's all he's ever going to get out of me."

Tears escaped out of the sides out her eyes as she smiled.

"Were you going to have sex with my brother?" Stefan quizzed.

"I thought about it. We almost did it once this summer but he said we needed to talk about some things first." Elena revealed with a confused face.

"Did you guys ever talk?"

"No. Not about what he wanted us to talk about. Now we never will." Elena answered.

The two sat in silence; hands laced and just looked up to the sky. It was nearly a half an hour when Stefan broke the silence.

"He's an idiot."

Elena looked to her best friends with her eyes full of questions.

"My brother is an idiot. Even though you're like another sister to me and I could never see you that way, Damon needs someone like you. He's an idiot. You're patient and kind. You actually listen. You're sweet. Damon is used to people letting him run over them except Lia because she's his baby sister. You run over him. He needs someone like that. No offense to Isobel but she seems like she was too desperate to be his type. Maybe I'm just biased. You're the only girl he seems to respect in that category as potential girlfriend. Not to mention you're smoking hot," Stefan told her making her laugh with the last comment, "I mean I am dating your twin so you have to be like one of the hottest girls on the planet. Damon is one of those people who never learn until it's too late when it comes to family and friends."

"Thanks Stefan. You know how to make a girl feel appreciated." Elena said squeezing her best friend's hands.

Tears slipped from her eyes and Stefan wiped them away.

"I think you need to quit crying over him too."

Elena laughed, letting go of his hand to wipe her face with both hands.

"I never got to really cry the first time. Care and Kat would never let me. So I guess you can be the girlfriend telling me he's no good and eating ice cream with me."

"I guess I will be." Stefan said.

Elena sat there contemplating everything she had talked about with Tom and had just talked about with Stefan. She contemplated all the messages Damon had left. She contemplated her argument with Jeremy. She contemplated her relationship with Isobel. A song by Rihanna popped into her head. The lyrics flowed into her mind.

On my roof. Dark and I'm burning a rope. I don't need proof. I'm torn apart and you know. What you did to me was a crime. Cold Case Love. And I let you reach me one more time. But that's enough. Should've investigated. But love blinded eye. Couldn't see. And then I tried to cage it. But your love ain't the kind you can keep. Release me now cause I did my time. Of this cold case love. My heart's no longer cold & confined. I've had enough. We lost our way. Took this too far. And I'll never find the pieces of my heart. We've lost enough. Looking for a truth. That was here all along.

"Hey Stef. Are you up there?" A little girl's voice asked breaking Elena out of her trance.

Stefan and Elena both sat up once they heard Amelia's voice. The young girl climbed out of the window and up on the roof. Her smile grew a ten-fold when she saw Elena sitting next to her brother.

"Hey Elena. Are you alright?" She asked, frowning when she saw the tear treks on Elena's face.

Elena smiled, wiping her face clear.

"Yea just guy drama."

"Did Damon do something wrong? Because if he did, I'll kill him for you. No one will ever have to know."

Stefan and Elena laughed in unison at the young girl's declaration.

"It's complicated Lia. We're just going to have a girl's night plus Stefan alright." Elena said with a smile.

"Yay! Okay so since my oldest brother is the biggest jackass and made you cry we can catch crazy movies. So I like All the Real Girls and How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days. Oh! We can watch The Break-Up!"

Stefan and Elena burst into hysterical laughter together as Lia continues to ramble on about what to do.

"Let's get off this roof. I don't want you to jump." Lia said climbing down.

Stefan chuckled hard, holding his stomach from the joke. Elena punched him in the shoulder as she started to climb down.

"Just let me talk to her Stef!"

Elena stirred from her sleep to see the TV still on in Stefan's room. Amelia was curled into her side asleep. 'He's Just Not That Into You' was still playing from the DVD player. She looked to see the door was cracked and she could see Stefan standing outside of it. There was another pair of boots which she instantly recognized as Damon's.

"Damon lower you voice. Lia is sleeping in there too. No, you can't talk to Elena. She doesn't want to talk to you."

"I don't even know why Stef! Please."

Elena could feel her heart beat speed up at the sound of his voice pleading to see her.

"Well maybe go over your actions in the past two weeks and pick a jackass move." Stefan advised.

Elena could hear the anger in the youngest Salvatore's voice. She wanted to get up and stop them from arguing but she didn't want to see Damon. So she sat down and listened.

"Stef, can you just tell her I really want to talk to her … and I miss her. So much. Just do that."

She heard Damon walk away and rolled back over to pretend she was still sleep. Elena heard Stefan come back into the room and sigh deeply. He got back into his bed and she rolled over to face him.

"Did you hear that?" Stefan asked looking down at her.

Elena nodded as she smiled sadly.

"Thank you." She said smiling.

Her best friend smiled down at her and scooted back into his pillows.

"Let's finish watching these depressing movies." Stefan offered and she sat up next to him laughing.

The Rihanna song was called "Cold Case Love" unless anyone was wondering. Reviews and Alerts are loved, appreciated and cherished with me. ;)