Summer set lip to earth's bosom bare,
And left the flushed print in a poppy there.
- Francis Thompson
"So, who else were you banging behind my back?" Tyler raised an accusing eyebrow. Over the past few weeks Elena had grown to really like Tyler, which was the worst part about all of this. He was her boyfriend, she really liked him. And then she goes and messes everything up with Damon.
Elena sat quietly across from him, looking down at her water.
"You thought I wouldn't find out?" Tyler yelled at Elena. Damon's eyes flickered up from the bar. It took every inch of restraint he had not to get up and beat Tyler to a pulp for yelling at Elena. "Elena, you're an awful liar. I'm not an idiot; I can put two and two together. You and him have been off in your own little world for a while now." Tyler said, and Elena's lip quivered. Damon should have been with Caroline right now, begging for her forgiveness, because he truly did love Caroline, but instead he was here at the Grill, drinking away. "Why wouldn't you tell me? Why would you lead me on like that? Our relationship just started, you could have put an end to it right then." Tyler stated furiously, and Elena finally spoke up.
"Because I like you Tyler!" she yelled. They were both standing now, yelling in each other's faces, the whole restaurant was captivated by their argument.
"Apparently not enough." He cut in.
"Tyler, I'm sorry!" She screamed, and it was obvious that she was crying because her voice cracked and tears streaked down her cheeks. Tyler turned abruptly, shaking his head and leaving the Grill. Damon got up immediately, but when he approached Elena she squeezed her eyes shut and turned away. "No. No, I think you've done enough."
That was the last thing she whispered before following suit and disappearing out the Grill.
Jenna looked over at Elena sadly. Her niece would be gone for the rest of the summer, and she was going to miss her. Jeremy stood beside her without Bonnie (who seemed to follow him everywhere nowadays). Elena smiled at the two.
"You'll see me in a month and a bit, guys. Don't worry." Elena said, rubbing Jenna's arm.
"Yeah. Are you sure you'll be okay at the lake house?" She asked, as any concerned guardian would.
"I'll be fine. It'll be good for me. I need to get away from everything."
Jenna nodded and hugged Elena, then watched as Elena proceeded to hug her brother.
"Drive carefully." Jenna warned, as Elena picked up her suitcase and walked away from the Gilbert house for the rest of the summer.
Elena drove away from Mystic Falls and away from all the madness in her life, and she didn't intend on driving back until school started up again, and she was forced to some back to the dreary old town in Virginia.
The lake house hadn't changed at all since she was a little girl. Elena always remembered certain details of every inch of the house, and after her parents died, it seemed Jenna hadn't put in any effort to sell the place. It was an old cottage looking house just off the docks. Although the lake was small, and you could see over to the other house on the opposite end, there was a large amount of land in between. Elena missed this place and when she finally drove up the gravel drive-way, the old memories of her parents and Jeremy came at her fast and hard.
She in took a large breath before proceeding to open the door of the house. She wandered a bit, and then finally before the flash of orange sun disappeared, she made it outside to the dock that overlooked the clean lake. She sat down, her feet just touching the water with the tips of her toes. It really had been a while since she'd been here. She missed the place. Even though she thought it was a crap hole when she was a kid, she never really realized how large and calm it was. It was a big change from the small, yet crowded town of Mystic Falls.
It was quiet. The house, the lake, the city; all of it was too quiet. Elena couldn't exactly trust herself to be alone with her thoughts for more than a week and she was getting tired of sitting in the lake house and doing nothing. She couldn't call anyone to come up because everyone hated her. She decided the best thing to do, was to put herself out there. Sometimes, late at night she could hear music blasting from the house across the lake. Maybe it was time for her to get acquainted with some kids around the town.
The fourth morning of her arrival to the Gilbert Family Lake House, Elena decided to get out of the house and visit the grocery store that was 10 minutes away. It was packed for a Monday morning, though everywhere was packed because of summer break. She walked slowly down the aisles, carefully checking for anything she may need to stock up the fridge. She picked up a jar of peanut butter, but being clumsy Elena, she dropped it on the floor and it rolled to a stop as some man's feet. He picked it up and her eyes skimmed up his body and to his face.
It wasn't a man, but a boy. Her age or maybe a couple years older. He was blond, his hair in a shag like style just covering his pretty green eyes.
"Thank you." She smiled, taking the jar from him.
"No problem, I stand here all day waiting for gorgeous girls to drop peanut butter." He said flirtatiously with the nicest of Australian accents. She admired him already. Accents were Elena's kryptonite. She laughed at his joke.
"You look familiar." Elena commented, raising one perfectly arched eyebrow.
"Maybe that's because my family has owned the lake house across from yours for the past nineteen years." He shrugged with a sweet smile.
"Really? Oh." Elena tried to picture him when he may have been younger but she drew blanks. "I'm sorry I don't remember you." She said embarrassed, but the boy just laughed.
"That's okay. I was always inside most of the time. I'm Sam, by the way." He stuck out his hand.
"Elena." Her hand met his in a gentle shake.
"So," The two began walking down the aisles together, occasionally picking things off shelves and putting them in their baskets. "Where's you're family this year? I've only seen you out and about." He asked, and Elena closed her eyes briefly.
"My parents died last year." Elena said slowly, picking up cookies.
"Oh, uh, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked." He took it back immediately, with a panicked but sorry look on his face.
"No, no. It's fine." She said, "I've gotten over it. This place just brings back old memories." Elena shrugged, looking over to the boy.
"So why are you down here all alone this year?" Sam asked, as they made their way to the checkout, he stood behind her in line, and they both checked their food through one after the other. They walked together to Elena's car.
"It's complicated." Elena muttered quietly.
"Well, why don't you come over and tell me about it?" Sam asked hopefully and Elena smiled.
"Sure. Lead the way." She said, hopping into her car and following Sam's back to his lake house.
It was bigger then Elena's and more modern, but it was still cottage like and homey. They sat down on the couch together, enjoying the view of the sunny lake through the large window in front of them.
"Tell me your story." Sam smiled, leaning against the back of the couch.
"My best friend Caroline had been dating this older guy for a really long time. She always wanted me to spend time with her and Damon, and as much as I didn't want to be the third wheel, I wanted to hang out with her. I started dating this guy Tyler, and one night as his party, I got high, and I had a couple drinks, and I was a complete mess. I made out with Caroline's boyfriend Damon." Elena took a breath, allowing Sam to process some of this. "It sort of escalated and we started this affair. Caroline found out, I still don't know how, and completely cut me out of her life. When Tyler found out, he was so mad, and he has quite the temper, so I was sort of scared to even talk to him. They both went off on me… and I didn't know how to handle it. Then, Damon came by my house, and he said some things." Elena stopped, not wanting to recall this anymore. "He told me he loved me, and as much as jack ass he is, he doesn't lie. And that scared me. I felt these feelings for the man that my best friend loves, and it wasn't right. My other friend, Bonnie hates me because she loves Caroline, and she's always hated Damon. And she's dating my brother, Jeremy, so he hates me too. And my aunt suggested coming down to the lake house because I needed to get away so bad. And here I am. All alone for the rest of the summer."
Sam took a few moments to process this then he nodded.
"You shouldn't have been scared." He whispered after a pregnant pause. Elena looked at him quizzically. "Of your feelings for him. You shouldn't have been scared." He repeated. And maybe she shouldn't have. Damon always knew what he wanted, and it was obvious he wanted her. And she wanted him back. She wasn't sure of what she felt for Damon. One day she could fall head over heels for his sweet side, and the next she could hate him for his dick personality. But she's always liked him. She loved him.
Woah, Elena's thoughts stopped abruptly. You do not love Damon Salvatore. He's a jerk and a man who cheats and he doesn't treat anyone properly. No one could love a man so cold. Elena kept those thoughts in her mind, but she looked up to Sam.
"You're right." She whispered. "I should have told him."
They were quiet for a while, just watching the view. Sam let her think for a bit.
"So, I'm having a party later tonight," He said, when they reached the front door when Elena was leaving. "You should swing by; some fun would do you good." He suggested, smiling.
"Yeah, I think I will." She returned the smile. "And thank you. For listening." She added.
"I'll always be just across the lake." He smirked. She saw Damon for a couple seconds. Damon's smirk, Damon's eyes, Damon's hair. She shook him out of her head. You won't be seeing Damon for the whole rest of the summer, Elena. Control yourself. She thought, waving goodbye to Sam as she turned and got into her car.
The lake house that had once looked so peaceful, was now bursting with music and lights. People scattered all over the property, some swimming in Sam's side of the lake, most holding red plastic cups of what she assumed was alcohol. This was not one of Tyler Lockwood's sophisticated parties, this was just a house party with beer and sluts.
Elena smiled as she walked up the steps of the house. She wore a summer dress that cut low on her body and swayed slightly in the wind. It had a floral pattern and she wore a dusty brown belt with it. She looked around the house as soon as she stepped in. Searching for Sam, or at least one familiar face of a local kid. She couldn't see anyone she knew anywhere, so she continued to wander the house, picking up a drink on her way. She sipped slowly, not intending to get drunk at all tonight. She finally spotted Sam. He was huddled in a circle with a bunch of shirtless boys. He waved when he saw her.
"Elena!" He called her over, and the rest of the boys examined her when she walked up to him. "Boys, this is Elena." Elena waved at them shyly. They all seemed nice enough, most of them drunk, but what did it matter anyways? Elena never realized how many kids her age actually had a place around here. Sam put his arm around her shoulders and said bye to his friends, leading Elena outside, to the lake. They sat on the dock together, their feet touching the water, watching the kids jump in one after another.
"Pretty cool, huh?" Sam said, pushing her backwards so that she was lying down, and copying her motions beside her to look up at the stars.
"Wow. They're so bright up here." She whispered, tracing the stars with her fingers.
"Yeah." He smiled.
Elena sat up beside him and looked down at him suspiciously. "Why are you being nice to me? I'm not putting out, you know…" Elena's train of thought strayed away from the tracks.
"Easy, Elena. I'm not looking for sex or a girl. I just see your potential as a friend and think it's been wasted." He shrugged sitting up beside her. She rested her head on his shoulder.
"Thank you." She whispered.
i'm iffy about this chapter. was introducing a new character (sam) a good idea or not? i think i'm just trying to shift the plot. let Elena have a good friend, nothing more than that. sorry for the lack of damon/elena. hopefully next chapter's better. i wanted to get Elena out of MF and let her relax a bit after all the stress in her life, i hope incorporating the lake house was a good idea. pleaaaaaase R&R!