I hope you enjoy this update. Thanks for the reviews on my new story, it means the world to me. I'm glad you're all still enjoying it. Reviews are an authors way of knowing their work is having an impression on their readers, so I thank you all so much for liking my work so far.
The rest of the week went by without anything happening. My father never contacted me which was both bad and good. If he wasn't contacting me that meant that no one was after me but it made me worry about him. I'd already lost my mother and brother after I turned, I wasn't sure I could lose anyone else. My mom took my brother and ran after I transitioned. He said there was no way she could deal with being a mother to a vampire. My father stayed with me but now he was gone too. I couldn't help but wonder if he abandoned me. It was the option that made the most sense, I just couldn't tell Caroline that. I wanted her to keep believing that we had to keep hidden as well as possible. It was easier to convince her that there was someone after us, forcing us to blend in. Caroline hated blending, so it was the only way to keep her from going all out on being the popular girl. It wasn't a lie per se, it was a lie of omission.
"Elena, are you getting ready?" She called from her bedroom. She let me take the master bedroom because she claimed a second bedroom closet for her piles and piles of clothes. She said it was only fair since she needed two closets for her stuff. The second bedroom had been transformed into a dressing room. The only clothes in her bedroom were her pyjamas and underwear. Her two bedrooms were connected with a Jack and Jill bathroom that was all hers as well. She had a three room suite I had a master bedroom, with walk in closet and an en suite. We were spoiled teenage girls.
"Yes." I told her tugging at my black draped one shoulder dress. It hit the top of my knees and it was sexy but innocent at the same time. I did my hair in loose waves and slipped a pair of heels on my feet. They were peep toes so I made the effort to paint my toe nails a brilliant red colour. Red lipstick and dark eye make-up completed my look.
"Get out here so I can see how you look." She told me and I sighed and walked out of my bedroom. Her eyes widened and she nodded her head impressed. She acted like I didn't know how to dress up, I was actually quite good at it when I wanted to be.
"Are you ready to go?" I asked her when I gave her a twirl so she could see me from all angles.
"I'm ready if you are." She told me and I smiled. Despite my constant whining about going to parties I really did enjoy them sometimes.
"So is your wonderful date meeting us there?" I asked her.
"Both of our dates are." She reminded me.
"How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not romantically interested in Stefan?" I asked exasperated. Caroline didn't understand that I didn't need a boyfriend. I was really quite happy without one. There was less to worry about when you didn't have one. In my case I didn't have to worry about sprouting fangs during a hot make out session. The struggle was real.
"Well I'm hoping that Tyler decides he's like super-hot for me tonight so you can drive." She said and I chuckled.
"You're really going to have sex with a guy you're only going out on your first date with?" I asked.
"I really need some action, action from a real man." She told me and I fought the urge to gag.
"I really don't want to know what you get up to at night when you're alone in your room." I told her. There were some things you just didn't speak about, even to your best friend.
"Come on, it's not like you're completely celibate in that way either." She laughed.
"Maybe but I don't bring it up in conversation." I reminded her and she shrugged.
"You're my best friend, I think it's cool to talk about intimate stuff." She said and I just kept driving. When we got to the Lockwood house which was more of a manor than anything else we parked and got out. Tyler and Stefan were waiting at the door and I offered Stefan a small smile while Caroline walked up to Tyler in her flirty glory. She was damn good at this and I had no doubt she would be spending the night with Tyler tonight. He wouldn't be able to resist her when she was on her game like this.
"You look really nice Elena." Stefan told me and I thanked him and complimented him as well. It was the right thing to do. When we walked inside I saw Stefan and Damon's mom and dad mingling. Their mom was a completely different person when she was on her meds. She was happy and laughing.
"See how different she is when she's out?" He asked and I nodded.
"She's owning the room, that's for sure." I told him and he smiled.
"Do you want a drink?" He asked and I nodded. I sincerely hoped it was booze filled but knowing Stefan it probably wasn't. He was too good and too human to try to get alcohol for his date when all eyes were on him. He wanted to impress everyone around him by being the best that he can be. I respect that, it's just not my type. Stefan and I talked to Caroline and Tyler until they decided to go dance. Well Caroline decided, Tyler was just putty in her more than capable hands.
"Maybe I should introduce you to everyone you haven't met yet." He suggested and I nodded. I wasn't looking forward to rubbing elbows with all the rich and powerful of Mystic Falls. My hearing ranged over the entire room and I heard so many conversations all at once. Only a couple concerned me, like hearing the word vervain over and over again. I knew vervain to be an herb that was toxic to vampires, people took it to protect themselves from people like me. I had to be careful not to try to compel anyone here. It wouldn't end well. From the conversations I registered that there have been no vampire sightings for a long time and for the first time Mystic Falls was completely safe.
"Elena, this is Mayor Lockwood and his wife Carol. They are Tyler's parents. Mr. and Mrs. Lockwood this is Elena Gilbert, she's new here." He introduced us.
"Nice to meet you." I greeted them, shaking their hands.
"I hope you enjoy living here. It really is a wonderful town." Carol said and I smiled.
"I really am, it's just the kind of place I love. I've lived in so many big cities that I wanted something small." I told her.
"Where are your parents?" She asked.
"My dad works at Whitmore College, he bought a house for me and Caroline so we would be somewhere he thought safe. He comes home every once in a while." I told her.
"That's wonderful. I hope you enjoy Mystic Falls and you really should put your name in for the Miss Mystic Falls Competition. I believe you'd have a good chance to get selected." She told me patting my arm before she left.
"What the hell is Miss Mystic Falls?" I asked.
"Every girl puts her name in for it. You really should, it's just a pageant. You're beautiful enough to get in." He told me.
"I don't know, it doesn't really sound like my thing. I think I'm going to step outside for some air. I'll catch up with you. It's a bit stuffy in here." I said.
"I could come with you to keep you company." He offered and I shook my head.
"I'm fine. You should stay here with your friends, do me a favour and keep an eye out for Caroline. She's prone to acting stupid when she's trying to impress a guy." I told him and he laughed.
"That I can do." He said kissing the back of my hand. I smiled and walked out the front door. I stood on the stairs and looked outside. I really didn't want to be there.
"Planning your escape, cheerleader?" Damon asked coming to stand beside me.
"If I could I would but there's no getting out of this. I have nowhere else to go and I don't want to spend my Friday night alone at home." I told him.
"You look beautiful for what it's worth." He told me and I smiled at him.
"Thank you. Now why are you out here all alone?" I asked.
"I hate these things. I hate watching my mom act normal knowing it's not real. My entire family lives a lie and it pisses me off. I'm the only realist." He told me.
"Then why come at all?" I asked.
"I'm expected to. I'm timing my escape for when the alcohol starts flowing and I can make my escape without them noticing." He told me and I smiled.
"You've got this planned out." I said.
"Completely." He affirmed.
"You just going home to be alone?" I asked him. I wasn't giving him a hint or anything, I was just curious.
"Nope, I actually have something awesome I do every Friday night around ten. I'm just waiting for ten o'clock to hit so I can make my escape." He told me.
"Now I'm curious. Are you being purposefully vague?" I asked and he laughed.
"Not really I just don't talk about it around other people who would spill to my parents. Do you want to come with?" He asked and I smiled.
"Are you going to tell me where we're going?" I asked.
"Nope, you're just going to have to trust me." He said with a grin.
"Alright, it's got to be better than this." I decided. He flashed me a grin and stood up.
"Well then we better get going, you're not going to want to go in that." He said and I stood up. I followed him to his car and he started up the engine.
"You're going to have to tell me where you live." He said and I gave him the address. When he parked I invited him in and he went to sit on the couch.
"So what am I supposed to wear on this little outing?" I asked.
"Jeans and whatever else you girls pair with them." He told me and I laughed. I ran up the stairs to my room and pulled on a tight pair of dark wash skinny jeans and put my favourite boots on. I changed into a black lacy bra since the one I had on under my dress was strapless and a white tank top with my leather jacket. I added a scarf to finish the look off and loosened my curls.
"I'm ready." I said coming downstairs.
"That was fast cheerleader." He said and I smiled.
"I have a name you know." I reminded him and he laughed.
"I know you do, I just like cheerleader better right now. It's sort of ironic considering how not cheerleader-y you are." He said and I laughed.
"Let's get out of here." I said typing out a quick text message to Caroline. We always made sure to let each other know where we were going.
Damon drove down the highway until he found a mostly hidden turn onto a dirt road.
"Are you bringing me out here to kill me?" I asked and he shook his head.
"Nope, there are going to be a bunch of people out here." He said and I smiled. He was taking me to a real party. The closer we got to wherever we were going the louder it got. Music was blaring and the other telltale sounds of a party were present. "Ready?" Damon asked and I smiled and got out of the car when he parked. I walked beside him as we met up with the other people.
"Damon, you're later than usual. Katie was starting to worry." A big biker looking guy said.
"Tell Katie I'm here, but that she's not getting any action tonight. I brought a friend." He said grabbing my arm and leading me into the party. This didn't look like a party one of the members of a founding family would be frequenting but I was learning quickly to not assume anything about Damon. He led us over to the keg and poured me a beer.
"Ah you brought fresh meat I see. You do know that no matter who she is she still has to do the stand." A girl told Damon and he laughed.
"Come on Katie, we can make an exception this one time. It wasn't her idea to come out here. I brought her because she needed to be rescued from the Lockwood party." I insisted.
"No no, what's the stand?" I wanted to know. My status as a vampire made it so almost nothing was impossible for me. If there was an initiation to belonging out here I would do it. I already felt more at home with these people than I did with anyone else I've met so far.
"Elena you don't have to." Damon insisted.
"Come on Damon, what's the stand. I'm up for anything." I told him and he sighed.
"It's just a keg stand but everyone has to do it. I just don't want you so drunk you can't stand up straight within the first little while. I didn't bring you out here to make you do things you're not comfortable with." He said and I smiled at him. Katie rolled her eyes but I shook my head.
"Just because I'm a cheerleader at this school doesn't mean that's who I am. I had a pretty kickass party record when I was in San Francisco." I told him.
"So you think you can handle the stand?" He asked me.
"Not only can I handle the stand, I'm going to decimate all of your friends' records." I told him and Katie laughed.
"Okay, I am no longer pissed that you brought a date. She so belongs out here even if that means I'm never going to have sex with you again." She said offering me her hand and shaking it.
"For the record the keg stand record lies with me and you're never going to beat it." Damon whispered in my ear.
"Show me to the keg." I instructed and everyone whooped and parted to let me and Damon through. Everyone surrounded the keg, and I rubbed my hands together in anticipation. This was the kind of party I liked, not one where everyone was secretly judging everyone else. A couple big guys came up on either side of me to lift me upside down but I shook my head. "I am fully capable of getting myself up there all on my own." I said taking off my jacket and scarf before handing them to Damon.
"She's a Mystic Falls High cheerleader guys." He said and I smirked. This time he didn't say it like it was a bad thing so I rubbed my hands together and pushed myself until I was upside down on the keg. One of the guys put the spout to my lips and when I gave the thumbs up they turned it on. The big guy held my legs up because once the alcohol started flowing it was harder. I drank and drank and drank until the world started spinning, I didn't know how long I was up there for when they lowered my legs to the ground. I wobbled for a moment before regaining my balance. I noticed everyone was cheering and Damon looked completely shocked.
"I don't want to know how long I was up there for." I told them.
"All we'll tell you is that you decimated Damon's record." Katie said and I grinned.
"I guess it's time to party then." I said and the music started up again and everyone started dancing.
"That was incredible. How did you do that?" Damon asked and I shrugged.
"I have my ways." I said.
"So there's no way I'm going to be able to drive you home tonight. Are you alright camping out here with everyone else?" He asked and I smiled.
"Sounds like my kind of night." I said. I danced with everyone and we danced into the wee hours of the morning when the music finally died down and everyone chose a spot on the ground to sleep in. I chose a spot next to Damon and we fell asleep quickly.