Chapter 20
Elena was seething. She had planned a huge party for Stefan's birthday and that... that... blondie had shown up out of the blue and had stolen Stefan's attention from her. He had even hated her party! Who prefers a dingy little place like the Grill and beer and a pool table with that ... peroxided bimbo instead of her party? Elena had invited everyone from their school, people she used to have a million hobbies with. Who cares if Stefan doesn't know all of them or if he doesn't like most of them? His party wasn't about him!
A few seats away from her Caroline could hear her friend's words and wanted to roll her eyes. In fact if she rolled them any harder she'd see her own brain! The blond teenager began wondering what she and Elena had in common to make them friends. She knew she was often overlooked at the stupid typical blond of their little group, and for years she was mostly okay with it, but lately she felt like she wanted, no needed, to break free of her shell. And much like the saying goes 'if you want to get over someone, best get under someone else', maybe she could do just that; in a friendship sort of way. Caroline Forbes smiled to herself, took hold of her beer (supposedly root beer but the bartender had a tendency to ignore ID's) and went to introduce herself at Stefan's blond friend. At least she wouldn't make blond jokes at Caroline's expense.
Elena seethed more at the clear betrayal. She turned to her other bestie for support in her upcoming war against the local peroxided bimbo, but Bonnie was having fun at the darts board along with some other girls from their school. Some nobodies Elena didn't care about but Bonnie evidently did if she chose them over Elena.
"How is it that I set everything up, yet I'm the one that's left out?"
She asked herself.
On the other side of the Grill Bella was watching Jenna, who had arrived early that morning, and Mason play pool and was laughing to herself. Mason was excellent at the game sinking solid colored ball after solid colored ball. Jenna wasn't. The strawberry blond woman's hand-eye coordination was marginally better than Bella's, and Bella's one and only try at pool had resulted in the green fabric being torn and the ball she was aiming for, flying to the table closest to her. She decided to stick to commenting on the game then.
When Mason only had one ball plus the black eight to go, Jenna changed tactics. She used her feminine wiles to distract her guy friend. A few seductive smiles, a shirt losing a button at just the right moment for the little black ball to go haywire. Judging by Mason's sudden losing streak, it was working. Bella laughed amused, those two were definitely leaving the hangout slash bar slash whatever together.
A commotion at the other end of the bar caught her attention and she looked over to see Elena trying to get Stefan to dance. Stefan however was too busy talking and laughing with some girl. Then Elena tried to get Matt to join her on the dance floor but the guy was working. In the end, Elena walked out of the Grill by herself. Stefan made zero moves to go after her.
"This is not going to end well"
Bella muttered to herself.
"I never pegged my brother as a ladies' man."
A deep voice spoke next to her ear and Bella nearly jumped. At some point Damon Salvatore had slipped onto the barstool next to her and was grinning like the cat that had her canary meal slow cooked in cream.
Blergh
How had she missed him? She wasn't actively looking for him but still, how does one miss someone sitting next to them?
"Damon"
She greeted.
"Bella"
He drawled, smirk in place, icy blue eyes dead set on her.
Damon was thinking as he took her in. Knowing a vamp when he was human who was still a vamp wasn't unusual. Knowing a vamp when he was human who was doing a stellar job acting and passing for a human however, was. Feeling his stare Bella fidgeted.
"You're creeping me out. What do you want?"
Her flat tone was accompanied by the slight rising of her brows. He ignored her and waved to the bartender.
"Jack on rocks and one more of whatever she's having"
He sideyed the pinkish drink.
"What is that thing anyway?"
Bella gave him a smirk of her own
"Pink lemonade. Spiked"
She gave him the flash of a wink and was gone.
"I've been Damon'ed"
Damon muttered in an appreciative tone.
- - - Memories of a Past and a Future - - -
There was a ripple in the air.
The supernatural beings in the establishment stood straighter looking at one another.
A series of bangs were heard.
Mason's nostrils flared as he pushed Jenna behind him roughly.
Damon put his drink down and began looking for Stefan as the too sweet scent of vampire blood permitted the air.
Bella, who had just exited the Grill, screamed at the sight.
Stefan was kneeling on the ground, his blond friend in his arms, blood pouring out of her.
Cops were around them forcibly separating the two.
A baby faced cop pushed a wooden object roughly into the girl's stomach.
Stefan was frozen in place, watching this nobody stake Lexi.
Sheriff Forbes was guiding the staked vampire girl and the cops keeping her upright to the back of a squad car.
Stefan's lips were pulled back, fangs emerging and he made a move to throw the humans out of his way and save Lexi. There was still time to nurse her back.
Bella crossed the distance between them and stopped him in his tracks, one hand against his shoulder.
"You don't need that kind of attention, Stefan. Be smart."
Damon and Mason jogged to them. For the first time in over a hundred years, Damon comforted Stefan who was weeping, as Mason and Bella looked the situation around them.
"Where's Jenna?"
"Inside with Jeremy. I don't want her in the crossfire of those overzealous cops"
Across the parking lot, under a sole light, Elena looked at the scene, a cruel smile on her face, fingers playing with the locket around her slender neck.
"I don't share, bitch"
Whether she was looking at the departing police car or at Damon however, was unclear.