Chapter 20: Let's party
Next day I woke up early, dressed in my workout clothes and went jogging to the beach and back. I was exhausted when I came back but a nice long hot shower fixed it. I let my hair dry in natural waves and pulled back half and braided it. A pair of jeans, a grey strap top, silver hoops and a heart pendant. Minimal makeup and still in slippers and I went downstairs to make breakfast. Coffee and 2 pieces of toast with strawberry jam were ready when dad came down rubbing sleep from his eyes.
"Morning dad"
"Morning"
We sat there enjoying our breakfast and dad read his newspaper. I checked my emails and saw that Angie and Mike would fly and be here tomorrow at noon, I'd pick them up and show them around town and come home early enough to prepare for the party. Dad would go out with Alaric and John from the Grill for beers.
After breakfast dad left to go to work and I headed for the hospital. A freshly awake Caroline was looking back at me. I felt a huge smile break free
"Caroline! You're awake"
I moved to hug her and sit on the bed next to her
"Yep! Nice outfit. So what did I miss?"
I laughed
"I'll tell you; do your parents know you're awake?"
"I just woke up; you're the first person I saw"
"Ok wait just a sec to call a doctor to check you and I'll call your parents."
I wet to the front desk to alert a nurse that Caroline was awake and called Liz. I thought about freaking her out a bit so I kept my voice grave-like and morose. When I was sure she was about to burst into tears and faint I told her that Carrie was awake and the doctors were checking her now, she should come with Mark. She hung up without a word and I texted Elena & Matt with the news. Matt appeared 15 minutes later in his work clothes with a bright excited smile. Elena came a few minutes later with 4 coffees in hand. We were all in the waiting room when Liz and mark came with more coffee. We all laughed and I told them how I came this morning and saw her wide awake ready to comment on clothes. Elena texted Bonnie but didn't get an answer. As soon as the doctor came out Matt snuck in. The doctor was confused saying what an amazing recovery Caroline had made and how everything appeared to be ok but he would like to keep it for observation one more day. Elena winked at me and muttered how it was good to have the party the next day. Liz and Mark went in kicking matt out and he told he had to go to work and that I should go too since the summer place would open this Saturday and we needed to be fitted. I said ok and that I'd go in the afternoon I really wanted to stay here now. We said our goodbyes and he left. Liz followed soon and Mark left to call his boyfriend with the good news so Elena and I went back in to spend a fun morning updating Caroline on the local news, me staying, the job, the party, concealing all vampire stuff. Caroline was in the mood for a shopping trip claiming I needed summer clothes which had me laughing for the very simple reason, Caroline hadn't seen my closet, yet. We spent our morning like that and we snuck her turkey sandwich when it was time for lunch. None of us would eat the hospital food so we sat on the bed talking and eating. I left to go meet George at the Grill and Elena had plans with Bonnie. Caroline shot me a look and I replied easily with a 'I'll tell you later look'. On our way out we met Matt who was on his way in to spend the afternoon with Caroline.
I drove straight to the Grill and saw Jeremy on one of the pool tables and we talked for a while. George came in later and took my size for the outfit. It would be a bathing suit, obviously, either a one piece or a two piece with a pair of shorts on top. Jeremy came along and got his work sac because he'd be working with me. I told him about the party next day and threatened to castrate him if he didn't come. Besides I wanted to introduce him to my friends, I was sure Mike would like him. I got my work bag with all the accessories and bathing suits when George brought them and played a couple rounds with Jeremy. Feeling a burn sometime later I looked up to see Damon looking at us with an unreadable expression. He made his way over and after a somewhat polite conversation with Jeremy who seemed to have forgiven him for the whole erase-his-mind-and-memories situation he asked if I wanted to join him for a night in town. I wanted to so I accepted saying I'd have to be home at a reasonable hour since I had to wake up early to go the hospital to get my friends. I left a message on the answering machine at home for dad to let him know I'd go out and we were on our way.
We went to a bar out of town. It was dark and on the small side. We had a few beers, had fun, danced and flirted. Just not together. Damon rounded up a couple of girls and gritting my teeth I got hit by a few guys. I didn't really appreciate it and for a while I felt the same way I felt before in Forks and why Mike and I made out pact of pretending to date. I was annoyed and mostly upset. I texted Damon to let him know I was going home and when after 15 minutes he didn't join me I called a cub and went home, made myself a chicken sandwich, ate and worked on appetizers for the party next day and got ready for bed. I was too upset to call mom and talk. I laid on my bed, staring at the ceiling and thinking. Thinking about why I felt that way about Damon, why I reacted this way today. I closed my eyes and forced myself to sleep.
Next morning I woke up feeling groggy and not well rested. I took a shower and got dressed. I would have time to change before the party so I went for comfort. White jeans, orange top, white shoes and purse, silver long earrings and a heart pendant. I joined dad for breakfast, not feeling up to go jogging. We kept light conversation during as breakfast as dad seemed to feel that I wasn't up for talking. After breakfast I did the dishes quickly and hopped in my car, after stopping for gas I was at the airport.
I saw Mike and Angie waited for me. Mike looked up and smiled, Angie was ... ok. I was expecting a mess to be frank. They run to me and we all hugged.
"Angie! Mike!"
"hey Bells"
"How are you guys? I missed you"
"Not as much as we did" Mike piped
I led them to my car, threw the bags in the truck and drove to town. I snuck a couple looks to Mike and he motioned me to Angela.
"Hey Angie? How are you? With the Ben thing I mean"
"Strangely not too bad. We were not going so well. When we were alone we were like strangers, barely talking."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't want to upset you, you were so happy about moving and all"
"Nonsense Angie, you should have called me."
I looked at Mike again and he shrugged.
"So, there is a party this afternoon at my place. A good friend of mine is getting out of the hospital today and we set up this party, I didn't know yet that you'd be coming. Do you mind?"
"No not at all"
"So you're staying at my place Angie with me in my room and you Mike get the guestroom, my dad's orders"
We shared a laugh at that and kept chatting till we got at my place. After showing them the rooms we all went in the backyard with food and marveled at the fact we were together again. I thought about compulsion and while trusting Damon I wanted to be on the safe side so I pulled the strings with the charms on them from my pocket. I had taken the charms from the anklet Damon broke up, the vervain ones and put them on three strings. I presented them as friendship pendants and we all put them on. Well I put it on my wrist and Angie and Mike in their necks.
After that they helped me set up the back yard with small white Christmas tree lights around the fence, small Chinese lamps hanging from the lower branches of the trees. I brought out the appetizers, chips & popcorn I had prepared the previous days and arranged them also outside onto the big wooden round table. On smaller coolers we placed can upon cans of soda drinks and water. In the end we used the small stereo from my room to get music and Mike presented the karaoke machine he brought with him. It took a lot of time and effort, but by the time we were done the yard looked great and everything was ready! We headed upstairs in the rooms to get ready.
Angie put on a pair of jeans, a strap bra top in a dark purple/black animal print design and black sandals, I opted to wear a sequin black skirt that reached the mid of my thighs and hot pink strapless top with pink dance shoes. We met downstairs with Mike who was wearing a blue shirt with black jeans. He looked good. Promptly at 6pm the bell rang. It was Matt with Caroline and Bonnie. Caroline was beautiful in a simple yellow dress with silver high heeled shoes and Matt had kept things down with jeans and a shirt in a light blue tone. Frankly he and Mike looked like twins. I made the introductions and we all headed to the backyard where we sat down and started talking. Bonnie kept away from everyone acting more like a chaperone rather than a party girl. Dressed in all black she felt evil. I shook my head to clear my thoughts, plastered a smile and went back to my friends who were exchanging anekdodes on my expense and experiences. Half an hour later Jeremy was at the door. I took him straight outside where he joined the others quickly. After that the last 4 people came, Stefan, Elena, Damon and Tyler who had gotten a text from Matt. Knowing I had nothing to fear I invited everyone in, and went to the backyard, went through the introductions again when Mike pulled me to the makeshift dance floor.
"So who's who?"
"What do you mean?"
"You have told me so much gossip; you have to tell me now"
I laughed and leaned to his ear
"Well the brunette over there who's hitting on Angie is Tyler, Mr. number one" I rolled my eyes "Elena and Stefan are together, so are Matt and Caroline. Damon is Stefan's brother and Bonnie is a friend of the girls'"
"She seems real nice" he said ironically
"Yeah, like a cobra" we laughed at went to get the others.
The party was a hit, Caroline & Elena barely ever left the dance floor and pulled me along a lot. Matt and mike seemed to struck a friendship on the spot and Tyler with Stefan were working on the tunes. Only Damon seemed cut off from the rest of us leaning on the back porch railing sipping his beer (had claimed soda is for kids). Bonnie on the other hand was sat in a chair and was civil to everyone but not particularly interested in joining us. Caroline said she had to guilt her into coming. I shook my head at the childishness of it all. I never danced more in my life I thought as I was being passed from person to person, Mike, Matt, Tyler and back to Mike. Stefan was chuckling and dancing with Elena unless she was with us.
At some point the music was softer and I was leaning against the railing, drinking soda and looking at my friends. Jeremy and Angie talking together with their heads close, Stefan with Elena in his lap, Matt talking quietly with Mike and Tyler about sports while Caroline had fallen asleep on a lounge chair. Bonnie had left some time ago
'I wish things would stay like this'
I thought watching a shooting star when I felt arms circling me from behind. I leaned back smiling and whispered
"so you finally got your head out of your ass?"
"I needed my time"
I turned my head to the side to allow my lips to meet his for a sweet and long kiss. I signed and closed my eyes. This is it, my new life.
THE END or not...
