Chapter 7
"Bonnie, tell Gwen she has to go to the Decade Dance," Caroline demanded as soon as Gwen was within a couple of feet of their high-top table.
Setting down their waters, Gwen rolled her eyes. Caroline had spent most of lunch trying to convince Gwen to go to the dance. She'd never really been interested in dances; they never sounded like that much fun. Add in that this particular dance required them to dress up in fifties clothing, and there was no way she was going to this one.
"Oh yes, please come to dance and be part of the sad, dateless group," Bonnie said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Well with that sales pitch, how could I refuse?"
Caroline glared at them as they laughed. Haughtily, she said, "I'd like it noted that I am not dateless. My date is scheduled to work that night."
"Noted," Gwen said mockingly. "You guys decide what you want to eat? I'd get it in before the dinner rush."
"We're going to split the nachos," Bonnie said, handing Gwen their menus.
"And can we get the bartender's number with that? Bonnie's been eyeing him all night," Caroline teased. Bonnie covered her face in embarrassment, muttering "please don't" from behind her hands. Gwen glanced behind her to see the latest former Mystic Falls High football star turned bartender. Ben was cute, Gwen had to admit, but there was something off about him. Plus, she couldn't shake how weird it was that he had turned up the day Eric had apparently skipped town. It was too much of a coincidence, but she didn't have a real reason to be suspicious. It was just a feeling.
"If that's what Bonnie wants," Gwen said with a shrug. "But I think you could do better."
"He's not that bad," Bonnie said defensively.
"I suppose he'd be a fun date," Gwen conceded. "Actually, I have his number. You want it?"
"No!" Bonnie looked mortified. "You can't give me his number. He'd think I was a stalker or something."
"Fair enough." Gwen noticed Matt watching them from across the room, and decided she better get back to work before he said something. But Caroline stopped her before she could get too far.
"Wait, I'm serious," she said. "We should all go to the dance together. It'll be fun. We'll be each other's dates. And Gwen, Bonnie and I will help you find clothes because I know you have nothing for the theme."
In true Caroline fashion, she had made her argument and given solutions to any hurdles Gwen could have thought to have thrown at her. Well, except for the fact that she didn't want to go. But she could see Bonnie was caving and knew that she wasn't going to get her way. Caroline would; they would all be going to this dance.
"Fine," she agreed with an exasperated sigh. "Now, let me get back to work before I get in trouble for socializing on the clock — again."
Caroline let her go, looking far too excited about a school dance. Who knows, Gwen thought, maybe the ones in Mystic Falls were worth attending. She'd just put in Bonnie and Caroline's order when her phone started to vibrate in her back pocket. The staff wasn't supposed to have their phones on them while working. Their manager said they were too distracted by their phones and the quality of service and food suffered. He wasn't wrong. However, if he wasn't onsite, everyone had their phone in their pocket. Checking the caller ID revealed that it was Damon. Gwen stepped into the small hallway that led to the restrooms. It was isolated and empty enough that she could answer it in private.
"What?" she asked, careful to keep her voice low. She didn't want any of her coworkers to catch her making a call.
"Hello to you, too," Damon said, feigning hurt at her rudeness. She rolled her eyes, waiting for him to get to the point of his call. Gwen had learned these things went faster if she just let him talk. "Are you going to the dance tomorrow night?"
"Uh, yeah. Why?" She been expecting him to ask her about information on Elena or Stefan. Gwen couldn't imagine he was truly interested in a high school dance.
"There's a rogue vampire in town that's been stalking Elena. We're trying to lure him to the dance to find out who he is. Might not be the best place to be."
His tone was completely void of emotion, but she couldn't stop the flare of hope that he might care about her well-being. It seemed her crush hadn't been dampened too much upon learning the truth about Damon, which was unfortunate for her since he was still very in love with Katherine.
"I can't get out of it. I promised Caroline I'd go. Anyway, my uncle is chaperoning so I'm pretty sure he was going to make go," she explained, ignoring her inconvenient feelings. "I guess you'll just have to take care of this guy without causing collateral damage."
He scoffed derisively. "That's not asking for much, is it?"
"Do your best. Is there anything else? I'm at work and really can't be on the phone."
"No, wait. Keep some of that vervain on you tomorrow. And maybe a stake or two."
Caroline and Bonnie kept their promise, showing up promptly at six-thirty to help her get dressed. Ric let them in on his way to pick up Jenna. Ric was dressed in jeans, a button-up shirt, and an old letterman jacket from the school. She wondered where he'd found it and how it could possibly fit him, but he'd refused to say. In the end, she figured he and some of the other male staff members probably raided the athletics storage closest. Mercifully, he kept his parenting a minimum. There wasn't a point to him warning them to behave or be home by curfew. He'd be there to make sure they did.
Her two friends were looking as if they'd stepped out of the pages of an old yearbook. Apparently, they weren't wasting anytime. Caroline marched them to the living room where she started laying out outfits for Gwen to choose from while directing Bonnie to go upstairs and turn on whatever styling tools Gwen had. For a moment Gwen was stunned by Caroline's almost militant approach to dressing for a dance, and then she remembered who she was dealing with.
"Don't just stand there," Caroline snapped. "Start looking."
Gwen quickly settled on a dark green dress with white polka dots. It was the kind that buttoned up the front and had a collar, like a business shirt but softer. Caroline even had the matching belt. She picked up the dress and belt, running upstairs before Caroline had too much time to critique the outfit. It was simple and she had a pair of ballet flats that would match. She passed Bonnie in the bathroom. She was on her phone as she waited for the curling iron to heat up.
Glancing up, she instructed, "Hurry up and change. Your hair is going to take a bit."
Gwen nodded, trying not to be annoyed at how bossy they were being. She had to remind herself that they were only trying to help. After closing her bedroom door, she quickly changed into the dress. It was a little loose, but Gwen didn't mind. She hated when clothes were skintight. They made her feel like she couldn't breathe. She then went to her closet to find the ballet shoes. That didn't take her too long either; they were in the third shoe box she inspected. She slipped them on and went to the bathroom, where Bonnie and Caroline were waiting for her.
Bonnie had decided to give Gwen the large, movie-star curls that were popular back in the fifties. Allegedly, they were fast to do, especially on someone else. Gwen wouldn't know. She wasn't very talented when it came to styling hair, so she let Bonnie work. While Bonnie transformed her hair, Gwen applied her makeup, going for a dramatic affect per Caroline's instructions. Caroline kept up a steady stream of conversation, which was good because they were so focused on their tasks, they could barely say more than the few words she needed. When they were done, Gwen thought she did resemble a fifties movie star a little bit.
"Perfect!" Caroline practically squealed, clapping her hands.
"Thank you," Bonnie and Gwen said at the same time, leading all three to burst into giggles.
Caroline was the first to stop and set to refocusing them. "All right, we didn't get all dolled up for nothing. Let's go!"
Caroline and Bonnie led the way down the stairs. Gwen following after making sure everything was turned off. On their way out, they gathered the other outfits to put in the back of Caroline's car. Finally, they were driving off toward the school, singing loudly to the latest hit on the radio.
The dance wasn't as bad as Gwen had thought it would be. If she were being honest, it was actually fun. They spent the first hour dancing, enjoying the mix of old classics and new hits. Gasping for breath, Bonnie demanded they take a break and get some punch. Caroline and Gwen agreed. Gwen needed a moment to cool down, anyway. The gym wasn't well ventilated, and she was feeling very flushed from the dancing and warm room. Gwen went to find them a table while the other two went to get them drinks. She could see Ric and Jenna hanging around the refreshments table. There was less of a chance of an interaction if she kept her distance from the table. When her friends joined her, they were both glaring daggers at something or, more likely, someone behind her. Gwen turned her head slightly to look over her shoulder, and saw Damon, Elena, and Stefan clustered together.
"What is he doing here?" Caroline asked, her disgust clearly written on her face.
"Chaperoning?" Gwen supplied helpfully. She knew both girls had every right to hate Damon, part of her did for them, but they'd been having fun. Selfishly, she was hoping his presence didn't ruin the night. It shouldn't. He didn't have a reason to talk to any of them, not publicly at least.
"I don't know, but he better not try anything." Bonnie's glare was so intense, Gwen didn't it was possible for her eyes to narrow even further.
"This is fun," Gwen muttered, taking a sip of her punch.
"Ugh," Caroline said dramatically. "What do you want?"
"Hello to you, too, Caroline," Damon drawled from behind her. Gwen slid off her chair so she didn't have to sit awkwardly in the middle the tense exchange. Caroline and Bonnie looked like they were about two seconds from killing Damon, who, for his part, was looking way too relaxed. He almost seemed to be enjoying their hostility. With a tilt of his head, he acknowledged the other two girls. "Bonnie. Gwen."
"What do you want, Damon?" Bonnie asked, folding her arms across her chest.
"I come in peace," he said, holding up his hands in a sign of surrender. The gesture only served to irritate Gwen and Bonnie more, not that he seemed to notice. Or he did realize it and he didn't care. "I need to steal Gwen for a moment, if you don't mind."
"Actually —"
"It's fine," Gwen said, cutting off Caroline's retort. "I'll be right back."
Damon gave the others a mock bow before following Gwen from the table. She had intended to lead them to a corner of the room, far from Ric, but Damon placed a hand on her back and led her to the dance floor.
"What are you doing?" she hissed, as he spun her around to face him.
"Blending in," he said, his eyes scanning the room. She craned her head to follow his gaze when he placed his hands on her waist and pulled her closer. "Don't look. I'm trying to be subtle."
"Yeah, you're really blending in your modern-day clothes," she scoffed, following his lead as they swayed ever so slightly to the music. She was too busy worrying about being spotted by Ric to really focus on how close they were. "Surely, you had some vintage clothes that you could have dug out of storage."
Damon sighed. "Listen…"
"What?" she asked, unable to stop an amused smile from breaking through. Thinking she had stumped him, she paused her search for Ric to give Damon her full attention. Her smile fell slightly at the look on his face. His mouth was hanging open slightly and his eyes were scrunched up. She thought he might have seemed confused, thought could imagine about what. "Damon? Is something wrong?"
Clearing his throat, he said, "No, you, uh, you look nice."
"Oh. Thanks."
He nodded, clearing his throat again. "Did you bring the stakes with you?" he asked, his manner almost businesslike. She swore his mood swings were going to give her whiplash.
"No, it was kind of hard to get to them between Ric, Bonnie, and Caroline all running around the house," she explained when he huffed in annoyance at her. "It's not like I planned to forget them. Besides, I thought you said this guy was focused on Elena. Shouldn't the rest of us be safe?"
"Not necessarily. He doesn't seem too worried about drawing attention to himself."
"Great, just what this dance needed: the threat of murder," Gwen quipped.
Damon laughed. "Matches the theme better than you think."
"So who are we looking for?" Gwen asked, scanning the room over his shoulder. She'd decided it was better they had as little eye contact as possible as long as they were in this close proximity to each other. Otherwise, she'd be as red as Caroline's lipstick and that would be more mortifying than anything.
"I thought we were just enjoying a dance."
Unexpectedly, he twirled her around twice, causing her to lose her balance. Laughing, she used his arms to right herself. She was about to teasingly tell him off for almost making her fall down but was stopped by the sight of Ric approaching them.
"Shit," she mumbled, pulling away from Damon. "My uncle's coming over here."
"Perfect, I'd love to meet the man who might want to kill me." Damon took her hand and led them over to Ric, so they'd meet him halfway.
"Damon, we have a deal," she reminded me in a whisper when Ric was about ten feet away.
"Relax, I'll behave."
Unsurprisingly, Gwen had a hard time believing him. This was such a bad idea. She still didn't know if Ric thought Damon killed Isobel but could tell from the tightness of his mouth that he wasn't happy. Ric came to a stop in front them a moment later.
"Gwen, care to introduce me to your friend?" he asked. His tone was polite like he was meeting the parent of one of his students, but his eyes never left Damon as he spoke.
"This is Damon. Stefan's older brother. He's chaperoning, too." Gwen surprised herself with how well she was able to maintain a calm, unbothered exterior while her heart pounded away. Damon squeezed her hand, which she had forgotten he was still holding, as if to tell her to relax. She pulled her hand away as she took a step away from Damon.
"Chaperones don't usually dance with students," Ric commented, his stare growing colder.
"Usually, but I couldn't let the prettiest girl her sit out during one of her favorite songs," Damon explained, somehow managing to sound apologetic and blasé. "Besides, Gwen and I go way back."
"Damon's a regular at the Grill," Gwen offered as an explanation. Ric's eyes darted to her and, for a moment, Gwen thought she saw fear pass through them. Then they returned to Damon. Regardless of what Ric knew, it obvious he didn't like Damon. He was clearly fighting the urge to tell him to 'fuck off' or punch him.
"Still, I don't think it's appropriate. Gwen why don't you go find Caroline and Bonnie?"
"Actually, I need a drink. Damon," she said, forcing him to break the staring contest he was having with her uncle. "You said you needed to find Stefan, remember?"
"Right," he said, thankfully picking up on her hint to get away from Ric. "Enjoy dancing the night away in the gym."
She nodded. "I will."
He walked away, disappearing into the cluster of students and leaving Gwen alone with Ric. She faced her uncle, bracing for whatever outburst was coming. Instead, she found him standing with his eyes closed and breathing deeply. When he opened his eyes again, his anger was still visible despite the pleasant façade he had affected.
"We'll talk later," he said firmly. "I need to do a round."
Gwen sighed with relief. She could handle whatever was going to happen as long as it didn't happen here. She wanted Ric and Damon as far apart as possible. Feeling dizzy, Gwen maneuvered her way to the refreshment table. She'd barely had any punch before Damon had pulled her to the dance floor. With all the dancing, she was a bit dehydrated. She looked around for Caroline and Bonnie as she walked toward the table near the bleachers, but there were too many students for her to find them. She'd have to look for them later.
The crowd around the drinks and snacks was pretty sparse. She saw Jenna standing not far away and waved to her when they made eye contact. She didn't try to stop Gwen from drinking the punch, so Gwen figured it was safe. Gwen felt a little better as she drank the cool yet sickly sweet drink. She practically gulped it down and was still thirsty when she'd finished. As she refilled her cup, a boy came to stand next to her. She didn't pay him much attention and was startled when he started to talk to her, nearly spilling her drink.
"Having fun?" he asked. "Oh, sorry! I didn't mean to scare you."
"No, it's not your fault," Gwen said, trying to shake the spilled juice from her hand. The boy handed her a napkin. "Thank you."
"Yeah, sure. ] I'm not sure if you know me, but —"
"We have French together," Gwen said, finally getting a good look at him. "You usually sit in the back. Sam, right?"
"It's Scott, but the rest's right," he said, brightening even though she hadn't remembered his name.
Now that Gwen really looked at him, she noticed he was actually very cute: messy brown hair, warm hazel eyes, and an athletic build. She thought he might be on the soccer team, but she might be making that up. It had been awhile since first day introductions. He kept wiping hands on his pants, putting them in his coat pockets, and taking them out again. For a moment, Gwen wondered if this was the rogue vampire, and then immediately discarded the idea. He didn't give off the deranged killer vibe.
"Sorry, and to answer your question, I was having fun but," she glanced over to Jenna to see Ric had rejoined her. He was putting on a good face for Jenna, but she could tell it was forced. "I think I'm in trouble now."
"Your uncle doesn't like your boyfriend?" Scott guessed.
"What? Oh, Damon? He's not my boyfriend, but you're right: Ric doesn't like him." Even though she was ready to gulp down her next cup of punch, she restrained herself and only took a sip. She didn't want him to think she was a freak. "Wait. Were you watching me?"
He blushed as he nervously ran his fingers through his hair. "Not exactly. More of just passing by and noticed. I was trying to figure out a way to talk to you."
Feeling her own cheeks warm, Gwen ducked her head. "Well, I guess you figured it out because we're talking now."
Smiling, he said, "Yeah, I guess I did."
With Caroline and Bonnie still MIA, Gwen decided to stay and talk with Scott for a bit. He seemed nice but, more importantly, he was normal. She didn't have to worry about saying the wrong thing and it leading to a potentially disastrous outcome. Scott had lived in Mystic Falls his whole life, only leaving to visit relatives in Richmond and Fairfax. His family was one of the few left in the area that had an actual working farm."
"What? Like chickens and cows?" Gwen teased, simultaneously surprised and interested. She could vaguely recall a trip to a dairy farm in the third grade, but that was the first and last time she'd been around any farm animals.
"And a few goats and pigs," he said, laughing. "You should come out some time. See how it all works."
"Yeah, that'd be fun."
He was in the middle of telling her about the soccer team when they were joined by Caroline and Bonnie. As they approached, Gwen noticed them share a conspiratorial look before giggling. She raised an eyebrow at Caroline, who shook her head as if to say not to worry about it.
"Hi Scott, do you mind if we steal Gwen back for a bit? I just requested a song and I need her for it," Caroline said, smiling sweetly at him.
"Uh, sure," Scott mumbled, blushing again. "I'll see you in class on Monday."
Gwen nodded, awkwardly waving good-bye as she followed Bonnie and Caroline back to the dance floor. They passed by Jenna and Ric, who mouthed 'ten minutes' at her. She mouthed back an 'ok', groaning internally. Whatever good feeling she had was dulled by the impending confrontation with Ric. Not wanting to have to explain anything to her friends, she forced herself to smile as she waited to learn what Caroline had in store for her.
Thankfully, it appeared Caroline just wanted to talk.
"So, how's Scott?" Caroline asked in a singsong voice.
"Fine, I guess," Gwen said, feeling defense.
"Oh, come on," Bonnie said, nudging her. "Tell us more. He's liked you for ages."
"I've been here for almost a month," Gwen commented, though she couldn't stop the pleased smile that broke through her indifferent façade. Relenting further, she added, "He's cute and seems pretty nice."
"He is," Caroline said, a little too quick. "Much cuter and nicer than Damon, don't you think?"
Gwen groaned. "How many times do I have to tell you? Damon is just a friend."
"He wasn't looking at you like a friend," Bonnie countered.
"Trust me on this," Gwen said, her frustration with this conversation showing in the curtness of her tone. "We are just friends. He is on some crazy mission to get back with an ex, and I'm not waiting around hoping he'll forget about her. Please stop with this constant inquisition about our relationship."
Caroline and Bonnie stared at her, wide-eyed. She'd never lost her temper with them. Gwen felt guilty, regretting her words.
Sighing, she said, "I'm sorry —"
"No, we're sorry," Caroline interrupted. Bonnie nodded in agreement as Caroline continued her apology. "It's just… Damon's a bad guy and we're worried about you being close to him. Even if you're only friends."
Over Caroline's shoulder, Gwen saw Ric waving to get her attention. She held up her finger to say she'd be there in a minute.
"You're not the only ones," she muttered, turning her attention back to her friends. "I have to go. I'll talk to you guys later, ok?"
The three girls waved good-bye, each wearing an uneasy smile. Even though Gwen still felt guilty for snapping at them, she knew they weren't going to freeze her out of the group. Now all she had to do was get through this conversation with Ric as painlessly as possible.
It turned out Ric had already said he'd take Jenna home, so Gwen had a little more time to prepare her argument. However, she spent most of the drive trying to be as invisible as possible. She couldn't imagine a more uncomfortable situation than sitting in the backseat of a car while her uncle drove his date home. Well it'd be worse if it had been her mom or if she had a date in the car, she thought. But not by much. Jenna, for her part, did what she could to keep the conversation light.
"Who was that boy you were talking to by the punch table?" Jenna asked, slightly turning in her seat to face Gwen.
"Oh, uh, Scott. We have French class together."
"He was cute."
"Yeah, I guess," Gwen said noncommittally, eyeing the tense set of Ric's shoulders. She couldn't tell if it was the idea of boys in general or just Damon that set him on edge, but she hadn't ever seen him like this. There had been boys in the past, though he hadn't been present for those, she remembered. And he didn't know about the guy in Boston.
When they reached the Gilbert house, Ric got out and walked Jenna to the door. If she wasn't dreading what was about to happen so much, Gwen would have thought it was cute. As it was, she stayed in the backseat, practically pouting. Ric had barely closed the car door when he launched into his rant.
"I don't want you hanging out with Damon anymore. He's too old for you, and any grown man interested in teenagers has problems."
Gwen rolled her eyes. She was almost bored as she explained to him what she had already told Caroline and Bonnie. "We're not dating. I guess you could say we're friends, but I really only see him at work — where he's a customer. I can't really keep him from coming to the Grill. Next argument?"
Even in the dark, she could see his hands tighten on the steering wheel. Maybe irritating him wasn't the best approach. If she wasn't careful, this conversation was going to go into Isobel territory — and she didn't think that would be good for either of them. Gwen had decided she would tell Ric she knew about the vampires and his agenda for moving to Mystic Falls. But they both needed to be calm for that conversation. It would be a disaster if they were already on edge, tempers flaring.
"I don't need another argument," he snapped. "I'm the adult here. Sometimes you have to do what I say, even if you don't like it."
"Well, I don't know what you want me to do about Damon coming to the Grill. That's literally the only time I ever see him," she retorted. The last bit had been true until recently. Still, Ric didn't need to worry about Gwen dating Damon. Like she had told Caroline, he was still hung up on Katherine. Thus, the only time they spent together was centered around reunited the two of them. The only thing that might put her in danger was if Damon was in a particularly bad mood, or no longer saw any use for her.
Ric muttered something under his breath that Gwen didn't catch, before letting out a sigh that sounded a lot more like a huff. "Fine, just don't go out of your way to hang out with him, all right? It's not normal for someone his age to be spending so much time with underage high schoolers."
Gwen thought about pointing out how Damon was, technically, Stefan's guardian and it wasn't that weird, but thought better of it.
"Fine," she agreed while thinking she'd only spend enough time with him to help him get Katherine and keep Ric alive. Sighing quietly so Ric couldn't hear, Gwen realized she was going to have be a lot sneakier about working with Damon. If her uncle didn't catch them, it was only a matter of time before someone mentioned something to him, essentially ratting her out even if they didn't intend to do so. And Damon wasn't going to make any of this easy.
She'd been right all along: School dances weren't worth going to; nothing good came of them.
AN: So this is the last complete chapter produced during NaNoWriMo. While I didn't reach 50K for NaNo, I completed 6 chapters and wrote just over 25K. Pretty good considering my schedule. I will try to do some writing over my break and get a few chapters completed and posted before school resumes in January. However, I'm on a break for the next week or so due to finals and an upcoming trip.
As always, thank you Wordspin and PrincessMagic for your reviews. I love reading your reactions and thoughts to the chapters, and they help keep me motivated to write.
Wordspin—I promise we'll start learning more about what Gwen is soon; but the big reveal is still a bit in the future.
