I stood in front of my mirror, looking over my hair and lightly humming to myself. "Mari, Bonnie's taking me to school! Can you take Jeremy?" I heard Elena yell from downstairs.
"I guess. Tell Bonnie to drive safe!" I yelled back, not lifting my gaze from the mirror, only to shrug at my reflection, somewhat not caring anymore.
"Okay. Bye Guys!!!" Elena said loudly to everyone in the house before she slammed the front door as she left. After I got done getting dressed, I made my way downstairs and into the kitchen.
"Morning, Mari." Aunt Jenna greeted in a bright tone as I came into her view.
"Morning, Jenna." I replied quietly, not looking at her as I walked over to the counter and grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl.
"Oh shootâBreakfast, right? What are you in the mood for?" Jenna asked in kind of a rush while she walked aimlessly around the kitchen. I rose my eyebrow at her curiously before she snapped her finger and pointed it in my direction. "Toast. I can make toast?" She suggested but I shrugged back in response.
"It's all about to coffee, Aunt Jenna." I answered with a smile and gestured at the coffee maker before I grabbed a mug from the cupboard.
"Is there coffee?" A voice asked from behind me and I turned to see Jeremy just in time as he took the mug from my hand and gave me an innocent smile. "Mar, are you driving us? I thought Elena told us that she would." He asked, clearly annoyed.
"What, you don't want me to drive you? Come on, I'm not that bad of a driver, Jer." I counter jokingly and rolled my eyes, which made him chuckle. "Jeremy Gilbert, did you just laugh? At one of my jokes?" I asked with a smirk and watched him pour himself some coffee. He hasn't talked or laughed much since the accident. I missed his laugh.
"Uggh are you really gonna get into the big sister thing now Mariana?" He countered with a sigh but I could tell he was amused.
"What are big sisters for?" I asked teasingly before I looked back at Jenna who went through her purse in clear frustration. "Don't you have that big presentation now?" I pointed out, raising my eyebrow at her. Jenna furrowed her eyebrows and looked down at the watch that sat on her wrist.
"I'm meeting with my thesis advisor atânow. Crap." Jenna replied with a heavy sigh as she took her hair out of her ponytail.
"We'll be fine. Go." I reassured with a smile and she smiled back at Jeremy and I before quickly walking out of the house. I turned and looked back at Jeremy who sipped his coffee in silence, making me sigh. "Come on, we should get going." I informed, gesturing for him to get his bag off of the counter while I grabbed a coffee cup to go.
~~~~
When I got to school, I went straight to Elena's locker. Dodging most and all of the people I knew would stop and talk to me, which I really wasn't in the mood for, nor did I have the patience to deal with. I walked down one of the many halls before seeing her locker come into view and noticed she was standing beside it, talking to Caroline and Bonnie while she took out school books from it. Caroline and Bonnie grew up with Elena and I. They were like our adoptive sistersâbut since the accident, I haven't talked to them. To anyone, really.
"Hey El, did you forget that you told Jeremy that you were going to drive us today?" I asked as I came up from behind her. I watched her turn to me and think it over before letting out a disappointed sigh.
"Crap, I guess I didâI'm sorry. I will definitely drive tomorrow." Elena answered with a smile and I slowly nodded in agreement.
"Are you getting a ride from Bonnie after school?" I asked, leaning myself against the lockers. I looked past Elena and at Caroline who was staring at me as if I had five heads or something. I rose an eyebrow at her and she instinctively looked away, somewhat embarrassed.
"No. But we don't have practice tonight so I'll meet you after the last bell." Elena replied and I met her gaze again, feeling myself tense up.
"Practice is going again.. I forgot." I stated quietly, shrugging in defeat and making Caroline furrow her eyebrows at me.
"You're not going to quit are you? Because the team is so not looking good already this year." Caroline admitted in defeat and I looked back at her in confusion.
"Care, this year has barely even started." Bonnie countered sarcastically. I smiled in amusement as they started talking amongst themselves, letting me quickly walk away while I had the chance. I pulled out my schedule for the year and looked down at it as I turned a corner, only to bump into someone. My schedule fell out of my hands, as well as everything else I was carrying. I sighed in annoyance and bent down towards my things while a hand reached out to help me. I looked at it in some disinterest, only to deny it. I collected all my things and stood up, meeting the gaze of a tall, caramel haired guy wearing a leather jacket and dark sunglasses over his eyes.
"HeyâI'm sorry about that." The guy apologized, clearly flustered yet curious at the same time. I watched as he carefully eyed me up and down, obviously confused about something but I was confused as to why he was wearing sunglasses... inside the school.
"Just watch where you're going next time." I stated with an annoyed sigh before moving past him. I was about to turn the corner fully, only to turn back and look at him again. "It might help if youâyou know.. take your sunglasses off." I added in some amusement before walking away finally.
-Elena-
"Caroline, you should have seen him. He was so cute." I stated with a smile as I mentioned the guy I ran into outside of the men's bathroom, after consoling Jeremy for getting high already this morning.
"Elena, I don't think you've ever been this interested in someone besides Matt." Caroline replied in amusement from where we stood outside during lunch hour. The front doors of the school opened and we both instinctively looked at them to see the mystery guy walk out. I looked away from him blushing and watched Caroline stare at him as he walked in the direction of the parking lot. "We must have a lot of newbies coming into town." She stated with a wanting sigh, folding him with her eyes.
"That's him." I informed and watched the look of want and shock appear across her face before I too, watched him with my eyes again.
"Lemme guessâyou're gonna do your little Elena thing that you always do when you see something you want but don't need." Caroline pointed out as she turned her gaze back to me.
"I'm not going to do anything but get to know him. He seems interesting. He'sâmysterious.." I answered in a longing voice which made Caroline roll her eyes. "He seems differentâI don't know how but he just seems... I just don't know." I added in defeat.
"Well, if there were more guys at this school that looked like that, I might actually be excited about coming to school most days." Caroline cooed, making me chuckle.
"Agreed." I stated jokingly and looked back in the direction of the stranger, only to see him long gone now.
-Mariana-
"Jenna!" I stated loudly as I came down the stairs, holding my coat in hand before she appeared next to the door. "I'm gonna go meet up with some friends at The Grill." I informed and watched her slowly nod in response.
"And Elena?" She asked, raising her eyebrow once she noticed Elena wasn't behind me.
"Elena got there a few hours ago." I answered in reassurance. I moved past her and reached for the door, only for her to put up a stern finger toward me.
"Wait!" Jenna countered quickly and I rose an eyebrow at her while she took a deep breath, as if preparing herself. "I got thisâIt's a school night. Don't stay out too late." She pointed at me in warning and I laughed, smiling back.
"Good job, Jen." I replied in amusement and watched as she nodded in accomplishment and walked away. I shook my head and opened the door only to see the same guy who ran into me earlier, but this time without his sunglasses.
"Ohâ" He started, obviously flustered again and embarrassed. I furrowed my eyebrows and looked around us curiously and clearly confused.
"Are you stalking me?" I asked skeptically, only before I looked down at his hands to see he held Elena's diary. "Do you have my sister's journal?" I added, looking down at it in question before he looked down at it also and quickly handed it to me.
"UhâElena and I saw each other this afternoon and she forgot it. I-I just thought I would bring it back to her." He stuttered in embarrassment. I slowly nodded and tilted my head at him while I put the book on the door side table. "I, uhâI'm Stefan." He introduced awkwardly.
"Mariana." I replied, now giving him a small smile as I looked him over again, taking in the entire view this time.. He was cute. Had pretty green eyes that just poured into you.. Like they were reading you or something. "I take it you thought there was only one of us?" I asked jokingly, noticing the way he was looking at me and he gave me a dry laugh.
"Yeah, I guess you can say that." Stefan answered with a small smile and I slowly nodded at him while he looked down at the coat in my hand. "I'm sorryâwere you going somewhere?" He asked and I looked down at the coat also before meeting his gaze again.
"Yeah, actuallyâTo meet some friends." I pointed out with a nod and watched him slowly nod back, looking around us awkwardly.
"Well, then I shouldâ" Stefan started, moving out of my way and off of the porch but I stopped him.
"Would you like to come?" I asked, raising an eyebrow and watched him furrow his. "Elena will be there. I mean, in case you wanted to tell her you stopped by to drop of her diary... yourself." I added mischievously. Stefan slowly nodded in agreement, a smile playing on his face. "Great." I stated with a nod before I stepped out of the doorway and onto the porch beside him, closing the front door behind me.
~~~
Stefan and I walked into The Mystic Grill and I took my coat off before looking up and instantly seeing the amount of stares that landed on the two of us.. but mostly on him. Through all of the beady eyes, I saw Tyler's from where he stood beside Caroline over by the pool tables. I instantly looked away and cleared my throat as Matt came over to us. "Hey, I'm Matt. Nice to meet you." Matt greeted, introducing himself to Stefan and I smiled.
"Stefan." Stefan countered, smiling back as the two shook hands.
"Ty and I are playing pool. You should come over and say hi if you want." Matt stated as he looked down at me. I nodded in agreement and looked past him to see Bonnie sitting at a table across from us, frantically wavering her hand, gesturing Stefan and I over. I smiled at her and looked at Stefan who put him hands in his jacket pockets but followed me to the table.
"Hey, guys." I said with a smile as Stefan and I sat down. "I brought a friend." I informed and smirked at Elena who beamed at Stefan from where she sat. Caroline came over from the pool table, leaving Matt and Tyler to themselves.
"So, Stefanâwere you born in Mystic Falls?" Caroline asked as she sat down and instantly started up a conversation.
"Uh, yesâBut when I was younger, we moved around a lot." Stefan replied vaguely, clearly guarded about the topic and I smiled at him.
"Parents?" Care asked again, raising an eyebrow and I noticed how Stefan's face fell a bit.
"Uh, they passed away." He answered, nodding emotionless and I cleared my throat awkwardly and exchanged a look with Elena.
"I'm so sorry." Elena whispered in defeat and Stefan slowly nodded back at her. "Any siblings?" She asked and he smiled a bit.
"None that I talk to." Stefan answered with a shrug. "But I live with my uncle." He pointed out. I felt someone eyeing me from behind and I looked over my shoulder only to meet Tyler's gaze. He talked indistinctly to Matt who was positioning himself up to hit a striped ball.
"I'll be right back." I stated, excusing myself from the table before I got up and walked over to the boys.
"Look who took up the offer." Matt said with a smile as I walked over to them.
"Hey, Matty." I replied with a wide smile and he smiled back before hugging me tightly, all the while Tyler's eyes lingered on me still.
"Hey, Mari." Ty stated with a small smirk and I nodded at him, trying to ignore him. Matt felt the tension between us and rose an eyebrow but I didn't want to talk about it so I left it. "So, who's this Stefan guy?" Tyler asked in some annoyance as he gestured over toward the table and I rose an eyebrow.
"How's Vicki?" I countered, ignoring his snide comment and quickly changing the subject to my advantage.
"Why do you care?" He answered in some defense but I shrugged and folded my arms over my chest.
"I thought we were making conversation." I replied with an evil smirk, making him narrow his eyes. "And I think it's a pretty valid questionâconsidering, you cheated on me with her." I added emotionlessly and felt sweet victory from within as I watched him widen his eyes and look at Matt.
"What the hell, Ty?" Matt scoffed in disbelief, obviously not knowing that little detail. Tyler clenched his jaw in annoyance and looked back at me in anger but I quickly put a hand over my mouth, fake gasping.
"Matt didn't know? GeezâSorry, Ty." I stated, slowly shaking my head in defeat. "I just figured you'd be better friend than a boyfriend, since Vicki is Matt's sister and all." I added with a shrug but he rolled his eyes in response. "Now, here's another valid question for youâWhy would you wait to tell Matt about you cheating on his best-friend.. with his sister?" I asked, tilting my head in amusement while Matt glared at him, waiting for an answer that never came. "You don't have a good reason obviously, But... let me think of one for you." I stated, leaning against the pool table teasingly. "Matty, would have been a lot more pissed off at you than I was." I pointed out and looked at Matt who was still eyeing Tyler emotionlessly, clearly fuming. "See you guys around." I added mischievously before walking back to the table to hear the conversation I was missing.
"So Stefan, if you're new then you don't know about the party tomorrow." Caroline stated from where she sat across from him.
"It's a back to school thing at the Falls." Bonnie informed with a nod and I watched Stefan look at Elena and tilt his head.
"Are you going?" Stefan asked with a smile and I quickly put my hands on the back of Elena's chair.
"Yesâshe is." I answered with a wide smile. Elena looked up at me and chuckled before looking back at Stefan and nervously putting her hair behind her ear.
"What's that about?" Bonnie asked, changing the subject and raising her eyebrow at the loud commotion coming from Matt and Tyler. I gave a small shrug in response and quickly grabbed my coat from the chair I was sitting in.
"A dog that probably just needed to be put back on his chain." I answered sarcastically before I looked back down at Elena. "I'm gonna head out. See you guys tomorrow." I informed as I looked everyone over and watched them smile back. "Oh, Stefâ" I added as I started walking away and he met my gaze curiously. "Nice meeting you." I said, giving him another small smile before I walked outside.
-Time Skip-
"The battle of Willow CreekâTook place at the end of the war, right in our very own, Mystic Falls." Mr. Tanner stated as he walked around the room, overlooking all of the students. "How many casualties resulted in this battle?" He asked, raising an eyebrow over us. "Miss Bennett?" Tanner called, making Bonnie jolt and look up from doodling in her notebook.
"Um.. A lot?" Bonnie asked nervously and I smiled at her reassuringly while the class stifled from laughter. "I'm not sureâLike a whole lot." She added slowly nodding and Tanner shook his head in disapproval.
"Cute becomes dumb in an instant, Miss Bennett." Tanner stated emotionlessly and I rolled my eyes. "Mr. Donovan? Would you like this opportunity to overcome your embedded jock stereotype?" Tanner asked with amusement. I looked over at Matt who smiled slyly and put his hands over his desk lazily.
"It's okay, Mr. Tanner. I'm cool with it." Matt replied in a chill tone, making the whole class laugh loudly.
"Elena?" Tanner asked, clearly annoyed as he stared her down and silence fell, making it known all attention was focused on her. "Surely you can enlighten us about one of the towns significantly historical events?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at her quizzically. Elena remained silent for a moment before slowly shaking her head and letting out a sigh of defeat.
"I'm sorry. IâI don't know.." She answered and I watched Tanner's eyes narrow on her.
"I was willing to be lenient last year for obvious reasons, ElenaâBut the personal excuses ended with summer break." He stated emotionlessly, making me scoff loudly. Tanner rounded his gaze upon me but I ignored it, meeting Elena's worried glance. "Mariana? Was there something you wanted to add?" Tanner asked but I remained silent, feeling people's eyes and attention now fall on me. Elena turned her body toward me and looked at me with pleading eyes, not wanting me to react while I felt my hands tightly grab the sides of my desk. "Mariana?" Tanner pressed and I finally looked up at him and cleared my throat before giving a sarcastic smile.
"You know what? I would." I answered and watched Tanner raise an eyebrow and cross his arms over his chest. "Cute might turn to dumb in an instant, Mr. Tanner... but intelligence can turn to arrogance just as fast." I stated emotionlessly. I watched his eyes widened at my remark while the class fell absolute silent from around me.
"Mariâ" Elena started in defeat from her chair but I cut her off quickly.
"If you're going to pity us for a few weeks or even a month, at the leastâbecause our parents died, then please. Save your pity because we don't need it." I stated in disgust. Tanner remained silent for a minute as his eyes now narrowed on me before he cleared his throat, obviously embarrassed.
"Miss Gilbertâ" Tanner started but I cut him off as well.
"Our parents died, Mr. Tanner. I know that might mean nothing to you, but give us a break for still having a hard time after four monthsâan entire summer without them. Raising our brotherâtrying to help out our Aunt, and god forbid get enough strength and the nerve to wake up every morning and even come to this class, just to be brought down because you think our parents being dead is an insignificance to our learning abilities and takes a harder affect on how you are viewed as a teacher." I stated without pause and with such force that I even surprised myself. I furrowed my eyebrows at my outburst before I brought my hands closer to me and rubbed my knuckles in nervousness. I folded my arms over my chest as the class now looked at Tanner in dead silence, waiting for him to reply.
"There were Three hundred and forty-six casualties." Stefan's voice stated through the silence and we all turned to look at him. "Unless you're counting local civilians." He added, tilting his head at Tanner.
"That's correct." Tanner nodded in agreement and cleared his throat as he eyed Stefan now. "Mr..?" He added, looking for his name in the roll call sheet.
"Salvatore." Stefan answered with a small nod and Tanner quickly rose an eyebrow in curiosity.
"Salvatore? Any relation to the original settlers here in Mystic Falls?" Tanner asked with a large smile.
"Distant." Stefan answered emotionlessly.
"Well, very goodâExcept there were no civilian casualties in this battle." Tanner informed in a matter of fact voice as he moved behind his desk.
"Actually, there were uhâtwenty-seven, Sir." Stefan countered and I watched Tanner look at him with question. "Confederate soldiers, they fired on the church, believing it to be housing weapons. They were wrong... It was a night of great loss." He added and I watched in amusement as Tanner took a deep breath, looking around the room skittishly. "The families archives are, uhâstored in City Hall if you'd like to brush up on your facts." Stefan suggested. I smirked at him while one of Tanner's eyes twitched in annoyance. "Mr. Tanner." Stefan finished sarcastically before glancing at me in reassurance and I gave him a smile.
~~~
I walked through the crowd of drunks at the Falls party, and over to Jeremy who sat apart from the crowd and drank a beer. "You look like you're having a blast." I stated sarcastically before I took the beer from him and started drinking it.
"And you look like you're here to ruin it." Jeremy stated, clearly already wasted. I chuckled and nudged shoulders with him jokingly. I saw his eyes look away from me and land on something across from us. I followed his gaze curiously to see Tyler leading Vicki away from the party and into the woods.
"Trust me... I understand how you feel." I said reassuringly before I sighed and downed the entire beer. "So.. What do you say to getting drunk and forgetting about them?" I asked with a smile and Jeremy nodded in amusement.
"I'd say hell yeah." He answered with a quick nod. I smiled and quickly got up, moving over to the beer coolers that were stationed around some bonfires.
"Hey." Matt stated as he came over to me and I smiled back at him in greeting. "How are you?" He asked, tilting his head and I let out a small sigh.
"I'm doing fine. Thanks for asking, Matty." I answered with a nod and he slowly nodded back before looking past me. I rose an eyebrow and looked over my shoulder to see Elena and Stefan talking indistinctly.
"You know... When she broke up with me, she said it was because she needed some time alone." Matt stated in defeat and I looked back at him. "She doesn't look so alone to me." He added and I tilted my head.
"Matt.. It's not what you think." I replied awkwardly, not even knowing what to say.
"It's okay, Mar.. She's gonna do what she needs to do." He stated with a small nod and I looked at him in defeat. "Can you just let her know that I still believe in us? And that I'm not giving up on that?" He asked with a sigh and I slowly nodded. Matt walked away and I watched him meet up with Tyler who came from the woods, clearly angry and annoyed. I looked away, ignoring him and moving over to the beer coolers again but quickly turned around as screams came from behind me.
"Somebody help!" A familiar voice yelled out and I looked at it to see Elena and Jeremy come from the woods, holding a limp Vicki in their arms.
"VickiâVicki, what the hell!?" Matt exclaimed as he ran in their direction, moving quickly toward his sister.
"What happened!" Tyler asked in worry as he ran forwards too. I moved toward my siblings as they put Vicki down on one of the tables and everyone started rushing around her.
"Somebody call an ambulance!" Matt yelled out loudly over the crowd that was just standing around.
"Everyone back up! Give her space!" I stated in annoyance at them all and watched as they did as told.
"It's her neckâsomething bit her. She's losing a lot of blood. It's bad." Elena pointed out in concern as she examined Vicki. I moved forwards and took her place as I looked over the bite mark on her neck and the blood flowing from it.
"VickiâVicki, come on. Open your eyes." Matt stated in defeat down at his sister as we all surrounded her, waiting for any sort of response. I looked up and into the crowd, letting my eyes fall on Stefan who looked completely shocked and confused. I furrowed my eyebrows at him and watched him slowly back away from the crowd before quickly leaving the scene.
~~~~
I looked around the bonfire and at the Police as well as the paramedics who were now at the scene. I watched as they put Vicki into the ambulance and Matt followed after her before it drove off quickly. I sighed in some uncertainty as I watched the lights disappear and Bonnie came over to me. "Hey. We're gonna go get some coffee and wait for news." Bonnie informed and I slowly nodded and gestured at Elena and Jeremy who stood away from me, still shaken up.
"I gotta get them home.. But keep me in the loop, okay?" I asked and watched her smile in agreement before she left. I moved over to Elena and Jeremy, placing a hand on Jeremy's shoulder. "I called Jenna.. She's on her way. You okay?" I asked with a small smile only for him to shrug it off and drink more of the beer that he held in his hand carelessly.
"You know the people in uniforms? Last time I checked, they were police." Elena stated, eyeing Jeremy in warning but he rolled his eyes and chugged the beer, only to throw the bottle behind him.
"People are gonna stop giving you breaks, Jeremy." I added in defeat as I shook my head. "They won't remember that our parents are dead because they have their own lives to deal with." I informed, standing in front of him and making him face me.
"The rest of the world has moved onâYou should too." Elena stated with a sigh but Jeremy scoffed back at her.
"I've seen you in the cemetery writing in your diary. Is thatâis that supposed to be you 'moving' on?" Jer countered in disbelief and I looked around at all the cops, sighing heavily.
"Mom and dad wouldn't have wanted this." I stated quickly before I looked down.
-Time Skip-
I yawned, tiredly walking out of my room only to walk into Jenna in the hallway, who was wearing a violet over the knee dress. "Do I look adult? As in, presentable and respectful?" Jenna asked with a smile.
"Depends on where you're going." I pointed out, eyeing her up and down carefully.
"Jeremy's parent teacher conference." She replied, sighing deeply and looking into a mirror that hung in the hallway. "Hair up or down?" She asked, raising her eyebrow at me through the mirror.
"Sexy stewardess?" I asked as she put her hair up in her hands before she let it fall over her shoulders and I rose an eyebrow. "Boozy house wife." I stated and tilted my head.
"Up it is." Jenna nodded in annoyance and I laughed, shaking my head at her.
"Where's Jeremy?" I asked as I looked in his room to see it empty.
"He left early. Something about getting to wood shop early so he could finish a birdhouse?" Jenna asked, thinking nothing of it. I rose my eyebrow back at her and folded my arms slowly over my chest. Jenna sighed in defeat, slowly turning toward me as I looked at her skeptically. "There is no wood shop, is there?" She asked as Elena came out of her room from beside us.
"Nope." Elena answered, shaking her head at Jenna in amusement.
"Yeah.." Jenna replied, slowly nodding and leading off.
~~~
"They're keeping her overnight to make sure there's no infection but she should be able to come home tomorrow." Matt stated as we walked down the hall and I slowly nodded.
"That's good news." I pointed out, smiling at him.
"Yeah.." He sighed uneasily and I could tell he was struggling with maintaining sanity at this point.
"Did you get in touch with your mom?" I asked quietly, holding my books closer to my chest.
"Called and left a message. She's in Virginia Beach with her boyfriend, so we'll see how long it takes for her to come rushing home." Matt scoffed, shaking his head in annoyance and I shook mine also.
"Vicki's lucky that she's okay." I stated, tilting my head at him and he nodded in agreement.
"I know, and now there's talk of some missing campers." Matt stated with a sigh and I furrowed my eyebrows.
"Did she say what kind of animal attacked her?" I asked but he rolled his eyes back at me.
"She said it was a 'vampire'." He replied sarcastically, chuckling a bit at it and I laughed, turning to look at him.
"What?" I asked, shaking my head in disbelief that Vicki Donovan had actually gone insane.
"YeahâShe wakes up in the middle of the night and mutters 'vampire' before she passes out again." Matt informed as he shook his head and I rose my eyebrow.
"That's not weird at all." I said sarcastically and Matt shrugged as we walked outside to the courtyard.
"She was probably wasted." He added before looking over at the lunch tables where Elena and Stefan sat together, smiling widely at each other and talking. "So what's up with Elena and the new guy?" Matt asked, looking down at me.
"Matty, the last thing she wants to do is hurt you." I countered, shaking my head but he cleared his throat.
"You know, I'm actually gonna get back to the hospital. I wanna get the whole story of last night from Vic." Matt ignored, changing the subject and quickly walking away from me. I watched him leave in defeat and looked back at Elena and Stefan, tilting my head at them in defeat.
~~~
"Well, I talked to Grams about the comet and she said it was a sign of impending doom. The last time it passed over Mystic Falls, there was lots of death. So much blood and carnage, it created a bed of paranormal activity." Bonnie informed as her, Elena, Caroline, and I sat outside of The Mystic Grill.
"Yeah, and then you poured Grams another shot and she told you about the aliens." Caroline countered sarcastically and Bonnie sighed, looking through her homework pages again. "So then what?" She asked as she turned her attention on Elena who rolled her eyes.
"So then, nothing." Elena answered with a shrug. I rose an eyebrow at the two but mainly remained focused on my homework as well.
"So you and Stefan talked all night? There was no sloppy first kiss or touchy feely of any kind?" Care asked with a raised eyebrow, clearing wanting there to be some excitement.
"Nope, we didn't go there." Elena answered, a bit uninterested in even talking about the situation as she flipped through her notebook.
"I mean, Elena, we're your friends. You're supposed to share your dirty deets." Caroline stated in amusement and Elena sighed in response.
"We just talked for hours." She replied with a shrug and Caroline furrowed her eyebrows and scoffed.
"What's with the blockage? Just jump his bones already." Caroline pressed and I furrowed my eyebrows and looked up, no longer being able to focus. "It's easyâboy likes girl, girl likes boy, sex." She added with a smirk and I tilted my head at her.
"Profound." I stated sarcastically and looked at Bonnie who chuckled back. Elena rose an eyebrow at Caroline, clearly thinking it over before she started collecting her things. "Where are you going?" I asked, looking at her in annoyance.
"You mean where are we going." Elena answered, making me look at her even more confused but it makes sense since we both took my car. "Caroline's right, it is easy. If I sit here long enough, I'll end up talking myself out of it instead of doing what I started the day saying I was going to do." She stated with a smile before she quickly stood up. I watched as she grabbed her coat and looked down at me, waiting for me to do the same. I rose an eyebrow, challenging her before I rolled my eyes and sighed.
"Far be it from me to stand in the way of young love." I stated jokingly before I started packing up my notes into my bag and stood up also, throwing my stuff over my shoulder.
~~~
Elena and I got out of my car and walked up to to the Salvatore house. I rose an eyebrow at the door, seeing it looked pretty intimidating. Elena rang the old fashion doorbell that hung from a string beside us and I nodded after a few seconds. "No one's home. Let's go." I stated, not wanting to be there any longer. Elena ignored me and knocked on the door instead but it creaked open before us. I rose my eyebrow at the cracked door and watched as Elena slowly walked in. "I mean sure, why don't you just walk in unannounced?" I asked sarcastically before I sighed and followed in after her. We both walked fully inside the house to see souvenirs hanging along most of the walls. Such as old swords, axes and weapons..Pretty medieval, if you ask me. I looked over the walls before I noticed a bag that looked like Stefan's, sitting on a chair in the hallway.
"Stefan?" Elena asked loudly as she noticed the bag also. I walked in front of her and moved into what looked like the living room, with a very large fireplace in it. "Stefan?" Elena repeated in confusion as she furrowed her eyebrows and followed me into the room. I heard a light creaking sound from behind us and we both looked at it to see that the front door was wide open now. I looked at it curiously before a crow flew in, making Elena gasp and duck as it flew over her. Elena turned around and jumped, gasping again as a very attractive guy stood in front of us both. His blue eyes looking between us in both confusion and amusement. "I-I'm sorry for barging inâthe door wasâ" Elena started as she looked back at the door but it was now closed somehow. "Open.." She whispered in confusion and I furrowed my eyebrows at it as well.
"You must be Elena." The man stated, looking over her curiously and making her tilt her head back in confusion. "And you must be Mariana." He added, turning his gaze to me. I felt his eyes search mine as a small smirk played on his lips. I looked at him for a few seconds, trying to place his face because there was something oddly familiar about it..
"And you must be kidding." I answered after a minute, rolling my eyes in disinterest. His smirk grew even bigger at that remark before finally looking between both Elena and I.
"That makes senseâYou're the feisty one. Stefan mentioned you." The man informed and I rose an eyebrow at him.
"Yet he hasn't mentioned you." I countered sarcastically and watched his eyes narrow playfully on me.
"I'm Damon. Stefan's brother." He introduced with a nod and Elena tilted her head at him curiously.
"He didn't tell me he had a brother." Elena stated, a small smile appearing on her face.
"Told you." I added in amusement as I folded my arms over my chest.
"Well, Stefan's not one to brag. Please, come." Damon gestured, leading Elena and I into the living room, which we clearly were already in. "I'm sure Stefan will be along any second." He reassured and I slowly guided my eyes along all of the textured walls of the house.
"Wow. This is your living room?" Elena asked in question from beside me and I slowly walked around the room, taking the framework in.
"Living room, Parlor, Sotheby's auction." Damon replied with a shrug. "It's a little kitschy for my taste." He admitted and I smirked as I saw and olden day vase sitting on small table against the wall. "I see why my brother's so smittenâFor awhile there, I thought he'd never get over the last one. Nearly destroyed him." Damon informed as he looked over Elena curiously.
"The last one?" Elena asked, furrowing her eyebrows while I narrowed my eyes at Damon's tactics.
"Yeah, Katherine? His girlfriend?" Damon asked with knitted brows but Elena remained silent. "Oh, you two haven't had the awkward exes conversation yet.." He added with a nod and Elena shook her head in agreement.
"No, they haven't." I pointed out, clearly out of defense now.
"Oh, well I'm sure it'll come up now. Or maybe he didn't want to tell you because he didn't want you to think he was on the rebound." Damon nodded reassuringly but I doubt it was anything just. "We all know how those relationships end.." He stated, looking away with a sigh and I scoffed lightly.
"You say it like every relationship is doomed to end." I countered, tilting my head at him in curiousness and he looked over me slowly.
"What can I say? I'm a fatalist." Damon replied with a shrug as he smirked back. I narrowed my eyes at him, feeling tension build as we stared at each other for a few seconds.
"Do I know you from somewhere?" I asked quietly, tilting my head at him as if trying to place his face and I watched him do the same. "I swear, you just seem so.. familiar." I added in confusion.
"Hello, Stefan." He stated, ignoring my question completely. I furrowed my eyebrows before Elena and I looked over at Stefan who was standing in front of the door, behind Damon.
"Elena. Mariana.. I didn't know you were coming over." Stefan stated emotionlessly, his eyes remaining on Damon. I looked between the brothers slowly and could feel the tension between the two start to cloud the room.
"I knowâI should have called, I justâ" Elena started but Damon quickly cut her off.
"Oh, don't be silly. You're welcome any time." Damon reassured with a welcoming smile. "Isn't she, Stefan?" He added, looking at his brother but Stefan remained silent. "You know, I should break out the old family photo albums or some home moviesâbut, I have to warn youâHe wasn't always such a looker." He admitted jokingly, moving closer to Elena and I slowly stepped in between them, giving him a fake smile.
"Thanks for stopping by, girls.. It was nice seeing you." Stefan stated, not giving us so much as a glance and I eyed him carefully.
"We should probably go, Lena." I stated in some warning.
"It was nice meeting you, Damon." Elena said, giving him a small smile and he nodded back at her.
"Great meeting you too, Elena. Even greater meetingâ" Damon started but I cut him off.
"Bye, Stefan." I sighed in annoyance as we walked passed both of them and out the door quickly.
~~~
"He's on the rebound and has major family issues." Elena stated as she drizzled chocolate all over her bowl of vanilla ice cream.
"Well at least it's girlfriend issues. Just wait until it's mommy issues or cheating issuesâOr amphetamine issues." Jenna stated jokingly as she held an apple in her hand. The front door opened, revealing Jeremy and I watched Jenna's face turn sour in a matter of seconds. "Jeremy." Jenna warned but he shook his head back and quickly started walking up the stairs. "Jeremy? Where were you?" She asked in a serious tone, walking after him angrily and I sighed, following her.
"More stoner stories? Jenna I get itâyou were cool and that'sâthat's cool." Jer laughed as he gave her a thumbs up, obviously high and I shook my head in disappointment as he continued to walk upstairs.
"Oh, no, no, no, no, you don't." Jenna countered and quickly threw the apple that she held, at his back, making him groan.
"Owâwhy did you do that?" Jer asked, shaking his head in annoyance at her and I rose my eyebrow.
"Listen up! No more ditching class or you're grounded! End of discussion." Jenna threatened, clearly not joking around.
"Parental authority. I like it." Jeremy replied as he smirked down at her. "Sleep tight." He added in amusement before walking upstairs and into his room. Jenna furrowed her eyebrows and stood there in bewilderment before I put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"You did good." I stated with a smile and she sighed in defeat.
"I'm not your mother. She was good. I'm just.. barely fine." Jenna countered and I laughed, shaking my head.
"You're Aunt JennaâJenna isn't fine nor good." I stated and watched her raise an eyebrow. "She's great." I informed, giving her a short nod before she smiled gratefully back at me.
-Time Skip-
Elena, Bonnie and I walked around town square after dark, holding candles as we waited for the comet to pass over head of us. "Hey. There you guys are." Caroline stated with a smile as she stood with Tyler and Matt.
"Hey.." Elena said quietly to Matt who walked forwards and nodded at her.
"Hey." He replied, moving over to me and lighting my candle with his.
"Thank you, Matty." I stated, smiling at him and looked at Tyler who was staring at me from the table he sat on.
"You're welcome." Matt responded sweetly and I looked away from Tyler and back at Matt. Elena moved away from the group and I turned to see Stefan standing beside her now. I rose an eyebrow at the two and watched as Elena slowly moved away from our group so she and Stefan could talk privately.
"What do you think they're talking about?" Caroline asked with a mischievous smirk and I sighed back at her and sat on the table beside Tyler.
"That's for them to know and for us to.. probably never find out." I answered with a chuckle, making Bonnie and Tyler laugh while Matt and Caroline stared at the two uneasily.
~~~
I laughed and smiled as we all now stood around a table in The Grill, eating food and talking after getting bored of being outside. "Hey, has anyone seen Vicki?" Jeremy asked as he came over to the table with a worried look on his face.
"You're her stalker, you tell us." Tyler countered in annoyance at him.
"I can't find her." Jeremy stated, ignoring Tyler's comment and looking between Elena and I in concern.
"She probably found someone else to party with. Sorry, pill pusher. I guess you've been replaced." Tyler stated jokingly and I furrowed my eyebrows at the two.
"What's with the pill pusher?" Elena asked in confusion and Tyler gestured at him.
"Ask him." Tyler answered, tilting his head at Jeremy while a smirk played on his face.
"You wanna do this right now?" Jeremy asked defensively as he started getting angry but Tyler rolled his eyes.
"Are you dealing?" I asked Jeremy in disbelief and he looked away from me in annoyance.
"She's never gonna go for you, you know?" Tyler asked with a sigh, pressing Jeremy who only rolled his eyes.
"She already did. Over and over and over again." Jeremy pointed out with a scoff and I watched Tyler furrow his eyebrows.
"Yeah, right." Tyler scoffed doubtedly back at him but Jeremy's face didn't waver.
"You slept with Vicki Donovan?" Caroline asked, looking at him in shock before laughing while Matt stood beside her uneasily. "I mean, Vicki Donovan slept with you?" She added, shaking her head in disbelief and I rolled my eyes at them all.
"There's no way." Tyler scoffed, not believing it either.
"And I didn't even have to force her into it." Jeremy countered, making me quickly look at Tyler who widened his eyes at the reference.
"What the hell is he talking about, Ty?" Matt asked, shaking his head in complete disgust at his best-friend.
"Nothing, just ignore him. He's a punk." Tyler answered in defense and I scoffed in annoyance.
"Tyler just can't believe that the girl he decided to cheat withâended up cheating on him, too." I stated in some amusement, finding the irony of the situation before I stood up quickly. "Let's go find her. Split up?" I asked, raising my eyebrow at the group.
"We'll check the back." Bonnie and Caroline stated and I nodded at them.
"I'll check the square." Matt added as he looked at me in agreement.
"I'll come with youâ" Jeremy started, about to follow after Matt but Elena pulled him toward her.
"Oh, no, no, no. You're coming with us." Elena countered in annoyance and I walked after the two before they stopped at the side of the entrance. "So that's your game nowâdealing?" She asked, shaking her head in disappointment.
"I'm not dealing." Jeremy argued, folding his arms over his chest.
"Look, I'm sick of having the tough love speech, Jer. It's clearly having no impact." Elena stated in disappointment and Jeremy groaned at her.
"You and Jennaâbetween the two of you, it's enough alreadyâ" Jeremy started but Elena cut him off.
"We can stop if you want. Send you to a therapist where you'll be forced to deal with it or to rehab, where you'll sit in group and tell some stranger about how you let your life fall apart." Elena stated emotionlessly and I shook my head at her.
"Elena." I warned in defense and she sighed back at me.
"I vote for none of the above.." Jeremy answered before quickly walking away and I shook my head, letting him.
"What good did that do?" Elena asked in annoyance toward me and I rolled my eyes.
"He's fifteen, Elena. He will know what to do and right nowâhe needs to learn by screwing up his life a little. That's how you learn." I stated shaking my head at her. "We did. Remember?" I asked before I shook my head in defeat and walked after Jeremy.
~~~
I walked into the house and closed the door behind me before I moved up the stairs, completely exhausted. I was about to go to my room before I heard someone in Jer's room, moving stuff around. "Jeremy?" I asked, raising my eyebrow and walking toward it.
"No. It's me. The hypocrite patrol." Jenna answered as I came into the doorway and watched as she looked through Jeremy's desk drawer.
"What are you doing?" I asked, leaning against the door frame, hearing her scoff.
"I've become my worst nightmare." Jenna answered, standing up straight as she faced me. "The authority figure who has to violate a fifteen year old's privacy." She added in annoyance before walking over to one of Jeremy's boots that was in the corner of his room, and pulling out a green bong from it. "JackpotâI see the hiding places haven't got anymore creative." She stated sarcastically and threw the boot into his closet before putting the bong on the bed and searching through Jer's dresser drawers.
"What brought this on?" I asked curiously as I walked into the room.
"Your ass-hat of a history teacher shamed me good yesterday." Jenna answered and I scoffed, slowly nodding in agreement.
"You got Tannered. Been there." I admitted, shaking my head as Jenna pulled out a smaller bong from Jeremy's sock drawer.
"Discover the impossible, Miss Summers." Jenna quoted in annoyance, mocking Tanner and I smirked a bit. "Got it. ThanksâLike I didn't know that I was screwing up." Jenna added, shaking her head in defeat.
"You're not screwing up, Aunt Jenna." I countered with a sigh as I looked her over.
"Yes, I am." Jenna protested in complete disappointment of herself. "You know why? Because I'm not her. She made everything look so easy. High school, marriage. Having you and Elena.." She stated in defeat and I just looked down quietly. "I can't do it, Mariana. I'm gonna say or do the wrong thing and he's gonna get worse and it's gonna be my fault." Jenna added with concern in her voice and I tilted my head at her. "I can't do this." She whispered as she sat down on the bed and I sighed, sitting across from her.
"That's just the fear talking. We're all afraid to do something.." I reassured, shaking my head at her as I put a hand over hers. "But we have to push through because if we don't face our fearâhow do we face reality?" I asked, letting my brows furrow. Jenna leant forwards and smiled at me, nodding in agreement and I nodded and got up. "Goodnight, Jenna.." I stated with a smile before I left her alone in Jeremy's room as I walked towards mine.