Amelia Gilbert

Knock knock.

"Jeremy," I announced, keeping my gaze fixated on the TV. "Door."

Jeremy stayed cross armed, slumped down in the arm chair to my right, also focusing on the episode of Catfish we were watching. We truly believed we could be the next Nev and Max. We just needed Matt to meet a woman on the internet, Elena's camera and we have ourselves a show! "I bet it's a woman," Jeremy decided when the catfish texted Nev his address.

"Jeremy, door," I prompted.

"You get it," he shot back.

"No you get it."

"I'm really busy," he claimed, nodding at the TV.

"Well so am I." I too nodded at the TV.

Knock knock.

We looked at each other reluctantly. "Elena!" We both yelled at the same time. "Door!"

"It's Stefan!" I lied, waiting for her to come bulldozing down the stairs. I should have known she wouldn't fall for it. If it were really Stefan at the door, I'd be the first to get it to nurture our growing friendship. It's not often you meet someone and think 'Damn, you could be my best friend one day.' Stefan just had something really cool and sophisticated about him and I really needed that to complete my squad. I surely wasn't going to get that from Matt!

Jeremy looked at me expectantly. I sighed like this was the biggest inconvenience to my life. "They've seen we're in. I wish Aunt Jenna would just let us keep the curtains closed." It took a lot of effort to push myself up.

"I know, who needs vitamin D, right?"

I pointed from my head to Jeremy's because we were always on the same wavelength. Sometimes I think Jeremy might be my twin.

I dragged myself to the door. So it appears Elena wasn't in so it probably wasn't Stefan. I hadn't ordered anything so it wasn't that. This gave me no motivation whatsoever to open the door. Hey, maybe it was Matthew!

Instead, I opened the door and found a very reluctant looking ex-boyfriend. I inwardly groaned. His hands were shoved in his front pockets and his chin was downcast. As soon as I had gotten home I changed back into my pyjamas - fluffy grey pyjamas bottoms, a black tank top and my long curls were tied up in a messy bun, not quite the right attire for seeing your ex. See, this was why Jeremy should have answered the door!

Tyler was wearing black jeans with a bluish-gray three quarter length shirt that highlighted his growing physique. He'd definitely been working out since I left, maybe waiting for the day I returned so he could go 'Hey look at me now! Well I'm all the way up-

"I'm here for my mom." He cut off the Little Mix song going on in my head.

"Uh, well, she's not here?" I replied back, just as awkwardly. I was so blinded by how uncomfortable this was that I didn't stop to think logically about what he had just said.

"I'm supposed to be picking up some boxes." he continued, unable to look me in the eye. Ohhh, it was so awkward. Painfully awkward. I didn't know how to make it right.

"Oh, um, ok, one sec." I told him and closed the door a little. I turned around and scanned the hallway. In the corner, there were two brown boxes taped with Carol Lockwood's name scrawled in black sharpie on the lid. I rifled through it quickly, checking it was the right stuff, and then tapped back down the lid. I stacked the boxes on top of each other and went back out to meet Tyler. I put my foot in the door and edged it back open. "Here they are, I think there may be some china in there so be careful with them."

"Yeah, be careful with them dick." Jeremy suddenly appeared behind me and pulled the door open so he was visible. So, he couldn't get up to answer the door but he could to insult Tyler?! Woooooow. Priorities.

Tyler's gaze narrowed. I didn't have any hands free for world war three!

"Whoa, whoa, go back to watching Catfish. I'm holding very delicate china," I ushered Jeremy, but he stayed right where he was, scowling at Tyler. The scowl looked way too natural on Jeremy's face. Why did I leave? My family needed me as much as I had needed them.

Tyler straightened up and took the boxes from me. As we exchanged them, my forearm brushed his causing his eyes to flicker down to mine for the first time. He tilted his head and hesitated from pulling away, until Jeremy practically pushed the boxes into his hands, that is.

"Jeremy-" I scolded.

"What was that, dick?" Jeremy tried to step forward when Tyler mumbled something that was inaudible, but I stretched my arm across the door, blocking his way.

"He said thank you for the boxes!" I said to Jeremy quickly.

"No he didn't." Jeremy ignored me and stared straight at Tyler. "If you have something to say then say it."

"Nobody's saying anything! Jesus, what is wrong with you two?" I said, looking between them. Had this all started over Vicki?

"I'm fine, he is just being a punk." Tyler replied defensively. He looked at me for a moment before back at Jeremy.

"Bye." Jeremy put a firm hand on the door and pushed it closed, but Tyler's hand slammed out and forced it back open.

"Look, would it make a difference if I told you I actually like Vicki?"

"What? And pretend that you're not just saying that for my sister's benefit?" Jeremy challenged, causing me to wince at the awkward subject. Was it really necessary to drag me into this?!

Tyler laughed at the suggestion. It was a proper jerk laugh. "You think I'm doing this to make Mia jealous?"

"I know you are, dick." Jeremy said again. "You knew she was coming back to town."

"I've been hooking up with Vicki for months so that invalidates your theory." Tyler shot back at him.

"I can't believe you ever dated this dick." Jeremy scoffed at me. He bumped past my shoulder, knocking me backwards a little, punishing me for my past discretions and stormed up the stairs. A few seconds later, I heard the loud slam of his door. I had my work cut out for me with that one.

"Sorry about that..." I said turning back to Tyler. "Teenagers, ay."

Awkward.

"Its fine." he replied, he placed his hand on the door frame. "Despite what your brother thinks, I didn't know you were coming back to town."

"I wanted to surprise everyone." I replied softly, linking my hands together. "Surprise..."

He just nodded.

I wondered if it was ever going to be the same between us.

"Look, I know I have no right to ask this, but could you give Jeremy a break? Not taunt him so much?" I requested, stepping forward and out of the house. Tyler's gaze swept down my pyjamas. He always said my pyjamas were his favourite look. If I could, I'd live in pyjamas. They're my favourite look too. "He's making a lot of bad choices lately and I just want to help him. You know, get him out of this weird place he's gotten himself into."

"You're right, Mia." He pushed off the door. "You have no right to ask."

He turned to walk away, but I reached out and wrapped my fingers around his upper arm, pulling him back to face me. "C'mon Tyler, you can't still hate me." He looked down at my hand on him. "After what happened, I just… I needed to be on my own."

"And now?" He questioned, looking back at me.

"And now you're with Vicki." I let my hand fall from his arm.

"If I wasn't?"

"We've both changed, Ty. I don't even know the Tyler I'm looking at." I wavered my hand down him.

"Whose fault is that?" he asked, backing away from me. He scoffed in disgust, shook his head and walked away.

I sighed, watching him drive off.

Well, that went swimmingly.

"For goodness sake, put some clothes on, girl!" Our neighbour Mrs Junkins scolded me from her front garden.

"I have a name, Mrs Junkins!" I argued passionately and she reared back like I had just threatened her life. I backtracked. "And it's Elena!" I ran back inside. Right, well, I'm going to have to deny that later.

I finished the episode of Catfish we were on - Jeremy was right, it was a woman pretending to be a man and then headed to the kitchen for a snack.

"What the-" I halted, seeing Elena at the kitchen table, with Bonnie no less! Why didn't she get the door!? Talk about lazy! "You've been here this whole time?" I looked between them, they were hunched together like some serious gossip was going down. Needless to say, I dragged out the chair beside Elena and hunched in too. "Are you planning an intervention for Jenna? If so, count me in. I've got a really ugly photo of Logan we could use. Mid sneeze."

"Not Jenna," Bonnie answered. "Caroline." I tried to mask my reaction because if it had something to do with Caroline, it had something to do with Damon. He was playing a sleazy game with us and until I figured out what it was, I needed to tread carefully where he was concerned. "This needs to go in the vault because Caroline will kill me if it gets back to Damon that she squealed." Elena and I both hesitated, looked at each other and then nodded. I'm a bit of blabbermouth so this could be a problem. "Apparently Stefan has a very interesting back story." Wait, Stefan? I thought we were about to hear about Damon! "Do you know what happened to his ex-girlfriend Katherine?"

"I know that they both dated her," Elena replied, thinking about it. "And that's why they have issues."

"Yeah, they both dated her, only she chose Damon," Bonnie revealed and I rested back in my chair unconvinced. Ok, appearance wise, Damon did it for me over Stefan, but personality? There was something so obviously manipulative about Damon and I definitely wouldn't trust him to stay faithful. "And that drove Stefan mad, so he did horrible things to try and break them up. He manipulated Katherine. He filled her head with all these lies until finally it worked and she turned against Damon."

"...That doesn't sound like something my good friend Stefan would do," I put out there, looking to Elena for her thoughts. "Don't you agree?"

"I agree that sounds like one person's side of the story. Aka, Damon's. What I don't agree with is your good friend Stefan?" Elena arched her brow at me.

"Yeah...?" I replied slowly, not knowing what the problem was. "We're good friends, so what?"

"You've known him like a day."

"Rome was built in a day," I pointed out.

"No it wasn't..." Elena said, giving me a peculiar look. Sometimes I get the impression that she thinks I may be weird. "Anyway... Stefan's past relationships are none of my business."

"Unless he's a manipulative, calculating liar." Bonnie shrugged.

"He's not!" Elena protested at the same time I said, "Take that the hell back."

"Trust me," I stressed with the palm of my hand facing Bonnie. "If anyone's a manipulative, calculating liar, it's Damon." This was so obvious to me so I didn't know why it wasn't to Bonnie, or even Caroline. "And I wouldn't believe anything he tells Caroline, he's already been filling her head with lies."

"Like what?" Bonnie asked.

I slapped my hands down on the table, ready to shock them. "Get this right, he said that I hit on him, ha!" I said like it was the most ridiculous thing ever because it was! I didn't even know how to flirt! "As if I would do that to Caroline!"

I waited for either of them to leap to my defence.

A couple of silent seconds passed.

"...Seth Barnes," Elena pointed out.

"Oh my God, I knew you were going to throw him in my face! I knew it! We were ten and I saw him first."

Elena tipped her chair back to reach for the phone on the kitchen counter as it rang. "Hello..." I crossed my fingers. Please don't be Mrs Junkins to snitch on me, please don't be Mrs Junkins. "Oh hi, Mrs Lockwood..." Phew. "What do you mean? It is? Are you sure? Cause I saw it..." Confusion turned to realisation on Elena's face. "Let me check. Mmhm. I will find it and bring it. Ok, bye." Elena stood up, put the phone down and charged out of the kitchen.

"I'm worried about her," Bonnie said as soon as she was gone.

"I know, who just storms out like that?" I agreed.

"I meant about Stefan."

I shook my head a little. "I think you're worried about the wrong friend, Bonnie," I replied, folding my arms under my chest. "Elena is a lot more boy smart than Caroline is. If Stefan is playing a game, it won't take Elena long to catch on. Caroline, on the other hand..." I couldn't shake this feeling that Damon was not to be trusted.

"Ok so you keep an eye on Damon and I'll keep mine on Stefan."

"Or we keep both our eyes on Damon and just respect the hell out of Stefan?" I suggested. She looked at me flatly. "My vibe metre is never wrong."

"...Seth Barnes."

"Oh my god! Ten! I was ten!"

Elena returned with our parent's pocket watch and placed it on the kitchen table. "Jeremy took it," she said, rolling her eyes. "I don't know what he wants me to do, mom promised Mrs Lockwood."

"You could just let him have it." I lifted a shoulder. She looked at me like I was an idiot. I sat up straighter. "Or not." I cleared my throat and pushed out of my chair. "Right, um, ladies, I'm going to go get ready. If my date, Matthew Donovan arrives, please send him up."

"Matt is your date?" Bonnie laughed. "How did you manage that?"

"Emotional blackmail, Bonnie. A lot of emotional blackmail."

I was dumbfounded when Matt said no to escort me to Founder's party tonight. He wanted to bring this girl he met on Tinder instead. She had sent him multiple nudes and this made her date worthy in his mind. So really, he left me no choice but to steal his phone and unmatch with her. He'll thank me one day. Of course that day wasn't anytime soon. I don't know why he was so angry, I had his best intentions at heart!

I was going to make it up to him by blowing Matthew's sock off with my navy blue and gold dress. I pinned my fringe back, added some lip gloss and boom, I was good to go.

"Mia, Matt's here," Bonnie called up the stairs. "And so are Caroline and Damon?"

I rolled my head back and groaned. Oh great. I had completely forgotten that Matt agreed to carpool with them. Idiot! This makes me feel less guilty about deleting the nude girl.

I lifted my dress and headed down the stairs. Matt stood on the other side of the front door with his hands behind his back. He didn't even have a corsage for me or anything.

I draped myself across the doorway. "How do I look?" I smouldered at him.

"Fine, but you better start getting ready. The party starts soon." He checked his watch before grinning at me.

I sucked in my lips. "Matt..." I tapped my heart. "Feelings. If you could just consider them from time to time, that would be great."

"Well you weren't considering my feelings when you unmatched with Katy." He glared at me.

"She was sending you nudes, Matthew, I had to intervene!" I argued. "She would have corrupted you!"

He snorted. "I wanted her too!"

"I've watched a lot of catfish, Matt, it was probably a man," I reasoned. "If you want, Jeremy and I could investigate it for you."

"No."

"We're really good, we have references," I tried to explain.

"C'mon!" Caroline yelled out from the car and pressed down on the horn.

I winced.

"Why on earth did you agree to this?" I asked Matt, unimpressed. Damon was smirking at me from the driver's side and gave me this flirty finger waggle which I didn't return. He was always smirking like there was something going on here that I didn't know about. I didn't trust it. I didn't trust him. Have I mentioned that?

Matt followed my gaze to Damon's car. "Honestly, I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"I said no at first, but then I said yes," he said, looking confused. "I don't know why I said yes."

"Nor do I, idiot." I backhanded his chest. I sighed and looked back towards the car. "I'll be two seconds."

"I think you're going to need a lot more than two seconds."

"Matt, would you just-" I stopped and shook my head. "You know what, I was going to apologise for unmatching nude girl, but you can just forget it now." I stomped up the stairs." Absolutely ridiculous," I muttered loud enough for him to hear.

I slowed when I reached the top of the stairs and checked the coast was clear.

I slid up to Jeremy door and tapped lightly.

After a few seconds, the door was pulled open.

"What?"

I guess that was his new greeting style now.

"I'm returning the bird's egg," I said in code, just in case Elena was around.

"...What?"

"Just take it." I tossed him the pocket watch. Jeremy stole it from Elena, Elena took it back from Jeremy and now I had re-stolen it for him. I was a good sister. "You didn't get this from me."

Jeremy turned it over in his hand. "Why?"

"I remember Dad saying it would be yours one day." I shrugged. "So, now it is."

I actually got a smile out of him, even if it was just a small one. "Thanks."

"Again, if Elena says anything-"

"It was all Matt," Jeremy finished for me.

"Exactly." I nodded. Matt was mine and Jeremy's go to person to blame, even when it didn't make sense. Someone split a drink, it was Matt. Someone tried installing Sims onto Elena's laptop and it's froze the whole thing - it was obviously Matt. Someone hacked onto Jenna's Facebook and removed Logan as a friend - Matt.

"See you later." I flicked him a salute.

"Mia?" he called out when I reached the stairs. I looked over my shoulder. "You look really nice."

I half smiled and looked down at me dress. "Thanks. Can you tell Matt this please? He's being very rude."

Caroline pressed down on the horn and this time held it down. I started rushing down the stairs to get her to stop when I heard Mrs Junkins shouting. Needless to say, the honking stopped. What a scary, mean woman.

Matt held out his arm to me and I took it. I also pinched him, but that's neither here nor there.

"Amelia, looking beautiful as always." Damon commented as we approached his car. His gaze brazenly sweeping down me. I glanced over at Caroline who seemed unaffected by Damon's comment to me. I ignored him and scooted in the back with Matt, I could sense Damon's eyes flickering up to look at me through the rear-view mirror, but I refused to acknowledge it and tugged my dress higher up over my cleavage with a hmp.

"Any requests?" Caroline asked, holding up her IPod that was hooked into Damon's sound system.

"Taylor Swift," I answered at the same time Matt replied, "Kanye West."

"Kanye West?" I exclaimed at the same time Matt said in disgust, "Taylor Swift?"

"I don't know who either of those people are but we're not listening to that." Damon pulled out Caroline's device and put on a really old rock and roll radio station. How could he have never heard of Taylor Swift or Kanye West? Had the man been living under a rock?

Hmm, I wonder if Stefan had heard of Taylor Swift. Perhaps I should introduce him to her.

"Urgh, I'm not sure on this dress at all," Caroline commented, looking at herself in Damon's car mirror. "I knew I should have worn the yellow dress, why did you make me wear the blue one?"

"Because I like blue better." I stared down at my blue dress. Oh great. "How you doing back there?" He glanced up into the rear view.

"Fine." Matt answered, sounding just as uncomfortable as I was.

"Amelia?" Damon prompted.

I took in a breath. "Fine." Something just told me I needed to stay away from this man and that was more intense being locked inside a car with him.

"So, are you two together?" Damon asked casually at a stop light.

I looked at Matt, Matt looked at me.

We then both laughed.

"God no!" I let out.

"Alright, don't sound too offended," Matt said to me. I just continued to look disgusted by the very thought.

"Matt and Mia?" Caroline laughed too. "That's like incest."

"Plus she's not my type." Matt grinned.

"Oh really, Matthew? Really?" I crossed my arms, shaking my head. It was obvious Damon had no clue what we were all on about and why this was funny.

"Matt dated Elena." Caroline filled him in. "Mia dated Tyler." And why she decided to slip in that irrelevant piece of information, I'll never know.

"Caroline." I gave her a look. I didn't need Damon knowing my history. He'd probably try and twist it somehow.

"Oh relax, Mia, I still think you two will get back together." Caroline said, turning round in her chair to look at me.

Tyler was a sore subject for me, especially the way Caroline brought him up. She sometimes missed obvious social cues, like now for instance, I was brushing my fingers frantically across my throat, not wanting to give Damon any ammunition on me.

"Vicki told me he called out your name once instead of hers."

"Caroline!" I gestured to her brother sitting right beside me.

"Really?" Matt asked her, with his brows narrowed. "You had say that whilst I'm here?"

I found Damon's eyes in the rear view mirror, looking at me again, but this time, he was no longer smiling.

"Then you might want to block your ears for this next part," Caroline warned him.

"How about we just stick to a conversation we can all enjoy?" I said quickly, trying to fuse the tension. "Like how Taylor Swift has an album coming out soon. Matt, thoughts?"

"I don't care."

"That's because you haven't heard her. Don't worry, I've brought my IPod." I stuck my hand in my clutch and brought it out. I spent the rest of the journey trying to wrestle my ear bud into Matt's ear.

"You're just being really difficult today, Matthew, I'm not impressed," I said to him as we got out of the car.

Caroline in front of us suddenly stopped and I ended up walking into her back.

She frantically twisted round and glanced over her shoulder. "Ok, I'm going to need you to switch dates with me." What?! Oh hell no! She needs to get her own Matthew. Did she not know the trouble I went to to find out Matt's phone's pass code to delete nude girl? "My mom will be ultra critical if she sees me walking in with Damon and I do not want to hear it."

"I have a nosy Aunt of my own, you know," I protested but she still pulled Matt to her side.

Matt looked back at me and I shot him a look that said 'don't do this to me.'

He couldn't have smirked more as he offered Caroline his arm.

Right well I'm unmatching any future hot girls on Matt's tinder account.

We waited in line to get in with Mr and Mrs Lockwood at the doors, greeting everyone as they came in.

"You've got a bit of makeup, right here." Damon scraped a finger across his own neck at me. I lifted my hand up to my throat and wiped. "No, up a bit." I followed his direction. "No... Here." He reached over and slid his two fingers just over my pulse. I stilled as his two fingers applied some pressure there. "Fast," he said eventually, his gaze meeting mine. And then he smirked.

I pulled away. "Is it gone?" I asked.

"No. Come here." He pulled me to him so quick I didn't have a chance to react. His head was dipped into my neck and when I stepped back from him, I bumped into someone.

"Oh sorry, Stefan, didn't see you there," I said, giving him a nod of respect.

"Neither did I," Damon said brightly.

Stefan held Damon's gaze before it landed on me. "You look lovely, Amelia."

"Thanks, Stefan!" I gushed. "That's really nice of you. What a gent." I looked to my twin. "Hello."

"Hi," she said, giving Damon a strange look. "I thought you were coming with Matt."

"I am here with Matt," I quickly got out there. "Caroline just needs to sneak Damon past her mom."

"Right," Stefan replied.

"She looks beautiful, doesn't she?" Damon placed his hand on my lower back pointedly and it was then I realised: this had nothing to do with me. This had more to do with Stefan. Damon wanted to piss him off and he was using me to do it. One thing I still didn't get was why didn't he just go for Elena?

I pulled Damon's hand off and moved forward with the queue.

"Amelia, you look smashing," Carol said, kissing my cheek.

"Thanks Mrs Lockwood," I replied. "You too."

"Tyler's around here somewhere, he'll be happy to see you." No he will not.

I moved along as Damon stood in the door. "Come on in," Carol encouraged and so he did.

"Lovely to meet you. I've been looking forward to this party for quite awhile." Even Carol was blushing for goodness sake. Damon smiled down at me and I quickly looked away. He wrapped a hand round my waist and pulled me into his side "Let's get a drink, date," he said into my ear. I caught the look he threw back Stefan's way.

This had to stop.

Caroline pulled Matt over to her mom whilst Damon led me to the bar.

"Ok," I said, turning to face him. Enough is enough. "I know what you're doing."

"I'm sorry?" Damon responded, pulling his best confused look.

"I'm not stupid, I'm not blind, I see the little looks your throwing Stefan whenever you touch me." Damon raised his brows as he waited for me to finish. "I don't know why you hate your brother so much because he seems to me like an absolute gent to me, but stop using me, my sister or Caroline to get at him. Alright?"

"You're right," Damon said to my surprise.

"...I am?"

"My therapist says I'm acting out, trying to punish Stefan and when I do this-" His hand clasped around my waist and brought me into him. "I know it pisses him off." He looked above my head. I followed his gaze and sure enough, there was Stefan, staring worryingly in our direction, but trapped in a conversation with my twin and Mayor Lockwood.

"But why?" Again, I removed his hand. "Why would that bug him?"

"His girlfriend's identical twin. Jeez, I don't know." Even though he was being over sarcastic with me, he shot me a friendly smile.

"What did Stefan ever do to you?" I asked him. I can't believe he's admitting this all to me.

"It's all in the past. I don't even want to bring it up." I folded my arms and did not look impressed. You can't just tell half a story. "Let's just say that the men in the Salvatore family have been cursed with sibling rivalry."

"Well maybe it's time to break that curse," I suggested.

"Maybe." He put down his drink. "Do you want to get some fresh air?"

"I-" I stopped. My eyes were drawn like a magnet to one idiot who stood straight out to me.

"Oh no," I said, straightening up.

"What?" Damon looked to where I was looking but he couldn't see the rat that I could.

"Absolutely, positively not. I'll be right back."

Jenna saw me approaching before Logan did and stopped talking. "Jenna!" I exclaimed with wide 'don't you dare' eyes. "Hi!" I hugged her and began walking her backwards. "Sorry, Logan, this will just take a second."

Jenna pushed me off. "Back off, I can handle him."

"No you can't!" I turned back to face Logan and linked my arm with Jenna so we were a united front. "Punch him in the face, Jenna, I've got your back."

"Mia." Logan laughed, opening up his arms slightly. "It's good to see you," he said with a big sleazy smile. He tried to kiss my cheek. The audacity! I reared back away from him so he couldn't. I did not want to catch any Logan germs.

"I feared I would see you here," I sneered, completely repulsed.

He winked at me. "You knew it."

"I dreaded," I corrected firmly.

"But were secretly hoping. " He grinned. "You still have that crush on me, I see."

"I've never had a crush on you, you idiot!" I erupted. The man gets under my skin! "You disgust me every way possible!" I insisted.

He laughed like I was joking. I wasn't! I never was!

"You're just like your Aunt, full of insults," he said and I nodded at Jenna with respect. "She's got a lot more in her, I can tell."

Challenge accepted. Jenna's gaze flickered up. "Your hairline's receding."

"Oh... my...God." I clapped my hands. "Good one, Jenna. Good one!"

"No, it's not," he quickly dismissed. "You want to have lunch?"

"Nope," I answered for her.

"I was asking your Aunt," Logan replied with what he thought he was a charming smile.

"Still no," I responded.

Logan ignored me and looked back at Jenna, his gaze sweeping down her. "You haven't changed a bit."

Jenna's grasp on my arm tightened. "Oh yes I have. I'm meaner," she drawled and turned me with her to walk away.

I looked behind me and planted a big L on my forehead at him.

"You were the sass queen!" I cheered, shaking Jenna. "He wasn't expecting that. You need to stay strong, Missy, because that, that was fantastic!" Watching Logan getting blown off - Classic!

"Bathroom, now," Elena said as she passed. She circled her fingers around my wrist and dragged me backwards.

"Stay strong, Jenna!" I called back over to my Aunt, raising my fist in solidarity. I'd wanted to see Logan get owned for so long, it was magical.

Elena sat me and Bonnie down and talked about how she had just argued with Stefan. I left her alone for what, five minutes? I've already become attached to Stefan, I can't go through another break.

And guess who was behind the fight, the one creating Elena's doubt in Stefan? Of course it was Damon.

"Elena, Damon even admitted to me he's acting out at Stefan. You played straight into his hands," I told her. "Go and apologise to Stefan right now."

"But he has a point. What is Stefan hiding?" Elena asked, shaking her head.

"That his brother is a psycho," I answered. "You've been manipulated."

"This is my fault. I planted doubt," Bonnie said with a sigh. "I'm a doubt planter."

Elena exhaled and shook her head. "No.. I..I feel terrible because I said that I wouldn't get in the middle of it and then that's exactly what I did. I got all snotty." Yeah, I could imagine that.

"It's Damon's fault," I said sternly. "I warned him not to mess with us."

"Elena, honey, there you are." Carol came over and sat in the arm chair opposite us. "I noticed the pocket watch still isn't in the collection..."

"It wasn't?"

I deeply cleared my throat. "I'm going to go.. um find Caroline and get my date back," I said, standing up. I smoothed down my dress, swallowed and scuttled away fast. Phew. Escaped that one.

I figured it wouldn't take long for Elena to put two and two together and realise it was me who'd taken the watch so I decided to hide out in the bathroom.

"Oh hey, fancy seeing you here," I said, moving in next to Caroline. I figured now would be a good chance to talk to her about Damon. I just needed to find a way to approach it without sounding like her mom. Hey, maybe I should just tell her mom.

"Look, Caroline, about Damon..."

"I already know what you're going to say."

I sighed with relief. "You do?"

She put her lip gloss back in the tube and turned to me. "You like him."

My face dropped. "What? No, I don't."

"Yes you do and that's ok." Caroline was usually a jealous maniac so this made no sense. She pushed me off the climbing frame for just holding hands with Seth Barnes! "Damon thinks it's cute."

I really don't like this guy.

"I do not fancy, Damon, Caroline," I said, exhaustedly.

"It's fine. We have an open relationship, so if you wanted to-" I leant forward, her scarf was slowly falling from her neck. It slipped a little lower and I noticed this weird, purple mark beginning to show. "What is that?" I tried to lift it up but she suddenly flinched.

"Nothing, it's nothing."

"It doesn't look like nothing." I tugged on her scarf to reveal the whole of the bruise; it literally looked like someone had taken a bite out of her.

"Caroline, what the fuck?" I let out, stepping back in shock.

"Did you take the pocket watch?" Elena stormed in but came to a stop, seeing Caroline's neck. "Caroline, what is that on your-"

"What happened?" I demanded. "Did somebody hurt you?"

"No! No it's nothing!" She faced the mirror again to apply her lip gloss, but she noticed me and Elena staring. Like hell we would drop this. She hung her head. "My mom would kill me." Elena stepped forward and pulled her cardigan off revealing another bruise on the back of her shoulder.

I felt sick.

"Was it Damon?" I clipped. By the look on her face, I knew I was right. "Oh my god, Caroline..."

"No!" She lied. "Of course not, just leave me alone, ok!" She snapped and stormed out of the bathroom.

Elena and I stood in silence for a few moments.

Elena lifted her hand. "How did we not see this?"

I was already beating myself up for even thinking that this guy was hot.

"What are we going to do?" I asked Elena.

"I'm going to go speak to Stefan about it."

"Good. And I'll go find the asshole himself." I growled, going to head out of the bathroom.

"No, Mia-" Elena grabbed my arm. "He's dangerous, stay away from him."

Elena gave me a stern look before walking out first.

It made sense. Stay away from him, that's exactly what I was going to do in the first place. But then I saw him. I felt the anger rise back into me and I couldn't just stay away. This asshole needed to know that we were onto him. I would never allow him to hurt Caroline ever again.

When I saw him, he still had that stupid smug smirk on his face, well I was about to wipe it away completely. I charged down to him.

"You look like a woman on a mission." Damon commented until I reached him.

I shoved him as hard as I could. His smirk faded and a look of shock replaced it.

"There is something seriously wrong with you, you stay away from Caroline or I will go straight to her mother, who is the sheriff FYI, so stay away from her." I told him sternly.

I went to walk away, but he grabbed me by my wrists and pulled me to him. I struggled against him, but his grip was firm and wasn't about to let me go anywhere. "I don't know what you are talking about."

"I've seen the bite marks on her neck, you're disgusting!" I spat and pulled away. "I don't know who the hell you think you are but if you go near her again I'll-"

"You'll do what?" He stepped up to me.

"Just stay away, find someone else to relieve your sick sexual fantasies."

"Are you volunteering?" He shot at me so I slapped him. His face remained staring off to the side, his jaw clenching.

"Stay away from us. Final warning."

I was shaking by the time I got back inside the house. I desperately needed a drink. All high students were allowed one glass because we were all under the supervision of our guardians.

It was time to cash in that drink.

I put my clutch on the bar and opened my mouth to order a drink.

"Don't shoot. I only need a refill," Logan joked from beside me. If I had known he was at the bar, I would have risked dehydration.

"Logan," I started, holding the palm of my hand up to him. "I am in no mood."

He chuckled. "You know, I've missed your family," he said, scooting closer to me. Not one member of my family liked Logan. Not a single one.

"The feelings not mutual," I replied dismissively. "We like Jenna's new boyfriend now."

"She doesn't have a boyfriend," Logan said knowingly.

I squinted my eyes at him. "She does actually." He raised his brows, unconvinced. "She does..." I insisted and he smiled. "You're a piece of work, you know that."

"You mean art work?" He grinned.

"No, Logan, I mean work. Work that nobody wants to do," I said firmly.

"Your Aunt does," he quipped. How crude!

"Um, no she doesn't. She's now with.. Leonardo-" Don't say Decaprio. "Decap...ton and she's very, very happy," I said adamantly.

"Leonardo Decapton?" Logan parroted with a mocking smile.

Jesus, why do I even attempt to lie?

"Yeah, he's a motivational speaker, he's really cool, and he brought me and Jeremy a trampoline-"

"She's agreed to have lunch with me," he cut me off and looked absolutely thrilled to tell me this.

I scoffed. "Well that's a lie."

He flashed his too white teeth, almost blinding me. "No it's not." He leant towards me. "You might as well start calling me Uncle Logan now."

"I will never...!"

He continued to laugh at me so I scowled, grabbed my clutch and tried to storm off.

"Wait, Mia!"

"What!" I spun round, really wanting this stupid day to be over with.

He looked to his left and he looked to his right.

He then put his middle finger up at me.

As quickly as it was up, it was down.

I stared at him open mouthed. Unable to move. Completely gobsmacked.

"No one will believe you," he said. He finished his drink, winked and then walked away.

I stood there, frozen to the bone.

Did he just...

The middle finger...?

Oh hell to the no!

"Sup." Matt came back over to me. "Um, Mia?" He waved a hand in front of my face.

"Matt." I put my hand on his shoulder, struggling to stay upright. "Matt, Logan just gave me the middle finger," I said adamantly. "Tell me you saw it."

Matt scoffed. "Yeah, right, Mia."

Oh no. Logan was right. "I need to find Jeremy," I said, shaking my head desperately. "He'll believe me!"

I walked out the house, looking for Elena or even Jenna. As I scanned around, I saw Caroline standing on her own, in the Lockwood's garden.

"Caroline, you'll never believe what just happened to me..." I said, walking up to her. I hoped she wasn't still upset with me. I'd like to think if the shoe were on the other foot, she'd be just as angry as I was. She turned around and looked as white as a ghost. "Are you ok?" I asked her.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Her voice was all shaky.

"Caroline... what happened?" Her breathing got incredibly fast, her chest rising and falling.

"I'm fine... I'm fine."

"No. You're not." I put my hand on her shoulders. "Hey, calm down, it's ok. Caroline..." She was physically shaking all over. I'd never seen Caroline like this. Ever. "It's all going to be ok," I told her, but she just burst into tears.

So yeah, Damon was a dead man.

Thank you for all your nice comments, they really mean a lot!

LivHardy x