the new normal

ATHENA FROWNED AT THE TEXT FROM DAMON ON HER PHONE.

So, Caroline hates me.

She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and typed back a response.

When did you speak to Caroline? And why does she hate you?

She looked back up at her television, burrowing herself amidst her fuzzy blankets. She had introduced Damon to her father before they left to go home, earning a confused and slightly concerned look from Raphael.

That was until Damon explained that she went to school with his little brother and he saw her as a pest he couldn't get rid of. Not completely a lie, all things considered, but he just left out the fact that he was a vampire and felt severely protective over the teenage girl that had been singled out by a Katherine Pierce lookalike. Even though she didn't know it, they were kindred spirits in that sense.

She'd been home for almost an hour now, and she was perfectly comfortable in the warmth of her bed, filled with different-sized pillows and a thousand blankets. It was her paradise, especially because she could see her TV from her position. Nothing could disturb her at the moment.

I think she's jealous, but little does she know I think you're an annoying little human.

Athena scoffed out loud at the text. "Asshole."

Yeah, well, little does she know that I think you're a wannabe Dracula. Even the Cullens are cooler than you.

Besides Damon– Damon was disturbing her because he was a nuisance.

Sighing, she opened a new text thread on her phone. Athena typed it out quickly and sent it before she could talk herself out of anything, but instantly her heart pounded against her chest with regret. She dropped her phone on the pillow next to her and bit her lip anxiously.

She hoped she was making the right decision.

──────

Stefan eyed Elena oddly, his gaze darting back up to where the comet was traveling through the sky above them.

"Sorry for barging in," She shrugged awkwardly. "Especially after earlier."

Stefan shook his head. "No, I'm, uh, I'm actually glad you're here. The way we left things, I didn't like it."

Elena nodded in agreement. "See, the thing is, I got home tonight planning on doing what I always do– write in my diary like I have been since my mom gave it to me when I was ten. It's where I get everything out, everything I'm feeling. It all goes in this little book that I hide on the second shelf behind this really hideous ceramic mermaid."

Stefan forced a smile, eyeing Elena's warm eyes anxiously.

"But then I realized that I'd just be writing things that I should probably tell you."

Stefan sighed. "Elena,"

"No, I need to say this," She interrupted, continuing before he could stop her. "Today I convinced myself it was okay to give up. Don't take risks. Stick with the status quo. No drama, now is just not the time. But my reasons aren't reasons, they're excuses. All I'm doing is hiding from the truth, and the truth is that... I'm scared, Stefan. I'm scared that if I let myself be happy for even one moment, that the world's just going to come crashing down and I– I don't know if I can survive that."

Stefan ran a hand through his hair and looked down at Elena. "Do you want to know what I'd write?"

Elena nodded.

"I met a girl. We talked. It was epic. But then the sun came up and reality set in," Elena smiled at the usage of her words from earlier. "Well, this is reality. Right here. And it might not be what we thought we wanted, but it's what we've got."

Elena lunged forward and kissed him, and Stefan reciprocated it. As happy as he felt kissing Elena, knowing they'd somehow fixed their issues or at least danced around them enough to settle things for now, he couldn't clear his mind of a certain snarky girl who was at home lying in bed.

──────

Athena eyed the school, her eyes scanning for one person in particular. She quickly got out of her car when she spotted him, hurrying over before he could walk over to the two girls she had been avoiding for weeks.

"Stefan! Stefan, wait up!" She called, watching him stop briefly before continuing like she didn't call his name. "Stefan, I am but a small person in a world of giants!"

Stefan came to a complete stop, sighing as he turned around to face Athena. "A world of giants?"

She shrugged, coming to a stop before him. "You walk really fast. And I want to ask you how you are after last night. I didn't quite get everything that happened, but,"

"You really shouldn't concern yourself with it, Athena. It's between me and my brother." Stefan turned and started to walk away again, determined to find Elena before Athena could make him break.

"I'm gonna jump on your back if you don't turn back around and talk to me,"

Stefan stopped, still not facing her. "No, you're not."

"Yes, I am. Better catch me."

Before he could stop her, Athena was flinging herself onto his back and wrapping her limbs around him like some sort of koala. He grunted but barely moved under her weight. "Athena."

"Stefan,"

He sighed, giving in and wrapping his hands around her thighs so he could keep her on his back without her falling. He didn't want her to get hurt just because he had decided the best way to salvage his relationship with Elena was by pretending she didn't exist. "I meant what I said. You'll get hurt dealing with vampires."

"And I'm willing to risk that because you and Damon are the only people I like in this town. You can't just shut me out 'cause I know your secret, Stefan, I'm fine with it."

Stefan frowned, his concern for her trumping anything she could possibly try to assuage him with at the moment. He was grateful she couldn't see his face at the moment, even from where her head had come to rest on his shoulder.

"Are you going to answer all my questions now, or are you gonna make me deal with your brother before ten a.m.? Because let's face it, Stefan, nobody wants that."

Well— she wasn't wrong.

"Fine." He rolled his eyes and walked them over to a picnic table, dropping Athena off his back onto the table haphazardly and turning around to meet her glare. He smiled sweetly at her and sat down. "What do you want to know?"

"Daylight. What's the deal with it?"

He held up his hand, showing her his lapis lazuli ring. "Some vampires have these rings that allow them to walk in the sun, others don't. It depends on who you know."

"Woah, that's probably super old," She grabbed his hand and examined his ring closely, fluttering her fingers over the blue stone encrusted in silver. Stefan quickly took his hand back, twisting his fingers together to rid himself of her lingering touch. Athena shrugged his odd behavior off.

"What about garlic and stuff like that? Like totally Twilight?"

Stefan pinched the bridge of his nose. "You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"

"Absolutely not. Answer my questions, fang-boy,"

"Most of that stuff is fake. We have reflections, garlic doesn't bother us, and holy water is just a nuisance. We don't sparkle, either. That's just offensive."

"Well, what does kill you?" Athena asked, eyeing him closely. He was acting weird as if he didn't want to be around her, but she was nothing if not persistent. She would at least annoy him until he told her what was wrong.

"A stake to the heart," He spoke, finally. "And there's a toxin, vervain. It helps prevent compulsion in humans, but it burns us and could kill us if we take a high enough dosage."

Athena nodded, looking down at her hands as she remembered Damon's compulsion. It hadn't even been that strong, from what she recalled, and she wasn't really mad at him over it considering they hardly knew each other when he first did it, but it didn't take away the fear that there might be another vampire out there who could do it to her again.

She looked back up at Stefan, meeting his fleeting gaze. "Can you... can you get me something with vervain? Something to prevent compulsion again?"

Stefan's eyes softened, and for the first time since she'd interrupted him that morning, he didn't look away from her. "Of course, Athena. Come over tonight and I'll give you something."

Athena nodded, her eyes darting over to where Elena and Bonnie had just walked over from Bonnie's car. They hadn't spotted her yet, but she was sure to receive a glare or two when they did.

Instead of letting it get on her nerves, she just turned to Stefan and smiled softly. She hit him in the leg and hopped down off the table, still facing him. "Now that I know you can do it, you're gonna carry me everywhere."

"No, I'm not," Stefan laughed, shaking his head at her.

"I don't remember giving you an option."

──────

Athena's leg bounced up and down in a physical display of her nerves.

She really wasn't sure what the hell she was doing, but it felt like the right thing to do and her dad always told her to follow her gut feeling. She just wasn't sure why her gut wanted her to do things that made her want to rip her fingernails off one by one.

Luckily, the school cafeteria was empty until lunch, and she wasn't too worried about missing history or chemistry. But in the same breath, the empty room meant anything could happen. Anything could be said and there'd be virtually no consequences besides a permanently destroyed relationship.

Her eyes shot up, wide and unsuspecting as the blonde stormed towards her, a combative look of determination mixed with hesitation on her face. She sat down at the table across from Athena and crossed her arms on the surface, that look never leaving her face.

That was one thing Athena always admired about Caroline– when she wanted something to happen, she made it happen.

"You wanted to talk? That's what you said last night in your text." Caroline finally speaks and Athena bites her lip with a nod.

"I, uh, I think we should get things out in the open, Caroline. There's a lot we haven't said to one another and no matter how much I hate what you did, I don't actually hate you."

Caroline's face softened and she nodded in agreement with Athena. "I, uh," She cleared her throat. "I told my mom what happened. She's pissed at me, and Elena, but, uh, mostly me for doing that to you."

Athena's eyes widened in genuine surprise as Caroline let out a self-deprecating laugh.

"I don't know why I didn't tell her from the beginning, because I knew what I did was wrong. I just don't think I was ready to hear it from my mom, you know? 'Cause that meant it was real, and I didn't think I could live with myself knowing that I hurt you so bad."

Caroline reached across the table and grabbed Athena's hand, squeezing it tight. "I let other people ruin our relationship, and I can never forgive myself for it. But I can't go back and change what happened, all I can try to do is make it better."

Athena bit back her quivering smile. "I don't want you to beat yourself up. You know I'll be there for you no matter what."

Caroline turned Athena's hand over and traced her finger over the lines of her palm. "I'm really sorry, Athena. For everything."

"Caroline," Athena trailed off, watching their intertwined hands closely. "We can't ever get back together. Too much has happened. But that doesn't mean I don't love you still. You were my best friend, and I'll always support you– barring anything regarding Elena."

Caroline laughed, the sound watery through her held-back tears. "I understand. I love you too, Athena. Always."

Athena squeezed her hand and smiled.

──────

Athena felt odd. Which should've been expected, all things considered. In the past few weeks, her life has been pretty much flipped upside down. She went from having virtually no one to two vampires, mending things with her ex-girlfriend for the most part, and she'd seen more of her dad in the past two weeks than she had all summer.

Things were different.

But she wasn't freaking out about any of those things, least of all the whole vampire thing. In her mind, it seemed like the least of her worries. She felt like she did the other night watching Damon threaten Vicki. A confusing sense of anticipation and preparedness for conflict.

She didn't understand it just yet, but that didn't change the fact that she knew it had to do with this feeling inside of her. She couldn't tell if it was going to be good or bad, though.

The buzzing in her veins wasn't unwelcome, though. She just wished to understand it as best as she could, that way she could utilize it and perhaps not feel so lost in this world anymore.

She thought to ask her dad, the man who seemed to have an answer for everything, but she quickly shot the idea down. He didn't need to know that she spent her days with vampires, or that she liked the chaos that came with them a little too much.

"What are you thinking about in that tiny brain of yours?" Damon flicked the side of her head, and she shoved his hand away back towards the steering wheel.

She was making him take her to the cheer practice she promised Caroline she'd attend, with much reluctance from Damon. He didn't much care to know what the high school girls were doing with their time, as it turned out.

"I'm thinking about what would happen if I stabbed you," She deadpanned. "Not with a stake, but just a normal knife."

Damon furrowed his eyebrows. "I'd heal, obviously. But you still would've stabbed me, which you're not supposed to do to friends."

She hummed, feigning interest, and held back a laugh when Damon's face fell into a scandalized look. "Just drop me off by the field."

She reached into the backseat, grabbing her duffle bag and pom-poms from the seat. As Damon slowed his car to a stop she swung the door open and stepped out of the convertible. "I'm supposed to come to your house tonight, Stefan has something for me."

She leaned over the side of the door, propping her head up with her hand as Damon raised his eyebrows at her. "Stefan has a dinner party with his girlfriend,"

"Well, I'm more important, which means you have to pick me up," She smiled sardonically, pushing herself off the car. "See you later, loser!"

"Your attitude is terrible!" He called back, making her flip him off as she walked towards the field with a small smile.

"You came!" Caroline bounded towards her, pom-poms in hand as she hugged Athena. Athena wrapped one arm around her and laughed, dropping her bag onto the turf.

"I said I was coming, didn't I?"

Caroline shrugged but agreed nonetheless. She nudged Athena's arm with her elbow, raising her eyebrows up and down suggestively. "So, are you gonna spill on the hottie you've been seen around town with?"

"Okay, first of all, I'm not even legal–"

"Oh, scandalous!"

"Caroline! He's too old for me, and I don't see him like that," She leaned in towards Caroline, grinning wickedly as the blonde giggled. "He's Stefan's older brother."

Caroline's eyes lit up and her gaze darted behind Athena to where Elena was standing, staring at them from beside Bonnie. She smiled deviously and Athena and she shared childish giggles over her familiar deviousness. "Well, what's his name?"

"Damon,"

Caroline's eyebrows raised and Athena nodded. "I know. You think Stefan's all mysterious and untouchable, you should see Damon,"

The blonde went to ask another question, but she silently reminded herself that they only had so much time for practice, and she cleared her throat pointedly. "Okay, do you want to do the routine with us or do you want to sit back and watch?"

Athena bit her lip, glancing down at her tennis shoes on the turf. "I'll try the routine. Same as always, right?"

Caroline nodded, barely containing her excitement as she turned to face the rest of the girls gathered there. "Okay, ladies, usual formation! What do you say, Athena, a double-pike herky hurdle?"

Athena nodded and moved to stand up at the front next to Caroline, her hands on her hips.

"5, 6, 7, 8," Caroline called, her eyes scanning over the team watchfully. "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,"

Athena's muscle memory took over as the music played and Caroline called out the commands, and she felt a smile grow on her face as she moved in sync with the rest of the team.

"Elena, sweetie, why don't you just observe today?"

Elena frowned but left the formation at Caroline's order.

Athena smiled breathlessly at the sight of her disdain.

────── 

author's note; i really do love this book

originally published; 10.31.20.

edited: 11.20.23. 

- liz