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CHAPTER FOUR
jenna's barbecue
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( memory lane )

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Harper's POV.

*After School at the Grill*

"I've been looking through this book these past few days and nothing is making sense." Elena shakes her head. "I wondered if maybe you could take a look?" She slides the book across the table towards me.

"Petrova," I read off the cover. "What does that mean?"

"Petrova was Katherine's real name, Katerina Petrova," Elena clarifies. "She was originally from Europe—at least, that's what I got from the book."

"Oh." I pick up the book. "I'll take a look at it later when I have some free time." I turn to my right and lean down to put the book away in my backpack. When I turn back around, I nearly jump out of my seat. "Oh!" I exclaim.

Damon is sitting at the end of the table.

"What do you want, Damon?" Elena growls.

He ignores her and focuses his eyes on me. "So, this is where you spend your time when you're not ghosting me," he muses.

Elena turns to me. "I'm sorry, Harper. He took my phone when I wasn't looking." She glares at Damon. "Like the thief he is."

So that's how he got my phone number while they were at Duke.

Seeing that I'm uncomfortable, Elena starts to gather her things. "Come on. We're leaving," she tells me.

I get out of my seat and sling my backpack over my shoulders, preparing to follow her.

"Where are you two goin'?" Damon asks smoothly.

"I made myself clear, Damon," Elena bites out. "I told you to stay away from Harper." She starts to walk away, and I go with her.

"Okay, see you guys at Jenna's barbecue," Damon says.

We stop in our tracks, and my heart catapults. Elena and I turn back around. How hard is it to get away from this guy?

"How did you know about Jenna's barbecue?" Elena asks suspiciously.

"It was my idea," Damon says. "Jenna went to high school with Mason Lockwood so I figured a social gathering would be a good way to get to know the guy. So, I told Ric to tell Jenna and—"

Elena doesn't let him finish. "Does Jenna know that you're going to be there? Because she's not exactly a fan of yours."

A waiter comes around and places a small box in front of Damon. He smiles up at the waiter. "Perfect. Thank you," he says.

I look down at the box. I wonder what's inside.

"I'm hoping this peach cobbler will pave the way," he says, getting up from his seat.

I move a little behind Elena to avoid him.

"What are you up to?" Elena asks him.

Damon leans in close to Elena's ear, and for a single split second, I feel a stab of something that feels like jealousy.

I can't hear what he says to her, but when he pulls away, his gaze falls on me. He gives me a friendly smile. "See you at the barbecue."

And then, he leaves.

*Harper's House*

I make a lot of excuses to get out of going to things, but today is just not my day I guess.

"Harper, you are going to Jenna's barbecue. End of discussion," my mother says firmly as she grabs her designer purse.

I think I liked it better when my parents were locked up in the Salvatores' dungeon. At least there they weren't able to force me to go anywhere. But on Sunday, we had to let them go because their three days were up, and the vervain had officially left their systems. Now they're compelled to forget anything vampire related that happened since Founders' Day. They have no idea Damon's a vampire, and they have no idea that I know about vampires. And to make things simpler in the future in case anything happens again, it's now my responsibility to switch out their coffee mix from a vervain-filled one to just a regular mixture, so that they can easily be compelled without having to lock them up again.

"But there's going to be a bunch of adults there," I argue back. "It's not for kids."

"Jenna told me Elena will be there, and that she invited Caroline. So you are going, young lady," my mother says sternly.

"Ugh, fine," I mumble under my breath and roll my eyes. It's not like I can tell her that I don't want to go because Damon will be there, and I'm currently trying to avoid him because he tried to kill my dad.

Speaking of my dad, he finally comes downstairs, and we leave for Jenna's barbecue.

As we're walking up the steps of the Gilbert house, I see Caroline and Elena hanging out on the front deck. I immediately go over to them and sit in a chair across from them.

"Hi, Elena. Hi, Caroline," my mother greets with a sweet smile.

"Hi, girls." My dad waves.

Elena and Caroline say hello back before my parents head inside.

Maybe I won't even have to see much of Damon after all if I just stay outside.

Caroline pops a chip into her mouth from a snack bowl in her lap. "God, I cannot stop eating." She chuckles. "Stefan says it's a great way to sublimate the cravings. Well, it's horrible just fighting the urge for blood every minute of every day." She shakes her head.

"I know that Stefan really hates that part of himself," Elena says.

"Well, yeah," Caroline agrees, "and he hates that you're a constant temptation."

"He said that?" Elena asks.

Caroline finishes chewing another chip. "Mhmm," she hums. "The desire to rip out your jugular every time he's with you? Trust me, it's there. You know, it's why I had to break up with Matt."

An awkward silence ensues, and knowing my cousin, she's not just going to take what Caroline said lightly.

The front door opens, and Alaric walks out. "Hey, food's ready. Come get it." He claps his hands and heads back inside.

"Finally," Caroline says with relief, setting down her bowl of chips on a side table. "I'm starving." She stands up and follows Alaric into the house.

Oh great, I guess there was no way I was gonna avoid going inside forever.

*Time Skip*

I despise party games—charades, musical chairs, never have I ever. It doesn't matter what it is. The stress of being put on the spot always makes me do something embarrassing, and I can't stand it. So when Damon suggested we all play pictionary, I wanted nothing else but to disappear.

Thank God Elena also didn't want to play, so I joined her in the kitchen to help clean up lunch and prepare for dessert. It was the perfect excuse that my parents couldn't really argue with. Helping out the party hosts is always seen as a polite and respectable thing to do.

Elena is taking Damon's peach cobbler out of its box while I'm getting fruit out of the fridge. I place a cluster of green grapes on a small plate and pop one into my mouth while Elena isn't looking.

Much to my dismay, Damon wanders into the kitchen. "Aunt Jenna is getting tipsy," he says.

"Will you stop plying her with alcohol," Elena says flatly.

"I want her to like me," Damon retorts. He starts walking around the kitchen island in my direction.

I automatically walk around to the other side of the island, but I try to do it as casually as I can, so he doesn't notice.

"What is this?" Damon says suddenly, looking at me from across the island. "Ring Around the Rosie?"

My face heats up in embarrassment at getting caught.

"Leave her alone, Damon," Elena says sternly. She quickly changes the subject for my benefit. "How's operation Lockwood going?" she asks, referring to Mason.

"He's my new BFF," Damon says proudly. "You better watch out, Harper. If you keeping giving me the silent treatment, you might not be my best friend anymore."

We were never friends I want to say, but that would be a lie. I know that, deep down inside, there was once a time I did consider him my friend. It's crazy to think that I ever saw something good in him, that I ever allowed myself to open up to him, that I felt comfortable enough to do so.

"Whatever," I mumble under my breath, knowing he can hear me.

Jenna enters the room. "There you are." She smiles a little too widely at Elena. "Isn't this fun?"

"Yes," Damon answers instead. "Thank you so much for inviting me." He rests his hands on the island and leans down on them.

"Did I have a choice?" she asks tightly.

"I know what you must think about me—" Damon starts.

Jenna interrupts, "No, you don't. You've never dated you. I have dated many you's."

That officially shuts him up for a moment. "Well," he begins slowly, "I'm a work in progress."

A work in progress? More like a hypocrite who only cares about himself.

"Ooh," Damon says. He walks over to a box on the counter filled with silver utensils. "These are fancy," he comments.

Jenna starts to fold some placemats on the island. "Thanks. My mother's silver set."

Damon takes a large knife out of the box, and his eyes find mine. Those blue eyes dance with mischief as he gives me a sly smile.

My gaze flicks up and down between the knife and his face. Does he seriously think it's funny to threaten me just because I won't talk to him? I have every right to be—but then I remember something about werewolves. There's a myth that silver weakens them.

My heart pounds. He's not going to hurt Mason, is he?

*Time Skip*

Elena, Caroline, and I are cleaning up the pictionary game in the living room. Well, Elena and Caroline are. I'm just sitting here on the couch hanging out.

After taking the whiteboard off its easel, Elena turns to us and asks suddenly, "Would I be the worst friend in the world if I abandoned you guys and went to Stefan's?"

I'm speaking before I can stop myself. "You can't just leave. We're in the middle of a party."

I know I'm being selfish, and Elena has every right to leave, but what if Caroline decides to leave too? And it's just me here by myself . . . with Damon. Oh God, I can't let that happen.

"Why do you want to leave?" Caroline asks reluctantly. By the tone of her voice, I can tell she doesn't want Elena to leave either, which is good because that means she's on my side.

"It's just that he hasn't gotten back to me," Elena says. "And I'm starting to get this bad feeling." She sets the white board down on the coffee table.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Elena," Caroline argues.

"Damon's got it under control here," Elena says back.

"Damon doesn't have control of anything," I butt in. "Didn't you see him with the knife? He wants to use it on Mason."

I bet he can hear me right now.

Elena raises her arms a little then brings them back to her sides. "And there's nothing we can do about it. Damon's gonna do what Damon's gonna do. We just have to hope he's not stupid enough to do it here."

"Well, then take it from me," Caroline speaks up. "There's nothing worse than a clingy girlfriend."

"I'm not being clingy. I'm—I'm just concerned." Elena holds her hands together. "You understand, right?" She starts walking towards the front of the house.

Caroline calls after her, "Um, how about I drive you?"

What?! Caroline, you were supposed to be on my side!

Elena turns back and nods at Caroline. "Yeah, okay, that'd be great, thanks."

"Wait," I pipe up, getting off the couch. "I wanna come too. Just let me ask my parents." I hurry off into the dining room. I know Damon is there, but if I'm quick, I won't even have to worry about him.

All the adults are clinking beer bottles. I make a beeline for my parents. Of course Damon is sitting next to my mother. I quickly tap her on the shoulder from behind.

"What is it, dear?" she hisses.

"Can I go with Caroline and Elena to Stefan's house?"

"I guess so, as long as you're with the girls," she says.

"Okay, thanks."

As I'm walking back towards the front of the house, I can distinctly hear Damon's voice say a little louder than needed from behind me, "You have raised such a respectful daughter, Sarah. What's your secret?"

Oh, he wanted me to hear that alright.

*Time Skip*

When Elena, Caroline, and I are on the road, I spend most of my time playing Tetris on my phone. Up front Elena and Caroline aren't saying much which is a bit unusual for them. Elena must be really worried about Stefan, and I assume Caroline is still really upset about having to break up with Matt, which is understandable. Her whole life has been turned upside down, and now she's been forced to let go of the one person she never wanted to hurt.

"Thanks for this," Elena says to Caroline. "I appreciate it."

"Here we come," Caroline says tightly, "to the rescue."

"Why are you being so snippy?" Elena asks, clearly annoyed.

"That's my own drama," Caroline says. So her break-up with Matt is what's bothering her right now. "But I'm sure that you two will beat the odds," she continues, referring to Elena's relationship with Stefan. "Not that there's any study to pull odds from. What is the ratio of success for vampire-human couplings? Well, I'm guessing nil."

I look up from my Tetris game. Woah, she's taking this a little too far now.

"Okay, Caroline," Elena says testily.

"Sorry," she apologizes.

And that is that. Elena reaches for the radio, and an upbeat song starts to play.

"I love this song," Elena says.

Caroline speaks up loudly, "What's playing?"

"Playing 'We Radiate' by Goldfrapp," says an automated voice from the radio.

"Ta-da," Caroline says to Elena.

Suddenly, the car starts to rock and vibrate as we slow to a stop.

"What's going on?" I ask.

"You have got to be kidding me," Caroline grumbles.

Thirty minutes later . . . and we're still waiting for a tow truck. Night has fallen, but hey, at least by now the barbecue has probably ended, meaning no more awkward run-ins with Damon. I'll just have Caroline drop me off at home after this is all over and let my parents know she is dropping me off.

Elena is pacing back and forth impatiently. "Are you sure the tow's coming? We've been waiting forever," she complains.

"I know, it's weird," Caroline says, her eyes searching down the road. "You know, they said they'd be here by now."

I rock back and forth on my feet. "Maybe they're just really busy tonight," I offer.

"Yeah," Elena says in a no kidding voice before whipping out her phone. "I'm just gonna call Jenna." She starts to type in her number.

"No," Caroline says quickly, making Elena stop. "Let me try the tow people again. And I'll use my aggro voice."

"We can just walk from here." Elena gestures up the street and starts to walk forward.

Caroline steps in her way. "No, I can't just leave my car."

"We'll come back for it," Elena says.

Caroline ignores her and starts typing something into her phone. "Just give me a minute, Elena," she says in a frustrated voice.

"Caroline, what part of 'I'm worried about Stefan' didn't sink in?" Elena asks.

Caroline looks up from her phone. "What's the rush?" she snaps. "Why are you hurrying to get to a relationship that'll never work?"

Elena blinks back at her exasperatedly. "Okay, look. I—I know that you're upset over Matt but will you stop projecting it onto me and Stefan, please?"

This is getting awkward. I back away a little from them.

"I'm not projecting anything!" Caroline says back. "You're human. He's a vampire. You're gonna be seventy and in diapers and he's still gonna be smoking hot. And, you will never have his children, Elena! And you are too maternal to not have children!"

Whoa. I guess this all needed to be said at some point but whoa.

"Where is this coming from?" Elena asks, stunned.

"I'm just trying to be your friend," Caroline insists.

"Okay, well, do me a favor and stop trying," Elena says.

The headlights of a tow truck coming down the road gain our attentions.

Elena gestures to it with her hand. "There's the tow. I'm gonna walk." She moves to walk past Caroline, but the blond grabs her by the arm.

"No, Elena, don't!" Caroline begs.

Okay, I'm starting to think this isn't just about Matt anymore.

"Ahh," Elena winces in pain. "Caroline, you're hurting me."

"You can't leave me." I faintly hear Caroline say.

What is that supposed to mean? What is wrong with her?

Still being held in place by Caroline, Elena voices my exact thoughts, "What's wrong with you?" she asks.

However, Caroline never gets a chance to answer because the tow truck finally pulls up beside us. It slows to a stop. "Hey there," says the driver. "Someone called about a flat tire?"

Caroline lets go of Elena's arm. My cousin backs away from her. "She did," Elena says, gesturing with her head to Caroline before turning on her heel and marching away.

What is going on with Caroline?

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

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a/n:

I am a Christian and serving the Lord means a lot to me. In fact, I consider it my purpose in life. So before I post new chapters, I'm going to ask a question (or something like that) at the end of each chapter and will require a certain amount of responses in the comments before I post a new chapter.

If you are a not Christian, I completely understand, and you don't have to take part. Just know that I will still require a certain amount of responses in the comments from other people regardless. So if you do choose to take part, it will just make updates happen that much faster.

So, my request for this chapter is: Please pray for the innocent people caught in the crossfire of the Israel and Gaza situation. Regardless of whose side you are in, there are innocent people getting harmed on both sides, and I just ask that you take a little time to pray for them.

Please comment responses that you have prayed here in the inline comment section >>>>>>

(if I get at least 12 responses, I'll post the next chapter of this book)

-- roxy

( word count: 3.1k )