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CHAPTER THREE
dinner party
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( friday night bites, pt. i )

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Friday, September 11, 2009

Harper's POV.

*Mystic Falls High School*

I open my locker and take out my binder for Spanish III Honors.

It's Friday, my favorite day of the week . . . or more like my favorite day of the school week. Saturday is my favorite day of the week, for obvious reasons.

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch sight of Bonnie's dark bouncing hair coming down the hallway. I shut my locker and turn to greet her. "Hey."

"Hey," she responds as she fiddles with the lock on her locker. Based on her lack of enthusiasm, I can tell that something is bothering her.

Instead of asking her straight out what's wrong? I work my way around it. "Where's Elena?" I ask her instead (I know, the dreaded question, but I actually genuinely want to know where Elena is since she usually arrives at school with Bonnie).

Bonnie stops fiddling with the lock and sighs before answering in an irritated voice, "She's with Stefan." She then goes back to messing with the lock, not even bothering to make eye contact with me.

So that's what's bothering her, Stefan, or more specifically, Stefan and Elena's blooming romance. I can relate. Except, I don't think Bonnie has a thing for Stefan, so it must be something else.

"Whoa," I say, "I thought you were all for team Stefan?"

Bonnie finally manages to open her locker. "I don't know anymore," she says before taking out her binder for ASL III.

"What do you mean? What changed your mind?"

"He's just giving me a bad feeling. I can't explain it," Bonnie says. She shuts her locker and turns to face me.

"You know, that's weird," I reminisce. "Matt said something similar yesterday."

"He did?" Bonnie asks quickly. "What did he say?"

"Um." I think for a moment. "Something about Stefan being weird or something. I can't remember exactly what he said."

At that moment, the bell for first period rings, meaning we only have five minutes to make it up the stairs and to the third floor. On instinct, we both clutch our things and make our way down the hall to the stairwell.

Later that day after school, I'm lying back on my bed, listening to music on my MP3 player, when suddenly my phone dings. I pick it up and see that it's a text from Elena.

ELENA GILBERT: Wanna come to dinner @ 8:00?

My insides twist in annoyance. No, I really don't wanna go to her house today. It's a Friday afternoon, and I'm exhausted. You'd think that after a week of back-to-school bonfire parties and comet festivals, that everyone would be socially drained. But apparently not.

HARPER LACY: What's the special occasion?

ELENA GILBERT: Nothing really, it would just be you, me, Bonnie, and Stefan

When I read Stefan's name, my heart flutters. Goodness, I really need to get a grip.

HARPER LACY: Um, I guess I'll come. I'll have my mom drop me off @ 7:30

ELENA GILBERT: Great! see you then

Feeling irritated, I put my phone down on my bed. If I had a good excuse not to go, I would have used it. But, unfortunately, since we don't have school tomorrow, I can't use homework or bedtimes as an excuse this time. Yeah, well, maybe I have used those two things as excuses too many times anyway. If I don't show up to social gatherings once in a while, I'll just seem like a rude person, and that's the last thing that I want to do.

I sigh before falling back on my bed. I put my MP3 earbuds back in my ears and press play. At least I have a few hours to mentally prepare myself for the night ahead with some upbeat music.

*Elena's House*

"You explain it," Bonnie says. "Last night, I'm watching Nine-o. Commercial break comes on, and I'm like, 'I bet it's that phone commercial.' And sure enough, it's the guy and the girl with the bench. He flies to Paris, and he flies back. They take a picture."

"Oh my gosh," I exclaim from the other side of the kitchen island. "I know that commercial. It's so annoying."

As Elena arranges some bowls on the island to put the to-go food in, she laughs. "Oh, come on. That commercial's on a constant loop."

"Fine." Bonnie rolls her eyes. "Well, how about this? Today I'm obsessed with numbers, three numbers. I keep seeing eight, fourteen, and twenty-two. How weird is that?"

Elena stops what she's doing and gives Bonnie a mock-serious look. "Maybe we should play the lottery," she suggests, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Bonnie blinks her eyes in irritation at Elena's sense of humor.

Elena just laughs. "Have you talked to your Grams?"

"She's just gonna say it's because I'm a witch," Bonnie says as she pours some to-go rice into a bowl. When she's done, she looks up at the two of us. "I don't wanna be a witch. Do you guys wanna be witches?"

Elena's face crinkles in disgust. "I don't wanna be a witch."

I shake my head, quickly agreeing. "Me either."

I answered so fast that I barely had much time to think about it. Of course, I don't want to be a witch. Witchcraft is evil, and my mother has forbidden me from anything that involves it. However, it would be pretty cool to have those kind of powers, if only there was a way to have them without the evil spirit stuff.

Elena starts pouring some of the to-go chicken into one of the bowls she set out.

"And putting it in a nice bowl isn't fooling anybody," Bonnie comments with a grin. She's referring to the fact that Elena decided to order take-out instead of making dinner herself. However, she's still trying to pass it off as cooked food by putting it into some family bowls.

"Okay, serving spoons," Elena says. She turns around to search the kitchen drawers. "Where are the serving spoons?"

"Middle drawer on your left," Bonnie answers immediately, pointing towards it.

Elena looks back at Bonnie for a split second, and I know what she's thinking. Bonnie had answered her question way to quickly, as if she were positively sure which drawer the serving spoons were in. It's obvious that Bonnie is testing to see if she's actually psychic or not.

I guess we're about to find out if she's right about where the spoons are.

Elena hesitates before opening the drawer, and sure enough, there are serving spoons inside. Elena takes two out and shuts the drawer. "Okay, so you've been in this kitchen, like, a thousand times." She shrugs, brushing it off.

"Yeah, that's it," Bonnie says in her "yeah, sure" voice.

The doorbell sounds, causing my heart to skip a beat.

Stefan's here.

Now, I know I'm not the one he's here for, but still, I can't help but feel all giddy at the thought of getting to talk to him tonight. He's so attractive with that muscly body and sharp jawline of his. Who can blame me?

But with excitement comes nerves. I really hope I don't make a fool of myself tonight or say anything embarrassing. The last thing I want is for Stefan to think I'm a weirdo.

"Okay, he's here," Elena exclaims and clasps her hands together. "Don't be nervous. Just be your normal, loving selves." She directs her gaze more so towards Bonnie than at me, making me realize that there's more to this dinner party get-together than meets the eye. I recall what Bonnie had told me earlier about Stefan giving her a bad feeling. She probably also told Elena, and now Elena wants Bonnie to get to know Stefan so the two can bond.

Meaning, Elena only invited me here so that Bonnie could have someone to lay back on if Elena and Stefan got too distracted by each other. Which would explain why Caroline didn't get invited, just me and Bonnie.

I've got it all figured out now.

As Elena goes to let Stefan in, Bonnie holds up a finger at me. "Wait, let me try something," she says.

"What?" I ask.

Bonnie pays me no mind. Instead, she looks down at a closed drawer in front of her on the island. "Birthday candles," she guesses before opening the drawer. Her eyes immediately widen, and she shakes her head. She then looks up at me for my response.

"Okay," I say. "What did you do?"

"Come look."

I walk around to the other side of the island and look inside the drawer Bonnie had just opened. There is a small pack of birthday candles inside.

Realization dawns on me. "Oh, you were trying out another one of your predictions."

"Yeah." Bonnie bites her lip.

Do I believe in magic?

No.

Do I think Bonnie is overreacting?

Yes.

Coincidences are a thing. I experience them all the time, but I don't go around calling myself a fortune teller. I mean, sometimes I do, but only when I'm joking. Bonnie is actually taking this whole witch thing seriously. It's starting to get on my nerves.

*Time Skip*

The awkward silence as the four of us eat is driving me insane.

My God! Can things get any more awkward? I'm about ready to dig a hole, jump in it, and die.

When Elena finally says something, I start to praise the Lord, cause we all know there was no way I was going to be the one to break the awkward silence. Maybe if we were at my house, I would, but since we're at someone else's house, I feel no obligation to be the one to carry on the conversations. It's just too awkward and too much work in my opinion.

"Did Tanner give you a hard time today?" Elena asks Stefan.

"Well, he let me on the team." Stefan chuckles. "So I must have done something right."

My insides warm. Stefan is just too cute. I feel a small smile pull at my lips as I take a bite of chicken.

A grin forms on Elena's face, her bright eyes turning to me and Bonnie. "You guys should have seen Stefan today. Tyler threw a ball right at him and – "

"Yeah, I heard," Bonnie interrupts, very noticeably trying to shoot down any further discussion on the topic. The move bothers me because it's not like Stefan has done anything wrong. He seems perfectly polite and sweet. Bonnie really has to stop letting all this superstitious witch stuff control her actions.

Since I'm not completely sure what Elena was talking about, I decide to speak up, even if talking in front of Stefan makes me nervous.

"I didn't hear about that. What happened?" I ask, looking at Elena from across the table.

Elena throws Bonnie a subtle look of disapproval before answering my question. "Well, before school today, Tyler decided to be a jerk, and he tried to hit Stefan with a football. It was coming so fast I didn't even see it, but then Stefan caught it." She pauses. "Tyler looked so mad." Elena giggles.

I laugh along with her and bravely turn my head to look at Stefan. "It's a good thing you're on the team now. I mean our team is so bad. We could really use you."

"Well, hopefully I won't disappoint." Stefan smiles sweetly at me.

It takes everything in my power not to get too flustered.

After Elena takes a sip of her drink, she says, "Bonnie, why don't you tell Stefan about your family?"

Ugh, can my cousin be anymore obvious?

Bonnie sends Elena a quick glare before composing herself. "Um, divorced. No mom. Live with my dad." She laughs a little to diffuse the awkwardness.

"No, about the witches," Elena says, turning to Stefan. "Bonnie's family has a lineage of witches. It's really cool." She adds extra emphasis on the "it's really cool" part to get Bonnie to elaborate, which should work since Bonnie has been talking nonstop about the possibility of her being a witch for the past few days.

But instead of continuing the conversation, Bonnie deflects again and shakes her head. "Cool isn't the word I'd use."

Jeez, what could Bonnie possibly think Stefan has done for her to treat him like this?

I'm surprised when Stefan speaks up to answer her comment.

"Well, it's certainly interesting," he says. "I'm not too versed, but I do know that there's a history of Celtic druids that migrated here in the 1800s."

"My family came by way of Salem," Bonnie makes clear.

"Really?" Stefan asks, impressed.

Bonnie nods sheepishly.

"Salem witches?" he says.

"Yeah," Bonnie confirms, a crack of a smile pulling at her lips.

Stefan glances between both me and Elena. "I would say that's pretty cool," he says.

"Really?" Bonnie questions. "Why?"

"Salem witches are heroic examples of individualism and nonconformity," Stefan explains.

Something changes in Bonnie's eyes. She raises her chin proudly. "Yeah, they are," she agrees.

Stefan has her attention now. If he isn't careful, he might just gain another member in his already growing fangirl club.

The doorbell sounds, but I think nothing of it . . . until I realize what hour it is. No delivery guy or salesman would be out this late, so who could it be?

"I wonder who that could be," Elena says as she gets up to answer the door, leaving me, Bonnie, and Stefan alone at the table.

Oh great, now it's really awkward.

Bonnie quickly shoves a piece of chicken into her mouth, so she has an excuse not to talk. That's usually my move, and I'm a bit frustrated because now that puts the pressure on me – or Stefan – to say something, anything to fill the awkward silence. But of course, me being me, I chicken out and start to sip my drink, so now I have an excuse not to talk too.

Much to my surprise, Stefan starts to get up from his seat. "Excuse me," he says before walking towards the front of the house.

With him gone, an air familiarity returns. As much as I like him, I'm almost relieved that it's just me and Bonnie now. I can only take so much awkward silence at once.

"He seems nice to me," I comment to Bonnie, putting my drink back down on the table.

Bonnie looks in the direction that Stefan had gone before bringing her attention back to me. "I don't know." She shakes her head. "I just feel like he's hiding something."

"What could he possibly be hiding?" I say.

I mean, sure, he's on the quieter side, but as a quiet person myself, I know not to jump to conclusions about people. Just because someone seems weird and mysterious, doesn't mean that they are.

I hear the sound of heels clicking on the floor. I turn to see Caroline entering the room.

Huh, I thought she wasn't invited. Her being here is a welcome sight though. Knowing Caroline, she'll easily be able to add some life into our so far dreary conversations.

"Hi, guys," Caroline greets.

A man walks into the room behind her. Someone I have never seen before. He's very noticeably good-looking with a strong jawline, very dark brown hair that appears black, and a pair of striking light blue eyes. Literally the definition of tall, dark, and handsome. He's wearing a leather jacket over a black shirt which only adds to his already well-built physique.

God, wait, I'm staring.

My first instinct is to turn to Bonnie and ask who in the world this guy is, but I force myself to wait. I don't want to appear too obvious.

Caroline must notice my bewildered expression because she says quickly, "Oh, Harper, this is Damon." She turns to the man — Damon — and smiles. "Damon, I would like you to meet Harper. She's Elena's cousin."

As Damon comes closer to the table, a burst of anticipation explodes in my gut. I wasn't expecting anyone except for Stefan, Elena, and Bonnie to be here. I'm not complaining though. Damon is, dang, Damon is hot . . . and tall . . . and . . .

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Harper." Damon smiles, looking right at me. His eyes flicker to Bonnie sitting next to me. "Bonnie." He nods in greeting.

"Hi," is all I'm able to say.

"Hi," Bonnie also greets, but she has a reluctant smile on her face.

Even Damon's voice is attractive, so deep and soothing. Where in the world did Caroline find him?

When I think no one is looking, I quickly turn to Bonnie and whisper, "Who is he?"

Bonnie looks over her shoulder at him. "Damon Salvatore," she answers.

Salvatore?

"Wait, you mean, as in related to Stefan?" I ask, continuing to keep my voice low.

Bonnie leans closer to my ear, so we can talk more privately. "Yeah, he's Stefan's older brother," she explains. "Elena didn't even tell me out about him until cheer practice today."

I pull away from Bonnie and take a moment to let that information sink in. "No way," I say under my breath.

So not only is Stefan hot, but so is his brother. I wonder what Mrs. Salvatore fed them because something for sure went right in that family.

Once everyone is done eating, the six of us move to the living room. Elena and Stefan are sitting together on the couch while Caroline and Damon are sitting smugly together on the recliner. Bonnie and I are seated beside each other in our own individual chairs.

We start talking about football and cheerleading. Actually, the others talk about it. I just listen. I would be much more talkative if there weren't two intimidatingly good-looking guys among us.

"I cannot believe that Mr. Tanner let you on the team," Caroline exclaims, looking at Stefan. "Uh, Tyler must be seething. But good for you. Go for it." She sets her mug down on the coffee table.

"That's what I always tell him," says Damon. "You have to engage. You can't just sit there." He shakes his head disapprovingly, "and wait for life to come to you. You have to go get it."

The unamused look in Stefan's eyes does not go unnoticed by me. There's clearly some tension brewing between the Salvatore brothers, and I've been picking up on it all night. I want to know what it's all about because it's really starting to get on my nerves. Once again, awkwardness has found its way into this dinner party, but in a different form than before.

Caroline rests her hand on Damon's knee. "Yeah, Elena wasn't so lucky today," she begins, turning her eyes on Elena. "It's only because you missed summer camp. God, I don't know how you're ever going to learn the routines."

"I'll work with her," Bonnie speaks up in defense of Elena. "She'll get it."

Not paying attention to what Bonnie had said, Caroline thinks to herself and loudly mumbles, "I guess we can put her in the back . . . "

Okay, even I think Caroline has gone too far this time. There's a point where she just has to recognize that it isn't cute to be so blunt all the time. Not everyone wants to hear it. I would like to chastise her about it one day, but let's face it. Even with my own closest friends, I'm still too shy to speak my mind sometimes.

"Hey, you don't," Damon starts, looking at Elena. "You don't seem like the cheerleader type, Elena."

Elena just smiles lightly and takes a sip from her mug.

I have no idea where Damon got that from. I mean, just look at my cousin. She has the looks and charm of a cheerleader. In the dictionary, there should be a picture of her under the word.

"Oh, it's just cause her parents died," Caroline explains nonchalantly. "Yeah, I mean, she's just totally going through a blah phase. She used to be way more fun . . . and I say that with complete sensitivity."

Gosh, Caroline just really needs to stop. It's getting embarrassing. The tension is getting so thick in here, I could cut it with a knife.

"I'm sorry, Elena," Damon sympathizes. "I know what it's like to lose both your parents. In fact, Stefan and I have watched almost every single person we've ever cared about die."

Wow, well, that's a lot to take in. For such young guys, it sounds like they sure have gone through a lot of hard stuff.

"We don't need to get into that right now, Damon," Stefan interrupts, speaking up for the first time.

Goodness sakes, it's getting really uncomfortable in here. I thought Caroline being here would make things less tense, but, if anything, her being here along with the addition of Damon has made things even worse. I can only imagine how Elena is feeling right now. She has been the topic of discussion for quite a bit now, and not in a good way.

"Oh, you know what? You're right, Stef," Damon says. "I'm sorry. I – the last thing I wanted to do was bring her up." He chuckles innocently. "Mmm."

If it wasn't obvious before, it's very obvious now. There's something going on between Stefan and Damon that's not being said out loud. Out of the two, Damon appears to be the one initiating it more. From the looks on their faces, I doubt it's just something as simple as your everyday sibling banter. I also wonder who the "her" Damon was talking about is.

Eventually, the conversation starts to dial it down some. Elena goes to clean up in the kitchen, probably tired of being the center of attention. This leaves the rest of us alone in the living room. When Bonnie excuses herself to go to the restroom, I go with her and follow her upstairs.

I really needed a break from the party and a chance to text my mom to come pick me up. After Bonnie is finished in the restroom, we meet at the top of the stairs.

I take my chance to find out some more information before she rejoins the others. "How old do you think he is?" I ask Bonnie, referring to Damon.

"Probably in his early twenties." She shrugs. "He's older. That's all I know."

"I've never seen him before. He probably just moved into town like Stefan did," I deduce. "I wonder why Stefan never mentioned him before."

"I have no idea," Bonnie says, sounding somewhat uninterested.

I decide to end our conversation there. Bonnie appears to have some other things on her mind right now. She's not really paying attention to what I'm saying as much as I would like her too.

"I'm gonna go see if Elena needs some help in the kitchen," she announces before making her way back downstairs.

With the bathroom now empty, I head inside and lock the door.

I really hope not every get-together we have from now on is going to be like this. It was much more carefree when Elena was just dating Matt. With the new addition of the Salvatore brothers, I'm scared to just open my mouth or move my body in any way in front of them without being judged.

Now, if only my mom could come pick me up sooner to save me from this chaotic night.

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a/n:

I swear I can relate to Harper so much. I'm just as much of a shy smolbean as her.

-- roxy

( word count: 3.9k )