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   I WAS DRESSED in a black dress that went just above my knees with some lace at the top. I thought it was gorgeous but nothing too female-ish. Just the way I liked it. I grabbed two strands of my brunette hair from the front and pulled them both back to where the back of my head and used a clip to keep them there before applying hairspray. I didn't curl or straighten my naturally wavy hair because I thought it suited me. As I walked out I came to face-to-naked chest with Damon.

   "Put a shirt on," I said to him, crossing my arms and giving him a pointed look. Damon looked me up and down, let out a low whistle, then turned to Stefan to ask if they still wore ties to the Founder's Party. I rolled my eyes at his childish antics and slipped on some small heels, putting on mascara and some natural lipstick so I didn't have a full face of caked makeup. I just walked out to my car, putting my black corsage on and holding Bonnie's white corsage in its box. I knew she forgot to buy one, so I bought one for her. She is my date, after all, and my friend.

    I looked at it and touched the white flower softly and played with the pink ribbon. She was wearing this beautiful floral dress, and I'm the exact opposite of it. I drove to the Bennett house, knocking on the door. Her Grams opened it and immediately I saw a smile light up her face. "Oh, so you're the girl my Bonnie said she was going with," she said. "I always knew that Bonnie didn't play for the men's tea-"

   "Ms. Bennett, trust me, we're only going as friends. I'm sure she does play for the men's team, just like I do," I laughed, my face burning a little as I realized it must've been a pinkish color. Bonnie made herself known as she had a horrified look on her face. She kissed her Gram's cheek and said bye to her, but not before telling her that she didn't like girls. As the door shut, I laughed. "Aw, your Grams is so precious, Bon. I miss my own grandmother," I said softly. My grandmother had baked cookies every time Jason and I came to her house, and she'd always kiss my head. Sadly, she died the year I turned seventeen.

    "She's just old and confused," Bonnie brushed it off, chuckling softly. I could tell it was an innocent joke because she too loved her Grams. I walked her to the car and opened the door for her, "Oh, what a lady." She sat down and I shut the door for her, handing her the box. "What's this?" Bonnie asked, looking down at it. I told her to open it and she did, revealing a beautiful corsage. "Charlotte! You didn't have to do that!" She said with a huge grin, grabbing my wrist in excitement. For a minute, her face fell and I thought she didn't like it, but once she let go she smiled again and handed it to me. "Will you put it on for me?" Bonnie asked softly, and I nodded as I tied the pink ribbon to her wrist and messed with the pretty ribbon next to the flowers. She admired it before telling me to drive to the Lockwood's.

    I did as told and drove, playing soft music in the background. Once we arrived, I quickly got out of the car and opened Bonnie's door for her, holding my hand out. "M'Lady," I said to her with a smile, causing her to send me a smile back. Even if it isn't a legitimate date, I still wanted Bonnie to feel like this wasn't awkward and I wanted her to feel special. She didn't have a date and I said I'd go with her, so I'm sure as hell going to give her the full experience, minus all the physical things couples do.

    We walked to the door and Mrs. Lockwood smiled, "Hello, welcome. Thank you for coming. It's good to see you, Bonnie. Your friend here is..?" I looked to Bonnie and she smiled, looking back to Carol.

    "This is my escort, Charlotte. She came here with the Salvatores," Bonnie explained, looking at me with a look that said she wanted to talk. I knew it was probably to question me about something, but I didn't know what. Bonnie and I walked in after Carol nodded and she led me away to a more private spot in the manor. "I want to know more about you and your past. I know nothing and I couldn't find anything to say to Mrs. Lockwood out there. And I would like to know my future best friend," she said to me, causing me to smile a little.

    "Well, my name is Charlotte Elise Fray. I am seventeen years old, and I really love to sing. I come from a family of four: me, my older brother, and my two parents. I love the color blue, dark blue to be exact. Pizza and tacos are my favorite food and brownies are my favorite dessert. I come from a long line of high society people and broke away from that a long time ago," I explained, lying only a little. I'm not seventeen, I'm twenty-two. I'm also technically eighty-eight years old, which isn't too old. Most of my friends are still alive at this moment, but they are all cursed with Alzheimer's and decaying bodies. But one died sooner than she should've... Nikitta...

    Bonnie only sighed and nodded, "Thank you."

She grabbed my hand and lead me to where everyone was, causing them to look at us. Caroline made a confused and almost disgusted look at us together, Damon had his perpetual smirk, Stefan looked confused as well (probably thought that it was weird that I was with a woman), and Elena just had a large smile. "Hey, guys. We're here," she said, smiling. Elena embraced us both and whispered for me to get her, but before I could explain that I wasn't a lesbian, slow dance music rang throughout the house.

   Caroline's face visibly brightened as she looked at all of us, "Well, I'm bored. I want to dance. And Damon won't dance with me." She looked at Damon with an annoyed look, and I glared at him. I knew he danced, so what was this man playing at? Damon agreed as Caroline looked to Elena, "Could I just borrow your date?" My eyes widened at the ludicrous proposal. Elena was shocked and speechless as she looked to Stefan. At the time Stefan said he didn't really dance, I also said he doesn't dance. After spending years together, I've learned who Stefan was and knew how to back him up in situations such as these.

   "Oh, sure he does. You should see him. Waltz, the jitterbug, the moonwalk. He does it all," Damon said, smirking. I glared at him as he sent a mischievous look back, winking. My mouth went agape as I stared at the man in disbelief, only tuning back in when I saw Caroline pull Stefan to the dance floor.

   "I want to apologize to you for being such a world-class jerk the other night when I tried to kiss you. There's no excuse. My therapist says I'm... Acting out, trying to punish Stefan," Damon explained with an innocent look and send a smirk towards me while Elena had looked away. I narrowed my eyes as Damon lied, explaining why he was "trying to punish Stefan".

    Damon then walked over to me and took my hand, placing a kiss to it. Then, he took my hand and lead me over to Elena, who was looking at some of the paintings in the manor. "The Salvatore name was practically royalty in this town. Until the war. There was a battle here—" Damon was explaining before Elena cut him off and said that it was the Battle of Willow Creek. "Right," He said to her, as she lament explained that we were talking about it in class and how they shot at civilians inside the church.

   "What the history books left out was the people that were killed. They weren't there by accident. They were believed to be union sympathizers. So some of the founders on the confederacy side back then wanted them rounded up and burned alive. Stefan and Damon had people they loved very much in that church. And when they went to rescue them, they were shot. Murdered in cold blood," Damon explained, a sad look on his face. My heart sunk to my stomach as I realized that this was his and Stefan's backstory. I wanted to hug him, comfort him. But I knew that wouldn't do any good.

  Elena asked who was in the church that they wanted to save. Damon looked over to her and answered easily, "Women, I guess. Doesn't it always come down to the love of women?" Elena said she was sorry that he and Stefan had this rivalry, and that she couldn't get into the middle of it. Also that she hoped they could work it out. I did too, I've already had two experiences of being woken up by Stefan getting mad at Damon.

   I walked to my "date" and sat next to her, smiling. She had a confused look on her face as the once lit candle was blowing smoke. She must've blown it out. "What is it?" I questioned, but she said nothing happened. "Hey, I'm sorry for kind of getting into everything and leaving you earlier, you were meant to be the focus of my night. You're my friend and they had people to talk to, you didn't," I said softly, brushing some hair out of my face. She smiled and said it was okay, nodding.

   I stood and she stood with me, making her way with me to the group. I arrived as Stefan asked Damon if he wanted a glass of champagne, that I knew was laced with vervain. Stefan had informed me of his plan hours ago, and I agreed to go along with it because all Damon has caused was trouble from the start. But when he passed, I sighed and plastered a fake smile on my face as I approached with Bonnie, "Hey guys!"

   "Hey, Char. Hey Bon," Elena said with a smile, before turning to Stefan, "Stefan, do you have another dance in you?" Stefan smiled at her and told her absolutely walking off to dance with her.

   "My darling, you look ravishing," Damon said to me with a smirk, obviously desperate. "Dance with me?" I begrudgingly accepted and walked to the dancing area with Damon to the slow dance, his arm wrapped perfectly around my waist and my arms around his neck, swaying softly as we danced together. Our bodies were touching and I felt my heart racing. It was exhilarating dancing with him. But I forgot, he was the eternal heartbreaker, he'd just break my heart too. We said nothing as I stared into his crystalline blue eyes and he stared into my chocolate brown ones. Everything we said was silent, we communicated without moving our lips. After the dance ended, I saw Stefan and Elena almost arguing but not arguing? It was something odd, and I didn't want to be here for it, to witness drama between a guy like my brother and a new friend of mine.

    I left to go home after the magical and amazing dance with Damon, walking to my car. Bonnie had said she was getting a ride back with Elena anyway so she could stay with her. I started my car and drove off towards the house, listening to soft Marina and the Diamonds as I did. Tonight was an amazing night, I couldn't deny.