Status: just posting this here to see what happens ~
Of the Night
Right On The Outskirts Of Town?
I had decided pretty early on in my school career that P.E. just wasn’t for me. I wasn’t a fan of changing into the gym uniform and then running around the track with a bunch of people who had also decided that P.E. wasn’t for them. No one put the same kind of dedication into a mandatory gym class that they put into sports, if they played one. I could usually do the bare minimum and get away with it.
Unfortunately, and I am genuinely stressing the importance of the word unfortunately, it seemed like I wasn’t going to get that luxury this year. Being apathetic with acquaintances was nice. It created a feeling of camaraderie.
Being apathetic with Damon Salvatore constantly trying to one-up you was the exact opposite of nice. Until now, I had managed to avoid him and Klaus by sticking close to Bonnie, my only immediate friend in the class, for any and all activities.
Unfortunately, spring also meant the beginning of Project Adventure. It’s as excruciating as it sounds.
The entire unit was a bunch of team-building exercises and your participation was based on how well you cooperated with the other members of your team. Salvatore didn’t annoy me enough for me to want to sacrifice my grade in an easy class.
I took a deep breath before I pushed open the door from the girls’ locker room, mentally preparing myself for the ordeal. My hair had already mutinied and came loose from the bun while I was changing, and instead of attempting to fix it without the benefit of a mirror I threw it up into a pony tail.
“Hey, Bon,” I greeted her as I plopped onto the bleachers. Inside the gym, they were wooden and therefore splintery and unforgiving.
Bonnie had her game face on, hair tied back and sneaker laces done up tight. “Hey, Elena. Are you ready for the inevitable?” She bit her lip to hide the grin. Much like Rebekah and Caroline, Bonnie found my interactions with Damon hilarious. Unlike Rebekah and Caroline, Bonnie didn’t abandon me once he showed up.
“You mean being forced into close proximity with Salvatore?” I pursed my lips. “Never.”
As his name left my lips, my eyes glided over the faces in the gym, all equally miserable in the wake of Project Adventure season. I found him on the other side, close to the door that led to the field outside with Klaus and his other best friend, Alaric Saltzman. Now that I’m thinking about it, Alaric is probably the owner of the fourth spot on the Most Obnoxious list.
A pair of fingers snapped in front of my face. “Elena!” Bonnie chastised, though her facial expression was filled with mirth. “If he catches you staring at him you’ll never live it down and I’ll have to hear about it for the rest of my natural life.”
I couldn’t think of a snappy comeback so I just rolled my eyes. “Want to head out to the field? We’re doing that team tightrope thing.”
Bonnie grimaced, any semblance of motivation completely drained from her face. “Team tightrope? This is going to go so, so badly. I can’t balance for shit.”
We trudged to the door, nodding at our teacher (who gave us an unnecessarily bright grin, probably in anticipation of our future pain and suffering), and entering into bright sunlight.
Team tightrope was, as its name might suggest, a team-building exercise that utilized tightropes. They weren’t ridiculously high or anything; just high enough that falling onto your ass wasn’t the most pleasant of experiences. The goal was to navigate your team across a series of tightropes and get to the platform on the other side successfully without someone falling. If someone fell, the whole team had to start over. I was convinced that it was actually impossible to accomplish.
Coach Curley blew his whistle and everyone was herded over to where he stood beside the platform for the first tightrope. Coach Curley was a short, stout man in his mid-forties who was very jolly for someone going through a nasty divorce and custody battle with his wife (ex) in Boston. Mystic Falls was a very small town.
“Today!” He began brightly, “Is the first day of Project Adventure! Come on now, clap it up,” he was met with the very distinct sound of groaning. My gym class was at most about twenty students. I don’t know what Curley was expecting.
He charged admirably on. The little gym teacher that could. “I’ll make it short: your goal is to get everyone to the other side. If someone falls, you start over. Work on your team-building and problem-solving skills so you won’t enter the world as completely incapable adults.” Curley gave a little satisfied smile when he got a few chuckles out of his unmotivated audience. “I’ll leave you to it.”
Curley wandered off to observe us from a safer distance and it was as if the class converged on itself.
“I’m pretty sure that if we all refuse to do it, they can’t penalize us,” a girl from the back of the crowd, April, piped up. She was met with a few murmurs of agreement.
“Oh come on, this is easy. Just walk across the line and don’t bust ass and you’ll be fine,” Damon said, pulling a hand through his hair as if it held all of the balance and grace that God had given him. Every eye was turned on him and I could visibly see him pull himself up taller, revel in the attention.
I scoffed out loud before I could even process it. Bonnie’s arm flew into mine so fast I was worried there would be muscular bruising. That’s how I became the subject of everyone’s attention.
Damon was smirking at me. “Have something to say, Gilbert?” He asked, an eyebrow raised halfway to his hairline. Challenge was written all over his face.
I looked him in the eye and smiled because, much like dogs, looking away from Damon Salvatore was a sign of submission.
“I was just thinking that telling them not to bust ass isn’t the greatest advice. Considering this is supposed to be a team effort and all.” I eyed the first platform. The tightrope had to be around twenty feet long, maybe twenty-five before it ended at another platform. There were seven sections of tightrope before the course ended. In the back of my head, I briefly pondered the possibility of this falling under the category of institutionalized torture.
“Do you have better advice?” I had to think about this for several long seconds. Bonnie had a hand covering her mouth and Klaus and Alaric were speaking to each other in rapid and decisive hushed tones.
I turned from his Cheshire grin and looked around at the crowd of people. A boy named Luca had a sweatshirt draped over his shoulders and an annoyed expression on his face. Droplets of sweat were already beginning to gather around his temples. I glanced at his sweatshirt again and had a little bit of a light bulb moment.
Luca was neither short nor stout, though these two qualities were often attributed to him. It wasn’t his physical appearance that warranted it, really, it was the fact that he once lost a bet and had to perform a rousing rendition of “My Little Teapot” in front of the whole school during lunch our freshman year. Luca was new and had yet to realize that the collective memory of Mystic Falls was similar to that of an elephant.
“Luca!” I exclaimed, and he was immediately put on edge.
“What?” More sweat dewed up at his temples and slid down toward his neck. I couldn’t blame him, because the heat was bordering the line between unbearable and hellish.
I placed both of my hands on either of his shoulders and gave him a beseeching look. Luca and I had a quiet alliance. He seemed to be willing to help me with whatever I needed at the moment, allowing that it wasn’t too insane, as long as I refrained from calling him “Short” or “Stout” whenever I saw him. I was and am a firm supporter of this deal.
“I need your help.” To say the Luca looked a little bit perplexed would be an understatement. A quick tug and the sweatshirt was off his shoulders, dangling between us. I took it from him and promptly dropped it on the ground, facing Salvatore in the process, whose inherent smugness was crossing over in to the realm of confusion.
“Are you planning to do something illegal with Stout?” I raised an eyebrow and remained unimpressed. Bonnie snickered.
“No. I’m giving advice.”
The gym congregation watched with amused expressions. I went with purpose over to the first tightrope and kicked off my shoes, socks and all. “Better traction,” was all I said in explanation.
I stepped up onto the platform, keeping low as I walked across the tightrope because somewhere I’d stored away that it worked better in conjunction with a person’s center of gravity.
It only took a few minutes for me to get across to the next platform.
“Okay Luca, your turn.”
“I don’t see why you didn’t ask Bonnie for help.”
“Bonnie can’t balance for shit and I’m trying to prove a point.” Luca let out one massive sigh and began his trek across the tightrope. As he went, I pointed out all the great things he was doing and all the terrible things. When Luca made it across safe and sound, I called for everyone to line up and flipped Salvatore the bird behind my back.
_
The second half of the day passed better than the first. I was the first to leave my ninth period history class, slipping my sunglasses onto my face to avoid potential blinding as I headed to Rebekah’s car. When I got there, there was a flyer stuck beneath her windshield wiper. Actually, there was a flyer stuck beneath the windshield wiper of every single car in the lot. They were vibrant, highlighter pink, and 100% obvious.
I pulled it out and pushed my sunglasses onto my head to see it better. Bold-faced type declared the new construction of a mall on the outskirts of town. The company logo was a black oval with Pierce Industries spanning across the middle. My faced twisted into an ugly expression. Mystic Falls didn’t have anything that could remotely be considered part of a chain or large corporation. It was very Mom, Pop, and Founding Family oriented.
“Who pissed in your cornflakes?” Rebekah asked jovially, waving a hand in front of my face to catch my attention.
“Pierce Industries. Did you know they’re opening up a mall near the highway?”
“Right on the outskirts of town?”
My frown deepened. “That’s the one.”
Rebekah scoffed. “That makes absolutely no sense. Mystic Falls doesn’t get much traffic. Our exit on the highway is nearly nonexistent and like, a dozen miles away from any kind of civilization in any direction. Putting a mall there might bring in some people but not enough. If anything, it might ruin business here.”
I shrugged and handed her the crinkled sheet. “Read it and weep.”
“What are we weeping about?” Caroline asked, appearing from thin air and leaning beside us on the hood of the car. Her nose was scrunched.
“They’re building a mall near the highway,” Rebekah said in a disapproving tone.
“Right on the outskirts of town?” Unlike when Rebekah expressed this sentiment only moments earlier, Caroline sounded absolutely delighted. I nodded, and Caroline squealed. “Thank God. I’m tired of driving two hours out to the closest college town just for a trip to the mall. The stores here are boring and everyone knows everyone so there’s absolutely no room for change at all. How am I supposed to buy sexy underwear if the woman at the register was my old baby sitter? She saw me in diapers, Elena.”
I laughed. “The woes of living in a small town.”
Rebekah crumpled up the paper and tossed it in the direction of the trash can near the school entrance. Whether it actually made it in or not isn’t important.
“You’re telling me.”
_
“Mom! Dad! I’m home!” I called into house, slipping off my sandals and kicking them next to the other shoes lined up against the wall. Rebekah honked a good-bye at me before she pulled out of the driveway. I waved at her before I closed the door.
The house was remarkably empty of gunfire and Jeremy’s frustrated cursing that usually accompanied his Xbox, so I assumed he wasn’t home. Probably with Anna playing a game of tic-tac-toe around their feelings.
I dropped my book bag on the counter and headed for the kitchen, leftover pizza slices calling my name. It was a simple layout: the sink, stove, and fridge were all on the same side with an island of granite countertop opposite of it.
There was a note stuck to the door of the fridge, and I didn’t even have to read it to know what it said. My mom and dad were out more often than not on spontaneous do-gooder trips. Part of the reason is that they both decided to retire very early in their careers because they were well off, dropping everything except managing the clinic in town.
I glanced over the smooth, loping letters that stretched across the paper:
Gone away for the rest of the week—we left the MasterCard, order pizza or something and stay alive. Don’t do drugs, don’t get arrested, you know the deal. We love you!
-Mom and Dad
I let out a sigh powerful enough to lift a thousand sails and crumpled up the note. I tossed it and missed the trashcan by a large enough margin to feel a little embarrassed, but I was alone in my shame.
Three slices of pepperoni pizza were wrapped in tin foil, resting on the second shelf of the fridge. I maneuvered around a Tupperware of rice and something unidentifiable that probably shouldn’t be available for consumption anymore to grab it, tossing them on a microwaveable plate and setting it in the microwave.
As I waited for the slices to heat up (very far away from the microwave because when I was nine, one of my dad’s colleagues told me that standing in front of a microwave would cause my brain to absorb the radiation and then boom, cancer), I pulled my phone from my bag and shot a quick text to Jeremy.
To: Jer
Jeremy! Mom and Dad went away for the rest of the week. Should I order in or do you have plans?
One of Jeremy’s few redeeming qualities is that he was perpetually attached to his phone (though I couldn’t really complain—we were alike in that way) and could answer a text in less than six seconds flat. I had just sent it and closed out of the window when my phone vibrated with his reply.
To: Lena
im staying at anna’s for dinner. i’ll text u when i’m on my way home
I bit back a smile and had to refrain from bombarding him with excessive emojis, settling for a simple “okay” before tossing my phone on the counter. The microwave beeped and I grabbed my plate, biting into the first slice with relish. At least 93.4% of me preferred the taste of warmed up pizza to newly delivered. Grabbing my bag and phone, I took the pizza and myself to the living room, stretched out on the sectional, and began a very long and arduous Law and Order: SVU marathon.
****
To: Elena ☺
From: Caroline Forbes
elena!!!!! guess what!!!!
To: Carocurve
From: Elena Gilbert
what!!!! Please tell me!!!! Your excessive use of exclamation marks are giving me anxiety!!!
To: Elena ☺
From: Caroline Forbes
i saw jeremy and anna at the grill!!!! or more specifically, behind the grill!!!
To: Carocurve
From: Elena Gilbert
Ten bucks says they were making out and you embarrassed them. Please tell me that you did. This opportunity might never come again.
To: Elena ☺
From: Caroline Forbes
what kind of best friend would i be if i didn’t???? ;)
To: Carocurve
From: Elena Gilbert
Oh my God what did his face look like?? Was he traumatized? I hope he was traumatized because I’ll never forgive him for telling my parents when Matt and I were going on our first date. They tried to double with us, Caroline! My parents tried to go on a double date with me!!
To: Elena ☺
From: Caroline Forbes
i’m already on my way to yours, i took pictures and everything. it’s really a beautiful moment that deserves to be shared in person.
Unfortunately, and I am genuinely stressing the importance of the word unfortunately, it seemed like I wasn’t going to get that luxury this year. Being apathetic with acquaintances was nice. It created a feeling of camaraderie.
Being apathetic with Damon Salvatore constantly trying to one-up you was the exact opposite of nice. Until now, I had managed to avoid him and Klaus by sticking close to Bonnie, my only immediate friend in the class, for any and all activities.
Unfortunately, spring also meant the beginning of Project Adventure. It’s as excruciating as it sounds.
The entire unit was a bunch of team-building exercises and your participation was based on how well you cooperated with the other members of your team. Salvatore didn’t annoy me enough for me to want to sacrifice my grade in an easy class.
I took a deep breath before I pushed open the door from the girls’ locker room, mentally preparing myself for the ordeal. My hair had already mutinied and came loose from the bun while I was changing, and instead of attempting to fix it without the benefit of a mirror I threw it up into a pony tail.
“Hey, Bon,” I greeted her as I plopped onto the bleachers. Inside the gym, they were wooden and therefore splintery and unforgiving.
Bonnie had her game face on, hair tied back and sneaker laces done up tight. “Hey, Elena. Are you ready for the inevitable?” She bit her lip to hide the grin. Much like Rebekah and Caroline, Bonnie found my interactions with Damon hilarious. Unlike Rebekah and Caroline, Bonnie didn’t abandon me once he showed up.
“You mean being forced into close proximity with Salvatore?” I pursed my lips. “Never.”
As his name left my lips, my eyes glided over the faces in the gym, all equally miserable in the wake of Project Adventure season. I found him on the other side, close to the door that led to the field outside with Klaus and his other best friend, Alaric Saltzman. Now that I’m thinking about it, Alaric is probably the owner of the fourth spot on the Most Obnoxious list.
A pair of fingers snapped in front of my face. “Elena!” Bonnie chastised, though her facial expression was filled with mirth. “If he catches you staring at him you’ll never live it down and I’ll have to hear about it for the rest of my natural life.”
I couldn’t think of a snappy comeback so I just rolled my eyes. “Want to head out to the field? We’re doing that team tightrope thing.”
Bonnie grimaced, any semblance of motivation completely drained from her face. “Team tightrope? This is going to go so, so badly. I can’t balance for shit.”
We trudged to the door, nodding at our teacher (who gave us an unnecessarily bright grin, probably in anticipation of our future pain and suffering), and entering into bright sunlight.
Team tightrope was, as its name might suggest, a team-building exercise that utilized tightropes. They weren’t ridiculously high or anything; just high enough that falling onto your ass wasn’t the most pleasant of experiences. The goal was to navigate your team across a series of tightropes and get to the platform on the other side successfully without someone falling. If someone fell, the whole team had to start over. I was convinced that it was actually impossible to accomplish.
Coach Curley blew his whistle and everyone was herded over to where he stood beside the platform for the first tightrope. Coach Curley was a short, stout man in his mid-forties who was very jolly for someone going through a nasty divorce and custody battle with his wife (ex) in Boston. Mystic Falls was a very small town.
“Today!” He began brightly, “Is the first day of Project Adventure! Come on now, clap it up,” he was met with the very distinct sound of groaning. My gym class was at most about twenty students. I don’t know what Curley was expecting.
He charged admirably on. The little gym teacher that could. “I’ll make it short: your goal is to get everyone to the other side. If someone falls, you start over. Work on your team-building and problem-solving skills so you won’t enter the world as completely incapable adults.” Curley gave a little satisfied smile when he got a few chuckles out of his unmotivated audience. “I’ll leave you to it.”
Curley wandered off to observe us from a safer distance and it was as if the class converged on itself.
“I’m pretty sure that if we all refuse to do it, they can’t penalize us,” a girl from the back of the crowd, April, piped up. She was met with a few murmurs of agreement.
“Oh come on, this is easy. Just walk across the line and don’t bust ass and you’ll be fine,” Damon said, pulling a hand through his hair as if it held all of the balance and grace that God had given him. Every eye was turned on him and I could visibly see him pull himself up taller, revel in the attention.
I scoffed out loud before I could even process it. Bonnie’s arm flew into mine so fast I was worried there would be muscular bruising. That’s how I became the subject of everyone’s attention.
Damon was smirking at me. “Have something to say, Gilbert?” He asked, an eyebrow raised halfway to his hairline. Challenge was written all over his face.
I looked him in the eye and smiled because, much like dogs, looking away from Damon Salvatore was a sign of submission.
“I was just thinking that telling them not to bust ass isn’t the greatest advice. Considering this is supposed to be a team effort and all.” I eyed the first platform. The tightrope had to be around twenty feet long, maybe twenty-five before it ended at another platform. There were seven sections of tightrope before the course ended. In the back of my head, I briefly pondered the possibility of this falling under the category of institutionalized torture.
“Do you have better advice?” I had to think about this for several long seconds. Bonnie had a hand covering her mouth and Klaus and Alaric were speaking to each other in rapid and decisive hushed tones.
I turned from his Cheshire grin and looked around at the crowd of people. A boy named Luca had a sweatshirt draped over his shoulders and an annoyed expression on his face. Droplets of sweat were already beginning to gather around his temples. I glanced at his sweatshirt again and had a little bit of a light bulb moment.
Luca was neither short nor stout, though these two qualities were often attributed to him. It wasn’t his physical appearance that warranted it, really, it was the fact that he once lost a bet and had to perform a rousing rendition of “My Little Teapot” in front of the whole school during lunch our freshman year. Luca was new and had yet to realize that the collective memory of Mystic Falls was similar to that of an elephant.
“Luca!” I exclaimed, and he was immediately put on edge.
“What?” More sweat dewed up at his temples and slid down toward his neck. I couldn’t blame him, because the heat was bordering the line between unbearable and hellish.
I placed both of my hands on either of his shoulders and gave him a beseeching look. Luca and I had a quiet alliance. He seemed to be willing to help me with whatever I needed at the moment, allowing that it wasn’t too insane, as long as I refrained from calling him “Short” or “Stout” whenever I saw him. I was and am a firm supporter of this deal.
“I need your help.” To say the Luca looked a little bit perplexed would be an understatement. A quick tug and the sweatshirt was off his shoulders, dangling between us. I took it from him and promptly dropped it on the ground, facing Salvatore in the process, whose inherent smugness was crossing over in to the realm of confusion.
“Are you planning to do something illegal with Stout?” I raised an eyebrow and remained unimpressed. Bonnie snickered.
“No. I’m giving advice.”
The gym congregation watched with amused expressions. I went with purpose over to the first tightrope and kicked off my shoes, socks and all. “Better traction,” was all I said in explanation.
I stepped up onto the platform, keeping low as I walked across the tightrope because somewhere I’d stored away that it worked better in conjunction with a person’s center of gravity.
It only took a few minutes for me to get across to the next platform.
“Okay Luca, your turn.”
“I don’t see why you didn’t ask Bonnie for help.”
“Bonnie can’t balance for shit and I’m trying to prove a point.” Luca let out one massive sigh and began his trek across the tightrope. As he went, I pointed out all the great things he was doing and all the terrible things. When Luca made it across safe and sound, I called for everyone to line up and flipped Salvatore the bird behind my back.
_
The second half of the day passed better than the first. I was the first to leave my ninth period history class, slipping my sunglasses onto my face to avoid potential blinding as I headed to Rebekah’s car. When I got there, there was a flyer stuck beneath her windshield wiper. Actually, there was a flyer stuck beneath the windshield wiper of every single car in the lot. They were vibrant, highlighter pink, and 100% obvious.
I pulled it out and pushed my sunglasses onto my head to see it better. Bold-faced type declared the new construction of a mall on the outskirts of town. The company logo was a black oval with Pierce Industries spanning across the middle. My faced twisted into an ugly expression. Mystic Falls didn’t have anything that could remotely be considered part of a chain or large corporation. It was very Mom, Pop, and Founding Family oriented.
“Who pissed in your cornflakes?” Rebekah asked jovially, waving a hand in front of my face to catch my attention.
“Pierce Industries. Did you know they’re opening up a mall near the highway?”
“Right on the outskirts of town?”
My frown deepened. “That’s the one.”
Rebekah scoffed. “That makes absolutely no sense. Mystic Falls doesn’t get much traffic. Our exit on the highway is nearly nonexistent and like, a dozen miles away from any kind of civilization in any direction. Putting a mall there might bring in some people but not enough. If anything, it might ruin business here.”
I shrugged and handed her the crinkled sheet. “Read it and weep.”
“What are we weeping about?” Caroline asked, appearing from thin air and leaning beside us on the hood of the car. Her nose was scrunched.
“They’re building a mall near the highway,” Rebekah said in a disapproving tone.
“Right on the outskirts of town?” Unlike when Rebekah expressed this sentiment only moments earlier, Caroline sounded absolutely delighted. I nodded, and Caroline squealed. “Thank God. I’m tired of driving two hours out to the closest college town just for a trip to the mall. The stores here are boring and everyone knows everyone so there’s absolutely no room for change at all. How am I supposed to buy sexy underwear if the woman at the register was my old baby sitter? She saw me in diapers, Elena.”
I laughed. “The woes of living in a small town.”
Rebekah crumpled up the paper and tossed it in the direction of the trash can near the school entrance. Whether it actually made it in or not isn’t important.
“You’re telling me.”
_
“Mom! Dad! I’m home!” I called into house, slipping off my sandals and kicking them next to the other shoes lined up against the wall. Rebekah honked a good-bye at me before she pulled out of the driveway. I waved at her before I closed the door.
The house was remarkably empty of gunfire and Jeremy’s frustrated cursing that usually accompanied his Xbox, so I assumed he wasn’t home. Probably with Anna playing a game of tic-tac-toe around their feelings.
I dropped my book bag on the counter and headed for the kitchen, leftover pizza slices calling my name. It was a simple layout: the sink, stove, and fridge were all on the same side with an island of granite countertop opposite of it.
There was a note stuck to the door of the fridge, and I didn’t even have to read it to know what it said. My mom and dad were out more often than not on spontaneous do-gooder trips. Part of the reason is that they both decided to retire very early in their careers because they were well off, dropping everything except managing the clinic in town.
I glanced over the smooth, loping letters that stretched across the paper:
Gone away for the rest of the week—we left the MasterCard, order pizza or something and stay alive. Don’t do drugs, don’t get arrested, you know the deal. We love you!
-Mom and Dad
I let out a sigh powerful enough to lift a thousand sails and crumpled up the note. I tossed it and missed the trashcan by a large enough margin to feel a little embarrassed, but I was alone in my shame.
Three slices of pepperoni pizza were wrapped in tin foil, resting on the second shelf of the fridge. I maneuvered around a Tupperware of rice and something unidentifiable that probably shouldn’t be available for consumption anymore to grab it, tossing them on a microwaveable plate and setting it in the microwave.
As I waited for the slices to heat up (very far away from the microwave because when I was nine, one of my dad’s colleagues told me that standing in front of a microwave would cause my brain to absorb the radiation and then boom, cancer), I pulled my phone from my bag and shot a quick text to Jeremy.
To: Jer
Jeremy! Mom and Dad went away for the rest of the week. Should I order in or do you have plans?
One of Jeremy’s few redeeming qualities is that he was perpetually attached to his phone (though I couldn’t really complain—we were alike in that way) and could answer a text in less than six seconds flat. I had just sent it and closed out of the window when my phone vibrated with his reply.
To: Lena
im staying at anna’s for dinner. i’ll text u when i’m on my way home
I bit back a smile and had to refrain from bombarding him with excessive emojis, settling for a simple “okay” before tossing my phone on the counter. The microwave beeped and I grabbed my plate, biting into the first slice with relish. At least 93.4% of me preferred the taste of warmed up pizza to newly delivered. Grabbing my bag and phone, I took the pizza and myself to the living room, stretched out on the sectional, and began a very long and arduous Law and Order: SVU marathon.
****
To: Elena ☺
From: Caroline Forbes
elena!!!!! guess what!!!!
To: Carocurve
From: Elena Gilbert
what!!!! Please tell me!!!! Your excessive use of exclamation marks are giving me anxiety!!!
To: Elena ☺
From: Caroline Forbes
i saw jeremy and anna at the grill!!!! or more specifically, behind the grill!!!
To: Carocurve
From: Elena Gilbert
Ten bucks says they were making out and you embarrassed them. Please tell me that you did. This opportunity might never come again.
To: Elena ☺
From: Caroline Forbes
what kind of best friend would i be if i didn’t???? ;)
To: Carocurve
From: Elena Gilbert
Oh my God what did his face look like?? Was he traumatized? I hope he was traumatized because I’ll never forgive him for telling my parents when Matt and I were going on our first date. They tried to double with us, Caroline! My parents tried to go on a double date with me!!
To: Elena ☺
From: Caroline Forbes
i’m already on my way to yours, i took pictures and everything. it’s really a beautiful moment that deserves to be shared in person.
♠ ♠ ♠
:)))))