Shea Butter Baby// D.S

22

Chapter 22: 17 Again

"You're late!"

"You're early!" Nala shouts back to the blonde, frantically tying up the final balloon that she'd spent all morning searching the local stores for.

       Definitely not hundreds, but what seemed to be so in gold, yellow and white balloons were scattered haphazardly throughout the entirety of the entranceway. The bright sun peeked through the windows and made the colors dance across the walls. "Happy Birthday!"

Caroline forced a smile as she stepped further into her friends home, reluctantly taking the bright yellow candle lit cupcake that was shoved in her grasp. "Oh, wow," She blew out the flame. "Thank you, really."

         "That's a pretty bracelet," Nala briefly glancing at the gangling silver bracelet that was shining brightly on the blondes finger.

          The observation was accompanied by silence.

          The cupcake was set on the table, still wrapped and not even bitten. "I just don't think I'm really feeling my birthday this year."

"You?" The disbelief and sarcasm shot from the voodoo witch's tongue like a gun, aimed with uncanny precision. "You who introduces herself as Miss Mystic Falls doesn't want to celebrate her eighteenth birthday?"

         The vampires shoulders visibly fell, the backpack she didn't have use for, sliding down and falling to the floor with a thud. Caroline kicked her heels off and slid them to the side, a deep sigh escaping her chest. "That's just it, it's not my eighteenth birthday because," She paused, tears welling in her eyes and for the first time Nala understood just how much vampires felt; such empathic creatures. "—I'm dead. I'll never experience another real birthday ever again."

          "Oh, Caroline," Nala opened her arms and the taller female fell into her embrace. She felt like an older sister, like a confidant that was chosen to harbor precious secrets and bottle up deep dark pieces of people besides herself but she didn't mind. This is what her mother and her mother's mother did; they stayed silent and listened, they ate up everything they were told and locked it away safely until time permitted their revisiting. "I understand how it's easy to get stuck on the whole being dead part but think about the bright side, you get to live forever. Imagine all of the sights there are to the see and the changes in the world that you'll be able to live long enough to be apart of."

          Caroline sniffled, wiped her tears and sucked in greedy mouthfuls of oxygen until she felt confident enough that her waterworks were securely put under control. "I can practice self growth and all that but will there be alcohol involved anywhere in todays schedule?"

          On command, Nala opened a cooler full of an assortment of tequila shooters and a plethora of larger pint bottles, wine coolers and frozen margarita mixers. "I thought you'd never ask." Both grabbing a shooter and opening the small vial, clinking glassing and knocking it back with a little grimace to finish. "Does your mom know you skipped school?"

           Caroline let out one sharp laugh, throwing away her empty glass and reached for one of the fruity wine coolers. "Yeah right, she knows more about this town than she knows about me. She hasn't even been home long enough to wish me Happy Birthday."

            Nala hesitated to answer, her frown seeming to be response enough before her mouth started moving faster than her brain could process and she blurted out words she didn't even know were in her vocabulary. "Maybe we should invite your friends? Bonnie and Matt, Elena too if that's what you'd like."

             "Really?" She beamed, blonde curls bouncing as she jumped up and down with excitement, barely giving enough time for Nala to realize she'd hugged her before dashing off to find her phone and send her friends the address. "You're the bestest friend I could've ever asked for," Caroline confessed, full of sincerity with her cooler clutched tightly to her chest. "Thank you, really."

             "Anytime," Laveau forcefully grinned, mentally punching herself for inviting over so many different personalities in her home. "I'm going to grab us some ice, you finish that drink."

             Thirty minutes and two ridiculously strong cocktails later and both friends were giggling wildly when the doorbell rang, both dragging the new additions inside with childlike glee. "Come in! It's time to celebrate!"

             "Clearly you got started without us," Matt joked, his shoulders were wide and eyes as blue as the sky. "Don't worry, we'll catch up."

             "Where did you get all of this?" Elena asked, holding out two large bottles of tequila before her.

             Nala sauntered through the kitchen, pulling out more ice and offering more cups. She was already tipsy and she felt a thousand times friendlier than she did when she'd initially invited the group over. "Damon brought it over."

             Awkward silence.

            "We could play some music, catch up a bit until we get a good buzz going." Bonnie offers, already chasing her words down with mouthfuls of her tequila and lemonade mix. "It's been forever since we talked about something that didn't involve us fighting for our lives."

"That," Matt agrees, his cup full and his face sliding into an easy smile. "—then after we're going to the Falls."

Caroline clapped, her previous bad mood nowhere in sight. "Just like when we were kids," She reached to the side to grab Nala's arm, nearly spilling over everything in her cup in the process but she managed. "I can't wait to take you there and tell you all the stories!"

            "I have s'mores and cake in the car." Bonnie couldn't seem to help but examine the space around her, unfamiliar about other witches lineages—especially those who didn't have to worry about keeping the balance of good and evil. It was strange, the lingering feeling of caution that Bonnie felt around Nala; her intuition screaming that no matter how pretty she was packaged—Nala was one hell of a threat. "It'll be so much fun." Shaking it off and helping herself to another round of shots, she exhaled with a smile. "To Caroline!"

          If only the whole night went as well.