I lean into Damon slightly and Stefan's eyes go wide but he quickly recovers. I know how immature and ridiculous this whole thing is but I don't care. If I have to be around him, I want him to be as irritated as I am.
The leather-clad woman takes everyone's food order. I go with a burger and fries, minus the ketchup and everyone else orders hot wings. She brings Stefan a coke and the rest of them another round of beers. I am still waiting on my coke but I don't want to be rude.
"They have the best wings here," Damon informs me and I smile at him.
"So are you going to the bonfire next weekend?" I asked Damon.
"I don't know, it's not really my scene," he laughs and takes a drink of his beer. "Are you going?" He asks and brings his arm down from the booth to rest over my shoulder. I feel guilty flirting with him this way, well it's not really flirting because I am just asking him questions but I still feel bad.
"Yea, I am going with Ian," I answered and everyone bursts into laughter.
"Ian Wesley?" Damon asks, still laughing.
"Yea, he is my friend," I snap. I don't like the way they are all laughing at him.
"He wouldn't go to the bonfire! He is such a lame," Vicki says and I glare at her.
"No, he isn't actually. He is really cool," I defend him. I understand that my definition of cool is not the same as theirs but mine is better.
"Ian Wesley and cool do not belong in the
same sentence," Vicki says and brushes Stefan's hero hair with her fingers. I hate her.
"Well sorry if he isn't cool enough to hang out with you guys, but he is..." I start to shout
and sit up in the booth.
"Woah, Elena calm down. We are just teasing," Tyler says and Vicki smirks at me. I get the feeling she doesn't care for me much either.
"Well I don't like when people tease my friends, especially when he isn't here to defend himself." I need to calm down... My emotions are running wild from being around Stefan and the fact that he is hanging all over Vicki in front of me.
"Okay, I am sorry for making fun of him.
Besides, I do gotta give him some credit for that black eye he gave Stefan," Damon says and wraps his arm back around me. Everyone laughs, even me, except Stefan.
"Yea, good thing a professor broke the fight up
or Stefan would have gotten beat up even worse by the loser..." Tyler says and then looks at me. "Sorry, it slipped," he says and gives me a sorry smile.
A professor? Their fight wasn't broken up by a professor it was broken up by Stefan's dad. I wonder if they even know Stefan and Ian are soon to be stepbrothers. I look at Stefan and he looks worried. He lied to them. I should call him out on it right now in front of everyone but I can't. I am not like him, I find it harder to hurt people than he does. Except Matt, my subconscious reminds me and I push her back.
"Well I think the bonfire will be fun," I say and Damon smiles.
"Maybe I will make an appearance after all." He tells me.
"I am going," Stefan says from the other booth. Everyone turns to look at him and Vicki laughs.
"Sure you are," she rolls her eyes and laughs
again.
"I really am, it won't be so bad," Stefan says and Vicki rolls her eyes again. Why would he go? Maybe because Damon said he was. This annoying little game I am playing may be working after all.
The server brings out our food and hands me my burger. It looks great except the ketchup is dripping off the side. My nose scrunches up and I try to wipe some of the ketchup off with a napkin. I hate sending food back and I am already having a hard enough time tonight, the last thing I need is to draw even more attention to myself.
Everyone digs into their wings and I pick at my fries while everyone talks about the party
tonight.
"Can I get you guys anything else?" The woman asks as she walks back to the booths.
"No, I think we are good." Liam tells her and she begins to walk away.
"She ordered her burger with no ketchup,"
Stefan says and I drop a fry onto the plate.
The waitress looks at me, "do you want me to take it back?" She asks nicely and I shake my
head.
"Yea... she does." Stefan answers for me. What the hell is he doing? And how did he even know it had ketchup? He is just trying to make me uncomfortable.
"Here, give me your plate. I will bring you a new burger and fries." She smiles and holds her hand out. I hand her the plate and look down while I thank her.
"What was that?" I hear Vicki ask Stefan in his ear. She should really work on her whispering
voice.
"Nothing, she doesn't like ketchup." He simply says and she huffs before taking a drink of her beer.
"So?" Vicki says and Stefan glares at her.
"So, nothing. Just drop it," he snaps and she rolls her eyes again and scoots even closer to him.
At least I know I am not the only one he is rude
to.
I am given a new burger that doesn't have ketchup and new fries and I eat most of it despite my lack of appetite. Damon ends up paying for my meal which is both nice and awkward at the same time. Stefan's annoyance seems to grow as Damon puts his arm around me yet again, as we walk outside.
"Enzo says the party is already packed out!"
Tyler says.
"You should ride with me there." Damon offers and I shake my head.
"Oh, I am not going to the party, Liam is going to
to take me back," I tell him and he frowns.
"I can take her back to her room since I drove
my car." Stefan says, I almost trip over my feet.
"No, Liam and I will take her. Damon can ride with us too," Katherine smiles at Stefan. If looks could kill, Katherine would be collapsing on the floor right now.
"You don't want to drive drunk on campus, the police are going to be looking for people to give tickets to because it's Friday." Stefan tells Liam. Katherine looks at me waiting for me to speak up but I don't know what to say. I don't want to be in the car with Stefan but I don't want to drive with Liam when he has been drinking. I shrug my shoulders and lean into Damon while they settle this among themselves.
"I will ride with you to take her." Vicki tells Stefan and he shakes his head.
"No, you ride with Liam and Katherine." He says with force.
"For god's sake can we just get in the cars and go!" Tyler whines and pulls his keys out.
"Yea, let's go Elena." Stefan orders and I look up at Damon and then at Katherine.
"Elena!" Stefan says again as he unlocks his car door. He looks back at me and I get the feeling that if I don't follow he will drag me to the car. Why would he even want to be around me if he told Katherine that I better not come around? He disappears inside the car and starts the engine.
"Text me as soon as you get back to the room." Katherine says and I nod and walk to Stefan's car.
