Shea Butter Baby// D.S

8

Chapter 8: Stirring up Trouble

          "Just help me, I don't know what to wear."

          Caroline was sitting on her bed, heeled booties kicked off on the floor below her as the curly-haired voodoo priestess shuffled through her walk-in closet full of clothes. "Not that," The vampire made a face of repulsion at the frilly skirt she'd had on. "It's Damon, do you really think he's going to be paying attention to what you're wearing?"

           "Don't be a dick just because your boyfriend is," Nala retorts, magic helping her lift up items of clothing to her body at once like a machine. Filled with nerves and slightly irritated at the Lockwood loser, both females safe to say were  in a heightened state of emotion. Either way, she still took the skirt off, threw it behind her and swiped her finger for the next item in line. "—a sired little bitch doesn't mean you get to take it out on me. Besides," Holding up a pair of brown leather pants Caroline paused, head tilting before finally nodding in acceptance.

            "Switch the shirt."

            "Okay—besides as I was saying you're too hot for aggressively boring Tyler Lockwood." Nala hopped around the floor, one leg finally going through the pant hole. "Sure, he's got the whole dark and handsome thing going for him but the second he opens his mouth all of that disappears. Poof."

Caroline groaned in disappointment, her friend voicing the feelings that she'd concealed in the deepest confines of her brain. She was Miss Mystic Falls, President of every committee known to man and he was quite literally the mayors son; he should have more interesting qualities other than the fact that he's a complete jerk. "I don't understand why everything has to be so hard for me. Elena literally had two guys—brothers even, fighting over just a slice of her attention and I can't get my boyfriend to fight this stupid sire bond between and even bigger d-bag."

"You shouldn't want to be anything like Elena," Her words were light, not wanting to outright bash Caroline's childhood friend (even if she absolutely deserved it).

             Finally stopping on a tight white crop top, the thin silk material sliding over her shoulders. "Having that kind of power over two people like that is called manipulation, you got Tyler on the fact that you're fucking awesome—not because you looked like someone from the past."

Nala was clearly biased, listening for hours  on end earlier about the whole timeline of Elena Gilbert and the Salvatore's. She was scoping out for what she needed to be prepared for if she involved herself with the handsome devil himself. "I really needed to hear that," Worry spread into the features of the blonde, her cardigan discarded on a chair and her faint string tank top remaining. "By the way, even though Damon isn't exactly my favorite person in the world, it's undeniable that you guys look like a great match together."

"Don't tell me that," Sliding on two different pairs of shoes, picking the pair that Caroline pointed to, she sighs. "—I'm going into this with little expectations so that I can protect my heart."

"Are you falling for him?"

"I don't know how to explain it, but I just feel like maybe, in another life we've already known each other." Glancing in the mirror for the first time and taking in her appearance, completely disregarding Damon's orders she felt beautiful. Her mane of spiraled coils framed her face and the outfit perfectly, the minimal makeup ensuring that her glossy lips popped. "He felt like an adventure yet like home at the exact same time."

"Just be careful, okay?" Two blue swimming pools of worry peered at Nala. "It would be just my luck that you come along and become the best friend I've always wanted just for Damon to screw it up." They paused to laugh together, Nala sliding on some earrings and changing her nose piercing. "I'll be here waiting for you to tell me everything."

Nala nods in understanding, her eyes peaking over to her clock that showed she only half a few more minutes until it was time for her to depart. "Don't want to go home?"

"Not really, plus Tyler doesn't know where you live so I'll have have some peace and quiet."

Laveau lit an incense, blessing the stick of herbs and smell-goods with intention and protection for the friend she'd leave behind. "There's leftover dinner in the fridge if you get hungry, mean girls is still in the dvd player and a fresh tub of Tom and Jerry's is hidden behind the brussel sprouts in the freezer." There was a knock on the door downstairs, Nala leaning forwards to kiss her friends cheek quickly—a habit she picked up from her mother when she was a child. "