mine [t.z]

Chapter 1

It was the last Thursday night of the summer before my senior year. I guess you can't really call it just "my" senior year, it's me and Johnny's senior year because according to him, twins can't do anything separate. 

Sitting on my bed with my best friend Elena and an episode of "The Vampire Diaries" playing in the background, nothing could be better. Everything was just perfect, it was just us and my grey French bulldog Georgia in the blue LED light of my bedroom. Just as the episode was reaching its climax, Damon and Elena dancing together at the season one Miss Mystic Falls pageant, the front door swung open and the peace of the Beecher household was disturbed.

Not only was Johnny home from hockey practice, he wasn't alone. The distinct voices of my brother Alex Turcotte, Cole Caufield, and Jack Hughes filled up my kitchen as they greeted my mom. One voice though, stood out above the rest.

"Natasha! What's cookin'?"

Trevor Zegras. Johnny and Trevor had been friends and teammates for years. I'd become friends with most of them, Trevor included, but we weren't anywhere near the level of me and Jack or Cole. We were friendly, I guess, but he didn't make an effort to talk to me too much. He was just Trevor. Beautiful, funny, amazing at hockey, Trevor.

"Care! Elena! Come down for dinner!" My mom called up the stairs, pulling me from my thoughts. When I looked over at Elena, she was already looking at me giggling.

"You know, you could try, and hear me out on this one, talking to him?" She said, still laughing.

"And why don't you try talking to Jack?" I retaliated, knowing exactly how to hit her where it hurts. 

Her laughing was cut short, "That was uncalled for."

I stuck my tongue out at her and jumped off the bed, but she didn't budge. "Come on Lains, I was kidding."

"No. I will continue to watch my doppleganger on Netflix." She said, referencing Elena Gilbert.

"Come on."

"No."

"Fine, I'll just get Jack to come carry you downstairs. Jac-" I was cut off by her throwing her hand over my mouth.

"You might be Satan. Like actually, I think you're the Devil." She laughed.

"I know." I smiled, grabbing her arm and heading downstairs. 

My mom had made enough food to feed a small army, and the boys had wasted no time digging into the baked ziti. I reached over onto Johnny's plate and grabbed a slice of garlic bread, wasting no time popping it into my mouth. 

"Caroline are you fucking kidding me?" He yelled with his mouth full, and I just shrugged in response, grabbing a plate and taking taking my usual seat at the table with Elena in tow. I sat down next to Cole, and he playfully nudged me in the ribs as a greeting. 

"Hey kid," he smiled, passing me the bowl of pasta.

"Hey buddy." I replied, giving him a hug at the table. On the other side of me, Elena was about to shit her pants as she cautiously sat down between me and Jack. 

"Hey Elena." he said to her nonchalantly, and I felt her knee jab mine under the table.

"Hey, Jack." she said as calmly as she could muster before immediately accepting the ziti from my hand. 

The conversation flowed easily, the boys discussing their most recent practice. Hockey was something I grew up with, and something Elena had come to know the longer she spent with me. We'd been friends since middle school, and my love of hockey has transferred to her by this point. 

"You guys are talking a big game about this season, when I could still take you." I teased, trying to get a reaction out of them. Of course it worked, they're so predictable.

"No. Absolutely not. This is blasphemy." Alex said, slamming his hands down on the table.

"Blasphemy?" Jack asked, leaning into Elena's ear to whisper to her. "What does that mean?"

"It means like, not true." she responded in a similar low tone. I could see the smile on her lips, even though she tried desperately to hide it and the faint blush that spread across her tanned cheeks. 

Jack nodded before chiming in confidently, "Yeah. Blasphemy."

"Jack, you just had to ask Elena what that word meant. Shut up." I said, making everyone at the table laugh. 

"Carrie couldn't handle the smoke." Trevor said, a sly smirk on his lips. I almost went into cardiac arrest on the spot.

"Please not again with the calling me Carrie thing, Zegras. Who is Carrie?" I responded.

"You."

"No, I'm Caroline."

"Whatever you say, Carrie."

"Can you please?" I said, my eyes going wide.

"See, she can't handle the smoke." he said, sitting back in his chair seeming satisfied with himself.

"Oh please Trevor, I think I would survive."

"Is that so?" Trevor responded, raising his eyebrows at me from across the table.

"Yeah, it is." I said, staring him down. We held the eye contact for a minute, neither of us wanting to be the one to back down from the showdown. We kept that locked gaze, until Johnny clapped his hands together. 

"Okay! So today..." he started rambling on about something that happened at practice, but I couldn't hear him. All I could think about was Trevor, and his stupid nickname for me, and those damn green eyes.

After dinner, it was just me and Elena clearing off the table as the boys went to the basement to play X-Box. We were working in comfortable silence, only the sounds of the boys screams at the game echoing up the steps.

"Okay, I'll be the one to say it. What the fuck was the whole 'Carrie can't handle the smoke' thing he had going on tonight." Elena said while scraping a plate.

"I have no idea, probably just Trevor being Trevor." I said. I didn't want to get my hopes up. Trevor and I were barely friends, more so acquaintances than anything.

"No. Flirting. That was flirting, Caroline Mae." Elena responded, that matter-of-fact tone in her voice I'd come to know so well. 

I felt my cheeks flush a red hue as I dried off a freshly washed serving spoon. The look on his face as he said, "Is that so?" The smirk on his lips, and I can't get over those eyes. 

"Quit. And what was that? Whispering in your ear for word definitions?" I said, deflecting from her watchful eye. 

"Okay, that was cute." She beamed, chewing down on her bottom lip. "I mean, it came from a place of stupidity, but it was cute." Elena took a long pause, before turning back to face me with a serious tone in her voice. "This is our year, Care. Senior year."

"Senior year, our year." I responded, bumping my hip against hers at the sink, making her laugh. Elena was right, this was our year. All of us.