Mystic Falls Loner Club - A Vampire Diaries Fic

Chapter 3: Going Out

3 weeks later...

"Elena, it's been a few weeks. You and Stefan have been seeing each other in school and coincidentally meeting each other everywhere else so you might as well go on a date." Jenna protests, setting the table. I shake my head as I bring the bowl of pasta over to the dining room table and keep to myself. It's not bad that Elena's seeing Stefan, if anything I'm happy for her but something just doesn't sit right about him with me. Or Damon. The Salvatore brothers are keeping something from the both of us and I want to know what it is.

Jeremy makes his way down the stairs and swings around to grab his coat. "I'm heading out to the Grille to meet up with some friends." Jenna puts the utensils down and asks, "Since when do you have a group of people you hang out with regularly?" Jeremy scoffs and replies, "Since KJ came to town. Having the new person in town living in your house somehow makes you a person of interest." I shrug innocently and look over at Jenna. She presses her lips together before sighing. "Fine. Just be back before 11. And no smoking. I'm not an idiot ya know."

I laugh and say, "Thanks!" before grabbing my coat and following Jeremy outside. "I know you can't drive so hand the keys over, baby Gilbert." Jeremy frowns but sticks his hand out with the keys in his palm. I evilly chuckle and run to the far side of Jenna's car and unlock it, letting Jeremy in after me. After I put on my seatbelt and adjust everything, Jeremy asks, "What was it like back in Boston?" I turn the car on and shift into drive and check behind me before pulling out onto the road.

I take a deep breath and answer, "It was good for a while. I had people who I thought were friends but I was in a constant state of anxiousness that I brushed off. Over time, I slowly started becoming overwhelmed easier, I didn't want to hang out as much. Eventually, I was at home contemplating how to take my life. I took a crap ton of pills, wrote a note, and laid down. My dad found me first because he comes up to my room to say good night. It turns out that my friends didn't care about me and even as I was trying to get my shit together, all they gave me was shit about how they were there for me. But how could they have been there for me when I felt utterly alone? I was never anyone's first choice."

I tighten my grip on the steering wheel as I make my way around the corner and I see Jeremy take a deep breath.  "KJ, you don't owe them anything. You weren't being treated as a friend and the relationships were literally killing you. You were giving all this energy and not getting any in return. You burnt out to an extreme level." I nod and press my lips together as I come to a stop at the light before slowing down to pull into a parking spot in the lot. I put the car in park and turn the engine off before turning to look back at Jeremy. "If almost dying has taught me anything, it's that you should take what everyone says only as far as their actions. I don't believe much until I see it and it takes a lot more for me to open up now. The whole reason my parents sent me here was so I could have a 'fresh environment'."

Jeremy nods and turns his head over to me. "How're you feeling about said environment?" I shrug and pull the keys from the ignition, clipping them to my jeans. "It's growing on me but we'll see in about a month." He chuckles before opening his door and heading into the Grille. I open my door and lock the car behind me, following Jeremy into the building.

Jeremy makes his way over to a table but I take a moment to look around. Everyone is wearing something a little different but majority casual. My long sleeved black crop top and low rise jeans paired with my converse blend right in. I left my sweatshirt in the car but I could always run back and get it. I pull my sleeves over my hands and slide into the booth across from Jeremy. "I thought you had friends to hang out with." I comment as I glance over the menu. Jeremy leans onto the table and replies, "I lied. I just wanted to get out of the house."

"Does it freak you out that your sister's dating someone that isn't Matt or is it something else?" I ask, mentally deciding to get a sprite and a house burger with fries. "I don't think so. I mean, yeah Matt's been cool but so is Stefan. He's kinda different though. Almost in a weird way." I tilt my head to the side and ask, "How so?" Jeremy shakes his head and answers, "I don't know. Almost like he's older, lived life a little more even though he and Elena are the same age."

I nod and chuckle, "So you're scared that your sister is with a guy that doesn't have the personality of a high school jock?"  Jeremy chuckles a little and shrugs. "Maybe so. Or maybe there's something about him that seems more like a middle-aged man than a teenager." I shake my head and say, "Hm. That is a weird vibe."

---

I'm bent over the pool table, attempting to make the last shot that would let me win the game. Jeremy's leaning on his cue and smirking in a condescending way. It's a one-in-a-million shot but I'll at least give it a try. Just as I pull the stick back, I see Damon Salvatore stroll over to Jeremy and me. "Hello, little Gilbert. KJ." I close one eye, attempting to hit one of the billiard balls, and reply, "Hi Damon." I bend over the table, lining up my shot. 

"God, KJ your form is terrible. May I?" I look up and Damon is grimacing but his eyes are honest. "Sure." Jeremy sighs and rolls his eyes, moving to the other side of the table. Damon comes up behind me and lines his torso up with mine as his hand reaches to adjust my hand closest to the end of the cue stick. I can feel his breath on my neck before he says, "The trick is to line up the shot through this white ball to hit the other side." Damon pulls the cue stick back gently before hitting the white ball that then ricochets the purple cue ball into one of the pockets. 

"See? Not so bad once you learn how to play." Jeremy rolls his eyes and stands his cue stick bottom-up, slightly leaning on it. "What do you want Damon?" He stands up and crosses his arms. "I want to spend time with the newest resident of Mystic Falls. I've lived here practically my whole life so I feel it's only appropriate that I show KJ the town." 

I stand up and feel my jeans shift on my hips as I place the cue on the table. "There's nothing to do in Mystic Falls, Damon. We're at the Grille which is the only place everyone goes, the town square is 100 feet away from the front door, the high school is down the road and the Lockwood mansion is down the main road along with your house." Damon presses his lips together and Jeremy shakes his head and laughs as he bends over the billiard table. 

"Well then, I'll see you both around." Damon walks to the bar and I watch him for a moment before nodding my head in Jeremy's direction. "You're still hitting halves, right?" He pulls back the cue and banks a shot off the edge of the table. 2 of the billiard balls fall into a middle pocket and they were both striped. "Yeah. Your turn." I bite the inside of my lower lip before bending back over the table.