BORN TO DIE, stefan salvatore [1]

3 - FRIDAY NIGHT BITES

BORN TO DIE
FRIDAY NIGHT BITES

SINCE last night Caroline had been working hard to maintain a friendship with Madeleine. It seemed that Madeleine had actually enjoyed herself the night before they were interrupted by Vicki's disappearing act. That night, Matt had managed to make her laugh, she insulted Tyler, and began to bond with Bonnie over their families shared interest in witches. Witnessing this gave hope to Caroline. However, Madeleine still distanced herself. So, when she arrived at school, on her own, the next morning, Caroline was quick to snatch her away from solitude. She made sure the Madeleine was close by as much as possible.

Her actions were not lost on Madeleine. She was fully aware of what the girl was doing. They currently stood at Caroline's locker as she tried to convince Madeleine to participate in the cheerleading tryouts this afternoon. Although Madeleine had promised Charlotte she would have fun and be more socially active, cheerleading crossed a line. There was no way that Madeleine was going to dress up in a mini skirt and wave some pom poms with a fake smile on her face. Bonnie approached the two girls, a deeply distressed expression on her face. "Is everything okay?"

"What? Yeah, I'm fine." Bonnie hadn't noticed that her fists were clenched and her body was shaking. Her eyes moved around the room as if she was expecting the demon she was running from to catch up with her. Her eyes connected with the worried ones in front of her and she gave in. "I just...I have a bad feeling. About Stefan."

"What kind of bad feeling? Is this another witchy thing?" Caroline asked. Madeleine's eyebrows furrowed in confusion at the mention of witches.

"Witchy thing?" Madeleine asked.

"Bonnie's a witch," Caroline stated and it only made Madeleine more confused. She looked back at Bonnie, hoping for some clarification.

"It's a long story," Bonnie told her before turning to Caroline. "And I don't know what it is. I just touched him and got this chill run through my body. It felt bad-bad, like death."

"I think you need to stop taking your gram's cuckoo pills," Caroline remarked before going to class.

"I'm not crazy, am I?" Bonnie asked, her voice full of desperation.

Madeleine opened and closed her mouth before answering. "I don't think we're close enough for me to make a comment."

Madeleine disappeared to her first class which she didn't share with any of the group. She didn't see Caroline for the rest of the day but received a text to meet her at the field where cheerleading practice was being held. Madeleine was for sure not participating. Instead, she sat on the bleachers with her chemistry textbook open and highlighted paragraphs as girls stretched. Elena and Bonnie who were taking part walked over. "Have you seen Caroline?"

"Not since this morning," Madeleine informed them as she looked around for any sign of the other blonde. The two girls went back to their spot on the field. Madeleine couldn't concentrate on her text as she continued to search for the missing girl. She messaged her a couple of times but no response. She pressed the phone against her ear as Caroline's number dialled. The sound of dial tones was faded out by loud pop music. A chevy Camaro convertible rolled onto the field, jaws dropping at the sight. Caroline sat in the passenger's seat next to an older male. As she evacuated the car, the man dropped his sunglasses to his nose, looking over the top, connecting eyes with Madeleine. She could recognise those eyes anywhere and knew they belonged to the mystery man the night before. He remained eye contact with her as he reversed and didn't break until he was out of sight.

Madeleine watched the rest of practice. She watched Elena struggle against the beat and in due course, give up. After practice finished, Caroline still hadn't acknowledged Madeleine's existence. Madeleine founded it strange considering she was the one that had invited her but she ignored it. Surprisingly, the person to approach her was Bonnie Bennett. "I need you to do me a favour," Bonnie stated and Madeleine raised her eyebrows. "Can you come over to dinner at Elena's tonight?"