White Lies (The Vampire Diaries)

| 08 | Intoxicated

The flask glinted underneath the moonlight and the orange hue of the bonfire reflected off the silver metal, clasped tightly in Presley's hand as she brought it back to her lips. She eagerly chugged a mouthful of the alcohol laced with blood. Her eyes danced among the party scene until movement on the outskirts gained her attention.

"About time you showed up," she lowly teased under her breath.

Her voice was too low for the average human to pick up, yet sounded perfectly clear for the second vampire in the woods. A smile tugged on her red stained lips behind the flask to avoid catching Matt's attention while he chatted with a fellow classmate near the picnic table.

Their sweet moment ended a few minutes ago when the blonde boy wandered off to a keg for another drink and returned with the other boy.

"I thought you might have gotten lost in the woods," she added.

Stefan came to a slow stop on the outskirts of the recreation area when his sister's voice clearly cut through the indistinct chatter and music. His head turned in the direction of the bonfire, spotting her figure on the table.

"Well, my ride left without me, so I was forced to find my own way here," he matched her low tone to avoid being overheard by nearby teenagers. "You could, uh, imagine my surprise when I came downstairs ready to go, only to find out from Zach, you left thirty minutes ago."

Presley quietly snickered to herself. "I just figured you wanted to walk to Elena's and beg her for a ride." Her head cocked to the side as she pretended to mull the idea over. "Or is that too much for you?"

A look of amusement passed through Stefan's face followed by a smirk by her joke. He wasn't shocked by her teasing nature, in fact, he expected nothing less. She openly spoke her concerns about him moving too fast with Elena and this was her lighthearted way of punishing him for it.

"If you're looking for Elena," she easily changed the topic and bobbed her head lightly toward the bonfire. "She's by the bonfire with Bonnie."

The teenagers milled around the two vampires were completely unaware of the faint conversation the siblings shared, despite the twenty foot distance.

Stefan smiled with gratitude. He stepped in her direction until a blur of blonde hair gracefully jumped in front of his body, preventing him from advancing toward Elena. A chuckle caught in the base of Presley's throat. She covered her mouth with the half empty flash to hide the enjoyment of the situation.

"Hey, you made it!" Caroline happily chirped with a bright smile. Her eyes danced over his tall figure for a brief second.

Stefan abruptly stopped in his tracks and ineptly smiled down at the blonde. "I did," he curtly agreed.

Presley witnessed the awkwardness roll of her brother in waves as he stood before Caroline, clearly wishing he was talking to Elena instead. She released a breathless laugh. She couldn't say she was surprised Caroline sought out her brother as soon as he arrived to the party.

Her blonde friend blatantly ignored the chemistry simmering between Stefan and Elena, determined to squeeze her way into Stefan's life before anything could happen between them.

"Well, let's get you a drink!"

"Well, I'm—" Stefan attempted to deny her offer and glanced at Elena's figure by the fire.

Caroline rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand in her own before an excuse could fall from his lips. "Oh, come on!"

Stefan met his sister's gaze through the crowd of teenagers, eyes desperately pleading as Caroline dragged him further away from the bonfire and closer to a cooler.