~ Family Ties ~ Part Two ~
Ronnie's POV
I looked in the mirror, smoothing down the yellow dress. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't that bad, but it was just so bright. And yellow isn't my favorite color. "Do I really have to wear this?" I asked Bonnie, turning around to face her.
She gave me an annoyed look, telling me she was over my complaining. "Yes, Ronnie. We're going to the founder's party. You have to wear a dress."
"Not if we don't go." I suggested, slipping on the flats she got me. The only thing I owned in the outfit I was currently wearing was my locket. "We could go to my house and binge watch Supernatural."
"As much as I would love to watch Sam and Dean all day, we have to go to this party." Bonnie said, handing me gold flower earrings with rubies in the middle. They sorta matched my necklace my mom gave me, which was hanging around my neck.
I gave her a look, "A dress, I'll do. But earrings?"
"Just put them on, Ronnie!" She loudly said.
"Fine!" I replied back just as loudly. "Gosh, you're so grumpy."
"And you're impossible."
I scoffed, giving her a fake smile as I put the earrings on. "There. Happy?"
Bonnie smiled in victory, "Very." She said, before turning around and walking off to find Elena.
I let out a deep sigh, walking towards the bathroom. I opened the door that went into Jeremy's room and peeked my head inside, seeing him holding the pocket watch that Elena took from him earlier.
I walked into his room, making my way over towards the desk he was sitting at. I watched as he took his headphones off, looking up at me in questioning and confusion, probably wondering why one of his sister's friend was in his room. "I see Elena gave you your watch back." I said, leaning against his desk.
He glanced down at the pocket watch, "Uh, yeah." He muttered.
"Listen, Jer-bear. Elena means well." I said, trying to get him to loosen up on his older sister. "She obviously didn't know what the watch meant to you. But at least she gave it back."
Jeremy let out an agitated sigh, "If you only came in here to defend Elena, you can leave." He said.
As he was about to put his headphones back on, I smacked his hands. "Listen here, Jeremy Gilbert. I don't give a crap about what your problem is, but there is no reason for you to treat Elena like trash." I said, getting fed up with his act. I know I have no right to say any of this, but it's just coming out. These are the times when I have no filter, as most of Mystic Falls has found out. "I know you lost your parents, but so did Elena. You need to clean up your act now. Elena and Jenna are the only family you have left, so don't be mean to them just because you feel like being an ass." I said, leaning up from the desk and walking over to the door to the bathroom.
As I got to the door, I glanced back at him. "Everyone is over your little stoner act, so just grow up already."
~~~~~
Bonnie and I walked behind Elena and Stefan as we entered the Mayor's house. I glanced over at Jenna, who was walking beside us. "So what do you think of Stefan and Elena dating?" I asked her quietly as Bonnie linked our arms together.
She shrugged, "I haven't really talked to him, but he seems nice."
I raised my brows, "You should meet his brother. He's an ass compared to Stefan." I said as we entered the house.
I saw Mayor Lockwood walk past us, making my nose scrunch up. "Have fun." He said to Elena and Stefan, making me guess he was talking to them before.
I let out a loud sigh, turning to face Bonnie once Elena and Stefan had separated from us, Jenna making her way towards some other people. "So now that we're at this boring party, what do we do?" I asked my best friend, as we walked aimlessly around the house.
"Mingle, Ronnie. You need to mingle." She pointedly said, giving me a look.
I scrunched up my brows, "Who even says mingle anymore?"
"Me. Now, go socialize."
"Wha-- but I'm your date. I can't leave you alone." I tried to protest.
"Ron, you need to talk to people other than Elena and I." Bonnie said.
"I will have you know that I talk to other people."
"Oh, really? Who?" She asked, crossing her arms.
"I talk to Caroline and Jeremy. Sometimes Stefan. Then there are the times I talk to Matt and Tyler." I said smugly.
She sighed in annoyance, "Just go talk to someone." She said, before turning around and walking in the opposite direction.
I threw my arms in the air, about to call after her, only she was already gone. I huffed, turning around, accidentally bumping into someone. "Sorry." I apologized, looking up to see the oldest Salvatore, making me scowl. "On second thought, I'm not sorry." I said, pushing past him.
"You're not very polite, princess." Damon said, grabbing my arm and whirling me back around to face him.
My scowl deepened at the smirk on his face. "Well, you're not very easy to be polite to." I snapped, jerking my arm away from his grip. "And calling me princess is no better than calling me cupcake." I said in annoyance, about to walk away, before I remembered there was something that I wanted to say. "I don't want you near barbie."
He gave me a confused look, one that I could tell was fake. "Barbie?"
I huffed, "Caroline. You don't deserve her, and frankly, I don't think you even like her. I think you have an inner motive."
Damon smirked again, "Oh, and what would that be?" He asked.
"I don't know. Maybe you think it will get to Stefan somehow. I can tell you don't like him, and dating one of his girlfriends best friends is bound to get under his skin." I explained my theory.
"Now why would I use Caroline to get under Stefan's skin?" He asked, knowing that he was pushing my patience over the edge.
"Because she's naive and easy to get to." I said, crossing my arms and glaring at him. "Just stay away from her, cause when you break her heart, my friends and I are going to have to be the ones to pick up the pieces." I said, before turning around and walking away.
Stupid, arrogant Salvatore's and their good looks.
~~~~~
I grabbed a glass of wine as a waiter passed me, glancing around to make sure no one was looking, before downing the drink. I sat the glass on the table next to me, before walking into a room. I saw Elena standing in front of a display case, making me head towards her. "Hey." I greeted her shortly, looking down at what had her so interested.
"Hey." She greeted back, glancing at me, giving me a small smile.
I sighed as I looked at the display she was looking at. "I know you miss them." I said quietly, looking down at Miranda and Grayson Gilbert's wedding rings. "We all do."
"I sometimes think that when I wake up in the morning, they'll still be there." Elena said in sadness.
I put my hand on Elena's shoulder, giving it a small squeeze. "I wish there was something I could say to make you feel better, but I know no matter what I say, it won't help."
Elena gave me a small smile, "Yeah." she muttered sadly as I took my hand off her shoulder.
I looked over her shoulder, seeing Stefan walking towards us. I gave him a nod in greeting, watching him come to stand next to Elena. He put a hand on her back, making her head snap to his direction, letting out a small breath when she saw it was him. They smiled at each other, before looking back down at the display. "Your parents?" Stefan asked.
She nodded shortly. "There's a lot of history here."
I let a small smile creep onto my lips as I stared at the couple. I slowly backed away, deciding for once in my life to not butt into another conversation. I shook my head at my thoughts, turning around and walking to the other displays.
I looked at all the items that were in the glass cases, wondering what all their stories were. Everything here had a story. A wedding ring sat on a Miranda Gilbert's hand for years, decades even. I wonder what she had been through when she was alive. There were so many stories in one item, yet we knew so little about it. About the person that wore it, and the item itself. It's fascinating when you think about it, the history one tiny object bares.
My thoughts were cut short when I felt myself bump into someone for the second time tonight, and I could only hope it wasn't the evil Salvatore.
When I felt liquid spill onto my dress, I realized the person had spilled their drink on me. I let out a frustrated groan, "Seriously?" I muttered to myself.
"Hey, you were the one that bumped into me."
It's like the gods are forcing us to keep bumping into each other as some sick joke. I closed my eyes for a split second in annoyance, before looking up at the asshole we all know and hate, Damon Salvatore. It looks like my nightmares had come true. "Well, you were the one that spilled your drink on me."
He gave me his signature devilish smirk, "You just can't stay away from me, can you?"
I let scoffed at his ignorance. "Don't flatter yourself, Salvatore." I said, before looking down at my now stained dress.
"Hey, Ronnie!" I heard Caroline's bubbly voice, making me look up, seeing her coming to stand by Damon's side.
"Hey, Barbie." I greeted her, watching as she interlocked her arm with Damon's. "Sorry to cut this short, but I have to clean my dress." I said, glaring at Damon, who only smirked.
"What happened?" Caroline asked, her voice hurting my ears.
Okay, I might have exaggerated that. But in my defense, Caroline's voice is extremely high. It's not my fault she's always happy. I mean, how can one person be so happy all the time? It sounds absolutely exhausting.
I gave her a tight smile, before looking straight at Damon. "Oh, you know, just the devils incarnate at work again." I said, giving him a sarcastic smile, before walking around them, hitting Damon's shoulder on the way.
I shook my head in anger, making my way to the bathroom, which was, to my luck, across the house. Man, today was just not my day. I stalked through the halls, passing guests, not even bothering to greet the people I knew.
"Hey--"
"Not now!" I snapped, turning towards the person, only to see Bonnie, who had her brow raised. I sighed, "Sorry."
"What happened?" She asked, looking down at my dress.
I groaned, "I swear if one more person asks me that damn question, I'm gonna kill someone. Preferably Damon." I said in annoyance. Granted, only Caroline asked me, but that was one too many for me.
She smiled, "Let me guess, the person you hate most did this."
"See! You get me!" I said, crossing my arms. I have never hated someone so fast like I hate Damon. I mean, I hate other people, but they worked to gain my hate. With Damon, just him being around my friends and I makes me hate him more and more every second.
She shook her head, "Go clean up before it stains my dress."
I smiled, crossing my arms. "Your dress?"
Bonnie gave me a look, "I'm sorry, did you pay fifty dollars for it? I think not."
My eyes widened. "Bonnie! You paid fifty dollars for this dress?"
She rolled her eyes, putting her hands on my shoulders. "Ronnie, just listen for once and do what I say."
"I am beyond offended, Bonnie Bee."
She gave me a weird look, "Bonnie Bee? Seriously?"
"Well if you don't like that, I have another nickname that starts with B." I smirked.
She scoffed, spinning me around and pushing me forwards. "Bathroom. Now." She said, and even though I wasn't facing her, I could tell she was giving me an annoyed look like most people did. "Fix your dress."
I huffed, glancing over my shoulder to see her walking off. I rolled my eyes, turning back around and making my way to the bathroom. As I walked by one door, I saw Jenna and Logan Fell talking, making me squint my eyes in confusion. I stopped, looking straight at them. I caught Jenna's eyes, mouthing what the hell? to her, only for her to shake her head at me, turning her attention back to Logan.
I rolled my eyes, shrugging to myself, before turning around and walking down the hall once again.
Finally, I made it to the bathroom. I pushed the door open, turning on the light. I closed the door behind me, locking it. I looked around the fancy bathroom, shaking my head at how extra the Lockwood's were. Even though I had been to Tyler's house-- no, Tyler's mansion-- a thousand times, I am always amazed and annoyed at how extravagant it was. I mean, my mom may be a fashion designer, but she was, by no means, a decorator. Our house was simple, I liked to think the things we had were vintage. But all the things the Lockwood's had were modern and fancy. Their house probably costs more than my house, plus our cars combined.
I walked over to the sink, turning the faucet on. I held my hand under the water, moving the knobs to make the water just the right temperature. When it wasn't too cold, or too hot, I grabbed a rag from the towel holder. I held it under the water, letting half of the white rag get wet, before turning off the faucet. I looked down at my dress where the idiot Salvatore spilled his drink, putting the rag on it. I didn't know whether to dab or rub, so I decided to go with the latter. I scrunched up my nose when I saw it wasn't working. I sighed deeply, throwing the rag on the counter.
I lent my palms against the marble counter, closing my eyes. "Worst night ever." I muttered to myself bitterly.
I opened my eyes, walking towards the door and unlocking it. I turned off the bathroom light as I opened the door, closing it behind me as I walked out.
As I walked down the halls, I peeked inside one of the rooms, letting out small scoff when I saw Damon and Elena talking. I turned around, not wanting to deal with the egotistical jerk. I made my way to the back door, stepping outside of the open doors. I walked down the stairs, making my way to the tent that was set up.
I smiled when I saw my dad talking to some of his friends. I walked over to them, smiling at the people my dad was talking to, before looking at my father. "Come on, pops, you really couldn't have worn a suit?" I playfully asked, making him turn around.
He let out a laugh, looking down at his uniform. "Hey, I'm still on duty."
"Then why are you here?" I asked.
"Are you interrogating me? I thought I was the police officer in the family."
"You might be, but I'm the detective." I joked.
He chuckled, bringing me into a hug. "You look beautiful, Veronica."
"Dad." I whined, hugging him back. "It's Ronnie."
We broke away from the hug, both of us smiling at each other. "I know, I know." He said, holding his hands up in defense. "Hey, listen. I want you home by eleven, okay? The babysitter gets off then and I don't want your brother home alone."
I winced, remembering what happened the last time Lucas was home alone. He went absolutely crazy, he ate all the junk food in the house. The house was trashed when I got home, and as usual, Lucas blamed me. Although it didn't work, he was literally caught in the act of eating all the food, which he regretted in the morning. He had a sugar hangover. "Okay." I said, giving him a nod.
Just then, his police thingy went off, a static voice coming through the radio. I'm not the most advanced in police equipment. Dad looked up at me after he replied to his police buddy, "I gotta go, duty calls." He said, pointing to the radio on his shoulder. I'm going to have to ask him sometime what that is.
I nodded, "Okay, I'll see you at home."
He kissed my cheek quickly, backing up. "Home by eleven, got it?"
I nodded, "Yes, father. Now go do your job." I said, watching him smile at me one last time, before he turned around, walking away.
I turned around, looking out to the dance floor, taking a double look when I saw Caroline and Stefan dancing, the latter not being her boyfriend. I watched as Stefan grabbed two glasses of champagne, handing one to Caroline. I watched the blonde girl look to the side, before taking a sip of her alcohol. I clicked my tongue, "Underage drinking will be the downfall of this generation." I said, even though I was being a bit of a hypocrite, seeing as I had a glass myself earlier.
I looked to where the tables were, seeing my best friend. I sighed in relief, making my way towards her. "Bonnie Bee, thank god I found you!" I said dramatically, walking over to her. I sat down in the empty seat next to her, sitting my elbow on the table. I put my chin on my palm, looking at her. "I'm so bored. Can we please leave?"
She gave me a look, "Ronnie, it's only nine-thirty."
My eyes widened, "Seriously?! It feels like it's been hours, years even."
She rolled her eyes, "Quit being so dramatic, that's Caroline's job."
I squinted my eyes at her, giving her a fake laugh. "Oh, you're so funny, Bonnie. You should become a comedian."
She sighed, looking to the side just as the wind blew out the candle on our table.
I pointed to it, "See, Bonnie. That's a sign that even the gods think we should leave." I pathetically attempted to convince her to leave, but I realized she wasn't even listening.
I watched as Bonnie stared at the unlit candle intently. I squinted my eyes in confusion, giving her a weird look. I jumped when the candle wick was now lit again. "Oh, my damn." I quickly said, looking at Bonnie with wide eyes.
She looked at the candle in, with what I was assuming was fear, before leaning forward and blowing the candle out.
I put my hand on my head, "I think someone put something in my drink."
~~~~~
I hurried into the bathroom, shutting the door behind me. After that weird candle thing with Bonnie, we both decided to go back inside. After we got inside, I lost her in the crowd, but I was sure I was going to throw up.
I paced around the large bathroom, ringing my hands together. "The supernatural is real." I muttered to myself. "God, I sound like a crazy person." I said, walking over to the sink, turning the faucet on. I cupped my hands together, letting the water gather in my hands, before splashing it on my face. I wiped my eyes, turning the faucet off and grabbing a towel, wiping the water off my face.
I heard the door open, making me look in the mirror, seeing Caroline. "Care!" I said loudly. "I could have been using the bathroom."
She shrugged, walking over to the vanity that was across from the sink. "Well, then you should've locked the door."
I groaned, turning around and leaning against the counter. I watched her sit her purse on the table, grabbing some lipstick. I heard the door open once more, Elena waltzing right on in. I threw my hands up, "What is this, join Ronnie in the bathroom day?" I asked sarcastically, watching the brunette walk over to the vanity as well.
"Hey."
"Hey."
They both greeted each other. "Well, hello to you too, Elena." I said, giving her a look in the mirror.
She smiled at me. "Hello, Ronnie."
Caroline glanced at Elena, "So how are things with Stefan?"
Elena smiled shortly. "Great. Just great." She said, putting some more lipgloss on.
"Really?" Caroline asked skeptically. "Well, my radar must be off 'cause I was getting all sorts of other vibes." She said, also putting on some more lipgloss.
Elena looked at Caroline silently, before her eyes moved to her neck. "What is that?" She squinted her eyes, making me very confused.
"Hmm?" Caroline hummed, looking over at Elena.
Elena moved her hand to Caroline's scarf, about to pull it off, when the blonde jerked away. "Don't." Caroline said, pulling her sweater over her shoulder.
I pushed off the counter, "Elena, sweetie, haven't you ever seen a hickey before?" I joked, coming to stand next to the two.
Elena ignored me, pulling Caroline's scarf up to reveal a large bite, which had a bruise around it. "Gross!" I said, looking at the bite, it then covered a split second later by Caroline.
"Oh, my god, Caroline, what happened?" Elena asked worriedly, while Caroline jerked away from her.
"Nothing, okay?"
"That is not nothing." Elena said, making me nod in agreement.
"Did someone hurt you?" I asked, looking at the blonde.
"No, okay, it... nothing, it just..." Caroline trailed off, giving us a smile, before leaning towards the mirror, fixing her makeup. "My mom would kill me."
Elena pulled Caroline's sweater down, exposing her shoulder, which held another bite. "Did Damon hurt you?" Elena asked as Caroline pulled her sweater up.
"No..." Caroline said, shaking her head. "Of course not."
Elena was about to grab her sweater again when Caroline angrily smacked her hand away. "Just leave me alone, okay, Elena? God." She said, walking out of the room.
I let out an angered breath, "I'm gonna kill him..." I said. I wasn't just angry, I was seething. How dare these Salvatore's come to town and hurt one of my friends. I may not like Caroline at times, but she was still one of my best friends and I wasn't going to let some egomaniac abuse her.
Elena caught my arm as I started to walk out of the room. "Ronnie, as much as I want him dead, I think you should let me handle it."
"Elena!" I said, giving her a look of anger. I snatched my arm away from her. "Give me one good reason why you should do this."
"Because, knowing you, you'll actually kill him."
"And that's a bad thing?" I asked angrily.
"Ronnie, just go home, okay? I'll deal with this." Elena gave me a look, before walking out of the room.
I pressed my lips into a line, glaring at the wall. I shook my head, angrily stalking out of the room. I let out a shaky breath as I saw the raven-haired devil. I quickly walked up to him, completely disregarding what Elena told me to do. I grabbed his shoulder, whirling him around. "Oh, do I have some things to say to you." I said angrily, looking up at the Salvatore.
"What now, princess?" He asked impatiently.
"First of all, biting? Seriously? This isn't Twilight. And secondly, that's just freaky. I tried to tolerate you, but what you did to Caroline was not only disgusting but wrong." I ranted to him, glaring into his eyes. "Stay away from her. Better yet, stay away from all of us. Why don't you and your brother do us all a favor and leave? We were fine without you! And now the Salvatore's come to town and everything goes downhill." I said, pointing my finger at him. "This is the last time I'm going to repeat myself. Stay. Away. From. Caroline." I emphasized every word.
I gave him one last evil glare, before pushing past him. I walked around the corner, leaning against it. I let out a breath, closing my eyes. I stayed there for a moment, finally opening my eyes.
I need some fresh air. This time, I might actually throw up.
I walked out the back door, walking to the side of the house where no one was. I squinted my eyes when I saw a familiar figure standing far away from me. I started walking towards that person, finally being able to see the straight, blonde hair that belonged to a certain Forbes. "Caroline?" I shouted out, tripping over something. I sighed, taking my shoes off. In reality, it probably wouldn't have made a difference, seeing as I was wearing flats, but I wasn't thinking straight right now. I then continued to walk towards her. "What are you doing out here?" I asked as I started to get closer to her. I furrowed my brows in confusion when I saw she was shaking. "Um, are you okay?"
She nodded, playing with her scarf as she turned towards me. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"Sweetie, what happened?"
She then started to breathe heavily, "I'm fine."
"You're shaking, Care." I said, giving her a look. "Seriously, Caroline, what...?"
"I'm fine. I'm fine." She said, her voice cracking.
"Come here." I said, bringing her into a hug, rubbing her back as she started to sob into my shoulder.
I sighed, looking out into the darkness. "Let's get you home, yeah?"
~~~~~
I let out a deep sigh as I opened my front door, throwing my shoes on the ground. I walked down the hall and into the living room where my brother was sitting on the couch, watching TV as usual. "Hey, where's Gina?" I asked.
Gina was an elderly woman that lived a couple of houses down from ours. She was my babysitter when I was little, then I grew up and she became Luke's babysitter. She was more of a grandmother than a babysitter. Heck, she was more of a mother to us than our actual mother ever was.
"She left ten minutes ago." He said, not looking up from the TV.
I sighed, sitting down next to him. I saw he had a bag of chips, making me reach over, grabbing a chip. "Okay, listen, I'm too tired to argue tonight. So, be in bed by eleven-thirty. Got it?" I asked, standing up from the couch, looking down at him.
"Fine, whatever." He grumbled.
I sighed, "I don't remember being this moody when I was going through puberty."
He let out an annoyed groan, grabbing a pillow from next to him, throwing it at me. I dodged it just in time, giving him a victorious smile. "You're gonna have to try harder than that, little brother."
I gave him one last smug smile, before making my way out of the room.
"You're so annoying!" I heard him yell after me.
I rolled my eyes. "Right back at you!"