Unmasked (The Vampire Diaries 13)

“I don’t know,” Meredith said. “She’s been avoiding all of us.”

“She never tells me anything anymore,” Bonnie said. “If it weren’t for math and history, I wouldn’t see her at all.” She sounded forlorn, and Elena had a pang of regret for the lost friendship. Maybe, now that they weren’t competing over Stefan anymore, Caroline and Elena could be friends again, someday.

The fitting room doors opened again, and Elena stepped out to see the next set of dresses. An idea was kindling at the back of her mind. Why not replace Caroline in their little pre-dance group? It would be one way to keep the horrors of her first homecoming night from repeating. She thought of Vickie’s innocent face, the way she had giggled at everything Dick said. How the walls of her room had been coated with blood in the future Elena had lived through. Things had to be different.

“Why don’t we invite Vickie Bennett?” she said brightly. If Vickie was with them, she wouldn’t leave the dance with Dick and Tyler. She wouldn’t desecrate the tomb, wouldn’t incite Katherine’s anger.

Meredith, dressed in the long silver gown, and Bonnie, in black velvet, stared at her. “You want to invite Vickie Bennett?” Bonnie said slowly.

“Why not?” Elena asked. “What do you have against Vickie?”

Bonnie exchanged a glance with Meredith. Meredith cleared her throat. “Neither of us has a problem with Vickie, but you’ve never liked her.”

Nodding, Bonnie added. “You’ve always said she was a useless little drip.”

“Oh.” A little twist of self-disgust curdled inside her. “Well, I was wrong. Let’s bring her along.”

After careful comparisons, Meredith chose the long silver gown, which looked like moonlight on her. Bonnie modeled fourteen different dresses and finally settled on the pink chiffon. Elena, of course, bought the red dress.

Leaving the store, she held her head high, feeling like a warrior. Like a hero. Elena wasn’t just going to save Damon and herself. She would save everyone.

The weather Friday evening couldn’t have been more perfect for the Homecoming game. Gold and pink from the setting sun striped the sky. On the field, the marching band stepped in precise formation for their pregame show, horns blaring and drums thumping. Cheerleaders cartwheeled in their red and black skirts, warming up the crowd for the game.

“The Homecoming game is a real American tradition,” Elena told Damon, leading him up the bleachers. “You owe it to yourself to experience it at least once. I can’t believe you’ve never been.”

“You’d be amazed at the number of real American traditions I’ve been able to avoid,” Damon said dryly.

“Well,” Elena said, sitting down and wrapping her jacket more closely around her, “I’m glad I get a chance to introduce you to something.”

Damon reached out and tucked a lock of Elena’s hair behind her ear. “You’re going to show me life in the light, right, Princess?” he asked, his voice low and teasing. “Football games and sock hops?”

“I don’t think sock hops are a thing anymore, Damon,” Elena told him, letting her voice take on a flirtatious edge. The brush of his fingers made her skin t

ingle. Sensing her reaction, Damon smiled and ran his hand down her arm, wrapping his fingers around hers.

This wasn’t her Damon, not yet, but he felt so familiar that she kept forgetting. The weight of his arm across her shoulders, the scent of his leather jacket, the cool skin of his wrist resting casually against her neck, the affection that shone through his mocking smile: It all belonged to her Damon, too.

Elena could feel eyes watching them from all around as they sat waiting for the game to begin. Elena Gilbert with a mysterious, shockingly handsome, older man. Gossip would center on this for days.

No one approached them, though. Elena saw Meredith and Bonnie climbing the bleachers, Bonnie’s face brightening as she saw them, and sent a silent plea to Meredith with her eyes. Meredith cocked one elegant eyebrow—message received—and shepherded Bonnie toward a group of laughing girls in another row of seats.

As the team ran out onto the field to claps and cheers, Damon tensed beside her, letting go of Elena’s hand. His jaw was tight, and his eyes followed one red-and-black jersey across the field. Stefan.

She was surprised to see Stefan on the team. Perhaps she should have realized that, even without her intercession, Matt would have invited Stefan to try out for the team.

“My appreciation for football is fading,” Damon said dryly, his eyes still fixed on Stefan. “Let’s go somewhere else, Princess. I can show you all kinds of things better than high school sports.” He turned toward her, his lips twitching up in a wicked smile, and took her hand again, starting to rise.

“No, wait, Damon,” Elena said quickly, tugging him back down. “I need a favor.”

Damon’s eyes narrowed. Slowly, he sat back in his seat and fixed her with a steady dark gaze. “So you didn’t just want to expand my horizons when you brought me here?” He leaned closer. “You’re quite devious, aren’t you, Elena?”

Pulling her eyes away from his, Elena looked back at the field. Their team had won the coin flip, and Matt, as quarterback and captain, chose to receive the kickoff. The teams were lining up, and Elena gripped Damon’s hand harder as she leaned forward to scan the backs of their jerseys. “See those two guys?” she said, pointing. “Carter and Smallwood.”

Damon glanced at them, his face taking on the thoughtful look she associated with him using his Power. “A couple of all-American meatheads,” he said dismissively. “Nothing special about them.”

“I know,” Elena said. “I need them to fight. It has to be bad enough to get them kicked off the team.”

Damon’s eyebrows rose. “You’re more bloodthirsty than I’d realized, Princess,” he said.