Unmasked (The Vampire Diaries 13)

“It’s fine,” Elena said with a grateful glance. Meredith nodded and tugged Bonnie after her into the school.

“Wait,” Bonnie was saying, outraged. “I didn’t think she even knew Stefan.”

Elena watched her friends walk away before she looked up at Stefan, who had pulled off his sunglasses. His lips were drawn into a tight line.

“Elena,” he said abruptly. “What do you know about that guy who drove you here?”

She should have realized this would happen. Unthinkingly, Elena raised a hand to touch Stefan, but he flinched back from her. “It’s okay,” she said steadily. “I know what I’m doing.”

“I know you’ve got no reason to trust me,” he told her. His eyes were dark, insisting. “But he’s dangerous.” He stepped closer, taking hold of her arm again, and his touch sent a hot spark through her.

“He’s not dangerous to me,” Elena said slowly, holding Stefan’s eyes with her own.

“Do you remember me telling you that you reminded me of someone?” Stefan asked her. He was gripping Elena’s arm so hard that it ached, and she held her breath. “Well, that girl died. And it was Damon’s fault. Damon’s and mine. He destroys everything he touches, and he doesn’t care. You have to stay away from him.” Stefan was breathing hard.

If only Elena could take Stefan in her arms and hold onto him, shut out the world so she could do nothing but bring Stefan comfort.

“I’m sorry, Stefan,” she whispered, pulling her arm from his grip and brushing past him into the school. She could feel his eyes watching her. Elena didn’t look back.

“But where did you even meet him?” Bonnie asked, rifling through a rack of dresses. “Ooh, pink. I think I might do pink for Homecoming this year.” She pulled a fluffy concoction of satin and chiffon off the rack and held it up to herself to admire in the mirror. “Adorable, right?”

“It’s cute,” Elena agreed. “You should try it on.” The three girls had headed right after school to one of their favorite boutiques to look for dresses for Homecoming.

Even as she flipped through the dresses, a little sore place deep in her chest kept reminding Elena that this might be the end. If she wasn’t successful—if she died, back in that future—she would never be with her best friends again. And so she wanted, just for one afternoon, to be frivolous and try on dresses and talk about hairstyles.

“Focus, Bonnie,” Meredith said, amused. “I’d like to know where Elena met him, too.”

“At the cemetery, actually,” Elena admitted, and Bonnie gasped, almost dropping the pink dress.

“You went back to the cemetery? Elena, they still haven’t found who attacked that old man. It’s not safe.”

“I haven’t been there since we promised Mary we’d stay away,” Elena said patiently. “I met Damon before that.”

Meredith’s eyes narrowed. “The day we found you there?” At Elena’s nod, she frowned. “So he was hanging out at the cemetery alone the day the old man was attacked?”

“So was I,” Elena said dryly. “Damon has family buried there.” She wasn’t exactly lying, she told herself. Katherine, who had turned Damon into a vampire, was a kind of “family.” And her lurking underground in the crypt could count as being “buried.”

Bonnie rolled her eyes. “I really don’t think Elena’s gorgeous rich new boyfriend is attacking homeless people in his spare time, Meredith.”

“Even gorgeous rich guys can be psychos,” Meredith pointed out, her voice light.

“That may be true, but Damon’s not one of them,” she said, shortly. She began flipping through the rack of dresses in front of her and hesitated on a long sweep of silver silk. “This would look great on you, Meredith.”

Meredith looked at it critically. “You don’t think it’s too plain? Or too long?”

“You can pull it off.” Elena was sure the color would bring out her cool gray eyes and olive skin, while her natural elegance could carry off the style.

“So, are you bringing this Damon to the dance?” Bonnie asked.

“I don’t think high school dances are really Damon’s thing,” Elena said. She had trouble imagining Damon slow dancing to pop songs and bringing her little cups of punch. And Stefan would be taking Caroline to the dance, she assumed. It was better for the Salvatore brothers not to be in the

same room, especially not surrounded by humans.

“Who are you going to go with, then?” Bonnie asked, taking both the short pink dress and a blue green gown in a mermaid style off the rack to try on. “I’m sure Matt would still take you.”

Elena shrugged. “No one, I guess.”

Silently, Meredith and Bonnie turned to stare at Elena.