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MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL ──────
"YOU GUYS ARE SUPER SUBTLE, YOU KNOW THAT?"
Caroline and Damon snapped around to look at Ronnie as she walked up to them, crossing her arms over her chest with a smirk. "I'm just saying, if you wanted to make it any more obvious that you were praying on their downfall, all you'd have to do is outright say it."
"Like you care," Damon rolled his eyes, not bothering to look away from his brother and Elena as their conversation, or lack thereof, continued.
"Oh, you're not wrong," Ronnie agreed, eyes drifting from him to Caroline. "But I'm not a homewrecker."
"It's a lot of fun when you don't have someone telling you it's morally incorrect," Damon says, unaware of the sudden tension between the two girls.
Ronnie tears her fiery gaze away from Caroline just in time to watch Elena storm away from Stefan.
Damon makes a noise of fake sympathy and rolls his eyes. "Relationships are about communication."
Caroline shoots him a short glare and steps past him, going to follow after Elena, but Ronnie stops her, pressing a hand to her chest and pushing her back slightly. "I think you've done enough,"
Caroline raised a brow, giving her a look of incredulity and irritation. "Excuse me?"
Ronnie tilted her head, smiling sweetly. "I said you've done enough, Caroline. Obviously whatever advice you're giving Elena isn't good enough, and your help is no longer required."
The blonde seems to catch onto the emphasis of Ronnie's words and her eyes widen as Damon looks at them confusedly.
Ronnie flutters her fingers in a wave and turns on her heel, bright blonde hair swishing along her back as she goes. Damon shakes his head with a short sigh. "Does anything she says make sense to you, or is she just trying to make us feel stupid?"
Caroline bit the inside of her cheek, crossing her arms over her chest uncomfortably. "Who knows,"
──────
"Sorry to crash your pity party, but I figured I wasn't on the invite list and I don't like being left out," Ronnie announced her presence over the sound of the rushing water before them, obviously startling Elena if the small gasp she let out was anything to go by.
"What do you want, Ronnie?"
Ronnie sat down on the flat rock beside Elena, a foot of distance between them as she drew her knees up, propping her chin on them. "Nothing. Just– being nosey, I guess. It's not like I have friends here, so I'm trying to get what entertainment I can from eavesdropping, and from what I can tell, you and Stefan aren't having a good time."
