An Elemental Difference - FIRE - Book 2 (Stefan Salvatore)

Chapter 66 - Bad juju just seeps from your huge pores

A/N: Some big changes affected by my AU storyline that I would LOVE your opinion on. Please comment xoxo

MYSTIC GRILL

The familiar ambiance of the eatery enveloped the group as they stepped inside, the low hum of chatter and clinking glasses serving as the backdrop to their reunion. Jenna's expression soured immediately upon spotting Alaric at his usual spot at the bar.

"I need a drink," she muttered, her frustration palpable.

Aella's eyes sparkled mischievously. "I'll come," she offered with a sly grin, feigning innocence. "For support."

Jenna let out an exasperated groan and pushed the teenager towards Caroline. "You are going nowhere near the alcohol," she declared firmly, her tone leaving no room for argument. "I can deal with this in an adult manner."

Elena raised an eyebrow at her aunt's resolve. "You're going to ignore him and order at the opposite side of the bar, aren't you?"

Jenna nodded proudly. "Yes, I am," she confirmed. "Because that is what adults do, despite telling our kids the opposite; we avoid and pretend the problem doesn't exist until it eventually goes away."

Aella couldn't help but laugh at Jenna's analogy. "You sound like Captain Jack Sparrow," she teased, adopting a pirate accent. "'I love those moments; I like to wave at them as they pass by.'"

Jenna halted in her tracks, a hint of self-deprecation in her response. "It's bad that that's not the worst comparison I've heard about myself today."

As Jenna made her way towards the bar, Bonnie chuckled appreciatively. "Jenna is awesome," she remarked with a grin.

Aella nodded enthusiastically, her admiration evident. "She's basically us but legal to do everything we're 'too immature' to do."

Caroline's attention shifted as Matt approached, but his lack of acknowledgment left her deflated. "Hey, Matt," she greeted, but he walked past without a word, leaving an awkward silence in his wake.

Bonnie winced sympathetically. "Things just got real awkward."

Elena offered Caroline a comforting touch. Meanwhile, Aella's gaze hardened as she watched Matt's departure. "Is he on my shit list again?" she muttered under her breath.

Caroline let out a tearful snort. "That list is getting long again."

Aella shrugged nonchalantly. "People shouldn't be idiots then."

"Are we on your shit list too?" Elena's eyes teared up, Aella was still ignoring her.

Aella brushed past her, ignoring the teen as she pulled Caroline's arm, "C'mon, let's a get a seat far away from that jerkwad."

Elena's eyes filled with tears as she turned to Bonnie. "She hates me," she whispered, her voice laden with hurt.

Bonnie hurriedly wiped away Elena's tears, offering reassurance. "She doesn't hate you. Believe me, I know what that looks like." She glanced over to where Aella had secured a table for them, a glimmer of hope in the gesture. "See, she got a table for all of us. That's got to mean something."

As Aella and Caroline settled at the table, their ears caught Caroline's distressed exclamation, "He hates me!"

Aella rolled her eyes with a hint of exasperation. "He tried to kiss you the other day. That does not sound like hate."

Bonnie nodded in agreement as she and Elena took their seats. "Yeah, he said the ball's in your court. That is not hate, that is frustration."

Caroline grumbled, her voice heavy with emotion. "Some days, he sees me as the Caroline he fell in love with and wants to be with, and then he remembers I'm a vampire, the same thing that killed his sister, and I can just see the hate in his eyes." She wiped away her tears once more, her voice strained. "Maybe if he didn't know about this world, about me, things would be different."