Riley used one hand to clean a table at the Grill, while the other hand was pressing her cell phone to her ear while she had a hushed conversation with Elena.
"I can't," she said regretfully. "I have to talk to my mom, remember? Or have you conveniently forgotten that her secret society is trying to kick you and Care out of college?"
Even though she couldn't see her, Riley could guess the face that Elena was making. A face that said 'seriously?'.
"You can talk to your mom anytime. Plus, who cares if 'Augustine' want us gone? We're not going anywhere. Our best friend just came back from the dead, we're throwing her a party, and you're coming." Elena's tone was extremely determined. Clearly, she wouldn't be taking 'no' for an answer.
"I also have to work," Riley reminded her friend. The first thing that Bonnie had done when she came back to life was enroll at Whitmore with Caroline and Elena. And, much to their dismay, Riley hadn't joined them.
"Right," Elena said. "I get that. You don't have to come... even though Aaron's gonna be there, and he totally asked about you."
Just hearing his name made an invisible blush form at her cheeks. It was a feeling that she'd never had before, and she liked it.
"Well... if Aaron's going..." Riley started, thankful that Elena couldn't see the smile on her face, even though she could probably hear it in her voice.
"I thought you'd say that," Elena enthused. "See you tonight!"
They both hung up. On autopilot, Riley picked up some empty glasses, expertly holding three in one hand and taking them to the back. All the time, all she could think about was her mother's connection to Augustine. She had gone through everything that had happened since they'd come to Mystic Falls, wondering if her mother's hatred of vampires had come from her involvement with the society.
"I want another drink!" a familiar voice yelled. Riley's head snapped up even though it didn't need to. Who else but Katherine Pierce?
"No, you're drunk and scaring the customers," Matt responded, nodding at Riley as she walked up to them. He had his phone in his hand. Riley leaned over his shoulder, to see that he was watching a video of himself walking around the Lockwood place, where he lived, speaking a language that she didn't recognize.
"What are you watching? Some Czech reality show?" Katherine asked, clearly uninterested.
Matt glanced up at her. "How did you know it was Czech?" After a second of her just smiling at him, he picked up a bottle of vodka. "You translate, you drink."
"I have to go to Whitmore," Riley informed him. "Call me if that Czech thing turns out to be something... creepy."
Matt nodded again. Was there ever a time that Mystic Falls wasn't creepy?
***
Even though she didn't go there, Riley seemed to be at Whitmore all the time. She knew the campus, she knew a lot of the student's faces, she knew some of the staff, and she knew that, if she ever decided to actually go to college, this was where she would come. But the best thing about being at Whitmore, was that she felt like a college student even though she wasn't one.
"Hey, I'm here," she said into the phone, to Elena. "Do you guys need help with party prep or something?"
Elena hesitated. "Um... this is probably a really bad idea but, you should come up to Jesse's room."
Riley frowned. "That guy that Caroline kissed that time? Elena, if something's wrong you need to tell me."
Again, there was an awkward hesitation on Elena's part. "Just... come up."
Riley anxiously chewed on her lip, following Elena's instructions to the dorm room that she'd never been to. Elena's ominous tone made her feel like this was more than just the usual problem.
"What's going on?" she asked as she opened the door. The first thing she saw was Elena and Caroline standing with a guy that she didn't recognize but assumed to be Jesse. It took her a moment to realize that he was drinking from a blood bag. The second thing she noticed, was Aaron lying on the couch, unconscious, with a vampire bite on his neck.
"Oh my God!" Riley shrieked, completely freaking out. "What happened?!" Tears filled her eyes. "He's dead, isn't he? Is he dead?"
"Calm down," Caroline soothed, wrapping her arms around her sister's shoulders. "He's alive. He'll be OK."
Riley took deep breaths, trying to make sure that she was completely calm before she spoke again.
"I didn't know you liked him that much," Elena commented.
Riley shook her head. "It's not about him. It's about... this. This world we live in where humans are a means to an end. It scares me," she admitted.
Elena sighed, running a wary hand through her hair. "We're not gonna let anything happen to you," she promised, gesturing to the unconscious guy on the couch. "Or Aaron. And we're gonna teach Jesse everything we know about control, sublimation and compulsion."
"Good," Riley nodded, only somewhat appeased. "Speaking of which," she began, looking at Jesse. "Who the hell turned him into a vampire?"
***
It didn't take long for the party to get out of control, which is exactly what Elena had hoped for. After all, this was Bonnie's 'coming back from the dead' party – was there such a thing as too big?
"So... this is old news to you?" Jesse asked Riley, referring to his new vampire status. Riley nodded, smiling warmly at him. Like the rest of them, becoming a vampire wasn't his fault.
"It is, weirdly enough," she confirmed. "My sister, my best friend... and most of my other best friends are vampires. And then there's also a vampire-werewolf hybrid, a vampire hunter and a former witch."
Jesse's eyes widened. "And you're just the human in the middle?"
"Possibly. I'm also a psychic, maybe, but that's a story for another time," she admitted. He glanced behind her, a wide smile breaking out on his face. Riley followed his gaze; he was watching Caroline dance. "You should go for it."
He turned back to Riley. "Really?"
"She's not had the most luck with guys lately. She needs someone good like you."
He nodded, making a beeline for the blonde vampire. Riley smiled to herself, when someone grabbed her arm. She turned quickly. Standing behind her was Elena and Aaron.
"Hi," Elena greeted. "Riley, you remember Aaron. I thought maybe you guys could hang out while I go and get more Jell-O shots."
She had left them alone before either of them could respond.
Riley giggled.
"She's not exactly... subtle," Aaron smiled.
"No, she isn't," Riley agreed. "So, what did she say to get you to come to this thing?"
Aaron looked down as a red blush crept onto his cheeks. "Actually... she told me that you would be here."
Riley grinned. "She totally played us both. But I'm glad... It's nice to see you." She subconsciously added the word 'alive' – but he didn't need to know that she'd already seen him today.
Together, they sat on the stairs, leaning against separate bannisters so that they could look at each other. In the middle, their knees were touching.
"So, what was the deal with your mom the other day?" he asked curiously, referring to the Augustine tea-party that he knew nothing about.
"It's a long story," she replied, careful not to let anything important slip out. "I found out that she's more involved with Whitmore than I thought she was."
Aaron frowned. "She didn't tell you?"
"She doesn't tell me much of anything these days," Riley sighed. "Speaking of that weird party, you said that Dr. Bio told you to stay away from Elena. How do you know him?"
"He's my legal guardian," Aaron said mechanically, as if it was a sentence that he said all the time.
"Oh, right. What about your parents?"
"Dead," he said quickly. From the way that he said it, Riley could tell that it wasn't recent. It sounded like it was just matter-of-fact, rather than some emotional trauma that he was still dealing with.
"I'm sorry," she frowned sadly. "Is it OK to ask what happened?"
Aaron shrugged. "I was 6, and we went camping. I woke up to the sound of my mom screaming. I went to check it out and saw blood everywhere. They had bite marks all over their necks."
This was ironic, considering he had been sporting his own bite mark on his neck earlier in the day.
"That sounds awful," Riley sympathized. She tried to remember what she was doing at 6 years old, knowing that it whatever it was would never be as terrifying as that.
"It was. But eventually Wes took me in. He's the closest thing to family I have left."
Instinctively, Riley scooted closer to him, reaching out and taking his hand in hers. Automatically, he ran his thumb softly over her hand. It was the first time in a long time that she'd held hands with a human, someone that wasn't indestructible, but vulnerable.
"Do you wanna go somewhere more private?" Aaron asked, his innocent smile turning into a smirk. "You know... before you take off again."
Riley laughed, nudging him. "I'm not taking off anywhere this time," she promised, standing up and pulling him up with her. "Let's go."
She let Aaron lead her to his dorm room, pretending that she hadn't been in there earlier that day.
"Your room's nice," she complimented, sitting on one of the beds. "Is college what you expected?"
Aaron sat on the bed next to her. "Kind of. I expected the parties and the work. I didn't expect to meet a really cool, beautiful girl who doesn't even go here."
"Well, if it's any consolation, I didn't expect to meet a guy that I really like at a college that I don't even go to," she admitted.
"I guess everything happens for a reason," he suggested. "Like you coming to the Whitmore Historical ball."
"And you wearing the worst costume I'd ever seen," she remembered, laughing. She couldn't be more thankful for that costume now. Without it, she might never have spoken to him.
Aaron took her hand, slowly moving closer to her. She liked the feeling of his skin against hers.
He leaned towards her, closing the gap between them, and gently pressed his lips to hers. He pulled away too quickly for her liking. But as she leaned into him for a second time, there was a knock at the door.
Begrudgingly, he answered it. Dianne Freeman was standing on the other side.
"Hi Aaron," Riley heard her say. "I'm so sorry but, I have some news about Jesse."
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Finally there's been a kiss! Do you like Riley and Aaron together?
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