CHAPTER TWO : DANGEROUS EYES & A STAR IN THE SKY
❝ R. QUINN ❞

♪ warm glow by hippo campus ♫

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      THREE DAYS HAD PASSED SINCE THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL AND GOD, WAS ROSEMARY QUINN HAPPY THAT THE WEEKEND WAS FASTLY APPROACHING. It had been a rough week, all in all.

      Vicki Donovan had been attacked by an unknown force at the annual Back to School bonfire, but the police had chosen to announce it as an animal attack because it was the only reasonable option. June had spent all week telling her aunt and sister that it couldn't have been a normal animal after seeing the wounds on the girl's neck first hand at the bonfire. (Vicki had been rushed to the hospital that night, June being the one to call the ambulance.)

      The entire situation broke Rosemary's heart, it truly did. While she would never approve of the Donovan girl's actions, the twenty three year old would never wish harm towards her either. It also hurt her to see Matt so inconsolable as he paced the waiting room floor, practically hyperventilating. Despite all of her flaws, Vicki Donovan was the only family he truly had and the art teacher hoped he wouldn't lose her any time soon whether that be to her excessive pill popping or the animal attacks becoming frequent around the area.

      Rosemary felt relieved to see the curly haired eighteen year old wandering around the town square, resisting the urge to hug her.  She had to tell herself repeatedly that even though she had watched the girl grow up, she was not a good person and she was hurting the people around her─ innocent people like Matt Donovan and especially Jeremy Gilbert.  Still, it pained the teacher to watch someone she used to know self destruct so she didn't hesitate in giving her a sad smile and a bag of popcorn.

      Now, the twenty three year old was assisting the one and only Jenna Sommers in running concessions.  It wasn't difficult to work alongside the charming strawberry blonde, especially since they had been having wine and movie nights at the Gilbert house since the twenty six year old moved back to town. 

      The duo was good at manning the popcorn and sweets truck, too.  Offering sweet smiles and suggestions was like second nature to the two, especially since it wasn't their first rodeo.  Both women learned in their youth that being a member or member adjacent to a Founding family meant commiting time to town events.

      They both hated it when they were in the midst of their angsty teen years but as they grew older, they cherished it more and more.

      "Girl, he did not!" Rosemary exclaimed in disbelief as the Sommers woman finished the tale of her conference with the one and only Mr. Tanner.

      Jenna only nodded in response as she wiped down one of the counters and the Quinn's jaw dropped.

      "I swear to all things, I hate that man!  How dare he?" The brunette began her rant.  "He acts all high and mighty even though everyone in this damn town knows his wife left him for another man because he's an alcoholic and a gambler!"

      Jenna's eyes lit up in amusement.  Rosemary rarely ever cursed, mainly because her mama taught her not to. (And yes, the late Marjorie Quinn considered damn to be a bad word.)

      "He had the nerve to lecture you on handling Jeremy's harmful coping mechanisms when he's been in and out of rehab since you and I were in middle school?"

      "How do they even let that man teach?  Shouldn't his license be revoked?" Rosemary continued, counting the money in the cash box.

      "You don't understand how happy I was when Elena told me Stefan shut him down in class later that day." The strawberry blonde chuckled, leaning against the counter beside her childhood friend.

      "Oh yes!  Thank the good Lord for Stefan Salvatore." Rosemary muttered, sorting the bills by their amount.

       The raven haired vampire listening nearby rolled his eyes.  Thank God for better things.

       "I've got a good feeling about him." Jenna smiled and Rosemary returned the expression.

       "Me too."

       The duo was interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat and they both looked up from whatever they were doing.

       Standing in front of the food truck was a man clad in dark clothing and a leather jacket that stuck out in the crowd.  He had pale skin and dark raven hair that nearly reached his shoulders.  What stood out the most about him to Rosemary Quinn was his eyes. 

       They were a striking blue that were so icy that she felt them burn her skin.  They held mischief, resentment, and another emotion she could not clearly identify. 

       Whatever it was, it was dangerous.  The Quinn could feel it.

       Jenna was the one to speak up first, "Hey, what can we get for ya?"

       Rosemary could not take her gaze off the man who looked about her age.  She felt that if she turned her back or attention away from him, bad things would happen around her.  The art teacher didn't know where this feeling was coming from, as she was never one to judge an individual based upon their appearance but the nagging feeling in the back of her head told her it was right to do so this time.

       "You got any more caramel apples?  Or funnel cake?  I love funnel cake." He had a smirk on his lips that Rosemary would have found attractive if her intuition hadn't kicked in.

       "Lucky for you, we have one of each left.  Let me go grab them!" Jenna walked away to grab the unfamiliar man's requested fair food.

       Rosemary stayed in the exact same spot and finally decided to break the awkward silence lingering, "I haven't seen you around before.  You new to town?"

      "Oh, so she does speak!" The Quinn's eyes narrowed in an instant. "I was starting to doubt your customer service skills there for a minute."

      "I'm not new to the town, per say.  I'm Damon Salvatore, used to live here when I was younger."

      Rosemary, while put off by his attitude since he was a stranger to her, relaxed tremendously upon hearing his last name.  He was related to Stefan, she could trust him right?  I mean, they came from good people.

       "Are you Stefan's brother?"

       The vampire put a faux smile on his face, "Why yes, I am.  You know him?"

       She nods with a fond look on her heart shaped face, "Yes actually, I'm his art teacher at the high school."

       Damon raised an eyebrow, all sorts of ideas now running through his mind. "Is that so?"

       "Yes, otherwise I wouldn't have told you I was." She said bluntly. 

       Her chocolate eyes went wide and her cheeks turned slightly pink as she realized how rude she sounded.  She covered her mouth in shock.  "I am so sorry!"

      The eldest Salvatore brother chuckled under his breath before waving her off.  The Quinn was innocent and sweet, quite literally a breath of fresh air in the town he oh so despised.  She was cute too but much too cute for someone like him to corrupt.  But then again....

      His thoughts were interrupted by Jenna coming back with two containers in her hands.  "You ring him up yet, sis?"

       The Quinn made brief eye contact with the new man in town and simply shook her head at the Sommers girl.  "We're gonna leave it on the house for him, Jen.  He's Stefan's older brother."

      The strawberry blonde's eyebrows rose, "Really?  Well, I guess we have no choice other than to be nice to him, then."

       "You saying I wouldn't get this hospitality otherwise?" Damon asked playfully, maintaining his charm as he always did.

       "No, sir.  We woulda let you starve," Rosemary laid on her country accent extra thick to make herself sound like a stereotypical hillbilly.

      A genuine smirkish smile appeared on the noirette's lips.  "I consider myself lucky then."

       "Have a nice night, Mr. Salvatore." Jenna Sommers waved him off, trying not to seem like she wanted him gone when she really did so she could partake in all the festivities her own self.

       "You too, ladies." He gave them both a wink before he began walking away.

       He stopped a couple feet away before turning back to the concession truck where the two women still watched, "I didn't catch your name, Stefan's teacher!"

       "I'm Rosemary Quinn."

       Quinn, hmm?  He hadn't heard that last name in a while.

       Damon Salvatore nodded and gave them a wave before walking away once again, leaving the two staring at his leather clad back.

       The humans were oblivious to the troublesome smirk on the twenty five year old's face as he left them behind.

       It seemed that getting involved in his little brother's circle wouldn't be too difficult after all.

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       A mere thirty minutes later, Rosemary Quinn strolled around Town Square with a stick of cotton candy the size of her head and a strawberry blonde woman in tow.  Both of them had wide, peaceful smiles on their faces as they looked around them.  The sun was in the early stages of setting and the fairy lights had been turned on, creating a beautiful ambience of serenity.  They were both thoroughly happy with how everything about the celebration turned out.

      Upon noticing a rather large group of some of the duo's favorite people, Rosemary grabbed one of her closest companion's wrists and dragged her to their area.

       The Quinn called out to the seven people she adored, "Hey guys!"

       The first person to greet her in return was none other than Caroline Forbes.  The blonde let out a squeal and pulled her cheer coach into a warm embrace, "Oh my god!  Ro, the place looks amazing!"

       If there was one thing in life that Rosemary Quinn would never get tired of, it was Caroline Forbes and her fairy-like magic.

       The art teacher grinned, squeezing the sweet girl back.  "Thank you, sweetheart!  It took me and the guys hours to fix everything."

       She then turned to one of the two boys in their circle with a sweet smile and hugged him in greeting as well.  Matt Donovan returned the gesture, soaking up the warmth and safety the only mother figure in his life provided.  "Thank you for all your help, Matt.  Tell Tyler I said thanks too, even if you both only did it for your community service hours of the season."

      The Donovan boy grinned, his white teeth on full display.  "Nah, you know I'd always show up for you, Miss Q."

       Yes, Rosemary did know this and for that reason, she sent him the sweetest grin she could muster and turned to greeting the others.

        It was no surprise to the rest of the group that the Quinn swept them up into warm hugs, but it definitely caught Stefan Salvatore off guard when she squeezed him so hard he almost broke in two. (He was a vampire and she was a simple human, so her strength definitely gave him a shock.)

       "You having fun at your very first Mystic Falls bash, honey?" Rosemary's voice was soft and her country accent was soothing as she spoke to him.

       Stefan Salvatore knew the Quinn had a habit of calling everyone she knew endearing nicknames but he felt special regardless because he had learned over the past few days that Rosemary Quinn was a very special person to be cared for by.

       The vampire nodded with a kind smile, "Yes, ma'am.  It's all so beautiful and the people are nice."

       The art teacher patted his arm comfortingly, "I'm glad to hear that.  You fit in just fine with us, don't you think?"

       The light haired eternal seventeen year old felt his heart swell.  Rosemary Quinn was the first person in a really long time to make him feel like he belonged somewhere and that he wasn't a burden.  She had reassured him so much of it over the past week that even he was starting to believe her words.

       "Y'all would not believe what happened at our concession stand today!" Rosemary heard the Sommers woman begin and she stepped away from the Salvatore.

       "Jenna, if you don't stop it!" The twenty three year old whined, lightly back handing the crook of the strawberry blonde's elbow.

       Upon noticing her aunt's obvious discomfort, June Quinn─ all wrapped up in one of Matt Donovan's flannels─ smirked, "Do tell, Jen!"

       Rosemary narrowed her eyes at the youngest girl in their group, "I oughta─"

       "Well, there was this guy!" Jenna began.

       Bonnie Bennett, Elena Gilbert, Caroline Forbes, Beverly and June Quinn all gasped.  The words Rosemary Quinn and possible love interest had not been in the same sentence in nearly a year following her disastrous date with one of Mystic Falls High School's biology teachers.

       "A guy?!  Oh girl, you better spill!" The smoky voice of Faye Bennett met the teacher's ears and Rosemary immediately brightened up.

       She fell into a state of shock, however, when she noticed the jaw dropping Mona Amiri-Lockwood stood beside her, arm locked with the Bennett's.

       Jenna Sommers was unsurprisingly the first to squeal and run to the Iranian woman with wide arms.  A genuine, boisterous laugh fell from the tanned woman's lips as she threw head back in the embrace.

       Once Rosemary finally realized that the fourth member of their little aging friend group was actually there in the flesh, she also ran to join the embrace.

       "Oh my God!  What are you doing here?!  When did you come in?!" Those were just a few of the questions the art teacher blurted out as thoughts raced through her head.

       "Well, Florida was getting boring and I needed my girls." Faye, Rosemary, and Jenna also knew what her words were code for so they simply held her tighter.

       All four girls cherished the hug.  The last time they had seen their ever so loved Mona, it had been under the tragic circumstances of the Gilbert funeral and before that, it had been her white coat ceremony months prior.  Sure, video calls were okay but nothing was like having her in person.

       After pulling away from the embrace, Rosemary Quinn took note of the utter confusion on Stefan Salvatore's face so she thought it was best to introduce the two.

      Rosemary held a hand out to gesture to the tall Iranian girl with a wide smile on her face, "Stefan, this is the one and only Dr. Mona Amiri-Lockwood!"

       The mentioned twenty five year old rolled her eyes playfully.  There was never a time that Rosemary failed to brag on her on any of their other friends.

       The curly haired woman stuck her hand out politely, "Just call me Mona."

       Stefan returned the gesture, "Stefan Salvatore.  It's nice to meet you, ma'am."

       The Iranian woman scowled, "Please don't call me that, it makes me feel like I'm fifty years old.  Just Mona."

       It didn't take long after her reply for the newly graduated doctor to be pulled into hugs by the other Mystic Falls teenagers─ except for Matt who just gave her a big smile and a nod.

       Rosemary also nodded to the African-American girl beside her, "And this is Faye Bennett!  She's the librarian at the school."

       As the Salvatore and Bennett shook hands, there was a certain tension that even Rosemary couldn't deny.  It wasn't sexual or romantic because that would be justly frowned upon, but more like pure and unadulterated tension.  Faye had her eyes narrowed playfully at the seventeen year old but there was still a sense of malice lingering in her gaze. 

       Stefan swallowed harshly, "Bennett?"

       Faye's smirk was evident on her face, "Mhmm.  Bonnie's my little sister."

       Taking note of the tight grip her older sister still had on her new friend, Bonnie spoke up.  "C'mon sis, you just met him!  Already trying to intimidate him?"

       If that was the twenty three year old's intention, it was working on the Salvatore brother.  Her appearances was nonthreatening, of course.  She didn't look much like Bonnie at all, in his opinion, other than maybe her high cheekbones, her short stature, and the way her lips turned slightly upwards at the sides even when she wasn't smiling.  Her long braids were pulled in a half up and half down style with a bun at the top of her head while Bonnie's was straightened and styled. 

       Her physical appearance didn't threaten him in the slightest, but her eyes did.  They were dark brown, nearly black and they penetrated deep into his soul.  She had a knowing look and if she knew what he thought she did, well, she seemed excited about it.  Her eyes were dangerous and he had a feeling she was, too.

      Faye Bennett released her grip with a playful smirk as she turned to her sister, "I'm just playing around, Bonnie!  No harm done, right?"

      The Salvatore vampire shook his head, "No.  It's nice to meet you, ma'am."

       Faye hummed before she walked right past him, giving Caroline a quick hug as she joined their conversation about Mona starting the rest of her residency at the hospital in town, if he heard properly.

       Stefan was also slightly intimidated by the Iranian woman but not for the same reasons.  Her appearance was also nonthreatening.  She stood at the same height as Beverly and had a head full of beautiful black curls with fierce brown eyes.  Her face was heart shaped with high cheekbones, a sharp jawline, and beautiful brown skin.  The doctor wasn't threatening in the slightest and she was nice to him, of course, but he had the feeling that she could be very unpredictable at times and that scared him a little bit.  He also thought he heard something strange about her heartbeat when she first arrived, but it was hard to tell because of the crowd around them.

       He felt a familiar hand wrap around his arm briefly and he turned his eyes back to the petite brunette still beside him.  She gave him a small smile, "Don't let Faye give you a hard time.  She does that to everybody she first meets."

       Stefan nods his head at the teacher, even though he is clearly not convinced.

       The two are broken out of their short exchange by the woman's oldest niece calling out to her, "What about that guy, Rosie?"

       The mechanic is wiggling her eyebrows suggestively and Stefan watches in amusement as the twenty three year old throws a piece of her cotton candy at her in reply.

       "Oh yeah, the guy!" Jenna smirks as she returns back to the topic originally at hand.

       "She never shuts up." The Quinn mutters before walking towards the circle that had gathered just a few feet away.

       "Okay, so there was this gorgeous guy that showed up at our concessions stand, right?" Caroline and Elena─ even Matt─ nodded in excitement.

       "He had dark hair and the prettiest blue eyes I think I've ever seen."

       The light haired vampire stiffened up.  No way....

       "He was Stefan's brother, if I recall correctly." 

       Said boy looked at the ground and shook his head, annoyance flooding through his veins.  Of course his brother would go after the good ones─ no matter how miniscule their role played in bringing him joy.

       "Seriously?" He murmured so lowly no human would be able to hear.

       "There's another one?  Sign me up!" The blonde haired cheerleader exclaimed.

       All attention briefly turned to the new guy in town before they looked back to the student realtor.  The doppelganger he was infatuated with mouthed, "Damon?"

      He nodded with a tight lipped smile.

       "Caroline, he's way too old for you." Rosemary informed and the cheerleader pouts.

       Jenna started laughing, "And Rose here must have really liked him because she gave him his food for FREE!"

       Rosemary rolled her eyes as all of her students turned to her with wide eyes.  She knew they would never let her keep her love life (or lack thereof) to herself. 

      The oldest Quinn girl threw her hands up in the air, "Why are you making a big deal out of this?  I am a generous human being, is it so hard to believe that I'd give Stefan's brother, who is new to town by the way, a caramel apple for free?  C'mon, really?"

       "But he was like the hottest guy ever!  Totally your type." The Sommers teased.

       "Spice up your life!" Mona cheered on and Faye remained uncharacteristically quiet during the exchange. 

       Her dangerous eyes were staring into Stefan's soul again and she appeared a bit more agitated this time around.

       "Okay, no." Rosemary shut the conversation down politely, a chuckle leaving her lips. "One, I don't know him.  Two, I'm his brother's art teacher.  And three, I DON'T KNOW HIM!"

       Stefan Salvatore lets out a sigh of relief.  Okay so he wouldn't have to worry THAT much.

       "Anyway where's Dad, Bev?  I haven't seen him since this morning." Rosemary changed the subject, her head turning around every which way to seek him.

       The nineteen year old with her hair up in a bun shrugged, "The last time I saw him, he was talking to Liz in The Grill, but he's probably somewhere else now."

       Rosemary shook her head, "I swear, he can't stay still."

       It was true.  Emery Quinn was always on the move.

       The conversation was interrupted by someone tapping Beverly's shoulder, handing her a box of candles for the group.  She nodded with a small smile, "Thanks."

       "Grab a candle, losers!" The mechanic exclaimed as soon as the stranger walked away, holding the cardboard box out.

       Rosemary chuckled, grabbing one for herself.  "Anyone got a lighter?"

       Beverly pulled one from the pocket of her grey fleece jacket with a sheepish smile and Rosemary narrowed her eyes.

       "Bev, I thought you stopped smoking." She whispered so no one else would hear her scolding.

       The lanky nineteen year old shushed her playfully, "I only smoke once a week, I promise."

       Rosemary Quinn held out her pinky, "Alright.  I know how hard it is to quit cold turkey, so I'm proud you're putting the effort in."

       Beverly smiled genuinely at her aunt, patting the top of her head.  She lit Rosemary's candle first and then the teacher leaned her own over to light her niece's.  It continued around the circle until June lit Matt's and Matt leaned over to light his ex's.

       The Gilbert girl and the football player made eye contact as his candle lit her own, "Thank you."

       The long-legged African-American boy still looked mesmerized as he gazed at the girl who broke his heart, "No problem.  Any time."

       All three Quinn girls watched the boy who was like family with pity-filled matching hazelnut eyes.  Deep down, all three knew Elena no longer loved him like she once did months ago. (June wondered if she ever genuinely did.)

       Their thoughts were just proven correct when Elena and Stefan became absorbed in their own young love bubble.  June frowned at the sight and grabbed her best friend's arm to take his attention off of the two.  He looked down at her with a forlorn look in his eyes and she just gave him a sweet, sad smile.  He returned it, wrapping an arm around her shoulder as the two walked away─ probably to join Tyler Lockwood who was standing alone awkwardly by the entrance to The Grill.

       The high school art teacher smiled fondly at the trio.  She knew life had big things in store for them and they'd be there for one another through it all.

       Beverly walked a few feet away to hang out with Bonnie and Caroline.  It wasn't long before the three teenage girls were laughing so hard that Beverly was nearly on the ground.

       It made the chocolate haired, hazelnut eyed Rosemary Quinn happy to see those around her happy.

       Soon enough, Rosemary was stuck between two of her dearest friends, Mona Amiri-Lockwood and Faye Bennett as Jenna Sommers stood next to the Iranian doctor.  Whenever the Quinn thought of who her people were, it had always been them for forever.  She hoped it always would be.

       "There is nobody else I would rather experience a once in every century astrological event with," Mona sighed and Rosemary grinned at her nerdy wording.

       "More like once in a lifetime!" Jenna retorted, throwing an arm over the doctor's shoulder.

       The four women went silent as they stared up at the dark purple night sky.  Their jaws dropped as the star slowly moved across space.

       "Woah," Rosemary whispered in awe, her big brown eyes sparkling with wonder.

       "To 145 more years of friendship!" Faye told her three best friends softly, raising her candle in the sky with the biggest grin she had all evening.

       "Yes, to 145 more!" Rosemary agreed and Faye made kissy faces at the shorter woman, making her laugh.

       "If we live that long." Mona spoke up.  The other three groaned at her pessimism, even if it was rightfully placed.

       "Ugh, Mona!" The African-American librarian exclaimed, shaking her head.

       "We will, we will." Jenna reassured with a wide smile as Mona laid her head on her shoulder.

       The doctor's action caused a chain reaction in the group and soon, Rosemary's head was laying on Mona and Faye on Rosemary's while the Sommers woman tried to wrap her arms around the big huddle.

      One thought went through all of their minds in response to Jenna's words as they stared up at the sparkling comet in the sky, I sure hope so.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE !

AHHHHH!  I WROTE THE SECOND CHAPTER!!!  I'M SO PROUD OF MYSELF :D

this was so fun to write and i actually quite like it so i hope you all do, too!

we had 3-4 characters introduced in this chapter!!  mona and faye are two ocs very close to my heart and i have so much in store for them!  for those of you who don't know, mona was actually created in honor of the one and only bloodymikaelson !!  that's my home girl and she's so talented and genuine and makes the best book and the best chocolate chip cookies so go love her to the max!!

i also love the relationship between jenna, rosemary, faye, and mona— it will be a highlight of this book.  it is so precious to me because they are just so precious individually.  and it's rare to find healthy female friendships in tv series or in books so i'm excited to portray that!

damon also made his first appearance 😳 still not quite sure how his relationship with rosemary is gonna pan out but he finds her interesting and stefan obvious doesn't like that !! (stefan and rosemary are gonna be one of the best platonic ships in this book, so come up with a name for that duo!!)

and i just want to thank you guys so much for all the love you've given this book!  i see your comments and your votes and you adding evermore to your stories, i am so grateful for your love.  i am very inconsistent with my updates because i won't write if i'm not inspired to but you guys still are so dedicated and kind.  i love you a lot for it, i don't deserve it.  i hope i can keep making you proud :D

also VERY unedited haha