CHAPTER THREE : BIG SURPRISES AND WINE GLASSES
❝ R. QUINN ❞

♪ willow by taylor swift ♫

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       IT WAS ONE OF THOSE QUAINT THURSDAY NIGHTS WHEN ROSEMARY QUINN, FAYE BENNETT, JENNA SOMMERS, AND MONA AMIRI-LOCKWOOD GATHERED AT ONE OF THEIR HUMBLE ABODES TO SIMPLY ENJOY THE SWEET GOODNESS OF LIFE.  While everything in the world may crumble around them and Death may visit their homes, they still had one another and for that reason, life was thoroughly enjoyable.

       During this particular gathering, the four women in their twenties were preparing various dishes for the dinner Jenna's niece was throwing at the Gilbert-Sommers house.  The host of the dinner was upstairs in her bedroom, dolling herself up and perfecting the way she spoke so she didn't somehow embarrass herself in front of her new crush.  Bonnie Bennett was sat in the living room, doing some of the homework she was assigned yesterday. (Well, all four women were unsure if she actually was because they could hear the F.R.I.E.N.D.S. theme song playing in the other room.)

       The radio was playing a soft indie song as the women danced around each other to complete their different tasks.  Rosemary sipped a glass of wine as she sprinkled cinnamon on top of her homemade peach cobbler.  The top was a perfect golden brown and the peach slices were a gorgeous yellowish orange placed intricately so they looked like flower petals.

       "Top my glass off please, beautiful!" Faye reached her near empty glass of chardonnay out to the doctor sat at the kitchen island.  Mona smiled smally and did as her friend asked.

       The Quinn found it peculiar that the Iranian woman had refused to drink any that night.  Mona Amiri-Lockwood was never one to turn down a glass of red wine, especially when Rosemary had made sure to bring the doctor's favorite brand.  But no, instead of wine─ she nursed a glass of water with a slice of lemon.

       Apparently Rosemary wasn't the only one suspicious because after Jenna pulled out her casserole dish of baked lasagna out of the oven, she finally said, "Okay!  Why aren't you tipsy yet?"

       Mona rolled her eyes, "I don't have to drink to have a good time.  I'm fine!"

       "Girl, we know when you're lying.  So, spill right now." The Bennett crossed her arms over her chest, abandoning her roasted vegetables and Mona's store bought garlic bread.

       The twenty five year old clad in a pink sweater and a pair of leggings simply shrugged.  Her three best friends watched her intently as she traced the rim of her glass, a frown on her lips.  A shaky breath left her lips as she finally looked up at them, big diamond tears threatening to pour out of her brown eyes.

       Rosemary didn't hesitate in leaving her wine behind and wrapping the taller woman in her arms, rubbing her back up and down.  "You don't have to tell us, Mona.  We were just playing."

       Mona wiped the tear that streamed down her left cheek with her sweater paw, "N-no, I need to tell you guys but─"

       A quiet sob sounded in the room and all of their hearts shattered.

       "Take your time, baby.  Take your time," The art teacher soothed as the other two crowded around the curly haired woman.

       She sighed, "It's such a long story and..."

       "We've got time." Jenna grabbed the doctor's hand reassuringly.  "If you don't want to talk here, we can go outside."

       Mona nodded and slowly stood to her feet, "Yeah, that would be good.  I don't want Bonnie or Elena to see me like this."

       All four knew that neither of them would care and they wouldn't think any less but for Mona's comfort, her friends didn't say anything and simply agreed.

       "I'll get Bonnie to come watch everything, alright?" Faye gave a soft smile before she left the kitchen.

       The twenty three year old Quinn kept her dear friend wrapped in her arms as they journeyed to the Gilbert house's front porch.  The sun was already setting and the lights were on.  Rosemary and Mona took a seat in one of the outdoor couches as Jenna sat in the rocking chair next to them, holding the curly haired doctor's warm hand. 

       They sat in silence other than the sound of cars driving in the distance and Mona's quiet sniffles.  Moments later, the screen door creaked open and Faye Bennett walked over, holding her cardigan close to her body.  She sat on the wooden porch in between Mona's legs and laid her head on the inside of her knee.

       The distraught Iranian woman couldn't make it through the beginning of her confession without her voice cracking, "Mason and I are getting divorced."
      
       Rosemary's jaw went slack, unable to make any coherent response. 

       Mona Amiri and Mason Lockwood had always been practically written in the stars.  The two had known each other since they were in diapers and their entire childhoods had always been intertwined.  They were middle school AND high school sweethearts for God's sake and got married literally the day after graduation.  If they were getting divorced, Rosemary Quinn might as well stop believing in love!

       Jenna Sommers seemed in as much shock as the art teacher was, "What?  Why?"

       Mona attempted to swallow the ball in her throat, "He had been distant for a few weeks so I went through his phone.  I know, I know I shouldn't have.  I know, he deserves privacy b-but─"

       She couldn't continue, instead breaking down into tears.  All three women knew what she was trying to say so they simply cuddled into their best friend tighter.

       "I found messages," the Iranian doctor hiccuped, "with some chick n-named Kathy and h-he'd been going on trips with her to find some stupid stone.  A stone, really?  That's why you're gonna cheat on me?"

       Rosemary had never heard Mona Amiri sound so small before and it caused tears to begin bubbling in her own eyes.

       It was silent for a while with none of them knowing what to say.  It was so unlike the Mason Lockwood they knew and grew up with to be unfaithful, especially to the woman who held him to the earth instead of gravity.

       "I'm pregnant." The bomb was truly dropped then.

        Rosemary gasped, squeezing her arms around the woman even tighter if that were possible.  Oh, she couldn't imagine.  She really could not.

       "He cheated on me and I'm pregnant with his kid." The Amiri sobbed.

       "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry.  You don't deserve this." Jenna muttered, rubbing Mona's back.

       It took a while for realization to register in Faye Bennett's mind and when it did, anger coursed through her veins just like her ancestral magic did.  She had always been the hothead of the group but she tried to bury her tumultuous emotions for the sake of her best friend grieving a man who wasn't even dead.

       The African-American woman ran a hand over the box braids she had pulled into a high ponytail, "You have options, M.  I'll drive you first thing in the morning.  Nobody has to know."

       Knowing what the librarian was suggesting, Mona felt sick to her stomach.  "I c-can't, I can't."

       Mona Amiri was still hopelessly in love with her future ex-husband.  Love was her second nature when it came to Mason Lockwood and if she didn't have so much respect for herself, she would still probably be loving him in their Florida beach house despite his infidelity.  And this fetus growing in her womb, it was a part of him and a part of her─ a testament to the epic love they once had.  She could not bare to part from it, she couldn't.

       "You don't have to, you don't have to." Faye assured, rubbing the Mystic Falls native's knee lightly.

       Mona managed to stop her tears and simply held her face in her hands, the long sleeves of her sweatshirt covering her tear stained cheeks.  "He doesn't know.  Mason doesn't know and I don't know how to tell him.  He deserves to know but I can't look him in the eye, I can't."

       While Rosemary Quinn obviously still couldn't fathom the thought of one of her best friends being pregnant, she had decided in that moment that she would support her the entire way through─ no matter what decisions she made because she had no clue what she would do if she was in Mona's position herself.  If she chose to never tell Mason Lockwood?  Okay.  If she wanted to put the baby up for adoption?  Okay.  If she wanted to raise the baby on her own?  Okay, Rosemary would shower that baby in all the love she could hold in her heart at one time.

       "Baby, you don't have to right now.  You don't have to.  Nobody blames you for taking your time and I don't think Mason will either." Rosemary told the noirette softly, leaning down to look at her beautiful face.

       "Yeah and if he does get upset, that's his problem." The Sommers took a sip of her wine.

       "It's his own damn fault anyway." Faye continued fiercely, her fists clenched on her lap.

       "Who else knows?" Rosemary asked gently, trying not to upset the already fragile and hormonal woman.

       "Carol and Rich, they're letting me stay at the mansion until I can get an apartment.  Tyler might know but I don't really care as long as he keeps his mouth shut." Mona sighed.

       Rosemary tensed up at her words, automatically in alarm.  She loved Carol Lockwood with all she had, the mayor's wife was one of the sweetest women she knew even if she was a bit pretentious.  Her husband, though, Rosemary could not stand.  He was full of hatred and arrogance, with no compassion for a single soul, even his own son.  He was the reason Tyler spent most nights at the Quinn farmhouse, too scared to go home.  He was the reason Tyler vied for attention, no matter how positive or negative, and searched for love in all the wrong places.  For these reasons, Rosemary Quinn genuinely hated him and she would much rather have Mona far, far away from that house.

       "Mona, why don't you stay with me?  You know how Richard gets..."

       The Iranian woman objected immediately, "No, Rose."

       "But.─"

       "No, Rose." She stated firmly. "Rich won't touch me, Mason would kill him─ divorce or not.  And you know that when me and Mason are around, he doesn't try to even lay a finger on Ty."

       "Only if you're sure..." The Quinn trailed off with a frown.

       Things went quiet between the four women in their twenties once again.  The sun had just set over the tall maple trees and stars sparkled in the sky.  Cicadas sang in the distance and Jenna's rocking chair squeaked as she rocked back and forth.

       "I can hex him, you know?" Faye's random words managed to make them all laugh.

       The Bennett family's possible magical powers were a running gag within the friend group.  Faye fully believed in the rumors, constantly trying to prove it to them all without full on throwing them into the supernatural world.  Mona and Jenna were major skeptics, always rolling their eyes whenever it was mentioned.  Rosemary was always on the fence about the whole thing, easily swayed either way.

       "I'm serious!  Grams has to have a spell for cheating bastards somewhere!"

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       When the four women in their twenties entered the home again, they weren't shocked to hear the two teenage girls banter back and forth over the supposed witch ancestry of the Bennett family just like they had done previously.  Faye poked her younger sister and her friend's niece in their sides as she passed by, making them both giggle.

       Rosemary took her spot standing back at the kitchen island and drained the small amount of alcohol left at the bottom of her wine glass.  It had been her first glass and she had swore to Elena Gilbert that she would only drink two max the entire night because a drunk Rosemary was apparently an embarrassing Rosemary.

       Just as she sat down, the doorbell rang and Rosemary chuckled when Jenna wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at her niece and Mona smirked at her.  Elena rolled her eyes before she turned to her supposedly psychic best friend with a smile and clasped her hands together, "Okay, he's here!  Don't be nervous, just be your loving self!"

       Bonnie Bennett stood in the same spot with an uncomfortable expression on her face that only her older sister noticed.  The librarian with the braids nudged the seventeen year old with her hip before she carried her tray of roasted veggies to the table, "Listen to your intuition, sis."

       It was only a couple of moments before the long awaited guest of the evening appeared in the archway of the kitchen with Elena at his side, hands stuffed in the pockets of his denim jeans.

       "Hey Stefan!  How's your day been?" Jenna Sommers was the first to greet the seventeen year old boy, a wide smile on her peach tinted lips.

       "Its been nice." He answered politely, shuffling awkwardly in his spot.

       Taking note of his uncomfortable state, Rosemary finally spoke to him.  "Hey, honey.  You wouldn't mind helping me set the table, would you?"

       His demeanor immediately brightened upon seeing his favorite teacher and he nodded with a small smile, "Yeah, no problem!"

       Rosemary and Stefan made small talk as they laid out the silverware and ceramic plates.  He asked, "So, what are we doing next in class?"

       They had only done introductory, beginning of school stuff all week but still, Quinn's dimples appeared at the topic he mentioned, "I love to see a student so eager to learn!  And we'll be working on our first unit, impressionism."

       "So like, Monet and Van Gogh?" He asked, as if he hadn't been around when the art style was created.

       Rosemary smiled playfully with an impressed raise of her eyebrows, "And you told me you didn't know anything about art!"

       He simply smiled back before the conversation was interrupted by Mona Amiri-Lockwood, as he knew her, entering the room with the lasagna and bowl of garlic bread in her hands.  "Excuse me!  Hot pasta and a hot mama coming through!"

       Rosemary Quinn smiled because she understood the reference and Stefan Salvatore also smiled because he, too, understood the reference. (He had vampire hearing, duh.)

       It wasn't long before all seven of the dinner's residents were sat around the large table in the Gilbert family dining room.  After Rosemary said a pleasant blessing over the food that Mona repeated in Arabic, nobody hesitated in digging into the food.  Well, except for Stefan.

       Upon noticing his hesitance, Faye Bennett made it her goal to tease him.  She passed the basket of bread over Rosemary's shoulder to the seventeen year old with a smirk, "We don't bite."

       The Salvatore vampire took the bowl with a sheepish smile.  Oh, she definitely knew.

       Rosemary hummed happily to herself as she poured herself a glass of wine.  She made eye contact with Elena over the table and sheepishly smiled upon noticing the brunette's wide eyed look at how much the teacher had poured herself.

       The Quinn scooped a portion of lasagna onto her plate before placing a larger slice on Stefan's.  She placed a hand in front of her mouth and whispered, "Jenna makes the best lasagna ever!"

      He nodded with a small upturn of his lips, "Thank you."

       She hummed before grabbing a portion of the roasted veggies and handing the tray over to the new boy in town.

       Mona released a happy sigh as she took her first bite of Jenna's homemade lasagna, clearly intending not to wait for everyone else, "Oh my Lord, Jenna!  You are sent from the heavens!"

       Jenna pushed hair behind her ear bashfully and Rosemary grinned before telling the small group, "Don't eat too much, I have a fresh peach cobbler calling all of your names."

       The youngest Bennett sister held in a squeal, "I love you so much.  You don't even know how much I need that in my life right now!"

       Chuckles were heard around the table before everyone went quiet, only the sound of forks scraping against plates heard through the dining room.  The ambience was uncomfortable around the three teenagers but the four lifelong girlfriends were making small conversation as normal.

       While Faye Bennett carried conversation with the three other women, she was also tuned into the interactions happening between her sister and the Salvatore vampire.  Her brown eyes narrowed at his discussion of their ancestors, as if his would've been kind to them.

       Faye Bennett knew about the world of witches, vampires, and werewolves─ as if Grams ever kept it a secret.  She knew how vampires were created and how they were unnatural, blood thirsty beings.  Still, the witch did not truly hate all vampires─ she would have had to meet every single one in existence to make such a judgement.  She did hold a certain distrust for them, though, and from the experience she had with them, it was mutual.

       Faye honestly did not have much against Stefan Salvatore─ he was genuinely kind and polite, he appeared to have honest motives.  Still, she did not trust him and she particularly didn't like how close he was with Elena Gilbert.  Vampires and doppelgangers did not mix well with one another.  The librarian also felt uncomfortable whenever he was near her little sister.  If Bonnie was well versed in magic, then she wouldn't feel bad about it in the slightest but her little sister was vulnerable and that scared the twenty three year old.

       The comfortable conversations were interrupted by the sound of the front doorbell ringing.  The Gilbert teenager's eyebrows were furrowed as she spoke, "I wonder who that could be!"

       Once Elena was out of the room, Jenna Sommers shot up from her seat, "Oh yeah!  I forgot I invited someone else!"

       Rosemary Quinn's eyebrows furrowed deeply.  There was a strange look on the strawberry blonde's face as she had left the table, almost as if she were in a daze.  It seemed that the Quinn wasn't the only one wary because Stefan Salvatore also stood to his feet and exited the room.

       The art teacher's jaw dropped at the sight of the seventeen year old's older brother waltzing into the dining room.  He had a wide smirk on his lips and his hands stuck into the pockets of his slacks.  How he looked so relaxed in a stranger's home, Rosemary did not know.

       The Quinn didn't fail to notice how both Faye and Bonnie bristled at the raven haired man's entrance.  She found it peculiar, how they both acted uncharacteristically whenever Stefan and apparently his brother were around.

       "You have such a beautiful home, Jenna." The eldest Salvatore complimented, making a show of admiring the dining room.

       "Thank you!" She smiled before motioning to Rosemary's general vicinity, "You can take a seat next to Ro!"

       The Quinn teacher forced a polite smile on her face as the mysterious Salvatore brother made his way to sit next to her.  Of course, she'd have the only empty seat at the table to her left.

       Faye Bennett's eyes followed the twenty five year old, her face set in a venomous glare.  When he sat down, she scooted so far over in her seat that she was almost in the floor─ as if being in his close vicinity would burn her.

       "Hey," the blue eyed vampire greeted his brother's art teacher with a small smile.

       She nodded at him, "Hello."

       "I'm so sorry for my tardiness, Jenna.  You know how moving is!" He made an excuse for his late arrival and Rosemary found his tone odd.

       "No, I understand!"

       It went silent amongst the group once again, most of them awkwardly shovelling food into their mouths.  Damon cleared his throat before gently elbowing Rosemary in her side to grab her attention.

       She turned to him in the middle of chewing a floret of garlic roasted broccoli and covered her mouth, "Yes?"

       Totally out-of-character of Damon Salvatore, he genuinely found her wide eyed look adorable.  He internally gagged at himself and plastered a charming smile on his face, "What do you recommend?"

       "Everything is really good.  Jenna's lasagna is the best and Faye's veggies are really nice, too." She motioned to each dish.

       "I'll pour you a glass of wine," She offered politely and reached for the clean glass that sat in the middle of the table.  Jenna or Mona must've fetched dinnerware for an extra guest.

       Damon Salvatore motioned to the vegetables that had somehow made their way in front of the eldest Bennett he had only briefly heard of.  "Could you please hand me those?"

       "Sure," she said through gritted teeth and he furrowed his eyebrows but then their hands made contact and he understood as a jolt of electricity moved through his arm.

       It didn't hurt but it was annoying.

       They made eye contact, two individuals with equally dangerous eyes for two completely different reasons.  A smirk made its way to the librarian's lips while a silent warning lingered in her eyes. 

       The eldest Salvatore inhaled sharply, doing everything in his power to stop himself from ripping the witch's neck apart with his fangs.  Don't do it, Damon.  Don't do it. 

       Rosemary Quinn sat the glass of wine down beside his plate and she gave him a small smile.  The Salvatore brother managed to perfect a calm facade and nodded in thanks as he got a spoonful of vegetables and a slice of lasagna.

       For a few minutes, the blue eyed Salvatore sat there shoveling food into his mouth to prevent himself from going off his rocker.  He hid it pretty well except every couple of seconds, his right eye would twitch.  Faye picked his annoyance up and simply hid her smile behind her chardonnay.

       Surprising everyone who knew her, Mona was the one to start a conversation, "So, Stefan..."

       The mentioned seventeen year old took his attention off staring daggers into his brother and put a fake smile on his face, "Hmm?"

       "I heard you're a Timberwolf now?  I honestly can't believe the crack whore let you on the team."

       All four of the women in their twenties raised their wine glasses to cheers one another, as per tradition when Mr. Tanner was ever mentioned.  Jenna Sommers claimed it cleansed the air of any residue even the mention of his name left behind.

       Both Salvatores seemed utterly confused but Bonnie and Elena continued eating like before.

       "Tyler must be seething." Faye chuckled underneath her breath, knowing the hotheadedness that ran through his veins.

       The art teacher rolled her eyes playfully, "He is, but he'll get over it."

       She turned to the youngest Salvatore and patted his forearm, "Good for you, Stefan.  I'm glad you went for it!"

       The light haired boy smiled genuinely at her but rolled his eyes when his brother somehow got involved in the conversation.

       "That's what I always tell him. You have to engage. You can't just sit there and wait for life to come to you. You have to go get it." Rosemary nodded with a faux smile, secretly wondering why he had decided to say that out of nowhere.

       "That's good advice."

       "I wasn't so lucky today," Elena sighed with a frown on her face, referencing how embarrassing cheer practice had been that afternoon.

       "You don't have to worry about that, sweetheart.  You missed summer camp, no one is blaming you for being a little bit behind." Rosemary reassured.

       "Yeah, I'll work with you.  You'll get it!" Rosemary smiled at the youngest Bennie's words and how encouraging she was with her friend.

       A certain blonde came to the cheer coach's mind, "And don't worry about Caroline.  She's a perfectionist and she forgets that cheer coach trumps cheer captain.  You're just fine, E."

       The Gilbert teen nodded her head with a grateful smile.  "Thanks."

       A thought popped up into Rosemary's head and she stood up to her feet suddenly, gaining everyone's attention, "Oh!  I gotta go get my peach cobbler!"

       She practically ran out of the dining room.  The Quinn could hear the sound of the crowd talking through the walls as she grabbed her dessert and the glass container of ice cream from the freezer.

       She entered the dining room again and presented the dish to the group with a wide grin, "Ta da!  My world famous peach cobbler!"

       Mona applauded sarcastically as the rest chuckled at her antics.

       "And it's served with homemade vanilla ice cream created with the assistance of Quinn Farms' gorgeous dairy cows!" She added.  "Now who wants some?"

       After dividing the peach dessert and ice cream amongst the dinner guests─ and having very little left over─ Rosemary took her seat once again.

       The teacher looked between the two new men in town, eagerly awaiting their reactions to her widely loved sweet treat.  Both Salvatores had amused looks on their face as they each ate a spoonful with ice cream on top.  Their expressions quickly turned into ones of delight and pleasure.

       Rosemary gnawed on her knuckles as she nervously awaited for their reviews, "Is it any good?"

       Stefan opened his mouth to reply but she caught him off, "Be honest!  You won't get an A for flattery, Salvatore."

       Everyone in the room laughed at her words and the seventeen year old shook his head with a smile, "It's amazing, Miss Q."

       "Please," she waved her hand with a smile, "Call me Rosemary outside of school!"

       The new Mystic Falls High football player nodded before the petite brunette turned to his older brother.  "Damon, I need your opinion to make sure he isn't lying."

       The raven haired vampire made sure to leave a suspenseful pause before finally answering, "I need the damn recipe, Quinn.  You mean to tell me Mystic Falls has been hiding little bakers like yourself?"

       The art teacher did a little happy dance in her seat which had both Salvatores genuinely smiling. (Damon was getting really tired of how difficult she was making it to use her as a tool in his revenge plot.  Why was she so charming?)

       The rest of the dinner went by smoothly after dessert was served up.  The conversations were enjoyable other than the weird tension the Quinn felt between both Salvatore brothers.  Unbeknownst to the teacher, said brothers spent pretty much all night fighting over her.  When he thought he was being sneaky, Damon would place an arm on the back of the brunette's chair and then Stefan would knock it off then Damon would end up putting it right back─ the two did this over and over again throughout the night. (They thought no one picked up on their little fight but Jenna Sommers definitely found it a little strange.)

       Eventually, Faye and Bonnie were the first to leave.  Mona had decided to spend the night at the Gilbert-Sommers house since she had offered to drive Jeremy to the football game tomorrow anyway since his aunt had work.  Now, the Salvatores were saying their goodbyes as Rosemary loaded her dishes into the backseats.

       When she turned around, the Quinn woman was shocked to find Damon standing behind her.  She placed a hand to her chest, "Jesus!  You scared the crap out of me!"

       The vampire frowned, "That wasn't my attention, sorry."

       (It was his intention.)

       "No, you're fine." Their conversation ended at that, both of them waiting for Stefan to exit the house.

       Rosemary ended up hugging her knit cardigan to her torso.  September nights were chilly in Mystic Falls.

       The entire time they waited, Damon was having a mental battle with himself.  Rosemary Quinn would be the perfect little pawn in his game with his brother but there was something keeping him from manipulating her mind, whether that be the Bennett witch's unspoken threat, the inkling of sympathy he still felt for his brother, or some other unknown force.

       Eventually, Stefan Salvatore walked out of the house with his hands swinging at his sides.  He appeared perplexed that the Quinn and his brother were simply standing there in silence.  He came to a stop just beside Damon.

       "Okay, I was just waiting until you got out here to go home!" Rosemary explained, twirling her car keys around her index finger.

      After a little hesitance, Rosemary pulled Stefan into a quick hug and did the same to his older brother that she still felt a little off about.

       The noirette appeared shocked just as his brother had been when she initially hugged him yesterday at the town square.  She frowned minisculely.  Did these Salvatore boy's not know love or compassion?

       She became saddened at the thought but hid it with her bright smile.  "If you guys need anything, don't hesitate to come over.  If you need someone to talk to, we have a big family and someone's always around.  We have a dog too, for snuggles!  There's always a pastry or two around as well."

       She was rambling and it was getting dark so Stefan cut her off with a polite smile, "Thank you, Rosemary."

       She shrugged, "We're neighbors, it's what we're supposed to do!"

       Damon internally groaned.  Why was she so nice?  She was ruining his initial revenge plan.

       "Have a nice night." The eldest Salvatore told her genuinely and she let out a sigh, backing away to her car door.

       "Yeah!  It was nice to get to know you more, Damon."

       "You too, Stefan!" She added.

       The Quinn finally got in her father's vintage pickup truck that she had borrowed for the night and started it, making sure to buckle her seatbelt.

       She gave a small wave that both brothers returned and then she was off, her taillights lighting up Maple Street. 

       Stefan and Damon watched as she drove off and as soon as she was gone, they turned to one another with fierce glares.

       Peace did not last long amongst the Salvatore brothers and the lack of Rosemary Quinn's presence was proof.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE !

bro,, this was 5k words 😳

i initially planned on writing the football game into this chapter and i am so glad i didn't— it would've been like 10k if i did 💀💀

also, there were some bombs dropped in this chapter....you have a lil bit of mona's background....her life is gonna be interesting for sure 😃

also, damon and rosemary??  i still don't know what their relationship is gonna be like but he doesn't hate her??  which is unusual for damon??

and damon did compel jenna to invite him to the dinner.  he did not feed from her (or caroline) but he did compel her :D

*disclaimer* DON'T SHIP ROSE AND STEFAN IN A ROMANTIC WAY PLEASE!!  PLATONIC VIBES ONLY <3

i hope you all enjoyed this chapter because i enjoyed writing it!  stay tuned for the next update <3

majorly unedited— like there are probably so many mistakes 💀 it's okay.