After dinner with Sheila—awkward as always, thanks to her not-so-subtle witchcraft hints—I drove to the Grill. I was early, but I didn't want to miss the awkward first meeting between Mattie and Stefan. Living inside a TV show meant I had to enjoy the entertainment.
Matt spotted me and walked over. "Hey, Bon," he said, giving me a quick hug.
"Yo, Mattie. What's up?" I grinned, sliding into a nearby table.
"Well… you know, Elena…" he muttered awkwardly. I forced myself not to roll my eyes. Matt was a good guy, maybe the only one destined to stay human in this freak town. But his taste in girlfriends? Terrible.
Sure, he dated Caroline—but dumped her when she became a vampire. He had a fling with Rebekah, but refused anything serious because she was a vampire. Matt was the quintessential human: willing to accept the supernatural, but never truly able to live with it.
"Seriously, you need to get laid or something. Moping over your ex forever isn't a plan," I teased, staring into his blue eyes.
"How's she doing?" he asked, ignoring my advice.
"Her parents died. She's having a blast," I replied sarcastically, signaling Vicky for my usual hot chocolate with marshmallows.
"Has she said anything about me?" he pleaded, puppy eyes in full force.
"How should I know? We've never been that close. Ask Care—she lives for gossip," I said truthfully. Canon Bonnie might have known, but I sure didn't.
"Should I call her? Or text her?" he asked again. At this point, I felt like I should start charging for therapy.
"Text her. Calling would be weird. She probably needs more time," I advised.
"More time, huh?" he muttered, staring at the door. I turned and saw Stelena already exchanging cute little smiles. Damn, Elena worked fast. Then again, Katherine's blood ran in her veins.
Matt walked over to greet them, while I stayed put, waiting for my hot chocolate. I murmured a quick hearing spell—witch perks.
"Hi, I'm Matt. Nice to meet you," he said.
"Hi," Stefan replied, tension thick in the air. "Stefan."
"Hey," Elena added with an awkward smile. I nearly snorted.
"Hey," Matt echoed, then retreated to Tyler, who was playing pool.
"You look amused," Caroline said, sliding into the seat beside me as I canceled the spell.
"Just watching Elena's ex and her future boy toy meet for the first time," I smirked. "It was like a train wreck."
"Mean," she said, though her eyes sparkled with amusement.
Vicky arrived with my hot chocolate. "What's up with Elena and the new guy?" she asked.
"Don't know, don't care," I said, sipping my drink. Caroline rolled her eyes. "She already has her claws in."
"Damn," Vicky muttered, glaring at Elena before walking off. "Poor Mattie."
"I don't disagree," I murmured, just as Stelena approached our table.
"Hey, guys," Elena greeted. "This is Stefan. He's new in town, so I invited him."
"Hi, don't worry, Elena. Have a seat," Caroline said, gesturing to the empty chairs.
"Yo," I greeted simply, taking a long sip of hot chocolate.
"That's Bonnie," Caroline explained, kicking me under the table. "She's shy around new people. I'm Caroline Forbes."
"I'm Stefan," he said, shifting uncomfortably. He clearly wasn't used to Caroline's bubbly energy. Lexi was worse, though.
"You say Stefan, but from now on you're Peaches," I declared. Caroline shot me an amused glance—she knew the Buffy reference.
"Peaches?" Elena asked.
"There's this show with a broody vampire nicknamed Peaches. That's you now," I said flatly, hiding my amusement when Stefan tensed at the V-word again.
"Oh God, she's at it again," Elena groaned. "Sorry, she's always making show references."
Stefan relaxed, thinking I didn't know his secret. "What's the show called?"
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer," Caroline answered first, grinning.
"It's about a perky cheerleader who discovers she's the Slayer, destined to fight evil," I explained. "Think of it this way—Caroline's Buffy, I'm Willow."
"Willow?" Stefan asked. Elena rolled her eyes.
"She's the witch who helps the Slayer. Xander's the human—Mattie's our Xander. Oz is the werewolf, so that's Tyler."
"But not Oz to your Willow," Caroline teased. I glared. As if I'd ever date Tyler.
"Then who's Peaches?" Stefan pressed.
"Angel. A vampire cursed with a soul. He hates his past and tries to redeem himself. He even got a spin-off. I kind of hate him," I admitted. Stefan's interest spiked—he could relate.
"Why?" he asked.
"Because he denies his past. He even changed his name. He blames everything on the lack of a soul. Meanwhile, Spike—without a soul—was still a better person than Angelus ever was."
"Spike?" Elena asked.
"He started as Buffy's enemy, but fell in love with her without a soul. Later, he earned one for her. He's awesome," Caroline said, and I nodded.
"He's also the one who nicknamed Angel 'Peaches.' Which is now your nickname," I added, grinning. "If you're interested, join us for a Buffy binge night."
"Sounds interesting," Stefan said, smiling faintly.
"So, were you born in Mystic Falls?" Caroline asked, moving the conversation along.
"Mm-hmm. Moved when I was young," Stefan replied. I snickered at "young."
"Parents?" I asked, already knowing the truth.
"They passed away," Stefan said stiffly.
"I'm sorry," Elena said softly. "Any siblings?"
"None I talk to. I live with my uncle," Stefan answered.
"But you do have siblings you don't talk to," I pressed, smirking. How had no one caught that slip in canon?
"It's complicated. I haven't seen him in years," Stefan said, looking pained. I let it go.
"So, Stefan, if you're new, you don't know about the party tomorrow," Caroline said.
"It's a get-drunk-back-to-school thing," I added.
"Are you going?" Stefan asked Elena.
"Of course she is," I answered for her. If I remembered right, that party was dramatic—and therefore entertaining.