The Vampire Diaries: The Other Side of the Looking Glass
by tamzinrose
Today was Friday. The crazy end to a downward spiralling week.

I didn’t mean for it to go this far. I didn’t mean for things to get this weird, go this wrong, get so out of my control.

It all started with a party. All good stories have a party in them somewhere and mine just happens to begin with one. What a surprise. Perfect American girl at a stereotypical teenage American party.

Not my fault I was at the stupid party. The Bronze is the local hot spot for teens. I get invited at least five times a week. Most of the time, I take rain checks. Sometimes, rain checks are called in and you’re kinda forced into it.

It was like that this time. Cordelia, Queen of the Damned Popular, told me that Dingoes Ate My Baby were playing there that night, Monday. I hate Mondays with a fiery passion. Anyway, she said that we needed to go along to support Oz. All of us were going and it just wouldn’t be the same without me.

All of us. Willow, Oz, Xander, Cordy and me. Will and Oz are dating, have been for ages. Very comfortable together: they make the cutest couple; we’re all agreed. Xander and Cordelia have a sorta thing going on, but it’s all hush-hush. No one’s meant to know about it.

I got all glammed up. Charcoal eye make up, tight black jeans, cool leather strappy top of Faith’s, dog collar of hers, my own boots. I looked hot. Damned hot.

Xander came to pick me up. Same as always. He waited out in the car, honking his horn. He hates my family. I hate my family too. We suck. I probably hate us more than he does. Weird, huh?

So he waits out there and I go to meet him as soon as the designated parent has given me the lecture for the night. The longest lecture was half an hour. Then I slip my coat on and climb into his car.

I always change the radio station and turn the volume up real loud. It annoys the hell out of him, but I do it all the same. I always put it on the rock music station and he’ll grimace at first, but he always gets into the music after a little while. Then he tells me I look good and I grin and tell him the same.

That night, we walked in together and headed for our usual table where Willow and Cordy were waiting for us. Will leapt up and hugged me. Cordelia took a quick look at my outfit and smiled slowly.

“Not too shabby!” She praised me. She grabbed Xander. “I want to dance. You’re coming with me to keep the real guys away.”

I rolled my eyes at them as they walked away. “So, Will, how’re things going? Tonight looking good yet?”

She gave me the usual shy Willow smile. “Fine…tonight looks all right, I guess. How’re you today?”

I shrugged. Started to answer. Haven’t a clue what I said. Because right then I turned. And saw them.

Right now I’m gonna fill y’all in on Oz and the band.

They were playing a rocking, angry punk song, with shouty vocals and short, sharp lyrics. Very cool guitar stuff, with Oz playing like a demon. He loved that guitar, almost as much as he loved Willow.

They had groupies fawning over them at the front, cheering and screaming and clapping and gazing at them adoringly. The guys in the band were all in relationships, some more temporary than others. Oz isn’t planning on trading Willow in any time soon, but Devon swapped girlfriends as regularly as I changed outfits.

I turned back to Willow, fully ready to start flirting with them. “Can we go dance?”

She sighed. “Do we have to? You always make me do this. Who’re you after this time?”

I span away. “Not telling. Come on! It’ll be fun!”

She was still hesitating. She frowned suddenly. “Who gave you the speech?”

“My dearest mother. She gave me three verses of ‘no smoking, underage drinking or sex’ followed by a couple of choruses of ‘make sure someone knows where you are at all times’. That’s not the worst of it either.”

Willow nodded for me to continue.

“She docked my allowance. Just because I smashed a glass. And she was quite annoyed that I’d borrowed Faith’s top…and I may have, possibly, dripped a little bit of nail varnish on the carpet.”

Willow gave me a sympathetic look then she frowned again. “But you’re not wearing nail varnish…”

I nodded. “I know. She hates the smell of it, so I’m never allowed to wear it. I’m not even supposed to buy it. I was trying to sneak some on when she banged on the door and scared me. I dropped the bottle, it shattered, crimson polish everywhere.” I smiled. “Can we dance now?”

Willow visibly slumped. Totally defeated. I had won!

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