DISCLAIMER FOR THE STORY IN ITS ENTIRETY: I DO NOT OWN THE VAMPIRE DIARIES IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM.
Bonnie Bennett tried to hide the drooping of her eyelids as she patiently waited for the last customer of the evening to finish their meal and leave. Although the weather worn sign was becoming a bit of an eyesore, Bonnie was sure the closing times of Josette's hadn't changed in the past thirty years.
The shabby little diner had been purchased by the father of Josette Laughlin in the seventies right after he and his wife were told they were expecting their first girl after twelve years and five births of boys. The diner was ceremoniously named after their one and only girl.
"Hey, Bonnie. Why don't you go on and head out? I've got it covered here."
Bonnie's eyes shot up, and she quickly focused her attention onto her employer.
"No, no. I'm fine, Jo. I was just resting my eyes."
"Well, resting your eyes looks a lot like you're falling asleep to me. Go home, Bonnie. I close up four other nights without you. I'll be fine tonight." Jo winked at Bonnie and gave her a carefree grin as she pushed her toward the door.
As soon as she was in the comfort of her old Pontiac, Bonnie let out a heavy breath. She loved Jo, and she loved the diner, but it just wasn't getting a lot of business these days, and for her, less business meant less tips. Bonnie would never dream of asking Jo for a raise; no matter how much she needed one. Tips were her crutch, and at the moment, she was free falling.
Bonnie drove the fifteen minutes home in silence; not even bothering to turn on the radio. All songs that were playing these days were either too happy, too repetitive, or both. Repetitiveness was all Bonnie's life was. She was sick of it. She was always Bonnie the Waitress scrounging for tips, or Bonnie the Retail Associate scrounging for respect. She was never just Bonnie Bennett.
Of course, whomever Bonnie Bennett was had died four years ago.
That Bonnie had climbed into the casket belonging to Abby Bennett, and had been buried there with her on that cold fall day. Her soul had left her body the second the doctor had uttered word of her mother's demise on that dark day in November.
Bonnie put her car into park and just sat in the drive way of the three bedroom house she was currently renting with the two women she had met while working.
Elena Gilbert and Caroline Forbes had come into Bonnie's store in search of the perfect shades of toe nail polish, and Bonnie had been the one to point them in the right direction. She was then eagerly asked to give her honest opinion on which ones went well with the girls' skin tones. Almost seven hours later, and on the other side of town, the same two girls showed up to Josette's on two very different missions. Elena had made it her goal in life to find an eatery that sold the best salads, and Caroline had done the same, except that her goal involved cheeseburgers. After several days of coincidental encounters, the girls finally invited Bonnie over for a Girls Night In, where they proposed that she be their third room mate. Bonnie accepted the offer without a second thought. She was sick of being sheltered at her Grams' house. She was sick of all the little reminders of her past still playing in her head and heart like it was yesterday.
Bonnie stared out of the windshield of her car as she let the tears slide down her cheeks. Her hands gripped the steering wheel much like they had done every evening for the past four months. But this evening was different. Her hands loosened around the steering wheel as she felt a sob rack through her chest. Without warning, she brutally hit her hands against the steering wheel over and over again until she was sure her knuckles were a bleeding mess.
Why hadn't she just killed herself off in a car accident on the way home? She had all ready gotten into the habit of driving dangerously over the speed limit. A small twist of her steering wheel would've been just enough. . .
But she was scared. She had no idea what her future held because, in all honesty, she hadn't planned one. Her world just became a big valley of darkness on that November day. Sure, six months ago she had graduated torturous high school with honors and a few other chords that she wore around her neck, but what was there for her after that?
Faking a smile through high school had been easy. She had hoped sucking it up and graduating would've given her the strength she needed to move on in her life.
It hadn't.
As Bonnie finally took a deep breath and exited her car, she realized that every day, she was sucked more and more into that dark valley of her mind. It had become harder and harder for her to even want to crawl out of bed in the morning. Working two jobs only added to the toll that Bonnie's mind was taking. She had discovered several weeks ago that she wanted to get an English Literature degree, but she also discovered that one more thing on her plate would topple her over.
Face freshly clear of all remnants of tears, Bonnie slipped her key into the lock and opened the door.
..
Caroline Forbes and Elena Gilbert had always been the best of friends, so it was natural when Elena mentioned to Caroline one day that she and her should share a place together, and although they both assumed this would occur in their hometown of Atlanta, Georgia, fate apparently had other plans.
Having just received her Master's Degree, Elena decided to take an impromptu getaway trip with Caroline to visit her eccentric grandfather in Mystic Falls. After complaining of boredom on the fifth day of a fourteen day visit, Elena's grandfather had suggested that the girls visit the charming little bar in town called Ric's, and as soon as Caroline stepped in the door, she knew she was in love. Not only with Ric's, but with one of the bouncers, too.
Tyler Lockwood was someone you had to take in small increments, but Caroline took all of him at once. That fact left him in awe, and quite frankly, it also pissed him off; Which just made him reciprocate Caroline's love even more.
Most days, Caroline would arrive early at Ric's just to talk to Tyler. Tyler was also a bartender on the nights he wasn't a bouncer at the door, so on those days, he would mix drinks for them. One day, Caroline decided on a whim to try her hand at drink mixing, and ended up making the owner of Ric's a drink. As it turned out, she had a natural knack for bartending, and was hired on the spot.
Caroline was warming up to Mystic Falls so easily that Elena was torn. There was no way she could return to Atlanta without her best friend.
It seemed like, yet again, fate had concreted the decision for the girls as a car came running up onto the sidewalk Elena was jogging on, and caused the frantic woman to tumble into the entrance of a health food store in need of a health advisor.
Elena Gilbert's job may have been to advise other people on ways to achieve their peak in their health and well-being, but she herself was lacking both of those things. Caroline knew that Elena deserved the best things in life, and so did Elena, but their versions of the best things were very different.
Caroline shook her head as she watched Elena delete another man's number out of her phone.
"Bad date?" Caroline asked. Although she was no longer genuinely interested in Elena's dating failures, she still wanted to hear what excuse Elena could come up with this time.
"He excessively went to the bathroom. It was unbelievable, Care!"
Caroline raised her eyebrow at her friend. She knew there was more to the story.
"Did he just really have to piss all the time, or was he escaping to talk to his Bathroom Mistress, Elena?"
Elena could hear the sarcasm oozing out of her friend's voice.
"Actually he was blowing his nose. A lot."
Caroline's mouth dropped open.
"Wait. Is this the same guy you told me about that had the flu last week? Would you rather have had him blow his nose while at the table with you, Queen Elena?"
"Well, if it kept him at the table. . ." Elena trailed off as Caroline rolled her eyes. Elena had always been extreme when it came to her dating life. The older she got, the more it became a nuisance rather than a humorous personality trait. Caroline held hope that one day her friend would meet her match.
She also hoped that one day Bonnie would get the happiness she deserved.
Elena hadn't noticed Bonnie slink into the front door and head up the stairs, but Caroline did. Caroline also noticed the redness in Bonnie's eyes and the puffiness under them. She tried not to notice the way Bonnie winced as she touched her own knuckles.
It had been a pretty hard week for Bonnie, and Caroline had noticed that her friend seemed to stay in her car long after she parked it in the driveway.
Longer than before.
Although complete strangers at first, Caroline immediately warmed up to Bonnie. Bonnie was someone she trusted and loved, and it hurt to see someone she loved in so much pain. Caroline wanted so badly for Bonnie to know she was there for her, but she couldn't particularly tell Bonnie that she understood; especially with her own mother alive and well as a police officer keeping the streets of Atlanta safe. Every time Caroline thought of being in Bonnie's position, her eyes moistened with unshed tears for her brave friend.
Just the thought of tomorrow being November sixth made Caroline retract into herself. She couldn't fathom how Bonnie was coping.
"Care, do you think Bon's all right?" Elena noticed Caroline had become glassy-eyed and quiet.
"Honestly? No I don't. Tomorrow is going to be such a hard day for her, but I just don't know what to do. Do we distract her, or do we just let her be?"
Elena could see the internal battle Caroline was fighting. Bonnie was strong, but after a while, being strong just wouldn't be enough.
Abruptly, Elena's eyes became light with determination.
"Ric's is eighteen and up, right? She's never been down to the bar. Maybe she needs to experience some nightlife; refresh her mind a little bit!"
"I'm not sure about that, Elena. Bonnie isn't really a social-."
"Come on! What could it hurt? We'll just bring it up casually in the morning before she leaves for her shift at the store. I'm sure she'll say yes!"
Caroline said no more as she pursed her lips together and nodded her head in agreement. Her apprehensiveness was wavering as something told her that this night out may be just the thing that Bonnie Bennett needed.