A/N: Here is the latest update. Enjoy guys!
Disclaimer: These characters are the creative property of LJ Smith and The CW. No copyright infringement is intended.
Catalina Island, California
Steam followed her out of the bathroom. Katherine's polished toes sunk into the carpet of her bedroom, yet she came to a stop when she saw a dark clad figured perched on her bed like a gargoyle.
She frowned at Damon, tightened the thick fluffy towel that was wrapped around her body more securely before taking a seat at her vanity. "What's wrong with you?"
"I'm bored. That's what's wrong with me."
Katherine smirked and picked up a bottle of her favorite scented lotion. Her skin was still damp but she read in one of her beauty magazines it was good to apply lotion on slightly dampened skin to prevent wrinkles. She was a long way from having to worry about crow's feet, gravity affecting her tits, and cellulite but one could never stop the anti-aging process too early.
"Why don't you go bother our newly appointed step-sister? I'm sure she'd love to have your company. Besides, I think she missed a spot after upchucking on you the other day."
Damon grimaced in memory. He had taken several showers after Bonnie sprayed his legs and feet with vomit and still he was paranoid thinking a rancid stench was wafting from his skin. Bonnie only apologized once and it was a half-assed apology at that, in Damon's opinion. He caught her looking smug a couple of times once they boarded the dock, and packed up the SUV to head back to the house. Since then, he's kept his distance and Bonnie pretty much returned to ignoring his existence.
The beginning of his senior year was only a week off. He'd have the privilege of reinstating his alpha male status on campus, while directing Bonnie on who she should befriend, and who she should stay the hell away from. Of course being the new girl would make Bonnie a target to which Damon had every intention of being her white knight in shining armor, coming to her rescue provided it was needed, and building himself up in her mind as someone she could trust and let her guard down with.
It sounded like a daunting task and Damon pretty much figured everyone else would say he was wasting his time.
Damon wasn't looking to be crowned a saint. He had accepted his title as being a devious bastard on his way to hell a long time ago. He loved women. He loved breasts, thighs, and ass. He loved girls with full lips because they provided more suction on his pole. He loved girls who were petite in height and weight because he wasn't that tall himself so any advantage he could find, Damon capitalized on it. He loved girls who didn't think too much because in his world, there wasn't a subject he wasn't knowledgeable about. Call him a pig, call him dog, those were his preferences and no they weren't going to change.
He watched as Katherine lathered her arms putting in more effort than usual as she ran one hand up and down her toned, slightly muscled arm before switching to show the same devotion to the other. No matter what came out of her mouth, Katherine Pierce-Salvatore loved herself more than anything.
"Bonnie is avoiding me like the plague, and considering what happened on our first outing as a family on the yacht, I'm not looking for a repeat performance."
"Hmm," Katherine said and started working on her neck. She looked at her dark-haired brother through the reflection in the mirror. Damon looked extremely pensive which was so not like him. Katherine didn't like that look on his face nor what it suggested. She was ready to question him on it, but her cell chose that moment to beep.
Picking up the device she rolled her whiskery colored eyes. She dropped the phone and went back to pampering herself.
"Was that your mail-ordered husband checking in on you?" Damon snorted.
"Shut up. If you must know that was Rebekah. She's been pestering me all week about coming over." Katherine's eyes narrowed slightly. "What happened the last time you saw her?"
A mischievous grin curled Damon's lips. "She didn't tell you?"
Katherine's response to his question was the slight raising of her right eyebrow. She stared at him sharply. "Either you need a prescription for Viagra or…"
Damon sighed. "In short your friend simply wasn't hot enough and my dick lost interest. I take his lead on almost everything," Damon rose from the bed, approached Katherine, and started playing with the ends of her hair. "You should wear your hair straight more often. The curls make you look like a blow up doll."
Katherine grinned. "That's kind of the point. Besides, I'd look boring as hell with pin straight hair. I'm part Bulgarian and as such it demands I look exotic and breathtaking at all times."
"What are your plans for today other than to molest yourself repeatedly?" Damon questioned.
Katherine picked up a silver plated brush and handed it to Damon. He rolled his eyes but took it out of her hands and started brushing her hair. It was something Katherine had conditioned him to do when they were younger because she didn't feel like doing it herself.
Settling back against the chair, Katherine closed her eyes and allowed Damon's steady hands to take her away like Calgon.
"I'm heading down to Malibu. A few of the girls wanted to meet up for one last hurrah before they depart to New York to start school."
"About that," Damon looked around Katherine's immaculately furnished bedroom. "I haven't seen you pack so much as a bra. When are you planning on moving out?"
"I didn't tell you?" Katherine feigned coyly. "I decided to postpone my admission to Harvard for a year."
Damon's hand stilled upon hearing that. "Does Giuseppe know?"
"He'll figure it out eventually," Katherine replied dismissively.
Damon chuckled darkly. "You are going to be in a world of shit when he finds out."
"And once he does it'll be too late for him to do anything about it."
"Kat…I really think you underestimate what a brute our father really is. Do you think he's going to just pat you on the head and say 'Its okay sweetie'? He's going to cuss you out long and good, maybe even blow the dust off his imaginary belt he threatened to beat me with in the past. But I'd like to thank you because you've officially turned me into his favorite child."
Katherine's eyes rolled. "We've both been usurped of that title. Apparently you've been too busy staring at Bonnie's boobs to notice that stars literally dance in dad's eyes whenever he talks to Bonnie. He looks at her like the sun shines out of her ass."
Damon didn't like that implication. "Bonnie is like a new toy to dad. He'll get tired of her eventually."
"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that, Romeo. Whatever helps you sleep at night. Bonnie is his new pride and joy and it makes me want to spit nails."
"You're not a little girl anymore, Katherine. Grow the fuck up."
"And you're not thirteen jacking off under the covers to Playboy anymore, Damon. How bout you leave the little girl to get her cherry popped by someone else. She's not worthy of you."
Damon stopped brushing, leaned over Katherine until he could rest his hands on the arms of her chair. They made eye contact with one another in the mirror. "Who is worthy of me, Katherine?" he kissed her temple.
The girl in question sighed. "Someone who's a hell of a lot prettier for starters."
Just outside of Katherine's door, which happened to be ajar, Bonnie was glued to her spot. She had been on her way to the entertainment room to watch a movie with her mom when she heard her name being brought up in conversation. Bonnie didn't make it a habit to eavesdrop; however, she changed the script when the conversation was about her. She only caught the tail end of Damon and Katherine's discussion about which of Giuseppe's children was now his favorite. From the way Katherine was talking she made it sound as if Giuseppe had a thing for her, and that made Bonnie grimace in distaste.
Bonnie had every intention of dismissing the whole episode but changed her mind when the matter of her cherry being popped by Damon, which made fury rise in Bonnie like molten lava, came up. And then that bitch Katherine had the nerve to scoff and insult Bonnie's looks, and cite she wasn't worthy of Damon, Bonnie wanted to go postal on her ass.
No she wasn't interested in the least of being with Damon in any sexual manner. They were about to be family! Apparently that didn't mean shit to those Salvatore brats, but it meant something to Bonnie. That was a line she wouldn't cross not even if hell froze over or if Oprah offered her a billion dollars.
Sucking her teeth, Bonnie walked off. She was fighting her nature to stomp into Katherine's room and set the both of them straight, but why waste her breath talking to a brick wall? They were going to conspire and think what they wanted about her no matter what she said in her own defense. In some situations it was just best to let sleeping dogs lie.
Bonnie found the entertainment room in the massive house. The space was designed to make one feel as if they really were going to the movies. Framed pictures of some of the greatest legends in film and TV lined the felt covered walls. Recessed lighting overhead lighted the path as Bonnie slipped through the double doors.
Her mom was already there, spreading out a blanket because it was arctic cold inside the intimate space. Overstuffed leather recliners faced a projection screen that was almost the size of a real movie theater screen. The entertainment room offered stadium seating, and Bonnie could smell freshly popped popcorn.
"What are we watching?" Bonnie asked as she plopped down in a recliner next to her mom's.
"Pride and Prejudice."
Bonnie whined. "Mama we've already seen that movie a million times."
"I know that but its one of my favorites. You can pick the next one. Here's the log," Abby handed over a black binder to Bonnie.
Taking the binder from her mom, Bonnie couldn't believe the number of movies the Salvatore house had to offer. Yet she could believe it. Giuseppe had almost every single movie that ever came out in the history of cinema. Good thing the book was organized by genre and then alphabetized otherwise she wouldn't know where to start looking to narrow down her choices.
As Bonnie flipped she didn't know what she was in the mood to watch. When she saw that Columbiana was available Bonnie figured it would be fitting to go with her mood. Zoe Saldana was one of her favorite actresses and the girl kicked major ass.
"Can we watch Columbiana next?"
Abby looked doubtful. "It has too much violence for my taste but I guess it's only fair since I'm making you watch this eighteenth century love story again. For the millionth time."
Bonnie settled against the plush leather as the opening credits for the movie began. The lights automatically dimmed. Bonnie could certainly get used to this.
"Where's Giuseppe?" Bonnie asked.
"He had an emergency meeting with one of his company's distributors. He probably won't be back until tomorrow since he had to fly out to San Francisco."
Bonnie held off her questions and got lost in the drama unfolding on the big screen.
Close to three hours later, Bonnie stretched her arms above her head. She took a much needed bathroom break, while Abby set up the next movie and then left to get snacks.
When Bonnie returned she saw Damon occupying one of the leather recliners. He smiled at her. "Hello."
With everything in her, Bonnie wanted to ignore him. "Where's my mom?"
"She went to go get food. She'll be back shortly. She said not to wait for her and to start the movie," Damon then tapped the recliner next to his.
Bonnie huffed but then sat down one seat away from him. She preferred sitting in the middle. Made her feel as if she could see everything.
"You know, Bonnie my feelings are still hurt about what happened during our yachting adventure."
Pursing her lips, Bonnie turned to stare at Damon. "I apologized, didn't I?"
"Yeah, but I don't think you meant it."
"Well, I'm not apologizing again. It's over and you've lost all sympathy points with me."
Damon looked at her curiously. Bonnie was being more surly towards him than usual. "If I'm not mistaken I would say you've cooked up some felony I committed against you in your head. What did I do wrong now? I've been nothing but perfectly polite to you all things considered," he said a bit defensively.
Bonnie exhaled loudly. "Look" she began sharply, "I get that you and Katherine have some weird incestuous thing going on between the two of you, but I would appreciate it if you left me out of it. I have zero interest in having anything 'popped'," and she used air quotation marks to emphasize her point, "by you. Okay? Keep my name out of your mouth if you have nothing nice or decent to say about me."
At first Damon's face was impassive and then slowly it morphed into amusement. Bonnie wanted to slap him and she was surprised by herself because she wasn't a violent person by nature. Yet with Damon she found herself wanting to do more and more bodily harm to him. Why? She didn't know because she seriously doubted it would have the desired effect on him.
Damon was quickly learning that Bonnie was not a docile person. She had fire, heat, passion, balls. Not many people would dare to talk to him the way she's had no problem verbally slicing his ass to pieces.
However, what she just said, she incriminated herself. Bonnie had heard his conversation with Katherine.
"I didn't take you for the kind of person who would eavesdrop on a person's conversation."
Bonnie's cheeks reddened. She was glad for the semi-darkness of the theater. "Typically I'm not, but since the two of you were talking about me in an inappropriate way…I'd just like to make things perfectly clear so there won't be any confusion in the future. My mom is marrying your dad. That's going to make us brother and sister. Brothers and sisters do not have sex or joke about having sex with one another. If Giuseppe is running some type of cult let me know now so I can pack me and my mom's bags and get the hell out of dodge. If not, maintain your decorum and maybe just maybe we can make this extended, blended family thing work. Sound good? Good."
The opening credits for the movie started playing to which Bonnie was grateful. She turned her head back to the screen, effectively ignoring Damon and immersing herself in the world of make believe.
Damon had no interest in watching whatever movie Bonnie had selected. He was more interested in getting under her skin, rattling her cage because that's what he loved to do. Sure she talked a good game, but it wasn't anything he hadn't heard before. Damon had to amend that. He hadn't heard that before because usually the girl he chased after was some stuck up rich bitch who thought he, the son of one of the wealthiest men in America, was beneath her because she came from old money.
Money was money to Damon. He didn't give a shit if someone stole it from the monarchy in England or made their millions selling moonshine during Prohibition. Retailers certainly didn't discriminate when it came to accepting cash or credit when you stepped foot in their stores and racked up six figure tabs. If you could pay you could play. And Damon thoroughly enjoyed corrupting minds and rearranging notions people held about him.
Bonnie would be his greatest triumph yet he knew he'd have to be extremely careful and shrewd. She was smart, almost too smart for a sixteen year old.
Abby returned sometime later with sandwiches, chips, and bottles of water. She sat on the opposite side of Bonnie, keeping the middle chair unoccupied. Damon could have slipped out and let them have their little mother/daughter bonding moment, but annoying Bonnie with his presence provided the entertainment he had been searching for earlier.
At some point, Abby nodded off and so did Bonnie. Damon looked them both over before sliding into the seat next to Bonnie.
She was partially snuggled under a blanket. Her seat was reclined all the way back so she was lying almost supine. Damon very tentatively traced the slope of her cheek but pulled his hand back to see if she would stir. When she didn't he continued with his exploration. His finger traced the tip of her nose, her lips, and slid down her neck. The tops of her breasts were poking from the V neckline of her short sleeved shirt.
His fingers traced the slope of her soft breast and then followed that hill until he reached its peak. Moving his finger in a slow circle he smiled a bit when her nipple hardened.
That wasn't the only thing to get hard.
Bonnie stirred. She hiked the blanket over her shoulder and curled herself into a ball effectively blocking his ministrations.
Abby woke up and Damon immediately snapped to a sitting position.
She looked at him suspiciously for a moment prior to her eyes dropping to Bonnie. The movie was probably more than half way over. Abby yawned.
"I'm guessing I can stop playing this movie now since Bonnie fell asleep."
"I can take her up to her room. She's freezing in here," Damon said by indicating Bonnie's curled position on the recliner.
If Bonnie had been five years old, Abby would have done it herself. Damon was much stronger than her yet she couldn't say she trusted that Boy Scout look to his eyes.
"All right. Are you going to come back down and finish watching this or can I turn it off?"
Damon was already on his feet and scoping Bonnie up into his arms before Abby could finish asking her question. "No, you can turn it off."
He was gone seconds later.
Bonnie might have been small in size but the girl was heavy. Damon's arms were starting to burn because Bonnie's room was on the opposite side of the house, which of course made the journey seem longer than what it actually was. Eventually he made it to her room, but not without his arms feeling as if he stuck them in a stove.
Very carefully he laid Bonnie on her bed. She was a heavy sleeper was another thing he learned about her. Anyone else probably would have woken up at some point, but not Bonnie. Damon stood next to her bed peering down at her. She looked so young and sweet while she slept, but he knew better. That was a viper dressed in sheep's clothing. Forget the wolf. Bonnie moved quick, did her business, and moved out.
He wondered if he should remove his shoes and climb into bed with her. Damon decided against that because Bonnie's manicured nails looked like talons and he wasn't interested into going back to school resembling Leatherface from Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
He soon slipped out to find his kicks elsewhere.
The Kitty Kat was a high-class gentlemen establishment that opened its doors in the mid-nineties. Some of its illustrious clientele was composed of past Presidents, senators, council members, actors, judges, and of course CEO's of large conglomerates.
Damon had rubbed elbows with some of the who's who although he fell short of the age requirement. Like he said, if you could pay you could play. Membership fees almost rivaled what his father paid in private school tuition, but it was worth every penny in Damon's opinion.
With Katherine off doing what she did best, whoring around with her friends, and Bonnie reenacting Sleeping Beauty, there was no way in the world he was going to remain locked up at the Salvatore compound trying to find the most clever and least insulting way to keep Abby entertained. So Damon called up his rowdy friends and they all decided to convene in Los Angeles for a night of debauchery.
Loud music blasted from the speakers as statuesque women with inflated breasts strutted across a black stage in clear, seven inch heels. There was a crowd of men parked along the main point of the stage because Daisy, a redhead with a southern accent was currently shooting ping pong balls out of her snatch. Damon had seen this act before yet the first time he saw it literally made his head explode. Daisy had been the one to school him on the inner muscles within the female vagina and how they worked. Damon learned a woman could ride a man without moving up and down if she knew how to isolate her inner muscles.
Of course he hadn't been lucky enough to find such a woman in nature, but Daisy offered to show him. Damon hadn't taken her up on her offer—yet. He liked loose women enough, but he got the distinct impression Daisy sold herself off to the highest bidder more frequently than not.
So he hung in the back with his two friends. Damon wouldn't use the word best because he was the best thing walking since sliced bread, but he was with his two closest friends Jackson Whittemore and Tyler Lockwood although Tyler was his cousin.
Jackson Whittemore like Damon was ridiculously good looking to be so young. Not a day went by where his pockets wasn't being stuffed with phone numbers and underwear. He looked like the classic All-American, boy-next-door but with a dangerous appeal. He was abrupt when things didn't go his way, and had his diva tendencies, but he was loyal and that was hard to come by in their social circle.
Tyler was able to garner his fair share of love from the ladies, too. Being half Mexican half Caucasian, he was debonair but with a smart mouth. Unlike his pigmented-ly challenged friends, Tyler had olive skin, dark brown nearly black eyes, was built like a running back, and spoke three languages fluently. He was a bit of a hot head and was basically looked at as the enforcer of the crew. Damon's other friends couldn't make it since they were still vacationing abroad, but he was with the two he actually did give a damn about in his own unique way.
Scantily, damn near naked women flitted past trying to coax the trio into lap dances. Damon declined. He wasn't really interested in being too naughty tonight. The visual stimulation was enough for him. Tyler and Jackson were engulfed in their own conversation until Tyler's cell went off.
He stared down at the object in his hand—annoyed. "What is this bitch's problem? She's been blowing up my phone like we're married."
Jackson leaned over. "Who?"
"My mom."
Damon and Jackson roared with laughter and clinked their beers together.
Leaning forward, Damon placed his elbows on his knees and stared at his cousin. "Hey, show my aunt some respect."
That remark earned him a snort. "You don't even respect her," Tyler reproached.
"Yeah, 'cause she's not my mamma."
"And speaking of mom's," Jackson interjected into the conversation. "How's the new MILF on the block? She tired of Giuseppe yet? Can you give her my number?"
Damon rolled his eyes and then sat back against the padded booth of the lounge area where they were seated. "Yeah, sure once you hook me up with your sister Tabitha."
A tick began to hammer in Jackson's jaw. Tabitha was his younger, very sweet sister who's had a raging crush on Damon from the time she could crawl. Knowing his friend's reputation and the fact that he was a wham bam thank you ma'am kind of guy there was no way in hell he'd ever consent to his friend going after his sister.
Tabby was very much naïve about the world and boys though she spent plenty of time watching Jackson like a hawk. He treated girls with respect whenever she was looking so she'd know what to demand once she was old enough to start dating. However, Jackson became a different person behind closed doors. And it was that side of him he'd do everything in his power to protect Tabby from.
She didn't and then again did need to know what dogs guys like him could be.
"You know I'm just messing with you, right?" Damon questioned and finished off the rest of his beer. He knew Jackson turned into a rabid pit bull if someone so much as mentioned Tabitha's name in conversation.
"That shit's not funny, Damon."
"Damon likes them young and hairless," Tyler jabbed Jackson in the ribs with his elbow.
"Now you're making me sound like a pedophile," Damon said curtly.
"We know you're not a pedophile although you have made some questionable conquests in the past. Like the pastor's daughter. How old was she?" Tyler locked eyes with Damon.
Hiding his smile, Damon held up his hand to summon a passing waitress. "She was old enough."
"I'll bet," Jackson retorted under his breath.
"Back to your original question," Damon said, "The MILF is fine. It's her daughter that's being problematic."
"Meaning she detest your guts?"
Damon pointed at his cousin. "You would be correct."
Jackson laughed at Damon's expense. "If I remember correctly she is a hot piece of ass."
Now it was Damon's turn for his jaw to tick. When he called dibs his friends knew the drill. Stay the fuck away or suffer the consequences. Don't let the pretty face fool you. Giuseppe taught Damon how to fight and no his tuition didn't follow the rules of what was acceptable in hand-to-hand combat. Although Damon never had to fight for a girl in his life, he felt things might be a tad bit different where Bonnie was concerned.
"Be careful, Jack," Tyler warned seeing the underlining fury wash over Damon's face, "you might just incite the wrath of Darth Vader over there."
"You think I'm afraid of this prick?" Jackson hitched his thumb in Damon's direction.
"This prick will fold you like a piece of paper and then recycle your ass, Jackson. Bonnie is off limits. Got it?"
"Whatever," Jackson mumbled seeing the wild and untamed look in Damon's eyes. But then Jackson's eyes lit up when his favorite exotic dancer sashayed her way to the group. She sat down on Jackson's lap and kissed his cheek, leaving a red lipstick stain behind.
"Long time no see, baby," she purred in his ear. "Buy me a drink?"
"Of course but you have to take care of me tonight," Jackson said with his eyes focused on her ample cleavage that was barely contained in her corset.
The exotic dancer stood slowly and seductively, reaching for Jackson's hand and pulling him to his feet as well. He followed behind her like an obedient dog.
"I'll see you boys later," he said.
Tyler and Damon stared at one another. They already knew what was about to go down.
"Eh yo!" Tyler shouted. Jackson halted and looked at him over his shoulder. "Don't forget to wrap up the dog before you bury the bone."
Jackson flipped him the bird and continued on his merry way.
The guys weren't left feeling abandoned for long. They were swarmed by beautiful women who smelled of strong perfume, booze, sweat, and female arousal.
Damon slumped in the booth as he was gyrated on by a well endowed Latina while Tyler was being entertained by a Nubian goddess who didn't look real. Such was the life of the rich and infamous.
This was her first day of school. Already Bonnie stood hunched over the toilet waiting for her nerves to expunge the breakfast she was barely able to get down. She scolded herself for her ridiculousness knowing she had no reason to be afraid, citing nothing catastrophic would happen to her. Bonnie and Abby a few days ago had taken a private tour of the school so Bonnie would be familiar enough with her surroundings and not look like a total fish out of water.
She had met with the Dean and student body president who welcomed her to Manchester Prep with open arms. Bonnie had been impressed with the school which mostly resembled a college campus rather than a typical high school. But everything she learned and saw had seemingly vanished from her memory and Bonnie felt like she was walking blind into something.
Standing in front of her three-way mirror, Bonnie smooth her hands down her uniform. It consisted of a khaki pleated skirt that stopped several inches above her knees. A white button down quarter sleeve shirt and blue and gold striped tie finished her look. A button down navy blue sweater with the school's logo completed the look but it was far too warm to wear it.
Pushing a strand of her chocolate hair behind her ear, Bonnie wasn't sure what more she could do to either make herself stand out or blend in.
A buzzer went off in her room. Someone was paging her. Walking over to the intercom, Bonnie held down a button. "Yes?"
"Good morning."
Bonnie sighed. "How can I help you, Damon?"
"I was wondering if you could step into my room for a minute? I have a back to school gift I'd like to give you."
Bonnie nibbled on a corner of her lip. Accepting a gift from Damon was almost the equivalent of accepting a bribe. "Do I really need to come to your room to get it?"
"Yes, I'm still trying to get ready for school. It won't take long."
"Fine. But you better be decent by the time I get there." Pause. "How do I get to your room again?"
Damon chuckled and quickly rattled off directions. Bonnie committed them to memory.
Just as she got off the intercom with Damon, a knock sounded on her door.
"Come in."
Giuseppe poked his head through the opening. "Good morning, sweetheart."
A smile brightened Bonnie's face as she approached and hugged him. "Welcome back. When did you get in?"
"Very early this morning, around three a.m." Giuseppe gave her a once over in her uniform. "You look great."
Bonnie tugged self-consciously at her skirt. "I feel weird. This is my first time having to wear a uniform."
"You'll get used to it after a while. I wanted to catch you before you headed off since I missed going on the tour with you and Abby. Do you think you'll like Manchester?"
Bonnie hunched her shoulders. "That remains to be seen."
"You'll do great, Bon," Giuseppe squeezed her shoulder. "I don't want to hold you. George is ready to drive you to campus once you're ready."
"About that," Bonnie said pensively. "I was taking Driver's ED back in Virginia and I know California has all these crazy requirements…I was wondering if George might be able to teach me."
"Hmm, that shouldn't be a problem. How many hours of driving experience do you have so far?"
"Not a lot. I'm kind of rusty. Grams would let me drive around the parking lot at the supermarket but that was about it."
"Which do you want to learn to drive?" Giuseppe asked. "Manual or automatic?"
"Why not both."
Giuseppe smiled. "That's my girl. Always know how to drive both so you won't ever be unprepared because you never know what life might throw at you." Flipping his wrist to gauge the time, Giuseppe brought his eyes back to Bonnie. "I'll run it past George and he might be able to give you a lesson today after school. Do you have everything you need?"
"Yeah," Bonnie walked away to get her satchel and sweater. Then she remembered Damon said he had something for her. "I have to see Damon about something real quick. Could you tell George I'm coming?"
Giuseppe was a little startled to hear that bit of news yet played it off well. "All right, but make it quick. The ferry leaves in half an hour and the next one won't be coming for sometime. I don't want you to be late for your first day."
Bonnie nodded and then she and Giuseppe left her room.
Five minutes later, Bonnie stood outside of the double doors which led to Damon's room. She knocked and waited.
"Enter."
Bonnie pushed the door opened, made a sharp right, and headed up a short flight of stairs. Her eyes expanded. That was the only way she could take in the full scope of Damon's room which was about the size of a loft in New York City.
It was airy and open; the complete antithesis of what Bonnie imagined it would be. She expected it would look like the bat cave, since the only colors Damon wore was black and dark blue. Bonnie figured the walls would be painted black, the bed sheets would be black, that everything would be black.
That wasn't so.
His bed was a freaking monstrosity and someone of Bonnie's stature would need a ladder to climb into it. Everything was large. His mahogany desk, his plasma television. He even had a small kitchen in his room.
Looking around Bonnie didn't spot Damon anywhere. "I'm here, Damon. Where are you?"
He stepped out of a doorway to the far right. Bonnie had steeled herself not sure what state of dress or undress he might be in. Surprisingly Damon was fully dressed in his uniform. His khaki pants had a razor sharp crease in them, his white button down was starched and molded to his body like a glove. He hadn't tied his tie yet and from the looks of it hadn't combed his hair, but seeing him like this humanized him in a way.
Bonnie only took a few tentative steps closer.
Damon appraised Bonnie in her uniform. It looked good on her even though it was plain and unimaginative.
"I got you something," he said and reached for a gift bag that was sitting on the couch. He stretched it out to Bonnie.
"You didn't have to," she said yet accepted the bag. Reaching inside she pulled out a distressed leather Stella McCartney attache. Bonnie smiled while admiring the craftsmanship. "It's beautiful, Damon."
Her response was lackluster in his opinion. Damon was fully prepared to take it back. "You hate it."
Bonnie flashed her eyes up at him. "No, I don't hate it, it's just I already have a bag."
"Well you can never have too many."
Not knowing what else to say, Bonnie took a step away from him. "Thank you again. I should get going. George is waiting for me. I guess I'll see you at school."
Damon spread his lips into a smile and watched as Bonnie scurried out of his room.
Bonnie only had mere seconds to make it to the car and hopefully the ferry would still be there to tote her to Los Angeles. Her mom had stopped her in the kitchen for a quick photo-op, cutting her time even shorter.
When she finally made it outside Bonnie expected to see George and the Maybach waiting for her, but instead it was Damon seated behind the wheel of his Aston Martin convertible.
He pulled his shades down revealing those playful orbs of his. "Need a ride to school?"
Bonnie smelled a rat. She frowned at him. "Where's George?"
"George had an all-too-important errand to run for my father. He sends his apologies. Get in. We're going to miss the ferry."
Knowing her options were limited, Bonnie slid into the passenger seat. They had less than ten minutes to make it to the ferry but they were more then twenty minutes away.
Once she was buckled in, Damon turned the steering wheel with the palm of his hand, stomped his foot on the gas and sped away.
Bonnie was sure they were going to get pulled over. Damon was definitely putting the torque to use as he flew through Catalina Island like a bat out of hell. Yet even Bonnie couldn't deny it was exhilarating traveling at such high speeds with little to no impediments.
Much sooner than expected, they had arrived at the ferry with minutes to spare. Damon pulled and parked his car in one of the allotted spaces on the boat. To pass the time he and Bonnie engaged in light conversation and the minute they reached Los Angeles, Damon was back to speeding along Highway 405.
"Are you at all nervous about your first day? You're essentially fresh meat which could work in your favor or against you," Damon looked at Bonnie over the console.
"I'm sure I'll be fine. I never got to experience being the new kid at school before. I've gone to school with the same people since kindergarten, so," Bonnie shrugged. "I guess I can add this to a list of experiences I don't want to repeat ever again."
Damon smirked and guided his car onto Manchester property. He had a permanent parking space which he pulled into and killed the engine. Bonnie tried her best to comb her hair back into submission.
Damon was out the car before Bonnie had the chance to unbuckle her seat belt, and was opening her door. He offered his hand to which Bonnie accepted and was pulled to her feet. Together they walked to the main hub of the campus.
"Any last minute questions before I ditch you to go talk smack with my friends?" Damon asked.
Bonnie shook her head but then one came to her. "Am I riding with you after school? Or do I need to call George?"
"No, you're stuck with me," he winked. "Have a good day, sweet pea," and with that salutation Damon was gone.
Frozen for a moment, Bonnie stood and watched as people milled about in groups of two, three, or more. Several eyes stared at her with curiosity or disdain which she wasn't sure why. Clearing her throat, Bonnie dug around in her bag for her class schedule and map. She felt like a tourist which made her cheeks scarlet over.
Looking down, Bonnie walked a few paces and ran into a muscled chest. Everything in her hands fluttered to the ground.
"I'm sorry," she dropped to her haunches to pick up her scatter papers. Real smooth, Bonnie, she admonished herself.
Pale white hands slithered into her line of his vision, hands that belonged to a guy. Slowly Bonnie looked up from the ground to stare at the person she ran into and the person who was helping her.
She gulped. He was gorgeous! With a face that was purely angelic with a pair of animated grayish-green eyes topped with thick, dark eyebrows, and caramel hair, Bonnie was certain she had stepped onto a movie set because no guy in high school looked this good.
Well, apart from Damon but whatever.
"I'm sorry," Bonnie's brain finally clicked and she remembered she did know how to talk after all.
"It's okay. I don't mind when a beautiful girl tries to tackle me."
Bonnie's face was blazing. She got to her feet once all of her papers were in her possession.
The unknown beefcake extended his hand. "You must be new because I would remember someone with a face like yours."
Bonnie snorted but shook the attempted flatterer's hand yet offered him what she hoped was a flirty smile. "Bonnie Bennett."
"Stefan Salvatore."
Instantly the smile vanished from her face and Bonnie dropped Stefan's hand. For his part, Stefan tried not to look offended.
"I know what you're thinking and no, I'm not related to Damon Salvatore. We unfortunately have the same last name. That's where our connection begins and ends," Stefan quickly explained.
Relief burst through Bonnie and she felt bad for judging him. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have assumed. I'm sure you get that reaction a lot."
"More than I care to," Stefan replied dryly. Yet he brightened once more. "How do you know Damon if you don't mind me asking? I know his reputation proceeds him…"
"Um," Bonnie clutched her satchel to her chest. People would find out the truth soon enough if they didn't know already. "Our parents are engaged."
Stefan's eyebrows nearly lifted off his forehead. He had known Damon from the time they were in junior high and neither one cared for the other. Stefan pretty much avoided Damon like the plague and kept his nose out of his business. Fortunately Damon paid him the same respect in that area, but the two of them did bump heads occasionally and usually over something dumb and frivolous.
"Should I offer my condolences?" Stefan asked plaintively.
"I haven't decided yet," Bonnie replied dejectedly.
"Well on another note, do you know your way around? Manchester is kind of big and imposing and one can get lost easily."
Bonnie's eyes dropped to the map in her hands regretting the fact she quit Girl Scout's before she learned that particular art because knowing how to read one sure would come in handy right about now.
"I'm sure I'll be all right. If I get lost or need directions I'll just ask whoever's around."
"Or, I can be your personal tour guide. I'm one of the student ambassadors and occasionally I'm assigned a new student to show the ropes to. It should only take me a minute to get approval from my advisor to be your eyes and ears today."
Feeling flattered and embarrassed beyond imagining, Bonnie said "Oh, you don't have to do that."
Although she would like it very much. Bonnie didn't know Stefan from a can of paint but she found him easy to talk to but most of all she felt at ease, which never happened to her when she was around a good-looking guy. She was always flustered and worried that she'd make a fool of herself. Well, she kind of already did that so that erased any lingering awkwardness between them.
Stefan took her hand and wrapped it around his arm. Bonnie's eyebrow cocked in the air the minute she felt his bicep. It was rock hard and solid beneath her touch. Her slumbering inner goddess was slowly waking up since she had been in hibernation for so long.
"I insist," Stefan said and the two headed off towards the main office.
Hmm, being the new student didn't seem like it would be so bad after all.
Chapter end.
A/N: If you watch Teen Wolf yes I'm borrowing Jackson Whittemore because in my opinion Colton Haynes is so damn fine, juicy, yummy, etc, etc and from what I've seen of his personality he would run with someone like Damon. And of course I had to incorporate Stefan into this. I purposely didn't want him to be related to Damon but I didn't want to change his last name because Salvatore is fitting and nothing else would work. So they share the same last name, no relation. Are they rivals? Do they hate each other? Well, see. More characters that we know, love, hate, feel indifferent towards will pop up in the next chapter, but I'll go ahead and tell you now there won't be any Elena or Caroline in this. I've written about them enough in my other stories and I'd like to explore some other best friend combinations for Bonnie. All right, rambled on enough. Thank you guys for reading. Love you!