The Cheerleader and the Punk Chapter 4, a vampire diaries fanfic

HIYA! It's been a minute. I haven't been in the mood to write lately but I was finally able to push out a chapter. I hope you guys enjoy. Here's Chapter 4!

Oh and I don't have a beta guys, so please excuse any mistakes.

The Cheerleader and the Punk

Not even five minutes after Bonnie's kicked Kai out, a knock sounds on the front door, in turn, interrupting her thoughts of damning the ill-mannered bastard to the fiery pits of hell.

Just sure it was him back to spew more venom because Kai wouldn't be Kai unless he got the last word, she flings open the door with more sass than necessary, ready to unleash more vitriol onto her former childhood friend but ends up stopping short. Her eyes widening when she sees it's not Malachai 'I have to win every argument' Parker at all behind the door but her boyfriend of three years instead.

"Hey," it comes out breathily, still not over the shock of seeing Damon standing on her front porch. It takes her aback because she couldn't remember the last time he's come to her home. It was always her visiting his. And when the rare chance he did show up, he usually called first. "What are you doing here?" she blurts and his blue eyes narrow on her, disappointment tugging at his bottom lip.

"Is that really how you're going to greet me right now?" Immediately, she feels like a jerk, realizing how her words must've sounded to him, like an accusation, as if he was inconveniencing her by popping by.

Shaking her head to ward the feeling of foolishness away, she infuses pep into her tone, "Sorry. Hey, babe" she chirps, giving him a proper greeting, willing her cheeks to stretch widely into a pleased smile. She leans up to kiss him but before their lips can touch, he turns his head at the very last moment, rejecting the gesture.

This causes her expression to fall, a frown tugging at her lips, unable to help the sting she feels by his rebuff.

"What's wrong?" she questions, confused, angling out of the way so he can step inside.

Damon's face doesn't let up from its mask of aggravation as he enters her home. He clearly doesn't plan on staying long because he doesn't go beyond the foyer, throwing out a question to her as he settles before her, "Have you checked chatter today? I'm sure you're blowing up with notifications"

About that. She'd been too mortified to check anything social media related. The way she landed on her ass last night, she was sure the entire school was chatting about it and she could do without seeing all the mocking comments regarding her moment of lameness.

Her face heats at the question, "No, I was too embarrassed to" she goes with the truth.

"Too embarrassed" he echos her words, the edges of his lips twitching up slightly, like her response is somehow humorous to him. And then comes the bitter, "Well, you should be"

Bonnie feels her eyes shift from his, feelings of insecurity taking over, causing her to feel the way she did all through out elementary and middle school. Like a loser. A joke. "That's kinda harsh, Damon." she chastises, without heat, her eyes landing on the victorian console table her mom paid a grip for at an antique auction two months prior. "Shouldn't you be like comforting me instead?" is added on. Seriously, he never even asked if she was alright. A text would have been nice.

"Oh, I should?" Those words, his tone, has her glancing up at him.

"It was an accident. I got tripped up"

"You got tripped up. Really?" He balks, glaring at her.

Sure, she busted her ass infront of everyone, humiliated herself and probably him too. But coming to her house to make her feel even worse about it was a bit much. It was almost cruel.

"Yes, why is this such a big deal?"

"Why is this a big deal?"

"Oh my god" she breathes, throwing her hands up in frustration. "Are you really going to repeat everything I say?" annoyance finally having crept into her tone. The inflection that's normally reserved for Kai when they were having one of their verbal spars.

He ignores her snippy lilt and pulls out his phone, shoving it in her face. Therein lies on the screen, BOYFRIEND WHO? She reads the title of the blog entry on the school's gossip app, the bold font nearly making her cringe in response, and then below, a shot of Bonnie and Kai in the parking lot, flirting.

Shit. His behavior now suddenly makes sense. This wasn't about her falling on her ass, this was about her allowing Kai to flirt with her and feel her up and having her entertain meeting him for secret rendezvous' in the forest. Her stomach does a somersault. Shit shit shit. How had this slipped her mind?

Her eyes fall away from the screen. So badly she wanted to close them, to disappear. She couldn't believe this was happening right now! That's a lie, she could. She had warned Kai of this very thing but he brushed off her concerns, continued on with his sexy smirks and heated looks and honeyed tone. Damn him. Damn him to hell! Now the entire school would really believe something was going on between them. One time could be explained away but twice they were seen together? Yeah, there was no getting out of this one. Shame made her cheeks flame even hotter, her sudden guilt has her words coming out a bare whisper, "I thought you were referring to me falling on my ass at halftime show"

His eyes does that weird googly thing she hates, "Why would I give a rats ass about that?"

Because I do..or did. In this moment though, it doesn't seem so significant.

"It's not true" she immediately assures, or lies rather, because what was she going to say? That she flirted with Kai because she liked the way his dimple indented his cheek when he smiled? Or the way his voice lowered to a velvety cadence when he flirted? Or the earthy smell that fluttered her sensory receptors when he stood too close? No, she couldn't say any of that. Not if she wanted to preserve her relationship.

"So he wasn't coming on to you after the game?" He sounds highly doubtful of her claim of innocence.

She's quick to shake her head no. "We talked. That was it"

"About what?" he continues to drill her, the relentlessness of his stare has her wanting to look away but because she knows this will make her seem like a liar she doesn't.

"About him getting me some adderall" she answers, hoping he doesn't push the topic.

He looks at her speculatively, like he's doubting what she's saying, in a need for him to believe her she adds on, her tone more confident this time around, "I went to him because I ran out, he's been supplying me with drugs for the past week"

"Not anymore he isn't" he states sternly, as if his word is law, "You're not buying from him ever again"

"What?" she balks, trying to determine if he was serious or not.

"You heard me." he informs her, not backing down, jaw flexing. "I don't want you dealing with him, Bon. You know our history," A history that you started! she fervently wants to remind him but doesn't. "You couldn't have thought I'd be okay with this"

"You can't tell me what to do, Damon" She reasons and hates how calm she is while doing so. She should be getting in his ass for getting all 1950's on her.

"You. let. him. touch. you" he clips out the words slowly and Bonnie can't help but wince at the accusation. That particular detail hadn't been captured in photo, but she didn't need to read the blog post to know it was detailed somewhere in there or maybe gossiped about in the comments section by her fellow peers. There was a sole photo posted and it definitely hadn't shown Kai touching her.

Ugh. She can still feel the warmth of his fingers, the way her heart stuttered when he'd done it.

Bonnie stamps down on all thoughts of that moment, screwing up her face as she denies the allegations, "Says a stupid gossip blog" She watches as his nostrils dilate, "Why are you so threatened by him?"

"Threatened?" he scoffs, as if her words are utter nonsense, laughable even. Because why would Damon Salvatore, a descendent of a founding family, a member of the wealthiest bloodlines in Mystic Falls, hell, Virginia for that matter, be threatened by Malachai Parker, a weird kid from the wrong side of the tracks? "You're missing the point. It boils down to respect. I would never associate with someone you hated. The fact that I even have to explain this to you is blowing my mind right now" Bonnie only had one enemy in this world and when push came to shove Damon chose her. She could say alot about Damon but at the end of the day he was loyal.

Now she feels the guilt.

When his next words come, they're on the edge of a whisper, "Do you love me? Do you even want to be with me anymore?"

"Of course" she exclaims fiercely, her eyes snapping back up at him, insulted he even had to ask.

His tone climbs in volume, "If you did, you'd stay away from him"

She finally relents, blowing out a defeated breath. "Okay, I won't buy from him. Happy?"

Although he doesn't emote with his lips, there's a smile in his eyes, "Not particularly but it's a start" he tells her, then leans down to kiss her. Softly and sweetly. The way he used to blow her mind when they first started dating. Bonnie gives in to him, and when he has her pressed up against the door, she pulls away panting, her small hands coming up to push him away.

"Damon, stop. We can't." Her mind sending her a reminder that her dad would be back soon.

"Why?" his eyes locks in on hers, bearing down with lust-filled pupils. "Your parents aren't home, are they?"

"No, but my dad will be home any minute."

"We'll be quick" he promises in an incredibly husky tone, moving in again for another kiss but Bonnie turns her face, the way he had when she tried to kiss him earlier, when he'd been mad about the Kai post. But her reasons were not petty unlike his own, she honestly didn't feel like a quickie up against the wall in the foyer. What were they Bey and Jay now?

"What's up, hm? You've been making up excuses ever since.."

"Ever since what?" She challenges him.

He stares at her for a long moment then looks away, his jaw locking. "Nothing" he finally breathes, a lengthy sigh following the response. Running a hand through his perfectly coiffed jet black locks, he states in a tone every bit depleted, "Look, I've got some stuff I gotta do. Call you later?"

Bonnie nods slowly, wondering since when did he need her permission to call her?

"K" he says, forcing a smile. Bonnie's been with Damon for three years, watched him for longer - way longer than she'd liked to admit, she had her entire life to study the intricacies of his varied expressions, so she knew which smiles were genuine and which were for show. He was still pissed with her. She has it in her mind to assure him he had nothing to worry about but the words won't come. Instead, she walks him out the door and watches as he leaves.

Kai's in the middle of lighting up a spliff when Jeremy's voice sounds beside him.

"You know they say you're not supposed to smoke your own shit, right?"

And usually he wouldn't but after the day he's had, the argument earlier with number one, how she kicked him out afterwards, he needed something to take the edge off. Hence, the smoking of his own product.

Kai takes a hit of the purple haze, closing his eyes as the sativa enters his lungs. Releasing the smoke, he opens them, tossing a quick glance at the brunet boy beside him. They were in the other boys basement, just having got done playing Call of Duty on Jeremy's new PS5.

"I'll just double charge you next time, that should cover the cost" he relays in a lazy tone, passing the joint off to his friend. Jeremy takes the proffered joint and snorts before bringing it to his lips, "So," he begins, taking a drag, then releasing it. "I got an alert this morning"

Kai feels his eyes roll at Jeremy's words. He knows where this conversation is headed. He would put money on it that it had to do with that ass app chatter. More salacious gossip for the sheep to consume. He swore if he ever found out who ran that God awful blog he would tie up their extremities and dump them in the nearest river..

"So you're really going after her, huh?" Jeremy pries, confirming that Kai had been correct about the direction of the conversation.

"Nope, that's done." he claims, accepting the joint back from Jeremy, trying but failing to hold back the bitterness in his tone.

Jeremy catches it and laughs, cracks up actually, and Kai has it in his mind to conclude that giggles here must have hit the weed before he got here. "So I take it she didn't respond well to your advances?"

Kai changes the subject, "Where's Nora? I thought she was coming over?"

Jeremy doesn't allow Kai to reroute the conversation. "Don't try to change the subject. What happened? I thought you were all in? If not, you can pay me my five hundred now"

Kai lets out a snort, handing the joint back over to Jeremy, already starting to feel a buzz.

"I'm serious." the other boy says accepting it, "I want my money"

Kai head falls back onto the couch cushion, his eyes falling shut as he begins to complain about the insufferable one, "I just fucking hate her so much. I want to strangle her everytime I look at her" But I also want to see how that cupid's bow of a mouth feels pressed against my lips..

Jeremy chokes on laughter. "Imagine the hate sex you guys would have" Ugh, he has.. too many times to count.

"I bet she feels like a dream" Jeremy comments and the way he says it, the unbridled lust in his tone, bothers Kai.

"Dude, shut up." he says in a warning tone.

"What? Are you already possessive over her?" The shorter boy asks on the brink of laughter again. "You do get she has a boyfriend, right? Not really your place to get all caveman on me"

Of course he knew she still had a boyfriend. How could he forget? She definitely makes sure to remind him every chance she gets.

Before Kai could answer, the sound of the basement door opening then slamming shut sounds. Seconds later pale features and unnaturally black hair fills his vision. Nora.

"Where the fuck were you last night?" Kai blurts out in an attempt to chastise her for bailing on them. Seriously, Jeremy was even more insufferable without Nora around.

"Yeah, whatever happened to bros before hoes?" Jeremy agrees beside him, jutting out his bottom lip, trying to sound hurt.

"Good afternoon to you douches too" Nora greets in her usual cheery way as she makes herself down the stairs. When she's made it to where they're seated, she plops down on the sectional beside Jeremy and snatches the joint from his fingers.

"Seriously, you bail on us for some chick? I'm hurt" Kai complains, placing a hand over his heart, watching her as she puff puff then passes the joint off to him.

"Oh please, as if you haven't done the same a thousand times before"

Kai feigns innocence, taking his turn before passing it to Jeremy, "I think you have me confused with someone else"

"Oh, I've got the right person" she snorts, contradicting him. "And whatever, I wasn't going to miss out on a hook up to hang out with you two losers"

"Wait, what? Are you saying.." Jeremy looks at her in shock, "You hooked up with her? Mary Louise? The angelic looking blonde? Isn't she like a super Christian or some shit?"

"Yeah and don't say anything, she's not out of the closet yet"

Kai snorts. They never are. "Are you sure she's even in the closet?" he questions the brunette. "That this isn't just an experience for her?"

She shoots icicles his way. "She's not a straight girl experimenting" is spat with more venom than necessary. He eyes her warily but Jeremy is the one to speak.

"Did she tell you that?" he asks and then before she could answer, "Why don't you let me try her out and I'll report back with my findings"

Kai snorts. Nora glares.

"If you touch her I'll rip your balls off one by one then stuff them in your mouth and make you eat them"

Jeremy puts his hands up in surrender, knowing she means every word, "Consider me warned"

Satisfied with his response, Nora prods, directing her gaze to them both, "Enough about me. What did you guys get into last night aside from the lame game?"

Jeremy is quick to answer. "Kai tried his luck on Bonnie after the game. She turned him down"

"Shocker" comments Nora, her eyes widening in faux surprise.

Kai flips the bird at her.

"I'm good" she replies in response to the gesture.

"Right. I forget, you'd rather do the pounding, but since I'm not into pegging.."

"Speaking of, how was it?"Jeremy cuts in, his question geared at Nora.

"As if I'm going to exploit my sex life to you two idiots"

"Pretty sure I didn't ask to know" Kai comments.

"Wow" Jeremy stretches out, clearly insulted over her non-compliance. "So we have to disclose every sordid detail of our sex life but when it comes to you, we get nothing? Do you see the disparity here?"

"And by we do you mean Kai and his occasional hook ups? Because you've had none"

Burn.

Kai pats his buddy on the shoulder, letting sympathy coat his tone, "Yeah, we gotta get you laid kid"

"I get laid plenty" Jeremy snaps, defensively.

"Your hand doesn't count," Kai whips back.

Jeremy drills him with a hard stare and before he could make a quip back Nora was already talking, "Hey, there's this girl in my gym class, I think she might have low enough self esteem to fuck you. Bacne isn't a problem for you, is it?"

"Funny" intones Jeremy, jerking the blunt away when Nora tries to snatch it from him.

"It's okay to be seventeen and still a virgin. A lot of people are. It doesn't mean you're a loser" she voices, but Kai can tell it isn't said to comfort him but as another dig.

Unable to pick up on sarcasm, Jeremy turns to face her, "It doesn't?" he questions, unaware of what he just walked into.

"Nah. You're totally a loser. " she uses Jeremy's shocked reaction to finally steal the blunt away from him, nearly choking on her laughter as she inhales the reefer.

Kai cuts Nora a sharp look and her Cheshire grin deflates for a minuscule moment before she's back to cackling. "Don't listen to the heartless one." he tells an irritable looking Jeremy. "Because you're not going to be a virgin for long. We're going to get you laid Jeremy Gilbert." he promises with a broad smile, and then standing, "Get dressed. We're going out"

"The mall, really?" Jeremy groans as they pull into the parking lot of Mystic Falls sole shopping center.

"Yes" Kai confirms, putting the car in park and cutting the engine,"This is what High school girls do on the weekend. Shop" he educates the brunet in the backseat.

Another groan comes. "Ugh, did we really have to get out for this? We couldn't just swiped right on Tinder, huh?"

"Tinder is for lazy fuckboys who don't want to put in work. You need to learn to talk to girls in person. It'll be good practice for you" Kai assures.

"I don't want to practice," comes his tenth groan for today. "-maybe I just want to be at home eating cheese curdles in my boxers right now."

"It's comments like that that reminds me why you're still a virgin" Nora says, glaring back at Jeremy in the rearview.

Ten minutes later they're in the food court scoping out suitable matches for the sad case beside him. They haven't been successful thus far. The younger boy has turned down every single girl he and Nora suggested.

"What about her? She's cute." Kai lifts his chin in the direction of a brunette waiting for her order at a smoothie stand.

"Too boxy" the other boy complains.

"What about the red head trying on shades over there?" Nora points toward a model looking girl primping in a mirror at a sunglasses vendor.

"Too thin" comes the quip.

Kai nods at a curvy girl who's just passed them up to meet her friends two tables over.

"Too.. something.." He shakes his head, giving up on finding the proper insult.

Nora sighs in a heavy way that lets them both know her patience was wearing thin. Kai fears if Jeremy doesn't choose someone to approach and stat the lonely boy was going to find himself on the inside of a trash can soon.

"You do know you're not shopping for a bride, right? You're just trying to get laid.."

"So I should just accept anything that comes along?"

"No," he answers, "but just try to lay off the extreme pickiness"

"Right" Nora cuts in, lengthening the word, "I'm not sure if you've looked in the mirror lately or not but you're not exactly Brad Pitt in the looks department"

"Or personality wise" Kai tacks on.

"This" comments Nora and Jeremy just stare at them stunned. "Wow, you guys can both go suck a dildo"

Before either of them could comment, the last person Kai wanted to see approaches the table. Bonnie and her vapid ass soul sucking friends. And she doesn't truly approach, because that would imply that she was willing to. No, Miss popularity trails five feet behind her gal pals, a pout pushing out her treacherous mouth, like she's on death row and being dragged to exucution. He knows how much she detest being in his presence, the last thing she probably wants to do is interact with he and his friends. Well, the sentiment is mutual, because he damn sure didn't want her here either. Kai rips his eyes away from number one. He refuses to allow her to catch him staring. Instead, he brings his attention to the brunette who just started to speak, "Hey, Jer." Elena directs to her cousin.

But before Jeremy could offer a greeting, number four speaks, "What are you guys doing here?" the blonde throws out at them in that condescending way of hers that implies she feels they somehow don't belong here.

Kai eyes cut to the blonde, shooting her a withering look, an insult at the tip of his tongue but Nora gets there first, her tone acerbic and biting. "Shopping, what does it look like, Barbie?" the venom in Nora's sneer has number four's expression hardening.

"Oh, you're not planning on robbing the place?" her gaze scan their table, locking eyes with everyone of them, haughtiness coating her pupils like she'd rather be anywhere but talking to them, "Cuz' It kind of looks like you're casing the joint"

Kai sets down his soft drink, his expression stoic, "No, we actually came here to purchase you a new personality." he explains, allowing apathy to flatten his words. "Well, return your raging bitch in exchange for a decent human being. Unfortunately, they were out of stock so.."

"Oh, were they also out of stock of non creep..?" Caroline ponders, tilting her head to the side, a vile smirk warping her lips.

Kai offers a rebuttal, unfazed. "They didn't have non creep available but they did have non psychotic ex girlfriend in stock, just FYI" he tells her with an off putting smirk of his own.

Caroline jerks forward and Kai out of his peripheral sees Nora shift beside him like she's just itching for an excuse to scratch out Barbie's eyes but before Blondie could get too close Bonnie intervenes, stopping the other girl from what?.. Assaulting him? Them?..by tugging on her wrist and pulling the rabid cheerleader back.

And then turning to him, eye flashing. "Kai!" she grits out. Her first words since she and her friends approached their table and of course it's to reprimand him.

"What, cheerleader? Did I say something wrong?" he asks, boredly. He watches the flare of her nostrils, knowing she was two seconds from spitting venom at him..Caroline doesn't give One a chance to respond though, seemingly in control of her own temper now, dragging both friends away, she relays to them both, "Forget these losers. Lets go"

Bonnie nods, but not before cutting one last glare at him. Kai makes sure the smirk he gives her before she turns away is lined in smarm. His eyes then dart to her blonde friend who still happens to be eyeing them, or rather, shooting laser beams their way. He flips her the bird before turning to his friends.

"God, I hate her" Nora says before he can. "I can see why Donovan dumped her vapid ass. She's the worst"

"The absolute worst" Kai agrees, full heartedly. The fact that number one actually scolded him when blondie was the one being the cunt here. He's not surprised though. History has always showed him, in the end, she would always choose them over him.

If seeing Bonnie Bennett twice in one day wasn't already enough he ends up running into her a third time as he exits the restroom. She's sitting on a bench a few feet away, clearly waiting for her friends who, he's sure, talking shit about her as they slather mountains of lip gloss onto their poisonous lips.

"You're still hanging around, I see. Surprised mall security hasn't kicked you out yet." She voices when she finally looks up from her phone and sees him approaching.

"No, they're busy out searching for far more nefarious characters." He divulges, making his way over to her, "There were some complaints about a demon walking around…"He continues in a conspiratorial tone. "Don't worry, I didn't tip them off or anything."

She offers him a fake smile but he's sees the anger simmering beneath her pupils. "Thanks and I'll make sure the crew redirects them when you guys finally decide to rob the place"

"Why, thank you" he remarks, then nodding towards her bags. "What do you have there? New butt pads for your cheer outfit? I'm sure you can use all the padding you can get. I heard you took a tumble Friday. How are you doing by the way?" he asks, not looking sympathetic in the least. "I know that must've been humiliating for you"

"Not as much as being seen talking to you afterwards. Seriously, you gotta give my rep a break. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you wanted people to think there's something going on between us.."

What erupts from his lips is a cross between a laugh and a snort. "Yeah, the last thing I want is to be associated with a flop cheerleader but if it pumps your frilly overly inflated ego to think that all the guys in the school drool after you then go right ahead"

An eye roll commences, "Oh, really? I guess I invited myself to The Falls Friday night.."

"Oh, you think that was for romantic reasons? No, I was finally going to move forth with my murder plot but alas, it wasn't meant to be"

"Right.." she offers doubtfully.

Whatever. He doesn't care what she thinks. He didn't invite her to The Falls to get into her pants. He invited her for the sole purpose of winning a bet. And now that that bet was a no go he really didn't need to speak to her at all anymore, aside from when it concerned their tutoring agreement.

So why was he still here? He got his satisfaction from insulting her for the day. Shouldn't he be off to catch up with his friends who he's sure is still waiting for him at the food court?

He pushes the thought away, not wanting to unpack on the whys, offering a change in topic, he points out, "That bag's big enough to have its own zip code" he nods at the larger of the two.

He didn't think she would offer an explanation but she does. "It's a gown, for homecoming"

"Right, the big game is coming up. I forgot about that. How do you feel? You think you're going to win Homecoming Queen again?"

She offers a shrug. "Probably not, I won last year. There's a rule one can't win two years in a row." The way she says it like she couldn't care less about her name being excluded from the ballot but he knows it's a farce. She was all about titles, this one.

"Well, maybe they'll overturn that rule for you. You are after all still Mystic Falls high sweetheart and all" He makes sure to deliver the line so that it couldn't be misconstrued for a compliment.

"It'll go to Caroline and Matt" she intones, emotionless, still pretending not to care.

"That sucks." he pouts, 'I know how much you need that validation"

Her face that was just blank had sparked to life again. "Are you going? What am I asking? I'm sure you have better things to do like cook up crack to sell"

"Speaking of, did you still need me to supply you with that? Or is the adderall fine for now?"

"I think you know the adderall is fine," she bites out arcticly.

"Cool. You'll get your next weeks payment when I see you tomorrow"

"Tomorrow?" her brows pinch together on her forehead.

"Yeah, since you unexpectedly cancelled our session today, you need to make up for it"

She looks like she wants to skin him alive. "Fine." she snaps at him. "What time?"

"Is noon good for you? I know how you used to do church every weekend" That he remembers, her Grams was very strict about it in fact.

She looks wistful. "Not anymore."

"Cool. I'll be there, twelve sharp" he says with a salute.

"I don't look forward to it" she tells him, offering a tight smile.

"Sure, you don't" he flashes a dark smirk and then his back is to her as he leaves to join his friends.

Kai, fed up with Jeremy and his extreme pickiness, decides to break away from the clan and let Nora deal with the task of getting him laid on her own. Instead of ditching them both at the mall and heading back home like the tiny devil on his shoulder wanted him to do, he heads inside a record store to browse their music selection. Kai's sifting through the classic rock section when a female voice sounds from behind.

"I thought I was the only one under fifty who still purchased vinyl"

"Sorry to disappoint you" he says, not bothering to turn around as he studies a Led Zeppelin album.

"What do you have there?" comes the curious voice behind him. Before he could proceed to ignore her, she's snatching the album out of his hands, not even giving him a chance to respond, not that he would have but still, rude.

Kai turns around, annoyed with the audacity of this person. His eyes narrow as he comes face to face to with a brunette who looks to be around his age and at least of part Asian descent. He scowls at her while she studies the cover.

"Ah, Zeppelin" she answers her own question, glancing up at him, giving him a flat stare. "You struck me more as a grunge rock kind of guy"

"Oh? And why is that?' his words lacking proper interest. He makes sure his tone tells her just how gloriously bored he is with the conversation.

Her shoulders move up in shrug and when she sees he's not satisfied with her non answer, she gestures with her hands at him in an up and down motion. Indicating his appearance.

"Oh, because of the way that I look?" he drones, disappointed. They were never original. "Well, that's a bit presumptuous of you. So because a guy pierces his lip and rocks blue hair he has to be into Pearl Jam?"

"Are you not into Pearl Jam?" she inquires smartly.

He can feel his teeth grinding. "I am but that's not the point"

"Right, and the point would be?" she inquires, cocking her head, like she's truly interested in his response.

When he speaks, it's with extreme slowness. "Not to put people in boxes based on appearances. Didn't your mommy ever teach you not to judge a book by it's cover?"

She proceeds to roll her eyes. "Oh, whatever. I'm sure you put me in a box just now. It's what we do as human beings. It's why it's called first impressions. Most of the times we're wrong about our initial judgements but it's what we do. We judge. We can't help it."

"Speak for yourself" He intones, taking the album back from her annoying paws in an action just as abruptly as she pilfered it from his.

She folds her arms over her chest, looking decidedly irked. "Are you saying you didn't judge me just now?"

He doesn't deign her an answer. Just goes back to browsing for records. Turning his back on her as he picks up a Jimi Hendrix album. She must not like being ignored because she prompts again, this time in an annoyed cadance. Good, he thinks. Now she was starting to feel the same emotion he felt from the moment she uttered her first annoying words to him.

"So no first impression of me whatsoever?"

"I do" he lets her know with a languorous sigh.

"And..?" curiosity coats her words, he can sense how antsy she is to know. On principle, he nearly withholds his response for the sole fact that she wanted it so bad. He's an asshole, he can't help it.

"That you're more insufferable than my twin sister, and trust me that's quite the feat" He finally turns around to gauge her expression.

"Wow. A real smooth talker" she quips, sarcastically.

"So I've been told"

"Well, this has been pleasant" she comments curtly before moving around him.

"An absolute delight" he concurs, allowing her to pass.

Mere seconds later, "Who was that?" is said as he watches the girl exit the record store. He looks to his friend, wondering when the hell Jeremy got here and where the fuck was Nora? She probably got so irritated with Jeremy figuring a ten mile trek home was preferable than dealing with Picky McPickerson here.

"No idea" he says, shrugging.

"She was cute" Kai was sure this was the first time Jeremy has expressed any interest in any girl all day. Aside from him drooling all over Bonnie when she and her crew, in his opinion, passed by them one too many times to be coincidental. Seriously, they really needed to build another shopping center.

"And incredibly annoying," he voices, not letting his thoughts distract him from the conversation at hand.

"You think everyone is annoying."

"No, just the annoying ones" he informs the other boy, and then cocking a brow, "You ready to go?"

Jeremy only offers a nod in response.

Bonnie hoped Kai wouldn't show up for their tutoring session but here he is twelve on the dot. She leads him out of the foyer and towards the stairs while shouting to her mom who's in the kitchen preparing lunch.

"Mom, Kai and I are going up to my bedroom to study!"

"Leave the door open, sweetie" her mom hollers back.

Bonnie nearly throws up her breakfast, as if anything would ever happen between her and grim reaper here, she rather die a slow tortuous death than entertain even the thought of fucking him. "Really mom, I think you know nothing is going to happen"

"Okay, I trust you, honey" comes the serene voice from the kitchen.

And when they start to ascend the steps, "And how exactly does she know nothing is going to happen?" Kai wants to know. She can hear the smirk in his voice.

"Because she's not on drugs" she answers, glaring back at him.

And that smirk she knew was covering his lips, widens. Bonnie snorts, turning around, finishing the task of leading him to her room. The sooner they get this over with the sooner he can get back to worshiping satan or whatever it is he did in his spare time.

When they're finally inside her place of solace, he comments, shock covering his features.

"Wow, I'm surprised." he announces, taking a glance around her room.

"About?" her voice flat as she cocks a brow.

He doesn't look at her. His eyes are transfixed on the mural she painted, never leaving the lush greens and soft grays and off whites that covers majority of the wall and ceiling. It's of a forest. Particularly the one she, Kai and Elena spent most of their free time at when they were kids. She knows this fact doesn't escape him either. He doesn't comment on it though. Instead, answers her question, "I just assumed your room would be girlier. You know? Explosions of pinks and purples and Justin Bieber plastered everyone.. This is unexpected"

"First of all Justin Bieber is no longer a thing. Secondly, you know what they say about making assumptions"

"Touche" is his only response, and then in a tone a bit too suggestive, "So, where do you want me?"

Out of my house, not annoying me to death. Instead, she relays, "The floor is fine"

He settles on a spot at the foot of the bed.

"Pull out your books. I'm going to change right quick" Not that she cared what he thought of her ratty sweats and her dad's old Howard tee. It's just she was never the type to walk around unpresentable when company was over. That had been drilled into her by Grams.

"Oh, you don't have to leave. You don't have anything I haven't seen before. Go ahead, do your thing." he urges. "I promise to not vomit all over your floors" he adds, glancing up from his task of removing his books from his backpack.

"Oh, I know. If you could stomach your own reflection in the mirror then surely me undressing in front of you won't be an issue. But my boyfriend, I think he'd have a problem with it"

She doesn't give him a chance to respond, heading into her ensuite bathroom to change.

His head lifts from his textbook when she exits the bathroom, blue-gray orbs takes in her denim cut offs shorts and tube top. He gives a quick scroll of her appearance and just as quickly diverts his eyes, engrossing himself back into his studies. As if she might as well be wearing a nun's habit.

A teeny tiny vain part of her hates how he dismisses her so easily. She'd expected more than a cursory glance from him. He was afterall a teenage boy. A sliver of skin was all it took to get their blood pumping. If it had been Jeremy, her secret stalker, he would have been drooling at so much skin. But Kai had looked at her like she might as well have been his sister..

What does it matter if he doesn't want you in that way? You have a boyfriend anyway! She has to keep reminding herself his suggestive comments is just to rile her up and maybe to piss off Damon. That unpleasant reminder prompts the next words to leave her lips, "Before we begin, I need to let you know that if we're going to continue to do this then we're going to need to be more careful about being seen together. Damon found out through chatter about your little pop up in the student parking lot. That kind of stuff can't happen anymore. I promised him I'd stay away from you"

His brows raise on his forehead. "So Damon dictates what you can and cannot do? Sounds a bit controlling to me"

She's already shaking her head, needing him to know Damon wasn't that guy abusing their girlfriend in ninety percent of Lifetime movies. "He's not normally like this. You make him-"

"Insecure" he offers up an explanation.

"See red. He hates you so much, it's almost scary sometimes" She takes a seat beside him, stretching her toned legs in front of her.

"It's not normal behavior." he tells her, his face utterly serious. She doesn't think she's ever witness an expression from him that wasn't dripping with contempt or concerningly unmoved. "He's completely off his rocker. How don't you see that?"

Bonnie bites her lip, then drops her gaze, picking at the fibers of the carpet while staring at the glossy white polish on her toes. Sure Damon could get a little intense when it came to Kai but off his rocker? That was a bit much. She's quiet for a long moment and when she speaks she glances up, looking him in the eye, "If it were the other way around and I was with you instead of him," she watches him take an intake of breath, "You wouldn't want me to talk to him either"

His face falls into a frown, like he's disappointed in her, his words low and steady as he speaks them, "You don't know me very well then because I would never tell you who you can and can't talk to"

"Have you ever been in love, Kai?"

She doesn't think he has but when his answer doesn't come as fast as she expected it to she starts to wonder, trying to think back to his dating history. She doesn't know much about Kai's love life other than she may see him talking to a random girl every once in a while at school. The situationships never last beyond a few weeks, she doesn't think he's ever had a proper girlfriend before but she could be wrong. She and Kai's lives don't intertwine much for her to know for sure. "No" he finally answers, he doesn't sound too confident in his response though but what other option does she have than to take his word for it?

She offers him a sad smile. "Then you don't know what you would or wouldn't do"

Kai's late to his first period Spanish class Monday thanks to Jo and her primping this morning. This whole looking good for her boyfriend thing was really a pain, he couldn't wait 'til she was single again. At least then he wouldn't be late for class. He sighs, trying to figure out how he's going to slyly make it into class without Senorita Munoz noticing. Thankfully, his teacher is flirting with Mr. Huxley, a married man might he add, so he's able to with stealth-like precision sneak past her and the adulterer into class, claiming his usual seat in the back. He can't help but notice a new yet familiar face sitting beside him.

"And we meet again" he drawls, directing the comment to record store girl.

"Don't sound so excited" is her response as she glances up from her spanish book.

"I should have known you were new to town" He comments, pulling out his textbook from his book bag.

"And why is that?" she eyes him warily, like she thinks he's getting ready to insult her. Her eyes narrows as she waits for his response, he doesn't think he's ever seen anyone with eyes so dark before. They were like midnight.

"Well, aside from the fact that I've never seen you around before and I've seen everyone in this godforsaken town. You struck up a conversation with me."

Her brows pull together on her forehead, "Is that like forbidden around here?"

"Yeah, I think they did a PSA on it" he tells her. "So you're free to ignore me from here on, I won't hold it against you"

She nods, considering this and then after she's thought it over, "And what if I don't want to?"

And because he knew when someone was flirting with him he offers up his name, "Kai"

He watches a smile stretch along her lips. She reveals hers to him, dark eyes gleaming, "Anna"

"You're mall girl" Jeremy acknowledges when Kai and Anna take a seat across from he, Nora and Mary Louise at their normal table outside. Kai extended an invitation to her to sit with them for lunch being she was new and didn't know anyone else.

"Or you can call me Anna" she suggest, helpfully.

"Right, sorry. Kai's rudeness rubs off sometimes. Jeremy" he introduces himself before nodding off to Nora and her secret girlfriend. "And this is Nora and Mary Louise"

"Hello" Anna gives a half wave.

"So you're new here?" Nora states the obvious, looking non too impressed while at it. But what was new? Nothing impressed Nora.

"Yep"

It's Mary Louise that speaks next. "What brings you to Mystic Falls?"

"We move around alot, me and my mom. She can never settle in one place for too long. I've lived in three different places in just the past two years alone"

"Please don't tell me this is a Ginny and Georgia situation because I think I might barf" Nora comments rudely.

"Ignore her," Kai tells the newest addition to Mystic Falls High. "She hasn't taken her prozac for today"

Nora lifts her middle finger at him, he kindly ignores her.

"That must suck to bounce around from place to place" comments Jeremy.

"It is. it gets lonely" comes the weary sigh. No one says anything for a long moment. Maybe because they really don't express their feelings in this group. It was like an unspoken rule. So this, Anna with her candidness, it throws them all.

It's Mary Louise who speaks, trying to offer up some positivity. "Well, maybe this time will be different"

"'I'm optimistic" Anna says before landing her hopeful eyes on him.

"Who's the new girl?" comes from Ben McKittrick, Mystic falls high running back and one of Damon's best friends. Damon loves the jerk like a brother. Bonnie just thinks he's a fuckboy who's made it his mission to run through all the hot girls in school. Whoever this new girl is, Bonnie feels bad for her if Don Juan here has set his sights on her.

"Down boy" Damon comments and Ben starts to laugh.

Recovering, he expresses, tone filled with proper douchebaggery. "I'm just saying, she's a total smoke show"

"The question isn't who she is but why is she willingly hanging out with Parker and his loser friends?" cuts in Caroline, who's obviously still upset over Kai and the verbal spar they had on Saturday at the mall. The blonde seriously wouldn't shut up about it for like an hour after the run in, she must've called Kai every insult in the English language while ranting to the point Bonnie had wished her friend came with an off switch.

Caroline's mention of Kai is enough to get Bonnie's attention. Before she was only mildly paying attention because who cares about a new girl? But the fact that this new girl is hanging out with Kai and his friends, the most unfriendly kids in school..Yeah, this definitely deserves a cursory glance. Her eyes veer over to Kai's usual lunch table that he must have just now taken a seat down at(She may or may not have been slyly sneaking peeks at his table ever since she joined her friends outside for lunch twenty minutes ago) And just as Care said, Kai and a new girl with long dark hair and exotic features is sitting right beside him.

"Doesn't she know that's like social suicide?" Caroline continues, her entire visage perplexed. "God, I feel so bad for her. Imagine being that desperate. She must feel like she has no other options"

"What? Are you going to give her a better one?" pipes McKittrick, popping a french fry in his mouth.

"Maybe." Caroline answers with a non committal shrug. "Someone needs to save the poor girl"

"I wonder if she has a boyfriend," the running back says to no one in particular, his creepy eyes never breaking away from new girl.

"Judging by the way she's hanging all over Kai, I'd say no" this comes from Matt.

Her friend words has her sneaking another peek at the pair, and sure enough new girl is all up in Kai's face as if personal space wasn't a thing while he tells her something that apparently is the funniest shit in the world..Yeah, Kai had his moments but he wasn't that funny..

"I guess desperate isn't the only thing she is" Damon comments. "We can add having bad taste to the list"

"Is he.. smiling?" Elena blurts out in awe. She says it like she's witnessing pigs fly.

Bonnie glances up again, her friend is right. Kai is smiling, like full on, not the smarmy half smirk he gives her when he's just said something smart. This is a genuine one that reveals pearly white teeth.

She doesn't like it.

Abruptly, she gets up, not sure why she feels such a way about this. She doesn't like him. Not as a friend and definitely not in any romantic sense.

So then why is it can't she accept the fact that someone else does?

"Bon, where are you going?" Elena questions her as she gathers up her things.

"To the library. I need to work on my Calculus homework" she lies. She'd done it last night. Of course Bonnie Bennett wasn't the type to procrastinate on anything, especially school work. If her friends knew anything about her they would know this. But no one calls her out, they just accept what she says at face value.

"Want me to come with?" questions Damon, offering up his companionship even though if she wanted it she would've asked for it.

"No!" it comes out too sharply. And when they all look at her strangely, she apologizes, shaking her head. "Sorry. I just..need to concentrate. See you later?" she directs at him.

"Yeah, sure" he responds, the look of confusion still etched into his features. She doesn't care to placate him though, instead, she grabs her things and makes her way across the campus.

She doesn't go to the library. She only pretended that's where she was headed. Instead, she treks her way to the track field, makes a space for herself behind the bleachers. She wonders why she chose this place to get away from everyone and everything and then suddenly realizes she's seen Kai doing business in this very spot on more than one occasion. Even when she wanted to rid him from her mind, here he is popping up uninvited.

"What are you doing out here?" his voice sounds, startling the living shit out of her.

She nearly jumps out of her skin before she swings around to face him. "Way to sneak up on me creep" she hurls at him, because seriously where the fuck had he come from?

Surprisingly, he doesn't respond with a cutting reply, or sarcastic quip, or poisonous glare, just flicks his eyes away, looking onto the track field where a handful of students were running laps.

Feeling guilty for snapping at him she finally answers his question, her tone on the edge of a whisper, "I needed to get away." but because it was completely out of character to speak to him with zero malice, she adds on, "What do you want?"

"From you, nothing." he says, bringing his eyes back to her. "I needed a smoke"

She watches him as he pulls out a zippo and a pack of cigarettes.

Scrunching up her face, she chastises him, "You really should stop, you know? Those things will kill you"

"Well, thanks Einstein. But unfortunately we have to go some way, right?"

She shakes her head, disgusted with his lack of concern with preserving his life.

She catches him staring at her, it prompts her, "What?"

"Here. It looks like you need one" he notes, extending out a cigarette to her that he sifted from the pack.

Bonnie looks down at it then back up at him, repulsion covering her features, "No. I don't want it" comes the adamant head shake.

He withdrawals his appendage. "No, of course not. What was I thinking? You're Miss perfect Bonnie Bennett. You're not going to smoke behind the bleachers with the schools delinquent"

She gives him an unimpressed look. "Your attempt at reverse psychology isn't going to work on me"

He doesn't deny that that's what he was doing. Just smirks indecently at her, his hooded eyes beautiful as he stares down at her. "Try it. You may like it" his words, laced with suggestion. Yep, there was no mistaking the innuendo.

Carefully, she takes the proffered cigarette from him, making sure their skin doesn't touch. Remembering how it felt the last time his fingers grazed hers. It had felt like her insides would over heat from all the liquid fire coursing through her veins.

She brings the filter to her mouth, wraps her lips around it.

His eyes seem to darken at the act. But she could be imagining it. Because it is after all how she wants him to react. It's that teeny tiny vain part of her again that wants him to be affected by her like she is him. She blinks slowly, watches him as he watches her, and when he steps closer, on instinct she wants to step back but he needs to light her cigarette so she lets him. Moving in, he brings the scent of sage with him, notes of cedarwood, mint..she nearly stops breathing. She shouldn't like the smell of him, the warmth his body brings but she does. It surfaces feelings of guilt, wanting him this close, craving it. She's like the junkies he supplies with drugs, addicted. But instead of heroine, it's him who she can't shake.

She lied earlier, to herself, to Damon, to everyone. She does like him. But at the same time she despises him. It's a confusing mess of feelings that she doesn't think she will ever unpack. She wonders if he has the same conflicting emotions. If she was a daring girl she would ask him, but she's not, so she doesn't. Instead, she just stands very still, willing her body not to react as he closes the space between the two.

Heat climbs her neck as he peers down at her, his eyes an endless pool of gray, not once leaving her face. The intensity there has her trapped in his gaze.

She feels goosebumps prickle her skin. Her pulse starts to race.

His hand hitches up, long elegant fingers that she caught herself too many times staring at, the lighter along with it, clutching. Then a burst of sudden flame blooms to life, his low pleasant voice caressing her eardrums, depthless irises latched onto hers. "Inhale" he commands.

She stamps down on a flash of embarrassment because duh, the tobacco won't burn if she doesn't take a pull. She does what he says for once and watches as his face fills with sudden amusement, "Verdict?" he queries as she releases the smoke into the autumn air, a pierced brow, quirking up at her in question.

"It's not so bad" she lies. She loves the sensation of menthol on her lips.

His lips twitch in response like he knows she's bullshitting him with her watered down response. He doesn't call her out on it, a first for him.

Using her thumb and forefinger, she awkwardly tries to hand the cigarette back to him and when he doesn't take it, she frowns, "Take it." she urges, "I'm going to smell like cigarettes''

The ends up his lips tip upward, "Don't want your friends to know you've been a bad girl?" More like don't want my friends to know I've been hanging around you. And when she doesn't deign him a response, his grin drops. He takes the cigarette from her, his eyes chilled blue. "So you smoked a cigarette? Why do you care so much what they think?"

She dodges his question, throws out one of her own. Except, it isn't a question but an observation. "I see you made a new friend"

He just stares at her dumbly.

"The new girl." she gives him a clue. "She's really taken to you and your friends"

"I have no friends" She wasn't expecting this response from him, the way it sounded so cold.. Emotionless. It causes her gaze to turn probing.

"Not even Jeremy?" she prompts, eyes narrowing on him.

"I have no friends" He repeats himself, his voice becoming thorny. His expression is all shutters now.

This is an indication that she should stop while she's ahead. Of course, she doesn't take heed to the way his eyes had flatten, the way his body language suddenly becomes closed off, instead, continues to press, "Does he know that? Pretty sure your his best"

Kai shrugs in that flippant way of his then takes a drag from the cig. When he comments, it doesn't come right away, releasing the smoke from his nostrils before he drawls out his reply, "When you give people that title you give them the power to betray you" that was a loaded statement if there ever was one. It causes her jaw to twitch.

"Can we talk about that?"

"No" He says, too calm then chucks the half smoked cigarette into the grass. And like that she's left watching the back of his skully covered head as he leaves.

She doesn't try to bring the subject up again. Two weeks go by. They continue their tutor/tutee relationship without any hick ups. Always meeting at her house in the afternoon or early in the crack of dawn at the library. They decide on three days a week, with Bonnie's demanding cheerleading schedule and Kai's, well, side hustle, it's all the time they could sacrifice. It's one night, tutorials was not on the schedule. Bonnie had just had practice that day, was doing studying of her own when they start up again, she was just about to enter the kitchen for a late night snack when the accusations started flying. She hangs back, listening to her dad grill her mom.

"What is this?"

A beat, then her mom answers with exaggerated slowness. "It's a credit card bill"

"This charge in particular" he clarifies what he means in clipped words.

"Arrangements?"

"At his business.."

Her mom lets out a huff. She's clearly agitated now. "I'm a party planner. What am I supposed to do? Travel all the way to Whitmore to buy flowers?!"

'Yes!" he shouts. She can just imagine that vein she knows is protruding at his temple right now. "When it means saving your marriage, yes!"

"Marriage." her mother scoffs, like she finds the word hilarious. "Is that what we have? Because it just seems like a prison sentence to me"

There's a long pause.

"I'm not holding you prisoner, if you want to leave, leave. I won't be the only one trying to hold this marriage together anymore. I'm done"

"Hey, you want to study?" comes the call from One one evening right when Kai's about to settle in bed for the evening. He has a quiz for Government tomorrow and figured a few extra hours of sleep tonight could only do him good.

"It's ten o' clock on a school night" he tells her, eyes watching the numbers illuminate 10:02 on the digital clock on his night stand.

"So that's a no?" comes the velvety tone on the other end.

"Aren't your parents going to have a problem with a boy coming over so late? We wouldn't want them to get the wrong idea"

"You're not meeting me at my house." she tells him and leaves it at that.

The crypticness of her words spurs his next question. "I'm not?"

"Meet me at the library" It isn't a question. Kai brows furrow. Since when did Bonnie Bennett demand he meet her anywhere on a school night?

"What is this really about?" he doesn't think she would set him up but he couldn't be too sure.

"Like I said, studying" she says before hanging up.

He doesn't know why he goes. He'd should have blown her off. It's what he would have done weeks ago. He's not sure what's changed but he finds himself wanting to be around her more and more lately. He hates the way he anticipates their study sessions. It should be a chore for him but if he's honest, it stopped feeling that way after the first couple of sessions.

When he makes it inside the library, relieved she hadn't rallied her entire clique of insufferables to jump him in the parking lot, he finds her already seated at their usual table in the back. The library is open twenty four hours so he's not surprised to see people in here this time of day but he wasn't expecting so many. He voices his concern, "It's not so deserted in here." he tells her, and her eyes flick up to him. Before she was pretending to not notice his presence. "What if it gets back to your friends? You don't care? Damon won't like it"

She lays the pencil that's in her hand down on the table, giving him her undivided attention. "Since when do you care what Damon thinks?"

"I don't. But you do" She'll regret this in the morning. He knows the way her finicky little mind works just like he knows his dad is working on his fourth Miller High Life right now. She cared what people thought, always had and whatever fight she and Damon had that prompted this little act of rebellion would seem not so significant tomorrow. She'd be quick to blame him for the rumors that would come. Yeah, no. He refused to be her punching bag.

"What is this about? Relationship woes?"

She shakes her head and that's when he notices the mist of unshed tears in her eyes. She has the same look on her face that she did whenever Damon did something horrible to her when they were kids.

Before he could say or do anything else, she gets up, leaves all her books and thing on the table and walks away.

He's right behind her, figuring she was headed to the restroom to clean her face or worse, lock herself inside. He was prepared to wait her out but she doesn't veer that direction, instead she heads outside through the back entrance.

Where was she going?

She couldn't be leaving, she hadn't taken her things. He finds out he's right when she by passes a bench and plops herself down on the ground, back planted against the brick sidding of the building. She needed space, fresh air to breathe and here he was following her outside like an inconsiderate asshole. But wouldn't it be even more inconsiderate if he left her alone unconsoled when she was clearly going through something?

"What's wrong?" he demands from her, taking a seat beside her on the ground, drawing up his knees as he flicks his, he hates to admit, concerned eyes in her direction.

It seems like a decade before she answers him. "I think my parents are going to divorce. My dad pretty much told my mom to kick rocks today"

"Shit, that sucks" Kai knew all about divorces. When his mom left his dad, it was like she'd divorced them too - Lucas and Olivia were too young to know what was going on; they were still babies, but he and Jo felt every emotion. Apparently, their feelings didn't matter because she hightailed it out of Mystic Falls before the ink on the divorce decree could dry. He hasn't seen her since.

"I don't know when everything went to shit" He watches a tear fall from her eyes and immediately thinks to comfort her, it's an automatic response for him to want to do, what he would have done before she betrayed him but since he didn't know how she would take it or how he would for the matter, he settles with bringing his hand up and catching the salty droplet with his thumb.

She looks at him, stares is more precise, like the gesture surprised her, and because the moment was becoming too something..intimate? He breaks it, pulling out his pack of smokes, he offers, "You want one?"

To his surprise she nods.

He opens the carton and she sifts a cigarette out, brings it to her lips and pulls in a drag when he lights the tip. It's not until she releases the smoke that she utters, "They used to be the perfect couple, you know?"

He nods. "Yeah, I remember. It was nauseating"

She pushes his shoulder with her own in a playful gesture. "Shut up, it was sweet"

"Sure, if you like the feeling of your stomach rolling" he comments, trying to keep a straight face.

She glares at him but there's no venom behind the action. "It was sweet and you know it"

He finally laughs, conceding, "It was different to see what your parents had. Mine put the 'D' in dysfunctional." he explains, feeling somewhat of the joy drain from his expression as he laments on the past. "I didn't know married couples could exist in the same room without ripping each other heads off for the longest time until I met your parents"

"She's cheating on him" she blurts out.

"What?" he questions, eyes going round. This he wasn't expecting.

She's quiet for a while before handing him the cigarette, he takes his turn before passing it back to her.

"It started maybe a year ago." she begins. "At Least that we know of. When she started coming home later and later, my dad hired a P.I."

"Damn, I'm sorry"

She continues on like she hadn't heard him, "She said it was over. Apologized to me and my dad for betraying our family. Made promises about never doing it again blah blah blah.."

"But you don't believe her.." It's not hard to see she believes her mom is full of shit.

She bites down on her lip, her nostrils flaring in the process. "I don't know what to believe." She says shaking her head. She lets in a breath, her next words come out bitter. "She's a great liar." It surprises him to learn Abby was so deceitful. It doesn't reconcile with the woman he has in his head. "My dad thinks she's at it again and it's driving him crazy" Even with their past of being childhood friends, growing up thick as thieves, spending more nights at her house than his own, he didn't know the older man well. He could tell Rudy didn't like him from the moment Bonnie brought him home the same day she befriended him at recess in second grade. He doesn't remember any instances where the older man had ever tried to get to know him. That wasn't the case with Abby though. It maybe was why he couldn't bring himself to see her as this bad guy Bonnie painted her as.

"I mean, why get married if you know you can't be faithful?"

"Honestly they need to just get rid of the whole construct" comments Kai.

This gets her to look at him, "What?" is said breathlessly.

His shoulders lift in a shrug. "I mean, no one honors their vows these days. It's a joke."

"Wait, so you would never get married?"

"From where I'm standing It doesn't seem too appealing."

"I disagree. It's the most romantic notion ever. To want to be tied to someone for the rest of your existence.."

He starts to laugh. Guffaws to be exact.

"What's funny?" she stares at him confused, watching how his body shake with laughter.

"Nothing. You were always so sappy." he tells her, his chuckles finally starting to subside. "I remember how you were eleven years old reading Shakespeare."

"Sappy?" she balks. "It's called being a romantic. And Romeo and Juliet's a classic, asshole."

He snorts, his face becoming serious again. "It's garbage is what it is. What kind of message does that send to young impressionable girls? To anyone really? Your lover dies so join him in the grave because you don't see your life worth living anymore? What kind of bullshit is that?"

"It's fiction, Kai"

"It's utterly disturbing and problematic"

She frowns at him but he can see the amusement behind her eyes. "You're just a grouch. You better hope to never fall in love because I will never stop teasing you"

"Well, you don't have to worry about that because that will never happen" he says confidently.

"Right, because you have to be willing to let your guard down"

He sees what she's doing and changes the subject. "Speaking of love and all that..How's it going with you and meathead?"

And when she gives him a look that could melt steel, he corrects himself. "Sorry, Damon"

And when she still doesn't answer. Something clicks, "Wait, don't tell me there's trouble in paradise? After everything you did to get him?" he says with an exaggerated gasp.

She gets up to leave. Of course she does. Because she hated when he reminded her of not so finer qualities. But as quick as his quips come he reaches up and grabs her wrist, stopping her. Looking down at the stolen appendage, she says, "Can I have my arm back?"

He shoves his pettiness aside for now, letting go of her wrist, "Sorry. Sit" he motions to the now empty space beside him.

Her expression is incredulous. "Why? You don't really want to talk about him" she spits, her tone still bitter.

"You're right, I don't"

A nod then she turns on her heel, beginning her retreat.

"Where are you going?" he calls out when she's expanded her distance by a few yards.

"We should get to studying, it's why we're here right?" she aks him, not turning around as she head towards the door of the back entrance.

"You look like shit" is Caroline's kind words To Bonnie when she approaches the blonde at her locker before first the following day.

"I was up late" Bonnie moans before taking a sip of the black coffee she risked being late to school to get. She really needs the pick up.

"Doing what?" A slow smile forms of Caroline's lips. "Were you and Damon skyping last night?" Both of her brows wiggle in a suggestive manner.

"I was studying." she sighs, noting the tiredness in her voice. She and Kai stayed at the library until one in the morning. "I have a test today"

The pretty blonde pouts. "Oh, Boo." and then she says in a much chipper tone, "Well, at least one of us had some fun last night. Tyler snuck into my room last night. It was so hot" she boast, beaming from ear to ear.

"Well, good for you" Bonnie says and she hopes it doesn't sound too bitter. She couldnt remember the last time she and Damon had sex. Oh, yes she could. The night Kai dropped a bomb on her ass. A bomb which turned out to be utter bullshit. But a bomb nonetheless and at the time it cut deep.

"Something happened though" comes from the other girl, her tone a lot less smug than it had been moments ago.

"What?" Bonnie asks, suddenly curious.

Caroline glances around to make sure no one is listening before speaking, her tone this shy of a whisper, "I couldn't stop picturing Matt's face as Tyler fucked me."

The corners of Bonnie lips pull up into a grimace, "Yikes"

"I know" the other girl groans, her head falling back on her locker. "Its all kinds of fucked up"

Bonnie bites the corner of her lip before inquiring. "So what are you going to do?"

"End it with Tyler." Her co-captain says with doleful eyes. "Can't be a good sign to imagine another guy's fucking you in replace of your boyfriend."

Bonnie couldn't agree more. "So when are you going to do it?"

She shrugs, lowering her gaze to the ground. "I guess I can text him now" she goes to reach for the phone in the Kate Spade clutch at her side.

Bonnie's eyes turn as large as saucers. "Are you seriously going to break up with him through text?"

"Yeah, why not?"

Was she serious?

Her words are dropped out slowly. "Because you've known him since grade school.. Don't you think you owe him the courtesy of doing it face to face?"

"But I don't wanna" Caroline whines, looking like she's seconds from bursting into hysterics.

Bonnie reaches for the other girl, adjusting her book bag on her shoulder so it doesn't fall as she positions both of her hands on Caroline's shoulders. Her stare becomes penetrating. "Care.. don't be a pussy."

Caroline blinks at her, unused to Bonnie using such language. "Wow, when did you get so crass?" Since I started hanging out with a certain delinquent, she thinks shamefully.

Bonnie shakes her head to rid her mind of the thought, "I'm just saying, woman up" she repeats the same suggestion but in a more PG way.

"Ugh, you're right." the cheerleaders blue eyes, giving a half hearted roll. "I'll invite him over tonight and end it"

Pacified, Bonnie nods. Caroline doesn't waste any time before she's on to the next topic. "So about replacing Tiki..we have to fill her spot. ASAP"

"And we would if you would agree to someone. What about that Jenna girl? She was pretty good." Bonnie offers up a suggestion.

Caroline's face screws up in detestation. "Ew, she's so thirsty to be in the six. Plus, she has tree trunk legs. How is that going to make us look as a collective?" Right, It was all about image with Care..

"What about Vicki Donovan?" she throws out another option.

"Yeah, she'd be good until she needs her next fix. Since when do we allow druggies on the squad?"

"Since this one could do a roundoff back twist"

That doesn't keep Caroline from completely shutting down the suggestion. "Not going to happen"

"Well, what about the sophomore wi-"

"Ugh. No, all the underclassman girls were trash. I was thinking we let the new girl audition. I hear she has a dance background"

"New girl.."

"Yeah, Kai's new victim" Caroline informs her, her tone incredibly bored.

"Victim? What is that suppose to mean?" At that moment, the warning bell rings, alerting them to start getting to their first period classes or else be late.

"Oh, you know?" Caroline says, as they begin their trek to class. "He's found a new victim to harass. Have you seen the way he's been following her around? It's so sad. He's like a little puppy dog. Can you say obsessed?" Bonnie doesn't recall Kai following this Anna girl more so the new girl following him around. She doesn't correct her friend though, it would only sound like she was defending him. And that was the last thing she wanted. Despite the semantics, neither situation particularly comforted her. "It's good for us though," the taller girl continues on, "It means he's not fixated on you anymore. No more Damon drama right?"

And she's right about that. Ever since Kai and this Anna chick started hanging out, Damon has been uncharacteristically silent regarding the other boy. She even thinks he's forgotten about the whole revenge plot.

It's when Caroline blinks at her that she realizes she hasn't responded to her question. "Yeah, no more Damon drama."

"So, about the new girl auditioning.." Caroline circles back to this topic.

"Fine, she can audition," Bonnie tells her teammate. "I have to get to class. See you at lunch" she bellows heading off to her first period, not bothering to wait for a response from the other girl.

"Where's Stefan? I thought you said he would be in town this weekend?" Bonnie asks her boyfriend as the ending credits play on the flat screen. They're at his house hanging out for the first time in a long time. With his busy football schedule, her leading the cheer squad and secret tutor sessions with Kai, they hadn't had much time for each other lately.

"Yeah, he decided not to come down. He has a paper to write"

"Oh" she replies, kind of disappointed. She couldn't help but think how it's been forever since she's seen Stefan. When Damon told her he was coming down from Whitemore, she was actually excited, figuring they'd be able to catch up. Oh, well.

Her boyfriend's inquisitive tone breaks her reverie, "Did you wanna watch another or.."

"Or what?" she glances at him.

"Or we could go upstairs.." he peters off.

"We can watch another. I was thinking thriller this time." she goes to grab for the remote but he snatches it before she could take possession of it.

"Really?" he blinks at her.

"What?"

His expression fills with annoyance.

"Are you really going to act oblivious right now?"

She gives him a blank stare.

"Sex, Bonnie. We haven't had sex in months. You do realize I'm a guy right? I have needs" He tells her, extreme emphasis on needs.

"It hasn't been months, Damon. Stop exaggerating"

At least not plural. A month tops.

"Well, it damn sure feels like it" he snaps at her and she sighs, turning completely to face him, she tries to explain, keeping her words soft, "I'm sorry, I just..I've been so stressed lately. I just haven't been in the mood."

His eyes soften. " Why are you stressed?"

She swallows. "Just you know.. school. Trying to keep up with cheerleading..Tiki just busted her ankle and now I have to find a replacement" Then there's the demise of my parents marriage, the real reason she failed to mention, and then there's that other thing..instead she adds, "and not to mention Aunt Flo is about to visit.."

Damon frowns up. He seems to do that whenever the topic of her menstrual comes up.

"Don't do that" she says, irritated.

"What?"

"Get all disgusted when I mention my cycle." she fills him in. "You know it's a perfectly natural thing, right? For women to have? It's not like I'm excreting alien fluids or anything. My uterus is shedding. It comes along with being a woman."

"I know. It's just not a topic I care to hear about." he comments, now flipping through the movie selections.

Her face can't help but frown up at his careless words. "And I don't care to hear about you and your boys talk about football all day or jock itch and joint pain or whatever other ailments athletes suffer through but I deal with it without fuss. The least you could do is the same"

"You're right." he agrees, his gaze not on the T.V. but on her again. "That was insensitive."

"Yes, it was"

"I'm sorry. Forgive me?" He says pushing his bottom lip out in a way that weakens her resolve.

It works every time, today not being an exception. She lets out a deep sigh before answering. "Sure."

He smiles, satisfied then immediately diverts his attention back to the T.V. "Look, I think I'm going to head out"

And like that, his ice blue eyes are back on her. "No, stay for Dinner." his hand falls on her knee, he squeezes it. "Pops has been asking about you"

"Another time, I should be studying anyway"

"All you do is study" he complains, an irk crooking his lips. Yes, it would appear that way to him, he takes her word when she says she's writing a paper or catching up on homework, he doesn't know about her secret tutor sessions with Kai.

"Please." He tries the lip pout again. "For me" but it's the pretty blue eyes of his that gets her this time around.

"Fine"

"So Bonnie how are things going with cheerleading? Damon tells us you made Captain of the squad." Giuseppe Salvatore says cutting into his T-bone steak, his dark blue orbs, flicking up to look at her.

Bonnie swallows down her asparagus before answering, "Yeah, that actually happened last year. But yeah, cheerleading is great. Coach thinks we'll make it to nationals this year"

"That's great dear." he comments, sipping out of his tumblr. With the amount of refills he's had he might as well start drinking out the decanter at this point.

"So how are the girls?" Lily, Damon's mom tries taking over the incredibly stifled attempt at conversation. Chit chat was always awkward with the Salvatores. She always got a feeling they were merely tolerating her. "Caroline and Elena? I haven't seen those two in forever. Gosh you guys are such a cute little clique. It takes me back to high school. I was quite the-"

Bonnie shakes her head, frowning. "You haven't seen Elena lately?" She knows it's rude to interrupt Lily and her trip down memory lane but in this case she can't help herself.

"No, not since the summer I suppose. How is she, dear?"

She doesn't know how to take that information. On one hand, it supports Damon and Elena's story about nothing going on between the two (Ugh, she hates that there's still a teeny part of her that probably will always remain suspicious of them) but on the other hand, if Stefan was seriously seeing Elena wouldn't Lily have seen Elena more recently?

The age of consent in Virginia is eighteen, Bonnie. He could go to jail!

No, the Salvatore's were definitely kept out of the loop on this particular matter. Apparently, Elena and Stefan were too paranoid to tell anyone other than Damon about their relationship. See, there's nothing to be concerned about Bonnie.

With that thought, she answers how she would any other time, "She's great"

"You're never going to beat me, babe. You might as well give up now" Damon tells her as she leans over the pool table and lines up a shot.

Bonnie snorts. "And I thought the guy was supposed to let the girl win. You are relentless"

Using the pool stick she taps the cue ball but apparently a little too hard, she scratches.

"Ugh, I suck" she laments, ready to break the pool stick in half. How anyone played this game was beyond her.

"Here, let me show you" He positions himself behind her, and right away she can't help but notice the bulge behind his zipper as he helps her line up her shot and how the situation pulls a particular memory out of her memory bank.

"Yeah, It's their usual song and dance. Pretend like they didn't show up together. Flirt for an hour. Find a pool table, where he innocently gets behind her to show her the perfect position for optimal performance, of course. Disappear inside some abandoned room..only to reappear thirty minutes later looking hella sated."

Bonnie stills at the flashback of Kai's taunting words and Damon immediately picks up on it, how her demeanor has completely changed.

"What's wrong? You okay?" the soft words tickle her ear. She straightens her posture, turning to face him.

She paints on a pretty smile. "Nothing, I'm fine"

He examines her features trying to pick up on any deceit, and when his probing gaze doesn't lift, "Seriously, Damon. I'm good" Except for the fact that she keeps getting triggered from left to right in this house. She wants to kill Kai for putting that seed of doubt in her mind.

He closes in the space between the two, kissing her on the lips. "Good" he smiles, pulling away. At least she thought that was his intention, to get back to the game but he has other plans as he lifts her onto the pool table and fits his way between her legs.

"I've missed you" he tells her, peppering kisses on her jawline. His strong hands pressing her body into his. And then his lips are back on hers, his words coming out between soft pecks, "Your lips. Your smell. Being inside of you.."

Damon's free hand, the one that's not holding her face in place, travels down to the catch of her shorts. It doesn't take him long before he has it open, fingers brushing along the edges of her panties.

The fact that she's sitting on top of the pool table in her boyfriends parent's home, in the family room, two seconds away from getting fingered has her pushing him off of her, "Damon, your parents could walk in"

She feels his chuckle on her lips, "That's what makes it so hot"

"Damon-" she begins, in extreme discomfort by the fact of her not knowing where his parents were. They could be in the next room over for all she knew and then there's the staff, she'd be mortified if anyone walked in on them.

But he's shushing her before she could relay this, effectively silencing her with another kiss.

That's when she tastes the alcohol on his tongue. It hadn't registered on her taste buds before. But then again he hadn't jammed his tongue in her mouth before either. When did he even have time to even start drinking? She can't recall an opportunity when he could have, they were together the entire time. But Damon was a slick one, he'd probably had a flask of liquor hidden on his body somewhere, sneaking in little sips when no one was watching.

"Damon, stop" she manages to pull away. Whatever inkling of desire she had before was completely smothered by his entitled rich boy behavior, throwing 'em back in secret as a metaphorical fuck you to his parents, so cliche. As quick as she is out of his arms she was back in them just as fast, he was stronger and bigger than her and it took him absolutely no effort to wrangle her back in.

He grabs hold of her face, nipping at her lips.

The vodka on his breath is revolting, making her in turn want to vomit. Squirming against him, she manages to reclaim possession of her lips again, "I said stop" It's louder than she intended but it finally gets him to let up.

"What's your problem?" he nearly sneers at her, jerking away in disgust, like she's the one acting like a rapey college frat bro..

"My problem is I don't want to have sex on a pool table not to mention you smell like a distillery." she whips back at him in just as much revulsion.

"Why are you being such a prude? We've had sex in far worse places than this?"

She holds his stare, blinking slowly at him like she thought he was a complete simpleton. "Um, maybe because your parents are in the other room?"

"Fine" he relents, but it isn't said with understanding or submission but in a way that lets her know he's pissed.

"So you're mad at me?"

"Look, I have to study. Maybe you should take off" he tells her, both his tone and expression completely cool. Too cool. This is him being an asshole, he's using the same excuse she gives him whenever he extends out offers to 'hang out'. Maybe she deserves this passive aggressive response of his; she is after all constantly blowing him off to tutor his arch nemesis.

It doesn't stop her from asking anyway, "You're seriously kicking me out right now?"

"I have a paper to start on" he says with a flippant shrug.

"A paper?" She makes sure her tone reveals skepticism, a minute ago it was 'I have to study'.

"Yep" he responds popping the 'P'

She nods. If he wanted to be petty then so be it. She doesn't give him the theatrical response he wants, muttering none other than a breezy, "Whatever" Gathering her things, she leaves him to his "studying".

Bonnie is on her way out of the manor when she hears hush tones coming from Damon's father's study. She knows it's wrong to eavesdrop but there's something telling her to go listen.

Tip toeing over, she presses her ear against the door to the study, listening with bated breath, "He needs to be concentrating on football, his future. Not this puppy love he's trying to pursue." comes from his mom. It takes her back because Bonnie had no idea his mother had such a strong issue with their relationship.

"Stop being so uptight." Giuseppe remarks. "He's young. They're just having fun. I doubt he plans on marrying the girl"

Wow. She'd thought by the way he chastised Lily just now that his opinion regarding her would be the exact opposite but all it revealed was that he saw her as just a play thing, nothing to be taken seriously. She should have known this pompous elitist would believe she wasn't good enough to marry his son.

"They've been together for three years. I heard him talking to Stefan the other day about how he wants her to attend Duke with him in the fall.

He did? Damon never expressed this to her. They hadn't begun the inevitable discussion of the future of their relationship yet.

"And would that really be so terrible?"

"Our son is going to be a football superstar, I'll be damned if he falls for the first girl that comes along. I'm surprised she hasn't popped up pregnant yet"

This bitch. It takes all of Bonnie's willpower to not burst into that room.

"Have you forgotten The Bennetts have their own money? She doesn't need to trap him"

"Oh, whatever, it's not like they're a founding family." snarls Lily. And when he has no rebuttal to that, "I don't like her for him."

"She's a sweet girl, Lily. Stop being such a miserable cow"

"I see the way you eye her. You're only defending her because you like the way she looks!"

That's all Bonnie needs to hear to clear it out of there.

She's in the driveway, sitting in her car when she decides to let out the scream that's been building for weeks.

Pulling out her phone, she calls her best friend. When Elena doesn't pick up, she tries Caroline. It's the same outcome. Except, her call to Caroline's goes straight to voicemail.

Frustrated, she opens up their group chat, making sure to not select the one that included Damon, Tyler and Matt. This one is just her and her girls, the one they started freshman year. Once it's opened she types, I need my besties rn pick up the phone bitches!

She waits for the call to come but it never does.

Knowing she doesn't want to go home, she knows what awaits there- more bickering and bitter accusations. She finds herself driving, not sure where she's headed until she's actually there.

The Falls.

She's not expecting him to be there but here he is. She should have known there was a high probability he would be though, being how he invited her to show up weeks back.

She finds him sitting in a patch of grass, just at the edge of the cliff. A dark gray skully covering the majority of his blue locks. He doesn't wear a jacket, even though it's got to be around sixty degrees out, just a black tee, black skinny jeans and all black converse, the high-top kind she hated and wouldn't dare wear even if someone paid her to. On his hands are gloves, black of course, the cut off ones though that reveals only his fingers. He is sitting adjacent to the infamous fall, one knee drawn, forearm draped over it as he stares straight ahead. His face, more relaxed than she's ever seen it before. Maybe because there's no barb on the tip of his tongue, or snarl lodged in his throat, or condescension is his eyes - instead, clear of all malice and contempt, and whatever resentment he holds for the world. He looks at peace. Serene is the perfect word. She wants to snap a photo, just to have proof of this moment. Proof that he wasn't always prickly and on-edge.

But the moment passes. Clearly, suddenly sensing he's not alone, he turns. His previous tranquil expression draws taut. His gaze drilling into her though he doesn't speak, just narrows his eyes at her with accusation in his pupils. How dare you come here? To my place!

In that moment she wants to back away, leave him to his thoughts, because judging by his expression, clearly this is some sort of sacred place for him and she just intruded on his me time. But then something stops her, his expression, it shifts. Suddenly, it becomes lax again, non threatening. He turns away, back to staring at the nature before him. She remains rooted in spot, not knowing what her next move will be until he finally speaks.

"Are you just going to stand there all day or are you finally gonna come over here?"

And with that, she joins him.

A/N Sorry, I couldn't fit a flashback in this chapter. I swear it felt like I wrote more than 16k words. Next time though. And since I know you guys prefer the flashbacks I actually might make the entire next chapter flashbacks alone.

So, Kai didn't tell Bonnie to kick rocks when she showed up at the falls, that's a good sign.. Let me know what you guys think in the comments. Until next time xoxo