Title: To All the Boys I've Love Before

Rating: T

Genre: AU/All Human

Pairing(s): Bonnie/Tyler, Bonnie/Stefan, Caroline/Matt, Stefan/Elena, Jeremy/Luka, ect.

Summary: Bonnie Bennett keeps her love letters in her mother's old hatbox. Not ones she's received but ones she's written to every boy she's ever loved-there are five in all. The letters are meant for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed out and suddenly Bonnie's love life goes from imaginary to out of control.

Warnings: All Human, Fake/Pretend Relationships, Language, Fluff, ect.

Author's Note: Thanks for all of the love in the reviews! You guys are amazing! I usually have a hard time getting the length and all but in this fic I am having trouble to stop writing. It's been very fun for me and so I hope you continue to enjoy it in spite of my ever-present insecurities. Anyway I am amending the no kissing rule! Lol. Also I am going to stray from the source material at this point a lot more after this chapter because I want to make this story my own! Sorry for any mistakes! Happy reading!

PART TWO || REWRITE

""To write a good love letter, you ought to begin without knowing what you mean to say, and to finish without knowing what you have written."

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Majority of the movies that John Hughes released in the eighties were set in the fictional town of Shermer, Illinois at Shermer High School. It was a place that Bonnie Bennett had dreamed of visiting before she realized that it didn't actually exist. Even as a fictional town Bonnie had always been fascinated with the depiction of the small town high school life. Bonnie had also always been obsessed with the potential crossovers due to the sheer number of times Molly Ringwald's fictional counterparts would have run into one another, while existing in the same world and the same school, alone.

John Hughes had based the town on his own hometown of Northbrook. People who didn't understand Hughes's genius would say that he basically wrote the same movie over and over again. Bonnie had never seen it that way. The way that Bonnie saw it, John Hughes was trying to rewrite his own high school experience over and over and over again until he got it right. The motivation behind that was simple. It was the same reason that people had flocked to the theaters to see his movies when they came out. The same reason that they were considered classics in the first place and were the standard for every high school based film that ever followed. It was because high school fucking sucked. It was terrible, but also four whole years of your life that you constantly looked back on and everyone, no matter who they were or what their background, wanted that perfect high school experience. They wanted that chance at a rewrite.

John Hughes had depicted the high school experience so well, he had mastered not just his own rewrites but the rewrites of a million high school students in so many different generations. Those movies were classics because they got the high school experience down to a science. The good, the bad and the ugly. The romantic and the mortifying. Even though they were released in the eighties those movies were still surprisingly true to form over twenty years later.

Bonnie had always wanted her own chance at a rewrite. Bonnie got that chance on the day that the omens came, though it wasn't something that Bonnie realized until much later.

In that moment as she realized that her hatbox was missing and all five letters were out, Bonnie wanted to be the one that was gallivanting across Europe and meeting hot guys with accents. Though, she wasn't sure that that was what was happening with Elena. She hadn't talked to her friend since the day she left and as Bonnie had not only sent a love letter to Elena's ex-boyfriend but she had kissed Tyler Lockwood to avoid confronting her feelings for Elena's said ex-boyfriend, Stefan Salvatore, she suspected she wouldn't be speaking to Elena any time soon.

Bonnie's only solace was that she had already dealt with three out of the five letter recipients and Enzo was all the way in England and so unless he crossed paths with Elena she doubted that she'd have to confront him any time soon, if at all. The thing was, because of her rash behavior, she still wasn't done dealing with Stefan or Tyler either.

Bonnie wasn't sure what to do and so she decided to go to Mystic Grill to drown her sorrows in a triple chocolate sundae. Bonnie's grandmother was on a cleanse but she was not. It didn't occur to her until she arrived that the Grill was too common of a hangout for her to lay low in. Still, even as she walked in and saw the regular after school crowd, she held her head up and brazened forward. She walked towards a booth in the back as far away from prying eyes as she could manage and prayed to those that had left them behind for the spirit world that no one would approach her.

If anyone were to ask her about the spectacle that she'd made out of herself on the football field that day, Bonnie wasn't sure about what her answer would be. She'd already been dodging calls and texts from both Caroline and Stefan and she was resolved not to speak to either until she figured out what she was going to do.

Bonnie opened her menu but before she could even order she was approached by Jeremy Gilbert of all people. Bonnie raised an eyebrow at him as he stood in front of her table. They really didn't speak and hadn't hung out outside of group things and the time that Bonnie spent at the Gilbert home when Elena was still around. He was kind of like Bonnie's younger brother by extension only like a younger brother that she didn't really talk to or particularly get along with. She didn't dislike him either, Jeremy was just, well Jeremy. He was like Duckie Dale from Pretty in Pink, sweet, weird, eccentric fashion sense and the best kind of outcast that would in all likelihood live and die in the friend zone.

Still Bonnie felt like she had to be nice to him, not just because of him being Elena's brother, but because even though she wasn't talking to Elena, that didn't mean Jeremy wouldn't be. She had to be careful and play her cards right until she figured out what she was going to do or came up with a plan to steal her dad's credit card and run away to a foreign country.

Bonnie smiled as Jeremy hovered over her table, shuffling his feet uncertainly. "Hey, Jere," she said, "What's up?"

"Hey," Jeremy responded, giving her a relieved smile back, "Can I sit?"

Bonnie hesitated but eventually nodded. She didn't want any company. She wanted to drown her sorrows in ice cream but she would deal just this once. "Sure," she said and then tacked on, "Not long though. I'm waiting on someone." It was a poor excuse but the best one that she could come up with and she hoped that he would leave before he caught on that she was lying.

"You're meeting Tyler Lockwood, right?" Bonnie's eyes widened, though she probably shouldn't have been surprised. Of course he would make that assumption. She'd kissed Tyler in front of entirely too many people during football and cheerleading practice. Even if Jeremy hadn't been there, Mystic Falls High School was like any other high school. When crazy things like Bonnie Bennett losing her mind and kissing the most popular guy in school happened, word got around fast.

Bonnie didn't confirm or deny the assumption. She looked down at the menu in her hands and frowned.

Jeremy moved to sit down in the booth next to her and clearly misinterpreted her look of distaste to, not the subject of conversation but having to talk about it with him. "Look," he sighed, "I know that to you, I'm just Elena's kid brother. It's probably weird to talk to me about things like this. Especially with Elena gone. But I have to tell you, what you did today was the bravest thing I've ever seen anyone do like ever."

Bonnie stared. "Huh?" Her look of discomfort turned into one of confusion. Bonnie didn't have the heart to tell him that her act of bravery was more so an act of stupidity. She was confused by why he'd perceive it as brave to begin with.

"Come on Bonnie. You went right up to the guy that you liked and kissed him in front of everyone. You, who has never even had a boyfriend. If that's not brave I don't know what is." Bonnie winced. Jeremy leaned back into the booth as he continued. "I can't even talk to the person that I like and with the way that things are going I don't really have anyone to talk to that knows the real me, now that Elena's gone. I figured that you and I are in the same boat in that respect at least."

Bonnie nodded. "Yeah I miss her," she said and then frowned as Jeremy sighed, "What do you mean you can't talk to the person that you like? I thought you and Anna were really close."

Jeremy shrugged. "Anna's cool," he commented, "A little weird with the whole home school thing and kind of clingy. She's a good friend though."

Bonnie caught on to what he wasn't saying fairly quickly. "But not who you like," she said. When Jeremy nodded, Bonnie leaned forward and asked, "Who is it then?"

Jeremy bit his lip and looked more nervous than Bonnie had ever seen him. "I'm telling you this in confidence because you're Elena's best friend and she trusts you more than anyone," Bonnie grimaced at the thought of Elena trusting her as he continued, "I know that I can trust you too, which is why I need to swear you to secrecy."

Bonnie nodded her face serious. "I won't tell a soul," Bonnie said, "I swear by the name of the triple goddess."

Jeremy raised an eyebrow. "Right," he nodded, "Pagan spiritualist thing." Bonnie nodded and he continued. "That's good enough for me." Jeremy took a deep breath and then he whispered. "The person I like is Luka Martin."

Bonnie's eyes widened. Jeremy and Luka?! Bonnie had just befriended Luka and since she'd discovered her once crush was actually very gay, the more she thought about it, Jeremy and Luka would be cute. Besides that she could so befriend them both and then play matchmaker like the title character Emma Woodhouse, from Jane Austen's, Emma. Though, Bonnie would so be the Kate Beckinsale version and not the Gwyneth Paltrow version as that version was as annoying as Gwyneth Paltrow herself. The Romola Garai version hadn't been bad but honestly if Bonnie had to pick she would go with Alicia Silverstone's, Cher, from Clueless, which though not many people realized it, was inspired by Jane Austen's Emma in the first place. Either way Bonnie would be a matchmaker, a more successful one of course, and at the very least Jeremy's love life wouldn't end up somehow both screwed up and nonexistent at the same time, like her own.

"Bonnie would you say something?" Jeremy cut into her thoughts and she could tell he was thinking that her silence was some sign of rejection.

"You and Luka would be adorable," Bonnie said, smiling, "He'd be lucky to have someone like you."

"You think so?" Jeremy asked, and then, "You don't…I mean you're not weirded out by the whole gay thing."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "My Grams plans on chanting naked in the backyard when the leaves start to change to welcome the autumn," Bonnie said, "I know weird. You being gay isn't weird Jeremy. Neither is you liking Luka. He's a sweet guy."

Jeremy laughed. "Yeah he is."

"So," Bonnie said, "Why can't you talk to him?" Bonnie was surprised that the conversation was actually a welcome distraction from her own garbage.

"He's Luka Martin," Jeremy said as if that answered it all, "He's smart and funny and sweet. He wants to be a botanist and he's in line with all of these environmental causes. He's also got amazing fashion sense. Even if he were gay, what would he want with a guy like me? I'm just some weird sophomore who likes to draw and used to hang out in the stoner pit and finally got out of is Goth phase like a whole year after it stopped being cool."

"You have a lot to offer anyone," Bonnie said. She could already feel her brain working as a plan formed. "Listen," she said, "this Friday I'm hosting my movie night. First one without Elena, so it'll be a little weird but it'll be fun. Luka and I are friends now so I'll invite him over, you can come over too. We'll all hang out like a group thing. It'll be no pressure. You can test the waters a little and see what happens."

Jeremy's eyes widened. "Seriously?" he asked, "First of all I've been wanting to go to movie night since you started them when I was in my last year of middle school and secondly even hanging out with Luka in a group is more than I could have ever hoped for. You're the best Bonnie. I know Elena was always saying that but you really are."

Bonnie smiled and then shook her head. "You don't have to pretend you wanted to go to movie night," she said, "The thank you is enough."

"What are do you mean? I'm not pretending." Jeremy looked offended she'd even suggest it.

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Even my actual friends, think that it's lame," she said seriously, "I highly doubt that anyone would want to come if I didn't force them."

Jeremy was looking at her strangely and then he shook his head. "You really don't get it do you?" Jeremy smiled, "Elena always said you never realized the effect you have on people but I thought it was a best friend thing and not a real thing. She was right. Listen, Bonnie…they love movie night. Elena, Caroline, Matt and Stefan. They all love it. They always have. They tease you about it because you get really into it and you're like a movie guru, but I mean none of us come from normal family's or have ideal backgrounds. Matt's mom is in and out of town and Vicki is Vicki. Caroline's mom is always working late shifts and never home. She never sees her dad anymore since he came out. Those movie nights and those dinners you invite them to, have saved them from having to eat at home alone on more than one occasion. Stefan's parents are practically stiffer than the bodies at a morgue and they don't approve of Lexi so those movie nights are the only nights he could get away with seeing all of his best friends and not having to deal with anyone else's expectations. After our parent's died our whole world was shattered, but those movie night's happened every Friday like clockwork and it got Elena back into a routine and it made her feel like she hadn't lost all of her family because she still had you guys. They did the same thing for Caroline when her parents got divorced. Those movie nights are like the normal in the chaos. They don't just do it for you Bonnie, if anything you're doing it for them. They mean more than you think, so of course I always wanted an invite."

Bonnie wasn't sure what to say. All that time she'd thought that the movie nights were just an inconvenience her friend's put up with because she was basically anti-social and never wanted to go out and do things or go to parties. She was sure that there were so many other things they'd rather be doing on a Friday night. However, the more that Bonnie thought about it, really thought about it, she knew that Jeremy was telling the truth.

"Well," Bonnie said, "Even if this whole Luka thing doesn't pan out. Consider yourself officially invited to movie night from now on."

Jeremy beamed at her and to her surprise, even leaned forward to give her a hug. "Thanks Bonnie. It means a lot. I didn't realize how alone I was without Elena." He stood soon after and Bonnie was about to ask him why he was leaving when she saw Tyler Lockwood heading towards them carrying a chocolate shake in one hand and the triple chocolate sundae that she hadn't even had the chance to order in the other. Bonnie blinked. "I'll leave you to it then," Jeremy winked. He began to move away from the table but stopped to turn around at the last minute. "I'm not the only one who's been wanting an invitation to movie nights, Bonnie." He said before he turned and gave Tyler a nod.

Tyler nodded back as he took the seat that Jeremy had vacated next to Bonnie and Jeremy walked over to the pool table in the corner where Anna was waiting.

Bonnie felt as if her stomach was in her throat as Tyler slid into the booth next her and placed the sundae in front of her and the milkshake in front of himself. He began to talk as if they were already in the middle of a conversation. "I told everyone that you had a family emergency so it wouldn't seem weird that you ran off like a crazy person after practice. Just in case anyone asks." Tyler unwrapped the silverware on the table from the napkin and placed a spoon in front of Bonnie. "You want to tell me what's really going on, Bennett?"

"Why are you buying me ice cream?" Bonnie frowned, "Better yet, why are you covering for me?" Bonnie knew that there was an ulterior motive in there somewhere. There had to be.

"Normal people would just say thank you, Bennett," Tyler commented before taking a long pull from his straw. When Bonnie continued to stare he sighed. "I know you better than you think," he said, "Ice cream always helps when you're upset and even if it was a shot in the dark, you're a girl so like that'd be true either way. Anyway, you may not be upset now but you will be when I have to reject you again because clearly the first time didn't take."

Bonnie rolled her eyes and took a bite of her ice cream. "Thanks for the ice cream but the rest isn't really necessary," she said.

"Listen," Tyler continued as if she hadn't spoken, "Just so we're clear, I'm flattered but this whole back and forth thing with me and Vicki just ended and-"

Bonnie slid the spoon out of her mouth and turned to face Tyler completely. "Tyler Lockwood," she said seriously, "I am not trying to date you."

Tyler didn't look at all convinced. "See your mouth is saying one thing but earlier today your mouth was saying another thing. Twice. So forgive me if I'm not buying what you're selling, Bennett."

Bonnie groaned and took another bite of her sundae. It was making the conversation bearable at least. Triple chocolate had saved the day again. "Okay," she said, "Look I don't actually like you in that way or any way really. I just had to make it look like I liked you so the person that I actually like didn't think that I liked him."

Tyler frowned. "It wasn't Gilbert was it?" he asked, "I mean I just saw you guys talking and if it was I think you should probably know he's gay."

Bonnie scowled. "It wasn't Jeremy," she said, "He's Elena's little brother. That'd be kind of weird. And you don't know that he's gay?"

Tyler rolled his eyes that time. "Everyone knows that. He doesn't think they do but they do."

Bonnie didn't comment as Jeremy had clearly been under the impression that only a few people had known being herself and Elena. She wasn't going to confirm what Tyler said and out him without his knowledge or permission. "Anyway," Bonnie cut in, "I don't like you, so you don't have to worry about me kissing you like ever again. Ever. In life."

Tyler sipped his milkshake unbothered. "So who's this guy you're trying to throw off your scent then?"

"What?" Bonnie had heard him but wasn't sure why he thought that him buying her an ice cream sundae would lead to some sort of confessional.

"The guy," Tyler repeated. "Who is it? I mean, you roped me in on this starting with that letter and so the least you could do is tell me who this guy is."

"No." Bonnie said before picking up the cherry off her sundae and eating it.

"Come on, Bennett," Tyler pressed, "You're going to have to tell me who this mystery stud is or I'm just go to go on believing that you built a shrine for me in your room out of those crystals you love so much and you have a secret tattoo of my face on your ass. Or I could tell the whole school about the letters."

"You are the worst kind of person." Bonnie gave him a death glared. "Fine." Bonnie knew that he wouldn't let up and so she finally caved. Besides that, a part of her wanted to talk to someone about it and get everything off her chest. "I didn't intentionally rope you into anything," she said, "Yes, this started with the letters-"

"Wait, hold on," Tyler interrupted, "Letters. With an 's', as in plural."

Bonnie nodded. "Yeah," Bonnie shrugged, "There was yours obviously but then Stefan got his too and so you can see where the problem started-"

"Stefan Salvatore," Tyler balked, "Mr. Perfect. Elena's ex-boyfriend. Your best friend Elena. Yeah, I could see how that'd be a problem. So not only did you write a love letter to two guys-"

"Five-" Bonnie cut it.

Tyler's eyes widened. "Five?!" He looked as if he were seeing Bonnie for the first time. He looked away as if talking to himself. "You think you're special and the girl writes not one or two but five letters. You're not as innocent as you look, Bennett."

Bonnie took another spoonful of ice cream. "It's not like that," Bonnie spat, "I just….I wrote them years apart starting with yours. They were just to guys I'd had crushes on. It wasn't a big deal. It was just a way to get my feelings out and move on from them. No one was ever supposed to see them. Not you or any of the other people. Someone, I'm not sure who, found them and sent them out. Out of all the letters, Stefan was the only one who got one that I still had feelings for and so you see why I had to make him think otherwise. Elena's is gone now but she's coming back for Christmas and then for good at the end of the school year. She still loves Stefan and also Stefan's my friend. I don't want to lose either of them, which is why I hid my feelings in the first place. Now that they've gotten out I had to fix it and so I used you to try and do that. I'm sorry."

Tyler shrugged. "I've been through worse things than kissing you," he grinned, "I'll live." He looked at Bonnie for a long time and then. "Only you would see Elena leaving as a reason not to go after what you want and not as an opportunity. But I get it. You're a way better person than me, but I get it. So who else did you send the letters to?"

Bonnie bit her lip and then answered. "Luka Martin."

"He's also gay you know." Tyler looked amused and Bonnie wanted to tip his milkshake into his lap. "He's a friend of mine so that's how I know. I'm sure you didn't know that when you wrote it but just in case you thought about going down that road, I thought I'd give you the heads up."

Bonnie chose not confirm or deny anything about Luka's sexuality either and continued to go through her list. "Ben McKittrick."

"He's an ass and he's also broke and a has been and you're like way out of his league." Tyler said casually.

"He's not that bad," Bonnie raised an eyebrow. "I think that last thing might have been a complement to me so thanks I guess," she said, "Lastly there was my pen pal Enzo but he lives in England and that was never going to be a thing anyway."

"I wouldn't be surprised if he popped up here honestly," Tyler said half-jokingly, "Hop on a plane like one of your romance novels and declare his undying love. You write one hell of a letter. You made me feel special."

There was a sarcastic edge to his voice. "Just shut up and drink your milkshake."

Bonnie had walked to Mystic Grill and so Tyler had offered to give her a ride home. They left just as soon as Vicki came in to start her shift and Bonnie didn't think that that was unintentional.

When Tyler pulled into Bonnie's driveway, he walked around to the other side of the car to open the door for her as she got out. Bonnie wasn't sure what to make of the gesture but took his hand as he helped her out of his 1971 black Buick anyway and was reminded of the scene from Pride and Prejudice when Darcy helped Elizabeth into the carriage in a surprise gesture as she was leaving Pemberley.

Tyler went as far as to walk her to her door, which was just strange. "So," he said as they walked, "What are you going to tell Salvatore?"

Bonnie shrugged as they descended her porch steps. "I don't know. The truth I guess."

"Which would be?" Tyler asked, "Do you like him? Would you date him if you had the chance? If Elena wasn't an issue I mean."

Bonnie wasn't sure why he would even ask. "Why do you care?"

"I don't," Tyler said, looking down with that stupid innocent expression he'd had been wearing when he had come to her locker and upturned her world. "I was just thinking….maybe you don't have to tell him the truth. Maybe we could just let him believe we're together. Maybe even let everyone else believe it too."

Bonnie almost considered it before a thought occurred to her. "I would be getting out of this whole mess with Stefan so it'd help me out of a fix. But what would you even offer? What's in it for you?"

Tyler sighed. "Vicki keeps trying to get back in with me even though she's dating this older guy that goes to Whitmore and I'm just tired of it you know," he frowned. "We were never even really dating. We were just in this codependent thing where we hooked up over and over and took out all of our crap on each other. She wanted to date. To be official but the way she is… with drinking and the drugs….I wanted her to get help first and that's not what she wants. Anyway, I need to cut ties. I'm thinking if maybe she sees me with another girl, doing all the boyfriend and girlfriend stuff she always wanted but never got from me, she'd believe it was really over. I don't want to hurt her but I feel like she needs to get the message. The cycle needs to stop."

"So you want to use me as a pawn," Bonnie clarified even though she knew she was the pot calling the kettle black in that moment.

"You did the same thing to me first." Of course Tyler would call her out on it.

Bonnie looked at him a long moment before shaking her head. "Lies got me into this and telling more lies is only going to make things worse."

Tyler looked disappointed but nodded. "Just think about it, Bennett," he said before he left Bonnie alone on her porch.

:::

Dear Tyler,

I've never felt this way about a boy before. I've never really wanted to either. I wish that I could hate you. Not hate you like teasing you, like the time you tripped over your own feet when you were trying to look cool while playing basketball with Matt whenever Vicki was watching. Not hate you like refusing to laugh at your stupid jokes or eating the last chocolate chip cookie in the batch my Grams made because I know they're your favorite. No. Those things I never did out of hate. Not really. I did them to keep myself from liking you so much. It didn't work.

Did you know that you were once my favorite person? Not because you're nice to Matt even though your mother calls his family trash. Not because you rescue all the neighborhood strays and help Grams in her garden when her hands or her back hurts and she doesn't want to admit it. Not even because you like the way that my hair smells.

You were my favorite person because you took the time to know me. Really know me. You're the first person who did that outside of Elena and Caroline. You can tell me my favorite color. My favorite food. You let me cry on your shoulder when my mom left and you didn't tell anyone or make a big deal about it. You've never made me feel different, just special. Like the time when I tried to wear heels to our first school dance in middle school and I kept falling trying to walk in them and you held my hand the whole night so no one would notice and when the dance was over you carried me on your back when I took the shoes off because my feet hurt too bad.

You always thank me when I do things for you and you never expect anything in return when you do things for me. There's a lot I like about you. Or rather a lot I liked, about the old you. I liked so much about who you were but you've changed and I know you well enough to know that there's a reason but you've stopped talking to me so I can't even ask.

I wish I could hate this new you. This you with the cocky attitude that thinks he's so cool. This you that smiles and flirts with all the girls at school just because you can. This you that thinks EVERYONE loves you. This you that's arrogant and that can be so mean sometimes I don't even see the real you underneath anymore. This you that's good at everything and still tries to be better and WIN, WIN, WIN as if there's nothing else in the world that matters. This you that can be so stiff and angry sometimes I feel like if you could you would just shut the whole world out and I would never be able to reach you. This you that doesn't look at me anymore. This you that looks at other girls and never really sees me. This you that makes me want to pull my hair out or scratch up your stupid face or find a curse in one of my Grams' occult books so I can finally put you in your place, not just for who you've become but for making me feel this way about you.

Because I don't hate you Tyler. I can't. Not after that stupid kiss. That kiss that made me love you after vowing never to love anyone. Did you know I would love you when you kissed me? Did you know that you would make something in me come alive that no one ever had before? Did you know that saying something so simple and such a small kiss would lead to me wanting to kiss you again and again and again until I can't breathe? Sometimes I think that you did. Sometimes I think that you sat around with Matt and talked about it and laughed. Sometimes I think you just kissed me to get a rise out of Vicki. Why else would you have kissed me?

That's the thing that I don't get about you Tyler. You kissed me for no reason. It was nothing to you. My first kiss was supposed to be special. Stupid me, for a while I thought that it was. I thought that you liked me too. I thought that maybe we could have all of those things I've always read about, lightning bolts and fireworks. I thought about you a lot actually. So long and so hard that I had to write this. I've thought about you so much that it scared me. I thought about how your laugh sounds like music. I thought about how you have such a great smile. I thought about how you give the best hugs because you've always been so much taller and broader than me even when we were really little and when you hugged me that day that I cried on your shoulder I felt like I was being wrapped in a warm blanket. I thought about how close up you're not so much handsome as beautiful. I thought about the gold flecks in your eyes and how soft your lips are. I've been consumed with thoughts of you all because of that stupid kiss that to you was nothing but for me should have been everything.

I've thought about my first kiss longer than I've thought about you in any way besides as a friend and sometimes nuisance. I've imagined what it would be like. It was supposed to be magical. You stole that from me. You stole something that should have been special and perfect. You stole something that wasn't supposed to be yours because you don't love me and you not only stole it but you made me love you.

You've gotten to be all my firsts so far. The first boy I ever considered a friend. The first boy I ever kissed. Now you're the first boy I've ever loved. Do you know what it's like to love someone so much you can't stand it and know that they'll never feel the same way? Probably not, my family is cursed by that kind of love and I'm not sure why I thought that I would be different. Maybe, I just thought that you would be different. That you wouldn't ignore me after being the first person to ever see me too.

I know that you'll never read this and it wouldn't mean anything to you if you ever did but these things are the last firsts you'll ever get from me. You're the first boy I've ever written a love letter to. The first to make me feel something so big and so strong that I had to write it down just to let it out or I would burst. You get to be that first. But you're also the first boy that I will ever let go of. The first boy to break my heart without even knowing you did it in the first place. The first boy that I'll ever say goodbye to. Because after this letter is signed and sealed, all of those big feelings will be sealed away with it and when I look at you I won't see my favorite person anymore or any of those firsts. When I look at you, you'll just be Tyler Lockwood. Matt's best friend. The mayor's son. Just some boy I used to know.

In all the books I've read and all the movies I've seen, love has been steadfast and undying. They hold on to the end like Captain Wentworth who pined for Anne Elliot for years in Jane Austen's Persuasion (which you would never watch or read because you're not as cultured as your mother likes you to pretend you are). In his letter to Anne he used words like "constancy" and "undeviating". I can't understand how you could hold on to something that brings you pain. Captain Wentworth answered that question when he said he was "half agony, half hope". He had hope and I have none. All I have is a lot of firsts and nothing to show for it besides these a few pages, ink and the knowledge that you, Tyler Lockwood, maybe never really knew me at all.

I'm relieved I think. To let you go and save some firsts for someone who really matters. But I'd like to thank you Tyler for showing me I could feel this way at all. Thank you for letting me love you from afar and thank you for making it easy for me not to anymore.

Love,

Bonnie Sheila Bennett

Bonnie refolded the letter, replaced it into the envelope and then stuffed it into the pocket of her robe. Bonnie wasn't sure why she decide to read the letter. She hadn't remembered what she'd written after she wrote it. She hadn't remembered how close they were and how well Tyler used to know her. She'd done what she'd promised and let go. Revisiting all of those feelings that she'd had before didn't bring her clarity but for once she wasn't thinking so much about Stefan. At least not entirely.

She had wanted in part to remember why she had liked Tyler to begin with. She wanted to see if it would be believable to everyone if she pretended to like him now. She saw shadows of his old self in him still, she realized. She could see the boy she had once thought about all the time just beneath the surface. It was funny because those feelings seemed so far away now and she wondered if that would happen with her feelings for Stefan. If one day those feelings would feel like something that had only been a passing sort of fancy. It wouldn't if she kept holding things in and secretly holding on to hope that wasn't there or rather hope that shouldn't have been.

Bonnie was sitting on her grandmother's porch in her pajamas, rocking back and forth in Sheila's white rocking chair. There was a chair next to it that had been meant for her grandfather before he died. Bonnie in her heart of hearts, when she allowed herself to think of the future, always thought that were she to ever allow herself to fall in love she'd want to have night's like her Grams had envisioned with her grandfather. Quiet nights sitting in rocking chairs looking out into the night and sipping tea. Speaking to one another in soft tones about nothing in particular.

Bonnie had never put a face to that person who would sit in the second rocking chair. She had never allowed herself to go that far. She had imagined countless fantasies about Stefan alone but they had always been acting out scenes from movies and books. The rocking chair was meant for her grandfather. It was reserved from something or someone real.

Bonnie thought about Tyler's proposition. Fake dating always sounded like a better idea in the movies. It was always fun and entertaining to watch as the tension grew and fake feelings became real and the two leads who the audience always knew were supposed to be together finally got together. Like Chase and Nicole in Drive Me Crazy or Ronald and Cindy in Can't Buy Me Love. It was amazing in theory but in practice it just seemed like a lot of work and Bonnie honestly wasn't sure that anyone would buy that someone like Tyler Lockwood would ever want to be with someone like her.

Bonnie wasn't worried about either of them catching feelings. Tyler was right, they could help each other out and keep it all business. They didn't even like each other in the person to person sense anymore and so she doubted that they'd ever fall for one another in the romantic sense, even if he was beautiful with an amazing smile and a laugh that made Bonnie feel like she was about to melt into a puddle on the floor. He was Tyler Lockwood and considering how he had treated Vicki, she doubted that he could even fake being a good boyfriend let alone accomplish it for real.

Still it was an easy out. One that would coincide with her erratic behavior and help keep her secrets. The thing was she would have to lie. She would have to lie to Elena. She would have to lie to Stefan. Worst of all she would have to lie to herself and squash down all of her feelings. But honestly, what real choice did she have? There were too many people who could get hurt and she had too much to lose if she told the truth.

Bonnie's was brought out of her musings when a car pulled into Sheila's driveway. Bonnie normally smiled when she saw Stefan's 1963 Porsche pull into the drive. However, in that moment Bonnie just felt conflicted and tired. She wanted to stop thinking about Stefan. She wanted to stop wishing for things that she couldn't have. She wanted to be free of the fantasy in her head.

Bonnie watched as Stefan turned off the car and got out of it. She watched as he walked over to the passenger's side and pulled out a box and then shut the door. Bonnie stood from the chair as he began to walk up the drive and then up the porch steps.

Stefan was another boy that was beautiful up close but in a different way than Tyler was. Stefan was handsome in that soft kind of way that casting directors looked for in leads when they were casting period pieces and dramatic love stories. Tyler was beautiful in a wild kind of way. In a devil may care James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause kind of way. He was all hard angles and hard looks but at the same time there was a softness underneath that made girls want to dig it out of him and unearth those parts that he kept hidden.

Stefan hid himself in a different way. Where Tyler hid under bravado, anger, and cockiness, Stefan hid under politeness, stiffness and a calm sort of cool reserve that Bonnie sometimes envied. They both seemed to soften around Bonnie though, she got to see the sides they kept hidden. Maybe that was the real reason she had fallen for them both at different times. She'd just never understood why they had shown those sides to her in the first place. Bonnie wished that Stefan in particular never had. She wouldn't be in her current predicament if he hadn't.

"Hey," Stefan said giving a small smile as he stopped in front of Bonnie finally.

Bonnie smiled in return but she was sure it didn't reach her eyes and that he would notice. "Hey," she said back.

Stefan held out the box in his hand. "My mom and I went into the city today after school. I stopped by that bakery you like. I picked up some vegan cupcakes for you and your Grams. I know she's off animal products for a while for some kind of fall cleanse so I thought she might like something sweet she could actually eat."

Bonnie sighed. The thoughtfulness didn't help either. He would do things like this and she would fall all over again and then she would see him with Elena and her heart would break. She had a cycle with Stefan that was different than Tyler and Vicki's but it was a cycle just the same. The thing was, Elena wasn't there any longer and there was nothing to bring her back to reality except for the loyalty she had for her friend. "Thanks, you didn't have to do that." Bonnie frowned.

"I know that Bonnie," Stefan sighed, "I like doing things for you. I like seeing you smile. That didn't seem to bother you before." He stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Why'd you run off after practice? Tyler said that you had some kind of family emergency."

Bonnie shrugged. "It was nothing. I thought my dad got hurt but he was actually talking about some side effects for some experimental drug he's selling at some pharmacy convention next month," she said, lying was getting easier. "You know how he gets when he rambles and I misunderstood."

"Good," Stefan nodded, "I'm glad that everything's alright. I still…I wanted to talk to you."

Bonnie gripped the box that he'd handed her and bit her lip. "If this is about the letter then I told you…talking isn't really necessary," she said, "Look we don't have to go into any of this. I'm embarrassed enough as it is already."

"You don't have to be embarrassed Bonnie," Stefan said quickly, "I wanted to say something to you this morning but then I saw you with Lockwood at your locker on my way to class and again in the nurse's office. Then that thing in History class with him moving seats and you writing notes to each other. Then you kiss him at practice and all of a sudden he knows more about what's going on with you than I do. I thought…you said I wouldn't lose you after Elena left and then I got this letter and I didn't know how to feel and now this whole thing with you and Lockwood is going on and you didn't even tell me. I don't know what to think about it because I know this letter at least part of it was recent and I just… you're not even really his type."

Bonnie was already not wanting to have the conversation but as Stefan said the last words she felt like she someone had poured a bucket of water over her head and not in that fun and sexy kind of way that Jennifer Beals had done as Alex in Flashdance. "What?"

"I mean I asked him point blank after practice what the deal was with you two and he said he liked you," Stefan frowned. Bonnie's eyes widened. "I was surprised too. I mean, Lockwood isn't the kind of guy that would normally go for a girl like you."

Bonnie once again felt gutted and she shook her head. "What's that even supposed to mean, Stefan? Because I'm not as hot as Vicki or-?"

"No!" Stefan cut in quickly, "That's not what I meant. I mean come on. Vicki pretty I guess but you're beautiful. Besides she's kind of a disaster and Lockwood kind of seemed into the drama. You're not like that Bonnie. You can be dramatic sometimes yeah but not in a way that damages yourself or hurts people. You care about people. You're sweet and insightful and smart and funny and you're the kind of girl that stays home and reads on Saturday night not the kind of girl that parties on weekends and skips town on a whim."

Bonnie stared. Normally she and Stefan were always on the same page. Normally she could catch his meaning without even trying. Normally it wasn't that hard and she wasn't this hurt that easily. "So I'm not as fun and so why would Tyler want me right? I'm just some homely girl that reads too much and isn't about the right kind of drama."

Stefan pinched the bridge of his nose. "That's not what I said and I just….I didn't think that he could see you," Stefan said, "The real you. I didn't think he could see how amazing and special you are because I had this idea in my head that I only I ever could. I'm not judging him for liking you. I couldn't really do that when I had a crush on you when I first got here. I'm kind of…I don't know. I'm more surprised you like him back I guess. Especially after reading that letter you wrote."

Bonnie went from feeling dejected to hopeful so fast she felt bodily dizzy with it. "I…you…what?" Stefan had had a crush on her? How was that ever possible? This was Stefan. Perfect Stefan and she was just Bonnie. "When?"

Stefan sighed. "When I first moved here," he admitted, "I liked you a lot but I couldn't tell if you liked me or not because you were just so nice to everyone all the time and I didn't think you being nice to me was anything special. Then Elena said that you didn't really date and so I kind of gave up before I even tried. But now with that letter…I don't know how I'm supposed to feel and I can't stop thinking about you and all of those 'what ifs' you wrote about."

Stefan had liked her. He'd thought about her. He was thinking about her. He'd possibly returned her feelings. But as much as Bonnie wanted to jump up and down and smile and laugh, she also wanted to cry because it was too late. Bonnie wasn't even all that surprised that Elena had told Stefan that she didn't really date because Elena had liked Stefan so much even back then. Now she loved him. She'd dumped him but she still loved him. Stefan might've had a crush on her at some point but it was Elena he loved. Elena he missed. It was he loneliness that Elena had left behind that he was trying to fill with Bonnie in that moment. Bonnie shook her head again and made a snap decision. This couldn't happen.

"Stefan," she said, "Like I said I wrote that letter a long time ago….just like whatever it was that you f-felt for me was a long time ago. You just broke up with my best friend. You're still in love with my best friend. There's nothing for us to talk about. 'What ifs' are just that, hypotheticals. I didn't mean for the letter to get out and you should have never gotten it." Bonnie decided to put the nail in the coffin. "I'm with Tyler now. I like him a lot. Please just don't tell Elena about the letter. Let's just forget it and move on alright?"

Stefan looked torn and Bonnie watched as his mouth opened and then closed again. "But Bonnie I…."

Bonnie wouldn't cry. She couldn't. It would only make things worse. "If you care about me at all, would you just please promise me that you won't tell Elena and that you'll let this go?"

Bonnie watched as Stefan's face closed and he gave a stiff nod. "Fine," he said, "I promise. Because I do care about you Bonnie. Enjoy the cupcakes."

Bonnie fled into the house as Stefan turned and walked down the steps. She felt the first stirrings of tears as she shut the door behind her and put the box of cupcakes on the table in the foyer. Bonnie suddenly felt as if she wasn't able to breathe.

Bonnie thought that she would have a full on panic attack when suddenly her phone vibrated in her pocket. She dug it out and looked at it and was surprised to see she had gotten a message notification from Tyler. Frowning in confusion Bonnie opened the message. Tyler had sent her a video with a message that read, "Are these friends of yours?"

Bonnie pressed play and laughed as she watched three crows chase down at cat that made failed attempts to strike as it ran across the pavement trying to get away from the birds and their shrieking caws. Bonnie texted back "Dumb ass," with a laughing emoji.

Bonnie grinned as Tyler sent another video in response. By the time she'd stopped texting him back Bonnie felt calm and she realized as she told him she was going to bed that she hadn't thought about Stefan the entire time she'd been texting him. She hadn't cried. She hadn't even shown the appropriate amount of teen angst that most movies allowed a girl who had just found out her secret crush had once had feelings for her to show. Bonnie had been fine. All of that turmoil had taken a back seat.

Bonnie smiled to herself and shook her head. "Oh my God," suddenly she knew exactly what needed to be done.

:::

The next day at school Bonnie walked in with a grim sense of determination. When Bonnie walked through the parking lot and up to the front doors in her black floral print dress, crimson leggings, black knee high boots, black leather jacket and black bowler cap, Vicki wasn't there to make fun of her outfit. She was however, greeted by the majority of the student body, which, though not that odd as she normally greeted most everyone, felt more like people were seeking her out and actually trying to stop her for conversation which was in fact weird. Bonnie however, ignored them in favor of completing the task she had set out to do that morning.

In the movie Drive Me Crazy staring Melissa Joan Hart post Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Adrian Grenier pre Entourage, next door neighbors Chase and Nicole come up with a plan to fake a relationship to attract the interest of their respective paramours. Lots of stuff happens including Chase getting a much needed makeover, angst, a poorly orchestrated prank with sprinklers and misunderstandings and of course by the end they discover that they actually want to be together like in most movies of the type. Bonnie had the movie in mind as she approached Tyler at his locker for two reasons, the first being that she was determined not to make the same mistakes that Nicole did and set guidelines and boundaries up front and second because it contained one of the most poignant lines in any high school movie that wasn't written in directed by John Hughes, "To make an impact, you have to go to extremes." Bonnie was about to go to extremes.

Tyler was turned away from her talking to Luka who Bonnie had forgotten he hung out with and some girl that Bonnie saw him with all the time that she thought was named something or other that started with an "H". Caroline had told her once because when the brunette had first moved there, she had been on her friends radar as a possible threat to her popularity standing but the girl had mostly just hung out with Tyler and Greta Martin before Luka's sister graduated last year.

Bonnie walked up to Tyler and tapped him on the shoulder. She tried her best not to let her nerves show as he turned around. The hallway was full and she could feel the eyes on them. She still hadn't talked to Caroline and she knew that she would have to eventually. She just needed to tackle one thing at a time.

"Lockwood," Bonnie greeted as he turned to face her.

"Bennett," Tyler responded, one eyebrow raised. His smile was slow as he gave her a once over.
"What's up?"

"I'm being the omen," Bonnie said. Tyler laughed but she was serious. She got what he meant now. Don't run from your fears, take control and become something to fear. Bonnie knew that this was the make or break moment. "Let's do this."

Tyler looked around in disbelief for a moment before turning back to Bonnie and grinning. Before Bonnie knew what was happening, Tyler grabbed her and kissed her. It was different than when she kissed him. Different with him initiating it. Different with him taking control and applying just the right amount of pressure as he angled her head back and swept his tongue over her bottom lip before pulling away. Bonnie felt a bit dazed as he pulled back. She blinked several times. She reached up to touch her lips and hated that they were tingling, then glanced around to find that everyone was watching.

Tyler had one hand on Bonnie's hip and the other on Bonnie's neck and he looked like he might kiss her again when the bell rang. "I'm going to Trig." She announced.

Tyler nodded, leaning down to peck her on the lips quickly before pulling away. "I'll find you during free period."

Bonnie nodded. "Right," she said. Tyler let her go and then squeezed her hand once before she turned and came face to face with the student body. "Carry on," she said with a wave of her hand at the dozens of students staring them down as if they had nothing better to do, before she weaved through the crowd.

"As you were," she heard Tyler say behind her and when she looked over her shoulder he was watching her walk away. Bonnie gave a quick wave and Tyler winked.

Bonnie struggled to pay attention in Trig but failed miserably. It wasn't helping that her phone was blowing up and Bonnie was determined not to answer any of her texts until she and Tyler got their story straight and they discussed the guidelines.

Bonnie shouldn't have been surprised when Tyler was waiting for her outside of her Trig class but she was. Bonnie met him at the door and he took her books before holding his hand out for her to take. Bonnie stared at it. She supposed she would have to get used to the idea of holding Tyler's hand and walking down the hall with him if they were going to pull off what she had planned. Still she hesitated before taking Tyler's hand and threading their fingers together.

"Where are we going?" Bonnie asked.

"Picnic tables outside," he said, "They're pretty dead this time of day and since we're kind of under a microscope right now it's probably the only place that we can be alone to talk."

Bonnie nodded and allowed herself to be led outside and to the picnic benches. Bonnie wished that Tyler's hand was sweaty and gross so she wouldn't like holding his hand so much. His hand wasn't sweaty though, but big and warm and perfect. She felt how Sam from Sixteen Candles must have felt when Jake Ryan showed up at the church where her sister got married and took her hand and whisked her away in his shiny red sports car.

Bonnie shook her head to clear it as Tyler placed their things on the table before sitting down and pulling Bonnie down to sit next to him. Bonnie wasn't sure why they were still holding hands now that they were alone and when she looked at Tyler expectantly he let her hand go and sighed, leaning against the table propped up on his elbows.

"So," Tyler said, "How do you want to do this?"

Bonnie wasn't really sure. She didn't have any practical relationship experience. All of her research had been done with books and film. Still she feigned confidence as she spoke. "We need to go over our game plan and get our story straight," she said, "People are going to have questions. Especially Matt and Caroline. They're our best friends and they're going to wonder how this all happened under their noses without them noticing and why we didn't tell them anything. We have to sell it. Sell us."

Tyler rolled his eyes. "It won't be as hard as you think to do that," he said, "but of course you have to take the fun out of everything. If you want to plan let's plan. So how did we get together?"

"The day Elena left and I almost hit you with my car," Bonnie said, "You paid for our food and I wasn't very appreciative at the time but I still have your number from when we used to talk and so I texted you and you were your idiotic self by telling terrible jokes to make me feel better about Elena. Then we started texting every day after that. I made you feel better about ending your poisonous cycle with Vicki and you made me feel less alone without Elena. When I fainted from dehydration you were so worried about me and you realized that you really liked me and so you asked me out and then I kissed you. The kiss Stefan walked in on. The rest as they say is history."

Tyler looked thoughtful a moment. Bonnie had spent a lot of time thinking about their story. About how she could twist around what actually happened to benefit them and lend credit to the parts that were less than truthful. "That actually sounds pretty believable."

Bonnie grinned. "The best lies have a little bit of truth in them," she said. Bonnie took out a spiral notebook from her messenger bag. "Now let's go over the ground rules."

"Ground rules?" Tyler looked dumbfounded.

"Yes," Bonnie nodded. "In almost every romantic comedy featuring fake relationships they don't set good and clear boundaries going in. Then feelings start to blur and things get crazy. In Can't Buy Me Love starring Patrick Dempsey before he became 'McDreamy', released in 1987, Ronald pays Cindy to fake date him and she sets boundaries and things still got blurry. The thing was, Ronald got out of control but it was Cindy that made the mistake of breaking her own rules and falling for him. The problem was they never wrote their rules down and so they were out of sight and out of mind. I'm not going to make that same mistake."

"So what you're saying is you need these rules because you're afraid you're going to fall for me otherwise?" Tyler smiled.

Of course that's what he would think. He had an ego the size of Beyonce's bank account. "No," Bonnie shook her head, "I just want things to be clear and concise with no confusion. We're not together and are never going to be together. We just need to make it look like we are and we need to set up how we're going to do that and what lines we're not going to cross."

Tyler's smile faded. "Fine," Tyler huffed, "What are our rules for being 'we people'."

Bonnie frowned. "'We' what?"

"'We people'," Tyler reiterated, "'We can't make it to the party.' 'We never miss a game.' 'We don't like the color red'," Bonnie laughed as he continued, "We people.' It's like when couples get together they become this weird hybrid organism that can't form their own separate opinions. They spend all their time together and they bend over backwards to try to please the other person."

"Wow," Bonnie said, "I can't imagine why Vicki would think that you're commitment phobic. It's not a bad thing. It's called being in love with someone."

"It's not like that," Tyler frowned, "Being in love or whatever is all well and fine but if you lose yourself in the process then what's the point. I mean….if I could find someone who could be with me without trying to change me but still enhance the good things about me and liked me for who I am, I'd be all over it. That just doesn't happen and it definitely didn't happen with Vicki. I mean, come on Bennett, you have to get what I mean. If you didn't you would've been dating before now."

Bonnie wanted to keep giving him a hard time just for the sake of it but she honestly understood completely. She remembered how different Stefan became when he was around Elena. How much more closed off he was and Elena focused.

"I get what you're saying," she admitted, "But that's not why I don't date. It's different for me. Anyway, if you and I are going to be 'we people' even in the fake sense, we wouldn't be like that. We wouldn't try to change each other. I'm too stubborn and you're too hard headed. We challenge each other. We get each other. As annoying as you are, there honestly isn't all that much I would change about you anyway. When you're with me most of the time or at least before high school…I got to see the good parts."

"You get to see the good parts now," Tyler said, "You ever wonder why that is?"

Bonnie sighed. "Because I see through your bullshit and so you don't bother with the bravado." She laughed.

Tyler stared at her a long time before he shook his head and looked away. "Something like that," he said. Bonnie dug out one of her fountain pens and got ready to write. "So…what's going on the guide to being non hybrid organism 'we people'."

Bonnie wrote down, "BONNIE AND TYLER'S GUIDE TO BEING 'WE' PEOPLE" in all caps at the top of the page. Tyler smirked as she finished. "First rule," Bonnie said, "No kissing."

"I contest," Tyler said holding up his hand, "No. That's not going to work. There's no way that anyone is going to believe we're dating if I don't have my hands all over you like all of the time."

Bonnie made a face. "Relationships aren't just about physicality," Bonnie stated, "We could show our affection in different ways. You and Vicki were mostly physical right. Why move on with me if you didn't want something different? Besides, no one is going to believe that I'm going to go from not dating or even talking to a boy to making out against the lockers between bells."

"You kissed me first," Tyler pointed out, "Now we've kissed twice in front of everyone. I think they'll believe it."

Bonnie shook her head. "This is nonnegotiable."

"I'm vetoing it," he said, "We need to compromise. Fake or real that's what relationships are about right?"

"Look," Bonnie said, "I know you're like the James Dean of this kind of thing but I've never had a boyfriend before. This kind of stuff is obviously a bigger deal to me than you."

"First of all you have the references of an eighty year old woman," Tyler sighed, "Second, I'm not saying it's not a big deal to me. I'm saying that if I were in a relationship with you, a real one, I'd want to kiss you all the time. So not kissing you, even if we're pretending doesn't make sense to me."

Bonnie felt her face flush as she looked down. She wasn't flattered it was just hot outside as fall hadn't set in yet. "I just don't want all my firsts to be fake," Bonnie murmured, "You took a lot of them already."

"I know. I read the letter, remember? You want to save something for someone real," Tyler nodded, "I get it. So like I said. We'll compromise. No heavy make out sessions. How about we only kiss in front of people. You know, for show."

Bonnie bit her lip as she considered it. "Fine," she acquiesced, "But no tongue."

Tyler looked like he might argue but threw up his hands in defeat at Bonnie's look. "Alright," he agreed, "Deal. Next rule."

Bonnie wrote it down and then continued. "If we're thinking about ways we can appear affectionate and keep the kissing to a bare minimum-"

"Again you kissed me first," Tyler cut it.

Bonnie went on as if he hadn't spoken. "You can put your hand in my back pocket when we walk the halls together."

"What the hell is that?"

Bonnie stared at him and spoke slowly as if speaking to a child. "Sixteen Candles," Bonnie explained, "The movie opens with a couple with their hands in each other's back pockets. It's a couple's thing."

"Okay," Tyler said staring blankly at her, "Obviously that's not something from this time period. But whatever. What movie is this again?"

"Sixteen Candles," Bonnie repeated, "John Hughes classic. 1984. The movie that contains the fifth best kiss in all cinematic history between Sam and Jake Ryan over her birthday cake. The kiss is iconic." Tyler's face remained blank. "Seriously? Nothing?"

"Look I know who John Hughes is okay. Caroline made me and Matt watch The Breakfast Club. I've just never seen that one."

"How could you watch The Breakfast Club and not watch Sixteen Candles? I mean John Hughes movies are made for marathons."

"Okay, chill, princess," Tyler laughed, "I would call you, Cherry but you don't have red hair."

Bonnie wasn't sure whether to be impressed or more annoyed. "You can reference direct lines from The Breakfast Club and you remember the nickname Bender gave to Claire but you've never watched Sixteen Candles? It's like a miracle and a travesty all at once. Who has been in charge of your movie viewership? Also if anyone is Claire it's Elena."

Tyler laughed. "Elena?!" he shook his head, "Yeah no. Elena doesn't have any sense of style like at all. Her taste is pretty bland honestly. Plus I think I've actually seen you in the outfit Claire wears in the movie before." Bonnie was guilty of that and so she couldn't argue. She'd bought the outfit on Etsy as a part of a Breakfast Club memorabilia collection along with a signed movie poster and a replica of Emilio Estevez's letterman jacket. "Then you have the fact that Claire's a popular girl who hates being poplar. Which is literally you. Plus her parents are on the verge of getting a divorce. Yours are divorced. Also you play like you like those good guys like Stefan but honestly that guy is boring and you might be friends with him like she was with Emilio Estevez but you'd fall for a bad boy in a second. Why else would you have written me that letter? And lastly you're the only one of all of your friends who is nice enough or really competent enough to bother to give someone that looks as unfortunate as that weird girl in the movie a makeover. I mean if not for you Aimee Bradley would still be wearing that weird burnt orange cardigan she used to wear every day and those terrible graphic tees she used to buy at Hot Topic."

Bonnie found that she couldn't argue with a lot of what Tyler had said aside from the whole bad boy thing. She had one more important opposing point she could argue however and that was, "Claire was a lead character."

Tyler blinked. "And?" Bonnie didn't really have an answer beyond the fact that she didn't see herself as such and wasn't sure how anyone could, especially him who easily fit the bill for main love interest in any high school movie scenario. "Also while we're on the subject. I am now invited to movie night since you're so concerned with my film viewership. Nope. Scratch that. As your fake boyfriend I will now co-host movie nights and my friends get to come too."

Bonnie thought about what Jeremy had said about not being the only one who had always wanted an invite. She thought about Luka who was now friends with her in a way and was friends with Tyler. It would seem that she could keep her promise to Jeremy. It was that and the fact that Tyler had compared her to Claire Standish that made her say, "Alright, deal." And then, "Next rule."

"You have to go to parties and that includes those boring Founder's events my mom organizes," Bonnie made a face, "I know. But you might actually have fun at the parties I throw and Caroline throws good ones too. I get the hesitance about the Founder's ones at least. But it would be weird if my mom hosted a party and my girlfriend didn't show up. Besides Vicki and I never went to them together and she'd get the message loud and clear if I walked in with you on my arm."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Fine." She wrote it down. "If I'm going to parties you're driving me to school every day and you'll have to help Grams in the garden like you used to." She was pretty sure that Stefan's days of helping were over.

"Done," he conceded, "I love Ms. Sheila. No worries about that." Her Grams loved Tyler too. She always talked about how much she missed him. She probably would be over the moon when Bonnie brought him home and told her they were dating.

Bonnie sighed. She would have to lie to her Grams. She didn't like it at all but what choice did she have.

"I could write you a notes," Tyler said interrupting her thoughts, "Every day."

"You'd do that?" Bonnie asked, surprised.

"Vicki… she wanted them all the time," Tyler said, "I never understood why I couldn't just text her but then I realized that whenever I did it was always just to ask her to come over. We never talked really. She wanted to believe it was something that it wasn't I guess."

Bonnie shook her head. "She didn't want notes Tyler," she said, "She wanted letters. She wanted something tangible that she could hold in her hands. Proof that you actually cared. Something she could read and revisit whenever the mood struck her. Something that could remind her how you feel about her. I get it."

"I tried," Tyler said, "But I never really knew what to say. Like I said we didn't talk. I cared about her but it wasn't…anything to write home about I guess."

Bonnie poked him with the pen in her hand and scoffed at his bad attempt at a pun. "That's just the thing," she said, "When you like someone it just comes naturally. You don't go in planning what you want to say and half the time you don't even remember what you wrote after. You just feel so much that you have to put it somewhere. If you don't get that then I don't know how you're going to manage writing me a note every day."

Tyler reached out and brushed her hair over her shoulder and adjusted her hat on her head. He smiled at her like he was hiding a secret and Bonnie frowned. "I can manage it, Bennett," he said, "Write it down."

"If you say so." Bonnie was skeptical but she wrote it down.

"Anything else?" Tyler asked.

"Obviously we can't tell anyone about this not being real," Bonnie said, "No matter who it is. It'd be way too embarrassing for the both of us."

"No problem. First rule of Fight Club."

"What? What does that even mean? Are you having a stroke or something?" Bonnie stared as Tyler's eyes widened.

"You've never seen Fight Club," Tyler looked disturbed, "Yeah. No. That's going on the movie night watch list and there isn't even a kiss at the end but I bet the couple is going to blow all of the couples on your best kiss list or whatever out of the water."

"That list is for iconic couples," Bonnie said, even as she wrote it down.

"They'll make the list," Tyler said unbothered, "Trust me." Tyler took the pen from Bonnie's hand. "Also you're going with me on the Ski Trip in December."

Bonnie almost ripped the pen from Tyler's hand as he wrote. The Mystic Falls High School Ski Trip was funded by Mayor Richard Lockwood and open to all seniors no matter their grades, but only the underclassmen that were honor roll students. Tyler was many things but he was also very intelligent though he acted otherwise at times. Besides that he had the Lockwood image to uphold and sports he wanted to keep his grades up to stay qualified for. So Tyler was an honor roll student and went every year. Vicki had never been able to go but as a senior could go this year, even though her grades were shit and she only attended school just enough to avoid truancy charges. Which was why Bonnie suspected Tyler had written it down. A weekend in Aspen with Vicki and he'd be back down the rabbit hole.

Actually a lot of her friends qualified to go. Bonnie had always been an honor roll student as well. The thing was, Bonnie had never been on the Ski Trip no matter how much she'd always wanted to go to Aspen even though she was more than qualified. She'd never been because the trip was the location where more students lost their virginity than Senior Week and Prom combined.

"Is that really necessary to put in?" Bonnie asked nervously, "I mean… that's three whole months from now. We're probably not going to still be doing this by then."

"We could be," Tyler said, "Call it a contingency plan. Everyone knows that no one in their right mind would ever let their boyfriend go on that trip alone. So in three months if we're still doing this, you're coming with me."

Bonnie was certain that by the time the trip came around she and Tyler would be ancient history. That was the only reason that Bonnie said, "Okay."

"Alright," Tyler said, "No more rules. If there's too many it won't feel organic and it won't look real. Besides Bonnie, you need to relax. Life doesn't need to be planned all the time. Just go with the flow. Let's just see what happens."

"Alright it's done," Bonnie said as she looked it over.

BONNIE AND TYLER'S GUIDE TO BEING "WE" PEOPLE

1.) Kissing allowed ONLY in front of others. NO TONGUE!

2.) Tyler is allowed to put his hand into Bonnie's back pocket.

3.) Bonnie will allow Tyler to Co-Host Friday Night Movie Nights! (Sixteen Candles/Fight Club Double Feature is a Must!)

4.) Bonnie must attend parties and Founder's Events

5.) Tyler must drive Bonnie to school every day and help Grams in the Garden after school.

6.) Tyler will write Bonnie a note every day.

7.) NO SNITCHING!

8.) SKI TRIP!

The last time Bonnie did something without meticulous planning she had kissed Tyler and it was part of the reason she was in her present predicament. But Bonnie stayed quiet as they signed the bottom of their pseudo contract even though she felt like there was so much that they missed out on rule wise.

Bonnie held out her hand for Tyler to shake and after laughing he did. Bonnie hadn't known it yet but in that moment her rewrite had begun.

End Notes: Thanks for reading again! It might be a little before the next chapter but it is coming. Like I said I Will be deviating from the source material after this chapter and adding more of my own twist. Hopefully you all stick around for the ride!