Chapter 14:
The following week on Wednesday night, I was freezing my butt off in the stands of the football field on my lonesome.
Caroline was down below on the frosty field in her short skirt and matching maroon belly top. It was a wonder she wasn't shivering, because I was so sure my lips were an unorthodox shade of blue and my fingertips and toes would fall off any second now, even under my thick red jacket and matching knitted hat, gloves and scarf. I looked like a swaddle of cotton, but I sure as hell didn't feel as warm.
The icy wind slashed at my face and burned my nose and I buried it quickly in my scarf, panting and watching as my breath swirled and then dissipated in front of me.
The crowd roared around me and pumped their fists at the opposing team, who were equally as unhinged. We were winning, but only by a few points. Not that I was paying attention.
My gaze kept flickering to Damon in his tight, white spandex leggings and I'd shiver, but I was not quite sure whether it was due to the cold or not.
"You look cold," someone spoke emotionlessly besides me. I untucked my chin from my scarf and turned to the girl a few empty seats beside me. A mass of black curls fell from the slanted black beanie on her head and curled around her ears and throat. She tucked a strand behind her ear with her fingerless gloves and chipped black nails.
She, unlike myself, was not dressed for the occasion. She should've been a shivering, shaking mess, but she was the epitome of composed in her dark grey, slashed jeans, black halter neck, overly large grey denim jacket and combat boots. The stylish, yet worn, black scarf clung to her ample breasts and protrudent collar bones, and the smudged eyeliner was days old.
"And you don't," I observed, noting the sleeves of her top rolled up midway of her arm beneath her jacket.
She shrugged and folded her arms loosely across her chest, "Damon not had enough with you just yet?"
I shrugged, too, a little defensive, and she chuckled and shook her head, "Why would you say that?" I asked, my standoffish tone sounded puny as I quivered in the cold.
She eyed me peculiarly for a second, "I'm guessing you're new to town," She stopped for a second to smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. In fact, it looked a little mocking, a little scary actually. "Welcome to hell, oh saintly one ." She grinned and threw her head back in laughter, but it wasn't the normal sort of laugh, the funny kind; it was almost conniving.
"Uh, thanks, I think." This only made her grin tenfold. "I guess, since I'm in hell, I sinned somewhere along the line, making me non-saintly."
"Touché." She seemed almost pleased with me as she took a strawberry twizzler out of her pocket and held it out to me, like a dog being rewarded by it's master.
We watched the rest of the game in relative silence. Bonnie animatedly booed and cheered with the rest of the crowd, although she was mostly taking the piss out of everyone else around her. It was clear this wasn't her favourite place to be, she seemed to be too outgoing to be confined to a small football field in Mystic Falls High, yet here she was. Her and Damon must've been pretty close. For some reason, this thought annoyed me more than it should've and I found myself glaring at the girl as she chomped on her twizzler and slurped on my can of coke.
At half-time, she let out a big belch as she sat the empty can down besides me, before she loped down the aisle to speak to Damon.
When he squeezed her and she threw her arms around his neck, swaying softly in a semi-circle, I looked away. But I couldn't keep my eyes away for too long.
Soon, I was peeking at them inconspicuously out of the corner of my eye, and then I was full on staring at them, openly ogling at the way her hands pulled him infinitesimally closer as his arms rested just lightly on her lower back. They pulled away and Bonnie's smile was radiant. If I hadn't seen Bonnie get off with that dude at the bar, I would've immediately jumped to conclusions, just like everyone else seemed to be doing.
Tessa, with the rest of the cheerleaders, was glaring at them as her little comrades spoke animatedly besides her, oblivious to her fixation on the two. I wondered what sort of backlashing Damon would get for his little display and grinned to myself. He deserved it.
I hadn't spoken to him since the weekend after his little temper tantrum at the Grill. He'd come in the next day with a bandage wrapped around his fist, but I hadn't commented on it in chemistry. In fact, I'd pretended I hadn't even noticed. If he wanted to go around punching walls, then so be it.
It finally pierced through my senses, or lack thereof, that Bonnie was pointing directly at me. I didn't even have time to react, to duck my head or pretend that I was looking past them at something in the distance, when Damon followed the direction of Bonnie's finger and finally spotted me in the crowd. The smile on his face vanished and he quickly turned to grab Bonnie by the elbow. She tried, feebly, to tug herself free, but gave up when he leant down to whisper something in her ear. She rolled her eyes and smirked, and her lips moved for a split second before both of their stares returned to me.
I couldn't look away. To look away, was to concede.
I wouldn't concede. I couldn't. It sounded stupid even to me, but I still couldn't bring myself to look away.
He finally gave in, frowning as Coach called him back to the congregation of spandex shorts and football jerseys with slashes of black paint marring their faces. The sweat had made them fade and smudge in places and mud now mixed in with it.
Bonnie made a dash for it whilst he was distracted and took the stairs two at a time before falling back onto the bench besides me, heaving.
She made a point of scooting closer and throwing her arm over my shoulder, much to Damon's dismay. She grinned down at him, and when he turned to stalk away, she huffed and dropped her arm, scooting a little further away from me.
"What was all that about?"
She rolled her doe brown eyes, "Damon thinks I'm a bad influence or something." She waved her hands unceremoniously.
"On me?"
She shrugged, slouching back further in the process, "Guess so."
I rolled my jaw, feeling my anger peak. How dare he go ignoring me all week and then act like some sort of martyr by supposedly looking out for me. If he wanted to play that game, then I'd better go out of my way to make it harder for him.
"Guess I'll have to make a point of disobeying him then, won't I?" I muttered sarcastically, huffy at his audacity. Why should he care?
She grinned, dipped her hand in her pocket and withdrew something black, and took a bite of the rope of liquorice before pointing it in my direction, "I like you, princess."
"Not you, too." I groaned at my suddenly very popular nickname, to which she chuckled and nudged my shoulder with her own.
I think I liked her, too.
The whistle sounded and cheers erupted from our stands, I clapped along with them, a small smile on my lips. Although, my mind had been elsewhere for most of the game.
Bonnie pumped her fists in the air and wolf whistled as Damon jogged off the pitch. He chuckled and shook his head in our direction at her display. His eyes lingered a little longer than necessary, but I couldn't be sure I wasn't imagining it. Maybe he was looking at Bonnie.
The thought made my heart splutter as a wave of dejection washed over me, which was ridiculous because I shouldn't be feeling that.
I spotted Caroline making a beeline for me from the stands below and cursed internally. I suddenly didn't feel up to going to a celebratory party anymore.
"Elena!" She trilled, waving her arm to capture my attention as she weaved her way through the countercurrent of people trying to leave. She squeezed past Bonnie and stopped besides me, completely oblivious to her presence, "Hey, you ready to go? Tyler's chickened out, says he doesn't want to deal with a trashed house tomorrow, so we're all going to-"
"Actually, Care, I don't feel well, I think I'm gonna pass for tonight." I quickly interjected.
"Oh, but you just bought that new outfit and it'll-"
"But I'm sure Bonnie here would love to go." I quickly manoeuvred my way around Bonnie and placed my hands on her shoulders as an offering.
"I'd rather gauge my eyes out with a hot sp-"
"See? She'd love to go." I smiled appeasingly at the both of them. Neither seemed pleased. In fact, Bonnie looked like she wanted to gauge my eyes out with a hot spoon.
This was clearly a very different side of Bonnie than the one from the bar the other week. She contemptuously eyed Caroline up and down, taking in her frilly white socks, pristine white pumps and the little plaits in her hair with matching maroon ribbons.
"I really don't think that Bonnie would, umm…" Caroline wrinkled her nose and frowned at the rugged girl, "fit in with our crowd really."
Bonnie shrugged and slung her sagging backpack over her shoulder, empowered by her degrading words, "Lead the way, Barbie."
Caroline's mouth opened in rebuke, but nothing came out but a load of unintelligible stuttering. Her shoulders finally dropped in defeat as she huffed and stomped off, glaring at me as she turned. I tried to fight the grin that threatened to break out, but Bonnie stuck a finger up at Caroline's retreating back and I snorted in response.
"I don't know what you're laughing at," Bonnie called back to me, "you're not leaving me alone with Goldilocks over here."
"Whatever, are you driving? Caroline drove me here, but I don't think she likes me very much at the moment to give me a ride back."
"Sure thing, Princess."
She was purposefully calling me that now. I wondered if she'd somehow heard Damon mockingly call me that for her to catch on…
I huffed as I ambled my way through the rubbish littering the stands, "I wish everyone would stop calling me that…"
"Can't make wishes in hell remember, kid." Bonnie chuckled, wrinkling her nose at a little boy with his finger stuck up his nose besides a hot drink stall. She stopped to grab a can of coke on the way through the parking lot, popping it open and taking a rather manly swig. She'd downed it within a few seconds and threw it in a trashcan as I trailed behind her.
Caroline had stomped off somewhere without so much as a goodbye, and I guess I felt sort of bad for letting her down, but I really didn't feel great right now.
She'll get over it.
Of course she would, it was Caroline after all.
Bonnie slowed down some as we neared a rusty motorbike. I almost stopped in my tracks when she actually stopped besides it. She fitted a helmet onto her head, glanced at me, and handed it to me instead.
"Are you-… are you insane?" I stuttered, horrified, "I'm not getting on that thing."
"Suit yourself." She shrugged and snatched the helmet out of my hands, clipping it on and swinging her legs over the bike until she was straddling it, seemingly unfazed by my reaction.
I bit my lip as I eyed the deathtrap. Surely it wasn't safe? It didn't look safe anyway. It was all rusted and old, and the roar of the engine was deafening, which definitely wasn't healthy.
Bonnie saw me scrutinising the bike and rolled her eyes, unbuttoning the helmet again and holding it out to me.
"Last chance, kid," She offered, nodding her head towards something behind her. I looked up and my eyes widened when I spotted Damon stalking towards us; me. He looked livid, his jaw was set and he was blatantly glaring at me.
"What did I do?" I asked myself, mystified.
"Don't know, but do you really want to hang around long enough to find out?"
Her words made my decision for me and I quickly hopped on the back, strapping the helmet on quickly as Damon broke into a jog.
"Go!" I shouted nervously and then she sped off.
It wasn't the smoothest ride ever, and the spluttering engine made any conversation impossible. My eyes watered from the sharp wind and my ears all but froze off.
It didn't occur to me to tell her where I lived, so when we drove past the bar from my birthday last week, I shouldn't have been surprised that we hadn't gone immediately home. She pulled up outside a rundown looking cluster of apartments -just a couple of blocks away from the bar- and killed the engine.
"Where are we?" I asked, eyeing the defaced intercom besides a metal door that didn't seem to shut properly. Bonnie climbed off and ran up the steps without a word, returning a few minutes later with her hands stuffed deep in her pockets.
"Just a quick pitstop. Nobodies home, you can come in if you want."
"Pitstop?" I echoed stupidly. "Where are we?"
"It's my fucking place, okay? Sheesh, stop crawling up my ass about it." She stalked off, leaving me stumped behind her. I quickly followed her up the steps and through the first floor to a stairway. I sheepishly trailed behind her as she climbed a few sets of stairs before we reached the third floor. She led me through a door into an apartment, even worse than the outside suggested.
It was tiny and clustered as hell. A sunken couch was pressed against the back wall with a red throw covering it to hide the wrinkles in the brown leather, although I was sure it was supposed to be cream. A coffee table was basically pressed against it due to the lack of space and, next to that, was an end-table in a whole other wood with a dusty, old lamp sitting lopsidedly on top. A television set that was beyond ancient -it must have been from the 90's- was on a sturdy little stand, a long antenna hanging out of the top.
Bonnie led me through what I assumed was the living-area to an even smaller room, if that were even possible.
It only had a bed and a small chest of drawers. The window leading to the fire escape besides her bed was wide open and she leant over to slam it shut, along with the bedroom door.
I suddenly felt a little uncertain, but she only slumped on the bed and patted the spot next to her as she opened a drawer.
Cautiously, I sat down, eyeing the drawer she was now rummaging through.
"Ah-ha." She murmured triumphantly, holding up a small plastic bag.
I gulped, "Please tell me that's not-…"
"Oh, lighten up a little, will you. Its only a little weed, nothing to report home about." She raised her eyebrow at my expression. "Besides, if I've got to go to this stupid party, I'm gonna need a shit tonne of this." She held up the little baggie and winked. "Want some?"
I didn't have any. Well, not really anyway.
I mean, I may've had some, but I didn't mean to. I had to breathe and breathing was natural, and it's not as if I purposely put the thing between my lips, right? Right.
"You know, I think I like you, too." I sighed, feeling a fuzzy warm feeling diffusing through me.
Bonnie chuckled, "What?"
"Earlier," I breathed, staring at the patterns in her ceiling, "you said you might like me and I think I might like you, too."
She chuckled again and took another drag of the little thing she'd rolled up. She said it was an art, a masterpiece as she'd carefully rolled, licked and lit it. Her fingers had been working so delicately, with so much precision as she stuck her tongue out in concentration, that I had no doubt in my mind that she really did think it was an art.
She held the little 'masterpiece' out to me as she dusted her sheets with her free hand, but I adamantly declined, shaking my head a little too excessively. "No, no, I don't… do that stuff. Saint, remember?"
She shook her head and took another drag, "More for me, I suppose."
We were quite for a minute and I thought about Damon. Was he still mad at me? What was he doing now? At the party? Probably getting some "company" off of Tessa I'm sure.
I rolled over until I was sitting up, wafting away the smoke that had shrouded the room, suddenly feeling somewhat level-headed. "I need to go home."
"Now?" She said tiredly.
I nodded and grabbed my coat and things, slipping them on silently as Bonnie lay sprawled on her bed, eyes closed, joint held above her head.
"Yeah, now would be good," I replied, but she didn't respond. "Bonnie?"
"Hmm…" She moaned, rolling over onto her stomach, the arm still holding her joint above her head.
"I'll just call somebody to come get me," I mumbled, quickly grabbing my things and hightailing it out of the building, ashamed at having even been near that stuff. I knew better, and by criticising Jeremy I was being hypocritical, despite not having actually smoked the stuff.
Jeremy's done much worse, I placated myself.
I shook my head, and fastened the buttons of my jacket, pulling my scarf and hat on, as I used my butt to push open the door.
It was even chillier out now and I wondered how long I'd been here for. Was it too late to call my mum?
I tried calling her mobile anyway, huffing when she didn't answer. Instead, I tried the house phone, sighing in relief when the ringing tone cut off.
"Hello?" She trilled. I froze, all the blood draining from my face, "Elena is that you?" I didn't reply, I'd stopped walking along the sidewalk in shock. My hands shuck and my breathing shuddered. "Hello?" She repeated.
It took me a while to compose myself. "Yes," I replied stoically, "it's me."
She sighed in feigned relief, "Your mother's been so worried, Elena. Where are you? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," I almost spat through grated teeth, venom lacing my words, "Is my mum there?"
"Actually, your mother went looking for you. She went to her beau's house, figuring you might be with that son of his. What's your mother's sweetheart called again? Geppetto?" She chuckled at her stupid little joke, her plastic laughter grating on my nerves.
"You mean, she's with Giuseppe?" I smiled despite myself, using the most sickly sweet voice I could muster, "I wonder, will you fuck him like you fucked my dad, Aunt Jenna?"
A/N- Miss me? I know that I've missed writing this a whole lot. This whole Aunt Jenna situation has been planned since before I started writing this fic, I just needed to wait a little before I implemented it into the story, and I figured since I've been AWOL for quite some time, I'd give you guys a little something-something. Honestly though, you guys have been amazing! Again, PM'ing me with encouragement and the like, it really truly means a lot to me. I know there wasn't much Damon in this chapter, but Bonnie needed her airtime. Until next time…
