The Hunger Games

By: Tracy Cook

Disclaimer: I own nothing. These characters belong to the creators of Vampire Diaries.

Couple: Bonnie/Damon

Rating: M

Chapter Eight

Hey, Jealousy

'I'm Sorry, It's Got A Hold On Me.

So Tangled Up In My Jealousy.'

"This next young lady has found a place in all of our hearts! We all share in her tragedy and we are all wishing her the best in the upcoming hunger games! Meet our District 11 tribute, Bonnie!"

She was surprised when she heard so many people start to cheer for her. Considering that she had received such a low score, she knew that they weren't cheering for that reason. They were cheering because of what happened to her little sister in the games the previous year. And they were cheering because of what Damon had said. A District 1 tribute and a District 11 tribute having a relationship was unheard of. It had never happened before. Even if it was only "sexual" like Damon had implied. It was still enough to rile up the audience.

Internally, she was struggling with Kol's plan.

She didn't know if she wanted to stoop down to Damon's level and lie about being in a relationship. It wasn't like her. Usually, she rose up and did the right thing no matter what. But, it was definitely tempting.

Bonnie forced a smile onto her lips and let out a breath in order to calm her racing heart. This moment was important. This was her last opportunity to make an impression on Panem and the Capitol before entering the games. Tomorrow evening they would be thrown into the arena. The thought made her sick.

She walked out onto the stage and she was blinded by the lights. She could barely see the silhouettes of people in the audience cheering her on. Everything was blurry and overwhelming. She was suddenly feeling dizzy and lightheaded. Bonnie wasn't used to all of the attention. Back in District 11, no one ever noticed her. Everyone was too busy worrying about their own lives. Here, everyone seemed invested in other people's lives for entertainment.

Her dark hair was pulled back into a tight bun and she had on a bright green headpiece that looked like ivy growing out of her hair and down the side of her face. The vibrant green popped beautifully against her caramel skin and it caused her emerald eyes to shine. To match the headpiece, she had on a short green dress covered in ivy. The vines traveled along the top of her shoulders and around her neck, holding the dress securely in place.

She looked absolutely stunning.

Bonnie moved to take a seat in the chair across from Caesar and she smiled politely at him. She was dreading the interview. 'I really hope he doesn't bring up Rue or Damon...'

"Hello there, Bonnie! You look stunning this evening!" He smiled widely. He had a soft spot for her. Last year one of his favorite tributes, Katniss had won, and this year he was praying the same would happen for Bonnie. Anytime that someone unexpected won, he was elated. It wasn't that he was rebellious against the Capitol. He loved the Capitol. He just was constantly rooting for the underdogs.

"Thank you. You look stunning as well." Bonnie complimented him back.

"Well, I know I look stunning!" He teased playfully with a wink at the audience. "But, I'm nothing compared to you!" He returned his attention to the young woman. "You are looking more and more like you belong in the Capitol every day." He paused. "Speaking of which, are you enjoying your stay in the Capitol?"

"It's taking some getting used to." She admitted, trying to not offend anyone. "It's very different from back home."

"Different how?" Caesar asked curiously.

'You have food and running water...' Bonnie didn't dare say that. She didn't want to make it sound like she was complaining about where she came from. She wasn't ashamed to be from District 11. She was proud of her home. She just wished that people in the Capitol would spread the wealth around a little bit. They had so much food that they couldn't eat it all if they tried, and after meals they drank a liquid that made them vomit the food back up so that they wouldn't gain weight. It was such a wasteful world they lived in.

"The main difference is probably all the different types of foods you guys have here." She said with a smile. "Some of them I'd never even heard of. That and how colorful everything is."

"We do LOVE our colors!" He sang, lifting his hands to display his crimson suit. Everyone in the audience started to cheer loudly when he mentioned them loving colors. Then, Caesar leant forward and stared into her beautiful green eyes. "What's your favorite type of food at the Capitol?" He held the microphone out to her so that she could answer.

Bonnie felt sort of selfish answering the question.

She knew that her mother and brothers and sisters were probably watching the interview.

"Oh come on, you have to have a favorite!" Caesar pressed when she didn't answer his question right away.

"I guess if I had to pick a favorite it would definitely be the doughnuts." Bonnie loved them. They were delicious. She had never tasted anything so good in her life, and that included the rare candy that she bought for Rue and herself. She was surprised by how many people cheered when she said her favorite food was doughnuts. She hadn't thought it was a big deal.

"And what's your favorite type of doughnut?"

"The ones with chocolate frosting and sprinkles." She said. 'This has nothing to do with the games. I really don't see how this is going to help me get sponsors... BUT AT LEAST we aren't talking about Damon or my sister...'

"Those are scrumptious, aren't they!?"

"Yeah they are." Bonnie nodded her head. "I just wish I could send some of them to my family. I know my little brothers and sisters would love them." She could imagine it now. Her little brothers and sisters with chocolate frosting smeared all over their hands and faces. She wondered how her mother was holding up. She hoped that she was taking care of them.

"Well, once you go out there and win the games, you can send your family all of the sweets their hearts could possibly desire!"

It was a nice thought.

Even if she couldn't be a part of their lives, she could take care of them from a distance. She could keep food on their table and money in their pockets.

"Speaking of your family." Caesar started. Bonnie's heart sunk when she heard the words. "I don't mean to bring up a sore subject, but it is on all of our minds. A year ago your little sister, Rue, was sitting in that very same chair telling us not to count her out. I was rooting for her and my heart broke when she didn't win the games." He sounded like he meant the words. "Do you think what happened to her has altered your view on the hunger games?"

"I think that I'm not as naive as some of the other tributes here." Bonnie told him. She had Damon in mind. He seemed so excited to be a part of the games, but they were nothing to be excited about. "I understand just how dangerous and devastating this experience is. It takes lives. It destroys families."

She clenched her jaw and forced back her tears as she thought about Rue's death again. She had replayed it in her head over and over for a year and she still couldn't move past it. She never would. Losing her had changed everything. She missed her every day.

"But, I really don't want to talk about my sister, Caesar..." She breathed out.

"Understandably." Caesar said with a glimmer of sorrow behind his eyes. Bonnie hadn't thought he was capable of feeling sorrow. He always seemed so excited and energetic. Within a second he was back to the same energetic man, as he said, "Let's talk about this handsome young man from District 1 who has his eye on you!" He moved even closer to her, "Tell me, was it love at first sight!? Or rather, lust at first sight?"

"I want to take this moment to clear the air and tell everyone that there is nothing going on between Damon and I."

"That's not what he says!" The host sang. "Let's take a look at this behind the scenes footage of Bonnie and Damon at the tribute welcome party!"

Bonnie's eyes widened and she snapped her head in the direction of the screen. 'What behind the scenes footage!? They were filming us!?'

'Damon took a step toward Bonnie and smirked down at her, a flirtatious glint in his beautiful blue eyes. "Jealous?" He asked.

"Not even close." She dismissed raising her chin.

"You look jealous."

"You're mistaking jealousy for frustration."

"Sexual frustration?" He waggled his brow at her. "I have a cure for that. Why don't you invite me back to your room?"

The video came to an end after that sentence and Bonnie couldn't believe the nerve that they had. They had made it look like she was jealous of another girl and then she invited him back to her room to make up for it. That wasn't even close to what really happened. They were taking the video out of context. The entire audience was "oohing" loudly.

"That didn't look like nothing to me!" Caesar exclaimed.

"That video was taken completely out of context." Bonnie insisted stubbornly. She didn't want people to think that she had slept with Damon. She didn't want him to have that satisfaction. 'You could always go through with Kol's plan...' "If you showed the rest of it, you would see that I turned him down. I'm not interested in Damon. I am actually already dating a guy who is here, and it isn't Damon."

"Oooh!" The host was loving the drama. He lived for it. "Who is it!?"

Everyone was sitting on the edge of their seats as they waited to find out who Bonnie was dating. This was the first time she had heard the entire audience completely silent. They were all watching her closely. Her heart was pounding painfully in her chest as she thought about what she was going to do. Now was her only chance to back out and be the better person. But, she just wanted to get back at Damon so badly. She wanted to show him a taste of his own medicine. She wanted him to be jealous.

"His name is Kol."

There was no turning back now.

"You mean, this strapping young lad from District 6?" As Caesar asked it, a picture of Kol showed up on the screen and everyone screamed and cheered. They were eating up the drama. It made for good television.

"Yes. That's him." Bonnie said with a twist of her lips.

"He is a handsome young fella." The host said with a playful grin. "A little bit on the rebellious side, but you know what they say? Girls always fall for the bad boys." He laughed loudly and the entire audience laughed along with him. "I think we are witnessing the start of a very interesting love-triangle in the games!" He turned to face the audience and waggled his brow suggestively at them.

"No, there is no love triangle." Bonnie stated sternly. "Kol and I only have eyes for each other." She felt so devious in that moment. She wasn't a liar. She never did wrong. She was always the good kid. "I promise you, Caesar. There is nothing going on between Damon and I. He just wishes there was."

"Ouch! That's gotta hurt!" Caroline said as she and Damon watched the interview from the other room. She smiled up at him and nudged his side with her shoulder, but he didn't smile. He didn't say anything sarcastic in response. His eyes were focused intently on the screen and his jaw was tight. "Guess we're gonna have to kill her the old fashioned way."

Still, he said nothing.

She continued to tease him. "I guess we can't rely on that "charm" of yours after all. It's a good thing I got a score of 12 huh?" She nudged his side again.

Caroline was sure that bringing up the score would get a reaction out of Damon. Every time she had teased him about it prior to the interviews, he had got upset. This time, it was as if he didn't hear her or he just didn't care. Her blue eyes filled with worry as she stared up at him. Something was wrong with her partner. Which wasn't good for her.

She needed him to be at his best for the games.

"Damon?" She asked, brows knit together in confusion. "I get that things didn't go according to plan, but it really isn't that big of a deal."

Damon couldn't hear a word that Caroline was saying. He couldn't hear anything, but the sound of his heart pumping blood through his veins. His muscles were tense and his brow was furrowed as he glared at the television screen. He was angry. He was upset that everyone thought he was a liar desperate for attention now. But, what was making him even more angry than that was the thought of Bonnie dating someone else. He didn't like the thought of her being intimate with another man.

His stomach was twisting violently into jealous knots and he didn't understand why he was so upset. He had never been a jealous person before. All he kept doing was repeating her words over and over again in his head.

"Kol and I only have eyes for each other." "There is nothing going on between Damon and I."

More than anything, Damon wanted to find Kol and tell him to back away from his girl. Deep down, he knew he had no right. He had never wanted a serious relationship with Bonnie and it wasn't fair of him to act this way. But, he felt like he had been finally getting close to Bonnie and now some other guy had swept in and took her away from him. 'Who the heck is this Kol guy anyways? He was nowhere to be found while I was flirting with her.'

"How could she say there is NOTHING between us?" Damon asked turning to look at his partner. "There is obviously SOMETHING between us."

"Hate to break it to ya buddy." Caroline said with a wide toothy grin as she patted his shoulder. "But, I think you might have made it all up in your head."

"Who even is this Kol guy?" He spat.

"Why are you letting this get to you so much?" She asked. Damon was acting like he actually had feelings for the girl. She knew that his ego was bruised but he needed to move on. "It isn't that big of a deal! You tried your "charms" on Bonnie and she turned you down. I say, more power to the girl. She's smarter than I expected her to be considering she comes from District 11. I suggest you just move on and let it go."

Damon's eyes landed on Bonnie the second she walked backstage. He zoomed in on her like an animal hunting it's prey and he started to move through the crowd toward her. He needed to talk to her about what happened. He couldn't believe she was dating someone else. Why wouldn't she have told him?

Caroline scoffed loudly when he ignored her and started to walk away.

Before he could reach her, a young man cut him off and smile brightly at her. He recognized him from the picture. It was Kol.

"You did a splendid job out there, sweetheart!" He said, leaning forward and placing a gentle kiss to Bonnie's cheek. A blush painted her skin when she felt the warmth of his lips against her cheek. She hadn't expected the contact. His lips hovered over her ear and he whispered hotly against it, "Play along. Lover-boy is watching us."

Realization covered her face as she heard his explanation for the sudden affectionate behavior. Damon was watching them. They had to act like they were dating.

'Gah! Did he have to be British!? Even I find that charming! Damn it!' Damon thought as he watched their interactions closely. He was still finding it difficult to believe that they were dating.

"Thanks, babe." Bonnie said in response. She felt weird calling a man who was practically a stranger babe, but she could see Damon visibly cringe when she said it and that caused her smile to stretch. Plus, it wasn't too hard to pretend that she was attracted to Kol. He was a very handsome young man and she did like him a lot. He reached out and placed a comforting hand on her back and then started to lead them away from Damon. As they walked past the young man from District 1, Bonnie was praying that he wouldn't say anything.

But, he was Damon. Of course he was going to say something.

Damon strut toward the "couple in love" with a devious smirk on his lips. He stepped in front of them and stared directly into Bonnie's green eyes. "Hey there, Bon-Bon." He raised his brow playfully as he used the nickname he knew she hated. "Aren't ya gonna introduce me to your new "boyfriend." I hear the two of you are going steady now." The way he said the word boyfriend made it sound like a joke. "Pretty weird considering I never saw the two of you together before now."

Bonnie looked like she was at a loss for words, but luckily Kol wasn't.

The British man tightened his grip around her small waist and he smirked at the other man. He was blatantly jealous. "The truth is, not that I think it's any concern of yours." He spit bitterly. "I wasn't sure that I wanted all of Panem to know we were involved. So, we were keeping our relationship on the down low."

Damon took a step toward the other man and stared angrily into his eyes. "Why. Don't. I. Believe. You?" His blue eyes widened.

"I don't bloody well care if you believe me or not, mate." Kol countered. "Come on, baby cakes." He grinned and started to walk past the District 1 tribute with Bonnie holding on to him.

Once they were out of Damon's sight, she glanced up at him and gave him a disgusted look. "Don't ever call me baby cakes again."

"Sweet cheeks it is." He grinned playfully and slapped her on the ass.

Bonnie glared at him and pulled herself away from him. She knew that Damon was nowhere near them now and they had no reason to continue being intimate. "Why did I agree to do this again?" She asked, only half-serious.

Marcel walked up to his partner with a confused look on his face. Last he knew, Bonnie had the hots for Damon and now she was apparently dating someone else. 'I can't seem to keep up!' He looked between the two of them for a second and then his eyes landed on his friend. "When were you planning on telling me that you had a boyfriend? This whole time I have been sitting on the sideline rooting for Bamon and-"

"-What's Bamon?" She asked with a furrow of her brow.

"That's what people in the Capitol are calling you and Damon." His lips twisted up into a smirk. "It's a mash-up of your names."

Bonnie groaned out in annoyance when she heard that people in the Capitol had given Damon and her a mash-up name. She was hoping that after she dispelled the rumors the fans would drop it. She was mistaken. People still wanted them to end up together. "We have a mash-up name now?"

"Yep." Marcel said. "Now, stop changing the subject and explain-"

"-He's my fake boyfriend. I wanted to get back at Damon."

"Oh."

"Pleased to meet ya, mate!" Kol said with a wide smirk, holding out his hand to greet Marcel.

'Gossip, Rumors, Blatant Lies.

Can't You See, We're On The Same Side?'

Author's Note :

Thank you all so much for all of your support! I am happy to hear that y'all are enjoying where this fic is headed! I am sorry to say, but a lot of characters will sadly end up dying in this fic. There is just no way around that. But, I will try and make sure y'all get lots of moments before then! And Bamon will not die! I'm sorry for such a short chapter, but it's kind of preparing for the next which is going to be a long chapter with lots of drunken jealous Damon making a fool of himself, Kennett, and some important Bamon moments!

How did y'all like this chapter!? Did you like that Bonnie told them all that she was dating Kol?! Did you enjoy their little moment and how jealous Damon got? Please do tell me what y'all think! Y'all keep me updating really fast! :))

Thank you so much for reading! I love you all!

-Tracy Cook-