Disclaimer: I do not own these The Vampire Diaries or these characters. They belong to The CW. This is intended for entertainment purposes only.

Part 1

*The First Love*

Chapter 1 - New Guy

It was the first day of school. Nervous freshmen and lackadaisical seniors bustled through the halls of Mystic Falls High. Among them were juniors Bonnie Bennett and her best friend, Elena Gilbert, navigating their way through the throng of students. Just as she had the year before, Bonnie complained of the lack of 'male real estate', i.e. hot guys, and shaded their classmates as they people watched before coming upon Bonnie's locker.

"Find a man, coin a phrase, it's a busy year," Bonnie quipped as she opened her locker, just before they were ambushed by their always bubbly, forever excitable friend, Caroline Forbes. Bonnie had known Caroline as long as she'd known Elena, and although she would consider Elena her closest friend and confidante, Caroline was a pretty big part of both their lives as well. After multiple hugs and greetings were exchanged, Caroline bustled off to her own locker and Elena and Bonnie set back off down the hall to find Elena's.

As they passed the main office, where a young man was standing and speaking with the receptionist, both girls froze in their tracks. "Wait, who's this?" Bonnie questioned, taking in the new merchandise.

"All I see is back," was Elena's response.

"That's a hot back," Bonnie said, seriously, and Elena chuckled and nodded in agreement. Bonnie intently observed him. He wasn't quite 6'0 but had the presence of someone much taller, he wore a black leather jacket, blue jeans, and a pair of shades that hinted that he possessed wealth and good fashion sense. His caramel hair was so perfect there was no way it didn't take time or a professional to achieve the look. She couldn't see his face but his aura was enough to tell her he had never graced the halls of Mystic Falls High before. She would've remembered that back.

"Well, the only man who's hot back I need to be concerned about is my boyfriend's." Just as Elena said this she locked eyes with Matt Donovan, who was by the boys bathroom talking to his friend and fellow football player, Aaron Teller. "Speaking of my man...I'll catch up with you in a minute, Bon."

"Yeah." Bonnie was barely listening and didn't move her eyes from the new guy's body as her best friend left her side. "Please be hot, please be hot..." She whispered to herself. A few seconds later, he turned and headed her way. Her suspicions were confirmed. He wasn't just hot, he was blazing. He breezed right past Bonnie, his gait more of a confident swagger, and she caught a whiff of his cologne. She instinctively started to trail behind him, just as every other girl in the hall turned toward him as well, including Caroline, who looked like a snack had just fallen into her lap. Bonnie knew the school's entire female population, and some of the male, were going to appreciate this new addition.

His name was Stefan Salvatore, and he tended to stare. Not at Bonnie, not any of the other girls who were craving his attention. He'd zeroed in on the beautiful Elena Gilbert because of course he did. Guys usually went for Elena first, and it always drove Caroline crazy. Caroline had noticed Stefan checking Elena out and reported it to Bonnie in an unenthusiastic tone. Bonnie had History with Stefan, Elena, and Matt, and she noticed him gazing at her. It wasn't leering, but a look of pure interest.

Bonnie slunk down low in her chair, in an attempt to hide herself from the teacher's line of vision, pulled out her phone and shot Elena a text. 'HAWT-E staring at U'. Elena smiled at Bonnie, and despite herself snuck a look at Stefan who gave her a soft smile. Matt caught the exchange and glared.

At the end of class, Matt got up, slung his arm around Elena possessively, and steered her to the door. He threw a look back at Stefan, who smiled to himself but appeared unperturbed. Bonnie couldn't help but appreciate Matt's inability to intimidate him. By the end of the day Caroline had yapped Bonnie and Elena's ears off about the new hottie, and all the information she'd managed to get on him. Her frustration about not being able to get his attention was evident.

Two more days passed and Stefan had managed to gain quite the status at Mystic Falls High, despite little to no effort on his part. He rode to school in his fancy, red convertible, wore designer shades that cost more than most people's mortgages, clothes that showcased his athletic physique, he walked the halls with a swagger, had a maturity most high school boys lacked, and had the audacity to be intelligent on top of everything. He knew the answer to every question that was asked of him in class. He kept to himself, didn't say much to anyone, and disappeared around lunchtime. He seemingly had no interest in anyone...except Elena.

Elena was at Bonnie's locker chatting with her about their plans for that night. After deciding on a group meet-up at the Mystic Grill, Elena turned to go. Stefan was walking by at the same moment she started away and they bumped shoulders.

"Sorry."

"I'm so sorry!"

They had spoken at the same time. A lingering look passed between them before Elena turned on her heel and continued on. Stefan hadn't moved yet, watching her go. Bonnie watched him a moment before speaking up. "Staring won't get you anywhere." He turned toward her voice.

"Excuse me?"

"The staring thing got old five days ago," Bonnie sniped. "If you want to talk to her, you have to open your mouth and speak words to her."

Stefan was now staring at her, as if seeing her for the first time. Then he chuckled. "I guess you're right," he said with a nod. "I appreciate your honesty..."

"Bonnie," she finished for him, holding out her hand.

"That's right, Bennett," he confirmed as he took her hand and gave it a firm shake. "We have History and Chemistry together." Bonnie was surprised by this. She didn't think he'd noticed her existence until now. He was more aware than he let on. "Well, the thing is, Bonnie..." she smiled at the way he said her name. "I don't go after girls in relationships. I don't want to be the cause of anyone getting hurt, especially myself."

"That's a sweet notion, but it's obvious you have a crush on her."

He chuckled again. "She's a pretty girl and I noticed, that's all. It's innocent, I swear."

"Is it really?"

Stefan observed her intently for a moment, seeming to study every single feature on her heart-shaped face. "You have incredible eyes, Bonnie. Do you know that?" The compliment was sudden and unexpected, and Bonnie felt her cheeks burn. She was thankful her mocha complexion didn't betray the fact that she was blushing.

"You can't look at me like that after you were just checking out my best friend."

"I guess it's my fault," he said. "I should've opened my eyes to what was right in front of me sooner." He started walking again, leaning in close to Bonnie as he passed her. "But it's innocent, I swear." Then he was gone. His proximity had sent Bonnie's butterflies into overdrive. Oh no, she thought to herself. She could not be developing a crush on the guy who was crushing on her best friend. She couldn't...

A/N: Yep, there was some good ol' Pilot episode throwbacks this chapter but the story is going in a different direction than the show ever went, and I hope you're going to stick around for the ride. (And before you ask, yes Damon is in this story. Of course he is.) Every review is appreciated! Thanks for reading.