What Lies Beneath

Chapter 5: Truth Hurts

Elena Gilbert's adorable face was scrunched into a frown as she pulled her coat tighter around her mid-section. She slumped in her wooden desk and sighed, yawning slowly into her open palm. Her big round eyes were focused on the blackboard but she wasn't exactly paying attention. It was hard to concentrate on dates and names when you were so cold. Or when your handsome boyfriend sat just across the aisle, smiling in your direction every so often. It was all she could do not to giggle out loud.

Returning his smile, she turned her gaze to her best friend and arched a brow. Bonnie sat staring out of the window, her long black curls framing her pretty face. She was nibbling furiously on her bottom lip, her fingers idly dragging back and forth over the material of her shiny black leather jacket. Since when did Bonnie own a shiny black leather jacket?

Wetting her lips, she leaned to the side and just hoped Alaric didn't bust her for talking during a lecture. "Bonnie? Are you okay?"

The other girl jerked at the sound of her whispered voice. "Yeah. Why?"

Elena shrugged. "No reason. Did you just buy that?"

She looked down to the jacket and fought off a smile. "Um…not really. It—I guess you could say it belongs to a friend."

"Ooh a guy friend?" The brunette teased. "It does look kinda too big for you."

She grinned, rolling her eyes playfully. "Maybe. But it's not what you think. In fact the only reason I'm wearing it is because the heat is on the fritz today."

"Uh huh. I'm beginning to think Caroline was right about you."

"What do you mean?"

"She said you have a secret lover."

"Heh, well I don't."

"It's okay if you do, Bonnie. I know that when you're comfortable, you'll introduce me to him."

"I don't have a secret lover or out in the open lover. I have no lover—period."

"Okay…"

"But let's say I did."

"You do!"

"Elena…"

"Alright, alright. Let's say you do. What are we saying about him?"

"Let's say I had a secret lover and—and—well it's about sex."

"You're having sex?"

"No. No, no, no."

"But you're thinking about it."

"No I'm not."

"Then why bring it up?"

Bonnie frowned; that was a very good question. In all honestly she was having some fleeting thoughts about sleeping with Damon. It was odd because he wasn't the type of person she ever saw herself with. And she knew if it weren't for the spell she wouldn't be concerning herself with him at all. She'd be avoiding him like a disease because of what he tried to do to her. But now that her thoughts and dreams often revolved around him, she realized she had to evaluate the part he was going to play in her life. There was no denying it anymore—she and him were stuck together for a very long while.

Forever if Emily was being truthful…and why wouldn't she be?

She really gets on my last nerve. First she possesses me and then she binds me to someone without my permission. What's next? Artificial insemination with baby Salvatore?

Getting back to the root of her thoughts however, she acknowledged that Damon wasn't going anywhere. Perhaps he even couldn't go anywhere, which wasn't fair to him either. Yes he put on a good front of being evil and yes within his core maybe it wasn't an act, but if Emily said there was a good man locked inside—probably chained to a wall screaming to be set free—she could believe her. While her descendant was crazy and controlling, she hadn't lied about anything. The only problem was that he had no plans to let that man out any time soon if ever. Though she didn't believe for a second he was happy being how he was.