What Lies Beneath

Chapter 21: Watch Her Burn

Bonnie Bennett leaned back against the large flatbed of a truck, watching as all of her classmates did their part to help out with the annual Mystic Falls carnival. It was so interesting how people were able to push aside all of the tragedy that they'd faced lately and still manage to enjoy themselves with trivial things such as sports games and festivals. But she assumed that if one didn't find the fun they would just end up going insane. That or humans had an uncanny ability to use their blinders when the situation called for it.

Sighing, she pulled at the strap of her blouse and tried not to frown. Her mind was in complete disarray and she was not sure she would be able to focus on any of the tasks Elena had given her. All she could think about was Damon Salvatore. Damon, Damon, Damon—the name singed her tongue like hot ashes in her mouth. Meeting him had been both a blessing and a curse, and she was definitely getting more of the latter as of late.

It's hard to think of it as anything else when the bad is still racking up.

Their talk had happened in his car because she figured there would be yelling and she hadn't want to disturb her father. She'd been right of course. She and Damon literally aired all of the dirty laundry that he had not wanted to tell her. His feelings for Elena and his left over feelings and confusion for Katherine, not to mention the way he felt about her and what he would have done if Elena had kissed him back. Her anger spilled over so suddenly and so strongly at his words that all of the street lights rained glass onto the ground after exploding. At that moment all she wanted to do was set him on fire and never look back.

But she didn't. Because God help her she still cared about him and even felt sorry for him in some odd way. However it didn't negate all of the terrible things he'd said to her. Sure he'd been angry but she couldn't help but wonder if that is how he felt deep down. If their entire relationship was nothing more than a game to him; a distraction until he managed to win the trueobject of his affections.

And then he'd said something to her that would probably haunt her until the day she died.

"Do you love her? Elena?"

"Probably in one way or another."

"Explains a lot… Certainty explains why you wanted to kiss her. Why you'd do anything for her."

"That doesn't mean I don't…love you too. Of course I do. I've saved your life several times, I stopped feeding on people and I stopped sleeping with people—for you. When Katherine wasn't in that tomb I was convinced I had nothing to live for. No one that would give a damn about me the way she had. And then there was you."

"And yet you continued to bullshit me."

"Well…I'm not a very good guy most of the time and the last thing I wanted was love after that fucken disaster. But you think I don't know how people see me? That they despise me? Most of the time I could give a rat's ass about anyone other than myself, but I fully understand that you and Stefan are the only two people who care whether I live or die."

At least he'd been honest.

She felt stupid because she liked being that person for him. She liked being one of the only two people able to pull him back from the brink of insanity. But at this point she was wondering what she was getting out of the deal besides a serious case of the blues. Damon wasn't able to articulate how he felt unless he was angry or upset, and then he was acting out like a spoiled child who didn't get the toy he wanted. She understood that Katherine was able to yank his strings unlike anyone else in the entire world. She understood that Katherine was his kryptonite and that he had unresolved feelings for her. What she didn't get is how he was able to forget her so quickly in the process.