November [Bamon]

Chapter 3: Night Out

Bonnie let out a deep breath as she stood in line with Elena. She could feel Elena's penetrating glare as she kept her eyes trained on her black ankle boots.

"I can't believe you wore that, Bon."

Bonnie's dark grey jeans, black zip up tank top, and black ankle boots hadn't gone unnoticed by Elena, who flaunted around as the complete opposite of Bonnie in a blood red dress that hugged her curves, and black, sky-high stiletto red-bottom heels.

"Believe it, Elena." Bonnie mumbled tiredly as the line moved forward. Unlike Elena, or even Caroline, Bonnie didn't have money to blow. She would've used her lack of a wardrobe as an excuse not to go out tonight, but Bonnie knew she would've ended up in some horrific outfit Caroline or Elena had envisioned her in.

Not that her best friends' fashion choices weren't good, they just weren't Bonnie.

The girls finally made it to the door where Matt Donovan was poised on its frame. He immediately nodded his head at Elena and Bonnie as a signal for them to go ahead. As Elena passed him, Matt gently stopped Bonnie with his hand on her forearm.

"You okay, Bon?" Matt smiled genuinely at Bonnie as he asked her this. Out of everyone that she knew, Matt was the only one that seemed to understand, or at least he tried to. Due to his own negligence as a new, sixteen-year-old driver, Matt knew what the absence of a real mother felt like.

Matt had found Bonnie crying in her car outside of Josette's on a particularly stormy afternoon, and the pair immediately became fast friends.

But every time Matt saw Bonnie, he knew he wanted to be more than that.

He had only known her for six months, but there was no doubt in his mind that he was in love with Bonnie Bennett. One day he would make his move and ask her out on a simple date. He would stop trying to use the excuse that all his money was being used to take care of his younger sister, Vickie. She had graduated high school a year ago and was recently engaged to a doctor in New York. Matt now had the money, and the time, to wine and dine Bonnie like she rightfully deserved.

"I think you already know the answer to that." Bonnie gave Matt a smile that didn't reach her eyes. Matt knew what today was. He couldn't possibly ask her out right now. Instead, he sadly nodded at her, and said no more as she silently walked into the club.

Bonnie's eyes immediately scoured the scene before her and, noticing Elena talking to a man with a strong jaw line, she let her eyes continue on to find Caroline at the bar. Caroline looked up, and as soon as she saw Bonnie, she waved her over.

"Hey, Bonnie. If I had known tonight was going to be so slow, I would've chosen a different night for you and Elena to hang around." Caroline casually made a comment to make sure bonnie knew this night wasn't chosen on purpose.

Even if it was.

Bonnie tried to keep her eyes from widening with surprise. If this was the slow crowd, she would have hated to have seen when it was actually packed.

"This crowd is more than enough for me, Care. I'm probably going to stay about twenty more minutes then head--"

"Bonnie Bennett! You will do no such thing. When I said you were hanging out at the club tonight, I meant actually hanging out. Not just dropping by."

Bonnie noticed Caroline dig out a mug from under her station and begin to throw together an orange cream soda.

"I have to work tomorrow afternoon and probably should be heading to bed right now to get my full eight hours of rest. You know how I get when I'm sleepy."