Mundane

Chapter One: Status Quo

Mystic Falls 2003

"You can't leave! " Caroline was holding her arms around her stomach; squeezing hard; not wanting to let go.
"I don't want to." She stated to remind her friend it was not her choice.
"How are we supposed to live here without you?" Elena was standing next to her two best friends looking horribly sad.

Bonnie was close to crying even though she promised herself yesterday she would get through this day without shedding a tear. But Caroline's holding and Elena's pouting wasn't helping her in any way. She looked to her mother- standing by the car; talking to Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert and Sherriff Forbes. The three girls had known each other their whole life and were never apart longer than two weeks of summer vacation. But now, as her mother was about to divorce her father and had a new job in Oregon the three would have to figure out how to live apart.

Elena and Caroline had it easier because they still had each other but Bonnie was headed to a new town where she would be the new girl in class and had no one by her side to comfort her.
The girls had already made plans how they would stay in touch. Calling every day, visiting in the spring break and the advantage that Bonnie still had family in Mystic Falls that she needed to visit once in a while. They were certain they would stay friends. And that they one day would be reunited at college.

"Bonnie, darling! We need to hit the road." Bonnie heard her mother call.
She was looking at her and saw that she was hugging her own best friend, Elena's mother, tightly.
Bonnie opened her arms so Elena could join her embrace. The three girls said nothing just holding each other.

Then Bonnie felt Caroline's silent tears and she fought back her own. Bonnie's mother called once more and Bonnie knew it was really time to let go.

"I'll call you as soon as I'm in the new house- I promise." She was trying to get out of her friend's hug but they held on even tighter.
"Girls, Bonnie and Abby really need to get going or they will miss their flight." Mr. Gilbert came to them.
Only with reluctance they let go of Bonnie. Both of them had tears on their faces. Bonnie had to look somewhere else so she wouldn't join their friend in the contest of whose face could be wetter. She gave Elena and Caroline one last hug and rushed to the car. Her mom was already behind the wheel and giving the people waiting next to it a last smile.

"We'll see you guys." She said as Bonnie buckled herself up next to her mother. She started the engine and honked in farewell. Bonnie waved back at her friends and their parents until no one was to be seen anymore. She turned to the street and kept fighting her tears.

"I know honey. It's hard. But you can always visit here. The next holidays will come in no time, you will see. And in Portland you will find friends very fast."
Bonnie only nodded to her mother. She understood why they had to move but she was still sad. And she was afraid. Of the new town, the new people and the new school. She was a good student and had a lot of friends here in Mystic Falls but what if she wouldn't find any friends in Portland?

There was so much going on in her head. But she was strong. No tear would fall down her cheek. At least not today.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2010

"Stop it, this it really not the time." She was laughing into his neck.
"Why not? It is a good time as ever." He continued kissing her chin and neck.
Bonnie was enjoying his touch but she got slightly annoyed at him. How can he be so careless all the time?
"Please, I mean it. I really need to go."
He looked at her with played confusion. "Where would you need to be right now but here?"
He resumed his actions and Bonnie had to fight her way out of his embrace.
"Stop it, Jeremy. I have no time for this."

He moaned and loosened his grip on her a little bit so she could slip out of his embrace.
"Where exactly are you in such a rush to get to? It is 6 in the morning."
Bonnie threw a pillow at Jeremy's head.
"The airport, you dick! I'm going home today, remember?" She put her jeans on in a rush because she only had an hour now to be at the airport and her old car that she got from her grams to drive around in Mystic Falls would not be the fastest way to get there.

Jeremy let himself fall back into the sleeves.
"Ough, this is today? I thought you were leaving in three days?"
"See how good a listener you are. I told you two days ago that I had to reschedule my flight because of a group project I have to do in class that my group members are incapable of handling alone." She was a little angry at her boyfriend for forgetting this was their last few moment together in that year.
"Home! I thought your home was here in Mystic Falls."
"Well, my home is where my heart is." She smiled at him.

She had said goodbye to Caroline, Elena, her father and Grams yesterday evening but decided to spend the last night with Jeremy and head to the airport from there.

She was nearly completely dressed again when Jeremy tried to pull her back into bed.
"Don't go just yet. I had such a nice thing planned for your departure."
"I can't stay, Jer. I have to pass this assignment or I'll get an F at the end of the year."
He pouted but let go of her.

Bonnie stood up from the bed and slipped into her shoes. She grabbed her back and gave Jeremy a quick goodbye kiss. She secretly wished for him to accompany her to the airport but her boyfriend was almost asleep again.

"Bye, Jer. Come visit me soon, okay?"
"Hmm." Was all she got back from him. She gave him an annoyed look but he didn't see it since his eyes where closed again.

Bonnie went for the door and opened it. She looked back at her boyfriend and was sad again, like always when she left him. This long distance relationship was really hard on her.
He suddenly said "Call me when you're there?"
"Sure. I love you!"
"Hmm." He was back at his sleepy state and Bonnie was back at being angry at him for showing such little interest in her farewell. She knew from a few friends back in Portland that their boyfriends were completely different in that matter. Jeremy himself used to be different but over the course of their nearly two year long distance relationship his interest in her seemed to have lifted a bit.

Bonnie had thought about that a lot lately. She had missed Jeremy so much but she had the feeling that it was only one sided. Even though Elena always assured her he was madly in love with her and when she was with him she felt that too but it was when she wasn't in town that she got worried about their relationship.

He had never visited her in Portland before and he didn't call as often as she would like that. Of cause, he was still young but so was she and she knew what she wanted.

She was at her car now and starting the engine a second later. She felt so sad and wished she could have talked to Elena about it for a second but her oldest friend was still fast asleep and she didn't want to wake her up since she knew Elena had her own boy troubles at the moment. She and her longtime boyfriend Matt were at the crossroads of staying together or separating. So a good night sleep would be important for her.

Bonnie felt her eyes fill with tears but she fought them away. She had done that since the day she and her mother moved away from Mystic Falls and she would not start crying over some boy. She was turning right and took the freeway to the airport.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have to inform you that this flight is going to be delayed for an hour due to fuel issues. We will keep you informed and apologize for any inconvenience." The female voice stopped talking.

Bonnie sighed out loud- just like 90% of the other people sitting in the plane. Oh well, she could have spent a few more moments with Jeremy then, maybe talk about their relationship but no she had to leave for the airport in a rush only to sit in the plane and wait for the staff to fuel the damn thing. Great, this day started brilliantly already.

She looked outside the small window. She was sitting on the left side of the plane but not in the seat next to the window. The seat was still empty even though the official boarding time was already over. But maybe someone would still come and claim this seat due to the delay. On the right side of her was a business man already calling people to inform them of the delay.

She watched the people outside on the flight path talk to each other. No one was actually doing something to hurry things up. Bonnie was annoyed.

She pushed herself into her seat and closed her eyes. She was actually really sleepy because she spent half the night entertaining Jeremy. She decided now was as good as ever to start her little nap.

When she opened her eyes again the plane was already heading to the runway. Bonnie took a look at her watch and saw that one and a half hours had past. Egh, she could have been halfway in Portland by now. She let her face slide to the window and nearly let out a cry because she scared herself. In the seat, that was empty before her little slumber, sat a young man. Okay, maybe he wasn't a man just yet. It was a teenage boy. Maybe Bonnie's age or one year older. He was focusing on the magazine in his lap and doing the crosswords.

Bonnie suddenly recognized the boy.
She quickly looked away. Her sudden movement raised his attention though.

"Oh, good morning. Did you have a nice sleep?" He was smiling brightly at her. Bonnie couldn't exactly tell if he was being serious. And she didn't know how to react to him. She kind of knew him from her first day of school in Portland but until now she had never spoken a word with him. So instead of just saying something she chose door number two and just blankly stared at the guy.

He was tall; she knew that even though she couldn't see that right now because he was sitting. His hair was short and a dark brown, a darker brown than her own hair at the moment. In contrast to that his eyes were grey/blue. They were a highlight in his otherwise very pretty face and they were directed at her. She used to spend hours of dreaming about him talking to her because in her early teen years he had been her crush. But since Jeremy was in the picture she kind of had that daydreaming under control. Only once in a while she would look at him and sigh.

"Did you lose your voice?" He was eying her with growing discomposure.
"How did you get here?" Was the only thing she could think of after she finally found a way out of her trance.

He laughed at her. His laughter was bright and honest. She didn't remember ever hearing him laugh. She kind of thought he wasn't capable of that.

"I came to the airport with a cap. And then I walked the rest of the way right to this place." He said.
"That's not what I mean. How did you get to this place? I don't remember you being here before I fell asleep."
"Oh, right. I bought the last ticket for this flight, I was lucky the plane had delay. Then I saw you, asleep and I thought if such a young girl is so sleepy in the morning it can only be because of one reason and that is spending all her night doing something other than sleeping, so I figured I didn't have to wake you and kind of climbed over you to get to my seat."

Bonnie gave him an insecure look as he refocused his attention to his crosswords.
"Thanks, I guess." She finally said.
„Oh, how welcome you are Bonnie." He aswered her.
Bonnie gave him another look but this time it was amazement.

"You know my name?"
"Of cause I do, Bonnie. You know mine as well. We are in the same school, remember?"
„Right, I just never thought you ever recognized me… Kai."
He turned his body in her direction so that he was sitting on one leg and facing her completely.

"History; second lesson. You always try to sit in the back row. I don't know why because it doesn't safe you from being asked something; but hey your decision. And then there was math and chemistry last year. And even though you were really good at math you never said anything during the lesson not even when the Mr. Friggs asked you directly. I always wondered why that is!"

Bonnie's mouth was dropping. If it hadn't been attached to her head it would probably be on the floor right now. The details that Kai remembered about her were unbelievable. And here she had thought he never even noticed her. She also didn't know how he got these information, for he had been shining with absence from school from day one. He was known for just showing up to school whenever he felt like it. He was being late or leaving in the middle of the lesson, or more often didn't show up at all. The teachers had given up on talking sense into him, since A: his father was one of the school patrons and more importantly B: he was a super smart guy getting all the good grades without any effort. He was kind of a living legend at school, even though he was on no school team he had always been one of the popular kids.

Kai was staring at her like he needed an answer to a question he had raised. Bonnie shook her head a little to clear it.
"I'm sorry did you say something?"
"I asked you why you always play yourself down. You seem like a smart girl, you can do better!"

"I don't know how this is any of your business but I am not seeking the spotlight like you are. Let me ask you something in return: Why not show up for class and be a little more adult in the way to treat your education, smartass?" Bonnie was a little offended by his question and she was even more surprised by her reaction. She never lashed out on people like that and he didn't even say something offending. It was just the fact that he sounded like a concerned friend that knew Bonnie well, but he was nothing but a classmate. A stranger even.

Kai was letting out a mocking sound. He wasn't content with her answer, she could tell, but he was also the king of manipulation and casualness. The people in school always talked about him, even her friends were sometimes joining the gossip. Bonnie couldn't know what of the things roaming around the hallways were true but she knew from the classes they had together that that one fact was indeed true.

"Now who's being a smartass, Mom?" He was mocking her and smiling a bright smile that Bonnie wanted to wash off his face. She was glaring at him.

"What were you even doing in Virginia anyway?"
"Walking, talking, sightseeing. Who really cares?" he said almost bored. The way he always sounded in class. Like he never cared about anything that was happening around him. "What about you, little Miss Interrogation?"
"I was visiting my family and friends."
"Oh, right. You're an external! I forgot. So you're originally from Virginia?" He flipped into a random chatty voice. Bonnie wasn't sure she preferred it to his nonchalant one he just had used a second ago, because she feared the outcome of this conversation. One could never know with Kai Parker.

"Yes, I grew up in a small town named Mystic Falls. I go there as often as possible to see my friends, my dad, my grams…"
"Your boyfriend?" He interrupted.

"Yes!"

Bonnie blinked at him. She was surprised at how casually he sounded and she was more surprised that he so easily could make her talk. She usually wasn't sharing too much about herself, plus she had no intention to tell him anything personal. But now he knew that her father wasn't living with her and that she had a boyfriend. Shit, she had to pay more attention to what she was saying. Giving Kai Parker information about herself could come around and bite her in the ass one day.

Kai was looking at her for a few more seconds than his gaze went back to the crosswords on his lap. She was relieved since she thought she would be safe from his nosy questions but she was wrong.
Still filling out the crosswords he started talking again.

"So why not stay until the new year? Guess your boyfriend would be thrilled if you'd give him his fist kiss in the new year!" He didn't look up from his magazine which only underlined the arrogance that his voice traced of.

"That was the plan. I had to leave earlier because of a school project that the others can't handle on their own."
"Egh, really? That is your lame excuse? School? A group project? And he accepted that?"
"Yes, he did because he knows how important this is to me." Bonnie said annoyed. She thought back at the farewell she got this morning and hoped that Kai wouldn't detect her lie. She was starting to get annoyed by him. He was perfect at driving people mad and he had found a new victim in Bonnie, one that conveniently couldn't escape him for hours. He was probably going to enjoy this flight. Bonnie was the perfect victim, playing along reacting to all the buttons he pressed.

"I don't get it. How in the world could your project not wait until a few days? School isn't starting tomorrow. I bet you still have gazillion years to finish this."

"Well, I see why you wouldn't get it. You just don't get the concept of school at all. Because some of us actually have to work to get a good grade and can't rely on the universe to drop all the solutions into our lap without any effort or any attendance. You know what? I don't even know why I'm defending myself. It is my decision and non of your business."

Bonnie took a quick look to the left to find Kai watching her with somewhat interest in his eyes. That was a big deal for him since he always just looked bored or annoyed or just nonchalant. But his look confused Bonnie even more, so she looked away. Also because she felt uncomfortable about the way she kept lashing out on the guy.

Kai was laughing again and Bonnie had to take a look of that because he didn't stop. She still had the feeling that laughter wasn't within his capability so she had to check if her ears were playing a games with her. But her eyes saw what her ears had heard. Kai's body was facing Bonnie but he wasn't looking at her due to the fact that his eyes were closed. Bonnie had to hide a grin because his laughter was infectious. When he finally stopped laughing he was gasping for air and holding his stomach.

"Ah, BonBon I haven't had a good laugh in a while now. You are so entertaining." In one move he was tossing his magazine in the small back at the back of the seat in front of him and turning his body to face her again.

Bonnie wasn't thrilled with that because she read into his move that his attention was going to be completely stuck on her from now on. God, why couldn't she already be in Portland?

"So what was so funny?" She tried to sound casual but she still tried to hide the effect his laughter had had on her, so she sounded oddly like someone who was about to burst into tears.

Kai was eying her, trying to figure out what her voice was indicating. But he probably didn't care enough to bother about it because he quickly put on his relaxed face.
"You are just really refreshing. Has been a while since someone put up to me. Didn't know I needed that."

"You can be glad that the plane got delayed and you could get your ass kicked by me, then."
"Oh, I sure am." His smirk was bright and indicating danger. Bonnie couldn't look away. She had to admit that she understood her younger self for falling for this guy because he was really attractive.

His stare was so intense that she felt the heat rising in her cheeks. She was so glad for her darker skin color at the moment, because if she was lucky he wouldn't notice the light pink that was showing on it now. She didn't want him to know that anything related to him was causing any kind of reaction on her. He probably had enough girls falling for him already and she wasn't going to give him the impression that she was one of them.

But of cause the luck hadn't been on her side, just like always. The way that he slightly bent his head to the side told her that he did notice the small change, so she quickly looked away, trying to avoid his knowing eyes and the smirk that was mocking her.

" What's wrong, Bonster? Already out of ways to kick my ass?" His voice was laced with mockery and arrogance. Of cause he interpreted the situation all wrong.

She looked back at him as she realized her blush was fading.
"No, I'm just saving the best for the end. It is still a long flight and the school year is also still in progress so, be prepared Kai Parker. You'll never see me coming."

"Uuuuh, I guess I have to run to my Mommy now as fast as possible!" He was waving his hands in mock fear. Clearly he was unimpressed by Bonnie's statement. She had thought it was a rather brave and self-confident one that might have put him off her back a little, but she now saw that it wasn't as impressive as she made it out to be to him. It was probably impossible to make Kai Parker feel small even if you could catch him off guard.

Her face must have shown her frustration because he was letting out a short laugh and his face turned a little lighter.
"Nice try, Bonnie. Actually the best one in a while. But if you want to sound scary and convincing to someone like me, you have to put in just a little bit more effort. We are going to have to work on that from now on."

From now on? What was he trying to say? There would be no from now on. The moment they landed she was gonna storm out of the plane and drive home. She was going to leave this unpleasant meeting behind her and back in school she would become the invisible Bonnie Bennet again and he will be the same ignoring, arrogant smartass as he has always been. They will never share a single word again, just the way it has been for the last couple of years.

"Like that is ever going to happen?"
"Why would say that, Bon?"

The way he would give her nicknames bothered her. Like they were close enough for that.
"Well, because we're not friends. We actually never talked until now. I don't see that that is going to change soon." She explained a little skeptical.
"But now that I have talked to you I might not want to get back to our old habit of not talking. And I think neither do you. This conversation has been the most interesting I had in months. I am really interested to see if you can keep this up."

"Keep what up?"
"Catching my interest."
"And if I don't want to catch your interest or even talk to you one more time."

Kai wasn't answering instantly. He was eying her, something flashed over his face but Bonnie couldn't read him. Then he turned his whole body to face her again.
"Well if that is the case, then all you have to do is tell me." He suddenly leaned closer to Bonnie so that his mouth was nearly touching Bonnie's ear and he whispered "But you and I both know that that is not the case!"

Bonnie shivered as he was leaning back again. He was still watching her and Bonnie had to fight so hard to not look away so that he could see that she wasn't affected by him. Or was that even impossible for her right now? She couldn't stop staring at him. What he said sounded so cocky and way to self-confident, like he could do whatever he wanted with whoever he wanted. She didn't like that. But the closeness from just seconds ago had her all confused. This boy right next to her was the most entangled person she had ever met. Unreadable, arrogant, indifferent but also mysterious, charming even and of cause, Bonnie couldn't deny it, attractive as hell. She felt drawn to him, even against her better judgment.

"I'm not like those other girls you can just toy with the way that you please. I'm not like that. I won't follow you like a lost puppy and be shattered when you decide you're through with me."

His expression showed a lack of understanding, like what he just heard was completely misplaced with him or he didn't know what she was referring to. He was slowly shaking his head and a small and dangerous smile was building on his face that made Bonnie swallow.

"I thought you had a boyfriend. I'm not hitting on taken women."

He said it with such sincerity that Bonnie believed him and felt embarrassed for a second.

"Oh, Bonnie. I never imagined you to be anything like those dumb dolls that are running around our school hallways like they are some kind of queen. I would never treat you like I treat them. But don't be mistaken, if I want to keep you in my orbit there is little you can do to change that even if you wanted to."
He was turning away from her again. He grabbed his magazine and Bonnie took the chance to turn around herself and close her eyes, pretending to fall asleep again.

He had churned her up so much. She wasn't going to be able to sleep a single second but she needed the space to think this conversation through. What did he mean with all his allusions? Bonnie was sure she wouldn't get it but she still needed to do it. To get this conversation out of her system, to remember that she indeed had a boyfriend and had no business reacting like that to Kai. She needed to calm down; she needed to forget about Kai freaking Parker.

Author's note: Here it goes, my new fanfic. I have it all planned out and I am really excited to write this story. It will take a while for another update because I really want to do this story justice and invest a bit of work into it. And of cause I will not abandon my other fanfiction for this, so be patient everyone. I hope you like it and that you will stay tuned. I don't know if the following chapters are going to be this long, but I needed to get everything out there to give a basis. I tried to find a cut but then I decided to post the whole thing as the first chapter to give you an insight into the world I'm going to create. Sorry for any mistakes that were made, English is not my first language so I can only try my best. So thanks for reading. I'm excited for your feedback. Until next time, LiLaAir.