It's like he knew that I am fragile
He handled me like glass
And knowing this I know that he'll get his
But I don't want the man to suffer
Not the way I am
'Cause deep down I know that he's glass too

-Gavin Degraw

Who knew that one piece of paper could have so much meaning and somehow have the power to thwart any sort of confidence I had in this situation. The last thing I wanted to do was be a let down and putting myself out there like this gave me every chance of making a huge mistake and not living up to my mother's expectations.

There were only four other names on the list so far but I knew by the end of the week there would be at the most eight names total. That was about the number of Founding Family's with teenage daughters.

With a shaky hand, I brought my pen up to the sign up sheet but I failed to make any movement in signing my name. I stared at the paper hanging up with what seemed like hundreds of other flyers for a few more seconds before my hand slowly fell back against my side. Without even having a chance to blink someone grabbed a hold of my hand and slammed it up against the bulletin board on the wall.

"You are going to sign this."

"I changed my mind," I said as I struggled to free my hand from Damon's strong grasp.

"You do not get to change your mind anymore. We have a deal."

"Fine, I'll sign it but you're going to have to let go." I stopped struggling and finally his iron tight grip let go of my hand. The moment he let me free I attempted to make my escape and made it only a foot away before his hands were wrapped around my hips and pulling me back towards the board.

"You're so predictable."

"Let me go!" I squirmed against him for a few seconds with zero luck before I gave up. I should have known the moment I struck a deal with him there was no going back.

"There is no possible way I'm letting you get out of this so you might as well just give up; your struggling is useless."

Grabbing the pen from my hand, while still holding me back, he signed my name for me and added his as the escort. I continued to frown at the paper and out of the corner of my eye I could see the proud smirk on his face.

"You can stop touching me now," I told him when I still felt hand holding me still.

"Why? Are you getting all tingly inside?"

"Not even the slightest." I shook him off me easily this time and made my way down the school hallway, heading towards the courtyard outside.

"Where are you going? We have plotting to do."

"Plotting? How about we make up some rules first?"

"I hate rules. In fact, I don't even know what they are and I already want to break them."

"Well Damon, if you really want my help you will follow my rules I have," I said while swinging the school doors open, not bothering to hold it for him behind me.

"Fine, but that goes for you too." I stopped dead in my tracks and spun around quickly to face him.

"Me? I'm doing you a favor; you don't get to make rules."

"No, no, no, this goes both ways. I'm doing you a favor too. Do you really think that I want to escort you to some pageant? That's not my style but I'm making sacrifices so you have to too."

"Two seconds ago I wanted to back out but you wouldn't let me!"

"You're the one who came up with this agreement; I was just making sure your cold feet didn't ruin everything."

"You drive me crazy," I mumbled while spinning on my heel and walking away from him. I could hear him following right on my trail but that didn't stop me from walking a little faster than normal.

"Rule number one: no more fighting," he said bedside me and before I could really process the thought, I burst out laughing. The concept was impossible. "Don't get me wrong, I like a good bantering partner but it's not going to help things."

"I will try your impossible rule even though it's bound to be broken but you must follow mine; no more flirting." I had already made up my mind way before I even came to school today that I was going to be optimistic when it came to Damon but he just knew how to get under my skin.

"I don't do it on purpose; it's in my nature!"

"And it's in my nature to rebuff anything that comes out of your mouth."

"Darling, you're about to break the fighting rule."

"Don't call me darling, that's part of the flirting rule. In my mind I've officially friendszoned you."

"Fine, the rules start now." We both glared at each other in frustration. This agreement was going to be harder than we thought. "And let's be honest, I'm so not in the friendzone."

"Rule number three?" I asked after taking a deep breath.

"We both put all effort into it, no matter what."

"Okay, deal." I put my hand out and he carefully shook it, looking at me suspiciously. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You're just so hot and cold, I can't get a read on you. I used to be able to know everything you were thinking now I can't even guess."

"It's a mistake to think you know anything about me anymore, Damon."

"So maybe this will change that."

"It seems highly unlikely," I said as I put my bag down on top of a picnic table and sat on top of it as Damon did the same. "So how am I exactly supposed to help you?"

"Today you should start talking around. I know you're friends with all the cheerleaders and she said she was one."

"What do you want me to say? I don't do well under pressure." I desperately tried to think up ways how I was going to fake this.

"She wasn't a huge fan of me. Just trash talk me and see who agrees. I'm pretty sure you'll be able to do that easily."

"This will be fun," I said with a smile.

"I'm sure you will have a ball."

"Why are you so in love with a girl that doesn't even like you?" I asked the question that has been burning in my brain. I didn't mean to make such an impact, it wasn't my intention. I probably made a mistake in hiding my identity because all it did was urge him on more.

"Oh wait a second; I did not say I was in love with her. I don't do love." A challenge: That's all this was to him. In his eyes I was probably some big prize to him like the one at carnivals; everyone wants one of those big stuff animals but we all know the moment it gets home it will go years without being touched and eventually thrown away.

"Then what is the point of all this?"

"Love is a useless emotion that only ends up hurting people. I promised myself long ago I would never fall in love but that doesn't mean I can't take interest in a girl."

Images of a thirteen year old Damon screaming at his mother from his front yard flashed through my head. Her suitcase was packed and she didn't flinch at the horrible names Damon was calling her as she continued to put her bags in the car and drive away without ever looking back on the family she left.

Clearly love wasn't associated with happiness in his mind.

"I'll go to the practice during lunch. I need to talk to Caroline and I'm sure she would be ecstatic if I came."

"Why don't you just get back on the squad?"

"I may have succumbed to the pageant but I don't think I'll ever be a cheerleader again."

"Don't you miss it?"

"I miss being good at something and being able to count on the fact that it was one thing I could do right. I don't miss the attention though and if you haven't noticed I'm not as cheerful as I used to be. I think it's just best to stop trying to be the person I once was."

"That's okay you know; to accept who you are now. It doesn't mean you've failed."

"Then why does it feel like that? I so badly want to be ecstatic about this pageant but I just can't."

"I think you just need to start laughing again."

"What?" I asked, taken off guard.

"What I mean is it would be a lot easier to enjoy life if you started laughing and smiling again, even if it's fake at first."

"You just have an answer to everything, don't you?"

"It's part of my charm."

"I don't know why any girl in their right mind would find you charming."

"I think you secretly do, you're just too stubborn to admit it."

"Yea well you continue to think that," I stood up the picnic table, grabbing my things.

"I'll see you after lunch then, so you can give me the details."

"Sure, whatever," I waived him off, turning my back on him, I finally freaked out. There was no way I was going to pull this off. I couldn't fake this. It was way too elaborate. I was going to mess up and all I keep doing is digging myself deeper and deeper into this hole of lies.

There was no going back now.

When lunch finally came around I made my way over to the football field. I was already dreading it and it didn't help that I could feel Damon's eyes on me from the moment I left the locker room.

I watched as the girls all were in sync with each other with a new cheer I had no idea how to do.

"There's no way I'm going to be able to do all this," I mumbled to myself.

"You're telling me, I can't get my leg that high in the air." I turned slightly to see the new girl Katherine watching them with a worried expression. "You're Elena right?"

"Yep."

"I thought you weren't on the team anymore."

"I'm not. Caroline is just always begging me to come help but I don't think there's anything I can really do for them now."

"Elena?" My attention was pulled away from Katherine to a shocked Caroline.

"Tell me my eyes are not deceiving me!"

"Don't get too excited Caroline," I told her as she skipped over to us. "I'm just here to help, even though I have no idea how I would be any help."

"Oh my god, Elena you are such a life saver! Someone needs to teach Katherine the old routines. Can you get her started?"

"Yea, I guess," I said while glancing at Katherine.

"Salvatore keeps staring at you," Katherine whispered in my ear when Caroline bounced away.

"Who?" I scanned the football field, even though I knew exactly how she was talking about.

"Damon. Every time I look in his direction he's staring you down." My eyes finally landed on Damon who was leaning on the stands with some of his friends. He urgently nodded towards Katherine and mouthed something I couldn't make out.

"I don't think it's me he's staring at. He's already told me he thinks you're hot."

"Well of course he thinks that," she said with a cocky smirk. "I met his brother today. God, they're both hot."

"I wouldn't tell Damon that. His ego is already the size of Russia."

We both began stretching but I couldn't stop letting my gaze flicker over to Damon. He was putting huge amounts of pressure on me.

"Would you ever… I don't know, date Damon?"

"Honey, I don't date; and if you asked me, neither does that boy. I've heard about his reputation. I'd defiantly hook up with him though."

"Huh," I mumbled thinking it over. Could I pass Katherine off as being me that night?

I glanced at her and watched as she bent her body in ways I could do only a few months ago. In that moment I decided he was never going to believe he found the girl from that night. There was something sacred about it to me and I wasn't going to let some girl like Katherine take it from me.

"Why? Are you trying to hook us up?"

"No, no, no, " I rushed out a little too fast as I bent down and touched my toes.

"I don't really think it's me he's into right now."

"Why would say that?" Even girls were into Katherine.

"Because it's not my ass he's checking out right now?"

I immediately shot straight up and turned towards Damon to catch him awkwardly glancing in the other direction. I burst into laughter just thinking about all the ways I could use that against him later.

It wasn't until my last class of the day that I finally was able to speak to Damon again. There was only a few minutes left of the class and I was about to pack up my things before I saw him quietly slipping through the open door, going undetected by Mrs. Morgan who was writing notes up on the board.

"What are you doing?" I whispered as he sat down in the empty desk besides me in the back.

"I couldn't wait anymore. Tell me, was it Katherine, is she the girl?"

"I don't think so."

"Why? I thought for sure it was her?"

"Really? Why?" How could he possibly mistake her for me!

"Because the she said she wasn't her." I gave him a confused look so he elaborated. "Obviously if she didn't want me knowing who she is, she's going to deny that it's her. Plus Katherine's hot. I mean really hot."

"Everyone thinks she's so hot," I said while rolling my eyes.

"Why are you complaining, you two could practically be sisters."

"Does that mean you think I'm hot?"

"I thought we already established that."

"Rule number two Damon."

"This is not flirting. Does someone need to give you the definition on flirting?"

"Would you talk to Stefan like this?"

"Stefan's not a hot female!" Without knowing it, we had caused most of the attention from the class to be put on us. I heard someone snicker slightly and we both slowly looked up to see most of the class turned towards our direction.

"Damon Salvatore, this is English for juniors, I think you're in the wrong class." Damon and I both jumped at the sound of Mrs. Morgan's voice. She was peering at us through her oversized glasses and did not look pleased.

"You're telling me this is not Calculus?" He slammed his hands down on the desk in pretend shock.

"Meet me at my locker after class," I whispered as he slid out of the desk and made his way to the front of the class.

"I should really pay more attention to rooms I go into," he shrugged towards Mrs. Morgan as he made his way to the door.

"Damon, you come back here!" She yelled after him as he slid out door. The whole class erupted into laughter as her voice cut off from the bell.

I quickly rushed into the group of people trying to leave the room at the same time so she couldn't get a hold of me either.

"Do you really have to make everything so dramatic?" I asked when I felt Damon's presence beside me as I walked down the hallway towards my locker.

"Yes. Now I was thinking you should come over and we should map it all out and figure our plan of attack."

"So I take it you're not so upset about Katherine not being the girl."

"I don't know if it's possible, but I think I can move on from Katherine."

"Whatever. Oh by the way, you're coming dress shopping with me. I haven't told anyone yet that I signed up for the pageant so you're just going to have to deal."

"Why do you do these things to me?" He whined when we reached my locker. "What this?"

"What's what?" I asked as I looked up from my lock to see Damon ripping a piece of paper off the locker.

"I watch you and I can barely take it. When you smile my heart stops and I don't know if I'll make it. If we were together it would be bliss. I love you so much, it's not something you can miss," he recited dramatically somehow keeping his face serious. I giggled a little but tried to hold back the laughter that was beginning to escape. "What the hell did I just read?"

"Is this some joke? Did you write this?"

"Do you really think, I could come up with something that creepy?'

"Let me see that?" I grabbed the paper out of his hand and read over the words he just spoke.

"I think you have a secret admirer."

"Who would do this? Are you sure it was on my locker?"

"Is that Donovan kid still obsessed with you?"

"He gave that up about a month ago," I answered slowly; surprised about how much he's actually noticed over the years when I thought I was invisible to him.

I read over the note again, still shocked over the fact it existed.

"You have a stalker," Damon said casually, bringing me out of my thoughts.

"Stop trying to freak me out. Someone put their heart into this poem, they didn't mean for it to come off so…okay so maybe it's a bit weird."

"Hey, Jeremy! Tell your sister she has a stalker," I turned in the direction Damon yelled to see Jeremy walking towards us.

"What's he talking about?" Jeremy asked while leaning against the lockers next to mine.

"Read this." Damon ripped the poem out of my hand and gave it him.

"Yea," he mumbled after a few seconds, "This is not normal."

"Give that back," I grabbed the note and stuffed it in my locker, hoping both of them would just let it go. For some reason I felt like I had to defend the letter. "You two are such men; clearly the guy who wrote this is has a soft heart and you two are just manipulating his words."

"It's a chick."

"Agreed," Damon said after Jeremy.

"Okay, we are done discussing this, you keep making it worse. Can you both just give me one thing to enjoy? I quite like the fact someone finds me interesting."

"This person is definitely delusional."

"Shut up, Jeremy!" I smacked the side of his arm as hard as I could and it suddenly dawned on me that this was the first time we've been able to talk to each other without fighting.

"So, since when do you two talk to each other again?"

"Damon and I are going dress shopping. I was thinking pink. What do you think Jeremy, will Damon look good in pink?" I laughed at my own joke while I received stunned looks from the both of them. "What? You guys act like I can't make a joke anymore."

"Why would you be going dress shopping with him?"

"Well um…Damon's going to be my escort for the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant."

For the first time in months, I finally saw my brother smile.

AN: Sorry it took a few weeks. Things are kind of hectic right now. Since its summer I'll be getting a little bit more free time to update more often. Tell me what you think and review!