Chapter Two – A Possible Solution
Elena was having a bad week. She had been asked to stay after History class, only to find out that she was almost failing. The teacher had drawn Elena's attention to her grade because she was doing so well in all her other classes. The discrepancy was incredibly noticeable. Elena knew History was her worst subject, but she had no idea that she was nearly failing.
Though come to think of it, she had done rather miserably on the most of the tests.
It didn't help matters for Elena that Matt was in her History class and sat next to her. They had been dating when the class started, and now they were stuck in those seats, thanks to the History teacher's preference of assigned seating. Elena admitted, only to herself, that now she spent most of that class thinking of ways to make him not hate her anymore. (She was failing in that subject even more so than she was failing History.)
What a week! The only bright spots had been hanging out with her friends and meeting Damon.
But those two bright spots sort of conflicted. Elena knew she couldn't do much more than flirt with Damon until Caroline got a date. And as much fun as it was to flirt with him, Elena wanted to go out with him. But the odds of Caroline going on a date were minimal; she seemed to really enjoy being single: she was more focused on her school work, the dance committee, and cheerleading, not the mention the other committees Caroline belonged to. (Those three named were the ones that ranked most-important at the current moment.)
In fact, if Caroline hadn't already loaded so much onto herself, Elena would have asked for her help in History. Caroline would have agreed to help her friend out — she still, now, would agree to help — but between the prom, cheerleading, and doing her own school work, Elena knew Caroline didn't have a whole lot of time for much else. And besides, Elena wanted her time with Caroline to just be about hanging out and having a good time — she didn't want that time to be about studying or school work.
That's why Elena found herself sitting in the library on Thursday afternoon, after school had ended for the day, waiting for her school-assigned tutor.
"Hi," her tutor said as he sat down. "Sorry I'm late. I got turned around on the way here and I think I ended up taking the long way."
Elena smiled when she recognized him. "Oh, hello again. You're my tutor?"
"I am."
"I'm Elena."
"Oh, I know that; your name is on the tutoring information they gave me." He brought attention to the folder he was carrying by waving it slightly. Elena nodded.
His comment was followed by an awkward silence. "Sorry, I don't know your name." Elena blushed, embarrassed by her rudeness.
"Stefan."
"Stefan, right. Hi. Nice to officially meet you. Though we did sort of meet the other day after school."
"Right," Stefan said, trying to act like he hadn't remembered that moment.
"Now I have to warn you," Elena prefaced. "I am terrible at History."
"Well, I am quite good at it, so I guess that's why I'm here." He set down the books he was carrying onto the table top and settled into his seat.
"The school assigned the new kid to be a tutor?"
"I've had great History grades throughout school; I guess they noticed that on my transcript."
"How can anyone be good at History?" Elena asked with a groan.
He shrugged. "I've always found it easy to remember dates."
"Lucky you. I sure can't. They all kind of jumble together for me."
They spent the next hour together, going over the most recently-covered chapter from the textbook.
Elena tried to concentrate on what Stefan was explaining to her, and she really did try to pay attention when he showed her some tricks for memorizing important dates and events, but she was constantly sidetracked from her studies by thinking about who Stefan's brother was.
Elena would be lying if she didn't admit that she liked Damon. A lot. And she was pretty sure he liked her too. He found her before and after school, and at lunch, on Wednesday.
So she had been avoiding him all day Thursday. She couldn't risk this going any further and having to turn him down because of her deal with Caroline.
But Elena knew she wouldn't get anywhere with her History work if she didn't get the Damon thing off her mind right now.
"I know I shouldn't, since you're already attempting to help improve my History grade, but can I ask you for another favour?"
"Of course."
"Can you not tell your brother that you've seen me today? I'm been avoiding him for most of the day."
"Trouble in paradise?" Stefan asked with a smile.
"Not exactly. It's not what you think."
"Then explain it."
"I think he wants to ask me out. But I can't say 'yes,' despite how much I want to, so I've been dodging him."
"Why can't you say yes? Are you dating someone else?"
Elena laughed. "No. I almost wish that was my problem. No. I kind of made a deal with one of my best friends that we wouldn't date until graduation."
Her answer shocked him. "Wow."
"Yea. And if one of us breaks that deal, we'd ruin our friendship."
Stefan laughed. He couldn't help it. "That seems rather drastic."
Elena nodded.
"Why would you swear off dating?"
"We didn't swear it off; not exactly. We can date, when the other one does."
Stefan could easily see an answer to Elena's 'problem.' "So find a date for her so you can stop avoiding my brother."
Elena shook her head. "It's not that simple. Caroline has some… rather high maintenance moments, sometimes. And most people around here know it. Plus, she had a bad, sort-of public breakup with her last boyfriend. No one is going to willingly walk into a situation like that."
"Someone might," he offered. "It would be like extreme dating."
"I can't think of one person who would go out with her. And I've known almost everyone here my entire life." Elena paused, and then her face lit up when the idea struck her. "Unless someone new to town were to take an interest in Caroline," she hinted.
Stefan chuckled nervously. "Uh, no. I wouldn't know how to even begin to deal with someone described as 'high maintenance.' " He looked down at the History textbook for a moment, hoping to diffuse the potentially awkward tension — he had just rejected and potentially offended her best friend. To ease some of the tension, he spoke again, offering an alternate solution. "Maybe that's your problem. Maybe you are too close. It might take a newbie outsider to find her a date."
"I hate talking about Caroline behind her back like this, but I really like your brother. Do you think you could find someone to date her? Do you think you could find someone that extreme?"
"I can certainly try."
"Why are you being so nice to me?"
Stefan shrugged. "You seem nice, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't notice the way my brother's face lights up around you. He deserves to be happy, and if you are what makes him happy, I'm glad to offer any help on the matter that I can. He wasn't too thrilled at the prospect of moving here, but I think with your help, this town might just grow on him."
Elena couldn't stop the smile that resulted from Stefan's words, even if she had wanted to. But, of course, she didn't. She liked the idea that she could change Damon's opinion of Mystic Falls.
Friday morning found Stefan sitting at a lab table at the back of the science classroom. He was sitting next to Matt and they were speaking with each other whenever the teacher turned around to write on the board.
"So I guess the dumb jock stereotype doesn't apply to you regarding science classes." Stefan was referring to the fact that they were in the Honours Biology class.
Matt shrugged. "I like Biology. What can I say?" They were quite for a few moments, listening to the teacher speak. But at the first opportunity, Matt spoke to Stefan again. "You really said you'd help find someone to date Caroline Forbes?"
Stefan had related his conversation with Elena to Matt that morning; he wasn't sure if he should, considering it was still very obviously awkward between Matt and Elena, and Stefan was trying to make it possible for Elena to date his brother, but Stefan didn't have anyone else to talk to. And Matt knew everyone; he might be helpful with this, too.
"All Elena said was Caroline. I don't even know who she is."
Matt subtly pulled his phone out of his pocket and placed it down on the tabletop between him and Stefan. Stefan kept watch on the teacher as Matt searched for a photo on his phone. He hadn't removed the ones from when he and Elena had dated; she often used his phone to take pictures when they hung out with their friends. He found a picture of him, Elena, Bonnie, and Caroline, and pushed his phone closer to Stefan.
"The blonde," Matt told Stefan in a whisper.
Stefan examined the blonde in the picture. She was radiant. "Shouldn't be a difficult to find someone who wants to go out with her."
Matt shook his head.
"Elena did say something about 'high maintenance.' "
Matt chuckled under his breath. "Understatement, man."
Stefan let out a frustrated sigh; maybe this was a mistake. He should have looked into the girl more before he promised to find a date for her.
As he contemplated the taste of the foot he now had in his mouth, he looked around the classroom. He looked past Matt and his eye caught the guy sitting in the other back corner of the classroom.
"What about him?" The guy in question was sitting alone at the lab table. He appeared to be intensely focused on taking notes, but as Stefan watched a little longer, he realized the guy's pencil wasn't writing; he was sketching. He was so absorbed in his drawing that Stefan could tell, even from across the width of the classroom, that this guy was not simply doodling, but actually drawing.
Matt followed Stefan eye line, saw who he was looking at, and turned back to Stefan. "No way, man."
"Why not?"
"I'll explain later," Matt said in a harsh whisper.
Stefan only had to wait a few moments before the teacher finished teaching and gave them time to work on their homework questions.
"Why not him?" Stefan asked, looking past Matt at the guy in question again.
"Stop staring at him. He'd never go out with Caroline. More importantly, Caroline would never go out with him."
"How do you know?"
"Because that is Klaus Mikaleson. He's a criminal; he just did a year for setting fire to a state trooper. He's certainly tough; he'd fight anyone at this school. I've heard he spends time out at the old quarry, lighting stuff on fire."
Stefan raised an eyebrow, skeptically. "They let felons enrol in the Honours Biology class?"
Matt gave him a look. "I'm serious, Stefan. The guy is psychotic. He's seriously wacked. He sold his own liver on the black market so he could buy new speakers."
"He sounds like the kind of guy who could handle a difficult woman."
" 'Difficult'?" Matt scoffed and went to brush off Stefan's suggestion, but then he thought about that. "You know, you might be right. I never would have considered him as a date for Caroline."
"Now all we have to go is talk to him."
Matt gestured to Stefan. "I'll let you handle that."
At lunch that same day, Matt and Stefan walked into the cafeteria. Matt led Stefan over to the jock table.
Matt's proposal was to bring Tyler in on the plan. Matt knew Tyler had very recently developed an eye for Elena — recent as in since Matt and Elena had broken up. He didn't think Tyler stood a chance with Elena — Matt was pretty sure that she would never go out with Tyler — but he never said anything about it to Tyler; he selfishly liked the idea of Elena turning down his all-star friend.
But Tyler also represented an interesting issue. He wasn't a conflict of interest, per say, but he was Caroline's ex. Was it wrong that Matt thought to involve Tyler in the plan to get a date for Tyler's ex-girlfriend? Tyler was wanting to sleep with his ex's best friend, who also happened to be the ex of one of Tyler's friends.
Talk about a complicated situation.
Matt didn't know much about Klaus — only what he'd heard around school and town, actually — but he doubted that Klaus could be easily persuaded into asking someone out. Klaus would need to benefit from this in some way, and what motivated a teenager more than money? Klaus's family was large and not too well-off, so it seemed logical that he would go for some extra cash.
And Matt wanted to help Stefan out. He couldn't imagine how annoying it would be to be a new person in a small town. Or the new kid in school.
Matt sat down at the table right next to Tyler and Stefan sat down in the seat directly across from him.
"Hey man," Tyler greeted Matt. "What's he doing here?" He asked Matt as he eyed Stefan suspiciously.
"I thought I'd introduce you two."
"Hey," Stefan said, extending his hand to Tyler, who promptly ignored it.
"Why? Is he lost?" Tyler asked.
Stefan was getting annoyed that Tyler was speaking to him about as if he weren't sitting right there.
"Nope," Stefan answered, forcing Tyler to look at him again. "I just came by to chat."
"We don't chat," Tyler responded as he gestured with his hands to shoo Stefan away.
Stefan did not appreciate Tyler's attitude. So instead of leaving, he leaned forward in his seat and the narrowness of the cafeteria table allowed him to invade Tyler's personal space, much to Tyler's annoyance. "Actually, I thought I'd run an idea by you. You know, just to see if you're interested."
Tyler shook his head. "I'm not."
"Hear him out," Matt suggested.
"It involves Elena Gilbert," Stefan said. "You're interested in her, aren't you?"
Tyler didn't respond, but his expression gave away his interest. Yea, he was interested in Elena. She was the next logical step in his goal to conquer every decent-looking girl in school.
"We know about the agreement between Caroline and Elena, regarding dating."
"Meaning you can't have anything with Elena until Caroline gets a date," Matt clarified.
Tyler knew about that particular agreement. It angered him. His stupid ex was doing everything in her power to piss him off. "Does this conversation have a purpose? Or are you just stating the facts of my current situation?"
"We've figured out a plan for you," Matt explained. "Well, actually, Stefan has come up with the plan."
"It's simple," Stefan said, picking up where Matt left off. "What you need to do is recruit a guy who'll go out with Caroline. Find someone who's up for that job, and you'll be free to go after Elena."
Matt clenched his jaw when Stefan said 'go after Elena,' as if she were a prize to be won or a possession to be claimed. But he remained silent; he knew that Stefan was just saying what Tyler wanted to hear.
Tyler was skeptical, but he noticed the specific tone of Stefan's voice. "You say 'someone' like you already know who could fill that role."
Stefan looked around the cafeteria and stopped Klaus sitting alone at a table. Stefan turned back to Tyler and pointed to Klaus.
"That guy?" Tyler seemed doubtful. "I heard he was a roadie for Marilyn Manson."
"Exactly," Stefan simply said.
Tyler narrowed his gaze at Tyler. "What's in it for you?"
Stefan shrugged. "Not much. I just want a little recognition: when I'm walking down the hallway and I say 'hello' to you, I want you to say 'hello' to me."
Tyler gave a reluctant nod. "I get it; you become cool by association."
Stefan nodded back. "At my old school, I was rather less-than cool." But things would be different at this school; he had told himself that when he found out he was moving, and now he was trying to ensure that it would definitely be different. No more being pushed around, no more name-calling, no more being forced to do someone else's homework or assignments. He was taking control of his own social fate now.
"That doesn't surprise me, dude," Tyler said with an amused smirk.
Stefan ignored his comment. "Do we have a deal?"
Tyler thought about it. Sure, he didn't want to pay Mikaelson; any interaction he ever had with Klaus had been full of loathing. But he wanted to have sex with Elena. She was the target for his next conquest, and Tyler always got what he wanted eventually. But with Caroline's stupid deal in place, what other option did he have than to follow this plan and include Matt, this new idiot, and now Mikaelson. "Yea, fine. Whatever. Now leave me." Tyler ordered them away.
Stefan promptly stood and began walking away; he was going to lose his temper if he spent much more time around Tyler Lockwood.
As he exited the cafeteria through the main doors, Matt caught up with him.
"Are you sure that we should get that guy involved?" Stefan asked as they walked down the hallway.
"We didn't have much choice, man. Neither one of us comes from great wealth. How else could we get Klaus Mikaelson to agree to this?"
Stefan could see Matt's point.
"Besides," Matt continued, "When you let the enemy think he's orchestrating the battle, you're in a position of power. We let him pretend he's calling the shots, and while he's busy making plans and setting things in motion, your brother has the free path and time to spend with and date Elena."
"That is a smart plan. You really defy the dumb joke thing, Matt."
He chuckled at that. "Only sometimes."
After Klaus finished eating, he spent the remainder of his lunch period in the guidance counselor's office.
She began speaking while she was still looking at the chart in her hands. "You haven't done anything too idiotic this week. Very out of character, Klaus." She raised her eyes from the chart and she wore a mocking expression. "Are you not feeling well?"
Klaus pursed his lips and tilted his head in thought. "I do believe I have a touch of the flu."
"I'm afraid I'm at a bit of a loss, then." She set the chart down on her lap and laid one hand down on top of the other, both resting on the chart in her lap. "What should we talk about?"
Klaus merely shrugged.
"How about we discuss how you missed almost the entire year of classes last year?"
Klaus smirked but remained silent.
The guidance counselor shot him a withered glance; this was not the first time she had tried to bring up his 'missing' year, but as always, he refused to even acknowledge it. The only thing she knew for certain was that he had parental permission for his prolonged absence, at that was all the school really required. "Okay, how about we talk about how you skip out nearly every day. You've missed a different class every day this month."
He answered with a charming smile. "I'm an equal opportunity truant."
The counselor sighed. "Fine. Go do something revolting and unacceptable," she said as she waved her hand in his direction. "That will give us something to talk about next week."
"Lovely chatting with you, as always," Klaus joked as he stood and left the office.
He exited the main office and turned to walk down the hallway, but he found that his path was blocked by Tyler Lockwood.
"I knew I'd find you here, Mikaelson."
Klaus rolled his eyes and walked faster to get away from him. "Piss off, Lockwood."
Tyler grabbed Klaus arm and roughly pulled him aside. "Come with me."
Klaus shrugged his hand off. "You must have lost your mind, if you think you can order me around."
Tyler turned his head to look down the hallway, in the opposite direction that Klaus had been walking in, and pointed. "See that girl?"
Klaus could see that Tyler would persist until he made his point or served whatever purpose he felt he needed to include Klaus in on, so he let his eyes follow the direction Tyler was pointing in. All he could see was a beautiful blonde girl standing by an open locker, chatting in an animated fashion with some bloke and pointing occasionally to the clipboard in her hands. He recognized her from a couple of his classes over the years, and from just generally going to the same school with her.
"The blonde?" Klaus asked.
Tyler nodded.
Klaus shrugged. "Yes, so?"
"That's Caroline Forbes. I want you to go out with her."
"Yea, sure mate. I'll get right on it." Klaus brushed past Tyler and tried to continue on his way.
Much to Klaus's annoyance, Tyler fell in step beside him. "Dude, come on. She's decent-enough looking, and she's kind of smart. Plus, she's a cheerleader." Tyler did a sort of sing-songy voice thing as he said the word 'cheerleader' and proceeded to wink and nudge Klaus's side.
Klaus got annoyed with Tyler Lockwood at the best of times, when the two hardly ever interacted. This bizarre conversation was pushing Klaus to the peak of his tolerance level of Tyler's idiocy. "What is this, the in-person version of an online dating profile?"
"Look. I can't take out her best friend until Caroline there gets a date. See, the two of them made this ridiculous agreement where—"
"Fascinating, really," Klaus said as he rolled his eyes and cut off Tyler's too-long explanation. "Not my problem." The dislike between these guys was as obvious as it was mutual.
Tyler sped up for a step or two and managed to block Klaus's way. "Would you be willing to make it your problem if I provide generous compensation?"
For once, Tyler Lockwood managed to genuinely surprise Klaus. "You're going to pay me to take out some girl?"
"Yea. I can't date her friend until she," he pointed in Caroline's direction again, "gets a date. But here's the catch: she doesn't want one."
Klaus paused, thinking about this. The girl, Caroline, was rather beautiful. He could think of worse ways to pass his time, as well as worse people to pass time with. And if he was taking money away from the silver-spooned Lockwood, that could be an added bonus. "How do you expect me to date someone who doesn't want to date?"
"Use the charm you have buried deep, deep inside." Tyler spoke with a Cheshire grin.
Klaus rolled his eyes. "How much are we talking about?"
"Twenty bucks each time you take her out."
Klaus scoffed. "I can't take out a girl like that on twenty bucks."
"Fine, thirty."
Klaus raised his eyebrow, silently urging Tyler to raise his price.
"Take it or leave it, Mikaelson. This isn't a negotiation."
"Fifty bucks and you've got your man, Lockwood."
Tyler conceded and got out fifty dollars from his wallet. He handed it over to Klaus, who snatched it from him and walked away.
"This is our second tutoring session and you're already giving me a quiz. Harsh much?" Elena asked with a slight laugh as she put down her pen, having completed Stefan's multiple choice quiz. They had met up in the library again for another tutoring session.
Stefan chuckled. "I need to evaluate your current whereabouts so I can help you in the most effective manner."
As Stefan grabbed the quiz and because marking the correct and incorrect answers, Elena got bored. She pulled out her phone to see if she had any new texts.
None.
But she did read through the texts she had been exchanging with Damon.
Elena meant what she had told her friends — she really did like him. But she couldn't do anything about that because of her agreement with Caroline.
Which brought her back to Stefan…
"Have you given any more thought to maybe finding someone to go out with Caroline…?" Elena didn't want to finish that sentence in front of Stefan. She didn't want him to think she was just using him so she could date Damon.
Stefan didn't look up from marking the quiz. "You mean, to get a date for Caroline so you can date my brother?"
Elena laughed; she was apparently more obvious than she realized, even to someone she had just met. "Yea."
Stefan put Elena's partially-marked quiz into his tutoring folder; it was clear that their tutoring session was done for the day. "Actually, I have done some scouting, and I think I found someone who might work out."
Elena's eyes lit up. "Really? Who?"
"His name is Klaus Mikaelson."
"Klaus?!" Elena nearly screeched.
Stefan shushed her, and then whispered to her, "So you know him?"
"Klaus Mikaelson?!" Elena hissed to him in a whisper.
Stefan nodded.
Elena opened her mouth, but no words came out. She closed her mouth, and then reopened it to try again. "Wow! I never would have thought of him."
Elena paused. She didn't know much about Klaus, other than the rumours she'd heard. His family had moved to Mystic Falls maybe five or six years ago; they lived just outside of town and kept mostly to themselves. His father was a rather prominent lawyer and his mother was pleasant enough, whenever Elena had interacted with her, but she knew next to nothing about the Mikaelson children, despite going to school with most of them. There were five Mikaelson children and they were all fairly close in age. "You think he'd be into Caroline?"
"I don't know yet, but I have the plan set in motion to find out. But more importantly — or at least equally importantly — do you think Caroline could be into him?"
Elena thought about that. "I don't know. I've never had much to do with Klaus. I don't think Caroline has either." Caroline Forbes and Klaus Mikaelson? Caroline and Klaus?! "Well, he's not as conventionally good-looking as the guys she is normally attracted to. But maybe?" She shrugged. "I'm not sure; I've never set Caroline up with anyone before."
"I guess we'll find out the answers to both those questions soon enough."
A/N: I know, I know; there's no Klaus and Caroline in here yet. I have to set plotlines and things up first. But their interaction is coming. Next chapter, I promise. First thing, even… unless I change something between now and next Friday…
Please leave me a review; let me know what you think so far: Are you enjoying it? Do you hate it? Are you annoyed with it? I wanna hear it all!
