Once again I apologise for this chapter, it had no real plot whatsoever but I had to develop some more characters in order to connect it with what I'm planning for the next few chapters! I also wanted to show the contrast between home Elena and school Elena.
Elena awoke the next morning with a startle, instantly - without even checking the time - she knew she was late. A glance at her bedside clock which read 8.27 confirmed it for her. School started at 9 and it was a 20 minute run there, she was screwed! Elena wasted no time in running around her room grabbing her uniform. A sprits of cold water in her face, no time to shower! A spray deodorant and perfume to conceal her unwashed self. Underwear. A blouse, tights? WHERE WAS HER TIGHTS? Finding a pair stuffed at the bottom of her drawer and yanking them on, quickly followed by a thin black pinafore over her uniform, her tie. Shoes. Bag. Mascara to open up her sleepy eyes then grabbing her glasses she ran downstairs only to be stopped by an all-too familiar face.
"Hello, Elena." his velvety voice murmured.
"Damon, what are you doing here?" Elena frowned throwing darting glances between him and her parents who were looking at her curiously.
"I came to see if you needed a ride to school, I noticed you didn't have a car."
"But you live on the opposite way of the school?" She questioned.
He shrugged.
"Actually," Grayson interjected. "Elena should be grateful for a lift to school; she's already late as you can tell."
Damon laughed "What can I say? I have a convenience sometimes."
Elena just continue to frown, this was too early for her to understand what the hell was happening.
"Well you two better go," Miranda ushered them out the door. "Better not be late."
As they walked out the door and towards Damon's car, Miranda called over. "Oh dear Elena, I've just noticed the ladder on the back of your tights!"
"Shit," Elena muttered. There was no time to go change them! "I might have another pair in my bag, Mom. Thanks."
"Have a good day, honey!"
"Shit shit shit." Elena repeated over and over again as she sat down in Damon's car. Seeing but no other option, Elena kicked off her shoes and removed her tights.
"Wow, easy Elena," Damon winked. "We hardly know each other, what kind of man do you take me for?"
"An arrogant pig." Elena muttered, searching her bag. She had a pair of ankle socks in there from a long ago gym class and reluctantly she pulled them on, they'd have to do.
"Now is that any way to talk to a man that went out his way to pick you up and has also bought you breakfast?" Damon remarked on Elena's earlier insult.
"Breakfast?" Elena queried. "Yup." Suddenly a white paper bag was flashed in front of her and a cocky grin was framing Damon's face. Gingerly opening the bag Elena always cried with happiness at seeing her favourite snack in the world, chocolate chip muffins.
"Oh and there's coffee in a flask in the back seat," Damon took one hand off the wheel to search behind him. "Here we go. Bon appetit!"
Elena couldn't help the moan that escaped her lips as she took a delicate bite into the muffin "Oh my god, this is delicious."
Damon smiled first; a genuine smile. However, within two seconds his smirk was back. "I could make you better ones with my eyes closed."
He said it with such conviction that Elena smirked.
"Oh really?"
"Without a doubt." he nodded.
"You cook?"
Damon turned his head towards her to raise an eyebrow before turning back to the road. "The name Salvatore not give you any hints?"
"Just because you're Italian doesn't mean you can cook, Damon."
He laughed. "In my case it does, trust me I can cook way better than any of your shity fake Italian restaurants. I'll prove it to you."
"How?"
"Come over to my house Saturday night, I'll cook for you."
Elena hid a grin. "Maybe..."
"Maybe?" he pouted, pulling up into the school parking lot. "I've never gotten that kind of response to a date before."
"So it's a date now is it?" Elena giggled her voice delicate and feathery. "Hm maybe if I have nothing to do, I'll text you!"
And with that she opened the door and jumped out of the car, almost skipping to class with glee.
Damon sat in the car and watched Elena go into school. She really was a great girl, the way she smiled and laughed, the way her hair fell in front of her face and she would brush it back with her long, long fingers, even the way she crossed her legs and sat in just the right w-
"Damn it Salvatore. Stop it. This is for that 100 bucks you need towards your motorcycle, you do not have feelings for Elena Gilbert" Damon muttered to himself. "Now you will go out there, you will convince her to go to yours on Saturday and you will have sex with her. No feelings or emotions, this is a bet - sex and nothing else."
On that end note, Damon grabbed his back pack and strolled into the school but even though he winked at and flirted with girls who walked by him, his heart wasn't in it. With every girl he passed he compared to her and he couldn't stop it, damn it he didn't even know this girl and she was messing with his head already!
"It's because she's playing hard to get." Damon soothed his mind. "That's all."
Still that didn't stop Damon from watching Elena all day and talking to her if he got the chance. She was polite, of course, but Damon quickly realised that the Elena he'd spoke to yesterday and this morning was gone; right now she was in school mode. That didn't mean he couldn't try though.
Lunch came about eventually; Damon grabbed his food but instead of his usual spot with the guys outside Damon strolled over to Elena's table and plonked himself down.
"Damon," Elena asked, glaring at him. "What are you doing?"
"Eating lunch with you."
"Why?"
"Because I can."
Elena sighed; the other 4 girls at her table, Elena could scarcely remember their surnames were all looking terrified as if Damon might bite them. Elena watched the girl called Charlotte slide away from Damon, not in disgust or horror as to why he was sitting there, more like nervousness.
"Go sit outside, Damon. Where you belong."
"No." he glared, challenging her, what was she going to do?
"Fine!" she stood up. "Then I'll go."
And then Damon watched the most peculiar event unfold, he watched Elena walk outside holding her food tray, march over to Ty and the guys, speak to them for a few seconds and then seated herself down next to Stefan. It was bizarre, who'd have thought she had so much nerve? Damon couldn't believe it, she was exploiting confidence and he couldn't be more turned on. Damon watched Elena with his friends, not even making it discreet; he actually turned his full body round to face her. He watched her body language, the way her head tilted slightly back when she laughed, the way she crossed her legs in one direction and then five minutes later, she switched. The way she subconsciously bit her lip whilst she was listening to someone talk, the way her hand lingered in her hair when she pushed it back from her face. Damon watched Elena Gilbert closely during his analysis and wondered how he had never noticed this girl's inner beauty before and, immediately after thinking that, felt like a right dick. Damon Salvatore didn't notice anyone who wasn't either attractive or easy, not sober anyway. He didn't notice how intelligent a girl was or their interests, hell most of the time it was an achievement if Damon could remember a girl's name.
"Well not anymore." Damon thought to himself, sliding up towards the girls who Elena was previously sitting with - who he'd intuitively moved away from he smiled at each of their shocked faces. "Hi, I'm Damon."
What was Damon playing at? Elena's game was to move him away from the table, knowing that whilst he was sitting there the other girls were feeling uncomfortable. Her plan, however, had failed as he was sitting with them; he was talking to them, even stranger... they were talking back. These were girls who she knew for a fact that Damon hadn't the foggiest idea existed until now, so why the sudden interest? She watched his face as he laughed at something said by a girl called Maxine, she looked genuinely thrilled at his reaction and he then went on to contribute to a conversation that Elena couldn't hear. Elena watched Damon's shoulders rise and fall as he laughed at a joke, she watched his cheeky grin as he made - what looked like - teasing remarks, she watched his eyes, still easily noticeable even from where she was sitting, spark when someone said something she liked. Elena had already figured out that she had been wrong about Damon, this arrogant dick attitude he had was just an act, wasn't it?
"Hey, Stefan?" Elena looked at the boy sitting next to her, immediately she had his attention as the rest of the guys were huddled over a mobile phone watching a 'funny' YouTube video. "What's your brother really like?"
"What do you mean?" the tanned curly haired boy with perfect green eyes asked. He looked confused.
"I mean is he the guy that everyone says he is, is he an arrogant jackass or is that just for show?"
Stefan pondered for a moment. "Damon's my brother, he's a dick to me sometimes but no, he's not the guy everyone says he is."
"Really?"
"Yes," Stefan nodded, looking like he was confirming it to himself also. "My brother give the appearance of an over confident dick and he may have no respect for women but that's not who he really is."
"How do you know though, really?"
Stefan smiled. "He wasn't always like that, you know. When we were younger, he was sixteen and I was fifteen, Damon was a romantic fool."
"Seriously? What happened?"
Stefan shifted in his seat for a moment, looking uncomfortable.
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Elena assured quickly.
"No, no. its fine." he smiled sadly. "It's just, that I'll never forgive myself for what I did to him although I wouldn't take it back for a second."
Elena stared at him, her voice mute as she waited for him to continue.
"You know Kat, my girlfriend?"
Elena nodded, she had met Katherine Pierce a few times whilst with Caroline and Bonnie and even though they hadn't spent a lot of time together, both girls had immediately clicked.
"She was technically Damon's girlfriend first."
Elena tried and failed miserably to stifle a gasp, Stefan had stole his brother's girlfriend? This was like a soap opera or something.
"How did that occur?" she tried her best to sound like she wasn't prying but really, she was.
Stefan shrugged. "They just weren't right for each other, I guess that's why Damon and I are still close and Kat and Damon still have a good friendship. It won't make me sleeping with her whilst they were still together right but Damon and I settled our differences eventually. The usual phrase is "don't get mad, get even." but in Damon's case, he did both."
Elena laughed slightly at the strangeness of the situation. Two brothers dating the same girl, the younger one sleeps with her but both brothers are still close? A cliché movie or what? "How? How did you settle your differences?"
"Damon slept with Tyler's cousin, Jules and in revenge, Tyler slept with ours."
Elena frowned, how would that make them even? "I'm sorry but I don't understand how Tyler sleeping with your cousin could make you settle your differences?"
"Our cousin, Lexi was fourteen at the time as well and, well to put I fairly Damon and her hate each other but I, on the other hand am very protective of her. Well not only was Lexi only fourteen but she was also a virgin."
"And Tyler "stole" her virginity?" Elena air quoted with her fingers.
"Hey, man," a deep voice broke through Elena and Stefan's intense conversation. "Damon did it to me; I was only returning the favour."
"Dick." Stefan said but he was laughing. "Anyway, long story short Lexi was forever scarred from," Stefan cringed as he said it. "The pain of loosing her virginity."
"What can I say? It's not my fault I have a big d-"
"AND," Stefan glared at Tyler. "fell out with me for having such horrible friends who get her drunk, have sex with her and never call her again."
Tyler laughed and put his arms behind his head "yeah sorry about that man, not my type."
"You were sixteen Ty, GIRL was your type."
Tyler laughed. "Yeah, I guess."
Elena just smiled, she had wanted Stefan to continue the story of how Damon stopped being a romantic and turned into an ass but with the YouTube video now finished and the laughter from the boys had died down she could tell he wasn't going to.
"Well I better get to class." Elena grabbed her bag and stood up.
"But the bell doesn't ring for 5 minutes?" Matt protested, almost as if he was asking a question and making a statement at the same time.
"Yeah and it's a 5 minute walk to the Maths department," she giggled only to find confused eyes staring at her. "Oh come on guys, I sat with you one lunch - you haven't converted me to being a "bad girl"" she did a sarcastic wink. "Quite yet."
Now, luckily all the boys laughed along with her and watched as she walked away.
Damon turned around only to notice that Elena was no longer with his friends.
"Sorry ladies," he smiled. "I must go catch up with Elena; I hope we'll speak soon." And with that he jogged after her, it was strange. He really did mean it when he told the girls he hoped they'd speak again, had had fun talking to them, it made him realise that looks weren't everything and to look beyond appearances. The phrase "looks isn't everything" that he'd previously thought was bollocks was all starting to make sense now. He was just going past the tree where Tyler, Matt, Mason and his brother were sitting when he heard Stefan call on him.
"What, little brother?" he sighed, annoyed.
"We need to talk." Stefan stated, walking along beside a frustrated Damon who was watching Elena walk out of sight.
"About?"
"This ridiculous bet that you and Ty have made."
"What about it?"
"Elena's a lovely girl."
"I know that."
"Do you? Then why are you using her like this? She deserves better than your fake emotions just to win a pathetic bet."
Damon sighed and turned to Stefan. "Brother, I'm not doing this to hurt Elena; I actually quite enjoy her company if you must know. But you know what Tyler's like with his ridiculous bets, they are all hut sealed with blood. And besides, I don't have 100 bucks and I need money for a motorcycle."
Stefan glared at his brother, as much as he loved him he really was an ass sometimes. "You materialistic bastard," Stefan hissed. "She deserves better than you."
"Just like Katherine deserved better than me too? Oh fuck off Stefan you made me like this when you slept with my girlfriend and you know it."
"Not my fault she preferred the younger brother in the sack." Stefan smirked, smugly.
"She wouldn't say that now if she had the pleasure," Damon smirked. "She'd be screaming my name so loud you'd be able to hear it in the heavens. And once again whose fault is that? Oh right, yours." And after one final glare at his hypocritical little brother Damon took off in full sprint to catch up with Elena.
He reached the classroom seconds after her, she was still standing up but her back was to him as she unpacked her books.
"Hi," Damon whispered to her, his lips touching her ear as his hands went to her waist. "How was your lunch?"
Elena jumped immediately at the physical contact. "What the hell, Damon?" she hissed.
"What?" he asked innocently. Elena just rolled her eyes and took her seat whilst he continued to hover over her desk. "Can I help you with something?" she finally asked.
"You didn't answer my question."
"My lunch was fine, thanks."
Damon was about to say something when their maths teacher strolled into the classroom, taking a double take when she saw who the only two individuals in the classroom were. I supposed Mrs McKay wasn't surprised that they were there, for Damon had come early to class sometimes to hand in homework, but it was the fact that they looked like - and were - engaging in conversation. Elena pictured the scene Mrs McKay must have saw when she came in, Damon crouched down next to her, Elena talking quietly whilst he stared at her. Oh lovely. Not.
"Elena. Damon." Mrs McKay greeted.
"Hi, Miss." they both replied back in unison.
"Have you got any problems in maths Damon dear?" The teacher greeted.
"Not at all miss, why?"
"I was just wondering why you were here so early, that's all." Mrs McKay smiled.
"Oh I had to talk to this girl I like Miss," Damon looked pointedly at Elena. "She's been ignoring me all day so I thought if I got to maths early she's have to talk to me."
"I see," the teacher chuckled glancing at both Damon and Elena with a small smile on her lips. "and has it worked?"
"No miss, she's still refusing to even answer my questions never mind go on a date with me."
Elena felt her face go very red as Damon discussed her with Mrs McKay; he talks about her with teachers and wonders why she won't go out with him? On the contrary Damon had asked her on a date and she'd said maybe so she thought he was jumping to conclusions rather quick. Elena rolled her eyes.
When other students started filing into the classroom Elena was surprised that Damon didn't go his seat, he stayed crouched beside her, as much as she tried to ignore him, eventually she had to turn around and tell him to go to his seat.
"Agree to go on a date with me." he said, only conviction in his piercing blue eyes.
"Damon just go sit down." Elena glared.
"Go on a date with me."
"No."
"Why not?"
By now people were nudging each other and watching the little drama in front of them play out. Elena could feel herself turning red, she tried to turn to the maths teacher for help but the teacher had left the classroom to find a stack of jotters.
"Damon, just go and sit down. People are watching."
"I'll sit down when you say yes." At this point practically everyone in the classroom was watching them, Elena's hands were going clammy and she tried desperately to inwardly calm herself down. No, she would not take a panic attack in the classroom, that wasn't going to happen.
"Ok, stay there all lesson. It still won't change my mind." she turned away from him and begun scribbling away at the starter questions the teacher had written on the board. Damon didn't budge. Not even when Mrs McKay came in and asked him why he wasn't in his seat or even when she said "get back to your seat." Elena could see that the maths teacher really didn't want to shout at her favourite pupil but her role of a teacher and having authority was encouraging her to let him know his place. Elena didn't want the relationship between her second favourite teacher, who already had enough stress in her life, and Damon to crumble.
"Fine, I'll go out with you," she hissed. "now go sit down."
Damon smiled triumphantly and stood up. "I'm sorry for my attitude," he apologised sincerely to Mrs McKay "it was the only way to get someone's attention." Throwing one more darted glance at Elena who met his own eyes with her furious ones, he strolled to the back of the classroom where he was met with cheers for finally making Elena agree to date him. Elena slumped in her desk, what had she done?
"So Saturday?" Damon asked as he caught up to Elena who was trying to get out of school as fast as possible. The rest of the afternoon had crawled by and Elena couldn't for the life in her focus on anything except what Damon had did in the maths class.
"What?" she jumped out of the trance she was in.
"For our date, you can come round to my house at 7."
"Yeah yeah whatever." Elena mumbled. Truthfully, although she didn't show it, Elena's mind was full of both humiliation for what had happened in maths and anticipation for this date.
Damon smiled and they walked along together in a comfortable silence.
"Hey, where are you going?" he called as she walked away from him, lightly grabbing her hand and tugging her back to him.
"Home?"
"I drove you to school, I'll drive you home."
"No thanks Damon, you've done enough."
"Please." he almost begged.
"No." and just like she had the other day, she ran away from him except this time, Damon didn't catch up with her. She needed time and space and that's what he was going to give her.
Elena made it home in record time after near enough sprinting to avoid Damon at all costs. When she arrived, covered in floods of sweat, she saw Bonnie and Caroline seated on the step outside her house. Her parents were at work and Jeremy wasn't home from school yet but why were they here?
"Did you skip school or something?" she greeted them, her voice detached.
"Just last period," Caroline sighed. "We wanted to apologise."
Elena brushed past them both and unlocked her front door, she probably should - and would have - slam the door in their faces but honestly? She couldn't be bothered. She didn't want to loose her two best friends over a silly argument so instead she smiled at them both and beckoned them both inside. Making their way to the kitchen Elena made some snacks and they all perched around the island in the middle of the room, chatting.
"Tyler asked me out tomorrow." Caroline smiled. "I told him yes and he's taking me to dinner!"
Elena and Bonnie squealed in excitement and they begun to chat excitedly about what she should wear, where he might be taking her but, after a while they couldn't avoid the looming question any longer.
"Care," Elena murmured. "You know I'd never judge you but its not right going out with Tyler whilst dating Klaus. You need to choose."
"I know," Caroline stressed. "and I'm going to. Soon. After I see where this date goes with Tyler, I'm going to see how I feel. Just till tomorrow 'Lena. Then I'll break it off with one of them. Besides, technically, I haven't done anything wrong. Yet. Just two friends hanging out."
"At a fancy restaurant," Bonnie raised her eyebrows. "dressed up nice with the prospect of kissing. Yup, just two friends hanging out."
The three girls laughed and begun to gossip again, moving onto the prospect of Matt and Bonnie as a couple - a thing that Bonnie was totally against.
"No no no, I don't like him like that!"
"C'mon Bon," Elena winked and nudged her. "I saw you playing footsie with him under the table."
"That was just fun, I was bored! Like you, Care, you and Tyler were all flirty and Elena, Damon couldn't keep his eyes off you, he was practically restraining himself from punching any guy that looked and you and I felt-"
"WOW WOW WOW." Caroline interrupted. "Elena, you and Damon?"
"What? No!" Elena glared at her friend. "There's nothing going on, Bon I don't know what you're talking about, Damon isn't the jealous type and certainly not towards me."
"Oh come on Elena, we're your best friends, tell us what's going on!" Bonnie pleaded.
Elena sighed. Bonnie had some sort of six sense - well Elena was convinced she had - because she always knew how Elena was feeling, well not just Elena, everyone and she knew when people weren't telling the full truth.
"Ok," Elena let a small half smile play on her face. "Damon asked me to his house on Saturday."
The announcement caused another wave of squeals and chatter among the three best friends.
Damon drove to the grill after school, not really feeling like going home straight away, and feeling like being alone.
"A beer." he called to the bar tender, who luckily wasn't Matt as his shift didn't start till six. Alcoholism during the week wasn't normally something Damon resorted to but he felt like this was his last option. The conversation he'd had with Stefan earlier was really bugging him as well as Elena refusing a lift home from him. He knew she felt humiliated after everything that had happened in maths and he wished he hadn't did it now but he had and that that. Taking a long swig of beer Damon sighed and yanked out his phone, ready to phone Tyler and call off the bet but before he even managed to type in the number an all too familiar voice cut him off.
"Hi, Damon." the voice purred.
Andie, did this girl not take a fucking hint? He frowned at her ready to give her more than just a 'hint', all thoughts of calling Tyler evaporating.
Okay sorry, I know that this chapter was badly written and probably full of mistakes; I never proper read it over because I did promise a new chapter today! And I know that naturally Damon wouldn't forget to call Tyler, it'd just slip his mind for a second but if Damon calls the bet off right now then I've lost all my plot haven't I? Anyway stay with me, next chapter is date chapter and who knows what Delena might get up to ;-) Review please! - Jessica.