Act 3 Scene 1 part 1

Stefan, Alaric and Tyler were hanging out in the stands of the football field. It was their usual hang out. Few people knew about it especially in the summer time. The topic of the day for all of them was Damon's strange behavior over the last few days.

"Seriously, what's with Damon lately? He's been acting so strange today" Stefan commented out loud while messing with his Iphone. All of them were wondering the same thing. He showed up at the grill, talked to the strange woman, hung out a bit more, barely said anything then left again.

"Well, he certainly helped me obtain Jenna's cell phone number. She's a looker!" Alaric exclaimed excitedly. "Don't know why Damon's acting so strange though."

"I don't know but it's beginning to get on my nerves," Tyler said with disgust. He like Stefan was trying to fix a button on his phone.

Just then, Jeremy Gilbert appeared from around the corner of the high school. Following him were some of his druggie friends: Tony, Maria, Matt, and Henry.

"Well well, if it isn't the loser gang?" Jeremy asked slyly. The rest of his gang laughed loudly.

"What the hell do you want Gilbert? Didn't I already teach you a lesson yesterday?" Stefan asked in a bored tone.

"Don't push me Salvatore. It's not you I'm after; it's your idiot of a brother. He was at our party last night uninvited, dancing and making out with my cousin. That is unacceptable to me, so where is he?" Jeremy asked in the most unaggressive way he could. He was trying to ask nicely….at least the first time.

"As if I'll tell you anything, prick," Stefan growled. Jeremy's face darkened and turned a slight shade of red, signaling his barely contained rage.

"Aww, is wittle Gilbert getting angry?" Tyler voiced in a whining voice. The rest of his gang laughed.

"Do you guys take me for an idiot?" Jeremy was fuming by now.

"Most days yes," Tyler said smugly.

Just then, Damon drove up in his blue Ferrari. He was now dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, street clothes. Running up to the stands, he stopped noticing Jeremy and his gang.

"Jeremy, what's up?" Damon asked him politely. He knew Jeremy was Elena's cousin and now he was also related to Damon. Even though Jeremy didn't know it yet, Damon wanted to like him and didn't want to fight him but try to befriend him.

"That's all you have to say to me is 'What's up?' Who the hell do you think you are? You embarrassed my family last night! You came to our house uninvited for God knows what and you expect me to just let it all go?" Jeremy yelled at him.

Damon didn't say anything at first.

"Look Jeremy, I don't want to fight you. I have no ill intentions for you or your family," Damon was thinking about Elena at this point. "But please, let's just let bygones be bygones." He held out his hand for Jeremy to shake.

Jeremy just stared at his outstretched hand. Then without warning, he spit at Damon's feet then pushed him to the ground.

"Oh now you're in for it Salvatore! Trying to play nice won't work with me!" then Jeremy flipped out a blade from his back pocket.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" shouted Tyler.

"Stay out of this Lockwood!" Jeremy shouted.

"Ty, it's okay, I'm fine," Damon said trying to get up and dust the dirt off his clothes.

Tyler, having witnessed this encounter, in turn became outraged at Jeremy but also bewildered at Damon's reaction. He knew Damon avoided the fighting but damn, he needed to get a backbone to at least fend Jeremy off!

He immediately jumped down from the stands.

"Look Gilbert, if you want a fight with someone then you deal with me!" Tyler shouted whipping out his own blade. The two of them started circling each other in the middle of the field.

"Guys stop it! I mean it, remember the mayor's warning!" Damon was shouting at the top of his lungs but his pleas went unheard.

Jeremy and Tyler started actually fist fighting. Blades in hand, both of them blocked some punches thrown by the other. It wasn't long before they were wrestling on the ground. Neither of their gangs dared interfere; they just stood there and watched, hoping that their person came out the winner. Only Damon was the one trying to get them to stop by putting himself in between them or trying to pry them apart.

"Guys! Enough! Stop it!"

Jeremy landed on Tyler with a loud thud. Tyler was suddenly still. Jeremy quickly got off of him; his face was badly bruised and his lip was bleeding. He looked down at his blade and there was blood on the tip. And it wasn't his. Motioning to his gang, they left quickly.

Tyler was gasping for breath and holding his side. Damon was trying to help him up.

"Tyler, what the hell man? Are you alright?" Damon asked him.

"Yeah, it's just a scratch, no big deal." Trying to make light of the situation as always. Tyler was always the jokester but he was still gasping for breath.

"Just breath man." Damon said with a smile. The rest of them were surrounding them.

Tyler was trying to mask his initial pain but was it was proving more difficult with every breath he took. He looked at Damon with a serious an somewhat angry expression.

"Why did you try to stop us?" Tyler asked aggressively.

"It was for the best, what the—"before Damon could finish his reply, Tyler gasped, laid down but his eyes remained open. And the light of life was fading from him quickly.

Stefan leaned over Tyler to see if he was breathing, then checked his pulse. He looked up at Damon with a horrified expression.

"Damon, Tyler is dead….."

Damon was stunned. Tyler was the one of all his buddies that he really knew. And he had died protecting Damon and his honor. The image of Elena was pushed aside as his mind was filled with a full force of rage…

To be continued