Chapter 10

Elena looked around to the back of the room at Matt, he had been moved back there by Mr. Tanner not that long ago because he had kept talking non-stop to Elena, he was like everyone else, watching Damon but he didn't look as if he recognised him.

That must have meant Damon 'Influenced' him not to remember.

Elena was worried about Mr. Tanner but she had to learn to trust Damon, maybe Mr. Tanner really did have something to deal with, maybe his car broke down, Elena decided she would try making herself believe that was true.

Damon walked in front of Mr. Tanners –no, his desk, and leaned against it, he reached out and picked up Meredith's text book, flicking through it, "So, you're learning about Hitler?" Damon asked Meredith, even though his eyes were still locked on Elena's.

"We were only supposed to start learning about him today" Meredith said calmly even though her eyes were looking to Elena then Damon and back confused.

"Right, who can tell me how Hitler died?" Damon asked.

Slowly hands were raised, but not the hand Damon wanted, he looked to Elena, but she was trying to avoid eye contact.

Damon pointed to Matt, "What's your name?" Damon asked, not caring but trying to make Elena look at him.

"Matt Honeycutt" he said, running a hand through his hair, Elena knew this meant he had no idea what the answer was.

"How'd Hitler die?" Damon asked smirking slightly to see Elena hand was starting to rise, to save Matt from saying the wrong thing.

"He, uh, he died in battle?" Matt said looking hopeful.

Damon shook his head then nodded at Elena, "He committed suicide" she glared at him now trying to figure out what game he was trying to play.

"How?" he asked, ignoring everyone else.

"Gunshot and poison" Elena said confidently glad she had pre-read the chapter in case Mr. Tanner had asked.

"What type of poison?" Damon said leaning forward slightly, she hated to admit it when she was trying to be angry with him, but he looked good as a teacher.

Two can play at this game, Elena decided, imitating his smirk, "Do you know the answer?" Elena asked she knew he would but she knew this might hopefully annoy him.

"Of course" he said, keeping his composure.

"They why ask me if you already know the answer" she could feel Meredith shocked eyes on her face and Matt's suspicious ones on the back on her head.

"Don't you know, you're not supposed to talk back to your teacher?"

"Are you a proper teacher?"

"Yes" Damon asked he looked insulted, and she had to admit he was a good actor.

"Where did you graduate?" she asked causing Meredith to kick her under to table to get her to shut up.

"Are you going to answer my question or not?" his eyes intense.

"No, I'm not" Elena said, her eyes narrowing at him.

"Fine, come back to this classroom midday for a lunch time detention" he said, holding in a laugh.

Elena rolled her eyes at how serious he could keep his expression, "Cyanide, he used cyanide to kill himself"

"Good, but you still have detention" Damon said frowning but his eyes sparkled, amused.

The rest of the lesson the class tried to answer his questions correctly scared they would get detention too, but most of the girls tried to get the wrong answer so they could spend time with Damon, but he ignored them.

Halfway through the lesson Damon got bored so he changed the subject to the Italian Renaissance.

They listened to his every word, because he spoke with passion and his voice was so hypnotic, when the bell rang everyone rapidly blinked there eyes as if coming out of a trance from centuries ago, and being thrown back into reality.

They all got up, filing out of the room, the girls all walking slower to smile at Damon, admiring him as they passed, then they would turn to their friends to whisper loudly.

Damon ignored all of them though his eyes following one person.

Elena walked over to the door that Damon was holding open, but before she could say anything to him, Matt appeared in front of her.

"Hey, you feeling better?" he asked placing his arm around her waist possessively; leading her out of the room, his head turning back to make sure Damon wasn't staring at her. Damon closed the door flashing Elena his lightning bright smile.

"Yeah, I'm not as tired now" Elena laughed still stunned after that lesson.

"It sucks about the detention, is he even allowed to give out detention? He is only a sub after all" Matt said, he tried to sound nonchalant but Elena could hear the anger in his voice; he was pissed off at Damon. She should have seen this coming, Damon hadn't been trying to hide the fact that he stared at Elena the full lesson, and no doubt this was what he wanted, for Matt to get suspicious.

Elena shrugged, "Maybe, I don't know, what do you think happened to Mr. Tanner?"

"He probably got a better job offer and jumped at the chance to get away from us" Matt forced a laugh, opening his locker, for some reason Elena didn't think it was as simple as that.

…

The whole school was talking about the new 'hot' teacher, as they called him, making their way to the canteen. Elena walked slowly, taking her time, trying to figure out how she was going to ask Damon, without insulting him, what had happened to Mr. Tanner.

Meredith had been asking her all morning why she was acting so strange but she just couldn't bring herself to tell her, what was she suppose to say 'Oh yeah, the new teachers a vampire, who I've cheated on with Matt' Meredith would probably have a stroke and Bonnie would most likely gush about how romantic it was or start screaming.

She opened the door to the History room, closing it behind her, she scanned the room but it was empty.

Elena walked over to his desk, his leather jacket was slung over the seat, she trailed her fingers over it lightly, feeling it's warmth absorb through her skin, it reminded her of Damon, it looked tough but it you looked beyond appearance it was comforting and secure, secure… she always felt safe with Damon, so why was she so worried about Mr. Tanner? She would trust Damon with her life, but could she trust him with others?

"You're late" the velvet voice coming from behind startled her from her thought, she twirled around to face Damon, he was standing closer than she had thought.

"Sorry, Mr. Salvatore" Elena teased, but she reminded herself what she needed to know, she met his gaze "Why are you here, Damon?"

He memorised the determined look on her face, trying not to smile when she was trying to be serious but that was one of the reason he was here, he needed to see her, she was the only reason he had been able to control his blood lust better, the only reason he felt truly happy in years.

"I heard they needed a history teacher and I just happened to be fully qualified" he said with the half-smile she couldn't help but love.

"You're a fully qualified history teacher?"

"The secretary seems to think so, that's all that matters"

"You could be anywhere in the world, and be anyone you want, so you become a teacher in a small town?"

"Exactly, I'm the teacher so I ask the questions" Damon said, tracing the outline of her jaw, "Why are you dating Mutt when you're obviously not happy with him?"

Elena was caught off guard by his question; "Matt" she corrected him, even though she knew it was pointless but she needed to buy time, she was asking herself that question for months and still couldn't come up with a decent answer "He did make me happy, he was a really good friend to me and we had similar sense of humours"

"Had?" Damon asked letting his hand fall to her shoulder, pushing her hair gently behind her ear.

"After my parents died, I was never the same, for a while I couldn't even talk to anyone, my friends helped me but I'm never going to be the same and Matt knows it. I said to him that it would be best for the both of us if we were just friends, that's when he changed, he begged me not to break up with me, so I didn't, I was probably just being selfish because this was the only way I could keep him as a friend. Then Matt started taking control of my life, he gets angry if a guy looks at me but that's just his way of showing he cares" Elena shrugged doubting the last part, her vision going glassy as she mourned the death of not only her parent but the part of herself that had died with them.

Damon raised her chin so she was looking right into his eyes, his guard was down, she knew it because she could see everything in his eyes, all the pain and suffering he had gone through clouded his eyes, he could relate to her in a way no one else had.

"You shouldn't have to pretend to be someone your not just to make him happy" Elena's heart ached at his words, knowing he was right, why couldn't I have met him before Matt? she thought, tears forming in her eyes when she realised that even if she wasn't with Matt, it would be impossible for them it be together, she would grow old and he would stay perfect like a statue not fazed by time, unless she…

She shook that thought out of her mind before she had an emotional breakdown with the thoughts that were running wild in her head, becoming a vampire was not a healthy concept to be thinking about.

Her eyes betrayed her as they let a tear escape; Damon wiped the tear away, kissing her cheek. "I don't want to lose you" she admitted, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"I'm not going anywhere" Damon whispered, his breath tangling in her hair as he pulled her closer, "Do you want to know what happened to Mr. Tanner?" Damon asked; he knew her too well.

Elena looked up at him, "No, I trust you"

Damon smiled at her, his eyes not holding the misery he had carried with him for centuries instead she saw only affection, "I give him an envelope with a plane ticket and three thousand dollars of spending money and said it was a gift from the school. He should be back from Vegas next week" He laughed to himself at the old man's reaction, "He practically ripped my arm off grabbing it"

Elena laughed with him, trying to imagine Mr. Tanner surrounded by drag queens sitting at a poker table drinking cocktails or getting hitched in an Elvis costume.

She now knew what she had to do, not just for Matt's sake but for her own, she couldn't go on fooling herself any longer, she couldn't be with Matt any longer when her heart belonged to someone else…

The break up is coming soon, please review it makes me type faster :]

Love JGE xxx