AU/AH. This story is rated m for future references. I do not own anything. I am just simply writing for fun. Enjoy.

I Named her Elena

Chapter 10

"When it comes to business in America it's important to understand two words my fellow students. Private and Profit. That's what we're all about." Mr. Tanner, the business professor explained as he leaned against the desk. "The project that you guys will be doing is based on these two words, and these two words alone." He pushed up against the desk and started walking around the amphitheater. "You will be put in pairs to do a project based on your own creativity. Pick whatever you want and be creative. A freshman will be paired with an upper class student, and since this year I'm only teaching the seniors it's going to be a bit tight but I'll manage to put you guys into pairs. I've already got a feeling of what abilities each and every one of you newbie's have." He smiled at the students before adding. "I will make a list and by the end of the day you'll know who your partner is. I expect this project to be done by the end of the semester and it will make up 20% of your final grade so take it seriously." He stopped talking and glanced at his watch. "Either the bell is broken or my watch is late." He said out loud.

"No, it's the bell, Mr. Tanner. You should let us out now." Nick added making most of the students giggle.

"You sure, Mikaelson?" The professor raised his eyebrow at the young man.

"I'm positive." The student answered with a smirk.

The professor smirked back. "Well, all of you are free to leave except for Nick. I need to have a talk with him."

The blonde guy rolled his eyes as he leaned back in his chair annoyed. He sighed loudly as the rest of the students started to pack their things and leave.

The professor walked up to him smirking. "It's always better to keep your mouth shut, Mr. Mikaelson."

"I was stating the obvious." Nick rolled his eyes as the bell rang through the amphitheater.

"And there it goes." Mr. Tanner smirked.

Nick narrowed his eyes. "Can I leave now?"

"Technically I'm not keeping you here. You can leave whenever you want." The professor pointed out. "But think about one thing, Nick. Your father is paying a lot of money just so you can attend this university so don't waste your time playing video games under the desk. I see you every period and I won't do anything about it because it doesn't concern me. You can continue your behavior but I'm going to give you just a friendly warning. It would be best if you paid attention so that you can learn something instead of just sitting there and wasting your time." The man explained.

Nick rolled his eyes. "This isn't my thing."

"Then why are you here? Why is your major business?"

Nick looked angrily at the professor. "Look, I was a teenager and I was just out of high school…I didn't know what I wanted back then-"

"Do you know now?" The man raised his eyebrow.

"Yes." Nick answered.

"Then tell me."

"Why?"

"Because I want to help you."

Nick huffed. "I-I like filmography and that has nothing to do with business but I have to get a major in business because my dad would disown me if I didn't." He answered angrily.

The professor placed his hands up in the air. "I'm not judging."

"Then why the sudden interest?" Nick asked annoyed.

"I'm just looking for a way to help you not see business as this burden but to embrace it and accumulate it with whatever you're doing. Everything nowadays is business." He smirked at Nick as he asked. "Do you by any chance have an idea what you're going to do with the project?"

"I don't even know who my partner is yet."

"Well I suggest that you start thinking about the creative part since you're a senior and your partner will be a junior. They're in charge of presenting a business plan; you are in charge of the master plan."

Nick paused for a second as he considered the man's words. He then nodded. "Yeah, I'll think about it. Thank you, Mr. Tanner."

"No problem, Nick." The man smiled as he stepped back. "I'm sure you're eager to get to your friends and to lunch."

"Yeah." Nick smiled as he grabbed his book from the desk and headed out.

As he stepped out of the amphitheater he immediately noticed Katherine leaning against the wall. One of her heals propped up as she smirked at him. "Did Mr. Tanner give you a nice pep talk?" She teased.

"I'm sure you weren't waiting out here to ask me about my academic studies."

"Yeah, you're right." She smiled as she pushed up against the wall and walked right up to Nick. She blinked a few times, her eyelashes long and thick making her eyes look even more intimidating. "I heard that you have been talking to the bitch."

"You mean Elena?" Nick asked raising his eyebrow.

Katherine rolled her eyes. "I get rage blackouts every time someone mentions her name." She than narrowed them at Nick before asking. "Why? Why are you talking to her?"

"None of your business." Nick said as he tried to walk off but she grabbed him.

"I asked you a question, Nicklaus?"

"And I answered it, Miss Pierce."

"Not to my satisfaction."

"Well, I'm sorry but it will have to do." Nick smirked at her.

She narrowed her eyes dangerously at him. "I thought we were friends."

"We are Katherine."

"Doesn't seem that way." She said offended but then her facial expression changed.

She narrowed her eyes at Nick and giggled. "I want you to tell me how she got that scholarship."

"Why?"

"I have my reasons."

"And those are?"

"It doesn't work that way, Nicklaus." Katherine smirked.

"You don't share, I don't share, baby. So what's it going to be?" He smirked back at her.

Katherine snickered angrily. "You seem to have taken an interest in her."

Nick rolled his eyes. "I don't have time for your cryptic games, Kat. Leave Elena alone and move on. I don't see her haunting you-"

"I want her gone, Nick." She spat out, her voice full of determination. She smiled, that cute little evil smile that she plastered across her face. "And you know I always get what I want."

"I don't want to listen to this nonsense." Nick rolled his eyes annoyed. "Leave Elena alone and move on. We should be heading to lunch. Damon is –"

"Yes, Damon. You're friend is waiting for us in the cafeteria." She smirked stepping forward so that she was almost in Nick's face. "The question is are you going to join us…or are you just going to disappear, like you have been disappearing for every lunch break this week."

Nick glared at her before stepping back. "I don't have to tell you what I do on my lunch breaks." He said in a determined voice that held a hint of fear. It was Katherine after all. She had her nose in everybody's business. She knew everything about everybody, and well he didn't want her to find out who he was spending his breaks with.

She cocked her head to the side and laughed. "Fine. I'll pretend like I don't care and you can continue to play this game of hide and seek."

"I'm not playing any games, Katherine." He hissed annoyed.

"Sure you aren't." She mocked as she placed her hand on his chest and locked eyes with his blue ones. "Be careful, Nick. Secrets have this annoying tendency to be uncovered…at the wrong place and at the wrong time." And with those words she took a few steps back, a smirk still plastered on her face as she turned around and headed down the corridor.

He watched her walk off. Her perfect walk, the way her high heels clinked with every step she took, the way her hips moved naturally and her long hair swayed softly from side to side still made him love her even more even though he didn't want to after the way she was acting lately. She was, after all, Katherine Peirce, his best friend and the girl he had known his entire life. She was the little three year old who played with him almost every day. He knew her from when she was wearing dippers and that kind of love was hard to erase despite the fact that she could be cruel and manipulative. She was still his Katherine.

Elena sat in the corner of the cafeteria reading through her notes. A test was coming up next week and she was preparing for it when someone slumped right in front of her. She lifted her gaze and stared at the blue eyed man that was sitting opposite her. "You again." She muttered annoyed.

"Yes, me again."

"What do you want?"

"For you to just talk to him."

Elena huffed annoyed and frustrated with the entire situation. She didn't want this pressure and she sure as hell didn't want a chaperone. "Look, I appreciate the effort and all but Damon and I have decided that it's for the best-"

"No, you decided."

Elena huffed. "What's your point? Huh? I don't want drama, Nick! And if you haven't noticed Damon is kind of in the center of a field that is fool of spectators ready to record his every word and move."

"And you're a living magnet that will stick to any surface of this damn university because every god damn student already knows who you are. You either suck it up or go for what you want or remain in the unlighted part of the spotlight."

Elena leaned back and glared at him. "Wow, you're not as thick as I thought you were. Nice analogy."

"Don't be cryptic and sarcastic, there is only room for one cute and cocky girl on campus."

"Oh yes, how could I forget. The queen B of USC." Elena faked concern.

Nick narrowed his eyes. "Don't piss her off."

"Isn't that what you're asking me to do?"

Nick glared at her confused and Elena rolled her eyes realizing that he was thick after all. "Never mind. This conversation is pointless."

"And what's the pointless conversation about?" A distant voice said as it approached Nick and Elena.

Elena glanced up to meet another pair of blue eyes that were staring right into hers. "Nothing." She muttered as she stood up making a move to walk off.

"Running off again?" Damon whispered into her ear as she made a move to pass him. Well, if she didn't want to be civil with him anymore, he decided to at least taunt her a little. After all, ever since he met her they were in some kind of fight. He liked fighting with her. She was his match when it came to that…she could be his match in another department but he wasn't going to go there now.

"No, I just need to go check at the front desk if Mr. Tanner has released the partner list for our project. Excuse me." She said as she pushed past him and walked off. Damon smirked at Nick. "Poor effort, man."

"I'm doing this for you so don't be a dick."

"Aaaa…first of all, I didn't ask you to do this so I can be a dick if I choose to. I kind of like being a dick." He smirked at his best friend, his cocky side getting the better of him. "Besides, what exactly are you doing? Trying to convince her to go out with me again?" He rolled his eyes at Nick before adding. "That ship has sailed a long time ago, my friend. The best that I can get now is watching from a safe distance."

"You're a coward." Nick hissed at him as he pushed himself up against the table and stood up.

Damon grabbed his upper arm to stop him from running off. "What the fuck is your problem, man? What do you want from me?"

"Get a grip, Damon. She's clearly waiting for you to make the first move." Nick pointed out the obvious. "And if you're smart you'll do it soon before Tyler Lockwood steals your thunder."

Damon stared at him before leaning in and whispering with a determined look in his eyes. His voice was hard and full of certainty. "I'd like to see him try. The only thing Lockwood can do is watch Elena from a safe distance. If he so much as makes a move I'll-"

"Stop playing games, she'll just end up hating you."

"She already does."

Nick rolled his eyes. "And people think I'm thick. You're even thicker."

"Nick, don't start with me." Damon hissed angrily as he turned to walk away.

"You and your games are going-"

"I'm not playing games, Nick." Damon hissed.

"Then stop being a dick to her. Go and apologize."

Damon stared at his best friend. His ego was too proud for that. It had been sucking up to Elena Gilbert since the day he had met her and he didn't want to be degraded by a girl, not even the one he deeply liked and had strong feelings about. As if reading his mind Nick added. "You're pigheaded and stubborn which will only result in you realizing that you've lost a girl that you care about…really care about because your ego is too damn fucked up." With that, Nick Mikaelson walked off leaving Damon Salvatore to his thoughts.

He knew that what Nick was saying was partly true. He was a coward when it came to expressing his feelings…but he didn't want to get hurt or dumped by this girl. He would rather live a life without love then a life full of painful experiences that involved a few months of happiness that would haunt him forever. That kind of deal wasn't a bargain for Damon…but she was his addiction ever since he met her. Just her presence was enough to excite him. The mere thought of ever actually being with her excited him so much but at the same time it scared him. Ever since he saw her talking to Tyler Lockwood he wanted to jump out of his skin because he never wanted to see her with another man. She was too good for any guy, and especially for someone like Tyler Lockwood.

He took a seat on the table and pulled out his phone when he heard it beep in his pocket. It was a text message from his mother. She wanted him to come and spend some time with Stefan. She was all about the whole bonding brother thing which Damon was okay with. He loved Stefan, but hated the little boy's father for many reason. He was just about to send a text back to his mother when a girl approached him. She awkwardly stood in front of him before saying. "Um…excuse me."

Damon looked up and was met with an Asian girl. She had glasses on and looked like one of those people whose life revolved around school and knowledge. If he was asked to describe her in one word he would choose ''bookworm''.

"Yes?" Damon raised his eyebrow.

"I-I'm partnered with you on the economics project in Mr. Tanner's class." She said awkwardly.

"Oh yeah…that." Damon muttered annoyed. "So umm…do you want my number or what?"

"Your number?" The girl asked awkwardly. "Why would I want your number?"

"So that we can set up a time and place to start on the project." Damon pointed out the obvious.

"Oh…yeah. Okay." She nodded her head taking out her phone and handing it to Damon.

He took it and typed in his number before handing it to her. "Just give me a buzz and-"

"Hey, Sakiya!" A boy from behind her called out. He walked over to her and shook his head. "I can't believe we didn't get paired! I specifically asked him to pair us, I told him about our idea. He said he'd put us together. He promised!"

"I know. I can't believe it either. I'm paired with him." She pointed to Damon. "No offence, Damon." The girl said apologetically.

"None taken." Damon muttered annoyed.

"Hey, how about I talk to Mr. Tanner. Maybe we can switch partners." He glanced at Damon hesitantly. "Do you mind man? I'd really like to do this with my girlfriend."

Damon looked up from his phone and smirked. "Fine with me." He really didn't care who he got partnered with for this stupid project so he just turned back to his phone. He was waiting for a text from his mother.

"Yeah…um…I should warn you that the partner I'm currently paired with is…um…She's Elena."

Damon's gaze wandered from his phone to the guy standing in front of him. Before he could open his mouth the guy started to babble. "I can totally understand if you're not up for it…you know with the whole rumor thing floating around...so I'll understand if you don't want to be paired with her. I get it man. I totally get it. Just say the word and I'll understand...but it would be really great if Sakiya and I could do this together but I get it. I totally do, I mean I would react the same way if someone was forcing me to work with my ex-one night stand sort of friend-or whatever you guys call each other. I get it, believe me. I know some nasty stuff happened between the two of you-"

"Woah! Man…chill." Damon stopped his rambling as he placed his hands up in the air. In all his life he had never met a person who could talk this much without stopping to breathe. He could see that he was nervous and that he really wanted this. He wouldn't admit it out loud but this was working out perfectly for him as well. He would be doing the humane thing by helping this guy out by letting him work on the project with his girlfriend and in return he would get to spend more time with Elena, whether she wanted to or not. This wouldn't be her choice. She'd be forced to work with him and hopefully see that his world wasn't all about drama. He smirked at the guy. "How about we go and ask Mr. Tanner to switch partners?"

"Yes! That would be great man." He smirked happily at Damon.

"I just need you to do something for me."

"What do you need, man?" The guy asked, eager to get to work with his girlfriend on the project.

"If Elena comes looking for you or if you wouldn't mind texting her that this was a mix up and that she was supposed to be partnered with me from the beginning. Actually, leave me out of the text. Just tell her it was a mix up."

"Got it." The guy smirked seeing where Damon was going with this.

Damon smirked back. "Good. Let's go change partners then."

"I can't believe I'm paired with Ignacio, the stupid Spanish guy." April sighed frustrated.

"Why? He doesn't seem so bad…I mean, yeah he's a little weird when he turns up the volume on his phone instead of using a set of headphones and listening to Spanish music."

"Weird? Are you kidding me? He grinned at me when he saw that we were paired. I felt like he was going to swallow me alive." The girl stressed.

Elena laughed. "Don't be so dramatic. Maybe he has a crush on you."

"What? NO!" April flushed red from embarrassment. "I refuse to believe that! It's just…no! It's not possible. And besides, he's not my type."

Elena continued to laugh. April could be so dramatic and she tended to over think everything. "Relax. I'm sure you two can work in a strictly professional way."

"Yes, definitely. And besides, I'm with someone." She smiled at Elena happily.

"See, nothing to worry about." Elena said as she started to gather her things. Last period was moved to Friday so she wanted to get home early to study some more. "I should head home since we don't have last period."

"Why?"

"I thought of getting a head start in studying." She explained.

"Oh, okay." April nodded. "So I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah." Elena smiled at the girl as she grabbed her bag and turned to leave before waving. "Bye!"

"Bye!" April waved back.

As she walked out of the cafeteria and into the parking lot her phone started to buzz. She took it out of her handbag before opening the message from an unknown number. It was a message from Colin, the guy she was paired with for the project. According to his message she was no longer paired with him and that some kind of mistake was made. She just shoved the phone back into her pocket deciding to leave this issue for tomorrow. As she made her way to the bus station she stopped in her tracks when she saw April running down the street and quickly getting into someone's car. She watched as the girl slammed the door shut before the car speeded down the road. Weird things were happening but she had promised herself that she would stay away from drama. She waited patiently for the bus and soon it came. She got in and headed home, just like every day since she had returned to USC after all the drama. Her life wasn't interesting but it was at least quiet and stable.

"Be home by four because I need you to go and help decorate the guest room for Amelia's wedding." Isabel said to her daughter as she rushed through the kitchen.

"Okay…I'll try and make it on time." Elena answered as she shoved the books into her bag.

"Don't try to make it! You better make it!" Isobel stressed. "Oh dear god where did I put the table-"

"Here" Elena handed the table cloth to her mother all neatly ironed and folded. "And just so you know. My education is more important than this stupid wedding."

"Elena!" Isobel scolded. "Don't be disrespectful. This is her happy day."

"This is her funeral." Elena muttered under her breathe.

"I heard that." Isobel said in a knowing voice as she narrowed her eyes at Elena.

Elena sighed. "Well, it's true. I can't think of anything worse that could happen to a girl. I mean this is for life. She's a damn Christian and even if this marriage doesn't work she can't get divorced because her parents are too damn religious."

"Bite your tongue, young lady. Your father is a proud Christian and so am I." The woman scolded in an offended voice.

Elena took in a deep breath as she tried to explain to her mother her point of view. "I have nothing against being a Christian, I'm one too but I don't believe that a young woman's right to find her husband should be put into the hands of her parents."

Isobel looked up from the pot she was stirring and gazed at her daughter for a second. She then smiled almost sympathetically. "I know, and I agree with you, Elena. I know that you see life differently and that you live in the modern society but some people still believe that tradition should be upheld."

"Well, I hope that father never makes me marry someone I don't want to marry."

"No, that's not going to happen. Over my dead body." Isobel vowed.

Elena smiled happily. "Thank you mummy!" She squeaked like a five year old.

Isobel rolled her eyes. "Go, you'll be late for classes."

"Oh yeah!" Elena fussed realizing what time it was. She had to hurry. She grabbed her handbag and pulled on her high heel boots. "I'm off, bye!"

"Don't be late! 4 o'clock! Remember!" Isobel yelled after her.

"I'll be there!" Elena yelled back as she rushed through the door. As she stepped out of the building she almost bumped into Meredith. "Hi, Mrs. Fell. Sorry." She apologized.

"Are you in a rush, Elena?" She raised her eyebrow as she took off her sunglasses.

"Yeah, kind of. I'm late for the bus and I'll probably be late for class." She tried to smile and brush it off as if it was nothing.

"Well, what do you say I give you a ride? I'm heading to the hotel and –oh yeah that reminds me. Brian left me the money for the maintenance services. Do you mind giving it to your father since I won't be home today?"

"Yeah, sure." Elena nodded her head in a hurry.

"Okay, I'll give it to you on the way to USC. I'm giving you a ride." She smiled as she waved her hand for Elena to follow her.

"Thank you, Mrs. Fell. You really don't have to do this."

"Oh don't worry about it. It's on my way." Meredith said as she got into the black Jeep. Elena opened the door and got inside as well.

The woman turned on the car and headed in reverse as she asked. "So, how is it at USC? Do you like it?"

"It's an amazing school. I'm really lucky to be able to attend." She answered honestly.

"I know." She smirked at Elena. "I see that you've changed a lot since you started attending."

Elena gazed at her confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you're dressing a lot differently then you use to. How is your family taking this change? Your father in particular?" She asked as she stared ahead.

"I guess he's fine with it." Elena answered uncomfortably.

"Hmm…nice to hear." She glanced at Elena before looking back at the road. "Have you found any friends?"

"Yes."

"Good. It can be hard to find friends in a place like USC. The only people who afford to go there are either extremely rich or smart, kind of like you." She flashed a smile in Elena's direction but it didn't reach her eyes. Elena admired this woman for her beauty and fashion style but she couldn't deny the fact that she was indeed a snob.

"Yeah, well I don't engage too much with fellow students. I'm there for the education first and foremost." Elena stood her ground with her short but strong answer.

Meredith just smiled and continued to drive. It didn't take long for them to arrive at USC. Elena was surprised that Meredith didn't stop on the side for her to get out." I hate stopping on the side. I always have this feeling that someone will hit me from behind." She said as she took a turn and entered the parking lot. As soon as they entered the parking lot her heart started to race faster. Damon was standing beside his car with Nick while Katherine was leaning against her car with Rebekah. Meredith had parked three spaces away from Katherine's car and Elena noticed the way Katherine turned to look at the new car that was parked. As soon as Meredith stopped Elena grabbed the door and quickly said. "Thank you for the ride, Mr. Fell. I have to go." She had just stepped out of the car when Meredith yelled. "Elena, wait!"

She turned around alarmed. "Yes?"

"Sweetie, don't forget the money." She said as she took out five hundred dollars in cash and handed them to Elena.

She took them from her quickly. "Thank you."

"No problem. Have a nice day." She smiled.

Elena nodded and smiled back. "You too." She said before closing the door.

Meredith turned the car on immediately and Elena turned around and made a move to leave. She glanced at Katherine and Rebekah, they were both staring at her and back at the black Jeep . As she walked across the parking lot she heard her name being called out. It was Damon.

"Hey, wait up!" He yelled as he chased after her.

"Yes?" She spun around on her heel to face him.

He smirked before saying. "We need to talk."

"Yeah…I don't have time. See you." She smiled politely before turning around and making a move to walk off.

"Don't walk away from me. We need to talk and it's important." He said moving faster to step in front of her.

Elena rolled her eyes. "Important? What's important?"

"The project." He answered.

"What project?"

"The Economics project. Didn't you hear? We're partners." He answered as if it was no big deal.

Elena stared at him for a couple of seconds before shaking her head. "What did you do?"

Damon rolled his eyes. "Oh come on. Seriously?"

"Don't mock me, Damon. Yesterday I saw the list and I was partnered with Colin." She laughed irritated. "Funny thing about that is that I got a text message from him an hour later that it was some mistake."

"Well, Mr. Tanner did classify it as a mistake. He called me into his office and asked if it would be okay to switch partners, so I didn't want to be a nuisance and I agreed. I didn't think it would be such a big deal, Elena. After all, this is school related."

She narrowed her doe eyes at him. "You are a nuisance."

"Normally people call me a dick, but hey, a nuisance is progress." He smirked.

"What's your deal?" Elena asked staring right at him. Sometimes she just couldn't figure this guy out. One day he was all sweet and nice while the next he was a completely different person. He turns into an arrogant and self-righteous jerk.

"What do you mean?" he smirked.

"For once, can you just be the real you."

Damon narrowed his eyes, anger boiling up in them. "Well, that depends if you want to see the real me."

"How can I tell if it's the real you? You have so many faces."

"Well, I'm a mystery to most people, Elena, but you seem to see only the worst in me." He answered.

She stared at him for the first time speechless. Yeah, she didn't give him the benefit of a doubt from the beginning. She had assumed that he was a jerk based on his popularity and on his social position. It was also true that his life was indeed a complete Hollywood scandal which made it harder for her to get to know him.

"If you want the truth, I'll tell you. Colin asked me to switch partners because he wanted to do the project with his girlfriend and Mr. Tanner agreed to the swap. If you want you can ask him yourself. I'm not the manipulative jerk you think I am. You just made your mind up about me as soon as you hit the first rock."

Elena didn't say anything; she just stood there in front of him for a few seconds thinking. She didn't know whether to ask Mr. Tanner to find her another partner, but she didn't want to be annoying and needy. Teachers hated that and besides Damon looked really pissed that she didn't believe him. His little speech got to her, and yeah, he was right. She never gave him the benefit of a doubt. She huffed before saying. "Fine. We'll work together on the project."

"Okay. When do you want to meet up so that we can start planning?"

"Umm…Maybe Friday because I finish at two."

"The cafeteria?"

"Sure." Elena nodded her head.

"Good. Then it's settled." He said with a straight face as he stepped out of her way.

"I have to get to class." Elena stated as she made a move to walk away.

"Yeah, me too." Damon agreed as he led the way.

Elena didn't say anything else. They both just walked by each other without talking. Elena headed up the stairs but Damon grabbed her hand. "Listen, I think it's best if we start over. We're going to be working together on this project and I think it will be awkward if we continue to bicker all the time."

"I'm not bickering…but you're right. We should try to be civil, at least, to one another." She agreed.

Damon just nodded his head letting go of her hand. "You should get to class."

"I should." Elena agreed. "I'll see you on Friday."

"Friday it is." He smiled nodding his head.

She also smiled back before heading off to class. Damon watched her walk off before turning around and heading back to the cafeteria. He grabbed a coffee and headed to where Nick was sitting. "We're on for Friday."

The guy glanced up at him and smirked. "Finally. I was getting ready to ask her out in your name."

Damon laughed. "It's not like that. We're just going to be working on the project together. That's all."

"But you're planning on turning this project from being all business to some pleasure."

"Don't be dirty."

"Coming from the guy who use to say 'wham bam thank you-"

"I was 16, and I was having sex unlike you."

Nick rolled his eyes. "My point exactly."

Damon took a seat across from his friend. "Where's Katherine?"

"Haven't seen her." Nick muttered as he continued to type something on his phone.

"Who are you texting?"

"Nobody." Nick said closing his phone before looking up at Damon.

Damon raised his eyebrow. "You're hiding something?"

"Do I look like I'm hiding something?" He rolled his eyes dramatically.

Damon narrowed his eyes. "Yes."

The blue eyed guy just snorted before saying. "You're lack of sexual intercourse is making you paranoid."

"And you being sarcastic and all secretive can only mean you're hiding something."

Nick rolled his eyes. "We all have our secret escape place, Damon. Well, this person is mine."

"Is it about Katherine?"

"Not everything in my life is about her, Damon." Nick answered frustrated. "She's just my friend. I don't go around watching her every move."

"Chill. I was just asking." Damon said placing his hands up in the air.

"For the first time in my life, I'm doing something that has nothing to do with Katherine."

Damon didn't comment, he could see that his friend was on edge so he let it go. They sat together for a while drinking coffee and talking about light topics before they headed to class.

Last period had just ended and Elena was now heading to the cafeteria. As she walked down the stairs her gaze caught Katherine's. Elena turned her head immediately but it was too late. She hadn't even taken two steps when her name was called. "Elena!"

She ignored it and continued to walk down but in a matter of seconds Katherine was right in front of her. She cocked her head to the side and smiled. "Do you still have hard feelings for that little tiff we had?"

"It was hardly a tiff, Katherine." Elena spat out as she tried to move past her. "I'm not in the mood for games."

"Neither am I." The girl said as she grabbed Elena's hand. "I want a do-over."

Elena laughed sarcastically. "You want a do-over?" Katherine just nodded. Elena narrowed her eyes. "And what makes you think I would agree to this?"

Katherine rolled her eyes, annoyed. "Look, Princess, I'm not doing this to get on your good side, personally I don't care if you like me or not...but I care about Damon. I'm doing this for Damon."

Elena raised her eyebrow. "Wow, you must really care about Damon."

"I do." Katherine smirked. "Which is why I'm willing to try and be civil at least with you." She took out her phone when it started to beep in her bag and read the text quickly before turning to Elena. "Let's have lunch and go shopping after your project thing with Damon."

"What?" Elena's eyes widened at the sudden change of mood and attitude.

Katherine smirked as she leaned in. A huge smile was on her face. "To prove to you that I'm not trying to screw you over, Elena, I've decided to take you shopping and to lunch. It's my treat. And it will be just the two of us." She grinned. "We'll have a lot to talk about. I'll tell you everything you want to know about Damon. I'll even tell you some funny childhood stories." She added as she winked at Elena.

Elena stared confused. She didn't know what was going on. This girl was all of a sudden willing to be friends with her? Why? She hated her. Before she could even answer Katherine spoke. "I have to be somewhere. I'll pick you up at…let's say 4 and we'll go to the mall for some lunch and then we'll go shopping. I've got to go now. See ya!" And with that she passed Elena and headed up stairs.

The Gilbert girl stood almost paralyzed in her steps. She didn't know what had just happened. Was this Katherine's attempt to make things better? What was going on? She was knocked out of her thoughts by a loud thud. She snapped out of her trance and looked over to the left. A girl had dropped her books to the floor and was picking them up. She shook her head and started to walk down the stairs. Her mind was still racing. She didn't know what was going on and if this was another set up. She didn't trust Katherine, not one bit but a part of her was still hoping that this wasn't another set up. She walked into the cafeteria and spotted Damon sitting in the corner typing something on his phone.

"Hey." She said as she approached him.

"Hey." He smiled looking up from his phone.

Elena took a seat, placing her handbag on the table opposite to him. "So um…I just ran into Katherine."

"Really?" Damon smiled.

Elena narrowed her eyes. "She seemed awfully nice."

He smirked. "Did she apologize?"

"Apologize?" Elena raised her eyebrow.

"Yeah. I had a talk with her. I explained to her that what happened a few weeks ago was a misunderstanding. I asked her to apologize to you and she agreed." He said happily.

Elena gazed at him confused. "Why? What difference does it make?"

"Well, we'll be seeing a lot more of each other so I figured it would be a good idea to get rid of all the tension."

"Wait. Back up. We'll be seeing a lot of each other?"

He hesitated before saying. "Yeah. We go to the same school. You and I are working on this class project."

She nodded her head in understanding. "Oh."

"So are you two good now?" Damon questioned.

"She invited me to lunch and for a shopping date." Elena answered awkwardly

"Yeah? Well, that's great." He smiled happily. "You'll see that Kat's not that bad. She's a little rough around the edges but she's a pretty good friend." He smirked.

Elena could see that he was excited about this so she only smiled. She wasn't sure yet if it was a good idea to go to this lunch date with Katherine or not. She decided to turn the conversation to business. "Yeah…um…I've done some research on the project and I came up with a few ideas about our theme."

"Okay." Damon nodded his head. "Let's see it."

She took out her notes, and her folder with all the research. "Here are some business plans from the past." She handed them to Damon. "I thought we could use them as inspiration while creating our own."

Damon scanned through the papers and smiled. "Nicely done." He smirked up at her.

Elena only gave him a polite smile before opening up her note book. "So here I've listed some possible topics, but if you have anything to add please do." She told him before starting to read out the suggestions. "Number 1 is Children's Hospital that offers extra benefits for parents who are out of employment or to single parents who-"

Damon cut in. "Good idea but we've got a problem. This project has to be a non charitable organization and… well this does have its benefits towards individuals but we're talking about business here. No one's going to open up a hospital and offer benefits to parents who don't have enough money to pay for their child's health bills. This is really about entrepreneurs and how you would become one. The hospital would be a great way of showing humanitarianism if we were to mention it as a charity organization but as an actual project theme it's not such a good idea."

Elena opened her mouth ready to comment but then realized that she had nothing to say. He was right. She quickly tried to think of a reason to tell him that he was wrong but nothing came to mind. She then composed herself and glanced down at number 2 on her list. "Okay, so let's see number 2 then. I used Kyle Smitley as inspiration for this. Since this girl makes children's clothing from 100 percent certified organic cotton and water-based inks I thought we could try and base our business plan on 100 percent certified organic cotton fashionable clothing."

Damon hesitated not wanting to ruin her idea, once again. "Okay…yeah that's good…but, it's kind of like copying someone else's idea. Kyle Smitley, as you have already said is the founder of this…so we need to be founders of something else."

Elena huffed. "Okay, fine. Let's see." She scanned through her list but nothing seemed good now. She was scared of even presenting her ideas because Damon had a comment for everything. "Do you have a suggestion?" She raised her eyebrow at him.

He smiled. "I haven't really thought about it."

"Well…think then." She urged. "Since all my ideas suck." She muttered annoyed.

"They don't suck…they're just a little undeveloped." He smiled at her softly before saying. "Hey, those are great ideas. I just want us to think outside of the box. Remember this carries 20% of your final grade and I'm guessing you want an A, right?"

Elena just nodded her head, still a little frustrated. She pulled out a pen and turned the page over. "Okay, let's brain storm. Whatever comes to mind."

"Okay." Damon smiled as he leaned back in his chair and tried to think. He closed his eyes trying to picture something extraordinary and different. "Got anything?" Elena asked.

"Simmer down, I'm not a time machine. Let me think."

Elena rolled her eyes as she stared at the piece of paper in front of her. She couldn't think of anything. Not one thing was coming to mind. She wanted to scream. She was making a fool out of herself in front of him and she hated it. All of a sudden Damon spoke. "I'm thinking a stripper pole."

Elena stared at him. "What?"

"Just write it down."

"Damon…" She huffed annoyed.

"It's a brain storm, you said it yourself and I can't stop thinking about a damn stripper pole so just write it down so that I can move on."

She rolled her eyes at him and wrote down stripper pole before leaning back in her seat. They were both quiet for a few minutes before Elena got an idea. "A hotel with a mini adventure world park." She quickly wrote it down.

"A night club with an indoor pool."

"Damon…" Elena groaned again. "Seriously."

He was just about to argue with her and tell her that this was his way of processing information but then it hit him. "I think I have an idea."

"Let me guess. Strippers?" Elena rolled her eyes.

He smirked at her. "Yeah, that could be part of the adult world."

"What?" Elena asked confused.

"I'm thinking about this place where there is a part for every family member. Can you imagine an actual castle, somewhere secluded that's designed as this dream world? I'm thinking a huge perimeter. Like let's say 3 kilometers of property that's turned into this adventure park, but not only for kids but for adults too. We already have adventure world and adult clubs and hotels….but what if we could design an actual family adventure theme park, where people can find all of this in one place. Imagine taking your kids to adventure world but once you get there there's an actual adult park as well. I'm thinking that we can divide this world that we've created into two parts. One for the adults and one for the children."

"You mean like a package holiday for an entire family."

"Yeah. We can have all the children stuff. Aqua parks, outdoor pools, carnivals and all that stuff, while the other part will be about bars, restraints, nightclubs, indoor pool parties. It's a win-win situation. It's a dream come true." Damon said excitedly.

Elena thought carefully about this idea. He was right, it was good. It had all the elements to draw a person in. It was actually a really good idea. It was a mixture of both. "This could work."

"Yeah, it could work!" Damon smiled enthusiastically.

Elena glanced down at the page wondering if she was missing something. It felt like she was missing a touch up and then it would be perfect. She looked up at Damon who had a grin on his face. She smiled. "It's a great theme. I think that we've found what we've been looking-" And then it hit her. "Oh my god, Damon! We should also mention secluded rent-out houses. I'm thinking mansions with private pools and also, we have to add this artificial river with an amazing boat that looks like a mini yacht. Oh my god I've already pictured it in my head!" She fussed like a happy child.

Damon smiled and nodded his head. "Nice suggestion. That would definitely appeal to the rich."

"I know, right!" Elena beamed with happiness. This was working out better then she had planned. They continued to discuss the project and the ideas. Damon told her that he would work on the budget while her job was to prepare everything and do as much research as possible. She didn't mind though, she quite enjoyed it. They talked and laughed like good friends until Elena glanced at her phone. It was five minutes to four o'clock. "Go, have fun." Damon encouraged.

"I'm not so sure it's a good idea. I mean we got off on the wrong foot ever since I met her. I don't want-"

"Hey, relax." He leaned over the table. "I'm sure everything will be fine. Just be yourself and you'll see that Kat will like you. You'll also see that Katherine isn't such a bad person. She might be a little overwhelming sometimes but I can guarantee that she's a good soul once you get to know her better."

Elena hesitated. A part of her wanted to go just to see what it would be like to be friends with a girl like Katherine, while another part of her worried that this all might be another game to her. Damon seemed optimistic and she wanted to believe him, especially after having such a nice time with him…but a part of her was still skeptical. She glanced at the clock and realized that only a minute had passed. She looked up and found Damon taking her handbag. "What are you doing?" She questioned as she got up to her feet.

"You're going." He smirked at her as he handed the bag over to her. "And you're going to have fun. Got it, little lady?"

She smiled shyly at his comment. He was such an encouraging man and charming nevertheless that she couldn't say no. She took the handbag from him and smiled. "I hope this isn't just another game." She gave him that hard look.

"It's not. I trust Kat, and I've made sure that she realizes what kind of girl you are." Damon explained seriously.

"And what kind of girl am I? According to you, of course?" Elena raised her eyebrows.

He gave her a lopsided smile. "I think we'll save that conversation for another time."

Elena rolled her eyes and blushed. "Fine, be like that."

"You should be going." Damon urged her as he placed his hand on her lower back. She felt the tingles instantly again. His touch was like magic. It made her entire body tingle and her heart always started to race faster.

He pushed her lightly and she stepped forward. "Off you go."

Elena shook her head as she started to walk. Once she was half way across the room she turned around and found him in the same spot. "Are you just going to stand there and stare?" She questioned.

"You should hurry. Katherine's not known for her patience, little lady." Damon gave her another smile.

Elena batted her eyelashes and smiled. "Bye!"

"Bye and have a good time!"

"Oh I will!" Elena teased as she glanced back at him before exiting the cafeteria. She walked happily out of the school and into the parking lot wondering what this lunch date was going to be like. Was it even a good idea? She didn't really have much time to think because Katherine was leaning against her car with Rebekah when she turned the corner.

"Finally, you're here." Katherine smiled charmingly. "Ready?"

Elena glanced at Rebekah, surprised to see the girl. Rebekah just smiled. "I'm waiting for my boyfriend, Marcel to show up." She answered Elena's unspoken question.

Elena just smiled at the girl before turning to Katherine. "Yeah…Let's go."

"Great." She flashed a huge grin in Elena's direction. "Beca, I'll see you tomorrow." She then turned to Elena and said. "Get in. Let's go shopping!"

As she stepped into the car she felt this energy, it was so strong and she felt invincible. She wanted to feel this way always. She didn't like feeling small and invisible like she was at home. She liked knowing that Damon thought highly of her and she liked the fact that Katherine was at least giving their friendship a chance. She didn't expect much from Katherine but Damon's opinion was important to her. She cared what he thought and that was what mattered to her the most in this moment. She wanted this power and positive energy that she was feeling to last forever.

Before I start to talk about this chapter I would like to thank my beta-reader myallconsuminglove. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO EDIT MY CHAPTERS! YOU HAVE BEEN A HUGE HELP!

First I want to apologize for not updating for so long. I had a lot of drama with my computer. So what do you guys think about this chapter? A lot happened here. Damon and Elena are paired as partners on the project and it seems to be going well-for now. Katherine invited Elena to lunch and she agreed. What do you think will happen? Anything that might come to mind please write it in your review. I love reading them and I appreciate every single one of you for taking the time to review.