Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or any of its characters.

A/N: Okay, so first of all, I owe you guys the biggest apology ever. I said I'd update once a week and it's been two weeks since my last update. My muse decided to take a super long vacation or something. I'm so sorry about that. But I should be back to my regular updating schedule now! Thank you so much to everyone who stuck with me. And another big thank you to everyone who reviewed! You guys make my day and I wouldn't have gotten this far without your support! :D

Also, I'm sorry if any of you guys are big Tyler fans. I tried to make him more like who he was in season 1 because it worked better in the story. Sorry!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

-xxx-

Tyler headed down the hallway to get back to the dance, looking forward to seeing Rebekah again. He had just made a quick stop at the restroom to freshen up before making his big move of the night. If things kept going as smoothly as they were now, he had a good chance of getting lucky.

Just as he was turning the corner, he spotted Caroline. Well, he heard her before he actually saw her, which gave him enough time to hide between two sets of lockers. He could see her talking to someone, but their back was facing him so he couldn't make out who it was.

"You don't have to be jealous," she said to the mystery guy, the hint of a smile in her voice.

"I'm not," he replied.

Tyler froze. He knew that voice. An accent like that stuck out like a sore thumb around Mystic Falls. That was Mr. Mikaelson! What the hell was Caroline doing with Mr. Mikaelson?

"It's okay if you are, though," she continued.

"I'm not."

"Oh, my God," Tyler whispered to himself. Was this really happening right now? Did he just stumble upon what he's thinking he just stumbled upon?

He could see Caroline put her hands up and begin turning away. "Okay, whatever you say."

Before she could get too far, Mr. Mikaelson grabbed her and spun her around to face him, pulling her close and whispering something to her as he touched his lips to hers.

Tyler's jaw dropped.

What.

The.

Hell.

"You should get back to the dance. I'll count to sixty and then follow behind you," Caroline said as she pulled away from his embrace.

Mr. Mikaelson stepped around her and began heading back to the dance like she suggested. Once he had disappeared and Caroline thought she was alone, a slow smile spread across Tyler's face.

Gotcha, he thought.

He walked out from between the two sets of lockers and quietly leaned against one of them, crossing his arms over his chest with a cocky smirk on his face.

"Well, well, well," he said, watching as Caroline tensed up at the sound of his voice. "Someone's in trouble."

Caroline turned around slowly, her eyes wide with terror. "Tyler," she said quietly. "How much of that did you see?"

Tyler pushed himself away from the lockers and took a couple of steps towards her. "I saw enough to know that you have some serious explaining to do." He shoved his hands in his pockets, waiting for her to respond.

Caroline gulped. "It's not what you're thinking," she replied.

"Oh, on the contrary, I think it's exactly what I'm thinking. So, tell me, how long have you been sleeping with our history teacher?"

"We're not sleeping together!" she retorted, and she couldn't help the blush that spread across her cheeks from embarrassment and anger.

"Then what are you doing with him?"

"He's my... We're dating."

"Dating, huh? How long has it been going on?"

"It started after you and I broke up, if that's what you're thinking."

"Are you doing this just to get a good grade?"

"Ew, no!" Caroline exclaimed. "I'm doing it because I like him, okay? Now can we stop with the twenty questions?"

Tyler ignored that last part and continued with his interrogation. "Does anyone else know?"

She hesitated before responding. "...Rebekah does."

Something seemed to click for Tyler. "So that's why you two are in a fight. She said it was because you couldn't agree on which dress to buy."

Caroline fought the small smile that tugged at her lips. That had been her excuse too.

Tyler took a deep breath. "Well, if anyone found out, you two would be in a lot of trouble... Mr. Mikaelson would lose his job...and I can't even imagine what your mother would do..."

"Look, Tyler. You can be mad at me all you want, but leave Klaus out of it."

"Why should I do you any favors?"

Caroline was silent. Because we're friends wouldn't work because the way Tyler saw it, they were anything but that. She was at a complete loss.

"Look, I won't say a word to anyone," he promised.

Caroline breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

"On one condition," he continued.

She narrowed her eyes. "What condition?"

"I need you to do something for me."

"I'm listening..." she replied hesitantly.

"I'm one bad test grade away from failing world history and getting kicked off the football team," he explained.

"If you need help studying, I—"

Tyler chuckled. "Studying? No. I don't need you to tutor me. I need you to steal the answers to next Friday's test. So on Monday, when you stay after class to have sex or whatever it is that you do—"

"We aren't sleeping together," Caroline grumbled quietly.

"—you're going to find out where he keeps the answers and you're going to take them and give them to me. Because there's no way I'm going to let the team go to playoffs without me."

"Why don't you just study like any normal person would?"

"Why would I? I have an advantage now."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "You mean you have someone to take advantage of." She scoffed. "I'm not doing it."

"Okay. Then I hope you're prepared for what's going to happen when I tell administration about the scandal that's happening right under their noses. I'm sure they'll be very interested in your little secret."

Caroline was silent. If she did this, it would keep Tyler's mouth shut. However, if she got caught, she'd lose Klaus's trust forever. But wasn't it worth the risk when the alternative meant that he'd lose his job? It was a lose-lose situation, but it was the only choice she had.

"Fine," she agreed. "I'll do it. But just know that I think you're a despicable human being."

Tyler smirked. "I can live with that."

She rolled her eyes again. "Do you promise not to tell anyone if I do this for you?"

He nodded. "Do you promise to have the answers for me before Friday?"

Now it was her turn to nod.

Tyler smiled. "Then it's a deal."

-xxx-

"And that's why, at that time, France was a prime example of an absolute monarchy—"

The shrill ringing of the bell interrupted the lecture and woke the students that had drifted off to sleep during class. Everyone gathered their things quickly and hurried out of the classroom as fast as they could, barely even catching what their homework was before they were out of earshot.

Caroline took a deep breath to calm her nerves as she approached Klaus, offering him a small smile.

"I have a question about the homework," she said, watching out of the corner of her eye as the last student left the room. As soon as they were gone, Caroline closed the door and turned back to Klaus, who was leaning against his desk with a smirk.

"Is this really about homework, love?"

"Yes," she replied unconvincingly.

He gave her a disapproving look, obviously seeing right through her.

"No," she admitted with a sigh.

He walked towards her and took her face in his hands, absentmindedly rubbing his thumb across her cheek. He opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off by reaching up on her toes to kiss him.

He responded by dropping one of his hands to her waist and pressing the other one against the small of her back, pushing her closer to him. She placed her hands on the back of his neck and deepened the kiss, overcome with her sudden need to be close to him.

He was the one to pull away first, smirking at her as he tucked one of her blonde curls behind her ear. "What was that for?" he asked.

Caroline shrugged and forced another smile.

"Is something wrong?"

Damn his ability to read her like an open book!

She just shrugged again and tried to change the subject. "So how much is Friday's test going to count?"

"Are you worried about it? I can help you—"

"No, I don't need help, I just..."

At that moment, the door swung open and Caroline jumped back. Alaric stood in the doorway, but he didn't appear to have noticed how inappropriately close she and Klaus were just a few seconds ago.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt, but can I borrow you for a moment? It's about those copies I made earlier. I don't think they printed right..." Mr. Saltzman said, looking at Klaus.

"I'll be right there," he answered, and then he turned back to Caroline. "You should get to class, Miss Forbes."

She nodded and headed back to her desk to retrieve her books as Klaus followed Alaric out of the classroom. As soon as he was gone, Caroline walked back over to his desk as inconspicuously as she could.

"They've got to be here somewhere," she mumbled to herself as she opened drawers and rifled through files. She would glance up every few seconds to make sure the room was still empty. She had about two minutes, tops.

She began to feel extremely panicked when the test answers weren't turning up no matter where she looked. She shuffled through all the papers in all the drawers and even rummaged through the filing cabinet, hoping they'd be tucked away somewhere that would be easy enough to find. No such luck.

Caroline was just about ready to give up when she saw a a piece of paper with red ink written all over it poking out from a giant stack of papers sitting on top of his desk.

Seriously? I search every drawer and every cabinet but I don't even think to look at what's on top of his desk? she scolded herself internally. Of course the test answers would be hidden in plain sight. Of course.

She snatched them up off the desk and shoved it in her bag, not even glancing at it. She didn't want to know the answers. Just because Tyler had stooped to a morally ambiguous level didn't mean she had to.

Caroline rushed out of there as quickly as she could before Klaus could return, trying to ignore the hollow feeling in her chest.

-xxx-

"Caroline," Mrs. Lockwood greeted with surprise as she swung the front door open. "I haven't seen you over here in a while." She gave her a friendly smile, although Caroline could see the suspicion in her eyes.

"Is Tyler here?" she asked, getting straight to the point.

"He should be up in his room. Why?"

"I need to see him."

Mrs. Lockwood hesitated before reluctantly opening the door wider and allowing Caroline to step through. "Right this way, dear." She gestured towards the grand staircase.

Caroline nodded at her and mumbled a "Thank you" as she ascended the stairs. She'd been in Tyler's room countless times before, but this was the only time she'd ever felt truly nervous about it.

When she reached his door, she took a deep breath before knocking. What if he decided this wasn't enough? What if he chose to blackmail her further? Or worse, what if he was lying about keeping it a secret and told everyone anyway?

"Come in," he called through the door.

Caroline composed herself quickly and marched into his room, slamming the test answers beside him on the desk he was working at. "There. Are you happy?"

He looked up at her, smiling. "He just handed them over?"

She crossed her arms over her chest and scoffed. "Yes, he handed over a cheat sheet for Friday's test because he just couldn't stand the thought of you losing your spot on the football team," she replied, her tone thick with sarcasm.

"What's with the attitude?"

"What's with the attitude? Are you kidding me? You made me choose between betraying my boyfriend's trust and possibly losing him forever if he found out about it, or being directly responsible for him losing his job, and you have the nerve to ask me what's with the attitude?!"

Tyler picked up the test answers and waved them in the air. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm willing to share."

"Screw you!" Caroline practically shouted at him, turning away and storming out of his room, barely making it to her car before the tears started falling.

Maybe being with Klaus wasn't such a good idea. Maybe they were better off without each other.

Or maybe I should just tell him the truth, she considered.

Caroline turned up the car radio, trying to drown out her thoughts as she drove away from the Lockwood mansion. She didn't have to decide anything right now, although she knew that whatever she ended up doing wouldn't end well.

-xxx-

A/N: Again, I'm sorry to anyone who really loves Tyler!

Thank you so much to everyone who's still with me even after the super long wait for this chapter. You guys are the best. And even though I really don't deserve it, it would make my day if you reviewed! All your thoughts and opinions make me so happy and are extremely motivating! :D

Lots of love,

Morgan

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