The next morning I woke up to my phone vibrating in my back pocket. I had three missed text messages from Caroline, the first two were almost too detailed in describing her night with Tyler, and the third was an angry one because I disappeared on Stefan. I responded to her asking if she remembered my text from last night saying I was leaving. She left me alone after that because she knew I was right. I saw various hung over people getting up and leaving and laughed. I was fresh as a daisy, perks of being a vampire.
"Turn off the lights." Damon groaned from beside me and I laughed.
"We're outside. It's time to take me home." I said shaking him. He pried open an eye and winced.
"The sun should go to hell." He said and I laughed again.
"I agree but you have to take me home so I can get ready for the game." I told him and he sat up reluctantly.
"Yeah, I'd hate to deprive the Timberwolves of their cheerleader." He said brushing his clothes off and running a hand through his hair. He was so sexy in the morning and I was starting to like him as more than a friend.
"You should come to the game." I suggested.
"I've never been to a football game in my life. My brother would have a heart attack if he saw me." Damon told me and I smiled.
"Come on, you don't even have to watch the game. Watch the cheerleaders." I told him and he laughed.
"Honestly there is only one cheerleader I'd be watching. The rest are too preppy for my liking." He said and I smiled.
"Well come and watch me. We can hang out again after if you're game." I offered.
"I think I might be, as long as all the school spirit at the football game doesn't kill me first." He said and I laughed.
"Come on surly loner. Take me home before Caroline kills me." I urged standing up and brushing the dirt off of me. I held my hand out to him and helped him to his feet.
"Hangovers suck ass." He muttered.
"I can drive if you want. I'm not hungover." I offered.
"How the hell are you not hungover? You drank more than I did." He scoffed and I laughed.
"I have my ways. I'm a very experienced partier." I told him and he rolled his eyes.
"Do you know how to drive stick?" He asked holding his keys in hand.
"I'm quite adept at it actually. Don't worry your car is safe with me." I promised. He sighed and handed over his keys.
"Just know that if you crash or hurt her in any way I will never speak to you again. And you're paying for the repairs." He said. I held up two fingers in a Scouts honour and walked to his car. I was excited to drive the vintage Camaro. It was my kind of car, kind of like how Damon was my kind of guy. I definitely had a type and after last night it was clear that Damon was my type.
"Do you want me to drive you home and I can walk home from there?" I asked him.
"Nah, drive me to your house and then I'll be fine to drive from there." He said.
"I don't mind walking. It's not that long of a walk and I needed to get a work out in anyway." I offered.
"Are you sure?" He asked and I nodded.
"Absolutely. I'm not afraid of a little walk. Besides I really don't want to get home too early or else I'll have to hear all about Caroline's night with Tyler." I winced.
"How the hell are the two of you friends? You're about as different as can be." He asked clearly confused. Caroline was everything Damon hated about popular girls.
"I think that's why we're friends. She's all bubbly, preppy and fun. I'm more serious but I enjoy having fun too. The truth is we're friends because she was there for me during a tough time. Now we're stuck together and I couldn't have asked for a better best friend." I told him.
"I'll have to take your word for it." He said and I nodded. I could understand that, only because he hasn't met the good side of Caroline Forbes yet. He hasn't met the caring friend, or the responsible vampire. He's only met the cheerleader.
I pulled his car into the driveway and we both got out.
"So thanks for taking me out last night. It was the most fun I've had since I got here." I confessed.
"No problem. I've been instructed to bring you back every single week now. They really liked you so I wouldn't make any plans Friday nights." He said and I laughed.
"Caroline makes all my plans so I'm pretty sure I can get out of them." I promised.
"Good. I guess I'll see you later." He said backing towards the house.
"You better. If I don't see you in the crowd at the game I will be pissed. You haven't had a cheerleader like me pissed off at you yet." I warned him.
"You were pretty pissed at me when we met." He reminded me and I laughed.
"Maybe but that wasn't mainly just irritation. I better go before Caroline starts panicking. She's not fun when she's panicky." I told him as I started backing down the driveway. He waved and I waved back. When the house was out of sight I picked up the pace until I was using vampire speed. It made the hour long walk only take about five minutes.
"Well the hell were you last night?" Caroline demanded as we drove to the school for the game a couple hours later.
"I was at a party with Damon." I told her rolling my eyes.
"Since when are you friends with him? You can't just abandon one guy to hang out with his brother." She scoffed.
"I'm friends with him fairly recently and I didn't want to be Stefan's unofficial date. I told you I'm not interested in him." I reminded her.
"Are you into Damon?" She asked.
"If you must know, I might be. I don't know for sure but there is something there. We just click." I told her.
"Alright fine. You click with Damon. But he's not the type that's going to keep you from being noticed. You should be dating Stefan." She told me.
"For the last time Caroline, no one cares about some teenagers dating life. Cheerleaders don't always date football players. That's a stereotype. Besides I'm not dating Damon, I'm just hanging out with him." I ranted.
"But you spent the night with him wherever you were." She tacked on and I sighed.
"We slept. He passed out and I slept like a baby. It was nice and before you ask there was no bedtime kiss and all clothes remained on except for my scarf which went missing after I asked Damon to hold it while I was doing the keg stand." I told her.
"You did a keg stand? That is so not very cheerleader-y." She said shaking her head.
"Fine, I'm not only a cheerleader. I am a multi-dimensional teenage girl. I am a cheerleader and I also enjoy partying with my other friends. To me that sounds like the perfect way to blend in." I told her annoyed at my friend. I was often equally annoyed with her as I loved her. It was the product of being best friends with someone who was almost my direct opposite. I parked the car in a spot close to the football field and got out. Most of the other cheerleaders were already there and so were the players. I didn't see Damon's Camaro anywhere and I pulled out my phone and sent him a threatening text message.
"Elena, what happened to you last night? You went outside to get some air and then you disappeared." Stefan said running over to me in his football gear.
"Sorry I disappeared. I just couldn't be there anymore." I told him with a shrug as if it didn't mean anything to me. Which it didn't.
"You could have told me and I could have come with you." He said.
"Don't worry about it. I was with Damon." I told him as I heard the rumbling engine pull up. I turned my head and grinned when I saw him get out of the car complete with a pair of sunglasses to block the light. I grinned and ran over to him in my cheerleader outfit and hugged him quickly.
"I can't believe I'm here. You look so school spirit-y." He teased. I smirked and did a little twirl.
"You like? I'm all full of school spirit today. You clearly have none though." He said gesturing to his lack of school colours. He was wearing black on black like he did every day. I nudged him with my hip as we walked towards the stands.
"What are you doing here Damon? You've never come to a game before." Stefan asked.
"I'm here to hang out with my favourite cheerleader and to get out of the house." He told his brother.
"Is mom bad again?" Stefan asked quietly.
"She doesn't know who we are today. She was treating me like I was a stranger." Damon told Stefan and I wished there was a way to fix it.
"Alright you take your seat. It's time we play a game." I urged Damon. He grinned and sat down on the end of one of the bleachers while I joined the rest of the cheerleaders and Stefan rejoined the team.
"Is there something going on with you and Stefan's brother?" Rebekah asked me with a smirk on her face.
"Why would you say that?" I asked.
"Well he has never been to a game in all the time Stefan has been on the team. You show up and look who's here. It's suspicious, that's all." She giggled.
"We're just friends." I told them.
I knew I was showing off a little for Damon. My high-kicks were higher than usual and I was cheering louder. But in the end it paid off because the Timberwolves beat our rival team badly. The team was celebrating and I was pulled into the celebration with them by Caroline.
"You have to come to the Grill to celebrate. It's a team ritual." Stefan told me and I smiled.
"On one condition. I have to bring Damon, I told him we'd hang out after the game." I told Stefan.
"He can come, he's not going to fit in but he can come." Stefan shrugged. I weaved my way out of the crowd and ran over to the stands where Damon was standing up.
"So what's the plan?" He asked, his sunglasses still covering those gorgeous crystalline blue eyes. I had never seen a pair like them, ever. His eyes had the power to make me melt.
"If you're not opposed I apparently am required to join the team at the Grill for a post-game celebration." I told Damon.
"Ugh cheerleaders and jocks in one place." He groaned.
"Is that a no?" I asked.
"No, we'll go. Just know that I am a reluctant participant in these activities." He said throwing his arm around my shoulder. I laughed and let him lead me to his car. I tossed the keys to Caroline who was walking our way hand in hand with Tyler. She caught them with a sigh. I knew she was planning on driving over with Tyler.
"Can you bring me to pick up my car after?" I asked Damon after Caroline threw the keys back to me.
"Sure." He shrugged and I caught the keys and when I got into Damon's car tossed them into the center console.
The Grill was already busy when we got there. The team was ordering platters and platters of food when Damon and I sat down. He slung his arm around my shoulder again and I smiled, sliding closer to him on the bench so that Tyler and Caroline could slide in beside us.
"So Damon, are you and Elena dating?" Matt asked him.
"Just friends." Damon told them and I smiled at him. We were so more than friends but neither of us knew how to categorize it.
"That's good because we both know a Timberwolves cheerleader would never date the likes of you. She's going to date Stefan." Another player whose name I haven't gotten yet piped up.
"How do you know what I would date?" I demanded of him. I didn't like people making assumptions about me.
"You're a cheerleader. You're all the same." He laughed.
"Stay calm Lena." Caroline whispered under her breath loud enough for just me to say. She knew how I felt about guys like him.
"I suggest you shut your mouth right now." I told him my voice lower than it was. I was having an unreasonable reaction to him talking the way that he was. I hadn't had a reaction like this in so long and I think it's because I haven't fed recently. I needed to do that tonight or else things could get ugly.
"Stick to the status quo girlie." He sing-songed and I took a deep breath.
"This isn't high school musical douche." Caroline chimed in and I was thankful for her.
"But he's a little bit right Elena. The school needs more power couples like Matt and I. Stefan would be a wonderful boyfriend for you, especially since you and Damon are just friends." Rebekah chimed in kindly.
"I am not interested in Stefan. I'm sorry Stefan but it's true. I dated one of you before and it didn't end well for me, so I am really not interested." I told him angrily. I tried to keep calm but I wasn't able to. I needed to get out of there before I was running again. It wouldn't take much for me to rip the jocks heart out in the mood I was in.
"Elena maybe you should get some air. Your demon is too close to the edge." Caroline whispered. I knew that it was but I was good at controlling it. There was a reason I didn't want to hang out with people like the jocks. They pissed me off. I knew my anger was irrational but I couldn't help how I felt.
"Excuse me, I'm going to get some air." I announced and Caroline and Tyler moved to let me out. I rushed out of the restaurant but I heard footsteps behind me.
"Are you okay? You were really freaking out in there?" Damon asked.
"I'm fine. You should have stayed in there." I said biting back my beast. Now that I was out of there I was in control again. It was scary how easily my control could slip.
"And keep being surrounded my asshole jocks and preppy cheerleaders? No thank you." He said and I laughed.
"I'm sorry that they don't think you're good enough to hang out with them." I apologized.
"It's cool because I don't think they're good enough to hang out with me. But Elena you were really pissed in there. If it had anything to do with me, you don't have to defend me like that. I'm used to the people like them not liking me and I don't care." He told me and I smiled.
"I'm just tired. I was being irrational." I said with a shake of my head.
"Well you are a girl. I should learn to expect a little irrational behaviour from time to time." He teased and I laughed again. Around him I was able to keep my vampire side at bay. He made me feel human in ways that no one has in a long time. I haven't felt this human since I was human.
"Damon, thank you for cheering me up. But I have a question for you. Did you mean it when you said we were just friends?" I asked. I was laying all my cards on the table. I was falling for him and I wasn't in the business of denying myself the simple pleasures in life. I would just have to be more careful this time.
"I honestly don't know what we are. How I feel for you is definitely not just friendly." He told me and I smiled.
"Do you want to kiss me?" I asked him.
"I've wanted to kiss you since we had our first real conversation." He confessed and I laughed.
"Well I wanted to kiss you the second we met, until you opened your mouth." I said and he laughed. He took a deep breath and leaned in towards me. I closed the rest of the distance and kissed him, suddenly it was like everything was finally fitting in place.