Okay so here we are with Chapter 2 of 'Love Lessons.'
Again, I don't own any part of TVD (but again... I wished Damon could be mine for just a lil' while!)
Elena's POV:
"Seriously Bonnie, you can do waaaay better."
"Oh c'mon Caroline, he's not that bad."
"He's a washed out jock working at The Grill!"
"Oh yeah? Then what about Matt?"
Caroline wrinkled up her nose, looking incredibly offended.
"I'm so over Matt. I'm beginning to see why Elena dumped him for Stef-"
A collective gasp circulated around the three girls as they stopped in their tracks towards school. Caroline looked as though she wished she could take back her words and Bonnie glared daggers at her. Elena on the other hand, continued to stare at the ground between them, allowing the anxious swell in her heart to subside before walking again, not saying a word to either of her best friends.
As Caroline sucked in a breath to speak, Bonnie shook her head. It was best not to say anything at all.
Elena listened to their bickering and gossip in silence, finding it incredibly hard to fit in considering she'd missed out on so much over the summer. She'd practically become a recluse, feeling safe and secure within the four walls of her bedroom. Sometimes spending hours pouring over pictures, postcards and other sentimental things that kept her closer to her parents memory. She felt a huge weight of guilt press on her shoulders whenever she tried to let them go, to continue life without them, even now walking to school, it felt like she was leaving them behind.
"Elena are you alright?"
Elena jumped back into the present to find Bonnie's hand gripping her arm with a very concerned look on her face.
"Uh yeah, I'm fine"
"You looked like you were about to pass out!"
And she felt it too. She hadn't had breakfast and barely touched her meal the night before. Her appetite was a thing of the past.
"I'm fine, Bonnie, really" she assured her, pressing a tight smile on her face and heading over towards the school grounds ahead.
If being coddled by her closest friends wasn't bad enough, Elena just had to see Stefan wander his way through the crowds towards her. As soon as her eyes fixed onto his, it was already too late to pretend she hadn't seen him and walk in a different direction. Her legs seemed to root themselves to the ground as he came closer and she was unable to move, no matter how much she wanted to just hang her head low and storm away from what was inevitably going to be an awkward situation that she could do without.
With his shoulders hunched and his puppy-dog eyes, Stefan looked the perfect picture of 'dumped boyfriend hoping for a chance.' Elena shifted her eyes from the ground to his shoulder, unable to meet his stare dead on.
"What is it Stefan?" she found herself saying, and a lot harsher than she meant to. She knew she'd hurt him and he hadn't done anything wrong. But a boyfriend was the last thing she needed in her life right now.
"I just thought i'd come over and say 'hi'" he said, his voice low and down right miserable.
Only a few words were exchanged between them and the awkwardness was at its peak. Elena twisted with the leather strap of her bag and bit her lip.
"Well, hi" she said, hoping that would be the end of it and he would go back over to Matt and Tyler in the distance.
"How're you feeling?" he mumbled. She could tell he was trying to make eye-contact with her desperately, and it worked.
"How do you think I'm feeling, Stefan?" she snapped, causing her ex-boyfriend to take a step back. "Really, you're asking me that question?"
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that, I meant..." he made out to grasp her slender arms in his hands but decided against it, and instead settled for resting one on his hip while the other ruffled through his hair nervously, "I just wanted to know how you are."
Elena suddenly felt guilty for reacting the way she did with him. She had no right to take things out on Stefan when all he'd wanted to do was be there for her. She was behaving like a total bitch and she knew it, but somehow couldn't help it.
"I know, I'm sorry Stefan I'm just..."
"What do you want Stefan?" came the clipped voice of Caroline Forbes from behind Elena.
How ever many times Elena explained to Caroline that it was her decision to split up with Stefan, Caroline always brushed it off and automatically assumed it was the boys wrong doing. And boy (no pun intended) did they feel her wrath.
"I just came to say hello to Elena," Stefan said tiredly, not wanting to put up with Caroline's bratty behaviour so early on a Monday morning.
"Yeah well you've said hello, so why don't you toddle back over to your merry band of men and leave her alone."
"Care, please," Elena sighed, staring up at the sky above as if hoping for a miracle.
"No it's okay, I'll go" said Stefan, then staring deep into Elena's eyes which made her want to break down and cry. There was a look of pure heartbreak behind them, and it tore her up inside. "We'll talk some other time, yeah?"
"Sure" Elena rushed, wanting him to leave before the tears fell against her will.
He nodded and quickly rushed away, hands shoveled deep into his jean pockets.
"Caroline you didn't have to be rude" spoke Bonnie.
"Did it look like Elena wanted him around? No. So I got rid of him in the easiest way possible" Caroline replied, feeling incredibly pleased with herself.
"Maybe that's Elena's decision to make and not yours."
"Guys, please!" Elena exasperated, causing both girls to stop their petty fighting and to listen to her, "you both really need to step back realize I don't need you both dictating what to say around me, what's best for me or anything like that. Can't we just be normal?"
They all looked to each other in silence, and they both nodded at Elena in understanding.
"We just wanna make sure you're okay," came a meek response from Caroline.
Elena smiled and tucked one of Caroline's bouncing, blonde locks behind her ear.
"I know, but biting Stefan's head off isn't going to do any good is it?" Elena joked,
"I suppose not" giggled Caroline, wrapping Elena into her arms and giving her a friendly squeeze.
"But that was such a shitty way to start day," moaned Elena as she pulled out of Caroline's embrace.
"Well you had to face him sometime," said Bonnie, "sooner rather than later right?"
Elena smiled in agreement as they all walked side by side towards Mystic Falls High's main entrance.
"Lets just hope some ridiculously hot new guys have started this year," said Caroline with a cheeky undertone to her voice.
"Now that'll be the day," mumbled Bonnie, "but whatever happens, this school year is going to be kick-ass"
All three girls giggled and Elena smiled appreciatively in agreement. Bonnie always knew exactly what to say. She grabbed Bonnie's right hand into her left and squeezed it gently.
"I'm holding you to that," she smiled.
Damon's POV:
The sound of kids shouting, talking and laughing outside quickly made Damon aware that it was almost time for his first class. He sipped on the strong coffee that his new found friend Alaric Saltzman had made for him. It was foul, but Damon drank it to be polite.
"So how long have you been here?" asked Damon, wanting to keep the conversation flowing. And also trying to ignore the persistent staring from a particular teacher across the room.
"I started this time last year. I was the new blood until you arrived today, so thanks for taking up my position."
Damon laughed, already liking Alaric's humour.
...The man across the room continued to stare.
"I can already tell it's a pretty low rank on the teacher hierarchy" said Damon, glancing up to the incredibly rude man who still watched him closely. Alaric noticed who Damon was looking at.
"Oh him" he mumbled with distaste, "he's just one of many pretentious arseholes in this place who thinks anyone under 35 can't possibly know any better than himself."
"Hmm" mused Damon, worried about the picture Alaric was painting for him, but at the same time thanking him for being a straight talker. He took a sip of his coffee and turned his focus to another part of the lounge.
"Speak of the devil" muttered Alaric under his breath. Damon perked up and stood straight as his starer wandered over to him.
"G'morning Ric, how are you?"
"Not bad, John. How are you, did you have a good summer?"
"I did as a matter of fact." he said, continuing to blink over at Damon with an air of suspicion.
He was already beginning to piss Damon off.
"Yeah," said Ric, then clearing his throat, "well I better get to my class, good to meet you Damon,"
"You too" smiled Damon, shaking hands with Ric once more and watching him leave the room with another colleague.
"So... first day huh?"
"Yeah, first day. I'm looking forward to it though, I really can't wait to meet the kids."
Damon thought it better to remain polite, despite the fact the way his new accquaintance stared at him like he were his arch nemesis.
"I'm Jonathan Gilbert," he finally said, extending his hand and shaking Damon's.
"Pleasure to meet you,"
"I can imagine you're desperate to settle into your classroom. Shall we?"
John gestured for Damon to leave the room before him. With a slight sense of trepidation, Damon complied with a single nod, placed his coffee on the table in front of him and exited the room.
The wall down the hallway was tense. The atmosphere incredibly uncomfortable. John lead the way with his head held high, jingling a pair of keys in his left hand and humming to himself slightly. For whatever reason, his whole persona grated on Damon like nails to a dusty chalk board.
"Welcome to classroom E6, Damon."
John swiftly unlocked the classroom door and swung it open.
Wordlessly, Damon stepped inside his classroom. Jesus, my classroom he thought with a half-smile. The desks were made in pairs, and all of them faced his own desk at the front. He had the same feeling as when he first entered his room in his Halls of Residence at University five years ago. A sense that it was his own, his responsibility and his pride and joy. He let out a small laugh,
"This feels weird," he mused to himself, walking around his desk and brushing his fingertips over the smooth surface.
"Weird?"
He looked up to John at the doorway who's eyebrows were knitted together.
"Yes. I mean... this is actually happening and it's taken a long time to get here."
"Oh it's a walk in the park these days compared to what older generations, like myself, went through to become what we are."
This guy was certainly a martyr to himself. Damon simply shrugged,
"I can assure you I worked incredibly hard to get where I am" he said sternly, narrowing his gaze to the patronizing git standing in his classroom doorway.
"I'm sure," chuckled John.
Damon didn't quite know how to take his ambiguous response and quickly forced a sour smile onto his face.
The school bell shrilled through their ears, catching Damon off guard.
"First period begins in five minutes," stated John, turning on his heel and leaving the room. But not before turning back to Damon and adding two last words "...good luck."
And so ends Chapter 2!
I really hope i've captured the characters personalities somewhat, as i'd like to keep that part true to the show. But the only way i'll know is if you're super, super nice and review!
Next chapter - will Damon and Elena finally meet? Hmm... we'll see ;-)