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They were enjoying the game, slouching in the doorway, pretending they were completely blind to Stefan standing there. "Excuse me." It was the same tone he'd used with the history teacher. Quiet, detached. Dick and Tyler looked at each other, then all around, as if hearing spirit voices. "Scoozi?" Tyler said in a falsetto. "Scoozi me? Me scoozi? Jacuzzi?" They both laughed. Elena watched muscles tighten under the T-shirt in front of her. This was completely unfair; they were both taller than Stefan, and Tyler was about twice as broad. "Is there a problem here?" Elena was as startled as the boys were at the new voice behind her. She turned to see Matt. His blue eyes were hard. Elena bit her lips on a smile as Tyler and Dick moved slowly, resentfully out of the way. Good old Matt, she thought. But now good old Matt was walking into class beside Stefan, and she was left following them, staring at the backs of two T-shirts. When they sat down, she slid into the desk behind Stefan, where she could watch him without being watched herself. Her plan would have to wait until after class. Matt was rattling change in his pocket, which meant he wanted to say something. "Uh, hey," he began at last, uncomfortably. "Those guys, you know…" Stefan laughed. It was a bitter sound. "Who am I to judge?" There was more emotion in his voice than Elena had heard before, even when he had spoken to Mr. Tanner. And that emotion was raw unhappiness. "Anyway, why should I be welcome here?" he finished, almost to himself. "Why shouldn't you be?" Matt had been staring at Stefan; now his jaw squared with decision. "Listen," he said. "You were talking about football yesterday. Well, our star wide receiver tore a ligament yesterday afternoon, and we need a replacement. Tryouts are this afternoon. What do you think?" "Me?" Stefan sounded caught off guard. "Ah… I don't know if I could." "Can you run?" "Can – ?" Stefan half turned toward Matt, and Elena could see a faint hint of a smile curve his lips. "Yes." "Can you catch?" "Yes." "That's all a wide receiver has to do. I'm the quarterback. If you can catch what I throw and run with it, you can play." "I see." Stefan was actually almost smiling, and though Matt's mouth was serious his blue eyes were dancing. Astonished at herself, Elena realized she was jealous. There was a warmth between the two boys that shut her out completely. But the next instant Stefan's smile disappeared. He said distantly, "Thank you… but no. I have other commitments." At that moment, Bonnie and Caroline arrived and class started. Throughout Tanner's lecture on Europe, Elena repeated to herself, "Hello. I'm Elena Gilbert. I'm on the Senior Welcoming Committee, and I've been assigned to show you around the school. Now, you wouldn't want to get me in trouble, would you, by not letting me do my job?" That last with wide, wistful eyes – but only if he looked like he might try to get out of it. It was virtually foolproof. He was a sucker for maidens who needed to be rescued.
Halfway through class, the girl sitting to her right passed her a note. Elena opened it and recognized Bonnie's round, childish handwriting. It read: "I kept C. away for as long as I could. What happened? Did it work???" Elena looked up to see Bonnie twisted around in her front-row seat. Elena pointed to the note and shook her head, mouthing, "After class." It seemed a century until Tanner gave some last-minute instructions about oral reports and dismissed them. Then everybody sprang up at once. Here goes, thought Elena, and, with her heart pounding, she stepped squarely into Stefan's path, blocking the aisle so that he couldn't get around her. Just like Dick and Tyler, she thought, feeling a hysterical urge to giggle. She looked up and found her eyes exactly on a level with his mouth. Her mind went blank. What was it she was supposed to say? She opened her mouth, and somehow the words she'd been practicing came tumbling out. "Hi, I'm Elena Gilbert, and I'm on the Senior Welcoming Committee and I've been assigned – " "I'm sorry; I don't have time." For a minute, she couldn't believe he was speaking, that he wasn't even going to give her a chance to finish. Her mouth went right on with the speech. " – to show you around the school – " "I'm sorry; I can't. I have to – to get to football tryouts." Stefan turned to Matt, who was standing by looking amazed. "You said they were right after school, didn't you?" "Yes," Matt said slowly. "But – " "Then I'd better get moving. Maybe you could show me the way." Matt looked helplessly at Elena, then shrugged. "Well… sure. Come on." He glanced back once as they left. Stefan didn't. Elena found herself looking around at a circle of interested observers, including Caroline, who was openly smirking. Elena felt a numbness in her body and a fullness in her throat. She couldn't stand to be here for one more second. She turned and walked as quickly as she could from the room.
Page 2 and 3: Vampire Diaries Volume 1 THE AWAKEN
Page 4 and 5: "Are you having a good time?" Elena
Page 6 and 7: HarperPaperbacks A Division of Harp
Page 8 and 9: Elena Gilbert stopped writing. She
Page 10 and 11: He wasn't. Deep in the woods, where
Page 12 and 13: eyes lifted to Elena's in bewilderm
Page 14 and 15: could be more than that, could beco
Page 16 and 17: presence of that mind again. It glo
Page 18 and 19: Chapter Three The first light of da
Page 20 and 21: silver ring, also set with lapis, o
Page 24 and 25: Chapter Four By the time Elena reac
Page 26 and 27: were alien, unfamiliar, vaguely men
Page 28 and 29: I'll swear." Closing her eyes, she
Page 30 and 31: her lips and laughed shortly. "Sure
Page 32 and 33: His sight was sharper, his reflexes
Page 34 and 35: But that was before his brother Dam
Page 36 and 37: Bonnie picked up the photograph. "W
Page 38 and 39: Chapter Six September 26 Dear Diary
Page 40 and 41: "Matt," she said, slowly, "don't yo
Page 42 and 43: in, and compliments rained down on
Page 44 and 45: Outside, she threw herself into the
Page 46 and 47: "Why don't we go inside?" Vickie sa
Page 48 and 49: Tyler tried to roll off, giggling s
Page 50 and 51: Even through the numbness, Elena fe
Page 52 and 53: me, or you might get a disease." He
Page 54 and 55: smudged and grimy with dirt. She wa
Page 56 and 57: "I've been at the boarding house, w
Page 58 and 59: Chapter Nine She was not the reinca
Page 60 and 61: " - or your duty? Do you love her e
Page 62 and 63: Spanish Inquisition is not a rock g
Page 64 and 65: Elena nodded, dazed herself. Not in
Page 66 and 67: eat either. We didn't touch each ot
Page 68 and 69: Chamber. They'll go straight out of
Page 70 and 71: artificial twilight, but she could
Page 72 and 73:
Chapter Eleven Elena stumbled down
Page 74 and 75:
thing." "It's hard to see him all w
Page 76 and 77:
She remembered the smile, too. "Tha
Page 78 and 79:
"Hush," she whispered again, and he
Page 80 and 81:
clothes were as natural as his usua
Page 82 and 83:
Outside, thunder rumbled again, and
Page 84 and 85:
"No! Shut the doors! Don't let anyb
Page 86 and 87:
Stefan turned toward the gym, as if
Page 88 and 89:
soon… now. The boarding house was
Page 90 and 91:
she should see what he truly was, w
Page 92 and 93:
silversmiths in Florence." Stefan w
Page 94 and 95:
Chapter Fourteen Elena felt her fle
Page 96 and 97:
His harsh sobs went on and on, as s
Page 98 and 99:
"I… don't remember," he said blea
Page 100 and 101:
pleading. She knew that her own fac
Page 102 and 103:
other. She has a spirit and a fire
Page 104 and 105:
Stefan did not look back or try to
Page 106:
there were a crushing weight all ar
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