The Fame Game
"Forbes, Caroline." Her name is called and she walks up onto the stage to receive her diploma. She turns to the side, smiling and holding up her diploma a little so that her mother can get a picture of her. The famous 'look at me I'm a graduate' picture that is a must have for every parental figure. This is one of the rare occasions that her mom actually shows up to something. Elizabeth Forbes was noticeably absent from Caroline's high school graduation, her excuse the same as it always was: work, something about a fire that they suspected was arson. As if anyone in the quaint, pristine town of Mystic Falls, Virginia could ever be an arsonist (it was later declared a simple kitchen fire).
After Liz Forbes snaps the picture Caroline walks off the stage and lets out a breath of relief. It seems surreal, the fact that she's done, she no longer has to study her ass off in order to keep the scholarship money that she most desperately needs to stay in school and get a decent degree. She doesn't have to put her personal life on hold just so she can take care of the things that her mother neglects like cooking for herself and cleaning the small house that she bought in Chicago after Caroline persuaded her to finally move. With a proud smile Caroline goes to take her seat next to her best friend and ex-roommate Katherine Petrova. Katherine is a year older than her but acts as if she's about three. Kat is the only person besides Liz that made the big move from small town to big city those few years ago and since then the two girls have been inseparable.
"Look at you, my little college graduate." Kat says with a wink as she bumps her shoulder against Caroline's. The blonde just rolls her eyes and lets the relief flood over her. She made it. She's done. Caroline Forbes, college graduate.
"Want to catch a movie?" Katherine asks as she hauls a box off of the curb sitting outside of Caroline's dorm building and brings it over to the back of the pick-up truck that Caroline's friend Matt lent them for the occasion.
"A movie?" Caroline asks, knowing that Katherine Petrova is famous for her questionable movie taste. Caroline has been to one too many foreign films that the brunette dragged her to simply because 'that really hot guy with the accent is in it'. Caroline grabs the last box off the curb and somehow manages to squeeze it in between the mini fridge and futon couch that are taking up most of the space in the extremely overcrowded trunk. Katherine comes up behind her just as Caroline steps back and slams the door shut with a toll of her eyes.
"Yeah, to celebrate your first night of freedom!" Katherine yells slinging her arm around her friend's shoulders, deliberately ignoring the two guys who walk past them just then and are giving the two girls the not-so-subtle head to toe check. "Well, tough luck for you because I'm not letting you say no. I'll meet you at the theater at nine. We can go see that new Klaus Mikaelson action one." She makes a face and then with a toss of her long curly hair starts towards the driver's seat of the car.
"Alright, fine, I'll let you drag me to that horrible excuse of a movie, but don't even think about pulling one of your 'oops we ended up in a bar' tricks. I have a lot to do tomorrow so I can't afford a hangover tonight."
"Ok, no hangover tomorrow. Got it. But that doesn't rule out drinking completely now does it?" Kat winks at Caroline and yanks open the door of Matt's pick up, jangling the keys merrily as Caroline makes her way to the other side. "Say goodbye to dorm life sweet Caroline!" Kat says, starting the ignition as Caroline climbs in. "This time tomorrow you'll be living across the hall from me and it'll be just like Friends."
Caroline laughs and rolls down her window to let in some of the crisp summer air and wind that Chicago is so famous for, silently saying goodbye to the last four years of her life.
At roughly 11:30 Caroline and Katherine are pushing their way through throngs of teenage girls talking animatedly about 'yet another masterpiece of film' and about how 'Klaus should totally get an Oscar just because of his hotness', or the ever popular 'his accent' which was always followed by a few squeals and fits of girlish giggles. Both Katherine and Caroline tried their hardest to suppress the growing need to laugh but when one group made a comment about 'I don't understand why that girl ran, I would totally let him do whatever he wanted with me' Katherine lost it, erupting into a fit of laughter at the naiveté of the group of girls.
"Ok, I have to say this, that girl had the right idea running from a psychopath like him." Kat manages to get out after her laughter has died down, "I mean, come on, he wanted to drain her blood for some kind of stupid satanic ritual? I would have hung myself too." Kat loops her arm through Caroline's as they walk through the parking lot towards their cars which are parked next to each other. "And then the whole twin thing? Oh wait I'm sorry, doppelganger," She makes a gesture with her hands as she adds, "What the hell was that about?"
"When the girl who hung herself claimed to be in love with his brother?" Caroline asks, "That was cute!"
"I don't believe she actually loved him though, and it's horrible to play brothers against each other like that," Katherine adds, and Caroline hides a smirk by fake coughing into her sleeve, "Hey, those were completely different circumstances, I am nothing like that girl," Kat points an accusing finger at her friend before going back to the previous topic, "All in all, I'll just say that at least now we know if we ever end up dating a psychopath like him all we have to do is shove a little tree branch through his heart and then he'll die." Katherine rolls her eyes with a Caroline-like scoff.
"The ending was kind of anticlimactic." Caroline agrees, "And I don't think that he should have died. He was a good bad guy but he had that quality that just made you instantly love him. Although I still don't like him, he has that asshole vibe."
"Speaking of the asshole vibe and the brother thing, I have to meet Damon for coffee pretty early to talk about moving arrangements." Kat says as they stop by their cars and she tries to make herself seem busy by rifling through her purse to find her keys.
"You broke up with him, and you're still meeting him for coffee to talk about him moving out?" Caroline asks with a shake of her head. "That sounds like a really bad date,"
"Whatever, either way it wouldn't be the worst date I've ever had. I'll call you later Forbes." Katherine says hugging her, "Try not to get into any trouble while I'm away." She adds before sliding into her car.
"Trouble is your thing, I prefer uncomplicated and easy," Caroline says, stepping into her own car, barely catching the eye roll Kat does.
Caroline was tired, she hadn't slept well in a while and she could barely keep her eyes open as she drove her car home. The stress of school ending, moving and everything else going on seemed to finally be taking its toll on her as she slowed at an intersection, checking if it was ok for her to make her turn. She heard the screeching of tires as a black Cadillac Escalade tried desperately to stop itself from rear-ending her car. But it was too late and before being able to react, Caroline's car skidded forward and her head flew forward, barely stopping before hitting the steering wheel. "Son of a bitch!" Caroline groaned, not feeling in the mood to go through the whole ordeal of accident protocol when she was about to fall asleep at the wheel.
When she was out of the car she slammed the door angrily and stormed towards the Escalade behind her, ready to bitch the person out for not watching where they were going. Before she can get too close though the door opens and a man steps out, he's tall, wearing a baseball hat and sunglasses, despite the fact that it's past midnight and there's definitely not any sun to shield his eyes from. Great, she thinks already putting her hands on her hips and putting on her best mean girl attitude, One of those guys.
For some reason she feels as if she vaguely recognizes him, the over confident stride as he approaches her, the muscles that are just visible through the long sleeved shirt he's wearing. Even the style of his clothing reminds her of someone. The perfectly fitting jeans, combat boots, the Henley with the first few buttons open so she can just make out a few necklaces.
"Are you alright love?" The man asks in a British accent. That voice, she recognizes it too, smooth, deep, with just the hint of a lisp that just makes it all the more unique. Something clicks into place for her and before she can recover her mouth drops open in surprise.
"You—you're," Her voice fades away, her finger pointing at him as a dumbfounded look crosses her face. Finally the man before her snickers, shaking his head and finally removing his sunglasses, fully revealing the face that is plastered on the covers of magazines week after week and that she just saw on the big screen not even an hour ago.
"Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Klaus." He says in that perfect accent and her brain shuts down and one thought comes to mind 'Shit.'