"Hey, do you wanna go inside?" Elena was the first to speak after the three girls had stood in the doorway for what felt like 5 minutes. She had noticed that Caroline's body was no longer trembling and that the sobbing had stopped. She felt like it was finally the right moment to say something.
Caroline lifted her head from Bonnie's shoulder. Her face was wet with tears and her hair was sticking to her cheeks until Bonnie brushed it out of her face. She nodded and took a step forward to close the door. Then she turned around to face her friends. There was so much on her mind that she wanted to say. So many things she wanted Elena and Bonnie to know. But she felt too exhausted from crying to say much of anything.
"I really missed our slumber parties," was all she could manage. For her friends it was more than enough. They smiled at her, both feeling relieved about the way her face had lit up just a little.
"Are you hungry? I brought everything we need for my mum's lasagna," Elena said, taking Caroline's hands gently in her own.
"Yeah… that sounds good. But I really need to do my hair first. You know how awful it looks when I don't take care of it after showering, right?" Caroline rolled her eyes which made both Elena and Bonnie laugh.
"Why don't you let me help you with your hair? I can do it." Bonnie offered smiling. Elena nodded encouragingly at her.
She knew that Bonnie had been nervous about Caroline's reaction to seeing her. When she had gone to Bonnie's house earlier to explain why the slumber party was needed, she had not only seen shock in Bonnie's eyes but also remorse. Now she could only see pure relief as Caroline accepted her offer.
"Sure. The hair-dryer is in my room," she replied smiling at Bonnie.
"Okay, I'll be in the kitchen," Elena said letting go of Caroline's hands. "And you two, take your time," with that Elena turned to head to the kitchen and Caroline ushered Bonnie to her room.
"What do you want your hair to be like?," Bonnie asked some time later. She lead Caroline to a chair in front of the mirror. She had already blow-dried her blonde hair.
"Wavy, please. The curling iron is over there," she pointed towards the appliance.
"Good choice. I always thought you looked really pretty with wavy hair," Bonnie replied kindly.
"Thank you," Caroline answered as Bonnie started to work on her hair.
Bonnie thought critically about what to say next. She really wanted Caroline to know that she was sorry about not having been there for her after she had been turned into a vampire. She just didn't know how to explain her reasoning and reaction.
Caroline watched her face. Bonnie was one of the people in her life she knew very well and she could tell from her facial expression that she felt guilty.
"Bonnie?" Bonnie looked up at the sound of Caroline's voice. "I'm not mad you know. I just… I missed you a lot. Stefan and Elena have been there but you are my best friend. That makes you irreplaceable," she explained with glassy put a hand on Caroline's shoulder and Caroline reached up to take it.
"I'm so sorry, Caroline. I really wanted to be there and… I hate that I couldn't bring myself to actually do it before today. She came over and told me about what happened to you today, but she also told me about you. About everything Stefan has taught you. And about how great you are doing with everything. I'm… I'm really proud of you. And I want you to know that it wasn't about you, okay? It was about me. And vampires in general. You… you are a vampire, yes. But more importantly, you are my best friend. And I'm sorry that it took me so long to realize that. And… I just don't know how to explain…" she trailed off helplessly, her eyes desperate with the need to make Caroline understand.
"It's okay, Bonnie," Caroline assured her, squeezing her hand. "I get it. And I'm just happy that you're here now," she finished. Bonnie smiled at her in the mirror and squeezed her hand back. "Elena is coming," Caroline added.
"What? I don't hear anything," Bonnie scrunched her eyes in concentration.
"But I do," Caroline started to giggle. "It's a vampire thing. Remember?"
"Right! That's one of the things I can see myself starting to like. We can use it at school. To find out what the boys are talking about, right?" she laughed along with Caroline.
"Yes! There are endless possibilities," Caroline replied getting up from the chair. The girls smiled at each other and they gave each other a high five just as Elena entered the room.
"Hey, the lasagna is in the oven," she announced.
"Great! I have to finish Caroline's curls. Get back into that chair," Bonnie instructed.
"Is there something you'd like to do after dinner?" Elena asked, taking a seat on Caroline's bed.
"Yes, there is something." Elena saw an amused smile on Caroline's face.
"Okay, I guess that means we'll be watching The Notebook?" she guessed. Bonnie moaned.
"Exactly!" Caroline said excitedly. Her childish smile made Elena and Bonnie laugh and for the first time, they didn't protest.