*Mini Author's Note: I just wanted to let everyone know that each chapter reflects a year that passes in the characters' lives. With this layout, the chapters will be longer, but there will be less chapters in total. I may split or skip a couple years up in future chapters to give more detail, but for the first few it will remain a chapter for every year that passes for them.
Chapter 2
Caroline came back from her trip after the charity mission and her band's first successful tour had been completed; stopping only to pick up gifts for Bonnie and her mother. Both Liz and Bonnie had been excited to see her and almost dismissed her gifts as they tackled her multiple times from the airport to their home. However, Caroline managed to get them to open all of the presents and even change into a couple of them to go out and eat together at the Grille. She had picked up several new outfits for all of them, jewelry (both tribal and retail), and decorations to put up around the house. The girls dressed up and Caroline looked at herself to make sure she was fixed up from her long plane ride home; her skin tanned from working in the sun, her hair lighter and longer, still perfectly curled from the layover she had a few states back, and her make-up in place from her recent touch up. She felt like she was a leaner and it had helped that she had grown a couple more inches during the past year; she look more mature and not so much like a pre-teen girl. She was happy her body was actually starting to resemble a woman instead of a mere girl, as she looked herself over one last time before she went to join Bonnie and her mother.
The Grille was like it always had been as Caroline, Bonnie, and Liz went in and sat at a table. Caroline remained quiet when Matt's sister Vicki took their orders until she absolutely had to speak; there was no love lost between them. They didn't speak about the band or Liz's chemo at the Grille; it was a rule between them. However, Caroline kept the conversation going with tales of everything and everybody she got to meet. She could even speak some of the language after learning it on the go, so she was pointing at different things and informing Bonnie and Liz how to say it. It felt good to smile and laugh with her family; keeping in contact had let her know that Liz was winning against the tumor and it was almost gone. She almost felt like everything was going to turn out fine and they would all get away from the small little town they called home since she felt her mother should retire early.
Caroline had started researching colleges for when she transferred but she couldn't narrow them down. Playing in the band had given her the courage to dream bigger than she had before. She used to want to do broadcast journalism or maybe event planning, but now she wanted to own her own business in some big city; like New York or Chicago. Her grades proved she knew what she was doing and her schedule and activities proved she could manage her time and priorities; she already had a plan set for when she graduated college and her mom was better. The money pouring in from the record they had recorded had been more than any of them estimated and the tour she had done after her charity mission had remained sold out in each city. Her band had already wrote their second album and was scheduled to record it over the next couple of months; with enough songs for 2 records they split them up so they could release them accordingly.
There wasn't much going on at the Grille, she noticed as she finally looked around. It seemed several families were eating together before some of the younger ones left for college while groups of teens were talking about school starting the following week; mourning the end of their summer vacation. She saw people give her second glances when they noticed her but she paid them no mind; the same as when she could hear people talking about how she looked. She knew she looked better than when she had left, but she hadn't changed on the inside. She still had her insecurities and doubts, but she had learned to hide them better. She had seen a part of the world outside of her small town and had learned her want for attention when she was younger no longer affected her; she didn't need attention anymore and she tried to shy away from it now.
Speaking of attention, she kept catching several of the boys from her grade and older looking at her. She felt like a piece of meat that they were determining the best way to pounce on. Caroline didn't want someone to want her for her looks; she wanted someone to value how she was on the inside more than on the outside. She didn't mind sending a few glares in different directions so they understood that she wasn't as easy as they thought; she had standards, thank you very much, and she was going to stick to them. She had been burnt before and she didn't want to put herself through anything like it again. She was going to be pickier and harder to get; especially since no one would really know what they would get when they had her.
Fall Break Klaus POV…
Klaus set his suitcase down next to his bed and decided to dive straight into hanging out with his family since it had been a while since he had seen them; he'd never admit that he did indeed miss them when he was away at college. Walking into the entertainment room he spotted Kol one of his many games but he was the only one there. He asked where everyone else was and learned Rebekah was with Elena and the rest of her posse, and Elijah was at his office preparing for his business opening at the beginning of the month since he still had a few things to finalize. Klaus didn't really want to join Kol in his gaming world so he asked if his brother would join him for a trip to the Grille; since Rebekah would likely be there as well and he might be able to convince her to spend time with their family. He was also curious as to how his old friends were doing since he had moved off to college; mostly Caroline since he missed her coming back as he was getting situated in his dorm, and thought she might be at the Grille since it was the only decent restaurant in town.
Kol agreed to come with him and the two made their way through town to see the Grille pretty full; likely from all the families eating out because their kids were visiting from college. Once parked, they entered and he sent Kol to try to get Rebekah to join them as he found a small table for them to sit. When Kol finally made his way back with a griping Rebekah in tow he began flagging down a waitress to take their order. His attention was pulled to his sister's words as she argued with their brother and then insulted the waitress on her appearance; just like he knew Elena did when he was too blinded to see it. He could see the girl straining herself to keep from crying as she finished taking their orders and walked away, but Rebekah didn't stop the demeaning comments coming from her mouth until he couldn't handle it anymore.
"What the bloody hell is your problem Bekah? You've never acted like this towards anybody before, so what the fuck is going on?" Klaus spat as his patience ended; he had only come out to relax and spend time with his family, and not to hear his baby sister being a vindictive bitch.
"The girl is absolute trash…" Rebekah started in a bitchy tone and he clenched his fist.
"Just stop… what is the matter with you? Since when did you start acting like a no-good snobby bitch?" He asked in all seriousness just loud enough for her and Kol to hear, but quiet enough that no one else would pick up on their conversation.
"Don't act so self-righteous brother." She spat at him and he felt confused for a moment but she continued. "If it hadn't been for you I wouldn't be acting like this at all." She said cryptically and he scoffed.
"And how is your attitude my fault, may I ask?" He asked her and he could see that she knew he was angry, but he didn't care; he wanted to get to the bottom of what the hell was happening with the changes in her attitude and where it was coming from.
"Oh come on Nik… you're in college now… you should be smart enough to figure it out." She taunted at him and Kol excused himself to go to the restroom sounding bored; almost like he knew what was happening but didn't want anything to do with it. "If not… let me break it down for you. When you and Caroline's friendship ended and you started dating Elena, Elena told me I had to choose between being popular and friends with her or staying friends with Caroline and being labeled an outcast for the remainder of my high school life. I was going to choose Caroline… but you were still dating Elena and I didn't want you to lose you; Caroline said it wasn't between her and Elena and I should choose you because you are my brother, so I did."
"And yet you're still friends with my ex…" Klaus started to defend himself by ranting out his thoughts.
"And you still haven't grasped the bigger picture." Rebekah effectively shut him up and he waved a hand to signal for her to explain. "By the time you and Elena broke up she had climbed the social ladder even higher since Caroline stopped being the head of every club or activity to focus more on college than high school. She has her hooks in everywhere and I just want to get through the rest of this year and next year so I can get away from it all."
"Why didn't you say anything before Bekah? You're my sister… I would have listened to you and helped you…"
"Why would I after everything that had happened?" She asked in return and he looked at her in confusion. "Can you honestly tell me you would have believed me over Elena?" She asked but held her hand up when he went to answer. "No… you wouldn't have… you would have said I was conniving with Caroline to hold you back from being with Elena."
"I would have believed you because you are my sister… Caroline had no right to make you think otherwise…" Klaus spoke as he clenched his fists again; especially thinking back on all the times he wanted to apologize to Caroline and now he felt differently.
"Caroline wasn't the one who made me think otherwise… that was Elena. Caroline told me she would support my decision no matter what I chose. You have no idea how much I wish I would have chosen differently when I still had the chance… but I can't turn back time no more than you can. And I know you think Caroline was the one who ended our friendship… and I let you think that, but it isn't true; I ended it so Elena wouldn't try to ruin our family bonds or my social status." Rebekah ranted and Klaus was left speechless with a lump in his throat and guilt laying heavy inside of him. He could see tears lining his sister's eyes but she dabbed at the corners and cleared her throat just before Kol rejoined them. "Truth hurts brother." She finished just in time for her salad to arrive; she took it and went back over to Elena's table.
"And this is why I'm glad I never fell into that strumpet's web." Kol announced and Klaus growled at him in response. "Don't tell me you're still hung up on that bitch?" Klaus heard his little brother ask and he laughed out loud and shook his head.
"Definitely not… I just hate seeing Rebekah act just like her." Klaus elaborated and Kol shrugged in response before he started eating his food.
"I personally think you're both idiots." Kol spoke around a mouth full of food and Klaus glared in return as he ate his own. "Bekah is stupid for thinking her social status is linked to being in Elena's good graces and you're stupid for falling into Elena's trap." Kol continued and Klaus threw a napkin at him. "Don't get angry at me for telling you the truth. And you can deny it all you want… but I know you do miss Caroline… maybe more than you care to admit; and you might have been wrong about how you saw her."
"What nonsense are you sprouting now Kol?" Klaus asked as he felt his stomach twist and his guilt return; he still needed to apologize to her whenever he could get the chance to see her.
"I've seen you look at Caroline… and I don't think you realize how often or for how long that look lingers."
"I just feel bad about some of the things I said to her… I didn't handle things the best way, but I didn't and don't have feelings for her beyond friendship." Klaus denied Kol's claim and explained in the most sensible way he knew how.
"I was close enough to hear the fight between you two that day and she might have missed the looks of guilt and nervousness on your face, but I didn't." Kol spoke up suddenly and Klaus was left speechless. "I see more of what happens around here than anyone gives me credit for. I saw you fall behind in everything when you were with Elena, I saw Rebekah struggle to adapt to the conditions Elena set for her, and I saw Caroline build herself back up on her own after you crushed her oh so mercilessly." Kol continued and Klaus threw his napkin on his plate with his appetite gone. "Elena is poison to everyone she's around; you got away, but Bekah hasn't yet. With Caroline… I think something else happened to her, but I don't know what; and I'm not talking about what happened with Matt. For a while… all her smiles and conversations seemed staged or fake… but they're starting to look real again; even Bonnie was acting like that for a while."
"Bonnie's Grams died… that's why she changed for a while…" Klaus offered as he hoped to get the conversation away from Caroline so he could have some peace of mind.
"No… I'm talking about after she started getting better after that… something happened that made them both change things at school and start withdrawing from the crowd. I don't know if it had something to do with Elena or it was something else entirely… but I was worried for a while. You know I like Bonnie… and you know I would never look at Caroline as more than a friend or little sister, but for a while I was scared for her; she would smile but I could see so much pain in her eyes and I don't think she deserves it." Kol finished and Klaus sat back against his chair as he let his breath come out in a huff.
"And this is my fault how; because I stopped being friends with her?" Klaus asked as he crossed his arms and began thinking of defensives in case his brother accused him of anything.
"I didn't say it was your fault entirely… just that you started her changes. Whatever else happened just solidified her choice to break away from what she was doing and reorganize her life."
"Well Matt did cheat on her with Elena…"
"This was before she dated Matt and while you were still with Elena; even if Matt ended up being played by Elena the same as you to hurt the same person." Kol responded with a deeper explanation that made Klaus shake his head as he thought about what Caroline had felt like when everyone kept choosing Elena; she must have felt lonely with the only people she had on her side being Bonnie and Liz.
"She's got a lot going on with school and taking classes at the college, her mom got custody of Bonnie, she dated and broke up with Matt, and apparently Elena has been making everyone's life hell in school; she's probably just overwhelmed."
"Of course you left out her friendship with you and Rebekah ending, but no matter; believe what you wish. I was just educating you on things you didn't know, but I think you will be in shock when you see how much little Care-bear grew up over the summer. Maybe when she gets your hormones going more than she did when you were friends you'll actually notice what you missed out on… and no longer have a chance to get." Kol finished with a smirk before picking up his trash and leaving Klaus at the table alone so he could hang out with his own friends.
Klaus continued to sit there by himself for a few minutes before he told Kol he was leaving and he left to go find someplace quiet and away from everyone to think. He found his way to the top of the falls where he sat on the bluff close by and overlooked the quarry below. His mind ran over the information he had learned that day and cleared away most of the speculations he had in the past; Kol had been right in calling him an idiot, but he still refused to think he was correct regarding feelings for Caroline. He still needed to make things right with her by apologizing and then perhaps in the future they could be friends again; though he doubted it would ever be as close of a friendship as they had before. He couldn't help but feel as if would be impossible to get past apologizing to her with the fault being his own and the words he had spat at her haunted him the same as if they had been said to him; she would have felt them worse since her feelings had went beyond friendship and he knew she could hold a grudge.
He only stayed out at the falls until night fell and his phone rang; revealing a few of his friends that he had made at the college. He also saw a few messages he had missed from the girl he had been seeing on occasion, but opening them only proved to be a waste when he saw pictures of her and some other guy together with a message saying that she was no longer interested in him. It was no matter to him since there was already another girl he had met at the college that was interested in him, but he hadn't taken up her offer since he had another arrangement already in place. He would speak to her once he returned about what they could agree on being for a while since he hadn't been able to fall for anyone since the Elena fiasco; at least not emotionally. Feeling the day was a bust he got back into his car and made his way back home to see he was the only one that had come back, so he just went to bed.
Winter Break (Caroline POV)…
Caroline walked around town square with Bonnie as her mind lingered on her current relationship; she knew something was up with Tyler and she had an inkling what it could be, but no proof. They hadn't been dating long, but she doubted their relationship would last much longer at its current rate of deterioration. She had caught him in several hushed conversations with his friends or on the phone but she hadn't been able to make anything out of it with the distances she had from him each time. He also always had an excuse to bail out of their plans worse than Matt had ever done, but he didn't trouble himself with showing any guilt about it or initiative to make it up to her. It didn't help that she had been so busy that she couldn't dedicate any spare time to ferret out what the problem was; or who if her instincts were correct.
Walking with Bonnie still, she distracted herself with small talk to pass the time until Bonnie met up with her date. She was happy her friend had finally found someone that she found acceptable to date, even if she didn't fully approve of her choice; she supported her anyway. It wouldn't be too much later and she would have to meet Tyler as he stood with his family and her mom next to her for the tree lighting ceremony. She wished her mom and her could have played hooky and just stayed at home enjoying the evening together, but it was their responsibility as founding family members to be a part of the winter festival. She and Bonnie ducked into one of the booths that had been set up when they spotted a heater blowing towards the visitors. She could see several of the donations that were set up to be sold later that evening for the town charity societies, but her eyes lingered on the art she spotted set up in the far corner by itself; a lone snowflake surrounded by darkness and giving off a strong feeling of loneliness. She spied the tag saying it had been donated by the Mikaelson family and her gut twisted; only one person in that whole family had taken an interest in art.
She led Bonnie away from the booth without giving a reason as she covered her strangled emotions with her normal bubbly-looking smile; it worked. All too soon Bonnie had to leave to meet her date and Caroline made her way towards the tree to make her yearly traditional wish; it might be a repeat of last year, but she wanted it more than anything. Once she had made her wish she blew her candle out and placed it on the stand with all the others; wrapping her arms around herself and taking a step back she looked at all the different candles representing her townspeople's wishes and smiled sadly. So many people would probably wish for money, fame, traveling, adventure, or other monetary things in life, but her wish was simple; she wanted her mom to win the battle against cancer and live a long, full life. She was brought out of her reverie with the approaching sounds of Rebekah Mikaelson and she knew all-too-well who was likely following her, so she left the area and starting walking towards her mother.
When Caroline turned to face the crowd she could see that she had been right to guess that Rebekah would either be with her family or Elena's little band of groupies; half-relieved it had been her family since she didn't feel like dealing with Elena tonight. Tyler came up and wrapped his arm around her shoulders as he waved towards a group of his friends, but she only gave a fake smile towards him and the crowd. It wouldn't have been too bad but she could smell the alcohol coming off of Tyler and the way his eyes would flitter around as if he was watching for someone or something. He seemed to pause on several of the females they knew but he would cover it up by asking her something unimportant; she would give him a bland answer and he would return to darting his gaze around. She was relieved when their mothers called for them and she was able to break away, but she still made it look like she was happy and comfortable with and around him.
As Tyler's mother, Carol Lockwood made her regular theatric speech and her husband, Richard gave his yearly mayor speech, Caroline resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she kept a smile plastered to her face and exchanged glances with her mom. She was glad that her mom understood how full of shit the Lockwood family was, even though she was friends with Carol and Caroline was dating Tyler. She was honestly past the point of wanting to break up since she hadn't really felt like they "clicked". Sure… they had things in common and it was convenient for both of them to be together, but she hadn't even been friends with him before they started dating; for some reason it had seemed like a good idea to not be friends before dating. However, now she felt differently and was ready to find someone that could be what she needed and wanted; she hated feeling lonely all of the time. She was brought out of her thoughts when she saw Tyler's hand reach over her head with mistletoe and his face invade hers; barely having time to suck in a breath before his lips landed on her sloppily. It was over before she had time to react and she was glad she was good at masking her reactions after so much practice; she felt disgusted and it would have caused quite a stir if she had let it show in front of the whole town.
Klaus POV…
He clenched his fist repeatedly as he watched the couple on the stage and clenched his jaw so hard he thought his teeth would crack when he saw Tyler's move with the mistletoe; not really understanding why it bothered him so much. He rationalized that it was a combination between his guilt and his thought that she could do better than some air-head jock; especially Tyler since he was known to be a man-whore. He didn't know if Tyler had put his claws in Caroline yet, but from the look on her face he would guess not; she may be able to disguise herself to others, but he knew the look that adorned her face. But then his thoughts shifted again when he looked at her as she walked away from the stage with her mother and began walking around the booths.
Caroline seemed taller to him, even though she was wearing heels, and he could tell she had grown a few inches in the past year. Her face had even out and no longer looked child-like, but more adult; matching the other changes he could see in her body. She had always been average in weight but with her growth spurt she looked thinner, her hair was longer and looked almost glowingly with the reflections from all the lighted decorations, and her white dress made her look like an angel; quite fitting he believed since she always showed so much care and love towards others. He could hear her laughter from his stand-point and it sounded so light hearted it made him feel withered. He thought back on what his brother and sister had said and it started to make more sense than it had before; what he thought had been feelings of friendship had actually been more, but he had denied it and attacked in order to get what he had wanted for himself.
Klaus had always believed that Caroline's feelings for him would keep her by his side and he would never have to feel anything for her beyond friendship; becoming such an ass that he used her insecurities against her to keep himself from returning her sentiments. He wished he could take it all back and have a second chance to have her in his life, but as he looked back at his candle he should have known better; wishes were for fools. He had taken advantage of her feelings for him and always took for granted her loyalty and friendship; always thinking he would never know what it was like to live without it all. He missed her almost all of the time, and when she didn't plague his thoughts she haunted his dreams; always ending the same with her walking away. He knew most of the problem was that he still hadn't apologized, but it didn't explain everything; he felt his brother could have been right when he told him he might have actually felt more too.
He knew it was way too late for anything like that with her and they had separate lives now; it would never work. He wondered if this feeling he had was what he had made Caroline feel like every day when she did love him and he ignored her feelings; or cruelly pushed her away. Well… Karma had finally paid him a visit and he could say all of these feelings made him feel like he was drowning. Every time he was close to apologizing she would disappear or he could barely breathe from the choking feeling he got in her proximity. He had to find something to make this all stop; he needed to move on too. He would one day get the nerve to face her and apologize, but until then he needed to get her off of his mind so he could find peace.
Spring Break…
Klaus dumped his duffel bag on his bed and immediately sought out his younger brother and sister. They decided to go out to the Grille since he could only stay a couple days and was trying to avoid his "girlfriend" from turning up and making him miserable. He had finally decided to give one of his tutoring friends a chance to be his girlfriend about a month after he went back from Winter Break and he regretted it. The woman in question, Camille, was a psych major who constantly thought she knew every little thing about him; secrets and all. He knew how wrong she was, but it was laughable how she thought she was right. The only reason he hadn't ended it yet was because she looked at him the same way Caroline used to and she looked enough like her that he didn't want to repeat his actions of the past. His family had even taunted him when they had seen a picture of her; calling her a paint-by-numbers instead of the original art. He knew what (who) they were referring to by each reference, but he didn't argue with them; they were right in his mind.
Rebekah immediately ran off to her little posse, but Kol kept him company again as he talked about everything that he had missed over the past 3 months. Apparently he hadn't been wrong by calling Tyler a manwhore; finding out he had cheated on Caroline with Elena, Matt's sister Vicki, his fuck-buddy Hayley, and numerous other flings from Elena's group. He was glad to hear his sister had not participated, until he learned that Rebekah had been set up with Matt so Elena could strike at Caroline and keep Matt under her control. The plan had backfired though; Caroline had started dating a guy she knew from the college she attended about the same time he had started dating Camille. From what Kol was telling me it was going perfectly since Kol had spotted her smiling so brightly he knew her face would have had to hurt a little. Klaus was glad she was happy, but he still felt like shit; he wished he could have made her smile like that.
When Kol told him that Caroline's new boyfriend's name was Jesse it rang a bell in his memory; she had mentioned a Jesse to Mr. Saltzman when she was dating Matt. He knew she wouldn't have cheated on anyone, but it didn't help Klaus in regards to his wishes; Jesse would have been her friend for a while, so they had a base to begin with. The only test Jesse would have to pass it being in this town around Elena and her posse without betraying Caroline; if he did that then Klaus wouldn't stand a chance at doing anything more than apologizing for sure. Now that he thought a little more about it, he knew he needed to do so soon or she'd never believe him; if she even would after all this time and everything that had happened. He was determined to make things right though; even if it meant letting her be free of him. He wouldn't seek her out this time since she would likely not speak with him with her boyfriend around or on her mind, and it wouldn't be fair to his girlfriend; no matter how much he disliked her. He decided to try to work things out with Camille since it wasn't completely her fault that he didn't feel anything with her and if it didn't work he would end things properly and try to spare her feelings.
Caroline POV…
Can this man be any more perfect? That was all Caroline could think as she sat across from Jesse enjoying a romantic dinner as part of the surprise date he had planned; even speaking with her mother and Steven to ensure she would have a free evening after classes. It wasn't a very fancy restaurant, but he had made sure it was at a table by themselves in the room that was normally rented out for parties or conventions so they would have privacy. Even though she thought the evening was going to be a disaster with having to replace 2 servers because of their treatment; the female ogling Jesse and knocking a glass of water on Caroline, and the male making lewd comments towards Caroline as she patted the water spots with a napkin on her chest. The manager had taken over to serving them and had more than made up for the disastrous beginning of their date; even offering to let the meal be free but Jesse had insisted that he still pay.
They were talking about the plans they had for the summer and it was almost Caroline's turn; she hated having to tell him she'd be gone since it hadn't turned out well for her in the past. But once she mentioned that her summer was booked with charity and work for Steven that would have her going all over the country he seemed to be excited for her. He had immediately began talking about Skype, satellite phones, letters, and their regular phones for when she wasn't in South America. She almost started crying from how much he seemed to care and support her, but when he saw tears he started apologizing like he had done something wrong. She immediately moved to shut him up with a kiss that left them both breathless; he wanted them to stay together and was willing to work with her on her plans. She told him about why she wanted to do the charity and he agreed with her decision and offered his full support; she almost told him about the band, but remembered the contract.
Caroline decided that after the summer, if they stayed together and was still as strong as they were now, she would negotiate with Steven about her contract so she could tell Jesse. He was already friends with her bandmates and knew they liked to play music, so she didn't think he would react too badly if she told him a little further down the road. He was so understanding with her situation, she was sure he would be just as was now when she told him her reasoning for the secrecy. It would also be nice if the next summer could also include him on the trip; if they made it through everything until then. But all of her imaginings was still months and up to a year from then so she had time to decide when and how to tell him. She also wanted to make sure he passed through the challenge of visiting her in Mystic Falls and not giving in to Elena's warped plans she had against Caroline; that would be what decided whether or not she told him about the band and would trust him with her heart.
The date continued on to surprise her with a trip to the carnival in town, as well a movie at a drive-in. She enjoyed the rides and games but she hardly payed any attention to the movie; much like Jesse when he would gaze at her and they would fill in more time with talking than watching the movie. She could honestly say she had never had a date as great as this one, and it left her feeling excited for what they would do in the future. She could imagine them going hiking or sight-seeing together, movie nights, walks in a park, or just sitting down and studying together; the possibilities were endless. She could already feel herself falling for him, but she kept her heart from getting attached until she was certain she could trust him completely with it. He seemed to understand how she felt and told her about his last ex-girlfriend and how she had cheated on him as soon as he had left for college. They agreed to take things slow and steady until they were ready to take that leap together. By the time the night ended and he dropped her off at Steven's house, where her mom was waiting on her, her face was sore from smiling and laughing so much; more than had for years now and she realized how much she missed it.
Summer Break (Klaus POV)…
Klaus had finally given up on trying to feel anything for Camille and had left her a couple weeks before returning to Mystic Falls for the summer. He just couldn't get over his thoughts and feelings of Caroline, and the similarities between the 2 physically became more than he could tolerate. He decided he could no longer be with someone with blonde hair and blue eyes like Caroline because it was like an insult to who she was; and he wouldn't worry with relationships any more since he couldn't bring himself to care about anyone like that anymore. He heard rumors about himself, spread mostly by his sister and Elena, about how washed up he was with love since he was so "heartbroken" and "mourning" his loss of Elena; which was completely wrong if you asked him. He mourned everything and everyone he gave up for the ungrateful, deceiving little bitch; and he had locked his heart away with only one key to unlock it. He guessed it was his way of punishing himself for everything he had said and done to get to Elena; and him imagining the what-ifs added to those punishments when he realized what he could have had.
He didn't even try to seek his family members out when he first got home; just letting his duffle bag fall next to the bed as he went straight to the bathroom to shower. He let the water fall over him as he wondered if he would catch Caroline before she left, or if she was even leaving this summer; he couldn't keep waiting to apologize to her. Kol had kept in touch to tell him she was still dating Jesse from the college, but Klaus wondered if it would fall apart because of summer; having mixed feelings/wishes about it. Once he was finished he made his way to the Grille to see if he could fins Caroline's whereabouts, but he learned she was already gone; feeling deflated he just left without ordering. Once he was back at home he could hear his siblings arguing and he decided he didn't want to be there any longer.
Klaus went back upstairs and grabbed his duffle bag and a few extra clothes and packed them into his car; he would go on his own little trip. He looked at his phone and decided to try New Orleans since he had heard a few of the guys at college talking about their plans for NOLA. He wanted somewhere new where he could breathe and not feel anything for a while; just fun and freedom. He set the GPS system in his car and called Elijah so he could tell the others that he had changed his mind about staying home for the summer. Then he called his friend Marcel to see if he could crash with him and his friends for their plans; being welcomed along he set his car in gear and took off.
