Eighteen Chapter 11: Radiance

Caroline was just waking up when her mother's car pulled into the driveway. Her head was resting against Klaus bare chest, her arm draped across his stomach. He had his arm around her back and was tracing a slow circles into her skin. As she stirred Caroline glanced up at Klaus, to see that he was already smiling down at her.

" Happy birthday" Klaus said, moving a piece of hair out of her face as she yawned.

" You've already said that before." She pointed out, letting her head fall against his chest again.

" Funnily enough, it'll actually be your birthday all day." Caroline rolled her eyes and shook her head slightly. Just then Caroline heard the front door crack open and her mother step into the house.

" Shit." Caroline hissed, sitting up bolt straight in bed and pulling her bed covers up around her.

" You need to leave." Caroline said, scrambling to pick up a shirt off the floor and pull it over her head.

" Or hide. Just-" Caroline pushed him off the bed on the side furthest from the door and threw a blanket over him. She climbed back into her bed and tried to look as if she was still asleep, just as her mother knocked on her door and turned the knob.

" Happy birthday baby." Liz said softly, moving to sit on her daughter's bed, as Caroline sat up and stretched, giving her mother a sleepy smile.

" I got you breakfast from that little place you like over on first." Liz offered, handing her daughter a to go cup of coffee and began to reach over to place a grease spotted paper bag on Caroline's night stade. Caroline was suddenly extremely aware of the empty condom wrapper casually thrown to the back of her bedside table. If Liz saw that it would be a short jump to finding the mostly naked boy hiding under her bed. Thankfully liz put down the bag with no notice of the wrapper and turned back to face her daughter with a smile.

" Are you going out with your friends tonight?" Liz asked, watching as her daughter tried to smooth out her messy bed head. Caroline nodded, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

" Well i've got work the rest of the day, but maybe tomorrow we can go to Richmond after school, we can shop, and i'll let you pick the restaurant, even if it's raw fish" Liz finished, standing up and pecking her daughter on the forehead. Caroline waited until she heard the front door close and her mother's car start in the driveway.

" You're all clear." Caroline said, bouncing a bit on her bed to signal that Klaus was safe to come out.

Klaus pushed against the hardwood floor and wriggled out from under the bed.

" Jesus do you ever dust under there?" Klaus asked climbing back onto the bed and under the covers. Caroline shrugged, taking a large drink of her coffee before offering the cup to Klaus. He took the cup from her and took a sip before his face turned sour.

" How do you drink this?" Referring to the overly sweet drink.

" Excuse me, it's my birthday and i can drink a vanilla white chocolate mocha with java chips and sprinkles if i want to." She defended, even though she knew she probably wouldn't be able to finish the drink in its entirety without her teeth starting to ache. She usually kept her coffee order to a much simpler standard, but her mother always went over the top on her birthday. Klaus moved to the side of the bed and began pulling on his clothes.

" So let me guess, your friends will be taking you to the Grill tonight in customary mystic fall fashion. Store bought cake, presents, the works." He asked, and she nodded.

" It will be pretty hard to top your gift though." Caroline said crossing her legs in bed and watching as Klaus buckled his jeans. Klaus smirked,

" I know, i'm a pretty good lay" Klaus joked. Caroline scoffed at him and chucked one of the pillows from her bed at him.

" I was talking about the tickets, asshole." She said, trying not to laugh as he grinned at her.

" That's my shirt you know." Klaus said, gesturing to the shirt she'd picked up on the floor and pulled on before her mother came in.

Caroline sat up on her knees and played with the hem of the shirt, not breaking eye contact with me.

" Then i guess you'll just have to come get it."

…..

Just over an hour later Caroline was crawling into the back of the Gilbert SUV, to a chorus of happy birthdays. She thanked her friends as Elena passed her a chocolate chip muffin and another coffee. Caroline took it gratefully, knowing that the amount of sugar and caffeine she had consumed in the past hour would probably lead her to crashing later. Caroline was walking into the school with the Gilberts and Elena when Kat caught hold of her hand.

" I forgot my phone in the car, Care will you come back and get it with me?" Caroline shrugged and turned back to the car with her friends.

" We'll catch up with you in a minute" Kat called to her sister and Bonnie.

" You had sex" Katerine accused, smirking at her friend as she linked their arms together as they walked.

" What?" Caroline asked, trying to act shocked and confused.

" Don't play with me Care. I can see it all over your face. You're glowing, radiant even." Kat said, nudging her friend with her elbow as they walked.

" I know, because it's basically how i look all the time." Kat joked, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

" Now spill." Caroline rolled her eyes and sighed but answered her friend.

" I don't know. He just showed up at my window last night with my birthday present and it just… happened." Caroline said simply, trying not to blush. Kat rolled her eyes.

" Details please! Was he good? He looks like he would be good." Caroline shoved against her friend.

" I'm going to take that as a yes." Kat joked, as they reached the car and pulled open the driver's door.

Caroline leaned against the car and smiled. Kat pulled back out of the car and stared at her friend.

" Oh my god, you are smitten." Kat said, gaping at her friend. Caroline's smile dropped from her face as she tried to keep her composure.

"What are you talking about?" Caroline asked, as Kat rolled her eyes at her.

" I'm talking about you, and how you're falling head over freakin heels." Kat accused, crossing her arms and watching her friend amused.

" You are delusional." Caroline said, turning away from her friend.

" No really. I thought this whole thing was just you fooling around to shed your good girl image, but you really like him. Is he that good in bed that he's got you thinking about going to prom together and holding hands in the hallway?" Kat pressed, wrapping her arm around her friend as they walked back the school together. Caroline rolled her eyes again as they walked back to meet their friends.

" and i'll just say, i already like him better than Tyler. Plus he has way better hair" caroline snorted with laughter as they pushed open the door to the school.

…...

Several people wished Caroline a happy birthday as she passed her in the hall, and when she reached her locker she saw that her friends had decorated her locker the way they always did on each other's birthdays. She was stashing her books in her locker and listened as her friends explained their plans for the night. Her friends asked if it was okay if they got ready at Caroline's house since her parents wouldn't be home. She nodded and allowed Elena to link her arm through hers and saunter off to class together.

…

They'd canceled cheer practice for that day, so after school Caroline's friends came crashing through the front door of her house, tossing their school bags onto the couch. While her friends milled in the kitchen, Caroline snuck back to her room, under the presidence of storing her school bag. She chucked her bag onto the chair in the corner, before heading over to her bedside table, snatching up the condom wrapper and tucking it into her jean pocket. She didn't need one of her friends finding it and asking questions. Caroline turned to head back into the main part of the house to find her friends, but found her way blocked by Katherine who was leaning against her door frame, a knowing smirk on her face.

" Shut up." Caroline said, moving to push past her friend.

" I didn't say anything." Kat defended, still smirking. As Caroline moved past her, Kat smacked her friends ass

" at a girl" Kat cawed as she followed her friend back into the kitchen.

Caroline sat at the kitchen island and pulled her laptop towards her. She opened up the internet and logged on to her email, knowing it was her father's main use of communication, and sure enough there was an email from her father that had been delivered a few hours previous.

Carebear,

Hope you're having a good birthday. See you in a few days. Will talk then.

Love, Dad

Caroline snapped shut her computer and pushed it away. She didn't know what she had expected , but it hadn't been that.

…

Caroline, against her better judgment, let Katerine do her makeup before they left the house for dinner that night.

" Don't you think the eye make up is a little heavy for dinner Kat?" Caroline asked as she studied her reflection in the mirror. Katherine rolled her eyes and continued to apply bronzer to her friends face.

" But in all seriousness, i'm about to drop dead from hunger, so can we please eat soon?" Caroline pressed. It was just past 8 already and they hadn't left yet for dinner. Caroline's friends had said that they couldn't get a Grill reservation until 8:30, which had seemed fishy. It was a wednesday at the Grill, was it really so busy that they couldn't get a table for four before 9 o'clock? Caroline tried to think nothing of it, she was just happy to finally be leaving for dinner. She'd been starving since before 7 o'clock but she had stopped herself from eating much more than a handful of almonds, not wanting to ruin her appetite for dinner.

Caroline sat shot gun on the way to the Grill, Elena and Bonnie in the back and Kat behind the wheel. They drove through Caroline's neighbourhood but when they reached the main road Kat took a left rather than heading right towards town.

"Kat?" Caroline asked questioningly, looking over her shoulder and noticing her other friends smirking at her.

" Don't stress Care!" Kat said a grin on her face.

" We're heading to exactly where we need to be." Kat said, amused.

….

Caroline became slightly concerned when they turned down a bumpy dirt road, the trees on the drive over grown as the branches slapped against the side of the car.

" No but really, where are we going?" Caroline pressed, twisting to look at each of her friends in turn.

" Calm down, we're here." Kat said, as she pulled the car off the road, turning into an open field. Caroline turned back around in her seat to face forward and was shocked in what she saw. There was a bonfire roaring in the center of the field and it seemed like the majority of the senior and junior class had turned up.

They climbed out of the car, and Kat moved to stand in front of Caroline, positioning a plastic tiara on her friends head, while Elena wrapped a bright pink feather boa around the birthday girl's neck.

" Everyone here is braving a school day hangover just to celebrate your birthday." Bonnie stated, linking her arm through Elena's while Elena and Kat both linked their arms through either of Caroline's.

" Lots of people brought gifts, and Mason and Tyler generously provided the kegs. We're charging per cup,and you get to keep all the cash." Kat said and they moved towards the party and people began to shout about their arrival. Kat leaned in close and whispered into Caroline's ear.

" I had the foresight to make sure your special friend got an invitation. You can thank me later." Kat said, planting a kiss on her friend's cheek as they walking into the depth of the party.