"Rebekah!" Nik yelped out in shock and quickly tossed a thin bed sheet over his and Caroline's bodies.
"Could you please…untangle yourselves before I talk to you?" Rebekah asked briskly while trying her absolute hardest to advert her eyes from the scene before her. But she knew it was useless, her brother's bare behind and Caroline's wildly mussed sex hair would be forever ingrained in her memory from here on out.
Up until now, Caroline had remained silent, too embarrassed and confused to speak. But now she did, or rather, made noise.
"Nnnn…ah-ugh," Caroline whimpered as Nik removed his body from hers and that dull ache began to throb again.
"Oh God, I know that sound." Rebekah said turning around.
"Nik you didn't? Oh my God you did!" she gasped, covering her mouth with a perfectly manicured hand while her eyes nearly popped out.
"Did what?" Nik asked his sister innocently.
Rebekah glared at him, "Really? You can't be serious," she told him with a scoff.
Nik stared at her blankly. Caroline turned a deep scarlet colored hue.
"Sweet Caroline's no longer 'holier than thou'." Rebekah deadpanned.
Understanding hit Nik like a ton of bricks to the face.
"Oh. Well you saw us…," he said quietly.
"Of course I did Nik, I'm not stupid. I knew what you two were doing, I just didn't know that Caroline was so untouched."
God, I just want to die, thought Caroline, burying her head underneath the covers.
"Can we please stop talking about my sexual experience please?" She asked, annoyed to say the least.
Nik peeled back the covers and gave Caroline a little wink.
"Sure we can love, I really would like to know where my little sister ran off to tonight don't you?" He asked and she came crawling out, nodding her head.
Rebekah looked down as blood crept up her face and flooded her cheeks, "What does it matter?" she snapped.
Nik laughed, "It matters because I can smell him on you, like musk and ocean breeze and…sweat."
Caroline could smell it on her too now; the scent so overwhelming that it seemed to penetrate every molecule of the air in Nik's room.
I know that smell, she thought. It was the same smell that followed Elena around wherever she went and the smell that Caroline always inhaled when Elena forced one of her "friendly" hugs on her. Stefan.
"Well, well, well," Nik exclaimed with a secret smirk on his face, "-Kol might go as far as to call you a strumpet dear Rebekah."
"What does it matter?" Rebekah exclaimed for the second time that evening, but this time the words came out almost tiredly and with a distant, sorrow-filled gleam in her eyes. It's at that moment that Caroline fully understood the situation. Rebekah is to Stefan what Damon is to Elena, or so she'd been told. Second best; Used, wasted, trash.
"Rebekah…," Caroline breath sadly, she wished she was properly clothed so she could get up and hug the curvy blonde that stood wearily in front of her.
"Don't say anything alright?" Rebekah responds, ice returning to her otherwise pleasant voice.
"I can't have Elena knowing, she'd do her best to end me and if not her, someone else surely would. Everyone loves Elena" she adds, chuckling drawing near the end of her sentence.
Caroline nods and makes Nik do the same, "Mum's the word."
Several days pass before Caroline even catches a glimpse of Elena at school. She's got her arm roped around Stefan, holding him closely like some sort of prize. And he's smiling a little too smugly as he pretends to listen intently to her ramble on about a school dance that she's got a hand in planning.
Caroline face forms a disgusted frown upon seeing them without realizing it. God, does she feel badly for Rebekah. And poor Damon too, even though he graduated last year, he still comes around to pick up Stefan and Elena occasionally. Sometimes just Elena.
She really hooked her claws into those two, Caroline thinks to herself.
Elena's eyes drift up and they meet Caroline's for a moment but she quickly dodges her, heading into her psychology class instead.
It's midway through Ms. Erikson's lecture on the brain patterns of serial killers that Caroline's mind begins to wander. Did Elena say there was a dance coming up? The back to school dance. How could Caroline forget such a momentous occasion? Usually around this time of year, she'd be happily pining after some glittery little number and begging her mother to purchase it for her. But the thought had not even crossed her mind until today. Regardless, Caroline couldn't wait to tell Nik.
"The back to school dance?" Nik asked Caroline that afternoon, his voice amused and his eyes glinting with mischief.
Caroline nodded, "I suppose we both forgot about it. As we have been otherwise preoccupied…," she told him, laughing a little near the end.
Nik smiled in understanding at her. It wasn't like they were sleeping together every day; actually they had only done that the one time so far, which had been weeks ago. No, they were busy for other reasons. School starting up again was one thing, Rebekah drama and the news of Elijah coming to visit while he was on holiday was another.
"Well would you be so kind to accompany me to the dance love?" he asked her after a moment or so in silence had passed between them.
Caroline smiled and leaned across the short distance between her and Nik, resting her head near the crook of his ever inviting neck and her lips crawled their way up to his ear. "I'd love to," she whispered.
The following weekend, Caroline found herself rummaging around an upscale dress boutique in the town square, scouring the racks and racks of beautiful dresses for "the one." Rebekah had dragged her into this place. Usually she purchased her dresses from consignment stores or department stores.
"Aren't they beautiful?" Rebekah breathed, her blue eyes setting on Caroline's as she squeezed her hand tightly. Caroline nodded and reached for an organza silk dress the color of violets. The fabric felt like butter against her fingertips. She quickly shoved it back into the rack after sticker-shock struck her. Three hundred and fifty dollars, she could never afford it.
"Caroline, look at this one! It's perfect for you," Rebekah exclaimed, beaming as she walked closer to the mannequin wearing Caroline's "perfect" dress.
Caroline felt as though the wind had been knocked from her lungs, the dress really was perfect.
It was the color of aged lapis lazuli and the spotlights in the boutique made it shimmer as if it really was crafted from said gem. It had whisper silver ribbon straps and tasteful embellishment on the bodice.
"You just have to try it on," Rebekah urged Caroline with a nudge and a smile.
Caroline scoffed, "No thank you. It's like five hundred dollars."
"Come on, maybe we can find a coupon something," Rebekah tried again, laughing. She knew full well that this store had never and would never accept a "coupon".
Caroline sighed and ran her fingers over the material of the dress again. Maybe she wouldn't even like the way it looked on. Maybe she could just amuse herself.
"Fine."
A/N: Not much to say on this one except for 1) There is a time jump in this story that is not addressed. I decided that for plot purposes, it will now be around mid August. Hopefully it doesn't bother anyone :) 2) Yes, Caroline's "perfect" dress is inspired by the dress she wore in the ball episode titled, 'Dangerous Liaisons' :)