"So, wait," Elena said, cutting Caroline off as she moved to stand in front of her. "Klaus – the Original Klaus – tried to make a move on you?" Her brows furrowed, knitting together at the center of her forehead as she tried to work her mind around the situation.
Caroline shook her head, her golden hair flowing around her face like a curtain. "No – yes – maybe! I don't know, Elena! All I can remember is that, one minute we're talking about horses and how his Dad his favourite, and then we're in his private study looking at his paintings as if he was Picasso or something. It was creepy."
Elena raised an eyebrow. "What did you say to him?" She was trying to be careful of the way she phrased and said things, knowing that Klaus or one of his spies could be watching them, and would probably form an impromptu attack or random admission for blood donation if she so much as blabbed about anything to do with him. That couldn't happen, especially in front of Caroline after she'd spilled her secret.
"I might have mentioned something about affection and feelings," Caroline said, biting her lip and wincing at the reaction that was about to come from her best friend's lips.
Klaus wasn't exactly the best suitor for Caroline, regardless of the fact that Tyler had only left Mystic falls a few weeks previously. She couldn't – wouldn't – have feelings for anyone else until they'd sorted out what was going on between them, which would probably take a lot of time because of the awkward message he'd left on her answerphone a few nights previously.
Elena considered her answer, her nails digging into the science books she held in her vice-like grip. When she finally did come round, her head was too busy swimming with the idea of what would happen if she had a relationship with Damon that she didn't really care about the Klaus situation.
"Klaus is vengeful," she said, "Do what you want, Caroline. But just be mindful of the fact that he might be using you – it wouldn't be the first time some evil vampire has done that sort of thing for personal gain. I could probably write the handbook on it."
Caroline stared, taken aback. "Elena?" she said slowly – carefully, "I'm not going to develop feelings for Klaus. He tried to kill you – he almost succeeded! What kind of a friend would I be if I dated someone like that?" She paused, breathing. "And anyway, I don't know for sure if he likes me. I've had my share of creepy-obsessive vampire boyfriends to last me a lifetime. I'm not going to add the most badass one to the end of that list."
Her best friend smiled and half-hugged her, wary of the books she had in her arms. "I know," she said, "Which is why I don't feel like I should go into details about Vampire Dating 101 and how Klaus will only break you into smaller pieces than anyone else you've ever dated has."
She knew, without a doubt, that Elena was talking about Tyler. He'd been changed by Klaus – the Klaus – a couple of months previously, and had formed a sire connection with him that was so strong that he had bitten her and nearly killed her upon his demand.
If Klaus hadn't come to the rescue in metaphorical shining armor.
Caroline shivered, dusting the thought off as if it were bacteria that had stuck to her skin. "Awesome," she said, "I'll see you later, okay? I've got some things I need to do – school things. The Spring Ball isn't going to plan itself."
She hurried off, her head bent to shield her eyes from the incoming flurry of leaves and dust that had somehow mixed with the massive gust of wind flying her way. As she was walking, she slipped her phone out of her designer bag and absent-mindedly glanced at the display, not really reading or paying attention to what she was doing. It had become accustom for her to fiddle with her phone when she was nervous. Or when she had just lied.
10 New Voicemails – Unknown Number.
"Aw, crap," she sighed, throwing the bag onto the passenger seat of her car. The phone automatically connected to the car's system, and it began to read them out in a string of robotic words as she sped down the road in the opposite direction to home.
The Spring Ball was going to have to wait.