Caroline fiddled with one of the flower arrangements, letting her practiced smile fall as she faced the wall. She could hear the whispers, the mutters that followed her in the hallway these past few days. About how bad they felt that she and Tyler broke up. And just before Prom too. Why isn't that just awful? She finished straightening the last of the roses with an agitated huff, whirling with a new pageant queen smile pasted on her face.

Everything was perfectly fine.

A scowl painted itself across her face as her eyes landed on several disarranged tables. There was a clearly labeled floor plan, how were they managing to screw it up?! Unfortunately, she didn't see the assigned volunteers anywhere nearby for her to chew out, so she stalked over to move them herself.

"Whatever did the table do to you, sweetheart?"

Her scowl worsened at the sound of that painfully familiar British accent and she threw a glare over her shoulder.

"What do you want?"

"Just to help, love."

His expression appeared earnest, and it was the last straw. How dare he.

She snarled in his face, not even sure when she moved so close.

"I don't know what kind of game you think you're playing, but you need to leave. Right now."

The asshole had the nerve to look startled and confused, holding his arms up as if he were innocent.

"Caroline, I don't know what you're talking about, but take a breath, love, you're causing a scene."

She bit her lip as she took a surreptitious glance around, suddenly noticing the glances in their direction. Just what she needed. And there Klaus was looking perfectly reasonable. It was too much. She could feel angry tears starting to gather in the corner of her eyes. Whirling to hide them, she beat as hasty a retreat as she could manage, trying to keep her walk calm.

A few moments later she was out of the school gymnasium and bursting into the first lady's room she could find. Bracing her hands on the cold porcelain of the sink, Caroline tried to steady her breathing.

Staring into the scratched metal of the drain her anger fizzled into hurt, vision blurring with unbidden tears.

God she was so stupid.

Caroline's face felt frozen as she took in the sight right before her eyes. Tyler, her boyfriend Tyler, with his hands up one of her cheerleader's skirts. His shirt bunched in her hands, her's pulled down to expose her bra.

They were barely even hiding, fooling around under the bleachers of all places!

God she couldn't breath.

Perhaps she made some kind of noise, as despite their lustful fervor, Tyler froze for a second before spinning to face her, stepping in front of the girl in an awful, ironic display of chivalry. His eyes widened when he saw it was her.

"Why?" She managed to croak out.

His expression looked guilty for half a moment before it transformed into a sneer.

"Oh, come on, Caroline, don't act like you're innocent here either."

She flinched backward, stunned at his accusation.

"W-What? What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb. Like I and half the school don't know about you and Mikaelson."

Mikaels-?

"Klaus?" She blurted out in shock.

"So you do admit it."

"Admit what?" She half-shrieked. "Tyler, Klaus and I have talked a handful of times. We're barely friends, if that."

Perhaps she did nurse a bit of a crush from her freshman year when he and his family were the mysterious British transfer students. Handsome and a year older what girl didn't swoon at least a little? But she had already been dating Tyler at the time and she had never acted on it. They really had only spoken a few times recently. And as charming as he seemed, crush or no crush, she was not a cheater.

"Still playing innocent, huh? Perfect little Caroline Forbes who could never do anything wrong?"

Caroline didn't know where all this vitriol was coming from. ...Had he always thought of her like that? The pit that had formed in her gut from the moment she peered under the bleachers lurched. She licked her dry lips, not sure where she summoned the strength from to speak her next words so steadily.

"If that's really how you feel, then consider yourself freed. We're done."

Spinning on her heel, Caroline marched away in a daze. Tyler might have shouted something after her, but she didn't process it.

...And he didn't come after her.

Somehow she found herself near the boy's locker room. Just in time to receive her second blow of the day. Truly, she was a phenomenal judge of character.

"Yo, Mikaelson, how's the bet? Fucked Miss Head Bitch yet? Lockwood clearly hasn't been."

It was all she could stand to hear before she sprinted out of there. Thankfully cheer practice was over and no one would think it odd she had gone. Finding herself in the woods, Caroline slumped against a tree wondering how she could have been so, so wrong.

"Caroline…" A quiet voice broke through her chance. She didn't bother to turn, letting her hair fall in a curtain around her face shielding her from view, knuckles whitening.

"I know," she said equally quiet, no trace of her tears in her voice.

A sharp intake of breath sounded behind her and she heard his steps gingerly approach her.

"Tell me what you think you know, Caroline." It was said delicately, but she still snapped at the word think.

She made a quick swipe at her tears before she spun to face him.

"What I know is that you have some disgusting, misogynistic bet going to have sex with me. Well, good luck with that. Because it's never going to happen."

She moved to storm past him and out of the bathroom, surprised when he actually moved out of her way. It was the only reason she hesitated when he called after her.

"I know you have no reason to trust me, Caroline, but please give me a chance to explain what you heard."

She scoffed and continued walking away.

Down the hall, her phone buzzed in her pocket. A quick check revealed it was a message from Klaus.

You have my number if you change your mind.

Shaking her head she shoved her phone back in her pocket.

Caroline sipped her coffee, basking in one of the rare mornings that her mom was still home for breakfast.

"I'm not supposed to tell you this, but I want you to be careful. I know you've spent some time with the Mikaelson boy recently."

Jerking, Caroline moved her mug away from her face, having nearly spilt it into her lap.

"What?"

Her mom had a slightly irritated expression on her face as she elaborated. "It's vexing, but the Mikaelson's are incredibly wealthy and generous donors. Carol didn't want to make waves. Even though he's eighteen he just got suspended rather than charged with anything."

This was not clearing anything up, and she spluttered, "What? Charged?"

Frowning her mom continued, "They really did do a good job keeping it under wraps if you haven't heard. Klaus beat several of his teammates bloody. Not enough to actually break anything, but they'll be absent for some time."

Tightening her grip on her mug to hide the slight tremor of her fingers, she asked, "When did this happen?"

"Last week."

"...What day?"

Her mother looked concerned. "Wednesday, why?"

Caroline tried for nonchalance. "No reason. It's just I realized that's why I hadn't seen him around in school."

"You're not seeing him are you?" Her mother inquired sharply.

"No, of course not. I barely know him."

She still looked suspicious, but for once Caroline was grateful for her mom's busy schedule as she had to hurry out the door a few moments later. A final warning given as she left.

Monday passed in a blur, Caroline's thoughts tumbling like a whirlwind. Wednesday was the day she broke up with Tyler…

"Thank you for-"

Caroline held up a hand. "Stop. Just tell me what happened."

Recrossing her arms, she kept her expression blank and waited.

Klaus shifted, running a hand through his curls, muttering a quiet 'right' to himself. After a moment he steadied himself, looking her directly in the eye as he spoke.

"I admit there was a bet. Which wasn't very well done of me, but it was not as crude as to include having sex with you. I was only meant to talk to you, convince you to like me. They thought you were stuck up and well, bitchy." He paused seeming to catch the way her mask faltered for a second, but had the decency to not mention it. "I, well, I did too at first, but then I spoke to you. Discovered you were beautiful, strong, full of light I couldn't help but enjoy your presence."

Caroline cleared her throat, "And the rumors?"

He shook his head. "I had no idea about those either, swee- Caroline. Apparently, some of them were taunting Lockwood. Alluding to the bet without admitting what it was, making everything seem far worse than it was."

She stepped a bit closer. "So you say. Then why did I hear, how was it put? Ah yes, have you fucked Miss Head Bitch yet?" Caroline kept her voice steely despite how the words felt like acid in her mouth.

His expression darkened before his eyes fluttered closed, a pained grimace on his face.

"No wonder you thought so poorly of me…" He muttered. Reopening his eyes, he too took a step closer.

"I don't know why he decided to say that. I don't know how the minds of such scum function, but I assure you he paid for it."

"So my mom told me."

Klaus startled, weight shifting back on his heel. "You know."

Caroline cocked a brow. "Why did you think I gave you this chance in the first place? It certainly wasn't trust."

"...You approve?"

A scoff. "Of your caveman tendencies toward violence? No, not at all." Her expression softened a tad. "But I do appreciate the sentiment."

His eyes traced over her face as he weighed her words, and he tentatively moved forward again, extending his hand while looking hesitantly hopeful.

"Friends, then?"

Her eyes flickered down to look at it before returning his gaze. She paused, long enough that he started to falter, before taking his hand in hers.

"Probationary. So don't screw up again, Mikaelson." She offered him a slight lip quirk.

His face lit up before he managed to school it into a more casual smirk.

"I can work with that, sweetheart."