Caroline prides herself on many things, one of which is maintaining her composure. She has always managed to weather any annoyances with an expression of nonchalance while her tongue lashed out like a whip at the perpetrator. It had been a long time since anything had gotten under that armor of hers and made her squirm (internally and externally). She hated allowing anyone that power because, despite wonderfully blond locks and pretty eyes, Caroline Forbes was no Barbie doll to be played with at will.
She had walked away from her "goodbye" to Nik with her tail between her legs, caught in a horribly awkward state of flushed and confused. She stumbled upon her group of classmates, refusing to check whether or not he was still by the car. She had at least that much willpower left.
Her best friend stood next to the school's quarterback, Matt Donovan. With his boyish looks and sweet demeanor, he was a regular all-American boy. Rebekah had called dibs on him since their first class together in second grade. The pair was talking about the big football game against Beacon Hills next weekend. Matt was explaining the logistics of one of the defensive moves while Rebekah nodded intensely. Most girls would have spaced out, but she never feigned interest in football. At least, she never faked it when it was Matt talking. However, Caroline maintains that it was just an excuse to stare endlessly into each other's eyes. Tyler Lockwood, the linebacker, was next to the two lovesick puppies and seemed about as comfortable as a Gremlin in water.
"What are you doing this weekend, Care?" Tyler nudged her with his shoulder, relief at her arrival evident in his voice. She returned the smile as the tension in her stomach disappeared.
"I'm not sure yet. I think Beks and I'll go to the mall. We are in a serious need of new tops."
"Speak for yourself," Her friend flipped her long hair back with a flick of her hand, "I have a closet full of Hollister tee's that haven't been touched."
Caroline rolled her eyes, "Okay then. It will be just me shopping this weekend."
"I could come with you," Tyler offered, shrugging his shoulders, "I need a new pair of stilettos anyway."
Everyone's eyes flew to the linebacker's neutral expression before dissolving into laughter. She pressed a hand against his arm while a pain hit her side from the laugh.
"I bet you would look great in red." She giggled.
"Totally, bro. You should get a matching dress and go as Gilbert's prom date," Matt Donovan teased, shifting underneath his backpack. His blue eyes smiled as they flickered from his best friend to the girl next to him.
Rebekah tilted her head, tapping a finger against her chin dramatically. "Actually, you should go with Care, Tyler. A girl should never shop on her own, especially this one. She tends to go a bit crazy." She mouthed the last bit.
Caroline made a sound of indignation, "I do not! You are totally lying. You always go nuts, especially at Victoria—"
"Sure, I'd love to go with her, " He blurted out.
She stopped her rambling and glanced at him, guard definitely caught off. Her heartbeat skipped and went double the normal rate.
Luckily, the bell rang and ended any conversations in the front of the school and expelled any leftover thoughts about Nik.
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Kol whistled to the tune of Jukebox Hero as he sauntered his way to his Chemistry class. His bag was slung over one shoulder and he nodded his head to the imaginary drums. The hall was practically empty, except for the friendly janitor down at the end. He was late to class once again. He could almost hear Elijah scolding him about tardiness and a lack of respect for the education institution.
He reached the door and paused before grabbing the handle. A fleeting, risky idea whispered in his mind. His eyes appraised the door thoughtfully and he chewed his cheek in consideration. It was quiet and there was the faint sound of the teacher's droning voice. Ah, what the hell?
A loud SLAM cracked the tranquil atmosphere as his foot hit the wood. The weak door flew open and banged against the wall. There was a scream or two from the class. The teacher jumped from his spot in the front, dropping some papers. Kol resisted the urge to laugh and waltzed into the room.
Twenty-four pairs of shocked eyes followed him as he moved past the teacher and settled himself into the only empty seat. He tossed his bag to the side of his desk and folded his hands on top of the desk.
"What have I missed?" A smirk found its way on his lips.
The teacher opened and closed his mouth, hands lifting and raising in an effort to respond. He struggled like that for about thirty seconds, looking like a malfunctioning robot, before there was a response.
"We were discussing redox reactions," Bonnie Bennett answered as she shot a less than pleased look at her neighbor. Her lips formed a straight line and her jaw was clenched. A flush of angry red painted her caramel skin.
"Thank you, darling," He spoke slowly, keeping her eyes locked on his.
She met his flirtatious gaze with her fiery own before turning back to the teacher. "Redox reactions, sir." Her tone changed from sharp to soft as if a switch had been turned.
Kol sighed as Mr. Science regained his composure and continued his lesson. There really was a lack of entertainment in this town. Now, he could either listen to the balding man's explanation of chemical reactions or he could take sometime to mess with his favorite girl.
He leaned across and tapped her shoulder, whispering, "Psst,"
The curve of her back straightened. She refused to look at him, gaze locked on the whiteboard ahead.
"Pssst,"
No reaction.
"Pssst, Bennett."
Nothing.
"Psst, Bennett."
Nada.
"Bon-Bon?"
She turned her head immediately, the familiar look of annoyance on her countenance. "What do you want, Mikaelson?"
He placed a hand to his heart, "Mikaelson? I thought we had reached a first name basis?"
She pushed back a loose curl, eyebrows raised. "What do you want?" She whispered.
"I only wanted to know how you're weekend was." He jutted out his lip.
"Really?!" Her voice broke the whisper and came out as a slightly peeved screech.
"Ms. Bennett!"
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"I will never understand your love for this wailing you call music." Klaus shook his head at the CD case he held. "Nor will I understand why you still have CDs." He tossed the plastic at his friend, Stefan Salvatore, who caught it just in time.
"We've had this discussion before," He turned the case in his hands, "CDs are classic and the Cure's music can't be considered wailing. This was the music of the 80s, the epitome of the decade!"
Klaus rolled his eyes at his friend's impassioned speech. "So is this place all yours?" He waved a hand at the well-furnished house, highly skeptical that this was all Stefan's doing. The pair had known each other for years and not once had Stefan shown any sense of design.
"Half of it's mine," Stefan put the Cure case to the side, "The other half is Damon's."
Klaus barely managed to hide a groan at the name. The elder Salvatore brother was not a favorite of his. The two clashed heads on multiple occasions and his cocky attitude bothered the hell out Klaus.
"Don't worry," Stefan sensed the tension in the air, "He's in the Bahamas."
"Why the bloody hell is he in the Bahamas?"
He shrugged his shoulders, long past unfazed by his brother's quirky choices in living. "He said something about Carpe Diem and the sands of time. The next day, he was on the plane."
"Ah, he will be sorely missed," Klaus raised his empty glass in the air in a mock toast.
"Yeah, enough about my brother," Stefan leaned back into the couch, kicking his legs onto the coffee table. He laid an arm out on the nearest armrest. "What brings you back to the Falls?"
"The usual reasons, you could say," He picked up a glass globe and studied it. "Lack of money, boredom, missing the family, all of the above."
"That never brought you back before. It's been two years, if I'm counting right."
Klaus shrugged, "I needed a change of atmosphere,"
"The Big City becoming to much for you?" Disbelief underlined the taunting tone.
"You could say that," He muttered, putting the globe back on the polished wooden desk. "How have you been, my friend?"
Stefan raised an eyebrow at the change of topic, but answered, "Equally boring. Nothing ever happens in Mystic Falls."
"So shall I assume there is no new love interest?"
"Unfortunately, none." Stefan made a face.
"You never were a real ladies man," Klaus teased.
"Oh, shut up, Tea and Crumpets."
"Haven't you been teaching at the elementary school?" Klaus asked, recalling Stefan mentioning once or two something about bratty kids. Why his friend found educating the youth so fascinating he will never know or understand.
"High school," He corrected, "And I am only a teacher's aide. Next year I'll be the real deal."
"Good luck," His friend grinned, "As you and I both know, high schoolers can be a handful."
"You don't need to remind me," Stefan ran a hand over his face, "If they are half as bad as we were, then I am royally screwed."
The Rebel Duo, as they nicknamed themselves back in the day, had been fans of testing just how far they could break the rules without getting expelled. They literally did it all; graffiti, pulling fire alarms, breaking into the school on the weekends, etc. Many classmates joked that all they needed now was the leather jackets and slicked hair.
Klaus shook his head at the memories, "We were quite out of control."
"No doubt about it,"
"How they hell did we not get expelled?"
It was quiet for a moment as they recalled fond memories of rebellious TPing and locking the principal in the closet.
"How's that Caroline Forbes?" Klaus sat in one of the armchairs across from the couch.
Stefan did not attempt to hide his surprise, "Care-bear Forbes? She's been good. She's definitely come a long way since freshmen year. Why?"
"Just curious." He shrugged.
Stefan watched him carefully, "And the truth is?"
"I can't just have an interest in an old friend." He tsked, shaking his head.
"She wasn't an old friend if I remember correctly." His friend closed his eyes, "What was it you said? My pretty little blond—"
"That was a while ago," Klaus caught him off, "The point is she seems older, more mature, changed, different…"
"She blew you off, didn't she?"
Klaus glared at the laughing man across from him, "She was just surprised to see me."
"And so you plan to…?" He bit his lip, attempting not to cackle.
"I will simply remind her of our previous relationship. We were very close and—Why are you laughing?" Klaus's temper flared, hating the condescending look Stefan was giving him.
"I don't think you understand, buddy. As far as I can tell, she's way past the I HEART MIKAELSON days. You should really just steer clear." He warned, tone calming and growing more serious.
"You didn't see how she was this morning. She's the same girl, my friend."
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Caroline rummaged through her bag for her keys as she maneuvered her way out of the mob of Friday-frenzied students. She had been traversing these people seas for years and now she barely had to look up to find the exit.
"Move, move, get out of the way," She ordered, without glancing up. Her fingers slid past a text book and found her keys. "Gotchya."
She moved through the crowd towards the parking lot. Conversations about the weekend filled her ears. Her thoughts went back to Tyler's offer. They hadn't resolved that yet. A part of her was giddy at the idea of going out with Tyler. Another part of her was nervous, but she couldn't pinpoint why.
"Hello, sweetheart,"
Caroline jumped. It was Nik, leaning against the hood of her car. "Seriously? You need to stop doing that!"
He chuckled, "I'm sorry, I forgot you were so skittish."
She made a face, "I am not,"
"Sure,"
She walked around him to the driver's side door, ignoring the feeling of his eyes on her. Caroline Forbes is not a doll, she repeated over and over silently. "Are you here for a ride home?"
"No, I'm here for you," He followed her over, placing a hand on the top of the
car.
There was her stupid heart again, "How flattering,"
He grabbed her hand and gently turned her to face him, "How was your day?"
Her eyes flicked back and forth between his face and his hand, "Fine,"
"I'm glad," He leaned closer, "Do you have any plans for tomorrow?"
What? Her mind froze. Is he—Is Niklaus Mikaelson asking her out?
I apologize x9000 my lovelies for this way too belated update. I will use the age-old excuse of too much schoolwork and poor planning. Don't worry, though. Updates for this are going to become a regular thing now. ;) Anyway, I'd love to know what you guys are thinking. What do you hope for in the story? What do you like? What do you not like?
Follow me at hotbloodedhunter on tumblr if you want to see any info relating to my stories!
xxx You are all much too good for me xxx