Klaroline au, Klaus is the star quarterback at high school and Caroline is the nerdy girl who hangs out at the library all day, Klaus wants to ask her out but always gets nervous when he goes to ask her out and it takes multiple attempts for him to do it until she just asks him out instead.

Thanks nonnie : ) Love the prompt, I know it isn't exactly what you'd asked for but I hope you still like it anyway.

To Be or Not to Be

"You're here to work not stare, Mikaelson," Caroline chided, hitting his hand with her pen.

"Ouch!"

"That didn't hurt you big baby," she scoffed. "You realise that your literature paper isn't going to write itself."

"Tell me about it," he groaned. "I thought you were supposed to be helping me, I mean you are my tutor after all."

"If that's your pathetic way of asking me to write your paper then forget it. I think you know my feelings on that."

"Pretty please?" He pleaded, sending her his best puppy dog eyes. They were having one of their weekly tutoring sessions, seated in a far corner of the school library. Klaus had never spent so much time there, until now, not that he was complaining.

"I'm not one of your groupies," she drawled.

"I don't have groupies."

"Oh, so who are those scantily clad airheads that follow you around, fawn all over you and bake you cookies before the big game?"

"It sounds like someone has been spying on me," he quipped.

"You wish, quarterback. Now, that's enough talking get back to work, I don't have all day after all."

Klaus returned his attention to his paper attempting to concentrate but it was a little difficult. Caroline Forbes had proven to be his undoing in so many ways and being in this close proximity was proving difficult. If he was being honest, all he wanted to do was lean across and place a kiss on those soft, pink lips that had been hypnotizing him for a while now.

Two months earlier….

"Are you coming to the party after the game tonight?" The redhead asked him, Klaus was too busy focusing on the girl staring wistfully from the large bay window behind her to properly concentrate.

Klaus always made sure to eat lunch with the library window in clear sight so he could grab a glimpse of her, even if it was brief. It all began a month ago when he found himself outside the library purely by chance and suddenly this angel appeared from nowhere.

He'd stared at her for a while, unable to tear away his gaze, she was that stunning. Her blonde hair fell loosely around her shoulders in soft waves; her expressive eyes and creamy skin only accentuated by the cornflower hued dress she was wearing.

Klaus thought he knew every girl at the school given he'd been more than friendly with a few but she wasn't familiar and so he'd made it his mission to find out who she was. It had taken a week but he found out Caroline Forbes was a newly transferred senior from Minnesota and he just had to know her.

"Klaus?" The redhead asked, breaking him from his thoughts. He wracked his brain trying to remember her name but was drawing a blank. After a while they all became the same and Klaus couldn't tell one girl from the next.

"Oh yeah, sure Melissa," he guessed, fairly confident that her name started with an M.

"It's actually Emily," she replied. It was close enough; they were only eight letters apart in the alphabet, after all.

"Oh yeah, that's right," he murmured, his eyes flicking over towards the window and realising she was gone. The disappointment he felt was overwhelming and all for a girl he'd never even met. "When have I ever missed a party?"

He wasn't complaining about his life, being the star quarterback certainly had its perks. Popularity, adoration and gorgeous girls at his beckoned call were just some of them; a football scholarship to USC to play for the Trojans was the only thing eluding him. Klaus knew it wasn't his football ability standing in the way, it was his grades.

Klaus knew brains weren't the problem but unfortunately school work had a habit of interfering with his social life. His latest paper hadn't been his most shining moment, his teacher telling him just that. He suggested a tutor and Klaus had been quick to dismiss it. Why would he spend all his time in the library when he could be having fun? It was only when he realised after some digging that his mystery girl was a tutor Klaus was quick to sign up to the program.

He didn't know what to think given they've never met but in three short words Klaus knew he was a goner. He approached her in the library, his heart beating fast, if only she knew what effect she had on him.

"No thank you."

"Excuse me?"

"I thought I was clear," she shot back, busying herself with the books on the desk.

"Aren't you a tutor?"

"Well yes, but not for you."

"Wow, are you always this friendly?"

"I'm plenty friendly," she scowled. "This isn't a joke; I expect people to be just as committed to learning as me."

"Did I say it was a joke?" He asked, surprised and equally impressed by her response given girls never spoke to him this way.

"Well I doubt you'd admit that if it was," she muttered.

"I think you're judging me," he accused.

"I'm judging you?"

"Yes, I'm here to learn and I thought you were here to help me." She looked at him, her face softening slightly, replacing the scowl she seemed to wear so well.

"Fine," she conceded after a long pause. "I expect you to get your work done, no messing around."

"Yes ma'am," he answered, holding back his desire to perform a salute.

"Fine, let's do this then," she murmured, gesturing to the nearby table. Klaus had never met anyone like her and to be honest it only intrigued him further.

Of course he was completely smitten but didn't want to scare her away, their time together meant too much. She didn't care who he was and she constantly challenged everything he believed. Klaus realised he'd finally met his match.

Present Day:

"So, what do you think?" Klaus asked tentatively, nervously handing her his paper. She took it from him, her eyes scanning the content. He held his breath, suddenly caring what she thought of his work. They were studying Hamlet and Klaus had read it at least a dozen times previously.

"Why are you here?" She finally asked, her brilliant blue eyes leaving his paper and settling firmly on him. He suddenly felt embarrassed wondering exactly what she meant.

"For help with my grades," he uttered. "I thought that was obvious."

"What's obvious is that you don't need my help, Klaus," she sighed, placing his paper on the table. "Do you think I'm a fool?"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that although you are a typical high school jock you actually have a brain and if you bothered to get off your ass and actually do the work we wouldn't be sitting here right now."

"My teacher suggested…"

"Yes, because he couldn't see your potential and I'm not talking about football," she shot back. "You don't need my help, Klaus."

"What if I want it though?" He asked, trying not to sound as desperate as he felt. He couldn't stand the thought of being away from her ever again.

"I'd say if this is some weird way to tease me."

"Why do you think I'd be teasing you?" He insisted, placing his hand on top of hers. "I really appreciate everything you've done for me."

"I haven't done anything," she replied. "I really should have known an Englishman would know a lot about Shakespeare."

"It doesn't always come with the heritage," he grinned, realising his hand was still over hers.

"Anyway, it doesn't matter," she murmured. "You don't need a tutor, so I think my work here is done."

"Why does it have to be over?"

"You don't need me," she replied busily occupying herself with the papers on the table, something he knew she did all too well when she was nervous.

"I'm sorry if my intentions weren't pure at the outset," he admitted, staring at her sheepishly. "I like you yes, but your help has only proven to me that I'm much more than a quarterback."

"Oh really?"

"Yes, really," he argued. "I'm curious though, why do you stare out the library window every day like that?"

"Now who has been spying? And like what exactly?"

"Like there's something missing?"

"Nothing is missing, I just like to contemplate things sometimes. Life is great, I've already been accepted to Stanford."

"Wow, I don't think this will ever work," he joked. "The Stanford Cardinals have a big rivalry against the Trojans. Not sure how we'll ever get along, love."

"And here we are back to football," she drawled. "We have nothing in common."

"I beg to differ," he shot back. "More than happy to dissect and discuss all of Shakespeare's works right now, and that's just the beginning."

"Fine, I suppose we could do that," she smiled. "Who knew we had so much in common?"