Dark and silent late last night

I think I might have heard the highway calling

Geese in flight and dogs that bite

The signs, it might be omens

Say I'm goin', goin'

I'm gone to Carolina in my mind…

-James Taylor-

Carolina in my mind

Chapter 1

Carolina straightened her dress as she rose from the ripped cushion of her seat. She could feel the anger building up inside her. Turing the edges of her vision red. Pressing her palms down against the desk top, she leaned forward towards the slimy little spec of a man sitting behind it. He squirmed in his seat, glancing nervously between her and the phone on his desk. After all the times she'd been forced to ignore her boss's inappropriate stares and comments. Carolina was fully enjoying how uncomfortable she was making him now.

"This is bullshit! You can't do this!," she barked, narrowing her eyes at the man. This was not just the normal everyday bullshit. The kind that she was used to putting up with. It was complete and total bullshit. Not only was this schmuck firing one of the best and most devoted teachers at this pathetic joke of a school, he was doing it for a crap reason too. Some drunk asshole went after the gym teacher's wife in a bar. And like any man, he jumped in to defend her. How was he supposed to know that the drunken asshole's wife was the head of the PTO? And best friends with the superintendent's wife? They weren't even going to give the poor guy a chance to resign. They were firing him outright. He'd never be able to work again. Not in education. Or with children.

"Watch your language or you'll be next," the principal warned, wiping his sweaty palms against his pant legs. Carolina snorted out a laugh. She straightened her back, rising to her full five feet and ten inches. Which was actually a full six foot one today. Because she had heels on. Looking down at the wormy little creep and his chintzy ill fitting suit, she told herself to let it go. It would be better to just turn around and walk away before she did something stupid and lost her job. Not that it would be a big loss. She made more waiting tables part time than she did teaching science to tenth graders. But it was all she had going for her at the moment. Carolina took a deep breath and turned on her heels, heading for the closed office door. She got as far as wrapping her hand around the knob when the man behind the desk decided he wanted to get the last word in.

"When you come back on Monday, I don't want to hear any more about this incident. And I expect you to be dressed appropriately," he huffed. Carolina stopped, sucking in a hard breath of air. Every fucking day this asshole had something to say about her attire. Her clothes were too tight. Too revealing. Distracting. It drove her crazy. All her clothes were modest and professional. She couldn't help the fact that she had a curvy body underneath her khakis and dresses.

"You know what?," Carolina hissed, turning and striding back towards the man's desk. "FUCK YOU!," she hollered. "... And FUCK this job!" Leaning forward, Carolina thumped the back of her hand against the flimsy styrofoam cup of probably cold by now coffee the man had sitting on his desk. It tipped forward, sloshing the contents all over the crotch of his pants. He screamed. Maybe that coffee wasn't cold already, Carolina thought with a laugh.

Carolina turned and headed for the door again, this time walking through it and slamming it shut behind her. Her full hips swung and her blonde hair bounced as she strode down the hallway to her classroom. She knew she probably wasn't going to be allowed back in the building anytime soon. Not after the stunt she just pulled with the coffee. So she grabbed the few things she didn't want to leave behind. Her purse, a beautiful picture one of her favorite students painted and framed for her, and her bearded dragon Dixon that she'd turned into a classroom pet. The kids would miss him. And her. But she tried not to think about that as she gently lowered Dixon into her purse and headed for the door. Once she stepped outside, she pulled a pack of marlboro lights out of her purse, snagging one between her teeth and lighting it. Smoking was forbidden on school grounds. But where were they going to do? Fire her?

"Hey! Miss Mason! Don't you still have sixth hour to teach?"

Carolina turned towards the voice, shading her eyes with her hand as she took a long drag of her smoke. She exhaled, her heels clicking across the parking lot as she headed towards the man she just quit her job because of. Mr. Smith was loading a cardboard box of sports trophies into his trunk. A sad sorry sight if she ever saw one.

"I don't have any more classes to teach," Carolina announced, "...'cause I just told Dickerson to fuck off."

"You didn't have to do that on my account," he said, laughing and snagging one when she held her pack of smokes out towards him. Mr. Smith knew that his colleagues thought that what the school was doing to him was unfair. But he didn't actually think anyone would quit because of it. And he was flattered that someone had. Especially since it wasn't just any someone but the hottest teacher in the place. He was having a hard time not getting a boner just looking at her. Her dress was demure with a high neck and a hemline that fell below her knees. But it was still fitted, hugging her ample curves and comparatively tiny waistline.

"The bullshit with you was just the last straw," Carolina said, taking another drag off her smoke. "I've had it with this fuckin' place."

Mr. Smith slammed the trunk of his car closed, taking a drag off the smoke Carolina bummed him and trying not to cough. He raked his eyes over her body again, pausing when he saw the contents of her purse.

"Is that a lizard in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?," he asked. Carolina glanced down and started to laugh. She almost forgot Dixon was in her purse. He was poking his little spiked head out, taking a look around the parking lot and probably wondering why he was shoved in her bag and not chilling in his terrarium.

"I've got a great idea," Mr. Smith said, stepping closer to her. Carolina looked up at him curiously. He was the only one of her male coworkers that was tall enough to make her have to look up to meet his eyes. Eyes that were sparkling with delicious mischief. Carolina felt her stomach flip. This wasn't the first time she'd noticed how devilishly handsome he was. It was really too bad he was married.

"Let's head to that bar down the road and I'll buy you a drink…"

Carolina thought his offer over for a minute. She knew it was probably a bad idea. But she'd already quit her job. She had nothing to lose. And a cold drink sounded like heaven.

"What the hell," she said. "Let's go."

Carolina drove herself to the bar. And about three drinks later she found herself back in her car. Except this time she was in the backseat instead of behind the wheel. Her former coworker's tongue was in her mouth and he was groping her ample breasts through the fabric of her dress. Carolina wriggled the hem of her dress up until the material was bunched around her waist, freeing her legs. Then she shifted her body across the small space, straddling him. Seeing her exposed flesh, he quickly moved his hands down and filled them up with the round curves of her hips and ass. Carolina sunk down onto his lap, grinding into him. She was rewarded by the feel of his impressive erection against the meat of her inner thigh. When his hands moved between them, she lifted her hips to give him room to unzip his pants. His dick was even bigger than it felt inside his pants. And her insides clenched deliciously at the sight of it. With the base of his dick in one hand, he used the other to rip her panties to the side. The moment he lined the head of his dick up with her greedy slit, Carolina sunk down onto it like she was sinking into a warm bath. She couldn't even remember the last time she got laid.

There wasn't much room to maneuver in the backseat of her sedan. Especially since both of them were taller than an average person. But that didn't stop Carolina from bucking her hips into his. He caught both her hands in his, threading his fingers between hers. When both his palms pressed against hers, she felt a strange sensation. Like an electric current passed from his body into hers. Carolina gripped his hands harder as she came with a loud series of high pitched gasping moans. Releasing her hands, he gripped her hips and slammed into her over and over again until he found his own release deep inside her tight pussy. Carolina stayed where she was, enjoying the moment for just a little longer before she eased off his lap and began to wiggle her dress back down.

"That was fucking amazing," he declared, making Carolina giggle.

"Yeah," she admitted. "I needed that."

"Give me your number. We should do this again sometime." Carolina smiled, leaning over and pressing one more kiss to his lips.

"I don't think that's a good idea," she said. It wasn't that she wouldn't like to do it again. She would. But they shouldn't have even done what they already did. Mr. Smith had a Mrs. Smith waiting for him at home. Carolina didn't need that kind of trouble in her life.

"What are you talking about," he teased, "...it's the best idea I ever had." Carolina laughed again. And she let the former gym teacher pull her close and kiss her one more time. But then she forced herself to pull away.

"I think you better go on home to your wife before you get yourself in even more trouble," Carolina suggested.

"Fair enough," he agreed. Reaching down, he grabbed a discarded ink pen and a paper folder off the floor, writing his phone number down just in case she changed her mind about meeting up again. "Miss Mason," he teased as he climbed out her backseat, leaving his number behind, "...it's been a pleasure."

"See you around Mr. Smith," she joked back. Climbing out of her backseat, Carolina slid behind the wheel of her car. She puffed on a cigarette as she drove herself home. Once she arrived, Dixon the wayward dragon was placed safely in the small terrarium in her living room. And she called her favorite Chinese takeout place as she opened a can of cat food for her cat Maggie. Knowing her takeout wouldn't be delivered for at least a half hour, Carolina used that time to shower and change into a tank top and leggings. She twisted her long blonde hair up into a sloppy bun on top of her head. And then she opened herself another beer.

Carolina's food came. She tipped the delivery driver and sat down at her small kitchen table to eat. As she was finishing her veggie lo-mein and the second beer she'd cracked open, she remembered she still had the season six mid-season finale of the walking dead to watch. She'd recorded it with her DVR when it played on Sunday. But she had so many papers to grade and lesson plans to write that she still hadn't gotten around to watching it three days later. She grinned, thinking she now had time to watch all the tv she wanted.

Carolina settled in on her couch with her favorite comfy blanket and started her show. But as she watched, all the beers she had at the bar started to catch up with her. By the time the biker gang was holding Daryl, Sasha, and Abraham up in the middle of the road, Carolina was fast asleep on her couch with Maggie curled up near her feet. She was blissfully unaware that the eerie sound of walkers growling followed her into her dreams.

** Some of my favorite fanfics are the ones where the superfan wakes up inside the show. So after much deliberation, I decided to write one myself. I'm popping the first few chapters up as I get them edited. Regular updates will start after Between the Thorns is completed. The AO3 cross post will have chapter graphics and inspiration photos. If you want to read here and would like a visual reference, I based Carolina's physical description on photos of Kate Upton. **