A/N: So this is my first ever fanfic! I really hope all of you like it and give many, many reviews. I'll take all the constructive criticism I can get! Let me know if there is something I should add, something there needs to be less of, or anything you'd like to see in future chapters. I have a lot of ideas, but I'd love to hear some of yours =) If this is something you wish to keep reading, please let me know! Enjoy!

Today was the day Caroline had been anticipating all summer. It was the day most kids dreaded after three months of relaxation and bliss. It was the first day of school. She hadn't really been looking forward to this day. Her school reminded her of the movie Mean Girls. There were too many groups, too much drama, and too much nonsense to keep up with. If you didn't have a label, you were basically ignored each and every day. This…was Caroline's life.

She got dressed at a decent pace and finished her breakfast in record time. Her mom was already at work for the day. Her dad was off somewhere with his new beau, probably enjoying some tropical island getaway. They had divorced when she was young, and she had always accepted her dad's preference for men. It was just how it was. Her mom had been single since, a life she didn't seem to mind most of the time. Although Caroline could tell she got lonely.

Once she cleared the table of her food, Caroline headed out to her car and drove off to school, feeling only slightly anxious for the day ahead. Her ensemble was perfect, like always. A cute little sundress that was white with blue diamonds scattered all over. She wore the silver heart necklace her father had given her on her birthday, and finished the outfit off with white sandals. Caroline had an interest in fashion, and knew that once high school was over, she would be off in New York somewhere. Hopefully designing the highest of fashions for supermodels. Now, she was one year closer to that dream. It was her final year of high school, and she had no intentions of looking back when she graduated.

Her silver Infiniti pulled into the schools parking lot with fifteen minutes to spare before she had to really start thinking about school stuff. Time to get back into the old routine. It had been the same since she started high school as a little freshman. She walked to the entrance of the large school, her ponytail bobbing as she went. Her destination was the lunchroom, where her friends were probably eating the breakfast that the school offered to everyone.

Caroline had seen them over the summer, but they had been busy the last couple of weeks before school started. All of them trying to get in some last minute time with their families. She smiled as she saw the trio she had been searching for. Elena, Bonnie, and Matt all sat at a table in the corner, the same place they ate breakfast and lunch every year. The four of them were one of those groups that weren't labeled in school. Well, Matt was on the football team, but he never really hung out with the other guys. He had been a friend of the girls since middle school and that hadn't changed when he joined the team. Otherwise, all four of them were pretty invisible to everyone else in the school. They were just…average. She put on a grin as she giddily walked over to the group.

"Hey guys!" Caroline squealed as she joined them, taking a seat in between Elena and Matt.

"Hey Care!" They all said, practically in unison.

"So…someone tell me we have some classes together. I can't stand the thought of spending my senior year without you guys in my class!" Caroline smiled and they all talked about their schedules for the next ten minutes.

At the end of breakfast, the bell rang and they all knew it was time to head to the gymnasium. Every year, on the first day of school, there was a welcoming assembly. The principal would welcome all the students back for another year and go over some general rules for the freshman, as well as to remind upperclassmen of what most forgot over the summer. It was really pretty boring, but it was mandatory to attend. The group walked together to the gym, passing by countless faces. Caroline didn't recognize most of them, but she knew some of them.

The first bunch of people she noticed was the cheerleaders. Well, she noticed the trio that led the pack for the most part. There was Rebekah, the head bitch, and then her minions, Jules and Vicki, who followed closely beside her. The cheerleaders always performed a routine at the beginning of the assembly; so all three were dressed in their maroon cheerleading outfits. Caroline couldn't stand those girls, but none of them knew she even existed. It was something she was perfectly all right with. She had no intention of joining their snobbish army of sluts.

Then there was the football team. The seniors on the team were in the assembly as well, but mostly she thought it was just to intimidate the freshmen. They were full of an assortment of characters, at least in her opinion. First, there were the Salvatore brothers, Stefan and Damon. They were fraternal twins that were total opposites, not only in looks, but in personality too. Stefan was the smart, sensitive brother. Damon was the tough, cocky brother. Both looked like Greek gods. Then, there were Tyler and Mason Lockwood, cousins who practically ruled the school. Tyler, the quarterback, was dating Vicki. Mason was dating Jules. And Rebekah was on and off again with Stefan. It was the stereotypical "cheerleader dates jock" scenario. Mason was more of an airhead type, while Tyler was a conceited asshole. Well…Caroline had dated him before he joined the football. After he became popular, she basically became invisible to him. So she didn't care much for him. Matt was the only senior on the team who didn't rub her the wrong way. Well…Stefan wasn't too bad. The only bad thing about him was the slut he kept going back to.

As Caroline and her friends entered the gym, the group went their separate ways. The girls went to the very top of the bleachers like they always did for assemblies. Matt went to go sit with the rest of the seniors on the football team. As Caroline sat down between Elena and Bonnie, she glanced at the gym doors long enough to see someone standing out in the hallway alone. Of course it would be Klaus Mikaelson, the notorious bad boy of the school. He was usually never up to any good. Klaus was a senior like her, and Rebekah, who happened to be his sister, was a grade below them. Their older brother, Elijah, had graduated last year and seemed decent enough. She wondered what had happened to the younger Mikaelson siblings.

Klaus was dressed in his usual black attire, sporting sunglasses even though they were indoors. She was sure he would be skipping out on the assembly. The rules weren't something he usually followed. Caroline was honestly surprised he hadn't been expelled yet. She figured it was only because his father was a large donator to the school. He didn't exactly have friends either. He walked the halls alone, sat at lunch alone, and never talked to anyone in class. She kind of felt sorry for him sometimes.

Caroline noticed that she had been staring a second too long, and caught him glance in her direction. She quickly shot her head forward to avoid looking at him any longer. To keep herself distracted, she started talking to Elena and Bonnie until the assembly started.

"I'm so glad this is our last welcome assembly. I hate these things." Caroline said in a bored tone.

"Agreed." Bonnie and Elena stated in an equally bored tone.

It was, thankfully, over pretty quick. The cheerleaders had started the school off with some routine they were going to use at the first football game. Then the seniors were introduced, followed by the principal giving his speech on the school rules. Once they dismissed, she headed off to her classes. Hopefully they would go by quickly too. She wasn't really interested in learning all about algebra.

As the group entered the lunchroom, it wasn't long before the first fight of the school year broke out. They were standing in line when Caroline witnessed the scene. Tyler had just gotten his lunch and was heading over to the cheerleaders and the rest of the team when Klaus bumped into him. Whether it was on accident or on purpose, it didn't matter. Tyler was now covered in food and was turning red at super speed. He glared at Klaus's back for all of a second before shoving him.

"Watch where you're going, Mikaelson." Tyler spat.

Klaus stopped where he was and turned around to face Tyler. Under those sunglasses, she was sure that those blue eyes had a fierce glare going for her jerk of an ex. After about a few more seconds of intense staring, they both went for each other. Both were throwing punches left and right. When it looked like Klaus was about to get the upper hand, Mason jumped in. After a couple more minutes, even Stefan jumped in! He was only trying to pull Klaus out of the fight though. Guess he had to attempt to save his girlfriend's brother. Besides, there was no way Stefan was going to be able to punch both of his massive teammates. Damon just watched awe struck as it all went down. He only reacted when he thought Stefan was about to join in. The man may be cocky, and a jerk sometimes, but Caroline could tell he loved his brother. He wasn't about to let him go in a fight alone.

The fight went on for about five, very long, minutes. Finally, the principal and a couple teachers rushed in. The teachers went for Mason and Tyler, while the principal called for order.

"Mikaelson, Lockwood, Salvatore and Lockwood! To my office, now!" Principal Anderson shouted.

Both Lockwood boys stomped off to the principal's office, while Stefan and Klaus walked in silence together out of the lunchroom. The teachers and the principal were close behind.

"Wow, I can't believe Tyler would just lash out like that. I know Klaus isn't the best of students, but damn he didn't deserve that." Matt said, looking a little confused as to why his teammate would do such a thing. He always did try seeing the best in people, even if they didn't deserve it. She admired it most of the time. Caroline knew her ex though.

"It's Tyler…I'm not that surprised." Caroline said coolly.

As they headed to their table, Caroline saw something on the ground. She realized that they were Klaus's sunglasses. Surprisingly, they weren't broken. She could see a little crack at the top, but she figured they were made of steel or something. Before anyone could see, she quickly picked the glasses up and put them in her purse. She would be sure to return those to him later.

"So guys, what are we doing after school?" Elena asked.

"It'll have to be something without me. I've got practice you guys, remember?" Matt said, a grin playing at his lips.

"Oh right. I forget you're actually on the same team as that group of Neanderthals." Bonnie stated.

"Well, we aren't all Neanderthals, now are we?" said a smooth voice from behind.

Caroline looked up as Damon came up to their table. How did they not hear him approach? She noticed that he stole a quick glance at Elena before turning to Matt.

"I was just going to remind you about practice this afternoon and that we were going to stay a little longer to discuss plays for the game this Friday." He said.

"Thanks man, I had forgotten we were staying longer for the game plans." Matt chimed, a frown on his face for having forgot.

"It's just the seniors discussing though," Damon stated, "So if you want, your girls are more than welcome to sit on the bleachers and stick around. As long as they pinky promise not to go babbling about our plan." He said, a smile playing at his lips. Damon gave a playful wink to Elena before patting Matt on the back and walking back to the table of football players. Caroline set to gossiping as soon as he was out of earshot.

"Elena Gilbert! Damon Salvatore was just stealing glances your way." She giggled. Elena hadn't really been lucky in the guy department. If Damon could manage to not be an ass to her, Caroline could see the two of them together.

"Uh huh. Sure he was." Elena rolled her eyes, smiling all the while. She hadn't missed his wink though.

"Anyways…you guys are more than welcome to come and watch. We could do something after practice if there is time." Matt said, a little happy that there might be a chance he could spend some time with his friends.

"Sounds like it would be fun!" Bonnie said enthusiastically. Caroline narrowed her eyes at Bonnie. The girl was being so obvious around him.

"Sure, why not. I'll be there too." Elena chimed in. She would just keep quiet about the fact that she was only interested in going because of what Caroline said about Damon earlier.

"Ok, ok, I'll go too. I have to stop by my car first and drop my books off. I'll meet you guys at the bleachers." Caroline said, a wide grin spread across her face.

The final school bell for the day rang and she waved a farewell to Bonnie and Elena. She would see them soon, but she still needed to drop her books off. The sun was still shining pretty brightly, and kids were chattering all around her. She smiled as she looked around the scene. The buzz for the game this Friday was even getting her excited. Of course she would be going to support Matt, but sports weren't really her thing.

As she was heading down the stairs outside, she glanced toward a shady spot near the wall. A large tree stood near the school, and sitting under the tree was a lonely looking Klaus. His eye was swollen and from the skin that she could see, he had some nasty black and blue spots. She sighed and shook her head. Tyler definitely got him pretty good. She hadn't seen Tyler and Mason since the fight, but she hoped those meatheads got their fair share of bruises and scars. Caroline looked around quickly before heading toward the grumpy looking man.

"Hi." She said, giving a small smile so this wasn't totally awkward. She threw in a small wave. Caroline wasn't entirely sure how to go about talking to him. He seemed too lonely not to say something though.

"Hello." He spoke reluctantly, like he wasn't interested in company. Klaus never even looked up at her. What could she possibly want with him? Hadn't his day been bad enough?

Well this was fun. Caroline gathered up what courage she had left and bent down on her knees, seeing as it was difficult to sit with her dress. She rummaged around in her purse and pulled out the glasses. She looked at them one last time before handing them to Klaus.

"I found these in the lunchroom…I figured you would want them back." She bit her lower lip, not sure how to continue.

Klaus finally looked at her. He watched her for a minute before slowly reaching for the glasses. He played with them for a bit until he decided to speak. "Thank you…um…" He didn't actually know her name.

She smiled. "Caroline. You're Klaus, right?" Of course she knew who he was. Everyone knew him.

"Yea. The one and only." He scoffed. His reputation obviously preceded him. Great. A girl finally talks to him and she sees him just like everyone else did. Was he really expecting anything different?

Caroline bit her lower lip again before digging around her purse again. It was kind of like Mary Poppins's bag. It held everything you could possibly need. She grabbed a handkerchief and walked quickly over to a nearby water fountain and wet it just a little. When she came back to Klaus, she held up her hand, wanting to help with his cuts.

"May I?"

Klaus looked at her for what seemed like the longest time. She wanted to help him? Even the nurses preferred helping Tyler and Mason to him. It was the reason he still had some dried blood on him and his bruises looked as bad as they did at lunch. The nurses that were working had looked at him and practically shooed him off while they attended to the Lockwood boys. They were used to him being in there for various reasons, so his needs were just not that important to them. Plus, the Lockwood jerks were on the football team. That surpassed anything and everything. So he had just left school after he had finished up in the principal's office. Klaus had been under this tree ever since. He slowly nodded and let her nurse his wounds.

It hurt a little when she dabbed at the gashes on his face. He winced as she touched the cut above his left eyebrow. "Oh! Sorry, sorry!" She squeaked. After realizing he was ok with her continuing, she went back to work. Her blue eyes were focused on his cuts and meticulously wiped up all the blood that remained on his face.

When she finished, she stopped and looked at him for just a little longer than she should have. Caroline smiled shyly and put the dirty handkerchief back in her purse. While the blood was now gone, it wouldn't help his bruises.

"You know…I'm sure there is some first aid near the football field. I bet there would be an icepack there." She gave a small smile, knowing that it would probably be the last place he wanted to be.

"I don't think I would be very welcome there if someone saw me hanging around." Klaus gave a tight-lipped smile. He wasn't interested in seeing Tyler and Mason again.

"You don't have to stay there very long…just long enough for me to get you something for your bruises, and then you can go. Promise." She smiled and crossed her heart with her fingers.

Klaus couldn't help but chuckle at the child like gesture. He looked at the bubbly blonde once more before realizing he probably didn't have a choice in the matter. She seemed persistent. "Alright. Don't expect me to stick around though." He stated, before slowly getting up. Klaus would just keep the fact that Tyler had gotten him pretty bad in the ribs to himself. He didn't even want to see the damage.

"Wouldn't dream of it." Caroline put her hands up in surrender. She grabbed her purse and decided she would put her books up later. Klaus wasn't the waiting type. They walked in silence to the field.

When they arrived, she dropped her stuff and headed straight to a closet she had seen Matt go into before. Just like she thought, there was a first aid kit on one of the shelves. She looked in the freezer that was also in the closet and found an icepack. Caroline walked back out, a little spring in her step for being right. She shook the contents in her hand at Klaus, showing him she had gathered all the necessary items.

Caroline looked into the first aid kit and found some Band-Aids. She put one over his left eyebrow and one on his cheek, patting them lightly. Smiling, she handed him the icepack. "Keep this on your eye. Any other bruise you have for that matter too. It should help." She spoke quietly. The boys were still at practice, so Tyler and Mason weren't going to walk in on the two of them behind the stands luckily.

"Thank you Caroline…for…well, everything." He shrugged and placed the icepack on his eye, hissing a little at the pain before setting it comfortably on the bruise again. This girl astounded him. No one was usually brave enough to come up and talk to him, much less take care of him. Not like he made it that easy though. He preferred being alone to dealing with the people at this school. He thought they were all the same. Maybe he had judged a little too quickly.

"It was no problem at all." She smiled and grabbed her stuff from the ground. She was about to walk off when she thought of something else to say. "You know…if you ever need a friend to talk to…I'm always here. You always seem so lonely and…"

"I don't need your pity." Klaus said, a chill to his tone. His walls quickly going back up before he showed too much vulnerability.

"I'm not saying this out of pity. I'm saying this because no one should have to be alone. Everyone needs someone in their life to help them through it." She smiled sadly before turning toward the bleachers. "See you around, Klaus." Caroline left Klaus standing by himself and headed toward her friends.

"Yea…see you around, Caroline." He whispered to himself. Klaus slowly walked off toward his car, shaking his head to rid the image of the perky blonde from his memory.