Unstoppable | The Vampire Diaries

65. Before We Go

Care: You're late! You already missed prom, I will not let you miss graduation! Xxx

Riley adjusted her graduation robes and smiled at her reflection in the mirror. Through all that they had been through in high school, the fact that they were about to graduate was nothing short of a miracle!

She walked from her bedroom to the living room and was surprised to find both of her parents sitting together, for the first time in... she couldn't even remember how long. When her mother spotted her, she stood and wrapped her in a hug.
"What's going on?" Riley asked, her voice muffled. Her mom then pushed her away slightly so that she could cup her face.

"I can't believe you're graduating," Ciara sniffed, tears in her eyes. "We are so proud of you, honey."

"Thanks mom," Riley said. "But I didn't actually do that much."

"You got through all of this vampire nonsense without failing any of your classes!" her mom reminded her. It had been a close call, but thanks to some extra credit work, she'd managed to bring her chemistry grade up to a pass.

"So..." her dad said, handing her an envelope. "We got you a little something."

Riley took the envelope with a smile. "You didn't have to do that." The envelope was light, but it felt like there was something substantial inside it. Opening it, she saw a collection of hundred dollar bills. "You really didn't have to do that."

"Well... it's not a totally selfless present," her dad said, looking at her mom, who nodded. "We want you to use it to get out of Mystic Falls for the summer."

"What?" Riley blurted, shocked. "Why?"

Her mom sighed. "Honey, this is the summer before college! We want you to use this time to travel, explore, try new things, have new experiences..."

"Get away from vampires?" Riley finished for her, still holding the money in her hands. She couldn't remember the last time she wasn't trying to solve some kind of supernatural problem. The chance to leave Mystic Falls for the summer, to travel with loads of money and no expectations, to be without her parents for three whole months, was an opportunity that she would be stupid to pass up.

"To have a normal summer," her dad corrected. "We all know that the vampires will always be here, but you don't have to be."

Riley grinned, tiptoeing as she threw her arms around her parents and kissed each of their cheeks.

"Thank you!" she shrieked. "I love you guys."

"We love you too," her mom confirmed, stroking her hair. Her mind kept going back to when they'd first come to Mystic Falls. Although she'd never revealed the true reason for their move, she was extremely proud that Riley had got this far in spite of the distractions.

"But we'd love you even more if you weren't late to graduation," her dad joked.

"Right," Riley nodded, walking towards the door. This was the final hurdle. Everything was right in Mystic Falls, they were graduating, and then she'd have a summer filled with anything she wanted. What could go wrong?

***

"Klaus, now is not the time to decide that you're over me. I'm gonna call you every ten minutes until you get your ass here to save Damon's life!" Caroline raged into the phone when Riley walked up behind her and Bonnie.

"What's wrong with Damon?" Riley asked. Caroline turned around in surprise, plastering a smile on her face.

"Nothing!" she blurted. "What took you so long?"