ALMOST IS NEVER ENOUGH | TVD [3]

XXIV • WELCOME TO PARADISE

twenty-four. welcome to paradise

Whitmore College

Caroline is staring at the unforgettable graduation picture frame of herself, Bonnie, Elena and Minerva, all wearing red graduation gowns but Minerva who at this point, has already graduated much earlier than them. Caroline lets out a hopeless sigh, heading over to her single bed in the dorm room.

Elena walks into the room with a cardboard tray of two bought cups of hot coffee, "So I uh, volunteered at the hospital until like two. And then I figured we could carpool to the party at the swimming hole." After she sets the tray down, the twenty-year-old sophomore finally realizes that her best friend is now packing, "Um, normally when you move back in, you unpack."

"I'm not staying. Last night was just a momentary moment of weakness." When she actually required a friend to remain with for the previous night, thanks to Rosie and Stefan, who are just a pair of huge disappointments.

"Momentary moment?" Caroline nods, "Are you sure you don't want to come back to school?" The hopeless blonde only stares at her directly, "Caroline, needing your friends isn't a weakness, momentary or otherwise."

Caroline shuts her suitcase, "Tell that to Rosie, who clearly needs no one." Other than her own precious boyfriend, to which they only need each other.

"She needs Stefan." Elena folds her arms, "And anyway, cut her some slack, she lost her best friend. Granted, said friend was a homicidal maniac. But, still." Caroline is staring at her friend incredulously with sadness, "What?"

The tired nineteen-year-old shakes her head back into reality from her friend's breeze, "Nothing, I just--I got to go, I got breakfast with Isaac, so--"

"Isaac?" Elena begins to judge with a teasing look; her best friend hums, "You guys go on one road trip and all of a sudden you're breakfast buddies again? Even after four months? What would Minerva say?" Nothing, perhaps.

Caroline giggles, "Yeah, I don't really know. I guess so. Ironically, he's recently become one of the most stable people in my life." Fortunately.

Elena still looks skeptical and judgmental when it comes to her childhood friends' clearly evolving relationship, "Okay, then invite him to the party." The swimming hole right outside of their hometown later on, actually.

The Forbes girl sighs in frustration by the persistence, "Elena--"

"Come on, I got Matt to take the afternoon off from his training and Tyler to give the practice squad a break, even Jeremy, Ben, April and Enzo are coming. It's been forever since we've all been together, it'll be fun." Caroline opens her mouth to retort, skeptical, her protest about this invitation and Elena quickly points her finger at her in her own defense, "Don't make me invoke the nuclear option." The blonde raises her eyebrows, "'Cause I will selfie bomb you. Every five minutes, I swear to God." She giggles.