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❝shadowed glory❞
CAROLINE SHIFTED NERVOUSLY AS SHE STOOD AMONG THE CROWD, MATT'S ARM HOOKED WITH HERS.
Even though the plan was solid and Matt's compulsion was strong, this was the first time she'd be going directly against Elena, and most likely giving up the appearance that she's on their side.
She couldn't help but feel bad for Matt, because he had become a pawn in the game without knowing a sliver of the truth. Even though she wanted him to know everything, she knew him well enough to know that he'd never forgive her for what she was doing to Elena. No matter how much time passes, he'll always love Elena.
But if she was being honest with herself, she'd grown bitter towards Elena long before she was turned. Even before the accident, she'd resented Elena for the attention she got.
She'd grown out of her ridiculous need for drama for the most part, and when she shed that immaturity, she came to realize that it was always going to be Bonnie and Elena, and then Caroline as an afterthought.
At first it was school. Elena listened to everything Bonnie told her, whether it be about Stefan, or about quitting the cheerleading squad, Elena always disregarded her advice. Even though it wasn't always the best advice at times, Caroline just wanted Elena to be her friend, and she couldn't even do that without rolling her eyes every time Caroline spoke.
When Caroline was finally let in on the supernatural affairs, the last one of their trio, it was only because she was killed, and the compulsion that Elena forced Damon to do wore off. After that, Caroline realized in all of her newfound vampiric glory, that she would never be prioritized as long as Elena Gilbert was around.
And even though she'd never admit it out loud, Matt had become a stem of her blossoming bitterness towards her old friend. It was supposed to be the cherry on top to get back at Elena for her selfish acts, to date her ex and go against the girl-code, but Elena was so disgustingly infatuated with Stefan and his heroics that it was useless. The only problem was, Matt caught feelings, and so did she– at least, in the beginning.
In her ever-growing hatred towards Elena, Matt had become much more than a bullet point in her grand plan. When she was turned, Caroline started to read emotions better than she ever had before, and she could see what the humans around her tried to cover up. For Matt, that just so happened to include an everlasting, wildly inconvenient, unwavering love for Elena Gilbert.
And now that she was truly thinking about how she'd gotten here, she didn't feel so bad about Matt's role in her plan. She trusted Damon, which is something she never would've imagined happening, and if Matt didn't trust her anymore after this, she'd just have to learn to cope with it.
"Hey, Caroline," Elena and Stefan stopped before her and Matt, the couple smiling happily, a facade that Caroline saw straight through immediately. Elijah warned her before she left that Stefan knew about Damon, so it wasn't hard to see the hardness in the older man's eyes as he held onto Elena's waist protectively.
