Gravity

New and old friends

"Caroline?" Liz called before knocking on Caroline's door, she pushed it open to find Caroline getting ready for school, her daughter didn't seem to be in a particularly good mood this morning, she wasn't singing like usual and there was no music in the bedroom. "Do you have a minute honey?"

Caroline don't look at her mother, she just shoved a few books into her school bag. "I'm late for school mom."

"I just need a few minutes Caroline." Liz said gently but resolute about her request.

Caroline sat on her bed already giving up, she wasn't going to win this fight if she started it. "What did I do now?"

Liz smiled and walked over to Caroline, she sat next to her daughter and looked up to the ceiling for a minute trying to gather all of her thoughts. "Caroline, I'm sorry for the way I called you out for avoiding Rick the other day. I wasn't being insensitive about your father, I was just worried about you."

Caroline's eyes never left the floor, she sank the heel of her boot down on it and decided to see where this was going.

"I wasn't fair to you but..."

Here we go, Caroline thought and got ready to stand up any time now.

"... I don't get from where this behavior is coming from." Liz said opening her hands.

Caroline shot her head at her. "What behavior?"

"You're acting strange Caroline."

"Okay, why am I acting strange?"

"Lately you have been skipping a lot of classes, it's not just History now, is it? Some days you don't attend mornings, others afternoons and last week you didn't went to school at all."

Caroline didn't meet her mother's accusing eyes, she couldn't.

Liz took another real long breath. "You even quit cheerleading and your teacher told me that you had a severe ankle sprain?"

Caroline sank her heel further down on the floor, maybe she could pierce a hole in it and maybe that would make her feel a little better.

"Stefan says that you haven't gone hunting with him either, that you have decided to hunt alone now..." The words came out a little slower this time, Liz still had some difficulty dealing with Caroline's vampire aspect. "Honey, what's going on with you?" she asked worried.

Caroline shrugged slightly. "I don't know." She spoke quietly and with honesty, she really had no idea. "I didn't realize that I was missing so many classes..."

"I was called to school because you might be in trouble this year. The classes that you do attend, it's like you're not there at all. You don't talk, you don't participate in your classes, teachers say that your apathy is alarming and nothing like you. You always were so talkative and bright... Caroline, when was the last time you helped organize something for the school? People used to battle you to even be a part of community projects and now you don't even seem to care about them at all."

"Maybe I don't." She said still looking down at the floor.

"I don't understand what's wrong with you." Liz let out a little frustrated now. "Is this your rebel phase?"

Caroline smiled bitterly. "Yeah right... I just lost interest in it, that's all."

"Caroline! This isn't you." Liz shook her head.

And with that Caroline sank both of her heels down on the floor and stood up, she had no sleep at all, she was feeling miserable this morning and she was at her zero tolerance mode. "I have to go." she said and grabbed her bag.