sweet caroline | n.

xiv. a previous life.

sweet caroline. chapter thirteen.
SUMMARY ; this wasn't how he wanted her to find out.

❝ and i found love where it
wasn't supposed to be
right in front of me, talk some sense to me ❝
——

CAROLINE COULD feel the pit of her stomach twisting into knots, she felt extremely uneasy, sick, and nervous. as she was seated in that unfamiliar room, two strangers she's never seen before — a man and a woman — along with negan next to her, and as angry as she was at him in that moment, at least she was familiar with one person in that room, she couldn't help but scoot as close to him as she could. it's been years since caroline has interacted with a stranger — excluding negan, she wasn't too sure what to even say to them.

so far all three of the older adults caroline has come into contact with, have all stared at her with the same expression, the same glint in their eyes that told her they did not trust her, like they already knew everything about her before even allowing her to speak for herself.

it was about ten minutes that the two adults entered the room, interrupting caroline and negan'z banter, and yet they've only directed their questioning towards negan. it felt like she wasn't present, it was clear they weren't interested in her, for some unknown reason they were very concerned with rather or not they should accept negan. she didn't understand this, he continued to assure he finished his part of the deal — which she was still clueless about — it would only be fair for them to allow him in. surely nothing he could've done was that bad to the point they would go back on their word.

"and what about you?" the man turns his head to switch his attention onto the blonde. being taken aback by the sudden words being directed at her, caroline lifts her gaze up from the floor, a slight surprised expression crossing over her face. the girl hesitates for a mere moment, thinking carefully over her choice of words, she can see negan look at her from the corner of his eye.

"what about me? you haven't exactly asked me anything." caroline wasn't sure what to say. it wasn't in her intention to say a snippy remark, but she would be lying if she said she wasn't a bit offended at the two strangers ignoring her for the last ten minutes, it worried caroline they had already made their minds up about her, they chose to not even bother asking her anything. negan shoots her a warning look that she notices.

"we're more skeptical of him than you.. how about you just start with your name?-"

"caroline." the blonde answers the woman's question before she could finish the question. she didn't ask for this, as much as she hated living with the whisperers, and how desperate she was to never see her father again, she did not ask to be brought here. caroline didn't think negan would've actually had somewhere to go, she knew it might've been selfish and ridiculous to think, but she was hoping they could've stayed to themselves. caroline didn't need a community, or a family, she's went seventeen years without having one of those, she didn't need to start now. what the girl wanted was negan, to herself. she didn't want to put up with random strangers giving her side eye, or being excluded from the group because of where she came from. negan knew who she was, and caroline knew him, they didn't need anyone else, at least that was what caroline thought. the blonde slumped back in her seat at the realization that that wasn't enough for him. he wanted others, not just her.

"well, caroline. i'm michonne, thats daryl.. you mind telling us where you're from?" the woman responds after a short moment of silence. caroline can hear her patience was growing thin just by the tone of her voice. michonne could see caroline was much younger, still a teen, so she had decided to give her the benefit of the doubt, considering if she wounded up thinking negan was a good person, she must've been through a lot.