Love, Hate, and Friends

Chapter 3

"How would Caroline do it?" Bonnie asked her.

"You want to follow her after school," Elena said in a sudden realization.

"Bingo," Bonnie told her.

When Caroline entered the parking lot after school, Kol was already standing by her car waiting for her.

"You may have defeated me in our little game of pool yesterday, but today we're playing my game," He told her with a tilted grin.

Bonnie and Elena made it to the edge of the parking lot just in time to see Kol getting into the driver's seat of Caroline's car.

The pair quickly got into Elena's car and began to follow from what they hoped would be a safe distance.

Meanwhile, Caroline was too distracted to notice the familiar car following them.

"So where exactly are we going?" She asked as Kol drove several miles over the speed limit.

"You'll see," He told her with a mysterious grin.

"Could you at least drive a little slower?" Caroline asked in a half pleading tone. "I don't really need my mom pulling us over."

"No offense, but I'm not really all that afraid of your mother," Kol responded, although he did slow the car down.

"Thanks," Caroline said once they were driving back at a legal speed.

Elena was relieved when Caroline's car slowed down since it was easier to keep track of that way.

"Do you know where they're going?" Elena asked as they drove towards a part of town that they rarely went to.

"No idea," Bonnie answered.

Kol pulled into a parking lot and gave Caroline a tilted smirk before he got out of the car. He pulled on a pair of sunglasses that had been hanging from the front of his shirt.

"Batting cages," Caroline commented. "I should have known."

"I think you need to release a little pent up rage," Kol told her.

Bonnie and Elena saw the pair getting out of Caroline's car in the parking lot for the town's batting cages.

Elena drove past the lot, glad that neither of the pair was looking towards the road as she passed by.

She turned left at the next street and parked the car on the side of the road, halfway down.

"Unless we want to get caught we're going to have to go on foot," Elena told her friend.

"Good call," Bonnie agreed as she got out of the car.

Kol leaned against the pitching machine with a slight smirk on his face as he watched Caroline batting.

"You hit like a girl," Kol told her.

"I am a girl," Caroline told him, clearly not as amused as he was.

"Really? I never would have guessed," Kol joked.

Caroline hit another ball and it went flying straight at Kol's head. He just managed to duck in time to prevent himself from getting smoked in the face.

"You're a hazard," Kol told her.

"You're the one who brought me here," Caroline pointed out.

"Do you want help?" Kol asked her.

"... Maybe," Caroline admitted begrudgingly.

Kol took a few steps towards her, until he was standing just inches away.

Bonnie and Elena just got within sight of Kol and Caroline to find them standing so close together that they must be touching.

The two girls hid behind a bench and watched from their safe distance as Kol leaned over Caroline to move her into the correct position.

"There," Kol said once he had her in the proper stance, while he stood against her.

Kol's hands were holding the bat just above hers.

"Uggh, could he be more of a perv?" Bonnie complained as she watched.

"What is Caroline thinking?" Elena asked in response.

As the machine pitched another ball, Kol swung the bat so that Caroline's arms moved along with his.

The ball went flying way farther than any of Caroline's previous hits had.

"Now try it by yourself," Kol said as he stepped away from her.

Caroline hit the next pitch just as far and then turned to grin over at Kol.

"Pretty good," He told her.

When Caroline got home, her mother was already waiting for her in the kitchen again.

"Caroline, we need to talk," Liz told her. "Where were you just now?"

"Out with Kol again," Caroline said, refusing to be intimidated into trying to hide it.

"Well at least you're being honest with me," Liz said in an unhappy tone. "Didn't I just tell you yesterday to stay away from him?"

Liz had seen Kol getting into Caroline's car at the end of the school day and had decided to confront Caroline about it once she got home.

"Yeah, you did," Caroline responded as she crossed her arms over her chest. "And then I ignored you because it was stupid."

"Don't talk to me that way," Liz warned. "I'm just trying to protect you."

"I'm sick of everybody saying that," Caroline argued. "I'm safer with Kol than I am here."

"I know that you might think that," Liz told her. "But he's dangerous. And you aren't safer with him if he's the one trying to hurt you."

"But he isn't," Caroline argued.

"Maybe not right now, but he could easily be using you to try and get something," Liz pointed out. "Have you even considered that possibility?"

"He's just bored," Caroline told her mother. "He's not planning anything."

"He's a bored vampire," Liz pointed out. "That's dangerous."

"So what are you saying? That if I'm bored then I'ma danger to be around?" Caroline challenged.

"No. I'm saying that Kol Mikaelson is unpredictable and I won't let you get hurt by him," Liz responded. "You aren't going to go near him again."

"Oh really?" Caroline challenged. "Try and stop me."

"If you're going to live under my roof, then you're going to listen to me!" Liz exclaimed. "If you want to stay here, then you will stay away from Kol Mikaelson."

"Then maybe I don't want to stay here," Caroline told her.

"I'm serious, Caroline," Liz warned her.

"So am I," Caroline said. "If I can't be friends with him and live here then I guess that I'll just have to leave because he is the one person that isn't judging me!"

Caroline stormed out of the house while wiping tears away from her face.

She began to walk, although she had no idea where she was going to go. Going to Elena or Bonnie wasn't an option since they would just take her mother's side. And going to Stefan would require being in the same house as Damon and having to deal with all of the drama between the brothers and the sire bond.

She realized what her best option was and pulled out her cell phone.

From Caroline:

My mom kicked me out. Can I stay there tonight?

From Kol:

Sure.