Chloe sat on her bed, one hand in her lap, the other holding a lit cigarette between her lips. She was breathing slowly, trying only to focus on the feeling of the nights chill on her mostly bare skin. School had been a drag, as usual. Classes went on, and throughout the day, her book bag got heavier and heavier with textbooks and homework, the taunts and stares of some of her fellow classmates stuck in her mind.
She flicked the ash off her cigarette and shoved the butt of it into her overflowing ashtray before leaning back into her pillows, laying her arms on her stomach. She was clad in only a pair of underwear and a bra, too tired to deal with putting on pajamas, much less do her homework that has been piling up for weeks. Her grades were alright, nothing spectacular, not that she particularly cared. She knew what she wanted to do after she graduated, and it didn't take a rocket scientist to do it.
Some may have thought she was stupid, going into a field that could get you killed in a moment's notice, but Chloe saw how well it paid, and she couldn't wait to get her hands on cash like that. She was becoming desperate, barely able to hold onto her tiny apartment that was on the rough side of town. She was expecting an eviction notice any day now, knowing it was only a matter of time before she found herself on the streets.
She needed a job, but with rumors all over town about her family, not many would hire her, and the places that would, were places she didn't even want to think about working for. Strip joints or prostitution weren't anything she wanted on her resume. She just wanted to guard the fields, it was one of the best paying jobs in town, and they didn't give two shits about your history as long as you did your job, and you did it well. But she couldn't even think about guarding till she was twenty, a rule enforced heavily by Gil. She had talked to him a few times about joining his crew, and every time he would shoot her down, telling her he would keep an eye out for her when she turned twenty. But she needed the money ASAP, and a place to stay. Even with the $300 dollars a day, she wouldn't be able to drag herself out of the debt she was already suffocating in.
She had turned 18 right in the beginning of the school year, and immediately left home. She couldn't stay with her cracked out, drug addicted mother or her violent, abusive father any longer, so she escaped the hellhole with the help of her estranged brother Abel. He lent her some money, and with it, she rented a room in a rundown apartment complex, happy that she was away from the mess that had been her life, even if the water was always freezing and the sink constantly ran. It was a temporary home, one that she'd be out of as soon as she got some money. Or sooner, considering her money was running out, and she was behind on at least 2 month's worth of rent.
Chloe's thought's spilled into her mind as if a dam had just broken, and anxiety filled her to the very core. She felt cold, so cold, so she finally pulled on some leggings and a long sleeved gray shirt, and slammed her window closed. She paced around the room, trying to calm her racing mind. She lit another cigarette and breathed in the nicotine, feeling its calming effects in three, two, one. She took a deep breathe, and she felt the anxiety slowly fade away, back into the pit of her stomach, as if it hadn't happened. She needed to get out of the cramped little room and do something as soon as possible. The night kept her awake, her insecurities clawing away at her mind. She was absolutely exhausted, but she needed to do something. Sleep was not an option.
She was jogging. Not anywhere, just around. The town looked even more eerie at night, and it always gave her something new to find. She had been doing this since she was a kid, either after a screaming match with her mother, or getting a punch, kick, or slap from her father. It was her go to resource when something happened, and it worked. She had turned onto the long stretch of road where The Seafairer Motel sat. The grimy drunkard who had owned the place had been kicked out a while ago when the bank took it from him.
It made Chloe smile a bit, remembering the time she had tried to rent a room, and he quickly denied her unless she would do certain favors for him. She had left the place in a huff, wanting to go back in a slap him as hard as she could to get that stupid smirk off his face. She knew better though, and didn't want her name trashed any more than it was so she left it to Karma. And Karma had struck that piece of shit hard, and Chloe knew she won out in the end.
Her thoughts and legs came to a stop when she came upon the old house, seeing lights on, and a boy grabbing stuff out of his car. Chloe bounced on the balls of her feet, not sure if she should go and say hello. He was new, not from around here. He didn't know about her messed up family. He couldn't judge her too harshly, hopefully.
"Hello." She gave a slight wave to the boy when he turned, and she was impressed with what she saw. He looked about 17, 16 at the youngest, and with dark hair, big blue eyes, and a sweet smile, Chloe knew he'd be a hit at school, if he played his cards right.
"Oh, hi, hello." He stuttered, giving the girl in front of him a once over. She was short, thin, and had an hourglass shape to her. Norman's eyes scanned her over once more, and noticed her doe like green eyes and wavy, shoulder length blonde hair. He barely noticed her somewhat sweaty appearance.
Chloe was starting to feel uncomfortable, the boy had looked her over a few times, and she didn't want to say anything. She was worried she looked hideous from the jogging, and the boy continued staring had her even more self-conscious.
"I'm Chloe Everett, what's your name?" She spoke up, looking up at the house as she spoke, and back to the boy as he answered.
"Norman Bates. Do you, uh, live around here?" He was nervous. Chloe could tell, and she understood. She gave him a small, cautious smile. She liked his shyness, you didn't get that much around this town.
"I live about 2 miles that way." She pointed back the direction she came from, not getting too specific. "So your family bought this old place? I bet you have your hands full." She looked at the big box that he was holding in his hands. "Literally." She flashed him a pearly smile, one that Norman instantly wanted to see again.
"Yeah, one of my mother's decisions. Hopefully it'll turn out." Norman muttered under his breath, and Chloe gave him a pat on the forearm.
"I'm sure it will, Norman. Maybe it'll even be fun!" Chloe spoke with false enthusiasm. Norman chuckled and relaxed a bit, setting the box on the ground.
"Maybe, maybe." Norman agreed, and Chloe chuckled, shaking her head to get the hair out of her eyes.
"So, will you be going to White Pine High? That's where I go." Chloe was curious about the boy, and was actually kind of looking forward to getting to know him. She talked to a lot of people around school, and was pretty friendly with most of them, but she wouldn't consider most of them friends. She decided it would be nice to have an actual friend.
"Yeah, I start tomorrow actually. Maybe we will have a few classes together." Norman had hope in his voice, and in his mind. He wanted to get closer to Chloe, get to know her, she seemed like a good friend.
"Hm, well, I'm sure we will see each other around school, even if we don't. It was nice meeting you Norman, but I should probably get home. See you tomorrow?" Chloe wanted to get back and shower before going to bed, and it would be a 30 minute jog back home.
"Yeah, maybe you could help show me around?" Norman asked hopefully, but also stalling, he didn't want her to go yet, and he was happy he already knew somebody before he went into the school year.
"You know what, Norman? Sure." She flashed him another pearly smile, and he felt happiness surge through himself.
"Where will we meet? The office, or-" Chloe cut him off, grabbing a pen from the box that was back in his hands, and quickly scribbled her number onto the backside of his hand.
"Text me when you get there, and I'll meet you out front. Sound good?" Norman nodded, set the box down again, and took out his phone to put her number in.
"Can I take your picture?" Chloe gave him a look, not really understanding what he needed a photo of her for. "For the contact photo?" He explained quickly, and she smiled at him and nodded. She flashed her pearly smile once again that night, and Norman was happy he could look at it whenever he wanted now.
She fished her phone out of her pocket, and handed it to Norman so he could put his contact in, and laughed as he took a selfie.
"Alright Norman, I'll talk to you later." She gave him a wave, and took off in a sprint back to her house, leaving Norman there to stare after her, his mind going over the conversation over and over again as he smiled to himself.
Back at her apartment, her throat tightened when she saw the pink slip attached to her door. Eviction Notice, the big block letters spelt out, and Chloe brought her hands up to wipe the tears that were already trying to form in her eyes. This couldn't be happening. Not now, not when she had absolutely nowhere to go. She tore the paper off in rage, and stormed to the manager's office, the sign read closed, but she knew Ronnie was just hiding in the back office watching TV. She started banging on the bell, and it went on so long, her head started to ache. She was about to give up when the door handle moved, and Ronnie stuck his head out.
"Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in, find your note sweetheart?" Ronnie gave the pretty young blonde a slimy smile, and her lips curled in disgust as she held the pink slip up slightly.
"What the hell, Ronnie?! You said I still had two weeks before you would give me a notice, like three days ago!" The panic in her voice made Ronnie smile. He knew now how truly desperate she was.
"I have someone who will actually pay for the room." Ronnie shrugged easily. 'You have three days to get your shit out of that room, or you can find a different method of paying." Ronnie didn't need the money, and getting a girl as beautiful as Chloe to pay him off with sex was worth the crummy room.
Chloe's eyes started to well with tears, the situation with Keith Summers running through her mind yet again that night. She was not a whore. She wouldn't sleep with some dirt bag just for a place to sleep.
"I'll be out in three days." She growled, slamming the notice down. She turned and left at that, and Ronnie stared after her, feeling himself getting angry.
She started throwing things into boxes, not caring if they broke or not. Her blood was absolutely boiling. Before long, her body gave way to the exhaustion, and she crawled in to bed, crying softly into her pillow. She already had tomorrow planned in her head, and it was exactly what she needed, a day to herself. She'd go to school, show Norman around, then fake sick and go home. Simple enough, it would give her the time to pack, and to figure out where she would move to next.
Hello! I'm testing my hand at a Bates Motel fanfiction, though I've only watched first season so far. I'd really appreciate a review here or there to let me know how I'm doing, and I plan on updating at least once a week, if not more. Thanks for reading, and until next time:)
Disclaimer: For the record, I own nothing you recognize in this story. I only own Chloe.