It's Sabrina who goes after her.
Of course it is. Who else would it be?
Adrien didn't know how to act around her anymore. She didn't know how to act around him. Too many things had changed and she knew that they'll never get the easy friendship they had in their childhood. She wishes that she didn't miss it so much.
But she still had Sabrina. Sabrina, who stood by her for years, even if it was only out of fear. Sabrina, who deserved so much better than Chloe. Sabrina, who sometimes was too afraid to talk to Chloe despite years together, but still chased after her.
"Are you alright, Chloe?" she asks, breathless from having run from the classroom to the entrance of the school. Her head is bowed when she asks, panting, but when she straightens up there's genuine concern in her eyes.
Chloe doesn't know how to deal with it. How long had it been since anyone looked at her like that? Like they actually cared for her? Like she was worth any amount of their concern?
There were tears in her eyes. When had that happened? Chloe looks up at Sabrina, looks into her eyes, so filled with concern, and lets her guard down. She puts down all her walls and defenses and lets herself open up. For a moment, Chloe allowed herself to be vulnerable. For a moment, Chloe let someone in.
"I don't know," she whispers, a broken, fragile thing. "I don't know."
Sabrina lays a gentle hand on her shoulder, and rather than flinch away from it as she had with Adrien, Chloe leans into the touch, beginning to shake harder.
Though she couldn't always understand what was happening, Sabrina had always been good at supporting others and taking care of them. Of taking care of her. So instead of asking invasive questions, Sabrina smiles and says, "Let's get out of here. Parks are always lovely at this time of day, unless there's somewhere else you'd rather go?"
Chloe shakes her head. "Parks," she says, "Parks are good."
Without another word, she takes one of Chloe's hands in her own and leads her out of the school. The farther they got, the easier it was the breathe; the stone that sat on her chest remained, but the pressure wasn't as suffocating as it once was. Her thoughts no longer ran frantically around her head, too fast to make sense of, but calmed down enough for her to think straight.
It was a nice day out, Chloe notes. The sunshine was gentle and warm on her cheeks, and the soft breeze on her back was relaxing. There weren't many people out, with it being the middle of a week day, and Chloe took a moment to let Sabrina guide her completely as she tilted her head up to watch clouds move slowly in the sky.
She doesn't know how long they had been walking. The rhythmic sounds of their feet drumming against the pavement matched the beating of her heart. The sun had moved past its midday point.
Chloe didn't know if it was real or not. It was as though she was dreaming. The light was both too bright and strangely dim, she felt the breeze brush past her arms but couldn't process what it felt like, and felt detached from her body. It felt as though she floated above her body, watching everything happen but not feeling any of it.
Was any of it real?
All of her sense were dulled, as if she were underwater. Chloe glances down at where she and Sabrina held hands, and frowns. She couldn't feel the warmth of Sabrina's hand, or the way their palms pressed together. She couldn't feel anything. What was once her body was replaced by a glass marionette, controlled by strings and filled with nothing but emptiness.
At some point, they reached the park. Parc des Butes-Chaumont , Chloe recalls distantly. She was sitting on the grass in the comfortable shade of a tree. Slowly, she lifts a hand and stares at it blankly. It didn't feel like her arm. It didn't feel like her body.
Sabrina was gone. She had gone to get something, Chloe was sure, but she didn't know what.
Chloe blinks, and stares blankly out in front of her. She knows she's dissociating. It happened often enough for Chloe to be used to it. Letting out a breath, she draws her knees up into her chest and rests her head against them. Her eyes slip close as she waits to feel real again.
Birds sing overhead. Leaves move gently in the wind. Cars rush past in the distance. Muffled footsteps on grass approach her.
When she opens her eyes, Sabrina's there, haloed by sunlight and holding two cones of ice cream in her hands. Mint chocolate chip for Chloe and strawberry for herself.
"Here," she says as she hands the cone to Chloe.
For a moment, Chloe stares at it before reaching out and taking it. "Thanks," she mumbles, and they both know it's for more than just the ice cream.
Sabrina sits down besides her, and, after a moment, says, "Anytime."
It feels like a promise, but Chloe knows better than to believe it. Promises are always meant to be broken.
They sit together in silence until the sun nears the horizon. The park slowly fills with people who wander by as Chloe and Sabrina hurry to lick off the melted ice cream that fell onto their hands. Once done, Sabrina stands and stretches, holding her hands high above her hands. Chloe can't help but smile fondly at the small noise she makes as she stretches onto her toes, looking as though she was reaching for the clouds.
Sabrina catches her eye as she lowers her arms. Chloe looks away and quickly busies herself with standing and brushing dirt off her clothes. She wills herself not to lose her composure and blush, but it's a losing battle.
If Sabrina notices, she doesn't say.
Instead, she looks at the setting sun with soft eyes. She looks golden and glowing in the light, like an angel Chloe didn't deserve. She forces her eyes away, looking up into the sky knowing that she is too mortal to ever be worthy of an angel's affections.
The thought makes her feel like she's drowning, lungs so filled with despair that she can't breathe. She chases the feeling away with distractions, thoughts of how to act normal when she goes to school the next day, how to keep people for worrying about her. How to be perfect again.
Sabrina looks back at her, still haloed in light, and smiles. "Ready to go home?" she asks, sounding as though she would be willing to stay with Chloe longer if the answer was no. Rather than take advantage of her kindness as she usually does, Chloe shakes her head.
"No," she answers, "It's time for us to go back. Any longer and our parents will be worried."
"Right," Sabrina agrees, and waits for Chloe to start walking before she moves.
It's normal, the way they walk, with Chloe leading and Sabrina following. Always a few steps behind, close enough to show that they were friends, but far enough for both to be conscious of the distance. It was a clear show of who was the strong one in their friendship, who made the decisions and lead.
Chloe always felt that she was meant to be a leader, being the daughter of the mayor, but knew that she'd never be a good leader. At best, she would be a tyrant. She wasn't someone who easily cared about others and did anything to help them. She wasn't strong enough to take charge in difficult situations. She wasn't able to listen to others and work together to make things better. She wasn't like Marinette, who was a natural leader.
She wasn't fit to lead anyone.
Chloe keeps her eyes on the shadows that stretched in front of her as she slows down. Sabrina's shadow tilts its head in confusion, but doesn't get any closer to her. Sabrina had slowed down too, it seemed.
"Well?" Chloe asks, looking back, "Are you coming or not?"
For a moment, Sabrina frowns, confused, before her eyes light up with understanding and she takes a place by Chloe's side, glowing with happiness.
( How cruel had she been for the simple act of walking side by side made her so happy? How cruel had she been to her only friend? )
Sabrina walks with Chloe to her mansion, and gives a large wave before turning to go back to her own home. The front door shuts quietly as Chloe sighs, feeling exhausted a drained from the day.
It takes only a hour for her to eat dinner and shower before she's falling into her bed, feeling as though she could sleep for five years. And though her eyes close, too heavy to be kept open, Chloe thinks about Sabrina, remembers every moment they spent together. She remembers how Sabrina always stayed with her, supported her, and asked for nothing in return. She remembers how she treated Sabrina as though she was replaceable, rather than the one person left in Chloe's life that she couldn't bare to lose.
She eventually falls asleep wondering how Sabrina stayed with her for so long when she could have left. Her last thought is of how Sabrina has always deserved better than Chloe, and of how selfish she is to try to keep Sabrina close.
That night, Chloe only got a few hours a sleep. When she wakes up from a dream she can't remember, there are tears rolling down her face and a hand clutching at the sheets as she struggles to breathe through the crushing feeling of guilt.
It's only during those times that Chloe realizes how mortal she truly is.
