Author's note: I want to apologize to anyone reading for the delay in releasing this chapter! Between Thanksgiving and coming down with an awful sickness, I was unable to write very much! But, here it is, finally! :)
It had been two weeks since the outlandishness that was Rachel's birthday party.
Despite what Chloe had thought was the start of a connection- the crying, the emotions, their kiss. Chloe had woken up that next morning with no text from Rachel. She had made a point to text the blonde after her shower, and, when at first the girl did not reply, Chloe had assumed that maybe she had finally gone to bed.
But then; Chloe opened up Rachel's instagram. A short scroll into her newsfeed and Chloe found at least two new posts from Rachel. One was a selfie- and she appeared to be wearing the clothes from the night before. The second was of a bottle of wine and in its caption it read: 'Moscato is the real MVP.'
Chloe wondered if Rachel had just forgotten to reply. She figured not everyone answers their phone right away. Chloe herself wasn't that great of a texter at times. Not to mention, Rachel had apparently been drinking late. She could have been drunk and unable to reply to her.
Chloe's assumptions crumbled when 24 hours with no response became two weeks. No text, no snapchats, not even an instagram like. Just dead air and confusion.
The blue-haired girl was tired of debating Rachel's intentions and instead decided to take action. According to sites she found via Google, two was the number of texts a person could send before it was considered excessive.
[CHLOE]: i had a great time teaching your parents a lesson, hope to hang again soon!
Chloe set her phone down and pulled out a small velvet baggie from her pocket and opened it up to dump out the multi-colored gaming dice inside of it. She sighed jadedly, toying with them on the wooden table she sat at. They weren't even hers- she had borrowed them from her friend Justin. She originally didn't have any initial interest in learning how to play- it was described to her as a 'strategy' game, and one that required a lot of concentration- something she wasn't exactly a scholar in. It was with Steph's insistence that she let her teach her how to play. Something to jar her free from the funk she found herself neck deep in.
"C'mon, Steph, where are you?" She asked out loud to no one in particular, her tone laced with rising irritation.
Chloe sighed dramatically, letting her forehead drop to the table.
"Hey!" Steph shouted then.
The girl raised her head, "Oh, hey! 'Bout time, man."
Steph hopped onto the seat across from her.
"Dude, you look like shit, are you high?" She panted, grabbing her hat off of her head so she could shake up her hair a little.
Chloe groaned loudly. "I wish I were high."
"Still feeling bleh?" Steph asked, furrowing her brows. She reached out and started separating the dice between herself and Chloe.
Chloe rubbed her head. "Yeah. I guess. I might just be tired."
"Is it something with Rachel?" Steph pressed gently, dark eyes patient.
Chloe sat up straighter, frowning. "No. Why would it be about Rachel? I barely know her."
Steph tossed her hair over her shoulder, resting her cheek in her hand. She knew that there was no way Chloe was going to be able to focus on her game lessons in her current state of mind.
"Okay, you barely know her now? You were so gung-ho about her- you were like a Rachel Stan. You were stoked about the party- that you randomly didn't go to, by the way- and now she is just nothing and you're pissy and sad?"
Chloe sometimes wanted to kick Steph when she was painfully accurate in describing her mood swings.
"A Rachel what? Like I said, Steph, I barely know her. She invited me to her party and I was gonna go but I decided I didn't want to. I'm just- in a weird mood right now. Can't I just have a bad day?"
The red-haired girl sighed, cracking her knuckles before shuffling a deck of cards she had out for their game.
"I mean there are bad days- but it's been like two weeks. If you won't talk about it- fine. But I am just wondering, what made you change your mind about the party?"
Chloe picked at one of the studs on her cuff bracelet. "I chickened out." She felt terrible about lying to Steph. She was one of her good friends and she always seemed to be there for Chloe; but, she had to keep her promise to Rachel. Steph understood things like promises; especially something of this caliber. Chloe took solace in this thought.
Steph raised her brows, an amused glint in her eyes.
"Chloe Price wimped out on something? Like I would believe that. You were so ready the day before the party. Try again, Price."
Chloe rested her elbow on the table, her hand cupping her cheek as she looked over at Steph, her expression somber.
"Well...yeah. I mean. I was stoked. I didn't think she would invite me to her birthday like that. But, even if I wanted to go-I mean, she's Rachel Amber. I saw the shocked looks people gave me and her in the hallway when she was talking to me the day she invited me. It's just not realistic."
Steph's face softened, tilting her head slightly.
"And so you didn't go? Since when do you care about what other people think? You pissed in the principal's Mountain Dew once, for god's sake."
Chloe couldn't help but laugh when Steph brought up freshman year. "I don't. But, it did kind of remind me that we are from different worlds. It's pointless to go, anyway."
"If you say so," Steph muttered with a small shake of her head.
"And I do," Chloe pressed, giving Steph a playful nudge with her sneaker.
Steph gave Chloe a light kick.
Chloe kicked back harder, laughing.
"Hello," A familiar voice chimed in.
Chloe and Steph looked up from their kicking to see Rachel standing in front of them with flyers in her arms; Aimee at her side.
"Hey, Rachel...Aimee," Chloe replied automatically.
"Hey," Steph echoed, delivering a quick glance to Chloe before returning her gaze to the blonde.
Aimee, who began leafing through the flyer pile she held to better break them up, pulled out a couple and handed them to Step and Chloe.
"Hi! Me and Rachel are just passing out these flyers! They're for April's open mic event! It's five dollars at the door- but we will have snacks and drinks and some of the proceeds go towards teaching adults in less fortunate communities how to read."
Chloe accepted the flyer, scanning its contents. She looked back up at Rachel, who avoided her eyes.
"Cool," Steph said then, unzipping her backpack and slipping it inside. "I'll hang onto this then."
Aimee beamed, brushing a strand of her hair away from her face and gathering her flyers closer to her chest. "K-Cool-Great! Thanks, guys! Remember, it's for a good cause, so spread the word!"
"Rachel?" Chloe asked then- but Aimee grabbed Rachel's hand and started pulling her away.
"Sorry, but we are sooo busy! Chat later!" Aimee intercepted.
"Okay, bye then," Steph said softly, watching as the two girls walked away from them.
Once they were out of earshot, Steph turned to Chloe.
"Uh, what the fuck was that all about?"
Chloe shrugged, her mood sinking even more than before. "I don't know."
"Are you sure nothing happened?" Steph asked, looking over towards Rachel and Aimee, who were off in the distance chatting up the jocks about the event and handing them flyers as well.
"Yes, Steph, for the millionth freaking time, nothing happened," Chloe snapped, gathering up the dice and shoving them back into the baggie.
"Jeez! Chloe, you don't need to leave. I won't ask anymore," Steph pleaded with a pout.
"I'm sorry. I can't. It's not you. I'm just not in the mood," Chloe handed the bag to Steph. "Can you give these to Justin when you see him? My head is not in Dungeons and Dragons right now." She got up from the table, snatching her backpack from the ground and slugging it over her shoulder.
"Um...alright. Bye, then. Text me later?" Steph's eyes held concern. Chloe so badly wanted to tell her what was going on- tell her that Rachel's party was amazing, that she learned so much about her, that they made out for a few seconds. A lot happened- only to not hear a word from Rachel and even worse- she was a ghost to her at school now for reasons Chloe couldn't figure out.
"Yeah, I'll text you," Chloe replied glumly.
Chloe exhaled loudly, kicking a pebble with the toe of her boot, hands shoved into her pockets as she made her way to her rusted pick-up truck. She needed to clear her head. Not that she ever needed a reason to skip class.
She pulled open the door to the driver's seat, climbing inside and checking her phone again. It hadn't vibrated- but she felt the need to check, just to be certain.
Still nothing.
She raked her hands through her hair, eyes on her lap. She wasn't sure what went wrong. She wondered if she came on too strongly- then again, Rachel kissed her back. She wondered if Rachel regretted inviting her at all. She picked at one of the holes in her jeans, the tip of her thumb ripping through the tiny fibers of fabric to open it further. She pressed her thumbnail against the newly exposed skin, leaving a crescent moon indent. It felt kind of nice to focus on something other than her perceived failures- so she pressed again, a little harder. The mark became a dark pink.
Chloe debated pressing harder- but she heard a laugh.
She looked up from her lap, seeing Rachel chatting with April in the parking lot. She was smiling, her face lit up with whatever April seemed to be telling her. Chloe couldn't make out exactly what Rachel was saying- but she could hear the bubbly tone of voice she had.
Her hands squeezed into fists on her lap. It was fine if Rachel didn't like her. But, she knew that if she didn't at least figure out if she had done anything wrong, it would end up driving her crazy.
Chloe got out of the truck and made her way over to Rachel and April.
April stopped speaking and surveyed Chloe carefully. Her nose then crinkled, "Chloe, you smell like weed."
Chloe ignored April and instead looked right at Rachel, whose expression fell into one of surprise.
"I need to talk to you, Rachel," Chloe said.
Rachel paused, as though she considered denying the request. Finally, she nodded. "Okay. Yeah. Sure. April, can you just excuse me?"
April rolled her eyes. "Whatever. She's probably just trying to sell you crack, so, I'd be careful."
Chloe looked at April, her expression grave and her tone flat: "I prefer meth."
April's eyes widened and Chloe thought they were going to bulge out of her head. Rachel cracked a small smile at the remark, and bit her cheek to hold back her laughter.
Chloe nodded towards her truck, and Rachel followed dutifully.
Rachel leaned against the truck, digging into her back pocket to pull out a lighter with the Leo symbol on it.
"Can I bum a cigarette?" She asked.
Chloe had a pack, she pulled it out of her messenger bag and tugged one loose to give to Rachel, and then pulled one out for herself.
"So, what did you want to talk about?" The blonde questioned, her words mumbled from the cigarette she had dangling between her lips. She raised her lighter, and ignited a flame to fire it up.
Chloe still had her cigarette between her fingers, allowing her hand to hang at her side with it. She furrowed her brows, unable to fully control the frustration that was building.
"You have no idea? None?" She asserted.
"No," Rachel answered, a little too quickly. She took a slow drag and pursed her lips to create small smoke rings.
"Bullshit!" Chloe snapped, causing a few students from a distance to look over at them. She lowered her voice. "I don't get it. We-kissed at your party, and then-"
Rachel plucked her cigarette from her mouth in a haste to respond. "You kissed me."
"And you kissed me back," Chloe deadpanned.
Rachel's lips formed a thin line. She looked down at her shoes, then bringing the cigarette to her lips for another drag.
"A kiss isn't a promise, Chloe. It's just…I was upset that night."
Chloe felt her aggravation subsiding. At least Rachel was acknowledging that what had happened had actually happened- versus ignoring her and pretending it never took place. She stood on the other side of her then, her back leaning against the truck. They stood in silence as Chloe lit up her own cigarette.
"Look. I didn't mean to snap. I know it was just a kiss. It just...sucked that you invited me to your party, and then we kissed, and we had a fun time, or, well, so I thought. I guess I just thought we were at least friends if nothing else. I'm sorry if you regret inviting me to your party."
Rachel's green eyes widened slightly at Chloe, a flash of hurt crossing them.
"Oh, Chloe...I don't regret inviting you." She sighed, a small stream of smoke leaving her lips.
"Then what is it?" Chloe raised herself from against the truck, pivoting to face Rachel. She scanned the girl's face, trying to figure her out.
Rachel crossed her arms. "I just got out of something. It didn't exactly end well. And. I mean. You're pretty damn cool, Chloe. You don't give a rat's ass. You do you. I like that. I respect that. I wasn't sure if you kind of liked me too- but then you kissed me…" She paused, swallowing hard before continuing. "...and it was great. So sweet. Gentle."
Chloe's brows knitted in perplexion. She gnawed at the inside of her cheek, waiting for Rachel to finish.
The other girl raised her eyes to meet Chloe's. "I don't want to get hurt again."
Chloe reached out to take Rachel's hand, her thumb brushing over her knuckle. The cigarette in her other hand was wasting away, gray ashes dropping down by their feet on the pavement.
"Hey. We only hung out once. We don't have to do anything that you're not comfortable doing. I'm sorry about just kissing you like that. I guess I got kind of caught up and felt...kind of close to you."
Rachel peered at Chloe, her expression nonplussed.
Chloe sighed. "I didn't realize how lonely you actually were. I thought since you were so popular, so surrounded by people who think you're hot and cool...which you are, but, still. I didn't think we would have so much in common."
Rachel gave Chloe's hand a gentle squeeze, still holding onto it after Chloe had grabbed it.
"I thought you liked being alone."
Chloe stared down at the few ashes that remained. A few specks got on her sneaker.
"Not always. Besides, there is a difference between being alone and being lonely."
Rachel took a drag from her cigarette, then raised her shoe to snub out the bit that was left, tucking the cigarette stub into her pocket until she could get to a trash can.
"That's true."
Silence lingered between the two for several seconds, the only sound being nearby students gabbing and a few birds that chirped from the tree beside the truck.
"Look, I'm not asking you to marry me. We don't even have to kiss ever again. But, it was cool hanging out. I was hoping maybe you would want to again." Chloe looked over at Rachel, flicking her cigarette to the ground and using the bottom of her shoe to scrape it against the blacktop.
Rachel smiled softly. "Yeah. You're right. I probably overreacted. Just...scared."
"Aren't we all?" Chloe retorted playfully, returning the smile.
Rachel's smile widened and she laughed. "Yeah, I guess so. I'm sorry for ignoring you."
Chloe shrugged. "Meh. We figured it out. No biggie."
"Hugie," Rachel teased. "Hey...there is this concert. This Saturday. We should go to that."
Chloe punched a fist into the air. "Hell yeah! I fucking love concerts! Whose playing?"
Rachel chuckled. "You're cute. It's Firewalk."
Chloe's eyes lit up and she squealed loudly. "No fucking way, dude! I love them!"
Rachel grinned excitedly, her voice animated. "I know! I saw you wearing a shirt of them before! Let's go!"
Chloe squealed again and gathered Rachel in a tight hug, lifting her up and twirling her around. Rachel gasped in surprise and hugged her back, their laughter mingling.
Chloe sat her down on her feet, and Rachel raised a hand to her head. "Oh, shit," She giggled. "Dizzy. Thanks a lot, crazy!"
Chloe heard a buzzing sound, she touched her pocket, thinking it was her. Rachel had already taken her phone out and was reading the text she had apparently received.
"Crap. Gotta go to fifth period. Test today." She sighed, then brightened. "But, we on for Saturday?"
Chloe smirked. "Fuck yes! Go get educated or whatever. Text me later?"
Rachel saluted her, "Aye, aye, Captain. See ya later." She winked, which caused Chloe's heart to flutter wildly.
She watched as the blonde made her exit, briskly walking her way to the science building on campus.
Chloe's heart swelled in her chest, and she felt a mild buzz throughout her body. She wanted to scream with joy- but really did not feel like getting busted and brought back into school by Skip or a teacher. So, she opted to just get into her truck and make her way to the junkyard to smoke the huge blunt she had ready to go in her truck's dashboard.
Her phone buzzed.
[RACHEL]: This concert is going to be amazing! :)))
She smiled, closing out the text to open up her music so she could rock out to Firewalk all the way to her destination.
Author's end note: CHAPTER FOUR. Things get crazy at the concert in Chapter 5. You've been warned. ;)