Chapter Seven: A Reassurance

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The eventual arrival to the Amber home was a quiet one for Chloe and Rachel.

With the Eliot encounter weighing heavily on their minds, both girls decided to cancel their Junkyard time and made their visit to Mikey North a short one. They blew off the role play session for later, much to Steph and Mikey's disappointment (and her own, to be honest), but telling them that they had to deal with parental bullshit was enough to convince them to reschedule for the following week.

By the time the two girls got to the home, they had noticed Mr. Amber's car was already waiting for them. Judging from Rachel's frown, that must have been relatively peculiar for him to be home this early. Deciding it wasn't a good idea to block either of the Amber vehicles; Chloe pulled over on the curve and turned the engine off, and together the two of them sat in complete silence without the noise of the Engine disturbing their quiet.

Neither of them spoke, their only movements were to remove their seatbelts off them as they continued their unspoken tension. As she stretched out, Chloe glanced to her friend who was staring at crooning bobble head. There seemed to be a mixture of humiliation and resignation that remained fixed since the Eliot incident.

She was waiting for Rachel to make a move first, but it was obvious Rachel was far too fearful to enter her home right away. She couldn't blame her for feeling that way; she could only imagine the surrealism of finding out her Mom wasn't actually her Mom, and then having to come home and face down this reality after spending so long trying to avoid it.

As much shit as she put on her Mom, Chloe could never be able to imagine a world where that basic knowledge was suddenly wiped out.

Chloe blinked and looked down as she found Rachel's hand rest on top of hers. She opened them and allowed her fingers into the spaces left behind. Still Rachel remained motionless as she continued to stare ahead, even as Chloe gently squeezed the digits.

"What a strange… fucking day…" Chloe broke the silence between the two of them.

It was enough to elicit a small nod from the other girl in acknowledgement.

"Tell me about it," Rachel finally spoke, her tone weak as she rested her head on the back of the seat. "I handed everything over to Victoria Chase and the whole school thinks I'm gay for you now…"

Chloe arched her brow at Rachel's casual statement. Rachel went to school decked out in her clothing and somehow was surprised to have garnered that sort of response. She had been hoping James' assessment of Rachel had been false, but it was growing realer with every passing moment they were together. Rachel didn't think before she jumped into situations.

As for Victoria Chase... well… fuck her. Even if she was ordained the future of Blackwell, that wouldn't be the end Rachel's popularity. If anything, Bitchtoria would be ruling the school without any teeth. The school would still love Rachel regardless, and Rachel would come to see this soon. And if that wasn't the case, well Chloe would be back in school next year ready to crack dissenter's heads and put her fucking Queen of Blackwell back on top, old school regicide style.

"What?" Chloe's sarcastic tone called back to her. "Wait a second, you aren't gay for me?"

Rachel looked over to Chloe, her eyes examining Chloe in a way that made her shiver and left her shy. It was sort of like Rachel was appreciating the sight of some plain looking girl sitting next to her. The way those softened hazel eyes were looking at her… there was still a very large part of her that felt... unworthy to be the focus of this sort of attention.

She knew it was a stupid thing to feel, and if she voiced it, Rachel would smack her around for being this way, but that didn't just erase the uneasiness she felt.

"I don't know what I am… I don't want who I'm attracted to be my identity… like I need a label to hide behind...if that makes sense," Rachel said as she lingered on the other girl. "But… yeah… I may be a little gay for you… you've been making it pretty hard not to be, to be honest."

As Chloe's face heated up, the two girls broke down into their first laugh together since this morning. It was a nice feeling that in spite of all of this, the two of them could still do that. Rachel shuffled a little closer to her, their thighs touching as she rested both of their hands on her lap.

It was comfortable, it was sweet, and Chloe hated that she felt obligated that she had to ruin the peace.

"Do you think we should tell your Dad?" Chloe asked her, carefully stepping into the minefield. "I mean… about Eliot… he hurt you."

The softness in Rachel's eyes vanished in half a second. She turned away from Chloe, her eyes narrowed into a glare that stated very clearly, she wasn't interested in the conversation; but like it or not, they were going to have the discussion. This wasn't the Sera situation where Rachel led; this involved both of them. They would have to come to an agreement on where this had to go together.

"No he didn't," Rachel muttered mutinously, dismissing the concern like it was nothing.

The frustration by Rachel's defiance to the truth was almost unendurable. Chloe raised Rachel's hand and turned it around to reveal the purpling bruise forming on her arm. Rachel looked at it causally, but did not seem interested in it.

"That's a fucking bruise, Rachel," Chloe reminded her, putting a commanding tone back to work. "We need to tell someone about this."

Rachel yanked her hand back and laid it flat on her lap again so that the mark was covered back up.

"Fuck that," she snapped right back. "I'm not scared of him, and I refuse to give him the impression I am by running off to Daddy because of a little bruising."

Rachel shifted her body around until she was properly facing Chloe. Her eyes narrowed at her as she reached out and took both of Chloe's hands.

"I know how close you are with my Dad now, and I understand why you are, and I think it's good that you're being a conduit between us; but if you have any trust in me, you won't get him involved," she requested, her voice softening as she held her intensive eyes on Chloe's. "If he does get involved, it's just going to make everything that much fucking worse… and I really can't deal with a worsening Eliot situation on top of Sera, and my Mom and Dad and all of this…"

Every instinct told her not to obey Rachel's request. She had promised James she would do her part in keeping Rachel safe, and yet here she was being asked to not to the very thing she swore she would do. But here she was, looking into Rachel's pleading eyes, and slowly, she exhaled and nodded curtly.

Eliot was shit… but maybe Rachel was right, and throwing a DA at the boy would only cause more problems than it solved.

At least Rachel appeared relieved. It meant that she didn't have to go to her Dad for help. The sort of thing Chloe would kill to have right about now.

"Well, again I'm sorry…" she murmured to Rachel, as shame washing back over her for her major role in this mess. "Like I said, it as a weird time for me, not knowing my place... but everything he said was… complete fucking bullshit."

Eliot Hampden… she actually liked him. Perhaps not quite in the same way as Eliot apparently liked her; but he was great fun. Enjoyed a good show, and was just a nice guy in general to her right up until Rachel entered her life. He was one of the few people in her life that didn't treat her like a total head case after Dad died. It was a nice feeling to have that feeling of normalcy, even if it never felt… quite right; and that wasn't a vibe she got from Eliot, but instead from herself…

Now, with all of this… she wondered how it was that she could have misjudged someone so terribly. She probably could have made things a little clearer, but his reaction so far was so fucking weird and went well beyond jealousy. He looked at Rachel like she was a mortal enemy, like she was evil or something, which was so far from the truth it would have been laughable if the bastard hadn't hurt her.

Chloe felt Rachel lean into her, her hand reaching out to cup her Cheek. Rachel's expression was ethereal as her fingers gently etched into her skin sending shocks through her body with only this small touch. No one should have had the power Rachel seemed to possess over her with something as simple as a touch.

"Eliot is hardly the first person to say these things about me," Rachel whispered to her. "He's just the first person to say these things to someone who actually matters to me."

Chloe eyes widened, as the words resonated in her. She wanted to get confirmation, she wanted to know if Rachel had actually meant that; but she was too much of a coward to form those words. So there she sat, staring into Rachel's steady gaze, her fingers now tracing along her jaw. She pulled her hand back and smiled slightly as she rested herself against the older girl.

"I'm not actively going out of my way to manipulate or deceive people for some greater goal," she continued on, her voice small and very uncertain. "I have spent so long learning to see through the bullshit of others from my Dad that it fucking freaks everyone into thinking I always have an agenda, and that I always know the right thing to say at the right moment. All I'm doing is paying attention to the things people say to me, or act around me. It's not some great conspiracy."

Chloe reached out and wrapped an arm around Rachel's waist, startling her slightly. She quickly relaxed, one hand touching against the intruding arm.

"I guess…" Chloe started, not wanting to fumble over herself. "I guess we're all so fake and alone and disconnected and so… lonely… that when someone is being genuine... it's… hard to contemplate it was anything other than an agenda."

Rachel squeezed her arm a little tighter. Although her back was turned, Chloe could detect the hint of a smile.

"Kind of like you and being honest…" she murmured as she nestled into the nape of Chloe's neck. "Look at us… you can't tell a lie and I pay attention to the details. Quite the pair we make..."

Chloe shrugged, feeling Chloe move alongside her on her chest.

"I think it's kinda cool to have principals… I guess," she said, feeling hella stupid to say something like that.

Thankfully for her, Rachel didn't let Chloe's rare display of cheesy introspection slip.

"Well… that's because you're a total dork too," Rachel teased half-heartedly.

Chloe rolled her eyes. It took all her restraint not to find out if Rachel was ticklish.

"Damn, and here I was trying to be nice to you…" she muttered at Rachel "…fucking ball-busting bitch..."

The two of them broke back down into laughter at Chloe's mock outrage. As the laughter slowly subsided, Rachel again shifted in Chloe's arms, slowly rotating herself around until she was lying in her lap and facing up to her. She reached and lifted Chloe's arm. Her fingers gently touching the bracelet she had given her last night.

"Chloe, I didn't just give you this bracelet for the fuck of it," she breathed as she clutched onto Chloe's hand. "You're my friend - as fast as it might seem - you're my best friend, and I'm never fucking abandoning you ever, and I will never lie or trick or use you, because I'm not my Dad. I'm not Eliot, or Victoria, or anyone else. I just want to be me, and what I want to be is loyal to Chloe Fucking Price, just like you've been to me. The world can fucking distrust me all it likes, but I'm never leaving your side…"

Chloe reached out, her fingers cupping Rachel's cheek. Rachel emitted a sharp exhale as she looked into Chloe's eyes, like the only thing that seemed to matter to here and now was that her words had gotten through to Chloe. That she meant every word, and more importantly, that Chloe believed it.

But Chloe did believe them, and perhaps one of these days, Rachel would understand that didn't have to reiterate these promises over and over again, like she was afraid Chloe was going to just forget it. All of this showcased just how terribly insecure Rachel was. Years of lies, of high standards, of maintaining an image for everyone in her life had left her in a permanent state of fear.

But that fear was so unnecessary when it came to Chloe, because Rachel had Chloe's implicit trust, and Chloe was never going to abandon her. She didn't need the affirmations, she didn't need the vows. Rachel had Chloe's love… in whatever way she wanted to interpret that, and no matter how things turned out between the two of them, she would have her love until the bitter end…

"Rachel… I'm touched… but that's kinda dramatic, even for you," she gently needled the girl in her arms, deciding to lighten the mood a little. "But… you know you convinced me days ago, right?"

Rachel huffed and choked back a small sob, her hand reaching out to cover Chloe's face and give it a small, playful push.

"You bitch... I was being serious…" she pouted as she rolled back to her original position. "And yeah, I'm dramatic… so fucking sue me, Price."

Chloe and Rachel lapsed back into silence, far more comfortable than before. With one arm tightly wrapped around Rachel's waist, Chloe reached up with her free hand and pushed her hand against the back of her neck and worked them slow, methodological circles. She Rachel's body pulse at the touch, a sharp intake of oxygen on her part only encouraged Chloe's touch as she felt Rachel push herself backwards into her.

She wondered if Rachel knew how much of an inadvertent temptress she was. Chloe knew that she was not going out of her way to seduce her; but she couldn't deny how Rachel could take simple movements and raise Chloe to a state of near self-immolation. She wanted Rachel so fucking bad right now, but the delay was necessary.

Stupid fucking her for agreeing to them... if she knew Rachel could make her this vulnerable with just the simple things…

"Thank you for the emergency cigarettes…" she heard Rachel murmur to her. "Full disclosure, I'm… kind of new to smoking… well… new as in had my first cigarette yesterday…"

Thankful for the distraction, Chloe grinned inwardly. Yeah, she thought that was the case. It was kind of funny to watch Rachel turn pale at her first drag. Not that she would ever admit that.

"Plenty of time to practice…" Chloe spoke as casually as she could. "… Would you like to... I don't know… train your endurance…?"

Rachel emitted an extremely undignified snort, and if that had been Chloe's opinion, then it really was something to witness.

"You're shameless; anything to shove your tongue down my throat, hey?" Rachel teased her, her hand gripping Chloe's wrist.

Chloe replied by bumping her forehead into the back of Rachel's head, as the blonde reached behind her and held onto the back of Chloe's head, keeping the girl pressed against her, keeping them attached to each other's heads.

"Well… plenty of time for that if you're spending the night with me," Rachel breathed shifting against Chloe. "Can you just… just hold me right now?"

Chloe nodded, that was certainly something she could do.


It took a good forty-five minutes before Rachel had finally found it in her to withdraw from the safety of Chloe's arms and their shitheap truck; and in silence she led her friend towards the home that no longer felt like a home to her. For her, it was just another place that lied to her.

Perhaps Chloe was right, perhaps she was being dramatic, but could not deny that her home felt wrong… tainted… by the lie.

The wounds were still so raw, and it would probably remain so for a long time if Chloe's assessment was even half right. She had to get out of here, and the Campus of Blackwell felt like the perfect place to do that.

As she looked to Chloe, clutching her hand, she idly thought about seeing if Chloe would move on Campus as well when she was placed back in the school. They could be neighbours, and hang out whenever the fuck they wanted. Chloe would probably smuggle a saw in and cut a nice little hole between the connecting rooms.

Okay maybe she wouldn't do that… Probably anyway...

There was another motivation to this desire as well, and that was the well-being of Chloe. She could only imagine the sort of loneliness which Chloe must have lived in: surrounded –trapped - by her past, alone in a home where her mother was in the midst of a new relationship with a man she clearly was uncomfortable with. David Madsen might not have been a bad person at the core, but even if he had been the most likeable person, Chloe would still mistrust him. The idea of a replacement must have been terrible to contemplate.

It was clear to her that in spite of this development, Chloe loved Joyce and would never stop loving her. But maybe it was better for all parties if Chloe got to stretch out her wings, to have a little freedom where she could just be herself instead having to shape herself to the expectations her mother and soon-to-be step father had. They were dead set on trying to make her just forget William, like his presence was a problem, and Chloe wasn't ready to give him up. If Joyce and by extension David, could not accept that, then there was no way Joyce and Chloe would find their even footing again.

For now it was just an idea she would run by Chloe. With her 'scholarship' it would ease the burden on her enough to rent a dorm… or perhaps she could double check it and see of the money would be able to cover the on campus living expenses as well as the tuition. She imagined it wouldn't take much to twist the donators arm for a definitive answer.

There was no sight of Mom as the two of them entered the home, but of course there was Dad, tapping away on his laptop. As the door closed, he looked to the two newcomers and closed the lid. He stood up and approached the two girls, making a point of not looking at Rachel's grasp on Chloe.

"Hello girls," Dad addressed the two of them, but maintaining his eyes on her. "Good day, I hope?"

She felt Chloe's hand tighten significantly at the question Dad had asked. Rachel glanced at the out of the corner her eyes to her. It was no secret that Chloe was on the verge of telling her Dad about Eliot Hampden, or at least really wanted to. Rachel jerked her arm and issued Chloe a silent plea to not do it.

None of this was missed by Dad, but he did not speak a word. He seemed to be coming to terms that he was going to have to oblige her desire not to spill to him at his beckoning.

"When do I see her?" Rachel addressed him, turning back to look him in the eye as before.

Dad blinked at the curt question. It was all she was willing to spare for him.

"She'll be here this Thursday at 6pm," he informed them. "I presume you will be joining us?"

The question was directed to Chloe. Chloe did not answer one way or another; she instead waited for Rachel to express whether or not she wanted the outsider involved in the family affairs any more than she already was. Dad got his answer the moment Rachel looked Chloe in the eye and nodded. There was no one she would rather be with for this.

Footsteps from the stairs caught Rachel's attention right away. Sure enough, Mom appeared on the final steps.

Mom was always an extremely put together woman, who did not wear her heart on her sleeve. There was something very dignified about her, which Rachel had always sort of been in awe of. It was sort of like she was a blue blood, or some sort of noblewoman; but she was from a modest Midwestern family. It seemed like emotional responses were below her.

So to see her now, her eyes red from crying… she had been so strong the night of the revelation, but now between the new reality settling in, and Rachel's avoidance of her, it seemed to have finally broken through the barriers. Seeing her like this… was so much harder than she had ever thought.

"Rachel…" Mom spoke finally, her voice shaken as she took in the sight of her grimy daughter. "I'm so happy you're home..."

Washed in guilt for contributing to her Mom's state, Rachel glanced back Chloe for a moment before she let go of her hand and took several baby steps towards her Mom, who was off the stairs now and approaching her as well.

"I'm so sorry I've been avoiding you like this," she finally spoke, unable to hide her shame. "It's just been-"

Rachel did not get a chance to finish her words. Not when an overwhelming force of her Mom wrapping her into a tight hug pretty much silenced everything she wanted to say to her mom. From the anger of her complicity to the lie, to just telling her how much she loved her.

"An unbelievably difficult adjustment…" Mom finished for her. "It's okay to feel like this… I love you… we love you so much."

Rachel buried her head into her Mom's shoulder and squeezed back. She did not want anyone to see her cry.

"I've… been thinking about things I wanted to say to you for so long now, but I think the only thing that needs to be said is that you're my mom, you'll always be my Mom," she managed to get out, choking back the sob from out of her voice. "I want to meet Sera, and maybe we'll hit it off… but she'll never replace you; and I love you so much… so much."

Mom pushed her head up and removed her hands from her shoulders; but she remained locked in place by Rachel's grasp. She wasn't about to let go. Sniffling, Mom softly wiped her daughter's tears from off her cheek with a weak smile.

"I never would doubt that for a moment," she softly reassured the teen. "Having you… has been the greatest joy in my life. I've been so blessed to have you to myself."

With another burst of tears threatening to spill, Rachel buried her face again into her Mom and cling to her even tighter than before.

"Come on, Chloe…" Rachel heard her father mutter to Chloe. "Let's give them some space…"

For the first in a while, Rachel was grateful for her Dad as he led Chloe in the direction of his study. She needed this moment alone with the greatest woman in the world above all else right now.


Another chapter down. It was going to be a little longer, but in the spirit of quick update times I decided against that. Next chapter will be longer, and will probably take a few extra days, but we'll see.

Thanks for the continue support, It's very nice to have people who participate and take a genuine visible interest in your work.

Next Chapter: Sera and Rachel take their first steps together.