Chapter 6.
Looking out the window of David's car she still couldn't stop thinking about last night, it was helping Chloe ignore whatever David was talking to her, (at her), about. The passing of car's and house's, the smoothness of the gentle car ride made her relax into the seat, eyes fall shut, thinking about FireWalk, that hooded bad-ass kicking the shit out of those douches and Rachel.
'God Rachel is so fucking... Grrr She so amazing'. Chloe reminisces.
The late night, the lingering buzz from the confrontation and music had made Chloe giddy, and made sleep difficult. But, sitting in a moving car though? Chloe was drifting away in minutes as a soft country song came on the David's car radio that sounded vaguely familiar.
The rhythm pushing her into a light sleep.
"Sitting out here listening to the wind, I just called to tell you That i miss you my old friend, Burning the Midnight Oil again"
Seeming to wake up as soon as her eyes shut, it was sunset. Further more looking around she was in the back seat of an old car that she knew.
"Whaa.. Country music?", Chloe groaned hearing the twang of the song playing softly thought out the car, Chloe shifts her gaze to the driver.
"Dad" It's said so softly and full of love Chloe's head tilts to the side, leaning back into the suddenly too soft seat. William's humming with the song stops.
"Hey Hun", He smiles at her looking into the rear view mirror before looking back at the road, Chloe feels a sudden relief at seeing him smile at her, it fills her before realising that she had almost forgotten what her fathers smile looked like.
"Whats going on?" Chloe asks, hoping to keep this dream alive. She knows that David is driving her to school and would wake her ass up when they were close.
"Just getting your mother from work, you know that." Was William's answer. As the outside scenery speeds up, trees moving to fast. She swallows the lump in her throat knowing what was going to happen, 'God, please just..Give me a few more minutes' She thinks. As a trunk comes looming over a hill, down the road at there left side.
"Dad, I love you, I don't wanna lose you" Chloe can hear the tears in her voice.
*HONK* The sound of the trunk makes her jump, jerking her eyes over to it outside, closing in. Chloe jerks back to look into the mirror, into William's eyes, despite for anything.
"Haha, I'm not going anywhere, Chloe."
The truck closes in so fast, the sunset seems to turn into an ugly overcast day causing shadows to form from the trees to casting long ominous cloaks over the road as both vehicles prepare to meet, just before they meet in a wreck of twisted metal it sounds again.
*HONK*
*HONK*
Chloe jerks awake in her seat only to get held down by her seat belt,
"Wha..the fuck", With her heart pounding in her ears and slurring words from sleep, she looks over to the drivers seat with foolish hope and thoughts bubbling inside her,
'Dads still here, we can still be a family.' But seeing the mustached wonder sitting here, a bitter knife twists in her heart. Her ears pick up on Davids' grunting and mumbling,
"God damn punks need to learn how to drive" He grits out, glaring at a black car in the next lane, a car length in front of them waiting to turn left as they have to go straight thought, waiting on the lights to go green.
'It's a cool car though', Chloe admires the Black Pontiac, 'Must have cost a pretty penny'
"Can you believe that? Comes skidding around the corner and over taking two cars! Where are the cops in this town!." David continues as he grips the steering wheel tighter. Chloe thinks back to what her mother said about 'Trying to be nicer to David', She decides to give it a go. For Joyce.
"It's...a nice Gto, huh?" It comes out painfully awkward and not fully committed as she nods towards the car in front of them.
"No" Comes the curt reply.
"Someones jealous" Chloe says under her breath with an eye roll giving up. Looking out the side window at the people walking around doing there business. David's always thought he has the nicest vintage car in Arcadia Bay.
Without Chloe seeing, David grabs a small notepad and pen out of his shirt pocket and writes down the number plate,
313-LIF.
"Check that up later" Comes another mumble slowly getting louder, dragging Chloe's attention back into the car.
"Absolutely crap driving, this driver has to be as dumb as dirt, I mean driving like that is a good way to destr..." Stopping the tirade comes blasting music from the Gto cutting him off. A guitar rift with drums and snare start off a song that seems to fill the whole street with music. Jazz-y sax and synth music. Very 80's.
'God that must be loud in that car' Chloe winces alittle before tapping her foot with the beat 'Err...Even though it's 80's music, it's catchy'.
Chloe smiles at the thought that the driver could have heard David because that timing of music shutting down he's rant was on point.
*Tell me, doctor
Where are we going this time?
Is this the fifties?
Or nineteen ninety-nine?
All I wanted to do
Was play my guitar and sing
Take me away
I don't mind
You better promise me
I'll be back in time
Gotta get back in time*
The light turns green and the Gto's wheels spin and it shoots forward whipping the back end of the car to the right in front of all the cars, David and Chloe get a partial view of the driver. All they manages to get is a crop of brown hair before Chloe gets lurched back into her seat as David proceeds to drive Blackwell.
'Another shitty day' Chloe thinks to herself.
After a very brief talk with David, walking up the stairs to the campus and making the rounds, meeting Rachel at the school doors was she was about to go through, Chloe's day just got a whole lot better.
After spying on a couple of people down in the park and stealing some wine, the sun was setting, walking along the empty train tracks into the junk yard, 'This place is freaking awesome' thought Chloe. It was going well until she picked up on the few weird vibes from Rachel.
"I heard actors where moody but, wow Rachel" Chloe say jokingly trying to lighten the atmosphere.
"I'm not moody. I just need some space. Is that alright with you?" Rachel quips back.
"Okay", 'I know shes lying, I mean i'm not an idiot', Chloe thought, 'we were getting somewhere' ,Chloe thinking to the time they have shared, however brief. It still felt like something, 'Fuck it, might as well go for it'.
"Actually no,I thought we were having a great day together, Why are you acting like this all of a sudden" Chloe says, seeing Rachel turn to look at her, Chloe's ready for this.
"I'm not acting like anything,I just want to be alone right now.".
Frustration builds in Chloe, 'Where the fuck is all this coming from'.
*Breath in*
'Just ask, calmly.'
*Breath out*
"No, I don't understand, You can't just turn on me for no reason" Chloe reply's.
"I'm sorry, turn on you?" Rachel states while moving to stand up. Chloe takes a small step back,'maybe turn on me was the wrong choice of words' Chloe internally cringes while Rachel continues.
"I guess i forgot, it's always about how you feel isn't?,'Sad Chloe fucking sad again'," Chloe turns her head away for a second,
'It's not like that. Is it ?' ,Chloe thinks.
"Maybe you should try giving a shit about other people for a change" Rachel finishes.
"Are you serious right now?" Chloe reply's heatedly, "I just asked what was wrong, All i got was, 'I wanna be left along right now','"
A sound of frustration come from Rachel followed by *SMASH* The wine bottle smashing makes Chloe flinch alittle. Rachel throwing it off to the side, she turns her back to Chloe before plonking down back onto her crate, head in hands like shes given up with her.
'Okay...I still have no idea whats going on with Rachel but apparently she gets smashy when shes angry'. Looking around the junkyard, she looks over to a baseball bat, 'I can work with that.'
Turning to face Rachel with the bat in her hands, "Hey check it out" Facing back to a toilet leaning against a rusted out car, she picks up a beer bottle,putting onto of the toilet tank.
"I don't ways drink beer,but when i do i have a smashing good time." Then lazily swinging the bat, side swiping it into the glass,smashing it to the ground, "Home run!"
Turning back Rachel is now standing,moving toward her 'See, I'm totally awesome' Chloe smirks thinking Rachel has taken a interest.
"Let me have a try".
"Sure".
Handing over the bat, Rachel takes it holding it one handed,"I asked you to leave me alone". Rachel states again, throwing it off to the side, it clangs harshly away from them. The split second of silence it almost deafening for Chloe. Defence mechanisms kick into high gear, her feeling are, well...
She hasn't be hurt by a "Friend" in a while, she's forgotten what it feels like,almost.
"I know you're the school princess and all, with the DA daddy and the perfect grades and all the perfect little Victoria Chases kissing your ass, but seriously - Fuck you." Chloe finishes her speech. She admits it feels good to see Rachel's face slowly morph into something that resembles like she gives a shit about what shes saying.
"Great, I'm leaving." Rachel says. Chloe feels that moment of panic flood though her, the feeling of losing someone, again.
"See you around Chloe" Rachel starts to walk off on her, 'leaving me'.
"You can't leave", Chloe shoots out almost on reflex.
"Watch me."
"Rachel wait, don't go" It seems to work as the other girl slowly stops and turns to face her, the last bit of sun light illuminating Rachel giving her an other worldly glow.
"Why not?" The question come alittle strained, Rachel's arms crossing over her chest, hip cocking out.
"Because,I don't want to ruin this." Chloe forces her self to say. Its not easy for her to open up at all, sharing personal stuff with Rachel it seems like it's the only thing that can save her from being abandoned.
"The way I ruin everything else in my life." Its out there and it hangs in the air, Chloe doesn't know if she dreads the response or even if there is one to begin with as Rachel moves slightly closer,
"And what is This?" She questions.
Chloe doesn't know what to say, 'A friendship, or something have only been together for like a day' Chloe thinks 'But there is something here. Isn't there? Rachel would feel it too right?' So she grits her teeth alittle and thinks 'fuck it, go all in.'
"Fuck, Are you really going to make me say it?"
"Say what?"
"You know, Like a friendship...but more" Chloe's responds alittle less eloquent than she hoped.
"Ah" That one response from Rachel seems to cut though Chloe alittle bit, 'Maybe not as much a me then' Chloe thinks.
"I know, weird right?" Chloe lets a little self deprecating laugh and shakes her head alittle, "It's just today was the best day I've had - since, since my dad died and blowing up babrie dolls in my room" Chloe's voice starts to sake from recalled memories, "A..and when I almost ruined it. The way I almost ruin everything, whatever's going on is special. I actually care" Chloe pity laughs at the end of her speech, silently sniffing back a few tears.
'Come on Price, what the fuck' Chloe fumes at herself, snapping out of.. whatever she fell into. She looks into Rachel's eyes hoping for something.
"Come on, Give me something, Anything"
"Chloe, I.. I"
The stutter is all Chloe really needs, she knows. It twists in her chest and her gut sinks. The sting of rejection is a cruel bitch.
"You know what?,Forget it, It was stupid. I mean, Fuck. You,You're Rachel Amber and I'm just, Just Chloe Price"
"It's not that,It's just hard right now,and I can't talk about it"
Frustration turns to anger at the piss poor excuse, "Why not?" It come out bitter from Chloe's mouth, tinged with sadness.
"Because I cant. I know it isn't fair but that's how it is." Rachel's statement opens up the flood gates but Chloe still stomps down the urge to cry in front of Rachel, only a few traitorous tears leak though but its enough for Rachel to close the distance between them, her hands cupping Chloe's face she closes her eyes as a thumb tenderly wipes away a streak on her cheek, then the touch is gone. Opening her eyes Chloe see's Rachel moving backwards.
"Goodbye, Chloe"
Like that the moment is over, Rachel walks away,out of the junkyard down the way they came on the train tracks. She doesn't go after her, it seems pointless right now.
Words have been said, sometimes its better to think on them and let them digest for a while, but Chloe has always been one of action and not sitting still, emotions war within her heart and mind before she settles on good old fashion Price rage.
'Fuck this place'
After grabbing the bat, Chloe stalks through the junkyard, bottles are smashed, mannequin heads are torn off bodies, box's of junk, Tv's and a old camera and destroyed ans a pyramid of paint cans leveled with yells and passive aggressive comments, all the while her phone is buzzing in her pocket. Smashing the bat into a trunks tailgate jars her hands before she grabs it and slams it up moving past it into a more clearer area looking for more to shit to wreck.
Chloe turns to see an old familiar car that stops her in her tracks.
She knows this car, how could she not, the bat falls from her grip; it feels like shes been punched in the chest, memories assault her taking her back to a better time and the worst.
"Dad?" Chloe says weakly as if not believe it, swaying on her feet as tears rapidly gather in her eyes, not being able to stop them this time. The drivers side is pancaked and its starting to rust all over. Chloe never saw the car, or her dad after the accident, somehow it made her feel terrible, never getting closure on...how it happened. All she ever knew was someone crashed into him, seeing the evidence now made her picture what it would have looked like,forcing in unwanted images. It broke Chloe even more.
Moving to stand in front of it, Chloe couldn't really process what she was meant to do or feel, she settled on banging her fists on the hood of the car in grief. Every hit causing her to think of her dad,every happy moment, every sad moment, the nights where he tucked her in or was encouraging her love of science. The memory of him dancing with her mom on nights where she would sneak down the steps and watch them slowly moving together while listening to there favourite song. *
Chloe falls down onto her knees, sobs heaving from her, arms resting on the car, her hands bruising and hurt looking for something to grab onto, but hurting hands were not even as bad as her broken heart, as it bleeds for a time before; A time with a loving father and people who don't leave her. All around Chloe time seems to stand still as she wallows in her misery.
Alone.
The sun has set as she awakes up from the ground, exhaustion taking her some time during her time in the junkyard, rubbing her eyes Chloe stands up, thinking about her most resent dream with her dad, thinking on his advice Chloe needs to find Rachel and sort this mess out.
Her dad was right "Sometimes people need you, even when they don't admit it". Chloe was determined now, she wouldn't just let this get away from her, not another friendship half fought for, not another abandonment.
As Chloe sets off after Rachel, she never notices a second set of foot pints in the dirt directly behind hers where she collapsed in front of her father car.
It didn't take long to find Rachel, following the train tracks and cutting onto the forest trail, it leads her to where they saw the man and women kissing, where Rachel first became disconnected. Sure enough Rachel was alone,staring at the tree.
Chloe made enough noise so she wouldn't spook the other girl.
"You came, I'm glad" Rachel says, to be honest in Chloe's ears, she sounded alittle thankful no to be alone.
Still feeling alittle peeved from before, "Are you sure about that?, I got a different message this afternoon"
"Yeah" Was the short answer. 'Cmon, Rachel open up more than that' Chloe prays to herself.
"Chloe, I want to talk to you about something but, I don't know how to talk about it," Chloe can hear the tears in Rachel's voice but makes no move towards her, 'She needs to get it all out'.
"It's okay, You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to." Chloe reply's, softly, not pushing.
It works, Rachel lets out what has been bothering her. The couple that were making out under the tree, her father, a married man kissing some unknown women. It was shocking for Chloe, never has she dealt with parents being unfaithful, 'Well moms got David now, but that's not the same', Chloe reminds herself.
The story was nice, funny to hear about a younger Rachel and her father on a disastrous mountain hike, before it turned sad.
"Chloe I owe you an apology" Chloe hands the picture of Rachel and her dad back. Chloe wont lie, it feels good to hear the words from her.
"Hey, we were both kind of the queens of shitty" Chloe reply's, 'We both got into it with each other' Chloe thinks.
"No, I mean it, whatever's going on between us, It's...intense, and new and awesome," Chloe feels the warmth within herself at her words, that this isn't just one sided, that something is here between them.
Rachel continues "You had the courage to tell me that you feel it,too. And I treated you like shit"
"Courage?" Chloe laughs "More like desperation, and maybe a slight buzz from the wine."
Rachel laughs too, as she wipes some tears that have fallen off her eyes.
"I want you to know, I'm lucky your were with me today,You're a bad-ass Chloe Price" Rachel states smiling at Chloe
Chloe's eye widen a bit "What?", Her cheeks redden alittle bit at the comment.
Rachel goes on to talk about the asshole who wouldn't let her into the Mill and the skeevy douches that got into both her face and chased them.
"Well only because you showed up last minute and that person totally took them both out" Chloe reply's, the praise feeling alittle overwhelming.
"See? You're the real deal Chloe, I don't know anyone like you, Plus you came along with me, no questions asked."
"Well I don't need a reason to ditch school."
"I guess tomorrow there'll be hell to pay"
"My mom will skip grounding and just go straight with the death penalty"
"And my dad will definitely punish me with.."
Chloe's anger builds again at the mention of Rachel's scumbag dad, the guy straight up seems like the biggest douche.
"Fuck your dad" Chloe simply states, Rachel needs someone to understand her, hating a wanna be parental figure is what she is best at anyway.
"Fuck him" Rachel agrees.
Plans to leave Arcadia Bay are set in motion, sure she will miss her mom but to Chloe she seems to think shes almost like a burden to Joyce now, making things harder for her and her relationship with David and her attitude towards it, plus with no Chloe to pay for her mom would have some more money, make paying the bills easier. It seems like a good idea, Plus Rachel is fine with leaving it all behind too. Just the two of them traveling out on the open road, it sounds like the good life, one of adventure.
Chloe notices Rachel staring down at the picture in her hand, Chloe can already think on what she wants to do to it.
"Chloe, Can i borrow your lighter?" Rachel softly asks.
Chloe patting down her front pockets, feeling nothing, finds it in her back right one, pulling it out she hands it to the other girl.
"Thank you" Rachel takes the lighter and starts to burn the corner of the picture before letting it drop into the trash can beside them, stepping back toward Chloe.
"Come on" Chloe says to her tilting to her towards the train tracks, she moves away but stops as Rachel stares intently at the flaming pile. Next thing Chloe knows is that Rachel runs up and kicks the bin over and screams.
It was a scream that Chloe had never heard from anyone before, so high and broken, as if years of anguish are pouring out. Chloe didn't know what to do for her. Wind rushes past her and towards Rachel and the tree that's on fire, its like a gale force wind that has come from nowhere, suddenly called forth by Rachel's rage and pain. The tree's fire is fanned and spread rapidly, Rachel is pushed back by the exertion from her yell and folds down, bent at her knees, her arms resting on them as she pants.
Chloe looks up at the tree in amazement, it went up so quickly, 'Oh shit' was the next thought, The orange and red of the flames burn so brightly it causes her eyes to squint and becomes hard to look directly look at. Rachel screams again and another gust of wind pushes past them faster than the first time, fanning the flame even brighter as burning leafs and ash from the tree take off to spread it further to trees and grass close by, looking up they look like a mass of fire flies taking to the sky. Neither girl noticing the blue glow that surrounds the bottom of the other side of the tree trunk, the gale force wind and Rachel's screams blocking out a low grunt. The blue light glows softly before fading to almost nothing.
They both step back, looking at the destruction they have caused, the forest fire begins to spread indescribably fast that there is no hope at stopping it. It was like the fire took a life of its own and now was finally free to dance onto the world. Chloe grabs Rachel's hand pulling her away, in her dazed state Rachel complies.
"Shit. Come on!, we gotta go Rachel" Chloe pleas, tugging on Rachel's hand more pulling her back towards where the train tracks are before finally they both flea the area.
They run though the forest hearing the snap and pops of wood burning, leaving the scene of their crime and hoping that no one finds out what happened, or more importantly that they caused it. Neither of them knowing that a older blonde haired women in a white dress with a tattoo sleeve was watching them from a picnic table smoking a cigarette, from start to finish with a alittle smile on her face. Or the young women in dark clothes wearing a hoodie/denim jacket was collapsed right in front of a burning tree, hands blistering from the heat, blood pouring from her nose as she struggles not to pass out from strain and exhaustion or the smoke and fire that now surrounds her.
* The song that William and Joyce dance too is Unforgettable (Duet with Nat 'king' Cole). Fun fact: my parents use to do this when i was young. (and before they hated each other :D )
Also, why didn't Rachel's mother see Max ? Cause of angles and shit. idk.
Now the wait for this chapter was too way to long. i lost all motivation, Good thing the 'farewell' ep of BtS came out and i got back into the groove.
Also the song Chloe and David hear from Max's car was alittle on the nose but i liked it and it made me chuckle a bit, i hope this was good i spent a long while writing and reading and then re writing. proof reading alone took me 3 hours.
herp-a-derp.