One, two, three. Chloe listened to the ticks on her clock as she awaited the arrival of her best friend. Four, five, six. So far, it had been six minutes and eight seconds since she said goodbye to the blonde. Nine, ten, eleven. Chloe began to shake uncontrallably. It was a minute later that she realized the cause of her shakes were her full body wracking sobs.

The redhead could faintly hear the opening of the front door. Elation surged through her as well as a sense of dread. She felt happy that it could be Aubrey, yet the thought of her father answering the door made her blood run cold in fear. Instead, Chloe felt relieved when her mother answered the door, and even more content when she heard the unmistakable voice of her blonde companion.

" Hello, Mrs. Beale. May I see Chloe?" Aubrey greeted the aging woman who responded to her knocking. Mrs. Beale seemed deep in thought. She nodded hesitantly, and stepped to the side.

" You know the way." The woman conceded. The blonde nodded thankfully with her hands crossed in front of her, and quickly ascended the stairs to the redhead's room.

Aubrey crossed Chloe's parents' room. She paused when she realized the door was cracked a bit; Just enough to peer into. However, that wasn't the reason that made her stop in her tracks. No, what made her hesitate was the sight of Mr. Beale standing in the middle of the room with a flask in his hand. His head was tipped back, and he was chugging the contents like his life depended on it.

The blonde narrowed her eyes, but quickly passed by when she noticed him turning in her direction. She stepped towards Chloe's door, and lightly knocked on it. Before she could finish her knock, the door flew open, and a certain redhead flew into her arms. Aubrey rubbed her back soothingly, and realized with a start that the girl in her arms was crying silently; Almost as if she was terrified of being heard.

" Shh. It's alright. I got you." Aubrey repeated over and over again. It would soon become her mantra for the rest of the night. She inwardly patted herself on the back for packing an overnight bag. She had a gut feeling that it was going to be needed. Boy did she hate being right all the time.

" A-A-Aubrey. I have to tell you something, but you have to promise not to overreact." Chloe sobbed into the taller girl's collar. Under any other circumstances, Aubrey would have chastised her for ruining the fabric. Unfortunately, this wasn't just any situation. It seemed serious.

" Chlo? Tell me what's wrong." The blonde commanded gently. Chloe pulled herself away from the blonde, and fearfully glanced around to make sure she wasn't heard. When she was satisfied, she pulled Aubrey by the arm into her room, and quickly locked the door tightly.

The redhead sniffled, and wiped her eyes. The confused, yet concerned expression on the other girl's face was enough to make her want to break down all over again. She remained strong, and faced away. Chloe gazed out her window at the moon above head. Footsteps behind her signalled her of Aubrey's shuffling. When she turned around, her best friend was a less than a foot away.

" What's wrong?" Aubrey interrogated.

" My father." Was all Chloe muttered before sitting herself down on the edge of her bed. Aubrey pursed her lips, and sighed heavily as she sat beside the hurting redhead.

" I noticed he seems to always have alcohol in his hands." The blonde admitted. Chloe shook her head.

" That's not all." She confessed while running a hand over her arm. Aubrey cocked her head to the side in confusion, so Chloe continued, albeit uncertainly. " He tends to get angry real easily." She explained shakily.

" Uh huh?" Aubrey hissed. She had a bad feeling about where the conversation was headed. Chloe swallowed down the lump that was forming in her throat. If she was going to admit her families dark secrets, it had to be then. She would never build up enough courage.

" Well, he lets out his anger in violent ways. One of those would be me." Chloe choked out before falling into another fit of sobs. Aubrey was in a stated of shock and outrage, but when she noticed her redheaded friend crying, she pushed down the absolute hatred, and moved to comfort her.

" We have to tell someone, Chloe." The redhead knew her friend was serious by the use of her full name. Her thoughts were confirmed when she saw the fight in Aubrey's eyes.

" It'll just make everything worse!" Chloe protested between cries. Her best friend sighed. The Aubrey Posen didn't know what to do, and that made her uncomfortable. Aubrey always desired control, and when she was denied it, it made her antsy.

" Please? For me?" She pleaded with the redhead. Chloe quickly shook her head.

" No." She demanded.

" Then why did you confess to me?" Aubrey questioned gently. The other girl opened her mouth to deadpan, but when no words came to mind, her mouth closed.

The blonde looked at her while patiently awaiting the answer. When Chloe was speechless, it was a sign of contemplation. The redhead had many thoughts forming in her mind, and most of them were ways on distracting Aubrey long enough to convince her that admitting the situation was the worst scenario there could be. Some of her thoughts were of a free life; A life where her father couldn't harm her in any way, shape, or form. It seemed, however, that it was only just a dream.