And now the angst.
Victoria looked down at the pile of books on her desk next to her computer and sighed. Her head ached and she was really regretting not doing more homework before the Vortex Club party last night. Now she was stuck with a bullshit essay and lab report that were both due in the morning. It was a good thing Courtney had already wrote her an outline for both of them.
Victoria closed her computer and science book before leaning back in her chair unable to focus on school work anymore. She looked over at the clock which said it was five minutes to midnight and Victoria was starting to think sleep was becoming the better option at this point. Just as she stood up to go to bed her phone rang.
Picking up her phone she saw Chloe's now familiar phone number light up the screen.
"What do you want?" Victoria answered with more attitude than she needed to.
"Victoria?" Chloe said sounding worried.
"Who else would it be?" Victoria asked not really in the mood to talk.
Chloe was quiet but Victoria could still hear her on the other end. She started to feel a little guilty for snapping and Chloe's silence was making her nervous.
"What's wrong?" She asked, worry starting to creep into her voice.
"Did you see Rachel at the party last night?" Chloe asked.
Victoria sighed and felt annoyed, of course it was about Rachel.
"I don't know. There were a lot of people last night so I'm not sure, why do you care?"
"I haven't heard from her all day, I think something might have happened last night." Chloe said, stress clear in her voice.
"Oh my god." Victoria groaned. "You don't talk to her for a day and you think she's dead."
"Look, she always texts or calls me whenever I don't go out with her. It's so I know she got home safe, and she hasn't contacted me at all. God, I don't know why I thought calling you would be a good idea or why I thought you'd care." Chloe said sounding truly disappointed and upset.
Victoria sighed, feeling like shit. "I'm sure she's fine. Maybe she lost her phone or just needed some space."
"She wouldn't just forget to call me. She knows how I worry about her getting home." Chloe whispered getting more and more upset. "You're the only person I know who was at the party last night. I need to know if you saw her."
Victoria though for a moment. Most of last night was a blur, like all of the Vortex Club parties.
"I did see her, but only for a minute. I don't remember what she was doing or anything, it's not like we hang out with the same people." Victoria said.
"Ok… thank you." Chloe said sounding somewhat relieved.
"Does she know about us?" Victoria asked suddenly, she wasn't sure why she was asking or what she wanted to hear. But her curiosity got the better of her.
"No, of course not. You told me not to tell anyone." Chloe said sounding a little more like her old self, smug and smartass.
"I figured you'd tell her." Victoria admitted.
"She doesn't need to know." Chloe said, more seriously that time.
"Why don't you come over?" Victoria suggested. "Get your mind off things for a while."
Chloe was silent on the other end of the phone for longer than Victoria would have liked but eventually she agreed.
Victoria took the time before Chloe arrived to freshen up. She tried to sit on her bed and look at her phone as she waited but sitting still made her antsy. She never could seem to sit still when she waited for Chloe. Victoria walked over to her desk she looked at the photos she had printed out from last night's party.
Courtney and Taylor were hanging on either side of her with Nathan making a stupid face behind them. It was a good one and it made her smile. But Victoria couldn't help but wonder what a photo of her and Chloe would look like and it almost made her laugh. From the way Chloe teased when they were together there was no doubt she'd do something ridiculous.
There was a soft tapping at door which took Victoria out of her thoughts and she went to open it. Victoria was greeted by a familiar figure with blue hair and ripped jeans. But there was something off with Chloe tonight, her sad face alone made Victoria slightly regret inviting her over. But without any more hesitation Victoria grabbed Chloe's stupid bullet necklace and pulled her inside.
Turning her back to the door and closing it softly Victoria's lips were hungry met with Chloe's. Chloe pushed Victoria into the door while Victoria wrapped her arms around Chloe's neck and fell into the kiss.
Victoria tugged off Chloe's jacket and threw it to the floor. Chloe tugged at the bottom of Victoria's shirt before slipping her hands underneath earning a quiet moan. There was something different about the way Chloe kissed her tonight. There was an intensity there was never there before and it freaked Victoria out but she also didn't want it to stop.
Chloe kissed along Victoria's jaw and down her neck where she bit gently making Victoria sigh happily. Chloe dragged her hands down Victoria's torso before resting them and her hips and pulled them closer. Victoria ran her fingers through Chloe's hair as their mouths met again in a kiss just as fierce as before.
Victoria pulled away after a moment and looked into Chloe's eyes. They were sad and distant and it suddenly made what they were doing feel a little wrong and not in a good way. Chloe closed the gap between them again and turned around to start walking them toward Victoria's bed. As they stumbled along Chloe reached for the waistband of Victoria's shorts but Victoria grabbed her hands to stop her.
"I don't think I can do that tonight?" Victoria whispered against Chloe's mouth.
"You're the one who invited me…" Chloe said and pulled away.
"I know." Victoria admitted but didn't offer any explanation.
"Why?" Chloe asked softly.
"Why can't I sleep with you?"
Chloe nodded.
Victoria sighed. "You look too sad. It feels like I'm using you."
"You kind of are." Chloe pointed out.
Chloe's words hurt more than Victoria would have liked to admit. Had she been using Chloe this whole time? Well, yes, but it wasn't like Chloe wasn't getting anything out of this. Or was she really just doing it for the money? Had she not enjoyed their time together at all?
"So what are we doing now?" Chloe asked softly, taking Victoria out of her thoughts again.
"Kissing." Victoria whispered, like it was obvious.
"Ok." Chloe whispered back and brought her face closer to Victoria's
Chloe lifted a hand to Victoria's face and ran her thumb across Victoria's cheek before kissing her again but this time softly, softer than they had ever kissed before. Victoria reached in front of her and gripped the front of Chloe's shirt tightly pulling her closer and angled her head to the side. Chloe brought both of her hands up to hold Victoria gently as they started moving toward the bed again.
As they moved Chloe tried to step out of her boots rather unsuccessfully making her stumble into Victoria, and laugh against her lips. Once the shoes were gone, they laid down with Victoria on her back with Chloe hovering above her.
Their kisses stayed slow and Victoria took the time to run her hands down Chloe's back feeling every part of her. After all this time together Victoria knew nearly every curve of Chloe's body and so far had yet to grow tired of it. Chloe's weight on top of her was also a familiar sensation by now and no less exciting.
Chloe broke away for air and placed sloppy kisses along Victoria's jaw making Victoria laugh and push her away. Chloe laughed too and placed another small kiss on her lips.
"Why did you tell me to come?" Chloe asked softly.
"I had a paper I really didn't want to write." Victoria whispered.
Chloe chuckled and kissed along Victoria's collarbone before finally pulling away and lying beside her.
"You should stay with me tonight." Victoria said softly as they laid on their backs looking at the ceiling.
"You going soft on me blondie? Getting attached are we?" Chloe whispered back.
"Do not call me blondie, I've seen your roots." Victoria defended, feeling her cheeks grow warm. "Just don't expect to get paid for this." She said and moved on her side to face Chloe.
Chloe rolled over too and looked directly at Victoria. Victoria waited for a smart ass response or some kind of cynical laugh but Chloe was silent and that made her worry. She couldn't help but stare at Chloe in the minimal light that came through the window, feeling Chloe's warmth right beside. As much as she hated Chloe's hair Victoria couldn't argue that it didn't suited her, making her blue eyes seem to glow even in the dark.
Chloe reached out and brushed Victoria's hair away from her forehead before trailing a finger down her cheek and across her lips.
"What are you doing?" Victoria asked and pulled away slightly.
"Nothing. You're just…pretty. I never really looked so closely before." Chloe said.
Victoria was shocked and wasn't really sure how to respond to that.
"Are you high?"
"A little bit." Chloe laughed and smiled.
Victoria rolled her eyes and rolled over again so her back was to Chloe, who took it as a sign to move closer and wrap her arms around Victoria. Victoria tensed up her entire body not sure what to do, she wasn't used to this. Slowly she was able to relax and with Chloe's warm breath on her neck it didn't take long for her to fall asleep.
When Victoria's alarm went off the next morning she groaned and rolled over to turn it off. It was only then she noticed the distinct lack of any blue haired companion. She might have been able to convince herself that last night was all a dream if it weren't for the same lingering scent of cigarettes that clung to Victoria's sheets every time Chloe came by.
Victoria grabbed her phone to see if there was any explanation as to why she woke up alone but there was none. Not texts from Chloe or any missed calls. She didn't want to admit it but it made her nervous. Chloe was unpredictable and Victoria shouldn't care what that idiot did or got herself into. But no matter what she did she couldn't get the knot that was forming in her stomach to go away.
There was a shift in the air at school that day, but it was slow and it took a few days for people to notice. It wasn't until Wednesday that anyone started to talk about Rachel Amber and why she wasn't coming to school anymore, but once they started no one seemed to be able to stop.
Wilder and wilder rumors seemed to pop up every day, some said she ran away to Los Angeles with some celebrity, less kind rumors said she was pregnant and was sent away to live with distant relatives in Florida. For once Victoria couldn't stand the gossip, mostly because it wasn't Rachel Amber she thought of when they talked.
Friday was the day the missing person's posters appeared. Victoria walked out of class at the end of the day only to be greeted by hundreds of photos of Rachel lining the hallways.
"Oh my god!" Taylor exclaimed at Victoria's side. "Who the hell put all of these up?"
"I have no fucking clue." Victoria lied, she had a pretty good idea as to who was responsible. Everyone else flooded the hallways and started grabbing at posters before starting to talk all at once.
"Did you see this?" Courtney said walking over to Victoria and Taylor holding one of the flyers.
"Yes everyone fucking sees them, Courtney." Victoria snapped and immediately felt guilty. Courtney looked shocked and sad while Taylor just looked confused which somehow made Victoria more irritated. "I have to get out of here."
Victoria shoved her way past the growing mob in the hallway and through the front doors. On a normal day there would be people everywhere, hurrying off to start their weekend but now it was deserted except for one person. Familiar blue hair caught Victoria's eye off in the distance and her heart started racing.
Chloe was standing by one of the bulletin boards near the gym with a box at her feet. Victoria went down the front steps and moved towards Chloe but after a few steps she looked down and saw yet another poster lying on the ground. Victoria picked it up and looked back at Chloe who had now spotted her.
They stood there silently for a moment just staring at each other. Victoria realized this was the first time she had seen Chloe in the daytime and it made her heart hurt in ways she couldn't quite explain.
She wanted to feel mad or annoyed that, thanks to Chloe's stunt, the only thing people would be able to talk about for the next month was Rachel. But she couldn't seem to feel anything at all. Without a word Chloe picked up her box and walked away. By now people were coming outside, talking loudly but all Victoria heard was buzzing with the poster still clutched tightly in her hand.
Victoria managed to avoid talking to any of her friends for the rest of the day. She tried to distract herself from Chloe but no matter what she did, that stupid girl was all she could think about. Victoria grabbed her phone and flipped though the recent calls, the last time Victoria had talked to Chloe was the night they didn't sleep together. It had been almost a week, the longest they had gone without seeing each other since they started this weird affair.
She had thought about calling throughout the week, but every time she picked up the phone, Victoria couldn't get the image of Chloe's sad eyes kissing her. Not to mention Chloe was probably too wound up from Rachel being missing for her to care about Victoria at all.
Victoria had felt miserable all week without Chloe around and she tried to think about what she did before. But texting Zach and the other guys didn't seem fun like it used to. She sighed growing frustrated.
"Why do you care so much?" Victoria whispered to herself. "You were using her you idiot."
Suddenly her phone buzzed with a text notification. In the dark dorm room she reached out and read the message. It was from Chloe.
Meet me in the parking lot.
Victoria looked at the text and read it over and over. Why would Chloe want to meet her there? Why not come straight to the dorm. She thought again about how distraught Chloe was the last night they spent together and how distant she seemed when putting up the flyers and it made her stomach hurt.
Was it something about Rachel? Victoria's mind was racing with innumerable possibilities as she walked across campus to the parking lot. She didn't feel right walking alone this late at night and despite the unseasonably warm spring weather she felt a chill crawl up her spine.
When she got to the parking lot she saw Chloe leaning against the side of her dirty truck.
"What's this about?" Victoria asked. "Change of scenery? Just know I will not have sex in your car."
Chloe looked serious, something that Victoria had never really seen before.
"Cut the shit, Victoria." Chloe said softly and crossed her arms over her chest as she looked at Victoria.
"Sorry? I haven't seen you in almost a week. How am I supposed to know what you've been up to?"
Chloe stood there silently for a moment like she was trying to come up with the right words to say.
"I just wanted to let you know that we're done." She said finally.
"What? Just like that?" Victoria asked getting annoyed, and feeling like she was just punched in the chest.
Chloe nodded.
"Just because-" Victoria started to say but was cut off.
"Don't say anything..." Chloe threatened.
"You're being ridiculous." Victoria continued getting slightly more agitated. "I thought we had a good deal."
"About that," Chloe said and reached into her pocket and held out her hand to Victoria. "It's all of it."
Victoria could see it was a wad of twenty dollar bills, all the money she had given to Chloe.
"What are you doing?" Victoria asked, taking a step back. "That's yours."
Chloe shook her head. "I can't take it."
"You didn't have a problem taking it the first time."
"Can you stop being a bitch for like five seconds?" Chloe nearly shouted.
Victoria was quite for a moment.
"Just keep it. Use it to print more of those god damn posters." She said finally.
"I can't."
"You feel guilty now, about what we did? She wasn't your girlfriend."
"And neither were you." Chloe said and forced the cash in Victoria's hand before getting back into her truck.
Victoria stood there stunned. She was feeling so many things at once it made her hands shake. Chloe started her truck and drove away leaving Victoria alone in the parking lot with a hand full of cash and an aching chest.
Once back in her room Victoria sat on her bed and started at the money in her hand. She was breathing heavily like the wind had been knocked out of her. She needed to calm down but she couldn't even figure out why she was freaking out. Chloe didn't mean anything to her, not at all. Right?
Victoria got up and walked over to her desk and opened one of the drawers to stash the money. That's when she saw it, the pack of cigarettes Chloe left behind. Victoria picked them up and pulled one out, grabbing a lighter, she sat on her bed and lit it.
She inhaled, the smoke filling her mouth and surprisingly she didn't hate it like she thought she would. She exhaled a second later making smoke fly around her room, lingering and reminding her of late nights she'd rather now forget. Victoria felt an ache in her throat and she wondered if it was the smoke until she felt hot tears streaming down her face. She took another drag with a shaky breath. She was crying over Chloe Price, fucking ridiculous.
Victoria wondered if this what it was like to break up with someone. She hated herself for crying, for being so weak. They never even went on a date for fucks sake. Finally her tears stop as she finished the cigarette. Her clothes smelled like smoke and she hated that it made her feel better. She lit another one and just let it burn.
And just like that Victoria picked up another bad habit.
Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed the story.