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lucie-kend · 7 years ago

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The Way Things Are

An idea kind of came to me. I’m not sure where this story is going yet but I hope you guys like it.

Part One

Chloe didn’t know how long she had been walking. The sun had already gone down and the stars were shining. But tonight they weren’t shining as bright as they normally would. Lately, the world had become pretty dim. Chloe inhaled the crisp night air but she still felt like she was suffocating. She looked around and saw a group of friends together laughing, a couple holding hands, a mother and her son playing a game together. She had never felt so alone. She decided it was time to go.

She walked the couple of blocks to her apartment. She looked up at it and tried to remember the times that it actually felt like a home. She walked in and looked around. It felt so empty. She looked at the pictures on the wall. She spent all day trying not to even think of her name, but the pictures told a different story. A happy time. She couldn’t take them down. She sighed and went to her bedroom. Half of her room was empty now. It didn’t seem right. She cried herself to sleep. Chloe woke up to four missed calls from Aubrey. She had her phone turned off most of the day yesterday. She didn’t call her best friend back. She got out of bed but didn’t feel like showering. She went to the kitchen but didn’t feel like eating. How many days had it been since she ate a proper meal? She couldn’t remember. She mainly just ate a few bites of food so she’d stay alive. The past three months had been a living hell. Would she ever be over it? Chloe walked to the bathroom. She picked up her toothbrush. It was still hard not to notice there wasn’t a second one in the holder. Giving up to defeat she finally stepped into the shower. The hot water burned her skin but at least it made her feel something. When the water started getting cold she decided it was time to get out. She put on a robe. It was too much effort to get dressed right now. Chloe caught her reflection in the mirror. She looked like hell. Her sad eyes looked back at her and she had to turn away. There was a knock at the door later that evening. Chloe sighed not wanting company. “Chlo?” She heard her best friend call. Chloe reluctantly got up and walked to the door. She opened it a tiny bit. Aubrey stared at her. “Have you been drinking again?” Her friend asked in a tone of voice that reminded Chloe of a child getting scolded. Chloe rolled her eyes. Aubrey pushed the door open all the way. “Jesus Chlo,” Aubrey walked into the messy apartment. Cleaning had skipped Chloe’s mind. Aubrey looked back at Chloe. “Come on get dressed I’m taking you out to eat.” “No,” Chloe said softly as she sat down on her couch. “Fine. Then we will order take out,” Aubrey said taking her phone out to call. Chloe said nothing. “Chinese will be here soon. Please eat something,” Aubrey said while she moved a pile of laundry over so she could sit next to Chloe. “I’ll try,” Chloe said. Which was good enough for Aubrey. “I’m going to stay the night with you and tomorrow you and I are going to clean,” Aubrey said not taking no for an answer. The food arrived and Chloe mostly picked around at her food. She managed to eat a few good bites. “You know Amy’s birthday party is in two days right?” Aubrey asked glancing at Chloe. Chloe sighed. She did know and she didn’t want to go. “I can’t.” “Chloe. How many nights has Amy stayed with you the past few months to help your panic attacks?” Aubrey sniped. “Alright. I’ll go,” Chloe started to sob. The next day Chloe woke up to the sound of a vacuum cleaner. She groaned and looked at the clock. It was already 1 in the afternoon. She went out of her bedroom and watched as Aubrey vacuumed the living room. She noticed the dishes were done and the pile of laundry was folded neatly. She smiled slightly for the first time in several days. She was glad to have Aubrey as a friend. Aubrey stopped the vacuum and saw Chloe. “Hey” Chloe said. “You didn’t have to do all of this.” “I’m your best friend Chloe. Of course I wanted to do this. I’m going to help you out of this funk,” Aubrey hugged Chloe who had a few tears in her eyes.

“Thank you,” Chloe smiled.

“Please call me if you feel like you can’t do anything. I’ll try to help you as much as possible.”

Chloe nodded.

“Do you need me to stay again tonight? I know the party’s tomorrow. Will you be okay?” Aubrey asked worriedly.

“I’ll be fine,” Chloe said trying to keep a straight face. On the inside she knew she was far from fine but she knew she had to just deal with it on her own.

Aubrey gave her another hug before she headed out the door. Once she was gone there was a strange empty silence to the apartment. Chloe decided to put the folded clothes away just to keep her mind preoccupied. She hated that half of the closet was empty. It didn’t feel right. Putting away laundry didn’t help as much as she thought it might. She sighed and laid on her bed to zone out to music. Mostly everything she listened to now were sad songs. Chloe couldn’t help but cry yet again.

That night Chloe was frantically pacing back and forth. She would see Beca for the first time in a few months and she didn’t know how she was going to react. She knew it would kill her to see her. She didn’t know if she had the strength to not cry when she did. She barely slept that night.

When it was time for the party the next day, Chloe felt like her heart was beating out of her chest. She managed to shower and get dressed. It took her extra long to actually get into her car. She drove to Amy’s party and was stuck in a panicked day dream. She didn’t even know how she made it there. It took her a few minutes to get out of the car. She was trying to ready herself. It wasn’t working.

She rang the doorbell to Cynthia Rose’s house. The party was being held there. Chloe was honestly thinking of taking off right then. She turned around to do so but CR had already opened the door.

“Hey Chloe. Long time no see.” CR hugged her.

“Hey” Chloe replied but she was a little busy looking over CR’s shoulder into the house.

“She’s not here yet,” CR said.

Chloe let out a breath of air. At least she didn’t have to face her right this second. She went in the house and said hello to Ashley, Jessica, and Stacie. She then went up to hug Amy and wished her a happy birthday.

“I actually didn’t know if you were gonna show ginger,” Amy smiled.

“I honestly didn’t know either,” Chloe shrugged.

“Well I’m super glad you did,” Amy hugged her.

Aubrey walked in with Flo and Lily. Chloe was getting antsy. Talking with the other girls seemed to relieve some anxiety though. Then there was another ring at the door bell. Chloe watched as CR went to open the door to reveal Beca and Jesse. When they entered the room, Beca and Chloe’s eyes locked for a second before Chloe had to look away. Aubrey put her hand over Chloe’s. She felt like she was going to throw up. How was she going to make it through this party?

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