From stone to flaming red.

III

Chloe went outside looking for Red. When she saw her. She was sitting there. Smoking and drinking. She went closer. She didn't want to scare her. She couldn't believe that Red was drinking let alone smoking. "Red..?" She said softly. Red quickly removed her headphones and hid her cigarette. "Don't bother I already saw". Red scoffed as she brought it out again. "What the hell are you doing out here?" Red said.

"I saw you from the window" Chloe said as she sat next to her.
"and why did you come down here?"
"Because I was curious what the hell you were doing"
"Woah..look at you a princess that cusses. Looks like there is first time for anything" she says as she takes a hit.
"cut it off. Since when do you smoke?"
"Since none of your business" she said as she flicked the cigarette looking down.
"ugh it's my fault I cared." Chloe said as she got up and looked down at Red.
"didn't tell you to come down here."
"what's the matter with you? I'm trying really hard to make an effort with you, I brought you a jacket so you won't catch a fucking cold and all you have to say is this? You're unbelievable" she says as she took a turn to leave.

Red thinks to herself for a moment. "Wait.." she says as she grabs her hand. "fine..you can sit" she tells Chloe. She was more surprised than ever. She didn't think Chloe would react to her situation like this. She thought she was going to overreact, be the drama queen that Chloe always is. She could think every other possible scenario other than this one. Chloe looks at her and sits next to Red. There was an awkward silence between them.

"Thanks for the jacket.." Red breaks the silence.
"No problem." Chloe says as she hands it over.
"So..will you tell me since when did you start smoking? And drinking?" Chloe asks Red.
"why do you want to know that much?" Red asks her softly. She turns to look at her as she takes another hit. "Because..." she hesitates for a moment. "Because I'm worried about you" Chloe tells her. Red was caught off guard. She didn't think Chloe had analysed her so much. She could never believe that someone would react the same way. She scoffed before she answered her question. "it was the day before my sixteenth birthday. My mom had promised me she wouldn't do anything of her original queen things back then. She promised me that she wouldn't behead anyone on that day. And being the fool I was I believed her. But it was obviously not true. There was this one guy named Ace. He was a long ago crush I had before he betrayed our friendship and became an enemy. Although we never dated he was a close friend of mine and I never stopped caring for him. That day he wanted to make up with me and be friends again and he came over to the kingdom. My mother obviously never knew I had a friend let alone that he was my crush. And that day he found out and..." As red was talking she didn't realise that tears were formed in her eyes. She stoped talking and wiped her tears looking away from Chloe so she wouldn't see her cry.

"Oh red..I- I'm so sorry" Chloe said as she held her hand. Red looked down at their hands and looked back at Chloe. "After that night I ran to my room crying. I remember drinking a whole bottle of a rum my mom had hidden in her secret cabinet. After that I started smoking. It got bad. I was smoking two packs a day. I even hurt myse-" Red stopped talking after realising what she just said. "Sorry I shouldn't have brought it up" she looked away from Chloe again. She felt like she looked hideous. Like she was a sight for the public to laugh at. A circus act. "Red..I didn't know I'm so sorry." Chloe tried to comfort her. She rubbed her back. "so yeah..that's a scene from my very happy childhood" she joked so the awkwardness could go away. But how can somebody after hearing a traumatic event like that be normal. "Red I-" Chloe tried to say something. Anything that could take back that question. "You don't have to say anything" Red said and took a hit again. "I'm used to being shit." She added. "I was just..surprised" Chloe says. "Red..I know you don't want any friends or anyone new in your life but..I'm here if you want to talk.  You know that right?" Chloe said and looked in Red's eyes.

"Um...yeah sure." She gulped and sniffed. "Thank you.." she added. Silence again. A breeze went by the girls causing the leaves from the trees around to move and make a nice relaxing sound. "I heard you in the cafeteria you know.." Red told Chloe out of the blue while she sipped her beer. "Wait..what" Chloe said embarrassed. "Yeah..thank you for defending my name...maybe you weren't so annoying as I thought" Red joked. Chloe didn't say anything. She just sat there and smiled. "thank you for opening up to me..I know it must not be easy living like this" Chloe said to Red. "yeah..it's shit." Red said as she felt tears again in her eyes. "People gossip about me..laughing at me..it's hard" Red looked away once again. "I'm sorry.." Chloe said softly. "It's fine. I know you probably now won't even want to look at me"  Red said as she sipped again.

"Red no I..I'm not leaving you" Chloe said as she smiled. Red looked in her eyes. "Thank you" She told Chloe. "Can I give you a hug now?" Red asked Chloe. She caught her so off guard. Red was never a hug person. She realized how hurt she must be in that moment to ask for a hug. "Of course." Chloe told her as she gave her a warm hug. "Enjoy this cause it's the first and last time I give somebody a hug" red jokes and makes Chloe giggle. "Don't worry about it. Enjoy it" She told red.

In that moment both girls felt a warm feeling in their chests. They didn't know what it was. It was weird. A good weird. They never felt like this before. Red decided to keep that moment for a moment before she pushes it down to her bin of feelings. Chloe on the other hand enjoy their little moment. She couldn't pull away. She couldn't describe what she was feeling. It felt weird, wrong, loving and comforting at the same time.

"Chloe.." Red softly said. "Yes?" Chloe replied. "Will you promise something?" Red asked. "Of course" Chloe replied. "Whatever happens. Promise you won't leave like my mom" Red said. "Red..are you drunk?" Chloe joked. "I'm being serious. And..a little yeah" she tells Chloe. "I promise" Chloe says. "Good...now. We are not bringing up that hug ever again" Red says. She didn't pull away but she still said it. "Okay don't worry about it.

They stay there. In each others arms. Red finishing up her cigarette and Chloe just holding her. They watched the sunrise together. It was the first time Chloe broke rules. "Look at you, you little goody-goody" red joked. They laughed. "Won't happen again I'm telling you." Chloe said. "Okay..I take back what I said about outside of our room. I'm getting bored all alone" red tells Chloe. "Fine you can hang out with me" she smiled. "Under one condition.." Chloe said. "Oh no. No hugs" Red said quickly looking directly in her eyes pulling away from the hug. "You will play me a song with your guitar." Chloe says catching Red off guard. "Oh..well.." Red says. "That or you can stay alone in the cafeteria." Chloe said and smiled. Red looked at Chloe. "Ugh fine. Only one though. I never play for people." Chloe smiles in Red's sayings. "Let's go to our room now." Red says as she puts off her cigarette and grabs her empty beer bottles.

—

They were walking side by side. "You owe me a story from your childhood you know that right?" Red tells Chloe. "I don't have a really interesting childhood. Mostly my brother being the favorite kid in my parents' eyes and.." Chloe hesitates for a moment and stops. She looked at Red not knowing if what she was about to do is a good idea. "And?" Red repeated. She didn't do it. She was a coward. "Um nothing just...I'm just not enough." She said to her. Once she didn't accept herself. "Oh. I'm sorry Chlo" Red told her giving her a cute little nickname. "Chlo. I like it" She told Red and smiled. "Move" Red told her as she giggled and pushed her to move to their dorm.

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My girls both hiding behind glass. 🌝 anyway tell me what y'all think!!!💗