Heart of Glass

III

A few days after returning to Auradon, Red debates telling Chloe how she feels about her. Everyone she's asked about it has told her to just tell her how she feels. Of course, she never told them that Chloe was who she was interested in, just that she was in love with someone and wanted to know if she should tell them about her feelings. Of course, this leads to the whole school speculating about who the subject of Red's affection is, to the point where they start bothering Chloe about it. Chloe makes the decision to ask Red about it in their dorm after class is over for the day. When Red enters the room, she finds Chloe waiting for her. "Hey, princess. How was your day?" Red asks. "It was alright. How was yours?" Chloe asks. "Not bad," Red replies simply. "Can we talk?" Chloe asks. "Sure. About what?" Red asks curiously. "Well... everyone's asking me if I know who you're in love with, and I don't know what to tell them," Chloe says, and Red realizes that she needs to admit her feelings to her friend. "Well, the thing is... I'm in love with someone who's always done her best to help me feel included. She's kind, and sweet, and she always sees the best in people, and, uh... she's kinda sitting in front of me... right now," she admits. Chloe takes a few minutes to process what Red has just told her, then her eyes widen as she realizes that Red is talking about her. "I... I don't know what to say..." Chloe says, her cheeks beginning to turn red. "Don't worry about it. I should have kept it to myself," Red says, leaving the room before Chloe has a chance to say anything more.

Red doesn't return to her dorm until Chloe's fallen asleep, and even then, it's only because she's exhausted and wants to sleep in her bed. As she tries to quietly get into bed, Chloe senses her presence and wakes up. "R-Red?" She asks softly, causing Red to pause for a moment, then brush it off as her hearing things. "Red, where did you go?" Chloe asks her, a bit louder, trying to grab the hem of Red's shirt, but falling out of her bed instead. "Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up," Red says, helping Chloe to her feet. "You didn't. I felt you come in, and it woke me up," she replies, brushing some of her hair out of her face. "Oh," Red says simply. "What happened earlier? Why did you leave?" She asks Red. "I should have known better than to admit my feelings for you. I felt weak, and I didn't want you to see me like that," she replies without looking at Chloe. "Red, I'm happy that you told me," she says. "Doesn't mean that you feel that way about me, princess," Red says. "I never said that. There's something you should know about me. I'm a lesbian, Red, and I do feel the same way about you," she replies, and Red gives her a confused look. "What's a lesbian?" She asks. "It means that I'm interested in girls, not guys," Chloe says. "Well, then I'm not a lesbian. I like both, seeing as I'm in love with you, but I also had a crush on one of my mother's soldier cards," Red admits. "What happened?" Chloe asks. "Well, my mom threatened to behead him if he came near me. I didn't care what she thought, though, so I snuck out to see him. I found out that he felt the same about me, even suggesting that we run away together. Some of the other soldier cards saw us together, and they told my mom. The next day, she forced me to watch his execution," Red says, bringing her close to tears. "Oh. I can't imagine having to go through something like that. But since Bridget never became the tyrant you grew up with, maybe he's still alive," Chloe says. "That won't erase the memory. If I saw him alive... I'm not sure if I could handle it," Red says uncertainly. "I know. I imagine it's strange to have a mother who actually cares about you now," Chloe says softly. "You have no idea," Red replies. "Anyway, that means that you're bisexual, since you're interested in both guys and girls," Chloe says. "Huh. That's pretty neat," Red replies. "Yeah. Want to hang out after school tomorrow?" Chloe asks. "We usually do that," Red says. "Let me rephrase. Do you want to go on a date after school tomorrow?" Chloe says. "Oh. Sure," Red replies. "Okay. Let's get some sleep, okay?" Chloe asks. "Okay. See you in the morning, princess," Red says as she gets into bed. "Good night," Chloe says, turning off the lights and getting into bed.

All that Red can think about the next day is Chloe, and all that Chloe can think about is Red. After school, they meet up at their dorm, where Chloe tells Red that where they're going is a surprise as she grabs a picnic basket. "Okay. Lead the way, princess," Red says, and they leave the school grounds, heading into the forest. "Please tell me this isn't all some plan to get me alone and then kill me," Red says nervously. "Honestly, babe, why would you think that?" Chloe asks, but Red's already laughing. "I'm messing with you, boo," she says, and Chloe glares at her. "You have a twisted sense of humor," she says. "Sorry. I didn't mean to upset you," Red replies, looking at the ground. "Hey, it's alright. You're still adjusting to life in Auradon," Chloe says, gently lifting Red's chin. "Thanks," she says quietly. They continue on their way, eventually arriving at the Enchanted Lake. Chloe sets up a picnic blanket, which was in the basket she had brought, while Red hums softly to herself. "That's a pretty song," Chloe says, making Red turn to look at her. "Yeah, you wouldn't think so if you heard the words," she says. "You sure about that? I feel like I've heard that tune before," Chloe says before starting to hum, picking up from where Red left off. "Well. I didn't think you'd be interested in that song," Red says with her hands on her hips, an impressed smile on her face. 

"Can I teach you a song?" Chloe asks. "Uh... sure," Red replies, and Chloe pulls her close and begins to gently sway. "Mm. So this is love, mm," she sings, and Red repeats the line back to her. "So this is love. So this is what makes life divine," she continues. Red seems to catch on to the song, so she tries improvising a line of her own. "So this is what I've been missing, mm," she sings, and Chloe stops swaying for a moment, then resumes. "And now I know," she sings, and Red repeats the line. "The key to your heart is mine," Red croons, gently brushing some of Chloe's hair out of her face. "My heart has wings, mm," Chloe sings. "And I can fly," Red sings. "I'll touch every star in the sky. So this is the miracle that I've been dreaming of," Chloe sings. "So this is love," Red sings softly. "So this is love," Chloe sings in reply. "So this is love," they sing in unison, looking into each other's eyes. Without warning, Red recalls her thoughts when she first arrived in Auradon. I'm looking for something I may never find. All I want is love. Then, she hears her mother's voice respond to her thoughts. What you want doesn't exist. Love ain't it. Love ain't it. Love. Ain't. It. "I can't do this," Red says abruptly, taking a few steps away from Chloe. "What are you talking about?" Chloe asks her. "This. Us. I can't do it. I just can't," Red says, tears beginning to form in her eyes as she runs away. 

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The song that Red is humming in this chapter is "Bad Reputation" by Joan Jett. Until next time!