Free Falling // Irwin

0.1

(Possible Trigger warning)

Driving to school that morning, they went over that same big cement bridge overlooking the ocean. The seventeen year old girl sat in the passenger seat of the car, longing to be standing on the edge, for the wind to pull her away.

"Someday..." She whispers, brushing a piece of her black and sky blue hair out of her eyes.

"Are you talking to yourself again?" Her mother sighs from the drivers seat.

"Sorry," she apologized for the twentieth time this morning. Always something she had done wrong.

"I'm still mad at you Chloe."

"I'm sorry... Mom," Chloe felt awkward saying it, knowing that she wasn't really.

She was adopted when she was five, and her adoptive mother never loved her. No matter what she did. Her father on the other hand adored her. Until he died last year.

Chloe had tried to find her birth parents, but they didn't want her. No one did anymore. Well, they had abandoned her for a reason, hadn't they?

"That stupid lip ring. What are my friends going to think? You've already got that ugly blue hair and now this?"

"I'm sorry."

"Is that all you can say?! No wonder you got a 54% in math! Use your brain and THINK for once!"

"Okay," She bites her lip, twirling the little black ring. "I'll try harder."

"You had better. We're here. I'll see you tonight."

"Maybe," Chloe whispers as she steps out of the car.

It's only been two weeks since school started once again, and it's already the most dreaded part of her day.

Chloe sighs and walks up the steps and past the huge doors into the school, and then to her locker, keeping her head down the whole way, which doesn't prove to be a good idea. She stumbles into someone, making them drop their books.

"Ugh! Chloe the klutz strikes again, huh? Get away from me, Smurf!"

She nods and runs to her locker.

"Hey, Chloe. Ignore them, okay?" A petite girl with chocolate brown skin and dark brown, almost black eyes says quietly.

"Yeah. Sure," she nods at her best friend with a smile that doesn't reach her blue eyes.

"Chloe..."

"Kate..."

Kate sighs. "Come on, we have Social in ten minutes."

"I'll grab my books."

*****************

At lunch time everyone sits with their groups, laughing and happily eating their lunches. Chloe and Kate sit at the back of the cafeteria.

"Chloe, you should eat," Kate bites her lip.

Chloe sighs and takes a bite of her apple. 

"Thank you."

"Yeah, sure."

"How was phys ed?"

Chloe rolls her eyes. "So boring. But I didn't do anything stupid, so that's good."

Kate smiles slightly.

"How was Math?" Chloe takes another bite, finding it hard to swallow. "Find out the text results?"

"I passed," Kate's smile widens. "A 72!"

"That's really great!" She smiles proudly at her friend. "I knew you could do it."

"Thank you."

**************

"The bell rings at the end of the day, releasing the annoyed students from their equivalent of prison," Kate narrates with a laugh as they grab their backpacks and walk out the door.

"True though," Chloe sighs.

"Is your mom coming to pick you up?"

"No, I'm um, I'm going to walk," Chloe bites her lip.

"No! Come on the bus with me," Kate demands.

"But..." Chloe thinks about the bridge she passes everyday.

"Please. I get lonely. You know that!"

"Okay. Only if we can go to that movie tonight!"

"Okay," Kate laughs. "It's a deal."

*************

"We should go to the beach Sunday afternoon!" Kate says excitedly.

The movie is over, and Chloe is about to begrudgingly go home. She doesn't want to overstay her welcome.

"Um," Chloe searches her brain for an excuse. "I can't..."

"Oh, how come?"

"I won't be here," She says, hoping it's true.

"Where are you going?"

Chloe fidgets with her hands. "To see some cousins?"

"You say that like a question..."

"I just can't remember if they're cousins or Leanne's friends and their kids," she lies.

"Oh, say hi to Leanne for me when you get home!" Kate's mother calls from the kitchen.

"I will, thanks for having me over. Bye."

"Bye Chloe!"

The walk back to her house only takes about ten minutes, but she prolongs it purposely, stoping to look at every remotely interesting thing she can find. She adds an extra twenty minutes to her walk, and runs up to her room as quickly as possible after seeing her mom, back turned, on the phone.

After weighing herself and sighing in disappointment, she crawls into her bed with a book, hoping to distract herself from the feelings night usually brings. Sometimes it works, but sometimes it doesn't.

•••••••••••••••••
Hey guys! Like promised, we're posting this after getting SGFG!
This is going to be a short story, less than 10 chapters probably.
Hope you like it!
P.S. Please vote and comment!