The Blue Butterfly (Pricefield)

2: Who and Where

"Max, you've grown so much." Joyce said.

"Yeah, it HAS been 5 years." I said with a hint of lame humor.

"I'm going to show Max my room." Chloe said getting up from her chair.

I stood up too. Joyce didn't object, and David didn't really even want to talk. I followed Chloe to her room. Her room door even resembled her new look and personality. She opened the door and her room looked like a whole different universe.

There was posters all over the place, and what looks like spray painted words on the wall. Chloe's room looked like a total rockers room, which I guess is the new Chloe. But I couldn't deny, her room looked awesome. Yet, I missed how it looked when we were kids. But what did I expect? Chloe is 18 now. I'm about to turn 18 on the 21rst. We're adults now. It's kind of hard to believe.

"Welcome to my lair." Chloe said, plopping down on her bed. "God Max, you come up to my room and don't even compliment it."

"Sorry," I said, blushing a little. "Your room is pretty cool. It has changed a lot since we were kids."

Chloe sighs and rolls her eyes.

"Yeah, like when you abandoned me." Chloe said with more than a hint of attitude. 

Ouch. That hurt. It felt like a punch to the stomach. I never wanted to leave Chloe. Especially after William died. 

"Chloe, I didn't want to leave." I said, a little softness to my voice. "Especially after William. It wasn't my choice to pack up and leave you for Seattle."

"Whatever, okay?" Chloe said, getting up. "It just hurt that my dad died, then you left..."

Chloe trailed off. She looked angry. I felt really bad, and then I felt angry at my parents again for making me leave Chloe right after William's accident.

"Chloe..."

"Just, put on some music okay?" She said, grabbing what looked like a joint. "I need to medicate myself."

I looked sadly at Chloe, as she lit the joint, but I decided to do what she asked. I walked over to her radio, and turned it on. She listened to some strange music. But I kind of liked the good vibes it gave off.

I walked over to Chloe's bed and noticed a box laying down. It looked like one she usually stored pictures in. I leaned down to look inside, and just as I picked up a picture of a really pretty looking girl and Chloe, Chloe sat straight up from her bed.

"What are you doing with that?" She asked angrily.

"Nothing, it's just..." I struggled to find the right words. "It looks like you two are good friends."

Chloe snatched the photo away from me.

"Correction, was." Chloe said miserably.

"Oh," I managed to say after a few awkward seconds. "Sorry."

"You don't have to be Sorry." Chloe said. "Rachel has to be sorry. She has to be sorry for just getting up and leaving me. Without a word, or even a letter."

"You don't know where she is?" I asked. The way Chloe said it, it sounded like this Rachel girl in the photo was missing, and Chloe has no idea where she is. I felt sympathy for Chloe. She lost William, then I left for years, and now this Rachel girl goes missing.

"She's been missing since April." Chloe said, staring miserably down at the photo. "She was my best friend. She was my angel. We planned about leaving this town, and I guess she did it on her own, without me..."

I touched Chloe's arm gently. I sat down next to her and stared at the photo. Rachel and Chloe were at the beach, hanging out. Rachel looked beautiful. She had long brown hair, and wore punk clothes like Chloe. Rachel also wore blue feather earrings. Blue like Chloe's hair.

"You'll find her." I reassured. "She wouldn't just abandoned you."

"Well, it seems like she did." Chloe said, putting the picture back in the box.

Chloe laid back on her bed and took a puff of her joint and looked at the walls as if she was staring into space. I sat next to her, not minding the smell or the smoke.

"You going to be okay?" I asked.

"Know that you're here, I just might." Chloe said smiling. "See? I'm already high."

I just laughed and laid down next to her, staring into space with her. For once, I felt at home since I moved away from Arcadia.