Chloe's World

I fly

When I came home from the park, Robin and Ned were waiting for me in the kitchen. And Robin looked pissed. Her eyes maybe would have scared me if I wasn't high out of my mind.

"Where have you been?" Her words were sharp. "The school called. They said you stopped showing up to your classes after lunch? You couldn't even make it through one day!"

I only shrugged.

Robin tilted her head at me. Then she marched over. Her hand snatched my face, squeezing my cheeks together. I was too out of it to fight back or even spit out a curse. I was powerless as Robin scanned my whole face with her frightening eyes.

"Oh my God, are you high?"

"No," I lied. But I knew I wasn't going to get away with that one. My puffy red eyes spoke the truth.

"Yes you are," Robin growled. She let go of my face so fast her nails almost cut into my skin. "I'm a cop. I arrest druggies everyday."

"Ok I'm high. Sue me."

"Chloe! You can't do these things anymore! You need to stop acting like such a child! And you need to listen to me!"

"The room is spinning," I moaned. "I need to lay down."

"Well you'll have plenty of time for that. Go upstairs. You are under house arrest."

I was too weak to fight back. So instead I just gave her the finger before pushing by. She started yelling at me but I didn't hear a word she had said. It was like my ears were clogged with cotton balls.

But being high did help me sleep.

When I woke up the sky was now dark. And my door was closed. Someone had turned off my lights. And there was a blanket over me.

From outside I could hear whispers in the hallway. First I heard Ned's voice. "Don't go in there, Robin. She's sleeping."

Robin's sigh of despair could probably be heard from across the world. "Ned, I don't know what I'm going to do with her. My sister told me that she had a rebellious side. But this is ridiculous! I can't control her!"

"It'll all be ok, Robin. I'm here for you. I'm here for the both of you. And together we will figure this out."

Though Ned's voice was flooded with hope, Robin's tone just made it all disappear. "Ned, I just don't know. She's...just not what I had hoped for."

Ouch. That kind of stung.

"Well, we will figure it out," Ned assured. I couldn't believe how much determination this guy had. "And getting high is something any normal teenager does. I did it in high school."

My aunt cracked a laugh. "No you didn't."

"True. I was too much of a boy scout. But I used to try to go to school smelling like it. That way the ladies would think I was hot stuff."

"And how did that work for you?"

"Uh, not very well."

Their voices faded. But I couldn't get the last words out of my head that my aunt had said. Just not what I had hoped for. Those words echoed in my ears until I went to sleep.

The week went by slow. Robin kept her word and I was on lock down. She walked me to the bus like I was some fugitive. Then she waited for me to come home. Luckily nobody took the bus. Or else I would have been pretty embarrassed.