Chloe's World

Things get complicated

I just told Josh to drop Tyler off at my house with me.

Josh insisted on coming in with us. So did Sky. But I told them to just go home. I would take care of Tyler and then I'd help him home. I didn't need them.

I led Tyler into the house. He whined about how he could walk on his own. But I saw his small limp. And knew that it wasn't good for him to walk on his own. I didn't want to be the thing responsible for him not being able to play lacrosse.

When we got inside, I threw him on the couch and immediately went to the kitchen. Ned and Robin were upstairs sleeping so I tried to be quiet. I filled up two bags of ice and then went back into the living room.

"Roll up your pants," I ordered in a firm tone.

Tyler raised his bloody eyebrow. But then eventually did what he was told. A big purple bruise rested on his kneecap.

I got down onto my knees and pressed the ice against the bruise. Tyler sucked in some air.

"That stings," he said through his teeth.

I shook my head, still not being able to believe that he had just gotten in a fight for me. I didn't know what I should be feeling at that moment. I felt angry. I felt flattered. But mostly, I felt shocked.

But I only revealed my anger. "Well you deserve it," I grumbled. "Here, hold this to your leg."

I took Tyler's hand and slapped it onto the ice bag. Then before he could say anything else, I got up and stormed away. I went into the bathroom, grabbed some rubbing alcohol and a tissue, and headed back to the living room.

Tyler stared at me, shaking his head. "I deserve this?"

I didn't answer him. Instead, I poured the rubbing alcohol onto the tissue. Then, I placed it onto the cut that was hidden under his eyebrow.

"Ow!" He cried.

"Will you shut up?" I growled.

"Well, it hurts!" I could hear the annoyance in Tyler's voice. It only made me more annoyed.

"Well, like I said, you shouldn't have gotten in a fight," I grumbled as I cleaned the blood from his face.

Tyler stared at me through his swollen eye in disbelief. "I can't believe you," he muttered. "I get my ass kicked for you and this is how you treat me? How about a thank you?"

I let out a hollow laugh as I got to my feet. "Thank you!? Tyler! I'm pissed at you!"

"Why?" Tyler asked as he pressed the other ice bag to the side of his head.

"Because," I said but struggled to find the rest. To avoid the silence, I let out a frustrated growl and turned away from him.

Tyler got to his feet. His face struck with shock and anger. "Chloe, why are you so upset?"

"Because!" I shouted. That's all I could say and it was embarrassing.

"Because why?" Tyler asked with a shrug. His voice was calming down. "Because I stood up for you? Chloe, I was only trying to help you."

I whirled around back to Tyler. I could feel my rage building up in my throat. My face was turning red. I clutched my hands into fists, trying to contain myself.