Afterlight (Fanfiction) ✓

chapter two

Chloe

"ARE you even sure about this?" Brad asked, his voice tinged with skepticism as he leaned against the counter, arms crossed like a human barricade. His eyes were shadowed with the kind of worry that had turned his once easy grin into a grim line.

Outside the window, sunlight finally broke through the lingering gloom that had hung over Los Angeles for weeks, gilding the streets in gold. It felt ironic—like the sun had chosen this very moment to shine, as if mocking the storm in my chest. The driver Brad had hired waited by the curb, the engine idling, but I was still here, trying to stuff my life into a leopard-print duffel bag, second-guessing every item I touched.

"Yes, I'm sure," I said, my tone sharp enough to slice through his doubts. I grabbed a green apple from the counter—more out of habit than hunger—and took a deliberate bite. The crisp crunch was a reminder of simpler days, of lunches packed by a mother who would never return.

"For fuck's sake, Brad, I'm eighteen," I added, glaring at him.

His lips twitched like he wanted to argue, but instead, he shook his head, his expression unreadable.

The apple's tartness lingered on my tongue, dragging me into a memory that refused to fade. Mom used to pack a green apple with my lunch every single day. She'd slip it into a brown paper bag alongside a perfectly cut sandwich, a bag of plain Lays, and three Oreo cookies—never two, never four. It was the kind of love you could taste, the kind you didn't realize you'd miss until it was gone.

I glanced at Brad. He was the only piece of that love I had left, but lately, he felt more like a shadow of himself than the brother I once knew.

"You don't have to babysit me," I said, rolling my eyes as I zipped my bag shut.

"I'm your big brother," he shot back, his tone heavier than usual. "Making sure you don't get yourself killed is literally in the job description."

I huffed, grabbing the duffel and heading for the door. "The car's parked right there, Brad. You can see it from the window."

He followed me, snatching the bag from my shoulder and slinging it over his like it weighed nothing. "Actually, I don't trust you to get there without tripping over your own feet."

I spun on him, green apple still in hand. "I can take care of myself, Brad. You should know that by now."

He paused, his face softening. "I don't, Chloe. That's what scares me."

The words landed like a stone in my chest, but I refused to let him see how much they stung. Instead, I strode toward the car, my steps loud and deliberate against the pavement. Rouge, the driver Brad had hired, stood by the passenger door, his bald head gleaming in the sunlight.

Brad trailed after me, his voice dropping to a low murmur as he spoke to Rouge. "If she asks to stop in Stratford, don't. Just keep driving."

Rouge's eyebrows shot up and I scoffed. "You're restricting where I can and can't go now?"

Brad turned to me, his jaw tight. "Chloe, you're all I have left. If something happens to you..." His words faltered, his shoulders sagging under the weight of them.

I softened, but only slightly. "I'm not going to disappear, Brad. I just need space—to figure out who I am, away from all of this." I gestured to the house, the city, the weight of the life we'd been living.

He sighed, rubbing his temples. "Then listen to me. Just a few rules, okay?"

I nodded, leaning against the open car door, the green apple still clutched in my hand.