Liberosis

Burned Under Construction

"Girls, do you want something to eat—?" Joyce's voice was cut off at the sight of her daughter and her new friend Rachel spooning. It was actually sweet, her Chloe being the smaller spoon for once. Her Chloe finally letting herself be taken care of. Loved, even. She smiled and started walking out.

"Hey..." someone whispered, her eyes blinking, though the room was dark.

"Hi, Rachel." Joyce leaned on one foot, it reminded her of Chloe's usual laid-back posture. "You guys sure were tired."

"You think?" Rachel joked. She swore she'd never been more comfortable than right now, Chloe in her arms, not feeling remotely embarrassed that her mother was in the room.

Joyce approached her and sat on the empty bed's corner by her feet. She put her hand on Rachel's knee and squeezed it lightly. "Thank you."

Rachel tilted her head, moving her body a little so she could look at the woman properly. "For what?"

"For everything. From texting me to watch the school's play—yes, I knew it was you, Chloe doesn't use upper cases or punctuation—to just coming to her life. You made it a brighter place."

"I'm not the better spy here," Rachel answered quickly. Her cheeks burned, her fingers finding her hair quickly and brushing it behind her ear. "Well, it's my pleasure to be in it. Chloe made my life brighter, too."

"I'm glad. It's nice to see her smiling again, not her cocky smile, her genuine smile." Joyce received a grin back. "Do you want me to call someone to pick you up? It's getting late and it's a school day."

"Hmm..." Rachel hadn't expected that question. Naturally, she would have said to call her dad, but that wasn't really an option anymore. Her mom? To Rachel, it seemed unnecessary to bother her with such a simple request. "I'll just walk, wake myself up."

"Nonsense. David can take you."

"David?" she repeated.

"Yes, my boyfriend."

That single sentence made her want to throw up for some reason. Dildo With A Mustache was way more entertaining. But this opportunity also sounded appealing, meeting the guy Chloe despises.

"Mom, save her the trouble," Chloe mumbled sleepily. "I'll walk her home."

Joyce got up to be able to glance at her. "Or you can both go with David."

"Ugh, fine. Who needs to exercise anyway?" Her mom started walking away. "This is why America has obesity problems!"

Joyce shook her head as she closed the door and Rachel burst into laughter. "Hey, there."

Chloe blushed, not used to being playful with her mom in front of other people. But at the same, Rachel wasn't just people. "Hey..."

"We really did fall asleep."

"Yeah... it was nice."

"Indeed." Rachel observed her: Her hair was messy, her eyes squinting and her lips seemed dry. She needed someone to fix that, so she leaned in and put her tongue inside her mouth. Chloe was suddenly awake and kissed back. Rachel licked her lips and continued with the makeout session, not realizing she was hovering over her crush until her throat let out the tiniest sound. The most pleasant sound. Woah, I did that.

"Girls, hurry up!" a man yelled, Rachel guessed it was Stepdouche. "Some people do gotta wake up early tomorrow!"

She hopped off. "What an ass."

"Told you." Chloe tried brushing her hair with her fingers, but gave up and placed a hoodie on her head instead. Standing, she helped Rachel up and they walked down to the garage, where Pornstache was already on the driver's seat, impatiently tapping his index finger on the steering wheel.