where the time went- chloe price

revelations.

< Messages (31)

Victoria
      hey rosie. you didn't turn up to class today, i was just wondering if you were okay? anyway, i picked up the next assignment for you, it's boring.
2:32pm
      nate said he hasn't heard from you either. please reply we're worried
3:03pm
      rosie???
3:56pm

Rosemary
      thanks for picking up the assignment for me
6:23pm
       ill be there tomorrow
6:23pm
       thanks for texting, means a lot
6:31pm

Victoria
        I was just doing it for nathan.
6:31pm
        Goodnight Rosie
6:45pm

Rosemary
      goodnight v
6:53pm

i turned up at frank's rv five minutes later, the fiery sunset over the bay casting a warm glow to the junkyard as i knocked on the tin door, he opened it almost immediately and his smile grew once he saw me but then faded once he looked at me properly,
"are you okay?" he asked as he stepped aside and let me inside, his dog jumping up onto my waist and licking at my hands, i pet him briefly before frank pulled him down and gestured for me to sit down at the bench, i did so. "are you?"
"did you know about mom?" i asked him, my voice croaky, he furrowed his brows,
"what do you mean?"
"did you know what dad was doing to her?" he shook his head stiffly,
"i don't know what you're talking about," he spoke and i pulled out the two letters from my mom, sliding them across the table to him. he picked them up with a confused stare and skimmed over them briefly, not even looking at them for longer than 30 seconds, "what do you want me to do with this?" he asked before pushing the papers back over to me, i folded them back up and slipped them into my bag,
"did you not see a word written on them?" he shrugged and leant back into his chair,
"i don't understand why you're bringing this up, rosie,"
"maybe because our dad killed our mom?" i questioned him with a scoff, "i heard him say it, frank,"
"you've also got letters that were written by a very mentally ill, drug addicted woman," he sighed, "how much sleep have you lost over this?"
"not much,"
"rosie..."
"a bit,"
"just," he sighed again, "forget about them, there's no point. she was lying to you. nothing she said to you in those letters were true," i felt tears pricking my eyes sharply, "the past is the past. stop digging this shit up. you're just hurting yourself,"
"do you not care?" i asked him, anger starting to run through my body at his dismissal of the situation,
"of course i care,"
"then why aren't you caring that dad did something to her, frank!" i spoke raising my voice slightly, "why don't you want me to find out what happened?"
"just-"
"unless you're hiding something too," i mumbled with a shrug and a smile behind my eyes in a joking manor, but frank's eyes narrowed at me, "what are you hiding?" i joked but as soon as i spoke he slid out from his chair and walked away from me, his eyes not meeting mine once, "what are you hiding, frank?" i asked more seriously,
"are you serious about those letters, rosie?" he asked me, still not facing me instead he started to wash the small collection of dishes next to his sink, i nodded,
"yeah, i am," i replied softly and he sighed deeply,
"you're gonna find things out that you don't want to know, rosie," he spoke and my mouth glued shut, my eyebrows furrowed, "you're gonna get angry and you're gonna jump to conclusions and you're not gonna hear anyone out," he said, "you're not gonna hear me out..."
"what did you do, frank?"
"i-" he cut himself off with a sigh before wiping his hands on the tea towel next to him, "can you sit down?" he asked me and i suddenly became nervous, i sat down and peered up at him with worried eyes watching him as he sat back down across from me, his eyes not meeting mine at all.
"what happened?" i asked him, my throat tight and hands clammy,
"it's about rachel," he whispered and i furrowed my brows, first out of confusion on how he would have anything to tell me about her, then out of concern about what he was going to say,
"do you know where she is?" i asked him, he shook his head, eyes still on the table,
"no," he whispered, "no, i don't," he shook his head, "i was with her the night before she went missing though," i stared at him for a few moments, not words leaving my lips and he looked up at me to make sure i was still there. i was, i was just extremely, extremely confused,
"why were you with her?" i asked him but he didn't speak, he just continued to stare at me, his eyes seemed to be apologising to me and suddenly realisation flushed through me, along with a lot of other emotions, including anger. "no," i shook my head,
"i'm sorry,"
"no," i stood up and he followed,
"i'm sorry rosie,"
"you were fucking her?" i asked him, he looked down at the floor,
"i love her!" he yelled looking back up at me, his eyes on fire,
"everyone does, frank! it's rachel for fucks sakes! everyone loves her!" i said with a raising voice, "why! why would you do that?"
"she..." he sighed, "she was... i love her so i... did that," he tried to justify himself and i couldn't help but laugh but then immediately switch it off again,
"she was my friend," i looked up at him with harsh eyes, "she was MY friend, frank! you don't fuck my friends!"
"she fucked me too, rosie!" he retaliated, "i'm not the only bag guy in this situation!" i rolled my eyes softly before snatching my bag from the chair next to my and putting it over my shoulder,
"do you know where she is?" i asked him again, he shook his head,
"no," he whispered,
"did she say anything about what she was doing the next day?"
"no,"
"did you tell the police you were with her the day before?"
"no,"
"why not?"
"because they would think i did something,"
"did you?"
"no!"
"then why didn't you talk to them?"
"because they would think i did something,"
"but you didn't,"
"rosie," he sighed, "i was 27 at the time... she was 18,"
"god,"
"i would be their number one suspect and i can't do that. i already have a record,"
"it could help them find her, frank!"
"i can't..."
"maybe you shouldn't have fucked her then."

chloe was relieved when i arrived back to her home her arms wrapped around my body gently and i fell into her arms before we went upstairs into her room, greeting joyce briefly on the way up with gentle smiles.
i still struggled to look into her eyes without thinking about mark, it caused a harsh guilt and dread to spread out through my bones and it almost made me cry.
"you okay?" she asked me once she switched on the cd player, soft guitar plucking echoing from the speakers and filling the emptiness of the room. i nodded softly,
"yeah," i whispered, she furrowed her brows and walked towards me, i sat down on her bed and she sat next to me,
"i've known you long enough to know when you're lying," she spoke with a soft laugh, "what's going on?"
"you know how i went to franks?" i spoke, my voice weak, she nodded from beside me and i continued: "i showed him the letters and he got like... defensive and angry at me,"
"defensive?" she questioned and i nodded, "like he did something?"
"yeah," i whispered, "but he didn't... do anything... regarding my mom,"
"what? what was he defensive about?"
"he was... worried that i'd find out about rachel,"
"rachel?" chloe replied with her eyes wide, shock in her words, i nodded stiffly,
"yeah,"
"are you going to elaborate? what the fuck does he know about rachel that we don't?"
"a lot apparently..." i inhaled deeply before replying, "they were sleeping together," chloe sat next to me speechless before she stood up quickly and looked at me, i had never seen her more confused. her eyes narrowed and eyebrows were furrowed deeply as she stared at me with her mouth in an 'O' shape,
"what?" she managed to choke out, i nodded, "holy shit,"
"yeah," i breathed,
"holy shit," she said again, "holy fucking shit, rosie! it makes so much sense,"
"what?" i said with a soft laugh at her response, she smiled back at me quickly before it dropped,
"she got so distant the last few weeks that she was here," she explained, "she wouldn't reply to my texts, she wouldn't hang out with me after school, she would just, go to school, and then leave. like drop off the face of the planet," my heart dropped at chloe explaining that another friend of hers seemed to abandon her,
"i'm sorry, chloe," i replied and she shook her head quickly,
"it's fine, it just makes sense now. i can stop blaming myself now," she said with a laugh and i smiled weakly at her,
"frank- he um- he also said that he was with her the night before she left," i added on and her smile dropped, she just stared at me blankly,
"oh," she stuttered, "does he know where she went?" she asked, i shook my head, "did she tell him anything?"
"no,"
"did he tell the police?"
"no, i think i was the first person he's told,"
"well it was borderline illegal so i see why he didn't go to the police, i guess," she shrugged, "unless," she peered up at me and i stared at her, pushing my lips together, "he knows where she is,"
"he said he didn't,"
"he can lie, rosie," she spoke and i shook my head quickly,
"no," i whispered, "he wouldn't do that,"
"i bet you thought he wouldn't sleep with rachel, but here we are,"
"chloe please," i sighed, "i can't cope with my whole family being complete fuck heads," she pushed out a gentle laugh at my choice of words but i stayed serious. "rachel always said she wanted to leave town, i think she just did," i rationalised,
"yeah," chloe sighed before sitting down next to me again, "i just don't understand why she would leave," she shrugged, "she was getting good grades, she was doing extra curricular shit, clearly she had a dating life too... everyone loved her here, i don't know why she would leave this behind,"
"i'm sure she had her reasons," i spoke, chloe's hand soon wrapped around mine softly and my heart stung with guilt once more, i wanted to tear my hand away from hers, i wanted to sit there and tell her what happened with mark. but if her reactions with victoria were anything to go by, she would be beyond furious about it with mark.

so i stayed silent.

i stayed silent until the cd stopped and the room fell quiet.

i stayed silent until chloe switched off the light and we crawled into bed.

i stayed silent until chloe's breathing turned soft and deep as she fell asleep.

and i stayed silent until morning.

my eyes hardly flicking closed for longer than an hour as i woke up suddenly, my skin feeling like it was crawling around and dirty after i saw mark's hands on my body in my sleep. i refused to sleep again. my eyes burning and red by the time chloe awoke.