The Mystery of Chloe B.

7 - All his fault

It was the worst week in her life! Since that unfortunate meeting with Jerome in the park last Monday, Chloe couldn't find a place for herself. Everywhere was bad, everything hurt her, and the heart ached the most. This terrible organ that should be used only for pumping blood! It shouldn't hurt from such stupid things!

Every day she was thinking about what Jerome had said to her in the park. Did she really get angry every time someone hurt her? Where would she get it from? Was Jerome right – that was because of mother had abandoned her?

She'd been returning to her letter many times throughout the week. She read it again and again. She analysed almost every word she already knew by heart. What had her mother run away from? What had happened to Emilie Agreste? After all, Chloe's mother left long time before Adrien's Mother's disappearance. Something must have happened much earlier. Maybe Emillie unbosomed herself to Audrey? Maybe not papa but Gabriel Agreste was her mother's threat?

No, definitely not... After all, she wrote it clearly that it had been daddy who restricted her. Daddy, social expectations and norms. And she wanted to be herself. Had she, Chloe, restricted her mother too? That question led Chloe to another part of the letter. What did it mean that her mother hadn't shown love? Chloe didn't remember the time spent with her mother that way. Mom always... she was always full of love for her!

Chloe felt a tear on her cheek. More and more longing squeezed her heart. Yes, now she remembered the moments she had spent with her mother. For so many years, she drowned out memories of the days when her mother had been reading her stories, playing with dolls with her, or just sitting without a word, stroking Chloe's hair.

Was Mom happy then? Was she doing this because it was demanded by the norms imposed on her? The role of a model mother?

Chloe felt her head would explode from all those thoughts and guesses. She couldn't put it together. Was it because she wasn't broad-minded? Damn it! Why she recalled those terrible Jerome's words right now?! He had told her so many unpleasant things on Monday!

It bothered her, because the quiet voice in her head kept repeating that the boy was right. Well, she had to admit – he was damn right... That made her angry even more. And when she remembered his questions about her mother, that made her furious. How had he dared?!

So how had he known he was delivering her a letter from her mother? The letter wasn't signed. Chloe recognised the sender by handwriting. Jerome couldn't know it. So, he would have to read it! He definitely hadn't done it. That would be breaking the law!

No, she couldn't understand it. But she also felt that she must explain the mystery, otherwise she would go crazy. It was all his fault. Jerome's!

The typhoon of feelings of all kinds blustered in her heart, and she was sitting with her mother's letter in her hands for an hour. Staring at the red rose, which had been still standing proudly in the vase on the dresser for a week...

***

On Saturday morning Chloe woke up with a strange feeling in her heart. She was exhausted after thinking of her mother's letter and of Jerome's words for the whole Friday afternoon. This night she'd dreamt about her mom who touched her cheek and said: "Be good for the others and they will be good for you".

Oh, it was definitely her subconscious reflecting the letter she had read for so many times yesterday! Chloe jumped up from the bed, determined to drown out those thoughts. She wished to live her life of a week ago. She wished she never got the letter from her mother. The letter that caused all those problems in her life.

And yet... Something changed in her – whether she wanted it or not. Against all logic and even against her wishes she called Sabrina right after the breakfast.

"Oh, hi, Chloe!" Sabrina picked up the phone after one signal.

"Hi, Sabrina! I've been thinking..." Chloe stopped suddenly, surprised by a strange impulse inside her that made her do things so unlike her. "I mean... I've been thinking about our homework..."

"I haven't done it yet." Sabrina replied quickly. "But if you want I can start now and bring you before lunch."

"No, no!" Chloe stopped her friend's talking. "I thought that maybe... Maybe we could meet and do homework together?"

There was a sudden silence in her phone. Sabrina was probably as surprised as Chloe herself.

"Sure!" Sabrina answered after a while. "When can I come?"

"At..." Chloe stopped and added again surprisingly to herself: "Whenever you want, Sabrina. I'm here for the whole day, so come at what time you prefer."

"I'll be in an hour. See you soon Chloe!"

"Bye."

Chloe hung up. She stared at her phone in amazement. What actually had happened? Weird... But Chloe felt extremely good. She felt warmth in her heart – and that was a nice feeling. For a moment she wondered how this doing homework would look like, because Sabrina always brought her all assignments already done, so Chloe even didn't know how to start.

Fortunately, she was in good hands. Sabrina was a professional. Not only she patiently explained all difficult issues, that Chloe didn't understand, but she also knew how to talk about the historical events to make them more interesting for the listener. She was able to colligate the historical facts and knew some titbits that changed the homework into a great fun. By the end of the day Chloe felt almost amused. And the warmth in her heart made her... happy?

Well... It seemed that the impulse she had followed this morning didn't disappoint her. It was right. Maybe it would be similar with the others? Suddenly, Chloe felt curious about where next impulses would take her. She even decided that if she felt one again, she would follow it as well.