sister sister // heathers au

nine

If you try hard enough, it's like you really can disappear.
- Chloe Dean

In the coming days, Chloe didn't know how to cope with her encounter with Oliver. She didn't even know what it was supposed to be called.

When Emily came into their room that night, she saw Chloe curled into a ball. Her spine was poking through her pale yellow shirt. Her pillow was damp with tears. Emily assumed that she was just homesick.

"Jesse?" Chloe asked on an afternoon where Emily was asleep on the couch in the living room.

"Yes?" He asked.

"I need to talk to someone and Emily's asleep." Chloe explained.

"What do you want?" He asked, looking up from his phone and tossing it to the side.

"Do you know Oliver?" She asked.

"Yeah. Why?" His tone was annoyed, his voice short with Chloe. He wasn't exactly a big fan of her. He always found her annoying in comparison to Emily.

"Well the other night, he kissed me." Chloe explained.

"Oh, I get it. You have a crush on Oliver, don't you?" He asked. Chloe shook her head no. "Emily thought you would love him. She paid him money to kiss you." Jesse explained.

"What?" Chloe's eyes welled up with tears, her voice squeaking out. Jesse didn't reply, just shrugged his shoulders as Chloe ran off to the guest room.

Behind herself, she locked the door. She tried to relax her breathing but she just couldn't. She pulled out her phone and tried to focus on calling someone.

The phone rang a few times before it was answered. "Chloe?" Veronica asked, Chloe just cried more. She only wanted to hear her mother's voice. "Sweetie, where are you? They couldn't find you and Emily at Camille's."

"Jesse's." Chloe answered.

"I'm coming to get you, where is Emily?" Veronica asked, holding the phone between her neck and shoulder as she got her car keys and purse to get in the car.

"Asleep." Chloe replied. It was with another hiccup that Veronica realized that Chloe was crying.

"Why are you crying?" She asked her daughter.

"I don't want to talk about it." Chloe told her mother, who sighed.

"Then you don't have to. Not yet. I'll be there soon, Sweet Pea." Veronica said.

"I love you." Chloe said. "And Mama? Don't call Emily. She doesn't know I called."

"I won't. Love you too." Veronica said, hanging up the phone and turning the key in the ignition as she wondered why Chloe called. And why didn't Emily know?

Author's Note: Short chapter because the next one will be long.