American Girl: Can't I Just Be Chloe?

Days passed and I was still staying at Joe’s house for the time being. My mother was still not herself and Dad didn’t want me to be around her. Not that I really cared, but…it is my mom. So, I was still at Joe’s, helping get this Video Girl plan in action. Fortunately, Kyle, Zoe, Dean, and Dana were on their way over here. Joe and Betsy had gone out to get them. Kyra would have gone with, but the pregnancy kept her from going. Of course, Betsy offered to go in her stead since Dana was sure to remember seeing Betsy after everything that went on six years ago. Dana, I remembered, was in Kyra’s wedding along with Betsy, plus she also met her at the very same Jonas Brothers concert that Kyra first met Joe at.

“I really wish that I could go meet Dean and Dana over at the airport,” Kyra said letting out a heavy sigh. “After all, they are my siblings. Half-siblings yes, but still. They’re still my blood. Of course, I haven’t exactly spoken to Dean in six years. He’s like his mother; he’s like Gloria. Dana I can at least stand though. She helped me, to a certain extent, come out here to California and marry Joe. That’s why I wanted to go meet them there. But, I can’t because of Ella. That’s why I’m really glad that Betsy has Kyle and Zoe to meet at the airport today; she can also go meet up with Dean and Dana while she’s there.”

“I know what you mean,” I said. “Though I may hate the fact that my mother was a politician, I still do care about her. That’s why I’m trying so hard to fix all of this. I don’t want to see my mother be out of her Senate seat merely because Victoria wants to make my life miserable. Frankie, I don’t think, would ever suspect that I would do this. He knows just how much I hate the fact that my mother has been a politician for a better part of my life. What Frankie doesn’t seem to realize is that my hatred of Victoria takes precedence over the hatred that I have over the job that my mother has pursued since I was born.”

“You know he won’t,” Kyra replied.

“Of course I know that,” I said. “Victoria has Frankie wrapped around her little finger and there’s really nothing that I can do to stop it. I want nothing more than to see Victoria out of his life, but I don’t really know whether that’s going to happen. Icky Vicky won’t let that happen. That’s why I have this thing set up for Thanksgiving. That is the only way that Frankie is ever going to believe us about what Victoria has been doing to ruin my life.”

At that moment, I noticed the door open. Turning around, I found that Teddy and everyone in the Jonas family—excluding Joe and Betsy—had come over here. Apparently, they had not yet retrieved Dean, Dana, Kyle, and Zoe from the airport. I needed them to get back soon so that I could meet up with Kyle. Since we were trying to make Frankie jealous, Kyloe had to exist. The fake relationship only had a short timeframe in which to make it look like it was real and Betsy could only tell me so much about her cousin. I looked to Kevin and Teddy. “Have you heard anything from Betsy or Joe?” I asked.

“Not yet,” they said.

“Any idea as to when they might be back?” I asked, not wanting to delay this any longer than it already had. The fact was that we need to continue working on this and that make certain that everything was set up for Thanksgiving. I didn’t want all of our plans to fail.

“Give it ten minutes,” Nick said.

“You sure?” I asked.

He nodded. “Of course.”

I shrugged and just sat around for a good ten minutes. When it reached the fifteen minute mark, I turned to Nick. “You said it would be ten minutes; it’s been fifteen. Where are they?”

“Right here,” Joe called.

I spun around in my seat and found that Betsy and Joe were now standing at the door. Just behind them were Zoe and Dana, two people I recognized. That meant that Kyle and Dean were just behind them. Though I had really met either of them, I knew which was which; Dean was Dana’s twin, something I remembered Kyra mentioning. “Good, you guys are finally here. Now we can get started.” Everyone took a seat and I began to explain the situation for the Martin twins’ and Kyle’s benefit. Zoe already knew exactly what was going on out here since Betsy and I had kept in contact with her over the past month and told her exactly what was going on. “Boys, Dana, what you guys do not know is the fact that on Thanksgiving, you guys will have to help me, Betsy, and the guys convince Frankie that his girlfriend is nothing more than a Video Girl. Kyle is going to have to help me while Dean and Dana must get close to Virankie. I think that Dean will have to try and convince Victoria to tell him what she did while Dana keep Frankie away from his girlfriend. Zoe can’t really do much to help us with this because Victoria has already met her, but the Video Girl performance aspect of this might be an option for her to help us with.”

I glanced over at Kyra, Dean, and Dana. This plan was something that I had, unfortunately, not mentioned to anyone, figuring it best for them to hear it all together. Kyle was already somewhat made aware of the plan because of Zoe, but the Martin twins had no clue. “I thought this was only supposed to be a vacation for us,” Dean complained.

“Things started out that way, Dean,” Kyra explained to her brother. “I mean, I haven’t seen you guys in six years, since I got married to Joe. So, you were brought out here to spend time with me. Of course, things changed when Frankie started freezing out his best friend and we need to do something about it. That’s why you and Dana have to help with this.”

“Why should I, Cinderella?” he asked.

Kyra clenched her teeth. “Don’t call me Cinderella, Dean. Just because Gloria did it doesn’t give you the right to do so. You two were only six when I left California; you should have grown out of calling me Cinderella. Dana doesn’t even call me that. She was at least civil towards me. Plus, I’m pregnant. Though my daughter’s name is based off that nickname, I don’t want anyone calling me that because I know that my daughter could call me that. Quinn hasn’t done so quite yet, and I’m still afraid that he’s going to do that.”

“But it’s what you are!” Dean exclaimed.

“Dean, you need to understand something,” Betsy said. “What Kyra is going through at the moment is supposed to be a happy time. My sister went through it, and it was because of Garrett, Madison, and Jason that I stopped calling her my favorite nickname. I always called her Duh. Of course, when she got pregnant, I stopped using that nickname. That is what you must do with Kyra. Don’t ever call her Cinderella anymore.”

“Whatever,” Dean grumbled.

“Thanks, Betsy,” Kyra said.

Betsy nodded. “No problem, Kyra. I guess my giving up my favorite nickname for my sister was a good thing because it provided a good example for Dean. Despite the fact that it’s been six years since you saw him, he’s still slightly like his mother. I remember you mentioning to us that Dean was a lot like his mother, despite the fact that Gloria lost custody of him and Dana the moment she went to jail for killing your parents.”

“Yeah, but he always calls her Cinderella these days,” Dana explained to all of us. “The fact is that he never stopped. Kyra was right to get away when she did. Otherwise, she’d have to deal with her half-brother calling her the one name that our mother always did. When Dad died, Aunt Anna gained custody of Kyra and then she later got married to Joe. That was probably a good thing because Dean would only ever refer to her as Cinderella. I’ve tried to keep him from doing that, but he just hates you like Mom always did.”

“That’s no surprise,” Kyra groaned.

Knowing that this was not going to stop unless I did something about it, I made myself known. "Kyra! Dean! Shut up! It’s been six years and you guy are still arguing about all of this. It can’t be this way; if I am ever to get my best friend back in my life, I need all of your help in order to get Frankie back. Victoria Roberts cannot get away with all of this.”

“And what are we to do?” Dean retorted.

“It’s just as I explained to you a little earlier,” I told him. “You and your sister need to get close to Frankie and his girlfriend, Victoria. The fact is that you two are really the only ones that can do this. Zoe can’t because Victoria already met her last month while Kyle and I have to make Frankie jealous the way he made me jealous with Victoria. Zoe, I think, should probably help her cousin and the Jonas Brothers with the Video Girl thing.”

“Will this work?” Zoe asked.

“It has to,” I said explained as I felt tears forming in my tear ducts; they threatened to fall and show just how much I was hurting when I lost Frankie as my best friend. I wasn’t about to let them fall though since I didn’t want Betsy’s cousins or Kyra’s half-siblings to realize how much I missed Frankie. “Victoria committed fraud in order to ruin my life and I have to get someone to trick her into telling what’s going on. I think that Dean is the only one who can do that as he is the only one that can do it, inconspicuously. Dana can’t really do it without arising suspicion from Frankie; he’s met Dana and will surely know what I’m trying to do. Frankie and Dana were in the wedding together when Joe and Kyra got married. So, that’s why it must be Dean who tries to trick Victoria into telling him that she committed fraud in order to destroy the life I’m trying to lead.”

“We’ll help,” Kyle, Zoe, and Dana said.

“And what about you?” I asked Dean.

“Maybe,” he shrugged.

“Well, I’m afraid that you have to make a decision fast,” I explained. “Thanksgiving is when this has to occur. That’s my deadline to give the government all the proof they need that Victoria committed fraud in order to destroy the life I had created for myself. That’s why you have to do this, Dean; in order to fix my life, you are, unfortunately, the only person who can acquire the necessary information for us. And, if you don’t my mother loses her position in the Senate to Victoria’s father, Congressman Craig Roberts.”

“That’s Victoria’s father?” Zoe asked.

I nodded. “Yeah.”

Zoe turned to Dean. “You definitely have to help Chloe. Otherwise, her life could be completely over. Though Chloe may hate the fact that her mother is a politician, it seems as if hates Victoria more than her mother’s political career. So, you obviously need to do this.”

Dean groaned. “Fine.”

I eyed Zoe and glanced over at Betsy. She was smirking and I had a feeling that I knew why. Of course, I was not ever intending on bringing up. Betsy, I think, knew exactly what was going on and was already formulating a plan regarding the scene she just witnessed. I laughed. I wonder what type of plan our little matchmaker has planned for those two, I thought.