Weightless

While the teacher droned on about Shakespeare, Alex replayed the past 24 hours. What had this odd little girl done to him? He was Alex fucking Gaskarth. He didn’t get attached to girls. He seduced them, fucked them, and then moved on to the next one. He didn’t try to talk to them or understand the way their minds worked. He didn’t notice their facial expressions or things like their collarbones and knees. He studied their tits and their ass and not much else, unless their face was completely horrible. And he definitely did not try to get with anyone even remotely related to his band members.

But Chloe was different. This girl that had sat in his second period History class, a girl he had hardly even noticed before, was suddenly all he could think about. His mind was filled with her pale blue eyes and their unnerving ability to be so guarded and cold. He obsessed over her blood red lips and their staggering contrast to her alabaster skin. He picked apart every syllable of each word she had ever spoken to him. This strange girl, this beautiful girl, had invaded his head and he couldn’t get her out.

It didn’t matter that she was Zack’s cousin. It didn’t matter that she confused the fuck out of him. It didn’t even matter that she seemed to want absolutely nothing to do with him. Alex was hooked.

“Alex!”

Alex’s head snapped up at the sound of his best friend’s voice. Jack’s face was inches away from his own.

“Bro, what’s wrong with your face?”

“I was thinking” Alex snapped.

“Woah there buddy!” Jack laughed. “Don’t hurt yourself.”

Alex laughed in spite of himself and shoved Jack away. He grinned and sat properly in his seat again. Alex sighed and rubbed his face. He was going to have to do something about this girl, and soon.

***

Zack was driving far too fast for it to be legal. Every now and then he would sneak a peek at the small girl sitting in his passenger seat. She hadn’t made a sound since he had carried her out of school. He had noticed the blood stains on her skirt but didn’t say anything. Zack knew better than to push his cousin. She would talk when she was ready.

Chloe stared into space as Zack made his way towards his house. She was stuck inside her head, completely oblivious to her surroundings. Her mind was both hyperactive and numb. She didn’t want to close her eyes, not even to blink. She was terrified of the images that lurked behind her eyelids. But, for some reason, they closed all the same. A quiet sob escaped her lips, but tears didn’t fall. The memories crashed into her mind.

“Shut up, Chloe! You’re so pathetic.” He snarled in disgust.
“I’m sorry! I’m trying!” She cried out desperately.
“THAT’S NOT GOOD ENOUGH!” He roared, his fist sailing out and colliding with her jaw.
Chloe crumpled to the ground, passed out cold. He kicked her once in the stomach before stalking away.

“Chloe?” Zack’s voice was soft as he shook Chloe lightly.

Her glassy eyes connected with his.

“We’re home.”

Chloe nodded and opened the car door. Zack walked to her and she clung to his arm as he unlocked his house. He set her on the couch, wrapping multiple blankets around her tiny frame. She coughed violently. Zack kissed her forehead before going in search of cough syrup. He plunked the bottle down in front of her and pulled her to his lap. She curled into him like a child.

Zack rubbed his hands up and down her back. He hummed soothingly, his chest vibrating her bones. She closed her eyes again and yawned. Chloe was asleep within minutes. Zack moved her off of his lap and walked to the kitchen to call his mother.

“Zack?” She answered after two rings. “Why aren’t you in school? What’s wrong?”

“Chloe.” He sighed.

She understood immediately.

“Please, tell me you’ve got her.”

“She’s asleep on the couch.”

Zack heard his mother sigh with relief.

“Keep her warm. I’ll be home as soon as I can. Do you know what it was this time?”

“She wouldn’t tell me. She called me from the bathroom at school. She was having a panic attack, Mom. By the time I got there she had calmed down but you know how Chloe is. She shuts down. She’ll tell me when she’s ready.”

“I know.” His mother sighed again. “I just don’t know what to do. I feel as if we’ve tried everything. Maybe we need to send her to rehab again.”

“You know that isn’t going to work. She’ll just sink deeper into herself.”

She sighed again, not bothering to answer. Zack was right, as difficult as it was to admit. Chloe wouldn’t respond to any sort of treatment. She never did.

“I’ve got it under control, Mom. We’ll see you when you get home.”

“Alright. I love you.”

“Love you too.”

Zack hung up the phone and slouched against the counter. He could hear Chloe’s light snore from the other room. Grabbing himself a cold slice of pizza and went back into the living room.

Chloe had shifted into a ball. Even under three blankets she was shivering. Zack grabbed the remote off of the coffee table and then moved Chloe so she was resting against him. Her shivering stopped and she relaxed slightly. Taking a bite of the pizza, Zack turned on the television and settled in. He shifted slightly so that Chloe was in a more comfortable position. It was going to be a long day.