Weightless

And for a while, it was. Chloe seemed happy, which of course made all of the other boys happy, as well as her aunt and uncle. Alex spent every moment he could with her, though they never became an official couple. It wasn’t for lack of trying, Alex wanted desperately to beg Chloe to be his, but he knew it wasn’t the right time. And for now he was content with being the only one she kissed, the only one she cuddled with, and the only one she let her walls down around. Besides Zack of course.

Now it was the night all of the boys had been anxiously waiting for. Chloe’s birthday party. Sure they were a few weeks late, but they had just gotten signed and had been busy. What with trying to create an album and discussing tours, a lot of time managed to pass. But, tonight there wasn’t going to be any talk of the band’s future. Because tonight was all about Chloe.

Alex and Zack had come up with the perfect plan. Jack had tried to help, but since most of his ideas involved dicks or masturbation, Rian had been asked to babysit him while the other boys actually organized everything. Chloe thought it was just going to be a party to celebrate the success of All Time Low. Zack knew she didn’t like big surprises, so no one was going to jump out at her or yell. Jack had been all for scaring the bejesus out of the girl, but he was quickly reminded of her previous reactions to being startled and had shut up immediately. They settled for hanging a banner and ordering a huge cake that would be the first things she saw when she walked through the door.

Zack wasn’t quite sure who to invite since Chloe pretty much only hung out with him and his friends. His parents would be there, of course, and since it was going to be at Alex’s house his parents would be there as well. Rian was going to bring Kara with him, which Zack thought would be good for Chloe. That meant that Lisa was probably going to come as well. Alex felt bad about that. He knew he hadn’t treated the girl fairly. But Rian wasn’t about to stop Kara from bringing her best friend considering he would give his girlfriend practically anything she asked for. Jack suggested they invite their friend Matt, who they had asked to be their band manager. All the boys agreed to that, Alex congratulating Jack for coming up with an idea that was actually good. Jack pouted for a moment, but quickly perked up when they began discussing food and what type of cake to get. The only people who were definitely not going to be in attendance were Marcus and Chloe’s parents.

Her dad had absolutely lost it when he found out Chloe moved out. He couldn’t do anything about it, but he had sure tried to. After attempting to press kidnapping charges three times, the police informed him that should he try again, they would be forced to bar him from entering the station again. Her mother had stayed quiet, not even bothering to make a fuss. She had taken everything her nephew had said to heart and had come to the realization that this truly was what was best for her daughter. Eme couldn’t care for Chloe the way Chloe needed her to. The way that Carla could. But Marcus seemed to have disappeared off the face of the earth. He hadn’t tried to call or text or visit Chloe. He hadn’t tried to make any contact with Zack either. It was as if he had vanished. Zack felt extremely uneasy about this, as did Alex. Both of them had seen just how determined Marcus was to have Chloe. They didn’t believe he would give up that easily. But, they ignored their thoughts in order to focus on the party planning.

It had taken them almost a week, but everything was finally finished. Zack had made sure to keep Chloe busy all day so that the rest of the guys could work on setting everything up at the Gaskarth household. She hadn’t seemed the least bit suspicious, so when 7:00 rolled around, and Zack told her to go get dressed, she didn’t question him. He had told her to dress nicely though, and she hoped that wasn’t because there were going to be important people at the party, as in people from the company that had signed her cousin’s band. She was deathly afraid she would embarrass the boys if that was the case.

As Chloe shimmied into one of her favorite dresses, she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror. Chloe had been avoiding mirrors lately. Actually, she had been avoiding them ever since Alex and Zack had gotten her to start eating more. Just like Alex had convinced her to stop smoking. She frowned at the girl staring back at her. No longer did her ribs stick out or her cheeks sink in. In fact, Chloe could barely see her collarbones. She took a deep breath before turning away from the mirror. Tears stung in her eyes, but she willed them away. This was for Alex and Zack. They had both given her so much, saved her really. She could do this one little thing for them.

Zack noticed the upset expression on Chloe’s face, but she quickly replaced it with a smile when she saw him. Chloe skipped to his side and linked her arm through his. Carla and Mark had left earlier, saying they needed to help Alex’s parents with preparing for the party, so it was just the two cousins who climbed into the car. There wasn’t much talking as they drove, each lapsing into their familiar comfortable silence. Zack began getting excited as they got closer to the house. He would glance over at Chloe every few seconds and had begun fidgeting. Chloe hadn’t noticed, too busy staring off into space.

She snapped out of it when the car came to a stop in the house she had come to think of as a sanctuary. It was here that a she had officially met Alex and Jack and Rian. It was here that Alex had first seen her scars and let him cry all over him. It was here that she had run to after that awful night with Marcus. There weren’t very many cars, so she didn’t feel at all suspicious as Zack helped her out of the car. And when he opened the door, Alex was standing right there with a massive grin on his face. Chloe smiled back and traded Zack’s hand for Alex’s. He pulled her into the main room.

Chloe looked around. She could easily identify her aunt and uncle, as well as Alex’s parents. Rian was standing next to a pretty brunette that Chloe had never met before. Her smile faltered slightly when she saw the other girl. It was Lisa. Chloe immediately dropped Alex’s hand. He gave her a confused look, but she ignored him. Jack suddenly burst from the kitchen. Chloe, jumpy as always, started slightly at his entrance.

“CHLOBO!” He cried.

“Seriously, Jack. You have got to stop calling me that.” Chloe frowned. Jack grin grew wider and then Chloe noticed the massive box in his hand. She took the opportunity to rush away from Alex to help him carry it to the table.

“What’s in the box?” She asked curiously, attempting to peer over the guitarist’s shoulder as he pulled the top off.

Jack turned around with a flourish and Chloe got a close look at the cake that lay inside of the mystery box. It was at least three tiers and curvy purple writing decorated the top, exclaiming “Happy Birthday, Chloe!” with as much enthusiasm as it could muster. Chloe’s eyes began to water slightly. She glanced around at all of the faces in the room, each one holding the exact same shimmering smile. Jack noticed the saline in her eyes first and his face drooped slightly.

“Do you not like it? Damnit! I told them we should have gone with the stripper theme!”

Jack was cut off as the small blonde next to him launched herself into his arms. Jack staggered slightly, impressed by the amount of strength she had, before wrapping his arms around her waist and spinning with a gleeful cry. He placed her down and Chloe quickly ran to her cousin, giving him another forceful hug. She pulled away and looked around the room again, her red lips splitting into the largest smile any of them had ever seen.

“Thank you.” She breathed.

“It was Zack and Alex, really.” Rian told her. “I just made sure Jack didn’t have anything to do with the plans.”

“Hey!” Jack protested before running full speed towards the drummer. The brunette next to him quickly moved out of the way, laughing.

“Karaaaa!” Rian whined as Jack sat on top of him with a triumphant smile. “You’re supposed to save me.”

“Sorry, babe.” Kara giggled. “I know better than to mess with Barakitty.”

Chloe had been too distracted by the scene in front of her that she didn’t notice Alex sneak up behind her until his hands slid around her waist. She jumped and turned. He smiled down at her. Chloe, however, did not return the gesture.

“What’s wrong, Chlo?”

“It’s Chloe.” She corrected instantly.

Alex tried not to frown. She hadn’t told him to only call her Chloe in three weeks. He thought that they had moved past that. Chloe gently pulled herself out of his arms. She wanted to be angry, but she had been taught to never make a scene. So, she just quietly slipped away, approaching her aunt and uncle.. Alex watched them converse for a little bit, slowly slipping into a melancholy mood. He felt a light touch on his shoulder and tore his gaze away from the girl, whose cousin now stood beside her.

“Hey.” Lisa said quietly with a smile.

“Uh, hey, Lisa…”

“She’s really pretty.”

“What?”

“Chloe.” Lisa’s eyes betrayed the hurt she was feeling, but her smile never faltered. “I can see why you like her. She’s special.”

“I’m really sorry, Lisa.” Alex sighed. “I didn’t treat you right at all. You didn’t deserve that.” Lisa shrugged.

“It’s okay, Lex. I don’t want to spend my time being upset with you. I mean, we were friends once, remember? Before everything else. We could be friends again. Right?”

“Of course.” Alex responded, finally smiling again. He pulled Lisa into a hug.

“Thanks.” Lisa said when she pulled away a moment later. “I hope everything works out with you and Chloe. I really, really do.”

Lisa turned and walked back to Kara and Rian. Rian sent him a quick thumbs up when the girls weren’t looking and Alex chuckled. He scanned the room, trying to find Chloe, but she wasn’t there.

“She went outside for a moment.” Zack said, surprising Alex from behind. “She just needed a moment, you know how Chloe is.”

Alex smiled his thanks and slipped away from the party. He eased the door open. After looking around for a moment he spotted Chloe leaning up against the side of the house. She was slowly puffing on a cigarette. But that wasn’t the only thing that caused Alex to frown. Standing just a few feet away was none other than Marcus.

Alex could tell that they had been fighting. Chloe was crying, although it wasn’t the body wracking sobs she was prone to. The tears were just slowly dripping down her face, as if she didn’t even notice them. Marcus looked upset too. There was obviously some anger, but for the most part his body language conveyed sadness and desperation. Alex quickly made his way over.

“Get the fuck out of here.” Alex snapped, wrapping his arm around Chloe’s shoulder. Marcus stared at him in shock.

“Really, Chloe? Fucking really? This kid? Please, baby, I miss you. I love you, Chlo.”

Chloe shuddered into Alex’s side and his grip on her tightened. He was somewhat taken aback by the fact that Chloe hadn’t told him to call her Chloe instead of Chlo. Marcus reached for Chloe, but Alex shifted so that she was standing behind him slightly. Marcus’ expression changed then. He was positively raging now. Alex had no issues with fighting Marcus, but he didn’t really want to get into a fight with Chloe standing right there. Luckily for Alex, a distraction materialized in the form of Matt Flyzik at that moment.

“Yo, Alex!” He called out. All heads snapped towards him. Marcus growled at the sight of the boy and Chloe’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Fuck you, Chloe Danske. You really are something, you know that? Fucking all of these guys. Getting fat like that. God, what the fuck did I ever see in you? I’m done, Chloe. I don’t ever want to see your hideous face ever again.”

Chloe opened her mouth, but Marcus was already stalking away. She took a step towards him, but Alex held her back. Chloe turned to him, and was instantly burying her face in his chest. He ran his hands through her hair. She wasn’t sobbing, just standing there breathing in his scent.

Matt had made his way to the couple by now. He stared at them, confused for a moment. Alex dipped his head to whisper in Chloe’s ear.

“This is Matt. He’s our manager. Well hopefully. You gonna be okay?” Chloe nodded into his chest and then pulled away.

“I’m going to go find Zack.” She mumbled before quickly making her way inside the house.

“Hey! That’s the girl from the party!” Matt exclaimed, pointing at Chloe as she vanished behind the front door.

“The girl from the party…?”

“The one with that weird ass boyfriend. Remember? I told you about her the next day. He was really fucking pissed.”

“Fuck.”

“Wait, that was him! Why was he leaving? Lex, dude, what the fuck is going on?” Matt’s face screwed up slightly.

“Chloe, that girl, she’s Zack’s cousin.”

And that was all the explanation Matt needed for the puzzle pieces to click into place. His eyes widened and Alex just nodded. They stood there for a moment and then Jack threw the door open dramatically.

“Where have you been all my life!?” He cried, sprinting to the two boys.

“Awh, thanks Jack. I missed you too.” Matt teased. Jack sent him a look of disgust.

“Not you Mickey Freak. Alex!” The skunk-haired boy threw his body into his best friend’s, who only managed to catch him thanks to years of behavior like this.

Matt just shook his head chuckling. In the blink of an eye, Jack had jumped out of Alex’s arms. He then threw both of his arms around his friends, pulling them close with a grin.

“Well c’mon, boys. It’s time to get this party starrrrrted!”

With another chuckle, this time from both teens, they allowed themselves to be dragged back inside. Chloe was smiling all night long, but she was also inconspicuously avoiding Alex. Matt was getting the cold shoulder as well. By the age of 18, Chloe had become a master at escaping from situations she didn’t want to be in. No one noticed her odd behavior except the two boys, but they chose not to mention anything about it. Everything was winding down by 11:00. The parents had left the teens along two hours ago, and Alex still hadn’t managed to talk with Chloe. Matt had figured it was best to just leave her alone after being ignored for an hour and a half and was now being chased around by a sugar high Jack. Alex realized Chloe wasn’t in the room and made his way out as well.

He decided to check the kitchen first, which was exactly where she was. She wasn’t alone though which sent disappointment through Alex’s system. Zack was standing with her, talking in a hushed tone. Alex recognized the tone in his voice and decided not to make himself known just yet. Instead, he hid around the corner and strained his ears.

“Chloe, seriously, what happened when you went outside?”

“Nothing!” Chloe huffed. “Can we just leave, please? I’m tired.”

“I know something is wrong, Bo. You were acting completely weird around Alex and Matt all night.” Chloe let out a loud breath. “And you didn’t eat anything.”

With a start Alex realized Zack was right. She hadn’t eaten anything. Guilt crushed his chest. These were things he was supposed to notice. He heard Chloe speak and all of his thoughts silenced.

“Just leave it, Mop.” Her voice sounded almost broken now. “Please. I just want to go home.”

Zack sighed. Alex could tell by that sigh that Zack was going to give in and he ran back into the living room. Rian glanced at him, raising an eyebrow, but Alex just shook his head. Moments later the cousins appeared.

“Chloe and I are gonna go home guys.”

“Awh, whyyyy?” Jack whined, moving off of Matt, who rubbed his ribs thankfully, and running over to the small girl.

“I’m tired, Jack-o. Besides, I’ll see you at school tomorrow.” His forlorn expression morphed into one of excitement and he nodded. “Thanks, guys.” Chloe addressed the rest of the room. “Really, I had fun.”

There was a chorus of ‘your welcome’s and ‘good-bye!’s as Zack wrapped a supporting arm around Chloe’s waist and they exited the house. A sinking feeling suddenly sprung up in Alex’s stomach. His gut was telling him something bad was about to happen and Alex tried to push it away. Things had been so perfect lately. He didn’t want them to change. But, then again, nothing is ever truly perfect.