Weightless

Two hours later, Chloe was still in the same position on the couch in Alex’s basement. Zack glanced over at his cousin. Her eyes had drifted shut sometime during their practice and she was snoring lightly. He chuckled and the rest of the boys followed his glance.

“Damn, are we really that bad?” Jack pouted.

“Nah, man,” Zach replied, walking towards Chloe’s slumbering body, “she doesn’t sleep much at home. Whenever she’s somewhere else she kinda just passes out. Like narcolepsy or something.”

“What the fuck is narcolepsy?” Jack raised his eyebrow.

“It’s a sleeping disorder, dummy. It makes you randomly sleep.” Alex laughed, punching his friend lightly before his gaze drifted back to the blonde haired girl.

Jack’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“How come you’ve never mentioned her before?” Rian asked softly, not wanting to wake her.

“Just never came up I guess.” Zack shrugged, lifting the fragile looking girl. “I gotta get her home though. Sorry guys.”

Alex still hadn’t taken his eyes off of Chloe. There was something about her that drew him in. She looked even smaller in sleep than she had in real life. Her pink sweater had slipped off of her shoulder, revealing more prominent bones.

“Is everything okay with her?” The words were out before Alex could stop them.

Zack shot the singer a sharp look. He moved so that his body shielded more of Chloe, breaking Alex’s eye contact with her.

“No.” The word sounded harsh in the stale basement air. “I’ll see you guys later.”

Alex, Rian, and Jack shared a look but didn’t say anything as they watched Zack’s back retreat up the stairs.

“Soooooo…anyone up for some Mortal Combat?” Jack’s eyes darted to the other boys’ faces.

Alex grinned, “RACE YA!” and sprinted up the stairs.

“No faiiiiiir!” Jack whined, following Alex. “You got a head start!”

Rian laughed and turned off the basement lights before heading upstairs at a normal pace. The three spent the next few hours locked in deadly battles, but Alex’s mind was elsewhere. He just couldn’t seem to shake those pale blue eyes from his mind. They were almost translucent, but Alex knew no matter how hard he looked, he would never be able to see through Chloe.

A few miles down the road, Zack had reached the gated community that held Chloe’s house inside. He looked at her before driving forward. She hadn’t woken up yet, but Zack knew it would only last so long. He pulled up outside of a large house. Opening the passenger side door, he scooped up Chloe and her backpack, searching for her house keys. He found the small ring that held the key and walked to the door. It unlocked with a quiet click and Zack walked forward.

“Aunt Eme?” He called, knowing better than to even hope for a response. “Uncle Jon?” Again, there was a silence.

With a sigh, Zack ascended the stairs and entered the second room on the right. He closed the curtains and set Chloe gently down on the bed. He pulled off her shoes and covered her with the blankets making sure to turn the heated one on. Zack leaned down and kissed her forehead.

“Goodnight, Bo.” He whispered. She grumbled something indecipherable before rolling onto her side. Quietly, Zack left the house, locking the door again, and drove to his own home.