Weightless

“Those things will kill you, ya know?”

Alex’s voice was chipper and it irked Chloe in a way she wasn’t comfortable with. He had a smile on his face and she tried to return it, but her lips didn’t want to cooperate.

“I know.”

She turned and continued walking. Alex was not so easily discouraged. After all, this girl had been running through his mind since he had officially met her last night.

“You should stop then.”

Chloe glared at him.

“Well maybe that’s exactly what I’m aiming for.”

Alex was stunned into silence, the smile slipped off his face. Girl’s were never this blunt with him unless they were saying they wanted to fuck him. He hadn’t ever faced this before and he wasn’t quite sure how to respond. Chloe took this as her cue and started walking again. Stupid boys.

“You shouldn’t say that.” Alex’s voice was still slightly shocked but it also held a mournful note.

Chloe scoffed but decided against responding. She brought the cigarette to her lips again, taking a long drag, just to mock him. She bent her head backwards, blowing the smoke out in an arc. She smirked to herself, forcing a cough to stay down. That wouldn’t help prove her point at all. As she went to lift the stick back to her lips, a warm hand wrapped around her bony wrist. Stifling a squeak of terror, Chloe whipped around, coming face to face with Alex. His car was parked, still running, not even 3 feet behind them. He plucked the death stick from her fingers, stomping it out on the wet concrete. Chloe glared, filling Alex with ice, and tried to wrench out of his grasp. He held firm and a strange noise sounded in the frigid air. Chloe’s face contorted.

“Are you fucking serious?” She growled.

Alex hadn’t released his hold and her wrist was screaming in pain.

“Fucking let go, asshole!” Chloe screamed in his face, her throat burning with raise in volume, causing her cough to finally escape.

Flinching, Alex dropped her. Finally realizing what had happened, his eyes widened and he broke out in a cold sweat. This girl was even more fragile than she seemed and Zack was going to kill him.

“Oh my God. Oh my God, Chloe, I am so sorry! Shit! What the fuck? How did that happen?! Fuck, Chloe get in the car, we have to go to the hospital!”

Alex was panicking. He went to grab Chloe but realized how terrible an idea that would be. She just turned around and continued walking, cradling her wrist that was swelling faster than he thought it could. He raced after her.

Chloe was pissed. This fucking kid thought he could just come out of nowhere and tell her off for smoking, follow her in his fucking car, bruise and completely mess up her wrist, and then expect her to get in his piece of shit car? Not gonna happen.

“Chloe,” He pleaded, finally catching up with her, “please get in the car.”

“Fuck off, Alex.” She hissed.

“Please, I didn’t mean to do that. Fuck! I didn’t even grab you that hard! Just, please, Zack is already gonna murder me, please let me take you to the hospital.”

Chloe sized him up. Zack would beat the shit out of him, not that she was complaining, but she felt kind of bad for the kid. Most people would have been fine, maybe just a little bruise. She sighed and grumbled her way back to his car. A wave of relief washed over Alex and he opened the door for her. She shot him yet another glare and climbed in. He ran around to the driver’s side and cranked the heat up, remembering what Zack had said about her getting cold.

“If you’re going to fuck up my wrist and then kidnap me, you owe me a fucking smoke.” She mumbled, sneaking a glance at his concerned face.

Alex sighed. He really didn’t like people smoking, especially anywhere around him. And he really didn’t like the idea of this tiny girl next to him smoking, but she was right in a way.

“This is only happening once.” He warned, rolling down her window.

She shot him a look he couldn’t quite decipher and dug out her Royals and lighter. At the taste of the tobacco, Chloe’s nerves instantly calmed. She took a deep breath, shuddering with the warmth filling her soul.

“Thank you.” She whispered.

Alex just sighed again and Chloe turned to watch the scenery fly by. Alex studied her. He felt a smile steal across his face. This girl tugged on his soul. Everything about her from her bony little knees to her oversized sweaters and prominent collar bones all the way to her delicate nose and ice blue orbs drew him in. She was a puzzle, something Alex was not used to. She inhaled again and he frowned. The fact that she would deliberately do something harmful, admitting to the fact that she didn’t care, bothered him. He wanted to wrap her in bubble wrap and keep her tucked safe under his covers. Chloe shifted, and Alex forced himself to look away.

“We’re not going to the hospital, by the way.” She exhaled out the window again.

“Last time I checked, I was driving this car not you.”

Chloe scrunched up her face in annoyance.

“How exactly do you plan on explaining the fingerprint bruises on my wrist then, hmm?”

“Fuck.”

Chloe grinned, smugness radiating off of her. Now Alex was the one that was annoyed.

“We need to at least wrap it or something, Chloe. Let me take you back to my house. If we hurry we probably won’t even be late to school.”

Chloe scrunched up her face again.

“If this is some sick ploy to get me alone in your house, Gaskarth, Zack will be the least of your problems.”

“I swear, it’s not.” Alex sighed.

Chloe made no other comment so Alex turned the car around and headed back the way he had come. He caught himself sneaking glances at her again. Every time he looked at her, he found something new to like. The way her nose was perfectly round at the tip, the way her lips parted when she exhaled, even the way her brow was furrowed in frustration.
By 6:43 a.m. they were outside of Alex’s house. Thankfully, both of his parents had left. He led Chloe inside, dragging her upstairs. He left her to sit in the bathroom while he hunted down an ACE bandage and Chloe took the time to fully examine her wrist.

She slowly rolled up her sleeve and began prodding at the bruised bump. Nothing was broken, that much she was certain of. Chloe doubted there was a fracture either, considering that she wasn’t in enough pain to be that injured. It was probably just a sprain or, at worst, a pulled ligament. She sighed just as Alex reentered the bathroom. He proudly help up a bandage and Chloe almost let herself giggle at his childish expression. You’d think he had just cured cancer with an expression like that. She went to grab it but Alex pulled it away. She growled and handed over her wrist.

“I really am sorry about messing up your wrist, you know. But I have to say, Chlo, I’m pretty impressed that you’re not a sniveling mess right now. Most girls I know cry over a paper cut, but you’re don’t even seem fazed.” Alex chuckled while slowly wrapping the bandage in a figure eight pattern.

“First of all, it’s Chloe. Second of all, don’t compare me to other girls when you don’t even know me. And stop apologizing. It’s a sign of weakness.” She snapped.

Alex just laughed quietly to himself. This girl really was something else.