Break Your Little Heart

It was as if the world had been plunged into a silence so deep nothing dared even move. Jack was just standing there, grinning down at Chloe who was still seated, phone in hand, staring at him in complete shock. It didn’t feel real. It couldn’t be real. There was no way that after five years she was seeing Jack Barakat. And at a photo shoot for his GK clothing line of all places.

“Chloe?”

The squawk of Mark’s voice through her telephone brought everything snapping back to life. Chloe’s eyes darted to the device in her hand and then back up to Jack for a split second before she was scrambling to get off of the ground, pushing her way past Jack as she sprinted back down the same hallway she had come. Out of nowhere, her body collided with a solid mass. Quick hands shot out to steady her before she was pulled into a bone crushing hug.

“Chloe!”

Another ripple of shock at the sound of Rian’s voice had Chloe paralyzed again, but she soon regained her senses and pushed herself away. He was positively beaming, every perfectly white tooth on display. Chloe’s head began to spin and she took off again, slipping through the small space between Rian and the wall. The light of the prep room was getting closer with each step she took. If she could just make it to her clothing rack, grab Oli’s jacket, and get back to the front without Rian or Jack catching up she would be home free. The glow was on top of her now and Chloe only needed to take a few more steps before she would be able to get Oli’s jacket. She could hear Ari shouting at her, but none of the words made any sense. She was there now, fingers closing around the sleeve, pulling the coat free from the hanger. She pivoted, ready to make her way to the front when Holiday’s smiling face popped up, her skinny arms winding around Chloe’s waist.

“Surprise!!”

Chloe was stuck again, her limbs frozen in place. Holiday released her, but Chloe still couldn’t seem to find her legs again. Holiday began chattering, but Chloe’s ears picked up on a different voice.

“Hey, Bo, I’m back. I got you caramel instead of vanilla because…” Zack’s voice trailed off as he came into view and spotted the two girls. Chloe could see the shock shoot through him as his gaze zeroed in on the brunette that still had yet to notice him. “…Holiday?”

Holiday turned, a little gasp catching in her throat when she saw Zack standing there. She was quiet for a moment. Then she caught the way Zack and Chloe seemed to be having some sort of silent conversation and she broke away from the bass player to stare at her best friend, hurt and betrayal clear in her eyes.

“Chloe…?”

Chloe opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by Rian and Jack barreling through the same doorway Chloe had just moments ago. They were breathing hard, looking around the room as they tried to find Chloe, Jack letting out a cry of delight when they spotted her. Everything in Chloe’s tiny body was screaming at her to run, but she couldn’t even take a step. And then, as if God himself was punishing her for all her wrong doings, he showed up, waltzing into the room without a care in the world, eyes glued to the phone in his hands.

“Jack, I really don’t want to be here right now. This is a shoot for your clothing after all. What is so damn important that you had to bring me along, huh?”

He lifted his gaze, obviously expecting to meet Jack’s, and instead found himself staring straight into those crystal blue eyes that had haunted his dreams for the past five years. He blinked, certain that this was all just some dream brought on by the hangover he was currently nursing and his lack of sleep the night before. Her slim figure didn’t disappear though.

God, she looked almost exactly the same as she had when they were younger. Her frame was still hidden under a large sweater, her legs still encased in those black leggings he had come to associate with her and her alone. Her lips still that blood red that had stained his skin and her sheets that last night they spent together. Slowly, they parted, one soft spoken word slipping out.

“Alex?”

Without saying a single thing he turned on his heel and left the room.

Chloe watched him leave, her body still too frozen for her to do anything. She couldn’t breathe. Her chest was too tight. The room was too small. The shock was too much. Almost robotically, her eyes shifted to meet Zack’s. She managed one whispered sentence that seemed to echo in the now completely silent room.

“How could you do this to me?”

And then she collapsed.