‹ Prequel: Weightless
Status: it's hereeeee.(:
Break Your Little Heart
021
“Chloeh, wha tha fuck did yeh do?!”
Tom’s voice screeched through Chloe’s phone loud with such anger and emotion that she found herself cringing away from the device, her lip trembling as she tried to keep the tears inside. It had only been a day since Chloe had called Oli in her emotional haze and everything had already managed to fall apart. She had called countless times, but he never answered. Chloe was terrified of what that meant. In her mind’s eye she could picture him drowning himself in liquor, lashing out at anyone who dared to get too close. She had finally forced herself to call Tom, knowing he was the only one who could help her fix this disaster.
“Oleh’s been a fuckin wreck eva since he listened ta yeh message! Wha tha hell is wrong wiff yeh?! Tha boy loves yeh even afta all tha shit tha yeh pull and yeh go and call him and break up wiff him juss cause he knew yeh missed yeh famileh and didn’t wan yeh ta be alone while he was gone?!?”
“I didn’t mean it!” Chloe finally managed to cry out, the tears finally slipping out. “I just lost it! I ran away from this fucking city when I was barely even 18 and I never once looked back. Then Oli went and sent me here with no warning when I was already trying to deal with yet another one of his tours and everything I’d been trying to escape came crashing down on me and I wasn’t thinking and I just lost it!” Another gut wrenching sob tore from Chloe’s lips, effectively silencing any other words.
“Jesus Christ, Chloeh, wha tha hell happened while yeh lived there?”
“I don’t want to talk about it. Please, Tom, please just talk to him. I can’t do this without him. Please.”
Chloe’s whisper was full of so much pain and heartbreak that Tom knew he would do whatever she wanted. He let out a heavy sigh.
“Fine. But I’m onleh doin this because I know yeh love him and he’s a mess wifout yeh. Yeh’re like my sistah, Chloeh, but I swear ta God if yeh eva pull somefing like this again I’m not helpin yeh eva again.”
“Thank you.”
Tom disconnected the call. Chloe slumped back into the pillows on her bed, utterly exhausted. She was alone for two seconds before the door slowly creaked open. She forced her burning eyes to open and glanced over to see her aunt standing in the doorway.
“Oh, Chloe.” She sighed, rushing forward to gather her niece in her arms.
Chloe threw her arms around her aunt’s neck. Carla slowly rocked her back and forth, humming softly. Chloe wanted to cry but it seemed her tear ducts had been completely dried up. So instead she just closed her eyes again, absorbing as much of her aunt’s warmth as possible.
“The boys are here to see you.” Her aunt finally whispered after several minutes of silence.
“I don’t want to see them.”
“Chloe, please. They’ve been without you for so long.”
Chloe pulled away from her aunt’s embrace. Never, not once, in the five years since Chloe had left, had Carla ever mentioned how the boys had felt about her disappearance. It had been accepted that that particular topic of conversation was a forbidden area. Carla’s eyes pleaded with Chloe’s in a manner so desperate that she felt herself caving.
“Fine.” She managed in a hoarse whisper. “Send them in.”
The smile that lit Carla’s face at her niece’s words was enough to nearly break Chloe in two. She knew that she had been selfish in her decision to leave, but it was the only thing she knew how to do. The only way she knew how to get better.
Carla patted Chloe’s shoulder and vanished into the hallway. A few moments later Jack, Rian, and Zack appeared in the doorway.
“Chlobo!” Jack cried, jumping onto the bed to tackle Chloe.
“How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?” Chloe’s voice was muffled in Jack’s bony shoulder.
“You can tell him all you want, Chloe, the boy is never gonna give it up.” Rian chuckled. Chloe rolled her eyes, at the last second catching her cousin’s gaze.
Zack’s face held a sort of sadness that made it clear to Chloe he knew exactly what had happened with Oli. She felt the familiar stinging sensation in her nose that warned she was about to cry, but no tears formed. She closed her eyes and shifted her head before opening them again to find Jack looming over her. It was obvious he was completely oblivious as to the situation as there was a massive grin stretched across his face. Chloe suddenly became wary. She knew that look.
“What are you up to, Jack?” She asked sternly.
“Oh nothing! We just have a little suuuurpriseeee for yoooooou!” He sing-songed, pulling her up with him.
Chloe cast a suspicious look at Rian who simply shrugged his shoulders, a smile playing on his lips, and then Zack who was now looking both excited and nervous.
“I hate surprises.”
“I know, but if I tell you, you won’t come. And I really, really want you to come.” Jack pouted. “Pleeeeeease?”
Chloe sighed. The boy knew just where her weak spots were, even five years later.
“Okay, but I’m warning you –”
Her threat was cut off by Jack’s excited cry and exuberant hug that ended with Chloe being spun around the room in his arms. When he finally placed her on the ground she wobbled slightly and Zack’s firm grip on her elbow caught her just before she tumbled to the ground. She stared into his eyes, silently begging him to tell her just what was about to happen.
“Just keep an open mind, okay?” He pleaded, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. “If you really hate it so much you can leave but it would really mean a lot to us if you would come. Especially me.”
Red flags popped up everywhere in Chloe’s mind, but the expression on her cousin’s face coupled with Jack still hopping around the room in excitement made it clear this was one surprise Chloe was just going to have to deal with.
“Thanks, Bo.” Zack’s smile lit up the room and Chloe felt a bite of pain in her heart. She hated herself for hurting him all these years. “You get dressed and meet us in the living room in 15 minutes okay?”
“Okay.” She murmured.
The boys shuffled out, and Chloe allowed herself exactly 2 minutes to panic before pushing it aside and heading for her suitcase. This night was important to the boys and after everything she had put them through, she owed it to them. There was no way she was going to let anything ruin this for them.
Tom’s voice screeched through Chloe’s phone loud with such anger and emotion that she found herself cringing away from the device, her lip trembling as she tried to keep the tears inside. It had only been a day since Chloe had called Oli in her emotional haze and everything had already managed to fall apart. She had called countless times, but he never answered. Chloe was terrified of what that meant. In her mind’s eye she could picture him drowning himself in liquor, lashing out at anyone who dared to get too close. She had finally forced herself to call Tom, knowing he was the only one who could help her fix this disaster.
“Oleh’s been a fuckin wreck eva since he listened ta yeh message! Wha tha hell is wrong wiff yeh?! Tha boy loves yeh even afta all tha shit tha yeh pull and yeh go and call him and break up wiff him juss cause he knew yeh missed yeh famileh and didn’t wan yeh ta be alone while he was gone?!?”
“I didn’t mean it!” Chloe finally managed to cry out, the tears finally slipping out. “I just lost it! I ran away from this fucking city when I was barely even 18 and I never once looked back. Then Oli went and sent me here with no warning when I was already trying to deal with yet another one of his tours and everything I’d been trying to escape came crashing down on me and I wasn’t thinking and I just lost it!” Another gut wrenching sob tore from Chloe’s lips, effectively silencing any other words.
“Jesus Christ, Chloeh, wha tha hell happened while yeh lived there?”
“I don’t want to talk about it. Please, Tom, please just talk to him. I can’t do this without him. Please.”
Chloe’s whisper was full of so much pain and heartbreak that Tom knew he would do whatever she wanted. He let out a heavy sigh.
“Fine. But I’m onleh doin this because I know yeh love him and he’s a mess wifout yeh. Yeh’re like my sistah, Chloeh, but I swear ta God if yeh eva pull somefing like this again I’m not helpin yeh eva again.”
“Thank you.”
Tom disconnected the call. Chloe slumped back into the pillows on her bed, utterly exhausted. She was alone for two seconds before the door slowly creaked open. She forced her burning eyes to open and glanced over to see her aunt standing in the doorway.
“Oh, Chloe.” She sighed, rushing forward to gather her niece in her arms.
Chloe threw her arms around her aunt’s neck. Carla slowly rocked her back and forth, humming softly. Chloe wanted to cry but it seemed her tear ducts had been completely dried up. So instead she just closed her eyes again, absorbing as much of her aunt’s warmth as possible.
“The boys are here to see you.” Her aunt finally whispered after several minutes of silence.
“I don’t want to see them.”
“Chloe, please. They’ve been without you for so long.”
Chloe pulled away from her aunt’s embrace. Never, not once, in the five years since Chloe had left, had Carla ever mentioned how the boys had felt about her disappearance. It had been accepted that that particular topic of conversation was a forbidden area. Carla’s eyes pleaded with Chloe’s in a manner so desperate that she felt herself caving.
“Fine.” She managed in a hoarse whisper. “Send them in.”
The smile that lit Carla’s face at her niece’s words was enough to nearly break Chloe in two. She knew that she had been selfish in her decision to leave, but it was the only thing she knew how to do. The only way she knew how to get better.
Carla patted Chloe’s shoulder and vanished into the hallway. A few moments later Jack, Rian, and Zack appeared in the doorway.
“Chlobo!” Jack cried, jumping onto the bed to tackle Chloe.
“How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?” Chloe’s voice was muffled in Jack’s bony shoulder.
“You can tell him all you want, Chloe, the boy is never gonna give it up.” Rian chuckled. Chloe rolled her eyes, at the last second catching her cousin’s gaze.
Zack’s face held a sort of sadness that made it clear to Chloe he knew exactly what had happened with Oli. She felt the familiar stinging sensation in her nose that warned she was about to cry, but no tears formed. She closed her eyes and shifted her head before opening them again to find Jack looming over her. It was obvious he was completely oblivious as to the situation as there was a massive grin stretched across his face. Chloe suddenly became wary. She knew that look.
“What are you up to, Jack?” She asked sternly.
“Oh nothing! We just have a little suuuurpriseeee for yoooooou!” He sing-songed, pulling her up with him.
Chloe cast a suspicious look at Rian who simply shrugged his shoulders, a smile playing on his lips, and then Zack who was now looking both excited and nervous.
“I hate surprises.”
“I know, but if I tell you, you won’t come. And I really, really want you to come.” Jack pouted. “Pleeeeeease?”
Chloe sighed. The boy knew just where her weak spots were, even five years later.
“Okay, but I’m warning you –”
Her threat was cut off by Jack’s excited cry and exuberant hug that ended with Chloe being spun around the room in his arms. When he finally placed her on the ground she wobbled slightly and Zack’s firm grip on her elbow caught her just before she tumbled to the ground. She stared into his eyes, silently begging him to tell her just what was about to happen.
“Just keep an open mind, okay?” He pleaded, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. “If you really hate it so much you can leave but it would really mean a lot to us if you would come. Especially me.”
Red flags popped up everywhere in Chloe’s mind, but the expression on her cousin’s face coupled with Jack still hopping around the room in excitement made it clear this was one surprise Chloe was just going to have to deal with.
“Thanks, Bo.” Zack’s smile lit up the room and Chloe felt a bite of pain in her heart. She hated herself for hurting him all these years. “You get dressed and meet us in the living room in 15 minutes okay?”
“Okay.” She murmured.
The boys shuffled out, and Chloe allowed herself exactly 2 minutes to panic before pushing it aside and heading for her suitcase. This night was important to the boys and after everything she had put them through, she owed it to them. There was no way she was going to let anything ruin this for them.