CHAPTER TWELVE

Chloe's P.O.V

I pulled down the dress a bit so it covered my legs more, I looked around everyone else was wearing shorts and t-shirts, and this black dress is beginning to make me feel more and more different than everyone else.

"Hey Hayley," I shifted uncomfortably.

"Yeah?" She wondered looking at other clothes through the windows.

"Two things, one; why was that girl being mean to you, and two I feel like everyone is staring at me," I questioned aggravated as someone catcalled me.

"Okay, I'll start with Fayne," She said, sighing and I nodded.

"A couple of years ago when I was seventeen, I had a crush on two people. One was a boy, and the other was Fayne, not how she is now but how she was before."

"Oh so you like boys and girls," I stated rather than asked.

"Something like that," She grimaced a little.

"What does that mean?" I continued.

As we walked to the moving stairs following her way.

"It means I am attracted to people regardless of their gender," She explained.

"I'm not sure if I understand what that means," I says awkwardly.

"It means I like boys, girls, and all genders of the rainbow," She says laughing at her own joke.

"Alright, I'll show you what I mean tonight, but first let's go get something to eat because I'm starving," She says getting off the moving stairs.

"What are these moving stairs called?" I asked getting off behind her.

"They are called escalators," She explained, walking towards the smell of food.

"Oh okay," The smell of different foods hit me all at once, and my stomach growled loudly and a lot of people looked in my direction.

She walked over to a place called "A&W" and got in line and I stood beside her.

"This place has the best sweet potato fries," She says looking over the menu.

"What are sweet potato fries?" I asked, we were next in line and I had no idea what she's talking about, as always.

"Oh, you have to try them!" She exclaimed and walked up to the counter to place our order.

"Hi, can we get two teen burger meals with sweet potato fries and root beer please?" She ordered taking out her wallet.

"That will be twenty-three dollars and forty-five cents," The cashier says getting the debit machine ready, Hayley placed the card onto the machine and it made a beeping sound and she put it back into her wallet.

"Okay, now we wait for says food," She says with a sigh.

"Hey Hayley," Hayley turned around and there was a tall man around Colby's age, walked towards us; he had blonde hair that swooped into his eyes a bit, with blue eyes and a big smile, he has broad shoulders, he is wearing his hat backward and had a can of Pepsi in his hand.

"Jason, oh my god how are you?" Hayley asked with a large smile on her face as she opened her arms to give him a hug.

"I'm good, I've been working out more," Jason laughed, letting her go and flexing his muscles showing off.

"That's great, how's your sister doing?" She asked, smiling.

"Come ask her, yourself she's right over there," He laughed and pointed towards a table full of girls around my age.

"I don't want to bother anyone," Hayley shrugged.

"Aw come on, we love your company," Jason says, nudging her shoulder.

"Okay fine, after I get our food, oh yeah, I forgot to mention; this is Chloe, Chloe this is Jason," She introduced us.

"Hello," I say shyly.

"Hey Chloe it's nice to meet you, wow your really pretty," He says almost breathless.

I blushed at his words before Hayley stepped in.

"Sorry Jason but this chica is taken," She laughed as our food came upon a tray.

"Oh come on, you know I don't mean anything creepy by it," He joked.

"Yeah, yeah let's go ladies man," She rolled her eyes walking towards the girls with our food on the tray.

The closer we got to the table, the more nervous I got. What if they don't like me and it will be awkward?

"Hayley!" A girl in a purple hoodie with brown hair and brown eyes ran towards us, Hayley put down the tray just in time before she was nearly knocked over by a hug.

"Hey you look great, I'm glad to see you out of the hospital!" Hayley says excitedly.

"You stopped coming to visit me. I thought you forgot about me," The girl says with a pout.

"Never, I've been having to work to keep up with bills," Hayley explained.

"Busy with work or got a new girlfriend?" The girl snickered looking at me over Hayley's shoulder.

"What, oh no, actually this is my new friend Chloe," She says smiling.

"Just a friend huh?" The girl laughed.

"Yes just a friend, she has a fiance you know," Hayley shook her head laughing.

"Oh, well any friend of Hayley's is a friend of mine, come sit with us!" She says jumping up and down.

"I don't want to bother you guys," Hayley says trailing off.

"No come on you never bother me," She says pulling on Hayley's arm.

"Okay give me a second I have to bring our food," Hayley says picking up the tray.

"Yay, okay," The girl yelled and ran back towards her table.

We followed Jason and his sister and sat in the extra empty seats, Hayley put our food down and started passing me mine.

"Thank you," I say quietly.

"No problem Chloe," She smiled.

"So Chloe, how did you meet Hayley?" She asked with her hand holding up her chin.

"She got my fiance arrested at her restaurant," I say honestly as I picked up my burger and took a big bite.

"What?" The girl looked at Hayley in shock.

"It was a misunderstanding Kate," Hayley says, taking a bite out of an orange fry.

"Why did they arrest him," I looked over at Hayley as if to say she should tell Kate the story.

"Do you see all those bruises on Chloe's face and arms?" Hayley asked and that's when Kate really looked at me.

"Oh wow, yeah," Kate says looking back at Hayley.

"Well I assumed that her fiance did it to her," She says, taking a sip of rootbeer.

"Did he?" Kate questioned looking between me and Hayley.

"No, he saved me from the man who did this to me," I say in a dark tone.

"Oh, is he here somewhere?" She asked, looking around.

I took a deep breath before I answered her.

"No, he's in the hospital in a coma," I replied, trying not to let my anger show.

"Oh my god, what happened?" Kate was asking too many questions but maybe she can help me.

"A girl who was his best friend liked him a little too much and shot him in the head," I spoke solemnly.

"That's messed up," Jason shook his head.

I shrugged in response as I took another bite of my burger and sipped on my root beer. "Did you call the police?" Kate asked.

"No, it's a bit more complicated than that," Hayley replied.

"What's so complicated about it, you and his family must be so upset," She babbled on and I choked when she mentioned his parents and took a bigger sip.

"That's the complicated part," Hayley sighed.

"Why is it complicated?" Kate questioned again.

"Because his parents are the ones who beat her, they went to another city to start over and from what it sounded like was that his friend wanted him to herself, and he chose Chloe so she shot him," Hayley explained better than I ever could.

"Did that actually happen, I mean it sounds like something that only happens in movies," One of Kate's friends says.

"Well if you want you can go to the hospital and find out," I snapped, getting irritable.

I finished off my meal and the last of my pop and sat back into my chair with my arms crossed.

"Geez, sorry," She said, rolling her eyes and going back to her phone.

"So Kate," Hayley says, trying to change the subject.

"Yeah?" Kate replied looking up from her own phone.

"Dating any girls lately?" Hayley winked.

"Not unless that girl is going to be you," Kate winked back.

"Oh, aren't you going to ask me first?" Hayley giggled flirtatiously.

"Maybe," She giggled back.

I groaned and leaned my head back against the chair out of annoyance, I still can't think of a way to get back at them for what they all do to Colby and me.

"Are you okay?" Kate asked.

"Yeah I'm sorry, I'm trying to figure out how to make myself more edgy and become tougher," I explained.

"Get a tattoo," The girl from before says.

"A tattoo?" I wondered.

"Yeah you know, permanent ink in your skin, have you been living under a rock?" She says, rolling her eyes again.

"No, but I have been living under a house for eighteen years," I sighed.

Hayley patted me on my shoulder and gave me an apologetic smile.

"So where do I get a tattoo?" I asked with a mischievous look on my face.

"You're kidding right?" Hayley says with her eyebrows raised.

"No, I'm serious," I said honestly with a hard expression.

"Tattoo's cost money, and think about them because they stay on your skin forever," Hayley attempted to talk me out of it.

"I already have the perfect tattoo," I say, excited.

"Oh, and what's that?" Hayley asked with a sigh.

"Black doves right here," I say pointing to my collar bone.

"Sounds painful, and also why black doves?" Jason asked curiously.

"Because doves are symbolism for purity and innocence, my innocence has been taken away from me," I explained truthfully.

"Damn, that's deep," Jason says nodding in agreement.

"Don't encourage her," Hayley says, smacking Jason's shoulder.

"Why not seem like she has it all planned out," He says, giving me a small smile.

"Whose money are you going to be using?" She asked, crossing her arms.

"I'll find a job!" I said excitedly getting up.

"Right now?" Kate asked, starting to get up with me.

"Why not?" I asked.

"It's not that easy," Hayley says as I walked back to A&W.

"Excuse me, I would like to work for you, as long as I get paid today," I said to the person behind the cashier.

"Do you have a resume?" The man asked, holding out his hand.

"No, but if you don't hire me someone else will and then you'll regret not doing so," I said with a giant smile.

There was silence for about five minutes.

"Alright fine, Clare shows her how to use the cash register and the pop machines, I'm going on break," The man sighed.

He clocked out and left as I went to the other side of the counter.

Colby's P.O.V

Sitting in the living room I kept changing the channels on the television but all we got was static, I sighed and turned it off, I opened the blinds and the view I had in front of me reminded me of a beautiful painting.

We had a large deck with a barbecue and a playset which included; swings, a slide, and a pretend princess castle for a child, but it must have been from before us because we don't have any children, at least not yet.

I smiled at that thought, Chloe having our children in this beautiful house, the backyard was an open space but farther over I noticed there was a large moon gate covered in cherry blossom vines, they were in full bloom.

I began walking off the deck to take a better look at what could be past the gate. The smell of flowers twirled around me with the wind making it seem magical, I walked through the gate as my surroundings took me over, the path was made out of stone and there was a beautiful garden.

Different flowers were planted and fragrances were in the air.

It was magnificent to see.

In the middle of the garden there was a fountain of an angel statue pouring water to the rest of the fountain.

I noticed that the water didn't just stay in the fountain but went to all the flowers in the garden. I walked farther following where the water was flowing into where the fence ended.

Not only were there flowers but there were also strawberries, blueberries, lemons and so many other fruits..