by Elisa Riley
"I can and I will," Mr. Payne spoke. And as Stacy glared at him for suspending her from prom, she whipped out her phone and began showing him the video.
"You will let me to go prom or so help me, I will turn this video into the school board and get you fired. And don't be surprised if someone already has, everyone in our grade has this video." Stacy spoke as Mr. Payne's eyes never left the screen of him fucking Chloe. And just like that, Chaos began.
A chain happened. The explicit video of Chloe was being forwarded to other peers in the school. students would go home and tell their parents. And parents would be appalled and complain to the school board about the safety of their daughters around the principal. And the school board was brought to attention that they needed to get rid of Mr. Payne in order for their school not to become publicly scandalized by society. And so the next week of school continued without Mr. Payne, a substitute former principal filling in his shoes until they could find another headmaster whom wouldn't be in a sexual relationship with a student. For Liam, He thought his life was over. His wife left him and he got fired from his job. But little did he know that Chloe had it worse. Chloe continued going to school with the suspension being waved off, walking amongst the hall of students with her head hung low as they called her such horrible names and bullying her to an extent for sleeping with the headmaster. Guys would joke around with her and ask if she wanted to make a porno with them, and girls would give her the title of being pathetic and a slut. She even walked up to a note taped on her locker that provoked her to an extent. She wiped away her tears as she ripped the note off the locker and crumpled, hearing quiet laughter behind her. She needed someone to comfort her and Surely Robert couldn't do that. They still haven't talked to each other ever since that night when he backhanded her. Chloe had no one to go to. She couldn't go to Abbie or Laura because Robert was in the video and she didn't want to get him in trouble, nonetheless she didn't want to get in trouble for even being in that video. She could only think of one person who could truly help her get through this difficult time. Daniel. But Daniel has been avoiding Chloe throughout the whole week and now she understood why. He must have been angry with the fact that Chloe was doing this behind his back. Even though they weren't together, Chloe understood because if he were to be having sex with another girl, surely that would make Chloe upset. Even with that being said, Chloe continued to try to talk to Daniel, looking for him during lunch and study hall. She finally found Daniel in the cafeteria, sitting at a table with various students. Once Chloe approached the table, All students but Daniel fled, they couldn’t be seen with someone like her. Daniel began to stand up, making his way away from her, until she held on his arm, preventing him from leaving her. "Please don't avoid me, Daniel, I really need someone to talk to." Chloe quietly spoke, not wanting to break down in tears like she has been doing for the past couple of days. Daniel sighed, looking at rosemary as he could see the glossiness in her eyes as she sniffled slightly. "C'mon, let's go talk somewhere else," He murmured tugging on her hand as he pulled her out of the cafeteria. They walked down campus where they finally reached the football field, away from all the other students and all the chaos. They took a seat on the bleachers, either of them not knowing what to say. "I know you were avoiding me because of what I did, and I just want to say that I'm really sorry." Chloe mumbled as she looked at her fiddling hands.
It wasn't that he was angry at Chloe for sleeping with other people- well he was at first- but knowing that it was him who caused the video to go around school made him feel guilty, too guilty to even confront Chloe about it so he simply avoided her. The way he watched Chloe's life crumble down just by some stupid video made him feel even more guilty about it. When he didn't respond to her, Chloe began crying as she buried her face into her hands. She couldn't stand the thought of Daniel hating her for what she did. It was bad enough that everyone else did, but now the only person who truly cared about her hated her too. "Please, don't hate me." Chloe whispered and that nearly broker Daniel's heart. He pulled her onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her and kissed her cheek from behind her, resting his head on his shoulder.
"I could never hate you, Chloe, You know that. I don't care about that video anymore, I'm just so sorry that all this has happened to you." Daniel spoke, placing his hands in Chloe's as he entwined them together.
"It's not your fault," Chloe spoke, but little did she know that it kind of was. Daniel looked down, feeling so guilty. He wanted to tell her, he really did, but knowing that she would never talk to him again if she find out stopped him from telling her the truth. So instead he could only say that whoever sent the video out must've been sorry.
Chapter 14
It was so torturous for Chloe to get out of bed and head to school where she had to face the wrath of her peers. She had just finished getting out of a long and thoughtful shower, half of it being spent standing under the water, and the other half sobbing uncontrollably. She couldn't stand what the kids at school were saying about her, it was all too much and she was getting to the point where she wished she could finish the rest of the remaining months at home instead of in a class with people who loathed and made fun of her.
She stood beside her bed, combing through her hair as she sniffled, tears falling from her Bambi eyes. She looked in the mirror, looking at her bruised face, the bruises that Stacy had left were almost diminishing just like what was left of her dignity. Abbie stood leaning against the door frame, Watching Chloe sniffle quietly as tears fell from her eyes. She could only wonder what was bothering Chloe so much, Chloe wouldn't spill a thing to her so the only thing Abbie could do was call Laura and tell her about how emotional Chloe has been for the past week. And from what she heard of Chloe, Laura began to worry for her being and took it upon herself to call Robert and ask if he could go with her to Chloe's house to check up on her. Robert couldn't deny her request, knowing fully well it would cause suspicion, so he agreed to meet with her so that they could travel to Chloe's house together. Robert and Laura stood at the front of Chloe's house, Laura's fist knocking against the mahogany door as they waited for Abbie to allow them to come inside. Once Abbie was inviting them in, Robert and Laura followed Abbie up the stairs and into Chloe's room where they saw her weeping in sorrow on her bed, her wet hair causing the sheet to dampen in one spot. "Chloe, are you alright?" Laura quietly asked, not wanting to upset her further as she neared the foot of the bed where Chloe had been laying on her side, her knees curled up to stomach. Chloe looked up, seeing Laura, Robert, and Abbie in her room, each of them with a look of confusion and worry sketched onto their faces. "No." She answered quietly, bringing her hand up to face as she wiped at the nip of her nose.
"Could you tell us what’s going on? We're very worried for your being." Laura spoke, sitting next to Chloe on the bed. Chloe contemplated on whether or not she should even tell them what’s going on. She couldn't possibly say that it was about her, Robert, and their principal being in a sex tape, she couldn't get Robert in trouble like that.
Even if she was angry at him for what he did, a small ounce in her body said that he didn't mean it all and that he still loved her like he said did. She was in denial, being delusional over the fact that she thought that Robert could actually love her like He loved his wife. She would have recognized that Robert was fooling her if she only knew what love felt like, and she didn't. She was so naive to the word love that she would believe anything Robert said to her, just because he supposedly loved her. "Kids at school are being terrible to me, Laura, they won’t leave me alone and I hate it." Chloe cried as she leaned on Laura for comfort. Robert stared at Chloe with furrowed brows as he watched her breakdown with every word she said. She was being bullied? For What? "Why?" He asked and Chloe looked at him straight in the eyes as she said that a video of her went out to the whole school. And just like that, the color from his face drained, making him look pale as he stiffened under her look. "What was the video about?"
Robert dreaded the a
nswer, knowing fully well that it was the video he shot of Liam and Chloe. He could only cross his fingers and hope Chloe wouldn't say anything about the video involving him. Chloe saw how he reacted, how he was as white as a wonderland Rose, and thought about it already destroyed Mr. Payne's life, she wasn't going to destroy Robert's too. "Please don't get mad at me, but it was of me and- and this guy having sex," Chloe quietly mumbled and Abbie gasped, ready to yell at Chloe for even recording such provocative acts on camera, but Laura stopped her, saying that she would handle it. "Wh..why did you let him record you?" Laura asked, trying to hold back her anger as she just wanted rosemary to stop crying and calm down.
"I don't know, okay? H-he wanted to and I let him. I don't even know how it got out, but now that it has, no one will leave me alone." Chloe mumbled through her tears. She felt like her world was over, like she was nothing but a floating ash in the wind. "Could I talk to Chloe alone for a second?" Robert finally spoke up, grasping onto his sanity as he finally got ahold of the situation. Laura looked at him questioningly but didn't say anything further as she left the room with Abbie, closing the door behind her. Robert opened his arms, and without any words said between them , Chloe ran into his arms, holding onto him tightly as she buried her face into the side of his neck. as heartless as it was, He needed to get her to like him again in hopes of her listening to him and promising not to let Laura or Abbie see the video. "I'm so sorry, baby, I don't know how the video couldn't gotten out, I sent it to Liam and I know for sure that he wouldn't have sent it out to anyone else." He hushes Chloe, kissing her on the temples of her forehead as he rubbed her back soothingly. "How else would it have gotten out, Robert?" Chloe frowned. Robert could only pull out his phone as he called Liam, wanting answers himself. Liam and Robert discussed about how neither of them have sent it out to anyone. Liam checked his last text messages and finally found an unfamiliar number who he had supposedly forwarded the video to. He told Robert about and Robert decided to call up the number, wanting to know who that person was. He put it on speaker, the shrilling sound of the ringing going off until it was sent to voice mail.
"Hey, its Daniel, sorry I can't come to the phone right now. Leave me a message and I'll get back to you, Bye." Chloe's eyes widened as she figured Daniel was the person who sent out the video to everyone. But why would he do that, why would he send it out to everyone and lie about it? "Daniel? Do you know who this is?" Robert asked. Chloe began to cry again, the feeling of being betrayed by Daniel.
"I know fully well who that person is and I can't believe he would do this to me."
Chapter 15
Chloe couldn't handle anything anymore. Everyday, school became more and more vicious for her, she couldn't even walk through the hallway without having a snarky comment being tossed at her. She didn't have anyone to talk to at school anymore, after finding out that Daniel had sent everyone the video of her and Mr. Payne. And now it was becoming even more difficult because she just needed someone to talk to about the situation, she surely couldn't tell Laura or Abbie what she truly felt about everything and she couldn't speak to Robert about it because he took the subject so lightly and just always reminded her that she shouldn't tell Laura or Abbie about it.
She couldn't take it, being alone was doing damage to her. She felt like she had nobody, she was just a lone ranger with the problems of a troubled philosopher who thought too much. The deafening noise of being locked in her room with no one to talk to begin getting to her, practically eating her alive. She wanted to just scream and rip her hair out, do anything that could get her out of this horrible life she was living. She felt like giving up.
And so she did.
There Chloe stood, on the rooftop of a building, looking down at the speeding vehicles and the pedestrians who busily rushed to places and shops amongst the area. She thought this was her only way out. Surely it was, right? It's not like she had much going for her, she had no one there to support her and help her get through this rough patch in life anyway so she might as have no life at all. It wasn't worth living. She had gone through hell and back hand it was about time she wanted to get out of it.
Chloe stood on the ledge, breathing out quickly as she stared down at the concrete that she would be dead on in a few seconds. Just jump already. Do it.
"You'll fall if you lean any further," She heard a voice coming behind her, turning around to be met with a blonde haired boy, his blue eyes looking intently into her brown ones.
"Yeah, that's the point." Chloe spoke and the boy nodded, understanding what she meant.
"If you're going to jump, do a flip." He spoke which baffled Chloe. Do a flip? What the fuck was wrong with this guy? Here she was, about to end her life and a stranger was telling her to do a fucking flip off the building?
"You're fucking crazy," Chloe stared at him with wide eyes.
"Says the one who is about to jump off a building." He chuckled and Chloe huffed out. She already had enough on her plate, she didn't need some egotistical, blue eyed boy to come in and make her even more upset than she already was.
"Go on, jump," He taunted her, biting his lip as he played with the lip ring that was hooked in the corner of his mouth. With those words said, Chloe closed her eyes, trying to muzzle up the courage to do it, to actually jump. She took a baby step forward and felt the wind hit against her face. She wanted to jump so badly and get it over with, but she couldn't, she was too scared.
"Here, I'll help you," The boy took a step forward, latching his arms around Chloe and jerked her forward, making her scream in terror, until he pulled her back and off of the ledge, back onto the concrete rooftop.
"What the fuck? You almost dropped me and I could have died!" Chloe screamed at him, hitting his forearm in the process. She was bewildered that a stranger merely pushed her and could have ended her life.
"But isn't that what you wanted? Weren't you trying to do that? That's what committing suicide is, you die, y'know." The boy spoke and Chloe huffed slightly.
"See, I knew you really weren't going to do it." The boy flashed a smirk at her, knowing fully well that he was right. Chloe could only roll her eyes and recover from her almost life ending moment as she began walking away from him, wanting just to go back and cry it all out.
"Wait! Where are you going?" He asked as he began following Chloe out to the door.
"I'm going home." She curtly spoke.
"If you wait fifteen more minutes until closing time, we can bond over a slice of pizza?" He asks, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans.
"I don't know you," Chloe slowly spoke.
"Yet."
And so with the slight convincing of that strange boy, she waited fifteen minutes just like he had asked her too, watching as he worked his shift, sweeping up the floor and doing whatever he obtained to until he was flipping the open sign opposite, closing down the shop that belonged to the bottom floor of the building.
And like he promise, They were eating straight out of a pizza box that he ordered, only the one detail he left out was that they were going to be going back to his house.
"When you said pizza, I thought meant at a fast food restaurant, not at your house. I don't even know you and you've already taken be to your house?" Chloe said out loud, her eyes scanning the small house filled with antic like things and portraits of what she assumed was his family and friends.
"I don't feel comfortable in front of such a large environment, I'd rather eat in." He speaks and Chloe can understand, she sometimes feels that way too.
As they sit down around the small dinner table, he slides a slice of pizza I front of Chloe, mumbling a simple 'dig in'.
"So, I'm surprised you haven't asked my name yet." The boy stares at Chloe with amusement as he chews on his food.
"Why should I? After this, we're not going to see each other again so it doesn't really make sense to get to know each other." Chloe said and the boy could only hold his hands up in surrender as they eat in silence after that.
&nbs
p; "Where's the bathroom?" Chloe asked and he instructed her to go down the hall, first door on the left. She used the toilet, washing her hands after so and checked her phone. She sighed, seeing the 12 unread messages from Daniel. Chloe tucked her phone back into her pocket, making her way out of the bathroom. With the glimpse of an open door, she look inside a room, looking around spitting nothing penguins. Penguins? "So I have a thing for penguins," She heard a voice behind her, looking as the boy leaned on the door frame of his bedroom, letting Chloe wander into the room and look around at his various collection of plush penguins. "Aren't you a little too old for stuffed animals?" Chloe asked, picking up the hand sized penguin as she flew back down onto the bed.
"There's no such thing as a little too old for something you enjoy." He hummed and Chloe gave him a small smile. She may have thought this boy was strange in ways that made her question him, but he was alright. "So, what's your thing?" He asked.
"Huh?"
"What's your thing, like what's something weird about you?" He asked and Chloe tried to think of something unique about her, but there was nothing. Other than her sex life, she was as normal as it could get, right?
"I don't really have a thing," She mumbled.
"Oh c'mon, everyone has a thing. My neighbors buy worthless penny stocks and my mom's into antic collecting. So what do you do?" He asked.
"I.. fuck up everything, that's my thing." Chloe murmured, sighing as she could herself getting upset all over again.
"I think I should go home, it's getting kind of late." Chloe stuffed her hands into the pockets of her shorts as she began making her way to the door. The boy stopped her before leaving, smiling as he took out his phone and handed it to her to put her number in. She gave him a half smile, pressing in her digits before bidding a bye and walking out of the strange boy's house. And as she stepped out onto the concrete pavement, her phone buzzed, seeing a text from an unfamiliar number. I know you didn't want to know my name, but I figured I should tell you it anyways. My name's Ethan.
