xBrindleFrostx

Then we getinto the lyrics

We were friends, we were close How could I've ever known that it would go? It would go this way, this way

Remember when we were cool I always had your back Tell me, how could you do me like that?

Not much is said in this first verse that we don't already know, most of it mainly about how she feels betrayed and ignored, but I feel like it's important to note how strong Chloe felt their bond was. Like chloe really cared about Red, she was the one person she didn't have to act around, which is something we learn in the first few minutes of the movie and vice versa so it makes sense but it also shows how far she's come in trusting Red, not only with her life but with her feelins she ends each stanza pretty much saying "how could I have seen this coming?" Which seems to be the true reason for her anger. Not only that but the last line feels so weighted like it's a line we've heard a million times bbefore that we associate it with a specific type of breakup that makes the relationship feel more established.

You're so heartless, heartless You hit me when my guard was down And the hardest part is That I let you let me down

Then we get into the chorus this is all about trust. It's not about the chess match, it's not about listening to the VKs it's about Chloe letting her guard down. It's about her allowing herself to see Red as more than just her mother's daughter, and it's about Red choosing to prove her wrong for leting her in. This is Chloe saying "I'm the idiot for thinking you were better" I let you let me down she blames herself for not seeing it sooner.

How can you live with yourself? You're not who I thought you were, you're someone else There's no beatin' in your chest Just the sound of emptiness, you're heartless

This is when she decides to hate her, wreather Red turned her back on Chloe or not she doesn't care anymore. She's furious "how could she not see me? How could she not care" she doesn't want excuses or explanations she wants to hate her, to see her as a villain, because it's easier than sorting out how things got so complicated in the first place. She doesn't see her as Red the girl she went back in time with to save her mother. She sees her as Red the girl who broke her hear and didn't even care enough to notice.

Then there's Max's verse

You played me from the start, but I've seen all of your cards I can see your true intentions Now I'm plottin' my revenge, your persona is pretend And I think it's time you learned your lesson Behind that perfect princess is a nasty web of lies Hearts are on your clothes, but you don't feel a thing inside You know what you did, can't believe you threw my life away, away

Okay I'm going to skim a bit because I really want to get to the conversation between Max and Chloe but I feel like this tells you a lot about later so... Max at this point knows Red fucked up his life, and has no intention of fixing it. Once again you see someone projecting this image onto Red as cruel despite us as an audience feeling incredibly thrown off at this. I think that's the point. We know Red would never hurt either of them, and been shown time and time again that Red is good, but when someone hurts you your brain doesn't always think clearly. They both want someone to blame, and in this case Max is kinda right Red did cause this, even if she never meant to.

I'll turn your nightmares to reality My only strategy is your tragedy You're not who you pretend to be Yeah, you're just like me

'Cause you're heartless, heartless And you'll never care how it feels 'Cause you broke apart this World I thought I had was real

RIGHT HERE! His lines are so intentional because he now knows the true version of Red. I'll turn your nightmares to reality that nightmare is losing Chloe, people getting hurt because of her. Chessey asks Max if there's anything Red can't live without and that's Chloe. He knows what they've been through, he knows how to make it hurt. Then he says you're just like me a villain, just as bad as their parents, people who can't change. The two things they both hate about themselves more than anything. Except he could've been better, but Red took that life away. So he targets the person who makes her better instead.

The next line is just the chorus from his perspective but then we get into my favorite part of the song

Yeah, I'm rough around the edges, but I'm not a bad guy

I can see the pain that's been hiding in your eyes

I know how you're feeling, 'cause our feelings intertwine

You seem like you need a friend, and right now, so do I

Max is so insidious in this scene, he finds Chloe heart broken and alone and tries to pray on that to get what he wants. It feels like a scene we've all seen a million times before it reminds of shows wear a guy will try to swoop in after a break up, but it hurts to watch because we know their both hurting. And when Chloe tries to back away she can't help but find herself wanting a shoulder to cry on, someone who understands how she feels, someone who sees her in the way Red was supposed to.

You sound so sincere, but it's tough to open up

I'm angry and I'm hurting and it's hard for me to trust

But here I am anyway, spilling out my guts

Chloe can see it happening she knows she's not thinking clearly, she recognizes a pattern. He's taking advantage of her pain, of her hurt. I love that they added this, she's aware that there's something wrong but she lets it happen. She misses Red, she feels alone, and he's there offering his hand in friendship feeing just as betrayed as she is. All while the audience is begging Chloe not to trust him, to see the trap Max set.

Well, I made you something special, it's gotta cheer you up

Come on, try it on, you're gonna love it, I swear

No, I couldn't, no, I shouldn't, no, I wouldn't even dare

See how it sparkles? It's just like you

A part of me is scared, but I have nothing to lose

Then we get this incredible interaction that reminds me a bit of snow white where Max is trying to get Chloe to take the bracelet. It's interesting because Chloe doesn't take it because she trusts him, or because he flatters her, she takes it because she has nothing to it's like what she says to Red earlier. She feels like she's drowning. Everything she knew about her mom was wrong, her family are expecting her to keep up this act of perfection forever, and Red, her one constant throughout this craziness that's forced them together is no longer at her side through all of this so she says this not to be vindictive or spiteful, but because she feels completely hopeless.

Crueler than you'll ever be

I'll be ruthless 'cause the truth is

You were never true to me

I feel so betrayed, you should be afraid

Now you're gonna get what you gave

Now we're totally obsessed

'Cause the wicked never rest

And there's no beatin' in your chest

Just the sound of emptiness, you're heartless