chloe

“Huh? You’re joking, right?”

“Chloe?” Thea gave the blonde an incredulous look, Red Creek being the last place she’d expect to see her. “What…what are you doing here?”

Of course she was here. Was she and Clark still together? There was so little she knew about her brother’s life nowadays. “On holiday. Thought I could use the change of scenery. You look.... different.” Chloe couldn’t put a finger on it but she did. Then again, she had not seen Thea for a very long time.

“Figuring that out is half the fun. Nah, that’s too easy.I like a challenge. What about you? Are you going for slutty or scary?”

“Never knew those two words could coexist together.”

“Well, you learn something new every day.”

    It was almost borderline, horrific. How the two of them used to lean on each other for everything and now, could barely look at each other. He didn’t want to ever become like his father. An absentee person with  wild temper. And yet, daring to look at Chloe, he could realize just how fucked up things had turned out to be. In fact, he was more like his father than he ever realized. And it made him sick. Yet, he had learned the art of composure. Head held high as if he was unbothered by the sickly bittersweet tone in her voice. Lips pursed into his own indiscernible expression. “Like you’d ever want a fuckin’ hug.” Clark snorted carelessly, knowing the words were meant to sting. And they did. But he’d never admit to that. Hell, he’d swallow his own feelings down until there was nothing left. It was just how he was — or so he’d like to say.

         “Fun?” Okay, he had to laugh at that. If Chloe even knew the dangers she could be in just bybeing here, well – she’d likely not be laughing any longer. “Don’t you think dad’d be pissed for you coming out to supernatural territory?” And there was his own backlash. His own knife in her back, despite the wounds it caused himself. Family, their father more specifically, would always be a sore spot. A man too carelessly focused on the hunters way than he was on his own seven children. “Well, you look just fine to me. So, again, why are you here? I don’t want you here.” It came out crueler than intended. The need to protect his siblings, even with such a tarnished relationship as theirs was insurmountable. And yet all it sounded like was that he didn’t give a damn at all.

Chloe shrugged because frankly she didn’t. It was too late for that. She used to live for those big brother bear hugs of his. The ones that would almost crush her. Felt safe at the time. Now she knew that if he touched her at all it would feel strange and just uncomfortable. She heard the sarcasm in his voice  but it didn’t affect her much. Other than hints of mild revulsion in her expression, and the unpleasant pang of nostalgia, she seemed to be doing fine. At least on the surface. That was until he mentioned their father and her body grew rigid. Chloe looked like she was starting to choke up. Or it could’ve been bile rising up her throat. How dare he? And with a straight face. She could have hit him. Reach out and hit him right on the nose. Clark knew what to say to make her feel bad but she was not going to give him the satisfaction. She made a disgusted face then laughed. “Doesn’t matter how he’d feel. He’s dead. Don’t tell me you’re getting sentimental?.”

Clark asked again. Why was she here? Was it wrong for her to want to see him? In some way she did want to know where he was and what he was doing with his life. Chloe felt like a masochist. Specially when she realized that he was doing just fine and dandy without her in his life. When he said he didn’t want her here she could feel her eyes grow hot. However, Chloe had learned how to keep the tears from falling. She held them there until they burned her eyeballs. Fine? She looked fine? Nothing was fine. Nothing. And it was all his fault as far as she was concerned. “I don’t care what you want. I’m here because I want to be. Because I choose to be. Because home isn’t fucking home anymore.” She brought her cigarette to her lips, taking a long drag and then expelling the smoke into the air between them. “Are you even gonna ask? About Beth?”

“I shall take that as a compliment.”

“Really? Look around. Anything is possible around here.”

“Trust me, I can make anything slutty”

“Could be. I could rock it.”

“I think that’s the whole point.”

“Woah, that time of the month is rough on you huh?. If you need a Midol I have one in my purse.”