The only thing on Chloe’s wall was a platinum record in a white frame with a plaque that read AWARDED TO THE PERCEIVED SLIGHTS FOR FUTURE SALES. MERRY CHRISTMAS. LOVE, DADDY.
Lilith knew Chloe had a lot of passions—not just her band but also the prom court, the bingo team, her student-government campaigns. It was weird that there was no sign of them in the place she spent the most time. It was like her interests had been whitewashed by an expensive interior designer. It made Lilith feel a little bit sorry for Chloe King.
Chloe sniffed and reached for a box of tissues on her nightstand.
“Sorry you’re sick,” Lilith said. She placed the folders on Lilith’s white dresser. “I brought your homework. You think you’ll be better by prom?”
“I’m not sick,” Chloe said. “I took a mental health day.” She rolled over to face Lilith, her face splotchy from crying. “I didn’t think I’d ever want to see you again after what you did to me today, but now that you’re here, you might as well entertain me.”
“What are you talking about, what I did today?” Lilith said, leaning against the doorway. “I didn’t even see you.”
“I heard your band practicing at lunch,” Chloe said. “I was just walking by after the prom court meeting, but then I heard you guys through the door and I couldn’t help listening.” A sob shook her shoulders. “You weren’t supposed to be competition.”
“Oh,” Lilith said, taking a step closer to Chloe. “So my band offended you by being good?”
“Do you know how much pressure I’m under to win?” Chloe wailed, sitting up in bed. “Everyone thinks I’m perfect. I can’t let them down.” She forced herself to take a few deep breaths. “Besides, my dad is sponsoring the whole deal, so it’s extra embarrassing if I don’t win.”
“Look,” Lilith said, “I’ve never heard your songs. But, like, a hundred people show up every time you have a gig. I always hear kids talking about it the next day.”
“That’s because they’re scared of me,” she blurted out, then looked shocked by what she’d said. She pulled the covers over her face. “Even my own band is scared of me.”
“For what it’s worth, not many people at Trumbull like me, either,” Lilith said, even though Chloe, who had spent years publicly highlighting Lilith’s flaws, knew this better than anyone.
“Yeah,” Chloe acknowledged, peeking out from under her duvet. “But it doesn’t bother you, does it? I mean, you have so much else going on. You’re too focused on your music to care about popularity. Do you know how much free time I’d have if I didn’t have to constantly manage my social status?”
Lilith used to lament her lack of friends, but being a loner for so long had made her a really strong songwriter. Now that she had a group of friends, Lilith had the best of both worlds.
Suddenly she felt even worse for Chloe.
“?‘Managing My Social Status’ is a great title for a song,” Lilith said, and noticed Chloe’s guitar stashed in her closet. She walked over and picked it up. “We could write it together, now.”
“I don’t need to be reminded of your superior songwriting skills,” Chloe huffed. “Give me that guitar.”
Lilith did, and Chloe smiled gratefully. Somehow, sitting down on Chloe’s bed seemed like the right thing to do next. Lilith sank into the mattress, amazed by how luxuriously soft it was.
“Listen to this,” Chloe said, and started strumming. Soon, she broke into song. “Rich bitch, rich bitch…” When she had finished, she looked up at Lilith. “That’s what we’re playing at prom. It sucks, doesn’t it?”
“No way,” Lilith said. “It’s just…” She thought for a moment. “You’re singing it from the perspective of someone else looking at your life and being envious. What if you sang it from your own perspective, and put all your own feelings into it? Like how it hurts to feel like the rest of the world doesn’t know you.”
“It does hurt,” Chloe said quietly. “That’s actually not a totally stupid idea.”
“Try it again.”
Chloe did. She strummed the guitar, closed her eyes, and sang the song so differently, with so much emotion, that she was crying again by the time she finished. Lilith was shocked to find tears welling in her own eyes, too.
When she played the last chord, Lilith applauded with genuine enthusiasm. “Yes! That was amazing.”
“Yeah,” Chloe agreed. “It was.” She set her guitar aside on her bed, then reached for her lip gloss, dabbed it on, and offered Lilith some. “We’re doing a show tomorrow night at Alfie’s. You should come.”
Chloe had never invited Lilith to anything before. It was one thing to have this weird, private breakthrough in Chloe’s room. But to show up in public and not act like they hated each other?
“You’re not worried anymore about me being ‘influenced by your sound’?”
“Oh, shut up.” Chloe swung a pillow at Lilith’s head. “And thank you.”
“For what?” Lilith asked.