Chapter Eight
Chloe
The first week without Drake was the worst. I knew I had turned into one of those clingy girls I despised, but I missed him so much that it hurt. On top of that, my aunt was getting worse every day. I would visit her once or twice a day, depending on how she felt, and I could literally see her withering away right before my eyes. Each day, she would eat less, drink less, and sleep more. Her nurses told us to be prepared, that she could pass at any time.
I hated how helpless I felt as I watched it all play out before my eyes. Danny was trying to stay strong for her, but I knew it was eating him alive inside. On more than one occasion, I caught him sitting in the hallway outside her door with tears streaming silently down his face and it broke my heart.
Jordan and I tried to keep him busy as much as possible, but it was hard since he refused to leave the house. He was afraid the minute he left that she would pass and he wouldn’t be there with her. The overall feel of the entire house was dismal to say the least and Drake seemed to catch on to this when we would talk on the phone. He was worried about me, but I assured him that I was fine. I think he felt as helpless as I did, being so far away while all of this was happening around me.
The band was a huge success at every stop on their tour so far, and I was happy for all of them. They had worked really hard to pull all of this together and they deserved to reap the rewards.
Jordan had stuck to his word about watching out for me, and stayed with me almost constantly, especially when my mom was around. Thankfully, he had stopped trying to use his charms on me and we quickly fell back into our old friendship. My mother must have finally realized that she was about to lose her sister and started staying around the house more.
It made me miserable at times, but it also gave me hope that maybe she actually had a soul in there somewhere, that maybe she cared about someone on this Earth more than herself. Even if it wasn’t me, I was ok with that. I knew we would never have any kind of relationship and I had accepted that long ago, but the daughter in me didn’t want her to be the horrible person she portrayed most of the time.
I had just hung up with Drake as I made my way down the stairs and into the living room. I was caught off guard by a pretty girl sitting next to Danny on the couch. He never had visitors, besides Jordan who pretty much lived here, and I was surprised at how close he was sitting to her. They seemed to know each other well, even to the point of being involved.
I sifted through my brain, trying to remember if he had mentioned having a girlfriend since I arrived here. Nothing came to mind as I took a seat in the chair next to Jordan and glanced at him. By the look on his face, he was less than thrilled with the arrival of our new guest. Jordan was the type of guy who liked just about everyone, but he had disdain clearly written all over his face.
I turned my attention back to the girl and noticed her watching me closely. I shifted slightly in my seat, uncomfortable with her scrutiny.
“Who’s your friend Danny?” She asked as she continued to stare at me.
Danny looked up, slightly confused. “What? Oh sorry, I didn’t see you come in Chloe. This is my cousin Chloe, Chloe this is my friend Kadi.”
“Nice to meet you Chloe. I’d say I’ve heard wonderful things about you, but since I didn’t know you existed until just now, I’d be lying,” she said with a small laugh.
Her voice surprised me, but it really shouldn’t have. She was tiny and her voice matched her perfectly. It had a musical quality to it that reminded me of a small child and I instantly felt drawn to her, almost like I needed to protect her.
“It’s nice to meet you as well. Danny didn’t tell me we’d have a guest today.” I said as I smiled at her.
“Oh, well he didn’t know I was coming. We’re old friends and I heard about his mom when I got back into town and I wanted to see if there was anything I could do.”
“That’s very kind of you, Danny could use all the support he can get,” I said.
Danny rose from the couch and pulled Kadi up with him. “We’re going to go for a walk. I won’t be far, so call me if you need anything.”
“Of course, take your time Danny. You need time outside of this house,” I said.
I waited until the door clicked behind them before I turned to Jordan. “Alright, what was the grumpy face for?”
He glared at the door behind me. “I can’t stand that girl, she’s used Danny more times than I can count and yet here he is, welcoming her back with open arms the minute she decides to come back around.”
“The girl who was just here? Are you sure; she doesn’t exactly seem like that type. She seems kind of sweet actually.”
“Trust me, she’s a manipulative little slut. She was a couple of years older than us in high school, but she went after Danny as soon as she heard about him. She just uses him for money and then dumps him when she’s bored. Mark my words, she’s here to see what she can get out of him while his mom is in there suffering,” he said.
I just couldn’t picture her doing something like that; she seemed so sweet to me. But I knew Jordan had a lot more experience with her than I did, and if he said don’t trust her, I had no intentions of it. I thought about my aunt telling me the sharks would start circling, and it seemed one had already arrived.
“What are we going to do about her? Maybe we should talk to Danny?” I asked.
“Danny has always had a soft spot for that chick, he’ll just ignore anything we say about her, especially with how things are with his mom. We just need to make sure they aren’t alone very much.”
“How exactly are we going to do that? You’ve already got your hands full babysitting me when my mom’s around.”
“I’m still planning on sticking close to you, but you’re going to have to be buddies with Kadi. Just talk to her about clothes and shoes or something like that,” he said as he grinned.
“Jordan, seriously? Do I look like the type of girl who knows anything about clothes or shoes? If I didn’t have Amber breathing down my neck most of the time, I’d have two pairs of jeans and my skater shoes. I suck at being a girl.”
“You have no problem being a girl, trust me. Just keep her busy, I don’t care what you have to talk about,” he said.
“Ugh! This is going to suck!” I groaned.
“Oh suck it up, it won’t be that bad. Hopefully we can get rid of her before too long, that way you won’t have to deal with her very much.”
“I have the worst luck ever. If we plan on getting her out of here quickly, she’ll end up being a bridesmaid when Drake and I get married!”
His eyes narrowed. “Are you really talking about having a wedding with Drake? Please tell me you aren’t in that deep with him.”
I fidgeted on the couch. Neither Drake nor I had ever mentioned getting married, but it had crossed my mind. I knew it was stupid to even think about marriage since I couldn’t even legally drink yet, but I couldn’t help myself around him. It wasn’t like I was waiting around for him to drop to one knee or anything though, I knew it would be a long time before either one of us was ready for that step. We were still in the honeymoon stage of our relationship.
“Of course not, I was just trying to explain how bad my luck is. Wait, I thought you liked Drake now that you two did your whole male bonding thing.”
“We didn’t bond, we just both agreed that you’re more important than the two of us fighting over you. He seems like an ok guy, he really does, but I just don’t see you guys together in a year,” he said quietly.
My heart dropped to my stomach. Did he see something in Drake that I had missed? “Why do you say that?”
“Come on Chloe, you’re smarter than that. Guys like him never stick around for long, and all they do is leave broken hearts behind them,” he said as he gazed at me with pity.
“Drake isn’t like that. Yeah, he screwed around before we got together, but he hasn’t even looked at another girl since we decided to give the whole relationship thing a try. I won’t judge him off his past mistakes; God knows I’ve made enough of them.”
“I didn’t mean to upset you Chloe, I just worry about you. I’m sure he really does care for you, but he’s in a band, covered in ink and piercings, his whole persona fits the womanizer vibe. He might not intend to stray, but those girls are going to be drawn to him, and a guy can only hold out so long.”
“I have to trust him,” I whispered, “Otherwise I’ll go crazy worrying about where he is every second of every day.”
Jordan stood and pulled me out of my chair and into a hug. “I’m sorry Chloe Bear, I didn’t mean to make you worry. I’m sure you’re right about him; he wouldn’t give up someone like you for one of those girls.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Am I interrupting?” A voice asked from behind me.
I pulled away to see Kadi standing in the doorway holding her phone. “No, you’re fine. I was actually just about to go out to the pool and try to tan for a while. Care to join me?”
“Sure, I could use some girl time. Let me grab my bikini out of my car and I’ll meet you out back,” she said as she turned to leave.
As soon as she was outside, Jordan smirked at me. “Girl time huh? This should be good.”
“Shut up. You’re going to be stuck with us too since you won’t leave my side,” I said as I elbowed him.
“Nope, you’re mom left earlier while you were upstairs. I’m going to watch some television and chill out while you two go bond.”
I flipped him off as I walked to the door. “Jackass!”
“Have fun!”
I sighed as I walked to the pool and pulled my shorts and shirt off. I wasn’t looking forward to spending time with someone who was only here to use my cousin. Besides, my people skills weren’t exactly top-notch.
I slipped into the shallow end of the pool as Kadi walked over to me, her suit already on. She took a seat on one of the chairs as she watched me swimming laps.
“So Chloe, tell me about yourself,” she said when I passed close to her.
“Not much to tell really, I’m pretty boring,” I said as I grabbed the side of the pool and pulled myself out.
She motioned for me to take the chair beside her. “I doubt that, you hang out with Jordan and Danny; that’s more excitement than most girls ever see.”
I laughed as I sat down next to her. “Yeah, I spent the summer with them a couple of years ago. They can get pretty wild, but obviously not with everything going on.”
“I came as soon as I heard. Danny has always been a good friend of mine and I didn’t want him to deal with this alone,” she said as she looked out across the water.
“He’s not alone, he has Jordan to take care of him and I’m here too,” I said.
“Well I know that now silly. I had no idea he even had a cousin, they never mentioned you before. Do you live nearby?”
I shook my head. “No, I live in West Virginia. I grew up in Charleston but now I’m in Morgantown attending W.V.U.”
Her smiled brightened. “What a small world! I went there for a couple of years before transferring back here. I didn’t want to leave, but my mom needed me here.”
“I guess it is, isn’t it? Are you still in school?”
“Nah, I graduated earlier this year, but I’m taking a year off before I start job hunting.”
“I see,” I said, unable to think of anything else to say.
We were silent for several minutes before she spoke again. “I hope you don’t mind me asking, but are you and Jordan together?”
My eyes widened, “No, why would you think that?”
“I thought I was walking in on some kind of private moment in there earlier. I was just curious,” she said.
“No, Jordan and I are just friends. I have a boyfriend,” I said as I thought of Drake and smiled.
“Oh, you’ve got that love struck look written all over your face. He must be something special! Tell me about him,” she said excitedly.
I felt like a fourteen year old telling her friends about her first real boyfriend, but I couldn’t help myself. Kadi was surprisingly easy to talk to and it felt nice to talk about Drake.
“I don’t even know where to start; Drake is just… Drake. He’s moody and bossy at times and he tries to act all badass, but he’s really not. He is so sweet when we’re together and tries his hardest to take care of me. He just makes me feel… I don’t know, I guess he makes me feel alive. And he has to be the hottest guy I have ever seen in my life. Dark hair, dark eyes, tattoos, piercings, dear lord I could go on forever,” I smiled sheepishly as I finished my speech. “Sorry, I think I got a little carried away there.”
She laughed. “Not at all, I think I just fell for him after that description. He sounds like the perfect guy.”
“He is,” I sighed happily.
“Then why isn’t he here with you?” She asked.
“He’s in a band and they’ve had shows scheduled for months in advance. I couldn’t let him give that up just for me. Once everything is settled here, I’m going to catch up with him on the road.”
“I don’t blame you, but doesn’t it make you nervous to have him out on the road all by himself?”
“No, I trust him. He wouldn’t do that to me,” I said.
“I’m glad you guys are so tight, I bet it makes it a lot easier to be around Jordan all day.”
I had no idea what she was trying to say with that comment, but it bothered me. “What do you mean by that?” I asked.
“Oh come on, Jordan is to die for. Being stuck in a house alone with him day after day has to be a big temptation, no matter how good this Drake guy is. You’re only human.”
“Not at all,” I said calmly, even though my temper was starting to rise, “Jordan is just my friend. Are you asking this because you think I’m cheating on my boyfriend with him or because you’re interested in Jordan and are trying to find out if he’s available?”
She bit her lip. “Am I really that obvious?”
“Depends on which option you’re talking about.”
“I have a bit of a thing for Jordan, but I don’t think he’s interested. I was with Danny for a while and I think that threw him off,” she said as she smiled timidly.
“I don’t really talk girls with Jordan, so I can’t help you out there. All I can tell you is that there is nothing going on between the two of us.”
I actually felt kind of sorry for her. I knew she had no chance with Jordan; he could barely stand her, yet here she was, trying to get information out of me about him. Maybe he was overreacting about her going after Danny; maybe she really was just here to help him. I decided to pass no judgment on her until I got to know her better.
“Well that’s good to know. I’m sorry if I came off kind of rude, that wasn’t my intention.”
I smiled as I stood. “No problem, I get it now. I’m going to head back inside to check on my aunt. Were you planning on staying for dinner?”
“No, but I want to tell Danny bye before I leave. I’ll swing by tomorrow for a little while to hang out if that’s ok with you?”
“That’s fine with me. Danny could use some company, he never leaves this place anymore,” I said as I walked to the patio doors and slid them open. I made it no further than the stairs when Jordan came running down them and almost knocked me over.
“Whoa! What’s wrong?” I shouted as I grabbed him to keep from falling.
“Chloe! I was just coming to get you. It’s Jen,” he said in a near panic.
In that moment, I knew. Seeing Jordan like this told me everything; Aunt Jen was gone, but I had to ask.
“What? What about her?” I asked as tears filled my eyes.
“She’s gone. Her nurse came to get us, but by the time we made it back up to her room it was too late,” he whispered.
I felt my legs give out as he supported me. I knew it was coming, but now that it had happened I realized I hadn’t prepared myself at all. I hadn’t known my aunt that well, but I knew enough to realize the world had just lost someone very special. I let my tears fall as he held me close and tried to comfort me.
“It’s alright Chloe Bear, don’t cry. She isn’t suffering anymore,” he whispered into my ear as he sat down on the stairs and pulled me into his lap.
“I should go, I’m sure you guys want to be alone right now. Just let Danny know I’m here if he needs me,” Kadi said from the doorway.
In my shock, I had completely forgotten about her being here. I felt horrible for her seeing me with Jordan like this when I knew she had feelings for him. I pulled away slightly, but he kept his arms around me.
“Thanks, I’ll let him know,” he mumbled as he focused his attention on me.
I heard the door click and knew that we were alone again. “I’m alright, but I need to see Danny. Where is he?”
“He was still with her when I came to find you. Just give him a little while, he needs time to process it.”
I pulled away from him and stood. “I’m going to go wait in his room. I don’t…” I took a deep breath, “I can’t be around her. I just can’t.”
I had never dealt with death before this, and I wasn’t sure how to feel exactly. I’d never had so much as a goldfish to mourn and here I was trying to find a way to accept the death of a family member.
My mother decided to walk in at that moment. She took one look at my tear-stained face and dropped her purse to the floor as she ran to me. She grabbed my shoulders and pulled me closer to her. “What?! What’s wrong? Is it Jen?” She asked as she shook me slightly.
Unable to find my voice, I simply nodded.
She released me and ran past Jordan up the stairs.
I looked at Jordan, unsure what to do. “Should we try to stop her? I don’t want Danny dealing with her right now.”
He shook his head. “There’s no point. It’s her sister and she’s going to be in there no matter what we do. I don’t want to fight with her around him right now.”
I nodded as I started up the stairs. “I just want to be alone right now.”
“I understand, just come find me if you need someone.”
I stopped at my room long enough to change out of my bikini before continuing down the hall to Danny’s room. I knew he wouldn’t be in there, but I wanted to be there for him when he was. The door opened easily when I pushed and I looked around as I entered. Everything was neat and tidy in his room, no clothes on the floor or anything which surprised me since most guys were total slobs; even Drake could be if I didn’t remind him to pick up after himself.
I sat down on the neatly made bed and pulled my legs up to my chest. I had no clue how to comfort Danny when he came in here; I wasn’t even sure how to handle my aunt’s death myself. All I could do was keep my promise to her and be there for him when he needed me.
I debated calling Drake, but decided against it. I knew he would know how upset I was and he’d want to come back to be here with me. I needed to calm down before I spoke with him so that he wouldn’t feel guilty. I wished he could be here for me; he always knew what to do and I felt lost without his comfort.
I looked up as the door opened and Danny stepped inside. His face was red and splotchy from crying and he looked completely broken. We simply stared at each other, neither knowing exactly what to say. He finally walked over and wrapped his arms around me. I held him tight as he broke down in my arms. I’m not sure how long we sat there together, both trying to take comfort in the other.