�Joey! Leave the poor waitress alone!� Chris shouted from his position halfway across the room. Four heads shot up and looked at the man and woman approaching them. The young waitress blushed profusely and skittered off to the safety of the kitchen.
�Aww, Chris, you scared her away!� Joey whined playfully as Chris made it to the table. The guys just chuckled. Chloe cleared her throat to remind them that she was indeed, still there.
�Oh, your that girl!� Joey exclaimed pointing to her. She raised an amused eyebrow.
�You have to excuse him, he�s not good with names. My name�s Lance.� Lance offered Chloe his hand. She cautiously put it in his and gave it a brief shake.
�Chloe.� She smiled as she was introduced to Joey, Justin, and JC.
�That was really cool, that thing you did on stage with the hackey sacks.� Justin complimented.
�Thanks, I have to admit it took me the longest time to learn that.�
�I bet!�
Conversation continued for another couple minutes before Mike came out from backstage and approached Chloe.
�Mike, are you okay?� Chloe asked, noticing his pale complexion. He nodded curtly and put an arm around her shoulder.
�We have to go.� He mumbled so only she could hear. She nodded, sensing something was wrong, and turned back to the guys.
�I�m really sorry, but I have to go now. Here, Chris, this is my cell number.� She scribbled down her number on a piece of scrap paper and handed it to him, wondering if it was smart to give it to him.
�Hey, I�ll talk to you later.� Chris said quietly, drawing her in for a hug. She forced herself to relax in his arms and nodded, hesitantly wrapping her arms around him for a brief second.
�C�mon Chloe.� Mike impatiently tapped his foot behind her. She pulled back and offered a small wave before following Mike out of the caf�.
�Ooooh!� Justin teasingly crowed.
�What?� Chris looked at him, utterly confused.
�Chrissy has a crush!� Joey cooed.
�Woah, wait, back up. Number one, I haven�t seen her in forever, number two, no I don�t.� Chris pathetically tried to stop the chatter between the group. They just laughed.
�Why don�t you say we get out of here, people are starting to stare.� Lance lowered his voice a notch.
�Yeah, sure. I need sleep anyway.� Justin stretched his arms above his head before following the guys out. Chris folded the small scrap of paper and tucked it safely in his jean pocket, promising to use it later.
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�Mike! Wait up! What is your problem?� Chloe struggled to keep up with Mike�s large strides. He didn�t stop until they reached a medium sized dark blue van.
�Chloe, we need to talk.� Mike brushed his hair out of his face nervously, thinking of a way to easily to break the news to her.
�What is it Mike?� Chloe watched as he leaned his back against the side of the van. She stood in front, eyeing him carefully.
�I�.there is no easy way for me to tell you this, Chloe. Frank is out. His sentence ended last week.� Mike, who until now had avoided her eyes, looked up. Chloe looked at him in shock, her eyes wide and filled with fright.
�Oh god, no.� She murmured, falling to her knees. Her breathing was rasped as she stared at the pavement, not really seeing anything.
�Chloe, calm down�.� Mike squatted in front of her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
�Calm down!?� She shrieked, abruptly pulling away from his hand. She wrapped her arms around her waist, all the while shaking in fear.
�You know what he did to me! You know he�s going to come back and�.� She choked on a sob.
�Chloe, c�mere.� Mike hugged her to him, gently stroking her back. She sobbed into his shirt, a fistful clutched tightly in her hands.
�You know I won�t let anything happen to you. I�ll hire more security. He won�t come within a mile of you.� He soothed. Chloe wanted to believe him, she really did. But she knew she couldn�t. She knew Frank, better than anyone. But of course she would, he was her father, why wouldn�t she? She knew what he was capable of doing. All those years of abuse and blame. The blood and tears that it had taken her to get away from that man. And now he was back.
�Please, I just want to go home.� She said meekly. Mike nodded and helped her up. With an arm around her waist, he helped her into the van. Mike hopped into the drivers� seat and started the car before starting the long, quiet trip to the hotel.
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