The ride home was pretty much silent, with an occasional sniffle from Chloe. Chris felt his heart break for the woman curled up next to him. This was far from the girl he used to be friends with.
~*FLASHBACK*~
�Hey, Chris!�
�Yea?� Chris came into the small orchestra room in their high school. He rolled his eyes, seeing Chloe poised in a small corner, violin resting on her lap and pencil in her hand.
�Clover, c�mon, it�s after school, we�re not supposed to be here!� Chris whined and approached her and fell back into a plastic blue chair.
�Well I have work to do if I want to become a violinist.� Chloe scoffed and held her nose high in the air. Chris chuckled.
�You look like Stacey when you do that.�
�Stacey?� Chloe�s face scrunched up in disgust. Stacey was in the �popular crowd�. She was a role model for all the girls. Shoulder length blonde hair, blue eyes, slim figure, tall. All in all she was perfect. Chloe despised her greatly. The way she carried herself around like a beauty queen.
�Don�t ever compare me to her.� She said, shaking her head. She had to be the only girl not looking up to Stacey. Chris grinned.
�Sorry, couldn�t help it. So, what did you call me in here for?� He grabbed a nearby music stand and lowered it, before kicking his feet up and relaxing.
�I want you to tell me if this sounds alright.�
�Clover, you know everything you play sounds great.�
�This is different.� She stressed, placing the violin on her shoulders and picking up the bow. Chris sighed and waited. The music that filled his ears was like nothing she had ever played before. It was soft, but at the same time loud. He could almost feel the notes hitting him in the face, leaving a tingling sensation afterwards. She ended abruptly, and Chris sat up, removing his feet from the stand.
�Why�d you stop?�
�That�s it.�
�That�s it? Well whoever the composer is was an idiot to leave off there.� He mumbled. Chloe�s eyes widened.
�Well the composer isn�t finished.� She remarked, putting down her violin. Chris raised an eyebrow.
�What?�
�I�m the composer.� Chloe fought back the tug of a smile as she watched Chris� face turn scarlet and his eyes widened.
�I-I�m sorry, I didn�t mean it!� He stuttered. Chloe just shook her head and laughed.
�It�s okay. So, how was it so far?� She asked, suddenly shy. Chris smiled and took her hands in his.
�It was great.� He admitted, pulling her in for a hug. She let out a breath she didn�t know she was holding, satisfied her friend liked it.
�Thank you.� She whispered.
~*ENDFLASHBACK*~
No, Chloe had definitely changed. She wasn�t casting her sarcastic remarks. She wasn�t even smiling anymore. The light was gone from her eyes.
�Chris, we�re here.�
Chris, jumped, startled as Mike spoke. He nodded and looked down at Chloe. She was sleeping soundly, her head resting on his shoulders. Her cheeks were puffy and red.
�I�ll carry her.� Chris whispered, unbuckling both of their seatbelts. He gently scooped her up and climbed out of the car. Mike followed closely behind and into the hotel. Chris noticed out of the corner of his eye that the guys� limo had pulled up and they were getting out.
�Do you want to take her to her room?� Mike turned to Chris, once in the lobby. Chris nodded.
�Here, she�s in room��
�Same as yesterday?� Chris interrupted. Mike nodded, an eyebrow raised at to how he knew where she was staying.
�I�ll take care of it.� Chris assured him before he left for the room.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Chloe woke up a short time later. She grunted and pushed herself up in her bed and slowly rubbed her sticky and wet eyes.
�You feeling okay?�
Chloe jumped and spun around. She sighed when she realized it was Chris. She nodded slowly and got out of bed.
�I�m sorry you had to stay here.� She muttered, running a hand through her hair. He shook his head and stepped further into the room.
�It�s okay, really, I don�t mind.� He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led her into the small living room. He turned off MTV, which he had been watching before Chloe woke up, and then sat her down on the couch. Chloe avoided his gaze, knowing what was coming.
�Clover, look at me.� He said softly. When she refused, he gently took her chin in his hands and turned it so she was looking at him. Her eyes were brimmed with fresh tears and her nose was red.
�Please, tell me what happened.� He coaxed. His free hand found hers and he gently squeezed it. Chloe bit her lip and looked away.
�I�I can�t.� She squeaked. She heard Chris sigh and she winced inwardly, expecting him to explode at her. She was shocked with what she heard instead.
�Clover, I can�t sit here and watch this tear you apart. What happened to the girl I used to know? The fearless violinist who composed her own pieces when she was a freshman in high school?�
�That girl is gone.� Chloe croaked weakly. It was the truth, she had changed. A lot. Even she missed that old part of herself, but she knew that part wouldn�t be coming back.
�Please, I�m begging you. I am down, on my knees, I can�t take it anymore.� Chris quietly sang to her. Chloe let a small laugh pass through her lips.
�Chris�.It�s too hard, you wouldn�t understand. It�s something only I can deal with.� She muttered. Chris frowned.
�So you�d tell Mike but not me?�
�Mike is different, I can tr-� she cut off abruptly and bit down on her tongue.
�You can trust Mike but you can�t trust me?� Chris asked softly. His eyes were filled with pain. Knowing his best friend refused to trust him. He let go of her hand abruptly and stood, making his way swiftly to the door. Chloe watched on in shock as he yanked it open.
�Chris, I�.� She jumped up and followed him. He turned around, his eyes filled with anger.
�No, don�t. I get it now. You have Mike, what good am I? Go cry your eyes out to him, because I don�t give a damn.� He snapped angrily before stalking out and slamming the door behind him. Chloe stared at the door in disbelief. She couldn�t speak, her jaw only opening and closing repeatedly. Slowly, it sunk in, and she collapsed into a heap on the floor. The tears in her eyes finally came out and streamed continuously down her cheeks. Slowly, the quiet cries became loud, heart-wrenching sobs that echoed throughout the empty room. She wrapped her arms around her self and continued to weep. This time in fear because she lost her best friend.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*