chapter two
The gravel spun under the worn down tires of Chloe's truck as she pulled up to (what she estimated to be) a parking spot. Rachel had practically begged her to take the two of them to the beach after she made it to her house. Why the beach specifically was beyond Chloe, but she didn't shut down the request. Instead she drove them down wide, clean roads lined with big trophy houses and double door garages until she hit the familiar ruddy trail leading to the beach’s main parking.
As soon as the truck is in park, Chloe turns to ask Rachel for any explanation, but finds she’s turned around on her knees and wedging her way into the bed of the truck. The top half of her was through the now open square window, while the bottom half wriggled in Chloe's face. She rolled her eyes and rested a hand on her thigh to “steady her”, musing at how her muscles tensed and relaxed with the shuffling movement behind her. Rachel let out a triumphant “Aha!”, seemingly finding what she was looking for, and shimmied from the window.
Once she retreats back to the passenger's side, she has a bundle of clothes in her lap. sifting through them, she picks out a pair of shorts that she had left back there and a severely wrinkled t-shirt. She suddenly pulls off her pajama shirt and shorts, folding them neatly beside her and smiling to herself at how Chloe’s gaze jumped away from her nervously. She flushed from the tops of her ears down to her nose and cheeks, and didn't look back until she counted to 20 in her head. Her face fell flat when she saw Rachel adorned in her Greenday shirt.
“No.” she didn't have to elaborate based on the sneaky grin on Rachel’s face.
“You never wear it! It was in the bag!” she replied, half heartedly arguing. The laugh in their voices was a dead giveaway that neither of them were all that serious, but Chloe still shot back.
“I wear it all the time! The only reason it’s in there is because I had to take it off after we went to the park last time ‘cause it was hot as shit.” Not giving up, Rachel pouted softly the exact way she knew Chloe hated. It rarely ever worked, but it annoyed her so much that she’d give in. She tried not to laugh when Chloe fake gagged ceremoniously and pushed her hand to her face while begging her to stop. When Rachel throws in that it’ll only get wet at the very worst, Chloe remembers that she still has no idea why they’re there.
Once she asks, “What are we doing here at 12am anyway?”, Rachel perks up and reaches in the glovebox like it was her own. It would bother her if it was anyone but Rachel, but she was used to her going through everything of hers at this point. When she pulled out a handful of permanent markers, it clicked. She had almost forgotten how they agreed last year that every summer right before school started, they would come to the beach and tag the bathrooms and any unfortunate lifeguard towers. Rachel had made her swear with her hand over her chest like a girl scout. Chloe pulled off her shoes, hid her keys and both their phones under the seat, and they exited the truck cautiously. Once they were sure no one was keeping watch, they walked to the area where the bathrooms were with Rachel striding excitedly ahead of Chloe. The slow crashing of the waves made the walk feel like miles, but the truck was still visible albeit much more elevated now that they were on the beach.
Rachel stopped in her tracks at the door, and her eyebrow furrowed in focus while she made out what the note on it said. Once she figured it out she laughed and pointed it out to Chloe. Apparently someone on the maintenance crew figured out their pattern, and, along with a “Keep Out” sign that blabbed about how vandalism is “illegal” and “morally wrong”, there was a padlock on the door. Behind her Chloe sighed, dramatically feigning disappointment while Rachel bent down to be level with the lock. She pulled the bobby pins holding her bangs out, and within the minute the lock was popped open. She stood up and pushed the swinging door open, leading Chloe in with a goofy sway of her arm. The sky light windows let in enough moonlight for the both of them to see the uneven paint job done over stall doors and cinder blocks after their last attempt. Rachel pulled the markers from her back pocket, handing one to Chloe and putting the rest in the only sink that wasn’t dripping water. They split up, Chloe taking the stalls and Rachel taking the door, sinks, mirrors, and product dispenser.
After a while they both backed up to the door to see the damage. As they scanned the scrawled messages and doodles, Chloe whistled. Rachel scrutinized the work, moving from side to side and crossing her arms like she was in an art museum or a gallery. She thought for a moment, and even though they had agreed to never put their names anywhere she skipped forward to put “R+C” with a thick, red marker right on the center mirror. She didn't realize until after it was done, but she had included a small heart off to the side. She turned to Chloe who was smiling, well, really beaming at the addition.
They left the bathrooms, and just to screw with the building’s next guests even more, Chloe snapped the lock shut before turning to see Rachel had disappeared from her side. She followed the faint trail of dips in the sand to see her staring at her feet, watching the tide wash over them and drift over her ankles before receding into itself. She whipped around when she felt Chloe join her, and her eyes glittered . She was nearly glowing under the soft white moonlight, the reflection of the water shimmering off the side facing the shore. She suddenly felt like swimming.
“Go in with me,” she said almost whispering, like someone may pick it up if she was too loud. Then again, they were breaking curfew and had just finished defiling public property. Chloe laughed, but stopped when she saw that Rachel’s childlike look didn't change.
“It’s probably freezing,” Chloe said, evidently cueing in the lukewarm water to rush up towards both of them before pulling back with a hushed crash. They both watched it before Rachel turned back, cocking an eyebrow pointedly.
“Oh yeah, so freezing.” She started to shift her weight gently from foot to foot, the pent up adrenaline from their stunt in the bathrooms leaving her pumped and energetic. She grabbed Chloe’s hands and pulled her closer, now leaving less than a foot between them. Eventually they moved together, eyes never leaving each other. Rachel suddenly felt her stomach go heavy, and she was all too aware of the less appealing things that had been working in the back of her mind. The things that weren't illegal or crazy or fun. She didn't tell Chloe, but the idea to come here had almost skated past her until she was filling out her planner for the upcoming school year. She looked away, eyes falling between them to the wet sand and their bare feet. Conveniently, the black rubber bracelet around Chloe’s wrist peeked into her vision and she bit her lip as an idea came to her.
She gazed flirtily at Chloe, priding herself in the way her eyes flicked confusedly around her face, even if she pretended not to care. It was always the little things with her. She could pretend to be hard and jaded all he wanted, but Rachel knew how to pick up on what little giveaways she had. She released her hands and snaked her fingers up slowly, gaze dropping to her neck for added effect. She leaned in dangerously close to the warm skin there, her pulse now thrumming visibly just under her jawline. Even though she was toying with her, she felt her breath catch. The little things.
She exhaled softly with a quiet hum, her breath tickling a now restless Chloe. She lifted her hands to meet Rachel’s hips, and that's when she struck. She looped a finger under her bracelet before pulling it off and striding backwards. It took Chloe about three full seconds to realize what had happened, but once she did she huffed in annoyance, raising her voice over the new distance between them.
“Give it.” The demand had no real power behind it, her mind still swirling and cloudy from what just happened. Rachel only giggled in response while she took two more tentative steps back into slightly deeper water. When the tide came up again it was at her shins. She extended her arm above her and waved the bracelet before counting aloud, calling over the timely crash of the water.
“Fiiive,” a smile played across her face as Chloe stepped toward her, not enough to worry her but enough to engage.
“Fouuur,” this time she couldn't help but laugh at how she patted her pockets and ran her hands over her chest before confirming there was nothing important in either location. She felt like a kid playing tag or capture the flag or hide and seek. She loved having someone to spend time with her like this, even if she wouldn't say it without the distance of weed or alcohol or both. It sounded too romantic, which she recognized probably shouldn't be a bad thing.
“Thr-eetwoone!” She didn't make it through her countdown before Chloe ran at her, “reaching” for the bracelet despite being a head taller than her. Rachel turned on her heels and ran uncoordinatedly through the murky water, her laugh blending with Chloe's through their breathless pants and shouts. Her laughing turned to yelps when she felt the ground leave from under her as Chloe picked her up and spun them before charging into the water.
When they were lying on their backs on shore, Rachel proposed they stay at her house for the night once she caught her breath. Chloe doesn't bother complaining about her seats getting wet, and instead just nods in agreement. They drive back with the windows down, the warm air fluttering Rachel's hair around her and drying it effectively, while Chloe’s bunches into loose but noticeable waves. Once at the Amber residence, they sneak in through the back again, taking off their wet clothes and plopping them on the patio. They creep in through the sliding glass door and tiptoe upstairs, where Rachel finally decides to tell Chloe, after she has thoroughly freaked out about bumping loudly into a random cardboard box, that her parents weren’t even home. She dodges a pillow thrown at her and returns with a shirt for Chloe to sleep in. Once they’ve changed and tried their best to work out the tangles in their hair, they slide into Rachel's bed. Neither of them think anything of how naturally they fit together at this point, Chloe’s arm draped over Rachel while they tangle their legs together like they’ve always done. They mumble sleepy “goodnight”s to each other and fall asleep to their rhythmic breathing.
-
The sound of a chipper alarm tone rang somewhere near Chloe and pulled her from her slumber with a drowsy, “Whyyy?” Rachel laughed somewhere and when Chloe pried open her eyes she saw her peeking out of her closet.
“After centuries she awakens, the sleeping beauty,” she sang in her most pretentious theater voice. She shuffled over to the bedside table and silenced her phone, very much to Chloe’s relief. “It’s move in day at Blackwell,” Oh yeah, the boxes. “Plus I have that meeting that you-”
“-Super promised I would take you to,” Chloe interrupted, sitting up and attempting to rub the tired from her eyes unsuccessfully. Seeing the sun just barely lighting up the room, she asked, “What time is it?”
“Brace yourself, it’s before noon,” Rachel responded smartly from the depths of her walk-in before emerging once again and laying clothes on the end of her bed. Chloe only rolled her eyes and checked her phone to see it was 9:47.
“Rach,” Chloe whined while Rachel put together different combinations of shirts and pants and skirts together before making two piles at her feet.
“I know,” she drawled comfortingly, running her fingers through her hair and wincing. She found a brush on the desk behind her and passed it through while continuing, “But if I don’t make it to the meeting Victoria will excommunicate me and probably make the entire club shun me. Plus we’re only up this early so we can get you breakfast, remember?” Chloe cursed her past self for assuming that she wouldn't have ruined her sleep schedule by now. She didn't respond, but stretched before getting up and going into Rachel’s bathroom. She was finally persuaded by Rachel into leaving some things so that she could stop, as she so lovingly put it, “stealing all my good crap like a fiend.” She brushed her teeth, washed her face, fixed her hair, and stole Rachel’s deodorant just to piss her off. When she left the bathroom, a fully made up Rachel tossed the outfit she picked for her straight at her face. When she yelled in protest, she got a petty excuse of her being a “Deodorant stealer,” that she poked her tongue out at.
Once she was dressed, her and Rachel started their day- after loading Rachel's stuff into the truck- as promised, with breakfast. They went to the Two Whales where Joyce welcomed them both, giving them their food on the house and wishing Rachel good luck for the school year. Even though she hated coffee, it seemed to wake Chloe up enough to function more energetically and less like a zombie. The time passed like it was nothing as they drove to Blackwell, first making a point to cruise by the beach and giggle at how angry the maintenance workers looked, hauling a big bucket of paint and rollers down to the sand.
Once they were officially on Blackwell’s campus, Chloe made sure to park obnoxiously close to the very fancy looking, “sweet sixteen” cars parked neatly between the painted white lines. Rachel scolded her like she was an ornery puppy while she laughed wickedly. The birds greeted them as they walked to the front entrance, chirping warnings to each other like alarms. Once they reached the paved steps, Rachel left Chloe, telling her it would only take a little while. After a few minutes of waiting, she gauged that she meant a Victoria “little while”, and dusted off a step before sitting on it with a grunt. The heat of the day was less stifling once she was out in it for a while, and she closed her eyes peacefully as she relaxed back onto her hands. She tried to think of anything but last night, the birds, days of the week, fruits; But she couldn't stop drifting to the way she felt with Rachel temptingly close to her neck.
They had absolutely made out before. Hell, they had gotten to second base at a couple sleepovers. Nothing had ever come from it, though. It felt more like practice. Like Rachel was exploring a new curiosity and Chloe was just along for the (almost literal) ride. It started casually with hickies, a giggly, hour long affair that ended with Chloe covered in bruises from her jaw to many other places her mom couldn’t lecture her for. They got the “no hickies” talk and agreed they’d never do it again before sneaking into Chloe’s room to do exactly that. The first time they made out was a lot more serious, but she couldn't plunge herself into the fantasy when a voice interrupted.
When she opened her eyes Steph was in front of her on the first step with her hands on her hips.
“I thought Blackwell had gotten rid of you yet,” she remarked, smirking playfully.
“They wish. Though I happen to be the chauffeur to one of their MVPs, so they let me loiter on occasion,” it wasn’t entirely true, Rachel could drive, and she had a car, but she also only had her learner’s permit. She finds cars to be “drastically environmentally harmful”. Apparently she doesn't take into account how harmed the curbs she runs over are, but Chloe never brought it up to avoid a swift punch in the leg.
Steph’s smile turns a little more sincere when he asks, “How are things there?” She was really one of the only people besides the two of them who knew how confusing and convoluted Chloe and Rachel’s relationship was.
“It’s… Like it’s always been.” She didn't bother dressing it up or pretending that they’ve gotten anywhere since last year. It was almost embarrassing to hear out loud how lame it sounded. She really did just have a crush on her best friend.
“You know, I heard something about her this summer,” Chloe knitted her brows, confused as to where she was going with this. She continued, moving to sit on the step beside her. “Something she said to a certain acquaintance of ours who writes the school newsletter,” the gears turned for a while before they shifted into place. Juliet Watson, got it. “According to this newsletter writer, Rachel was going home from a bonfire with her and she tried to set her up with some college dude, I dunno. She said he was too old, but once they were in Ju- oops, the writer’s car, she told her she was figuring things out with someone,” she picked up on the flash of disappointment in Chloe’s eyes before throwing in, “Wait wait, get this: the ‘someone’ was a ‘she’.”
Chloe looked away, trying to remember around when Rachel went to the bonfire she had told her about. She wracked her brain, and it came back with the 4th of July weekend, which was about a month ago. Her heart skipped and dropped at the same time. What did “figuring things out” mean? Rachel seemed completely uninterested in any relationship. Was it just an excuse to get Juliet off her ass?
Her thoughts were cut off by a coincidental answer to the questions racing in her mind, “Maybe she’s just good at hiding? I would bring it up super casual, maybe while you’re drunk or stoned or whatever the kids are doing these days.” She stood up and dusted off, offering her hand which Chloe took.
Shocking herself, she asked, “Do you know if she told her anything else?” Usually she wasn’t so openly confused and feelings-y, so Stepth was taken aback by the waiver in her voice. Just as her mouth opens to respond, though, the heavy double doors swing open behind them, a cluster of people flowing out. Rachel was among the last of them, holding a couple handouts and waving her goodbyes to people retreating to the parking lot. She caught Chloe’s eyes, smiling warmly as she walked down the steps to her.
The mood changing, Steph hugged Rachel when she arrived. She asked her if she was moving in right now and made other polite but quick conversation before leaving. Chloe knew she couldn’t let Rachel know she knew what she did, whatever that even was.
Luckily enough, she didn’t seem to notice anything off when she turned to her and asked, “Ready to do some heavy lifting?” wiggling her eyebrows playfully. Chloe laughed, and they started back toward the parking lot.
-
There were a lot fewer people when they started hauling boxes up to the dorms than when they finished. Apparently word got around come afternoon time. Thankfully, Chloe and Rachel had finished taking up almost everything besides the last couple bags of clothes right when the halls got crowded. Now they were in Rachel’s dorm, Chloe sitting on her new bed tensely while Rachel unfolded the lids of all the boxes. After listening to the lively hum of people chattering outside the door for a good while, she got up and stepped carefully over clutter before twisting the doorknob
The sound seemed to snap Rachel out of her concentration. She stopped mid stack, holding a book and tilting her head just barely in confusion before asking, “Where are you going?” Chloe froze, because she really had no idea herself.
“I just figured you were all set here, so,” the rest of her sentence fell at how Rachel looked genuinely confused at her wanting to go. She wanted to mute the little part of her brain that read into it a little further, wondering if she wanted her there, just for her company.
“I figured you could help me decorate,” she piped up. Chloe looked at her like she was speaking another language entirely, now it was her turn to be confused. Rachel laughed, turning back to the boxes surrounding the room and scanning them until she found the small flat one with all her wall decorations from home in it. She reached it out to Chloe who took it, opened it, and started sorting through them, completely forgetting about her escape plan. “Just don’t put anything on my door, I need my school crap there.”
Chloe picked one of the first pictures of them from the several other photos, grabbed the tape Rachel had tossed on top of a box near her, and stuck it up right where Rachel was talking about. She turned to her and grinned at her insincere deadpan until they were both laughing.
Decorating ate up a surprising amount of time, the sun that was shining into the room had almost completely left, bathing everything in a dusky purple until they had to flip the lights on. There were still a few boxes, but the closet and bed were done, along with the walls and some parts of the ceiling. They gathered the trash and left it in the hallway for Rachel to deal with in the morning. Now they were both on her bed, Rachel propped up against the wall and Chloe extended across her lap. The room was quiet besides the crickets and cicadas harmonizing through the cracked window, and the occasional train horn. Rachel drags her fingers along Chloe’s exposed midsection casually, but stops when she realizes the way she’s admiring how her muscles tense anxiously at the light ticklish feeling. They don't stay there long; Once she yawns Chloe points out that she should be sleeping soon since she’s a full time scholar again.
She doesn’t disagree, but she does wrap her arms around Chloe when she gets up to leave. It’s not unlike her to be affectionate, but it brings back everything Chloe has been wondering since her conversation with Steph. She holds her until she feels her nodding off in her arms and reminds her to set her alarms before silently exiting her room. She leaves the dorms, mercifully undetected, and runs to the parking lot where she leaves the school in record time to make it home before she’d have to sneak in.