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Chloe sat outside at the schools garden. It was pretty beautiful, at least from the bench she was resting on. She was currently waiting for Red. They were going to have a day to themselves, with no boys involved. Chloe had made that extremely clear.
"Hey! Chloe!" An energetic voice yelled after her. Chloe turned around to see Pink coming to run up to her. It was quite warm outside, so the fact that the girl had all that energy to run whilst she was wearing a dress was quite impressive.
"Oh hi Pink!" Chloe smiled. She was sitting on a bench, looking out over the courtyard of her school. She was waiting for Red. That has promised each other that today was going to be strictly their day. No boy was going to come in the way of them. "Have you seen Red? She was supposed to be here by now."
Pink laughed nervously and put her hand on her neck. "Yeah so about that." Another anxious giggle left her parted lips. "Turns out Red can’t make it after all. Luis asked her out on a date- or something like that."
Chloe blinked surprisedly. "But Red promised me that-"
"Well yeah! But since her and Luis are like- you know? She couldn’t really decline his offer over a little girls night." Pink cut her off and basically shoved her face in front of the blue haired girl so she would have no choice but to look her dead in the eyes.
"She said that?" Chloe wanted to sound sarcastic, or even a little sad, but she was just genuinely surprised.
This has happened a few times now, and each time Chloe was always a hundred precent sure that Red would show up. For some reason, I always shook the princess to her core at the tonight that someone would rather hang out with a boy rather then their best friend.
"Yes.." Pink’s normally giddy smile fell slightly. "But don’t kill the messenger!" She put her hands up in defence.
Chloe chuckled. But it came out slightly hoarse
Maybe that made sense, at least with her slightly evil past. Chloe got chills up her spine from the thought of her villain side. Could she call it that?
"Well I’m going to head back now. I promised mom that I would write her a letter every single day!" Pink jumped in joy as she turned around to run back to her dorm room.
Chloe looked out over the school garden again for a split second, pondering. Red wasn’t going to come. The blue haired girl turned back to look at Pink who was just about to leave.
"Wait!"
The pink haired girl turned around, eyebrows raised. "Huh?"
"Would you like to hang out with me?" Chloe asked. She cringed inside by the way her voice shook nervously.
Pink stared at her, no response coming out of her mouth. Chloe was starting to regret her question.
That was until Pink gained the biggest smile she’d ever seen and started jumping up and down. "Oh my goodness, yes, yes, yes!" She grabbed Chloe’s hands and dragged her off the wooden bench. "A hundred times yes!"
The princess let out a sigh of relief.
-
"Thank you so, so much for today Chloe!" Pink grinned as she pulled the blue haired girl into a tight hug unexpectedly. Chloe felt the air get squeezed out of her lungs but happily wrapped her arms around the younger girls shoulder.
"Nothing to thank me for. I should be the one thanking you, you were the one who got Hazel to trip in front of everyone!" Chloe chuckled at the memory of later that day when Pink had tried to talk to Hazel and accidentally scared her so bad she ended up falling down on her back.
"That was an accident!" Pink groaned, but not in a frustrating way. There was an audible smile behind her words. They both pulled away from the hug, eager to head back to their own dorms. At least Chloe was, she was so tired.
"See you around Pink." Chloe waved as she turned around and headed to the building where her dorm was. Pink headed the exact other way.
"Bye!"
Chloe let a sigh of relief as soon as the bubbly girl was out of her sight and couldn’t hear her. As much as she adored Pink, she could be a bit much sometimes.
The princess huffed as she walked up the stairs to the floor where her and Red’s dorm was. Even though after the whole ´Maddox´ incident they were a little awkward around each other at times, it was still good to have Red by her side.
She was exited to tell the redhead all about her day as she opened the door when she suddenly remembered.
Red was supposed to hang out with her.
Pink was only a filler.
Chloe immediately got a nauseating feeling in the pit of her stomach. Had she used Pink to get over the fact that Red would rather be with her boyfriend than her? She shook her head. No, she wanted to hang out with Pink. It was only accidental that she happened to be the one who told her that Red couldn’t make it. Chloe bit her lip.
Right, the door.
Chloe stepped inside to a cold but somewhat cozy dorm. It wasn’t small, but definitely not princess sized. Her eyes scanned around the room for a certain girl. But she was nowhere to be seen. Chloe closed the door after her as she took a step further in. Still no sign of red. She sighed. Right, she was helping Luis with something.
Something that was obviously way more important to her than her best friend.
Chloe took off her shoes and jumped on her bed. It was a little too stiff and hard for her presence, but it was all right. She could probably just ask her mom to get her a new mattress if it became an actual problem.
With a yawn, Chloe forced herself upright again to get properly ready for bed. She slowly walked to the bathroom and reached for her toothbrush. Once she was done with that, she put on her blue bonnet and wrapped it tightly around her head. Although, she knew it wouldn’t work. Somehow, every time she woke up, her bonnet was on the floor and her curls were everywhere, a total mess. Chloe grabbed a random pair of cute pjs with cute little blue hearts everywhere like little sprinkles on a white, long sleeved top, soft like silk. The shorts were matching too. Happily, she jumped back on her bed and wrapped herself under the duvet. Just as she finally relaxed, her mind started freaking out.
Where was Red? Did she do all her homework? Was her sword chipped? Is Red okay?
Chloe groaned and turned around. She seriously couldn’t have one moment to herself without loosing her mind.
So there she laid, alone with her thoughts running around her head, most centred around her best friend and her actions.
A cold feeling brewed in Chloe’s chest. Was there something she didn’t get? Why would Red rather hang out with a boy, rather than her? The question found itself back to her again. Was she missing out?
Was she meant to do that too?
Chloe put her head in her hands as she laid sideways. Maybe she should. Was it such a bad idea?
-
Chloe opened her eyes as she awoke from her slumber. The light was way too bright and she had to use a few minutes to get used to it. She threw her legs off the side of the bed and hit the cold wooden floors with a thud. She stretched her arms over her head and yawned as her whole body shook.
The blue haired girl looked around the room, and thankfully, Red was there. She laid on her bed, looking like she had passed out. Soft snores left her parted lips. Chloe let out a soft and barely audible chuckle hidden behind her breath.
She shot once last glance at her best friend before she headed for the bathroom to get ready for the day. She brushed her teeth quickly and grabbed some oils and squeezed them into her hair. She looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair wasn’t that bad, even though her bonnet fell off. With a quick double check to make sure she didn’t have bed hair in the back, she walked out. Red was, not surprisingly, still asleep. Her snores had died down, and she looked extremely innocent as she had curled up under her duvet. It was with a heavy heart that Chloe slowly and soundlessly walked over to the red head to wake her up. She really didn’t want to disturb her sleep, especially because she most likely came back to their shared dorm late, but she knew how Red probably had some plans. It was Saturday luckily, so neither of them were in a rush to go to any classes, and as far as Chloe was concerned, none of them had any plans to go home and visit their family either.
So Chloe took one last look at the completely relaxed girl and poked her. Red immediately sat upright, her eyes looking wild and scanning around for any danger. It was only when she realised that it was Chloe that she relaxed. "Oh, it’s just you." She sighed out in relief.
"Good morning Red!" Chloe smiled brightly. Red smiled back at her groggily before forcing herself to get out of her bed. "Thanks for waking me up, Chlo." Red winked at her as she walked past, back to the little room that Chloe was in just a few minutes ago to go get ready for the day. Chloe looked down at the ground and tried to hide her blush creeping up her neck like a shadow. Not that Red could see her, she was already spitting out toothpaste.
Chloe forced herself to shake her head and snap out of her trance. She had no idea how long she had stared down at the ground, replaying the nickname that Red has called her many times, until she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay, Bluey?" Red asked. Chloe forced herself to swallow a nervous laugh. "Yeah!"
Red gave her a confused nod before suddenly seeming to remember something. "Do you know what time it is?"
Chloe took a look at the clock next to her bed. "It’s currently 9pm." She was a little confused. Normally Red went with the flow and whatever fit her, she never really seemed to care about time.
Reds eyes shot up in shock. "I’m so sorry Chloe, I have to go!" She immediately headed for the door, but made sure to give the blue haired girl a small wave before she disappeared behind the door and into the dorm halls. Chloe stared after her.
With a groan she followed after. Seemed like today was also going to be a day whereas Red would be busy with everyone else but her. Most likely her boyfriend.
Chloe barely saw a lock of red hair run down the stairs before it disappeared. Red really had something important to do. The blue haired girl felt a pang in her chest and it fluttered around like a butterfly. She felt a mixture of annoyance, sadness and anger. Almost like she was…
Jealous
Chloe stopped mid step, realising she was just about to fall down the flight of stairs. She grabbed the railing as her thought continued to hause havoc in her head.
Jealous? Her?
Not normal, a princess was never jealous.
What was there to be jealous of when it came to Red anyway? Chloe knew for sure that she didn’t have any kind of romantic feelings for Luis, in fact, she found him rather annoying. Always showing off and always coming in the way between her and Red.
So there could only be one other answer to her question, right?
She was jealous of Red and Luis relationship. But not because they were together, but because she wanted something like they had. She wanted a boyfriend.
Right?
Her eyes shot up as a name called through her brain. Max, he could be the perfect boyfriend. Max Hatter was nice, and a little less afraid of showing emotions than other guys.
Chloe let out a deep sigh of relief as she wobbly finished walking down the strains and pushed the hall door open. The smell of flowers calmed everyone in her down for a second, before it came back and hit her like a train.
She needed to find Max.
Chloe walked around the school’s courtyard, looking carefully for the Hatter boy.
This was what she wanted, right?
No matter how much she pressed her eyes together, clenched her fists or forced herself to imagine her and Max in a relationship, there was something nagging her. What if she had misunderstood everything?
Chloe shook her head to herself. No, she was smart, she knew what her feelings meant and who they were for.
Then, she spotted him. He was talking with Hazel, or at least trying to, because she was a little busy with yelling and ordering the Smee twins.
Chloe slowly walked towards them, and only then did she realise that she actually had to tell him how she felt. Wasn’t normally the boy supposed to do that? That’s how every story her mom had read her before bed as a kid went. Right, she had do make Max want her so he could instead ask her to be partners. Perfect.
With a little more confidence, the blue hair girl strode up to the four VK’s. "Hi Max." Chloe smiled at him as she arrived, completely ignoring the others with greetings.
"Oh, hi Chloe!" The boy smiled at her.
Hazel scoffed next to him. "Alright, so you’re just going to ignore me and the twins?"
Chloe sighed at looked Hazel dead in the eye. "Hi Hazel, better?"
The pirate rolled her eyes. "Smees! Let’s go!" The twins hurried over to her like two little lost puppies. Goodness, they were hopeless.
"Bye Max. And you too princess." Even though the girl was obviously irritated that the blue haired princess had chosen to ignore her, she gave her a wink as she walked away with the twins. Chloe quickly turned back to Max.
"Was there anything you were wondering?" the boy asked, confused over why Chloe out of all people had come over to him.
The princess looked deeply into his eyes as she quickly came up with something. "I was wondering.. would you like to hang out today?" Chloe asked hopefully.
Max blinked in surprise. He definitely hadn’t expected that. "Wha- yeah, sure! Sounds great." He smiled back, the smallest hue of redness creeping up his cheeks. "When?"
Chloe bit her lip in focus. "I’m free all day, what about you?"
Max smiled. "Me too! I guess we could just start now."
Chloe nodded eagerly. "Great!" She smiled back.
But, she honestly didn’t feel that great. She thought that the sound of his voice would give her some kind of butterflies or make her blush, but none of that happened. Instead a rock of dread formed in the pit of her stomach.
"Want to come see my latest invention? I promise it’s not boring." The boy asked, his head slightly tilted.
"Yeah, I’d like that." Chloe gave him a crooked smile. In all honesty, she had no need or interest in seeing Max’s inventions. The last few times she’s visited him to take a look, they either explode in her face or stop functioning.
As he led her back to his dorm, Chloe started scouting for her redheaded roommate. She was nowhere to be found, but she did manage to catch a glimpse of Robbie. Or perhaps it was somebody else, she could only see the back of his head.
Max slid through the door into the hallways of his dormitory as somebody walked out. They sent him a weird look but hastily hurried away. The door slammed in Chloe’s face. A small grunt left her lips.
Max opened up the door, looking slightly embarrassed, but he didn’t show enough interest to apologise.
As he gracefully let the blue haired girl in his dorm, her eyes opened wide. There was a huge machine standing on a table in the middle of the room. It looked old, like it would fall apart if she stared long enough at it.
"Behold, my latest and possibly greatest invention!" Max walked past her, accidentally slamming his shoulder into hers. "The colour changing machine!"
Chloe blinked. Colour changing machine? Was that all?
"It’s a basic name, I know!" Max put his hands on his machine, running his fingers up and down some raggedy wheels. "I’m currently working on it."
Chloe stepped closer to take a closer look. It was seemingly made of scraps, some rusty whilst other parts were more shiny, like brand new metal. Impressive.
Although the name wasn’t.
"Want to test it?" He asked and handed her a piece of brown paper. She gratefully took it in her hands. The texture felt like sand, uncomfortable to place between her fingers.
"Look through this glass." He told her. Chloe took the boys place as she places herself right next to the machine. A tiny, round glass was connected to some type of wire. She put her face close and peeked out. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
"Look down at the paper."
Chloe did as he said, and to her surprise the brown coloured paper had turned purple. "Woah"
"Right?" Max agreed. He seemed very proud of her invention. Then, he grabbed her hand. Chloe blinked in surprise, although he couldn’t see it, as her back was facing him. He carefully intertwined his fingers with hers and led them to a wheel on the machine with letters on it. "Turn this wheel around and the paper will change colours."
Chloe turned her attention back to the piece of paper. She slowly turned the wheel and heard a soft click. Had she ruined it? Fear took over her senses before the noticed that the object in her hand had changed colour yet again. This time it was teal. She kept spinning the wheel and saw a rainbow of colours flash before her eyes. Each time a little click followed. Chloe let out a sigh of relief, she hadn’t destroyed the machine after all.
She peeked outside of the glass, but there wasn’t a colourful object in her hand, instead it was just the normal brown paper.
"It’s only changing if you look through the glass." Max said with a nervous tone. Suddenly the machine was a little less impressive.
"It’s cool nonetheless." Chloe lied, her body turning to face the Hatter boy.
He flashed a smile of her and pulled her closer with a tug of his hand. Excitement ran through Chloe’s nerves. Was it really happening?
The blue haired girl looked up at him with all the love she could express in her eyes, and suddenly the boy looked much less confident. He even took a step back.
Chloe blinked in surprise as he dropped her hand.
"Sorry, am I giving you the wrong signals?" He asked, nervously fidgeting with his fingers.
"What do you mean?" Chloe asked, acting oblivious.
"I just want you to know that I don’t like you." Max said, scraping his neck. Chloe felt her heart drop to her stomach.
"I-I mean in the romantic sense! Of course I like you, just not as a crush, you know?"
Chloe looked down at her boots. Had she misread everything? Did all that she thought was romantic mean nothing to him? "Oh" Was all that came out from her slightly parted lips.
Max looked even more embarrassed than Chloe. "I thought that you liked someone else this entire time, sorry."
Chloe raised a brow as she regained eye contact with the Hatter boy. "What do you mean by that?"
"I thought that… you were jealous of Red." He nervously smiled. Chloe took what he said to her heart. Her? Jealous of Red?
Perhaps he was right.
Chloe put her index and middle finger on her temple. She didn’t feel much for Max. "You might be… right."
Max blinked in surprise. "Really?" He clasped his hands together. "Well, then go get your girl!"
Chloe raised both her eyebrows this time. "Girl? I thought you meant Luis?"
Max stared at her for a good second, his mouth open although no sentences dared leave his tongue. Then he snapped back, closing his mouth before opening it again. "Y-yeah! I did, sorry, got guy and girl mixed up." He gave her a nervous smile. "Go get your… guy!"
Chloe nodded, but curiosity didn’t leave her gaze. "Right…" She didn’t believe him, but she let it be. He was incredibly nervous, after all.
As she turned around on her heels to leave, she felt a strong hand on her shoulder. She turned her head to see Max looking at her, his nervous expression replaced with a smirk.
"What are you planning?" Chloe immediately asked. "Whatever it is, I’m out." She didn’t want to be his test rabbit again for another one of his machines. One time had set some of her curls on fire.
"You won’t back out of this idea I tell you! I know exactly how to win that muscle guy over!"
Chloe crossed her arms, bouncing her foot up and down. "I’m listening."
-
"Hey guys!" Chloe waved. The ‘guys’ were Red, Hazel and Luis, bickering over something. Most likely something absolutely stupid and silly. Her other hand was interlinked with Max’s. Both of them had decided it would be outrageously funny to see everyone’s reaction to then fake dating. Max had also promised that Luis would definitely get jealous. And who was Chloe to doubt him?
Red immediately turned around at the sound of the bluenettes voice. She had a grin on her face that quickly washed away when she saw the two hold hands. "Hey Cho.." she forced out, her eyes fixated on their hands. Hazel waved back at them and gave Chloe a wink before going back to an argument with Luis.
"Hi Red." Max said, waving with his fingers. Red forced on a smile that looked unnatural on her.
"So are you two.." the red haired girl asked, pointing at them. There was a slight hint of disgust in her voice.
Chloe shot a look to the boy next to her. How far were they willing to let this go?
Max nodded at Red. He didn’t say anything, but that was seemingly all it took for Red to believe they were a pair.
"Wow! I can’t say I saw this coming. Like, ever." She gave them a very stiff thumbs up. Finally, Luis gave Chloe and Max his attention, followed by Hazel’s.
"You two are together?" Luis gaped, shocked. Hazel nudged his side, and he quickly shut hit mouth and smiled at them. "Congrats!"
Hazel nodded in agreement.
"Where did this… come from?" Red asked, tilting her head in confusing. Chloe smiles, trying to suppress her laughter.
"I think it’s always been there." Max shrugged and pulled his arm away from the blue haired girl grasp, only to put it over her shoulder and pull her closer. Chloe’s eyes opened wide. He was pretty good at the whole fake dating thing. Made her wonder if he’d ever done that before.
"Even when we were in Wonderland?" Hazel asked.
"Especially when we were in Wonderland." The Hatter boy answered calmly, though a small smirk formed.
As Hazel, Max and Luis continued their conversation, it eventually drifted into something that had nothing to do with their so called ‘relationship’. Chloe was seconds away from letting out a sigh before she felt a hand around her wrist, pulling her away from the others. She half expected it to be Max and the other half was expect Luis, but it was neither of them. Instead, Red was dragging her away. She looked enraged, but also like she was trying to hide it. Had she found of her and Max’s plans? A chill ran down her spine.
Suddenly, Red stopped. They were behind a great and big tree with beautiful flowers forming at the end of the branches. It loomed over them and when the wind took control over the tree, it suddenly started raining petals. Chloe felt one petal hit her directly on the nose, causing her to sneeze.
"Look, Chloe, I’m really happy that you’ve got a boyfriend. But why Max?" Red asked, taking her friends hands in hers. Chloe felt a blush creeping up her neck.
What? Why was she blushing over her friend?
"Well you know, he’s nice and supportive. And he’s really creative!" Chloe smiled as she told the red haired girl.
"Just a few days ago you called him stupid and that his creations were annoying."
Chloe but down on her lip. She had totally forgot about all the times she had talked bad about the boy. "Yeah well, times change. He’s gotten really good at creating… stuff."
Red scoffed. "You don’t even know what he makes."
Chloe pulled her hands away and put them on her sides. "Red, are you… jealous?" She asked, tilting her head. The main mission was to make Luis jealous, not Red! Was Red mad that Chloe had gotten with Max because she liked him? Chloe had to force herself not to yell that the girl already had a boyfriend!
"Jealous?" Reds eyes opened wide before she broke into laughter. "Oh Chlo, I’m not jealous over a Hatter boy!"
Chloe blinked in surprise. "I meant you’re jealous of me because I’m with Max." She pointed to herself with her index finger.
Red froze mid laughter and straightened her back up. "Yeah that’s uh, that’s what I meant."
They stood like that for a good minute, just staring at each other with nothing but awkward silence between each other.
Right as Chloe was about to turn and leave, Red coughed. "So you like, love him?"
Chloe looked away. She didn’t really love him at all. She probably never had, but she couldn’t just say that to Red! "I guess." She mumbled.
"You guess?"
"I mean, if you want to be with him I don’t want to be in the way!"
Red stared at her in shock. "Chloe, that’s your boyfriend!"
"Yes, and?" She bluenette asked, confused.
Red put her head in her hands. "Chloe, I would never steal you boyfriend. I’m not a crazy friend."
Chloe let out a laugh. "I mean sometimes you are."
Red put her hands away, but instead of them falling to her sides, they were put on Chloe’s shoulders. "But I’m not a crazy boyfriend stealer. You know that, right?"
"Well yeah. I just wanted to double check in case you liked him first."
Red let out a big sigh.
-
"Hey Luis." Max greets the Madrigal as he walks hand in hand with his so called ‘girlfriend’. Luis on the other hand was with his actual girlfriend. Red stood at least two meters away from his, seemingly just lost in her own thoughts.
Chloe felt slightly bad. I had only been about day since she and Max had decided to fake date, but Red didn’t seem like herself after that. Chloe had noticed the longing stared when her and Max held hands. She must really be jealous. Chloe thought to herself. She must really like Max. Like, a ton.
"Hey Red." Chloe greeted her friend and walked away from her fake boyfriend. Red snapped out of her thoughts and stared surprised at Chloe.
"Oh, hey Chlo." She mumbled, forcing a smile.
The bluenette tilted her head, inspecting the princess closely under her eyes. She looked tired, but also restless at the same time. Something was definitely wrong with her friend. "Are you okay?" Chloe asked. "You don’t look very good."
"I’m good!" Red answered quickly. Too quickly. It only furthered Chloe’s suspicions.
"Hey princess!" Max yelled from where he was standing, even though it was only a few meters away. "Want to go on a picnic?"
"A picnic?" Chloe and Red asked at the same time. They looked at each other and shrugged. Not very Hatter style, but they’ll take it.
"Is it like a double date?" Chloe asked as she grabbed Red’s upper arm and lead them to the boys. Luis nodded, but he also raised his shoulder as if he didn’t know himself.
Whatever, a picnics a picnic.
It didn’t take long before they got to their picnic spot. Turns out that Luis had accidentally ordered too much food for him and Red, but he didn’t want to waste that much good food.
A cute blanket with hearts on it was spread out on the grass, with a bench right next to it. Chloe sat down on the blanket with Red following her. The two boys sat on the bench, chatting. In the middle of the blanket, a big basket was filled to the brim with everything anyone could want to eat. Chloe pulled out a croissant.
"My mom makes these from time to time." She told Red as she nibbled on the pastry. She had probably told her friend that multiple times, but if she had, Red ignored it.
"Lucky. I’ve heard homemade is the best." Red told her and chose a strawberry for herself.
"Heard?" Chloe asked. "Doesn’t Bridget make anything good now and then? You know, since she liked cupcakes and such back then."
Red threw a look over her shoulder to check on Luis and Max, but they were too busy chatting to hear the girls conversation.
"The new one does. My old mom… she only had people make them for her. They didn’t taste very good." Red shrugged as she pulled of the strawberry’s calyx with her teeth. "Now that she makes them with love, they taste very different."
Chloe nodded. "I can imagine."
They sat there in silence for a few minutes, feeling the soft breeze in their hair. Chloe looked back at Max. He caught her eyes and ruffled her hair slightly. Chloe stiffened. She was not a big fan of people ruining her curls. When she looked back at her friend, Red seemed extremely frustrated. She had her attention on Max, her eyes drilling into his skull. If looks could kill, Max would be cold by now.
"Are you okay?" Chloe asked and out her hand on Red’s thigh. Her friend turned the colour of her hair. She looked feverish!
"Are you sick?" Chloe frantically scanned her face and put the back of her hand on Red’s forehead. She seemed really warm.
"Red?" Luis asked as he got off the beach to get to his girlfriend. He was about to lift her up when Chloe smacked his arm out of the way.
"I’m trying to check if my friend is alright." Chloe basically grunted. The Madrigal was taken aback.
"Well she’s my girlfriend."
Max nodded. "He had a point. Let’s go Chloe, Red probably just needs Luis." He reached out his hand, letting hold grab onto it. But just as she was going to get up, Red pulled her back down with a "No!"
Chloe’s eyes opened wide in shock. Her friend looked so insanely jealous. It looked like it was hurting her.
"Red, please. We need to get you checked out." Luis told her. As he touched her, Chloe felt something boil in her stomach. She felt infuriated at the boy.
"I can take care of it. If I’m correct, you have unfinished school work." Chloe assumed. Luis sighed.
"She’s not wrong." Max elbowed his friend in his side.
"I’ll see you later then Princess." Luis told her. Red could barely give him a slight nod.
When the two boys were out of earshots, both girls let out a relieved breath.
"Sorry. I don’t know what came over me." Chloe rubbed her neck.
Red let out a small chuckle. Her lashes fluttered, and the redness on her face had mostly gone away. With the wind tugging at her hair, Chloe was mesmerised by her friend.
She looked so insanely beautiful.
The same feeling in her stomach came back, only this time softer. Like there wasn’t something she had to fight for.
Oh no.
Chloe’s eyes opened wide.
She was so, so, so madly in love with Red.
Her jealously hadn’t been aimed for not being with Luis, it was for his girlfriend and her friend! Actually, her best friend!
"Uh, Chloe. Are you okay?"
The blue haired girl blinked. "Oh yeah. Sorry."
"Now you’re the one who seems sick." Red crawled closer to her, trying to check her temperature with her finger. Chloe felt a blush creeping up her neck.
"Oh it’s nothing! I’m fine!"
Red raised an eyebrow. "So you say."
"I’m serious!" Chloe scoffed. She tried to pull Red’s hand away, but when she reached her fingers, Red only wrapped them around Chloe’s.
"Thanks, by the way. If I had to spent one more minute with Luis I don’t think I would have been very nice." Red confessed.
Chloe tilted her head. Wasn’t he her boyfriend? She decided not to ask that. She knew the answer, she she would rather that Red would spend time with her and not her annoying, muscular boyfriend.
"No worries." Chloe gave her a nervous smile.
"What do you say we go back to our dorm?" Red asked, fidgeting with her fingers. Chloe shrugged. "I won’t mind."
The red head smiled and stood up. Chloe followed. They decided to leave all the stuff that had been set up for the picnic. If Luis or someone else had set all that up, they could easily take it down. Red grabbed her friends hand and dragged her back to the dorms with a smile plastered on her face.
-
"So you are a hundred percent sure you’re fine and don’t need to go to the nurse?" Chloe asked, inspecting Red closely. She was straying to play off that she was actually just staring at her to take in her gorgeous face, but she could never admit that. Especially to her best friend who has a boyfriend.
"Yes princess, I’m fine." Red sighed and swatted Chloe’s hand away as she tried to quadruple check her temperature since they came back to their shared dorm. Red was sitting on her bed, whilst Chloe was sitting on the floor right next to her. It was kind of cold, but she didn’t care enough about the temperature to move away from her friend.
I just want to hold you, Chloe thought to herself.
"So, uhm.. how’s you and Luis?" Chloe looked away. She couldn’t look Red in the eyes while she talked about the man she loved. But to her surprise, Red only groaned. Chloe shot a look back at the princess and found her laying on her back, hands on her face.
"I don’t know Chlo…"
The bluenette’s eyes shot up. "What?" Was she not that head over heels in love with Luis as she thought?
"I think.." Red took her hands away from her face and put them on her knees instead as she sat back up. "I think that I’m not what Luis needs, nor wants." She pressed her teeth down on her lip as she looked away. "He’s not what I want either."
"What?" Chloe had to force herself not to let her jaw drop. Red was not what Luis needed? But she was perfect!
"That’s the second time you’ve said what." Red let out a giggle. It sounded a tiny b it forced, but also like she just wanted to ease the tension between them.
"Sorry." Chloe impulsively said, although it wasn’t really anything to apologise for. "I’m just… wow, I never thought…" she couldn’t find the right words. What was she even trying to say?
"I know." Red said. "Honestly, I’m kind of shocked myself. I think it was just that he looked at me like I want the daughter of an evil queen." Red locked her eyes with Chloe, "He didn’t know my actual past and still doesn’t. He just looks at me and… fells no fear." With a small giggle, Red wiped a singular tear away. "It’s stupid, I know. But I just wanted to feel… normal."
Normal. Chloe felt her heart sink. Red would never, ever, be normal. It wasn’t for any reasons Red herself could choose, but because of her mother. Or her past mother, more or less. She had scarred her child since she was tiny, and even though the Queen of Hearts was now a loveable and funny woman, Red could never forget. That’s what was blocking Red from finally feeling normal.
"No, Red, I get it." Chloe leaned closer to her friend, putting her hand over her Red’s trembling ones. "I know how you feel. I really do! But some of us are just not meant to be normal."
Red, who was staring at their combined hands finally looked up, tears threatening to fall.
"And I’m not normal either! I will never be." Chloe explained. Red let out a small snort of laughter.
"I’m sorry!" Red said in between her giggles. "It’s just that you’re like, the most normal person I know."
"I am not!" Chloe scoffed. She had time travelled for heavens sake! Name one other person then Red that had done that. Maybe a few actually. "Huh, maybe I am."
"See!" Red managed to get out. She leaned forwards, balancing on their combined hands. Red’s eyes were shining, both with tears and happiness. Chloe couldn’t stop staring at her. She looked gorgeous.
Red blinked in surprise and pulled backs slightly. "Really?" She asked.
Chloe’s eyes were wide in shock. Has she just said that out loud? Had she just called her friend gorgeous to her face?
"Well.. yes." Chloe scratched her neck. "And Luis is too blinded by his own muscles to see the beauty in front of him."
Red turned the colour of her hair again. Chloe was just about to ask if she felt sick when Red suddenly looked down, her whole expression changing. She looked almost sad.
"I think Max I blinded too. By his own inventions! Seriously, you’re the most gorgeous girl I’ve ever seen in my entire life, and he would rather spend his time with his machines or Luis than with you?" The girl took a breathing break. "Thats crazy!"
Chloe chuckled. "Well, not really."
The red haired girl tilted her head in confusion. "Why not?"
At first, Chloe wanted to pretend to not have heard what her friend had said but the shine in her eyes made her go mute for a good second and rethink. No, she must know.
"Me and Max aren’t dating."
Red’s eyes shot up. "You’r married? Or to be? Are you engaged?"
"I- wha- no!" Chloe laughed. "We’re not dating, married nor are we engaged!"
Red let out a sigh of relief. "I was worried!"
The bluenette tilted her head, hope fluttering in her chest. "Worried? Why would you be worried?"
Red quickly looked away, fidgeting with her hands. "I didn’t mean it like that! I only meant that you’re young and if you get married that early…" her voice trailed off until it stopped completely and she stared at Chloe again. "Wait, what do you mean you and Hatter aren’t dating?"
"We’re not dating, as in me and him are not a thing?" Chloe shrugged. Was that too hard to understand. Could be, Red wasn’t the sharpest knife in the box.
"But.." Red pointed at her with her index finger. "You two are flirting! Like, all the time."
Chloe giggled. "Yeah, that was all fake."
"A fake relationship? Seriously?" Red crossed her arms, but she didn’t exactly look unimpressed. "I never knew you had it in ya’ princess."
"Oh I do." Chloe did the same as Red, crossing her arms. "We just wanted to make-" she quickly stopped talking. Her and Max’s plans were originally going to make Luis jealous, but turns out that it had made Red jealous instead. She couldn’t possibly tell her friend that she pretended her and the Hatter boy were a thing because she wanted her boyfriend!
"Tell me!" Red eagerly said, leaning over their hands again. She was so, so close to Chloe now. Her breath was tickling her nose, making it hard to concentrate.
"No I couldn’t possibly…" Chloe looked away, feeling a blush form on her cheeks. It felt like she was burning. Red let out a long, slightly disappointed, joking sigh. "Aw come on princess! We tell each other everything!"
Chloe felt like her heart was aching. Red was right, they did tell each other everything. No matter what, Red was her best friends. She’d still forgive her even for her mistake, right?
"The truth is… whenever I see you and Luis I get kinda of-" she had to stop herself so she could think of her next words. "-jealous." That’s the word. There was nothing else she could use to fit with what she had done.
"Of… me?" Red tilted her head, and her smile had faltered. She looked like she was trying to keep herself sane, and her pupils were tiny, staring into Chloe’s eyes like she was transparent.
"That’s what I thought first. I got into a fake relationship with Max because I was jealous of you-" Chloe explained. Red quickly pulled her hands away from where Chloe was holding them and brought them to her chest. She looked almost wounded, scared even. "But I realised I was wrong!" Chloe blurted out. She had to tell Red about her feelings towards her, because of not, Red would most likely end their friendship over a stupid boy.
"Sure." Red looked away. Tears were starting to form, and her voice sounded fragile.
"Because I realised that I didn’t like Luis, or Max for that matter." Chloe put her hand on Red’s shoulder, leaning over the bed. The princess looked back at her with hope in her eyes. Chloe realised that the red haired girl hadn’t given completely up on her yet, even though she was a bad friend. "I liked you."
The dorm went quiet. The only thing they could hear was someone yelling outside and birds singing. Not very romantic, but also not too bad.
Red stared at her in shock. Her nails dug into her palms as she stared at the bluenette. Chloe wasn’t sure what to feel. Red looked scared, not happy, like Chloe had wanted her to be. So, she got up from where she was sitting. She was slightly stiff from the cold floor, but brushed it off. She had bigger problems to deal with. "I’m sorry." Chloe whispered. She scrambled out of the dorm and made a run for it. She sprinted down the flight of stairs, ran outside and only stopped when she realised she couldn’t see anyone anymore. The only thing that caught her eye was the plains of flowers in front of her, blooming with beauty. One of them was red, and next to it was a blue one. Chloe sat down and put her head between her knees. She messed up so bad. Red would never want be her friend every again.
Chloe dug her nails into her scalp. "Why?" She whispered trough gritted teeth. "Why did I have to be so stupid?"
"I wouldn’t say you’re stupid."
Chloe released her hands and pulled her head up from her knees. She had to blink multiple times to make sure she wasn’t seeing things.
Red was standing there with a rose in her hand. She looked embarrassed as she stood there. Chloe had never seen Red like that, ever.
"I-" Chloe tried to say something, anything, but nothing else came out. She was shocked, happy, scared and angry at the same time. There were no words that could convey her emotions.
"I’m sorry!" Red apologies. Why was Red apologising? It was Chloe that was stupid enough to tell her friend she liked her in a romantic way. "I didn’t mean to look so… shocked. I mean, I am shocked, but not in a bad way."
Chloe tilted her head, letting her curls fall over her face. Maybe if a tear was spilt with her hair in front of her, Red wouldn’t notice. But the red head was quick to crouch down and move her curls out of her face. Chloe blinked at her in surprise.
"You have all the reasons to hate me." Chloe told her. It was right, Red had every reason to resent Chloe right now.
"I guess I do." Red shrugged and sat down.
"So why are you here?"
"Because-" Red seemed like she wanted to keep talking, but she forced herself to stop. She was only focused on Chloe now. "Can I show you?"
Show her? Chloe was confused. "Show me? I mean, sure, but why-" she was cut off the the princess’s lips on hers. Chloe hands jerked up and she had no idea what to do with them. Was Red kissing her?
It felt unreal. Red’s lips tasted like cherries and strawberries. It was sweet. After what felt like ages, Red pulled back. Her eyes were glistening with what seemed to be hope.
"Do you get it now?" She asked.
"I think I do." Was all Chloe managed to mutter out before she threw herself at the red head, pulling her close by the collar.
-
"Well would you look at that." Max poked Chloe’s side, making her jerk away. She slapped his arm.
"Look at what? There’s nothing to see." She huffed and crossed her arms.
"There is. You have a bit of lipstick smeared on your lip. I never knew you wore red lipstick."
"Tsk, more like Red’s lipstick." Hazel interfered, sitting down next in front of them on the bench they were using.
"Wha- no! I don’t!"
Max snickered. "Uh, yeah you do." He put his arm around her shoulder, making her grunt. "So now that you and Red are… something, that means our fake thing is like, over? Right?"
"Yes it is." Chloe put her hand out. "It’s been good working with you."
Max let out a loud laugh. "Yeah thanks, you too." He took her hand and shook it. When they pulled away, Chloe felt something throw themselves around her shoulder. She glanced up to see Red’s waves covering her face.
"Hi!" She smiled as she tilted her head. Chloe almost fainted on the spot over how cute she looked.
"Hi." Chloe greeted back and pulled her in for a kiss. She had to slightly strain her back, but it was with it to feel the grin from Red against her own lips.
"Ew, go get a room!" Hazel stuck out her tounge like a kid. Pink appeared right next to her, and first she watched like a proud sister until she realised that her sister was kissing someone. She quickly uttered an "Ewww."
A little further away, Luis was watching them. He let out a sigh.