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highschoolstoryliveson · 1 month

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Insecure

With the weight of the world almost always on her back, Chloe only found a few moments of peace. While things were hard or busy most of the time, usually she could sit next to the fountain at the back of the courtyard and breathe. Today was different though.

It wasn’t that she was mad at Koh for kissing Wes. She wasn’t even mad at Wes. She understood that they needed something to get Razor to come out, but that didn’t help the pit in her stomach or the hollow feeling in her chest.

Chloe looked down at her dress and tights. One of the wallflowers had given it to her, and she loved the outfit. She rubbed the fabric of the dress between her fingers, trying to let the soft fabric distract her. It wasn’t working.

She was startled when she noticed someone next to her. Koh was there, looking somewhat guilty. That was new.

Putting on a bright and welcoming smile, Chloe turned to face her completely. “Oh! Koh! I didn’t see you there!” She said, “Did you need something?”

Koh was quiet for a moment, not meeting Chloe’s eyes before looking up. “I guess I just wanted to say that it may have been a little… not cool to kiss Wes in front of you. If you don’t want to help me anymore, I get it.” Their teeth were gnashed together, and Chloe realized how hard that must’ve been.

Chloe’s eyebrows shot up in concern, “No! That’s not it at all! I’m not mad at you, and I certainly don’t want to stop helping you.” she assured the girl next to her, repressing the urge to touch the other’s arm.

Looking at her suspiciously, Koh turned a little more to face Chloe. “Oh. Well you shouldn’t be mad at Wes. I mean, yeah he’s hot and kissed me but-”

Before Koh could make Chloe feel any worse, she cut the rebel off, “I’m not mad at Wes either, Koh. I know he only did it to help out.”

Koh’s face dropped, then twisted in confusion, “Okay, well if you’re not mad at either of us, why are you here moping instead of helping out some loser who can’t solve their own problems?” they asked bluntly.

“Well my friends aren’t losers, first of all.” Chloe stated. Koh just rolled her eyes and motioned for her to continue. “And I don’t know, really.” She looked around to make sure no one was listening. “Promise not to tell anyone?” She asked.

Koh raised her eyebrows, then nodded. Chloe took a deep breath before continuing. “I guess that when I saw you and Wes kissing, it looked kind of… right. You know? Like, you’re both big on ‘taking down the man’ and fighting for what you believe in. You’re both a bit shady, no offense, and you guys are tough as nails. Compared to you, I’m a big old marshmallow.”

“So, what? You think Wes is going to leave you for someone like me?” Koh asked. Chloe shook her head and thought for a moment, trying to find a way to explain how she was feeling.

When she had an idea of what she wanted to say, she took a deep breath, “I don’t think Wes would ever leave me or cheat. He’s this amazing guy with this big heart under all of those layers of ‘tough mysterious dude’.” She let out a dreamy sigh, thinking of her boyfriend, “But look at us. I talk to everyone in the school and help out with anyone who needs it, so I never have time to go on big dates. And we’re not into the same stuff most of the time. Maybe it would be better if we broke things off, so that he could find someone like you.”

Koh thought on Chloe’s words for a moment, then smiled as an idea popped into their head. She grabbed Chloe’s wrist and dragged the confused girl to her motorcycle.

“Where are we going?” Chloe asked, putting on the helmet Koh threw at her.

“Trust me, okay Marshmallow?” Koh winked and hopped on the bike, letting Chloe climb into the sidecar. The ride to their house was short and pleasant.

Both of them got off of the bike and Chloe let the other girl put it away. The house was a little older and run down, but it reminded Chloe of some of the foster houses she had been in before getting adopted by the McMannon’s.

She followed Koh inside and followed her to Koh’s room. The walls were covered in posters and protest signs were scattered around. There were so many causes that she supported; Chloe suspected that Koh was just as busy as her sometimes.

“Not that I’m not happy to be here, what are we doing at your house?” Chloe asked, tilting her head.

Instead of a verbal answer, Koh threw a wad of clothes at her, pushing Chloe back onto the bed. “Change into this, then we’ll head back to the school.”

“What are you planning?” Chloe asked, looking at the studded red leather jacket.

“Well you think Wes would be happier with someone like me, right?” Chloe nodded, “But you don’t want to break up?” She shook her head. “So we’re meeting in the middle. I’ll help you dress and act more like a rebel, and you’ll see if Wes is happier with you that way.”

Chloe looked at them suspiciously, “Okay, but why are you doing this? I thought you didn’t like me?”

“Who said I didn’t like you? And that’s not the point. You’re doing something for me with the whole Razor thing, so I’ll help you with the whole Wes thing so we’re even.” She explained.

“You don’t have to-”

Koh stomped to the door, “Just shut up and put on the clothes. Little Miss Perfect wouldn’t want to be late for school.” And with that, the door was slammed and Chloe was left alone.

Quickly put on her new outfit, Chloe looked in Koh’s broken mirror. It was comfortable, she had to give it that. The boots were nice, and the jacket was cool, but it felt like she was wearing a costume.

Stuffing her real clothes into her bag, she walked out to see Koh waiting. Looking Chloe up and down, they smirked, “Well if Wes isn’t into this, I certainly am.” Chloe blushed and Koh laughed, “Alright, let’s get back to the school.”

Just as Koh pulled up to the school, the bell rang. Chloe climbed out of the sidecar and smiled at Koh, “Thanks for the makeover.” She said.

Koh shrugged and left, leaving Chloe alone. The pink haired girl grabbed her bag and ran, not wanting to be late to art.

She skidded in just as the bell rang, and all of the students turned to her when they heard the door closing. Everyone’s eyes widened at her new ensemble and they stared as she quickly made her way to her seat next to Autumn.

“This is certainly… new.” The artist pointed out, looking over Chloe. Chloe rubbed her arm, looking away. “It’s not that it looks bad! It’s just, you’ve never really worn something like this before.” Autumn backtracked.

“I wore that dress during the poetry slam!” Chloe defended, then realized that she had only had access to that dress because it was in her mom’s old stuff from the eighties.

“Like I said, it’s not bad. Just new. You kind of look like Koh.” She pointed out. Autumn then got back to her painting of Mia and Julian posing. It was so realistic that Chloe had thought it was a photo when she first saw it.

The day went on very similarly. In cheer, Mia pointed out her distaste for the outfit but also admiration for the jacket. During band practice, Ezra called her a punk and Payton got excited about the idea of a makeover.

By the end of the day Chloe didn’t want to talk to anyone, let alone go on a date. Usually seeing her boyfriend made her feel better, but she was scared. Scared that he would like this version of her better than the ‘old’ version.

Wes was waiting by his car for her, so she had no real escape. Mentally she scolded herself for trying to escape anything. She was a strong woman who didn’t need to be afraid of her loving boyfriend.

Wes’s eyebrows rose when he saw Chloe, but he didn’t say anything. He got into the driver's seat and smiled when Chloe climbed in. “So, where to? Tonight the drive in is playing some crappy horror movie from the sixties, or we could go get something to eat at the diner than stargaze at the hill.”

“The hill that just so happens to be nicknamed ‘makeout point’?” Chloe laughed at his blush. “You’re smart, but I’m always one step ahead.” She smiled.

“Alright, you caught me, but who can help it? I just want to kiss my beautiful girlfriend.” He shrugged, turning the keys.

Chloe leaned over and gave him a peck before putting her seatbelt on, “Well it’s going to be a beautiful night, so going to dinner then to the hill sounds like a perfect idea.”

They drove to the local diner and ordered, Chloe sticking with her burger and strawberry milkshake while Wes tried something new. After the waitress left, Wes looked back at Chloe. “So, I like your jacket. This whole look, it’s… cool.”

Refusing to look up from her milkshake, Chloe bit her lip and hummed in acknowledgement, “You think so?”

Wes nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s new, for sure. I didn’t know that you owned something like that.”

Shrugging, Chloe looked down. “There are some things you don’t know about me.” She tried to tease. Even if her voice hadn’t come out strained and false, they both knew that it wasn’t true.

Not knowing what was bothering her and not wanting to make things worse, Wes reached over the table to hold her hand. Watching her shoulders relax, he smiled as she slowly glanced up to meet his eyes. Things seemed to calm down a little, the two able to talk like normal. As always, they were there long after they finished their plates,

Once he had paid and the two of them were back in his car, Wes absentmindedly flipped on the radio. When they hit the road an obnoxiously poppy song started blaring for the speakers. As he reached his hand for the switch, Chloe slapped Wes’s hand away from the dial with the first real smile she had given all day. “I love this song!” She defended. “Payton showed it to me!”

Singing along nearly over the radio, Wes couldn’t help his soft smile as he watched his girlfriend let loose. Her voice wasn’t awful, but it was clear that she was better suited for her fiddle. What made it amazing was that it was her.

With the stars blanketing the sky and the area empty, both felt anticipation rising in their stomachs. Leaving the radio on, the two stepped out of the car and met back in front of the headlights.

Smiling, Chloe stood on her toes to kiss her boyfriend. Gently he grabbed her arm and sat the two of them onto the hood of his car, the music from the radio pleasantly blowing through the wind outside. When she shifted herself closer to place her hands on his chest, Wes ran a hand slowly up her arm.

Both of them were taken completely out of the moment when he yelped, pulling his hand back. There was a small scratch from where his hand had brushed one of the spikes on the shoulder, a small drop of blood falling between them. “Koh sharpens the spikes on her jacket.” He realized.

Before he could say anything else, Chloe broke down into tears. For a moment Wes stilled, having no idea what he was supposed to do. He didn’t know why she was so upset. They had talked at length about him kissing Koh, and she really didn’t seem to be angry about that. “Woah, woah.” Gently, he grabbed her arms and pulled Chloe into a hug. “What’s wrong?” He asked, rubbing circles into her back.

Through hiccups and sniffles, she explained everything. From the kiss to the impromptu makeover, Chloe told him about the insecurities running through her head. Before she could get too lost in her rant and start crying again, Wes cupped her face. “Sunshine, I love you. If you weren’t always helping other people or getting caught up in every mess that comes along, you wouldn’t be you.” A sly smile took over his features, “And besides, it doesn’t hurt that through you I have access to everyone in the school. Secrets are worth a lot, and I don’t know anyone that people trust more than you.”

Rolling her eyes, the scoff she let out pulled Chloe out of her spiral. “Whatever.” She smiled, “as if I’m telling you anything anyone says to me in private.”

Taking the red leather into his hands, Wes removed the jacket so he could pull Chloe back onto the car. She squealed and giggled as he practically dragged her down, “I have my ways of getting through to you.”

Smiling, she kissed him again. She guessed he did.

#high school story #high school story Wes #High school story koh #wes high school story #koh high school story #wes #koh #wes/mc #writing #fanfic #high school story fanfic #hss #hss prime #OC- Chloe Smith-McMannon

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