Chloe Walters lined her fingers up with the seams of the white ball in her right hand, before throwing a flawless knuckleball at the catcher's mitt. The batter swung and missed... Again. She could see the sad expression on his face as he looked back at Chloe, and put his bat in the air again. She felt bad for the poor kid. He was only a freshman. She remembered when the school asked her to play for the boy's team. Chlo was terrified on her first day. She chose to believe that he was experiencing the same thing ; maybe he's just nervous. Chloe grabbed a bottle of water, chugged it down, and started to prepare another pitch, when her coach started speaking.
"Alright, let's call it a day. Great job today, boys!" Coach Jackson boomed.
"And Chloe!" Chloe added. Ever since she was put onto the boy's baseball team, she always said that after Coach had called them boys. It was kind of her thing. Chloe grabbed two towels from the stack, and walked into the unisex locker room, where she turned the shower on, and cleansed herself after a long practice. Sharing a locker room with a bunch of guys had never bothered her, since she had been around for such a long time. They were like her brothers, and she was like their sister. She hummed a tune to herself, before turning the water off, and starting to get dressed. That was when she realized, she had dropped her shirt near her bag. Of course, her bag was across the room. Slipping her leggings and sports bra on, Chloe darted to her bag, grabbed the shirt, and sprinted back. After stepping back into the shower to finish changing, she slipped. But when she tried to find something to grab onto, she turned the water back on, soaking her. Just her luck. It had knocked the wind out of her system, and she carefully stood up as all of the guys laughed at her clumsiness.
"Screw you all," She laughed.
~
"Chlo, wait up!" Chloe heard a voice from behind. She was walking towards her locker, when her best friend, Mack decided to join her.
"What's up M?" She asked.
"I need you to get me out of detention on Friday," Mack abruptly stated.
"Again? Mack, I can't keep doing this," Chloe said. "What did you do?"
"I might've covered Mrs. Pierce's entire room with wrapping paper."
"Mikayla Ann Browning, what are you doing with your life?" She laughed.
"Who the hell knows?" Mack answered. "Anyways, can you lend your best friend a hand?"
"You're lucky that I don't hate you. I'll talk to my dad later tonight." Chloe's dad was the vice principal. Though it came to an advantage in times like these, it also meant that Chloe and her sophomore brother, Garrett, couldn't get away with anything. If they cared about their sanity, they'd behave, i order to avoid the never-ending lecture about their actions that would be waiting for them.
"Hey let's go to the mall. We haven't been there in a while, and there's this outfit that's practically screaming 'Mack! Buy me! I would look so cute on you! I love you!' And I really need it!" Mack told her best friend.
"Fine," Chloe agreed. "There's a pair of sneakers that I've had my eyes on lately, and I finally have enough money," Chloe finally reached her locker, opened it, and grabbed her phone. She always kept it in her locker after school until she was done with practice.
Brendan: Hi Chloe, I've been thinking about you lately
Brendan: I want you back
Brendan: We need to catch up soon. I haven't seen you around much lately
Brendan: I just went to the Twenty One Pilots concert, and I thought of you
Brendan: And I remember their concert was our first date
Brendan: Your picture is still in my locker because I love you
Brendan: Life is not the same babe
Brendan: You're the Gabriella to my Troy
Brendan: The chocolate to my vanilla
Brendan: The peanut butter to my jelly
Brendan: The Snoopy to my Charlie Brown
Brendan: The Netflix to my chill
Brendan: The seams to my baseball
Brendan: The fork to my spoon
Brendan: Babe
Brendan: Babyyyyyyyy
Brendan: Chlo Bear, please answer
Brendan: I miss you
[45 missed calls from: Brendan]
[23 voicemails from: Brendan]
Brendan: I'm sorry babe
Brendan: Chloe it'll never happen again she meant nothing to me
Brendan: I was drunk and I didn't know what I was doing
Brendan: I love you Chlo Chlo
Brendan: Baby will you please answer?
Brendan: Do you wanna come over and watch some netflix later?😏
Brendan: Baby...
Brendan: Babe...
Brendan: I still love you
Brendan: Can I have you back?
Brendan: Will you be mine?
Brendan: Will you be my girlfriend?
Brendan: Will you go out with me?
Brendan: Please?
Brendan: Boo I love you
Brendan: Why aren't you answering?
Brendan: I know it was wrong, but it's okay
Brendan: I've changed I promise
Brendan: Why won't you answer me?
She sighed at the clingyness of her ex boyfriend, Brendan. They were a power couple that was well known, but their breakup remained a mystery to pretty much everyone. He made up false stories about why they broke up, but many people knew that it wasn't true. She ignored the texts as she slammed the locker shut, and walked out of the school with Mack. The 10 minute drive to the mall was the same as usual; jamming out to today's hits with the windows down. It was almost better than the mall itself. It felt like an eternity had passed before the girls arrived. As soon as she parked the car, Mack stepped out, and kissed the ground.
"Oh! My beautiful mall! It's been too long!" She fawned over the ground.
"Genius, it's been a week. That ground is nasty, and you look like a dork. Let's go," Chloe chuckled. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of her biggest competition in baseball, Hunter Moore. Every year, Westlake, and his school, Eastlake, manage to go to the state championships for one of their sports, which only intensifies their competitiveness towards eachother. It's completely natural that there's a hatred between them, you know, since they're both star pitchers for their baseball teams. There's times when she wonders if she should at least give him a chance to be her friend, but his giant ego and fuckboy attitude continues to get in the way. To make matters worse, his best friend was Brendan. There was no way she was associating herself with him. Chloe shot Hunter a look before he continued walking with his friends. She could see the snicker on his face before he shot her one of his signature smiles.
"Mack, I'm serious. Let's go. Someone just walked by and looked at you like you're crazy," She said sternly. "I mean... I guess they aren't technically wrong but-"
"Alright." Mack stood up from the ground, grabbed Chloe's wrist, and dragged her to the entrance of the mall.
~
After visiting multiple stores, the girls decided to grab salads from the food court. It was their usual meal from the mall's food court; it was pretty much the only thing that followed their diet that they've had since their freshman year when Chloe was selected for the boy's baseball team, and since Mack was put onto the cheerleading squad.
"So Mikayla," Chloe started. "Has anyone asked you to the Spring Formal yet?"
"Why would you even ask me that? The formal isn't until April..."
"Yeah, and that's only a few months away. Besides, the boys are usually lined up by now," She mentioned.
"Okay maybe a few guys have asked me. Maybe a couple of girls too, but I'm totally boy-crazy. I still have guys asking me about the Valentine's Day dance," Mack admitted.
"I thought you were going with Hayes Doyle," Chloe replied.
"I am. But I bet I could sneak a couple of dances with them too," Mack explained. "What about you? Have you been asked to either?"
"Me? Pft... No. Unless Netflix decides to go to the dance, then I have no date," Chloe laughed. "I'll probably jus-" She was cut off by the presence of the one person who she could not stand.
"Moore, why are you here?" She asked bitterly.
"Gumdrop, I'm here to see you," Hunter told her in a sweet voice.
"Okay, you've seen me. Now goodbye." Chloe pushed the egotistical teenage boy away from her, but even with her strong arm, he barely moved.
"Why do you hate me, Gumdrop? Did I do something wrong? Oh, and my buddy, Riley, thinks your friend is pretty hot." Hunter shifted to the side, revealing a cute boy, who Chloe and Mack assumed was Riley.
"What are you trying to accomplish by coming over here? You know, besides making me want to punch you?" Chloe impatiently asked.
"I just wanted to say hey. And I can't wait to become friends with you, Gumdrop," He assured her.
"Why do you keep calling me that? It's getting annoying as hell, just saying. And what do you mean 'I can't wait to be friends with you'?"
"Oh nothing," He retorted.
"Right..." Chloe said, obviously not believing a word he said.
"By the way, I heard your team has been kicking everyone's ass this year," Hunter started.
"Finally, something we agree on," Chloe sighed.
"Have fun getting your's kicked at the championships, Gumdrop. Even with that strong arm, you can't throw half as good as Eastlake's emergency pitchers."
"Ha! You're funny, but we all know that you're just jealous that a girl has a better arm than you. Newsflash Hunter; I'm way more dedicated than you'll ever be," She snapped.
"Gumdrop, you have no idea how dedicated I am, so don't you dare say that you're more dedicated," Hunter growled. Chloe rolled her eyes and stood up.
"Mack, let's g-" She began. "Wait, where's Mack and Riley?"
"See Gumdrop, this is what happens when I talk to you. People go missing. You're just bad luck."
"As if!" She disagreed. "This is your fault! I told you to go away! But no, you had to stay there, and ruin my precious moment with my salad."
"Salad? Don't you ever eat something a little less... healthy and green?" He wondered.
"No. Unlike you, I actually want to keep my body healthy for games and practices," Chloe shot back. "And I'm working hard to keep a good figure, so junk food is basically what I don't need. I'm sure junk food has taken its toll on your body." By now, Chloe and Hunter were alone in a hallway that lead to the bathroom. He lifted the bottom of his shirt, revealing a few toned abs.
"See? Junk food is okay," Hunter declared.
"Your body doesn't faze me, Moore," She scoffed.
"Wasn't trying to faze you, Gumdrop. Trust me, I could faze you in a heartbeat," He argued.
"Right," She sarcastically stated. "Let's go, my best friend is my ride home."
~
"Mack! What the hell were you thinking?!" Chloe whisper-screamed as the pair left the mall.
"I was thinking that Riley was really hot, and he was really funny, and he was really sweet, and he was a great kisser, and he wa-" Mack informed her.
"I get it," Chloe interrupted. "Look, I hate to rain on your parade, but hanging out with him will ruin my life," Chloe explained. "He's good friends with Hunter Moore. You know, the Eastlake kid who pitches for the baseball team?"
"Yeah, so?" Mack questioned.
"What happens if we go out on a double date?"
"Just say no. Chlo, I love you to death, and you're my best friend, but I kinda like this kid. My entire life can't revolve around you. Remember, during freshman year, when you dated Bobby Marcus? Do you remember how mad I was, just because him and I dated for a few hours during seventh grade?" She asked.
"Yeah. I'm sorry. I've been really stressed about the championships. But still, I'm sorry for being rude lately." By now, Mack was already in Chloe's driveway, ready to drop her off. "Thanks M. Don't forget, it's my turn to drive tomorrow morning! I'll be at your house by 6:45. See ya tomorrow!"
"Bye Chloe!" Mack waved. Chloe opened her front door, trudged upstairs, and immediately plopped onto the bed. It was already 10:00, so she slipped on her pajamas, and was asleep within minutes.
_____
Hi everyone! Thanks so much for reading! I hope the characters were introduced a little bit in this chapter. I promise, their personalities will show a little more in the next chapter. What do you think of Chloe? What about Hunter? What do you think of them together? And Mack?
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Posted: January 1, 2016