Chapter 7 -- Midnight Blues
Chapter 7 -- Midnight Blues
Donnie slowly walked down the gravel driveway to his car. He could see Chloe sitting in the passenger seat, curled up in a ball. Donnie stood outside of his door for a moment, breathing in and out as deeply as he could to get his anger out. He knew he wasnt angry at the girl he cared so much about. He was angry at the pricks who continued to try to hurt her. And he was angry at the situations she kept putting herself into. But at the same time, he was at the same parties, in the same situations as her. She just happened to be a drop-dead-gorgeous girl, who didnt even realize it. Making it that much easier for the losers to prey on her.
Donnie opened his door, and slid into his seat. He waited a moment before putting the keys in the ignition and starting the engine. It was a bit chillier out tonight, and he noticed Chloe shivering. He took off his jean jacket and said "Sit up for a sec" as he draped his jacket around her slender shoulders. Chloe looked like she was passed out, but Donnie knew she wasnt. She was staring out the window, and he could see tears sliding down her cheeks. He didnt know what to say. He didnt know how to comfort her right now. And he wasnt sure where she should go for the night, even though something inside him was dying to spend the night with her again.
"Chloe, Chloe? You awake, babe?" She slowly nodded, but kept her back to him and her face towards the window. "Do you want to go home, or do you want to stay at my place again?" Chloe then started sobbing, and her back was heaving up and down. She had her face in her hands, and the way she cried she almost sounded like a kitten who was lost and in mourning, meowing for its mother. "Chloe, come here..." he slid over to her seat and wrapped his right arm around her shoulders. His left hand gently lifted up her face to his, and her face looked like she was in excruciating pain. "I...I...I.."
"Shhhh. Its ok. Its ok. Let it out. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere." He bent his face over her head and kissed the top of her head, still slowly repeating "Its ok. Its ok. Its ok." After a few minutes, he felt her breathe in a big breath of air, and he heard the sobs stop. He gently lifted her face to his once again to check how she was, and she was wiping the tears from her face, but didnt have the pained expression anymore. She almost just, looked, numb. "Do you want to come back to my place? Or do you want to go home, Chloe? Either one is fine with me. I'll sleep on the couch again. I promise. I'll let you rest."
Chloe started gently crying again , and mumbled out "I'm s-s-s-sooo s-s-s-s-sorry D-d-d-donn-iee" and then she broke down again with her little rasps of breath and kitten whines. Donnie just held her closer than before, as tight as he could, and rubbed her back with his hand, up and down, over and over. "Do you want to go home Chloe? I can take you right now." "Yes, please. I do." "Ok then, lets get out of here." Donnie slid back into the driver's side and put the car in gear, and this time very slowly drove the dark Texas streets back to Wicker Lane. When they arrived, Chloe had stopped crying, and was sitting very still, straight up, with her head looking straight out the windshield. She didnt move. A few minutes passed by of complete silence. Then Chloe turned to Donnie, and said, "Goodnight Donnie." "Goodnight, Chloe."
She started out of the car, and was slowly walking up her front porch steps as Donnie put the key in the ignition and turned the engine on, all of a sudden the passenger side door swung open and Chloe jumped through and landed on his lap, her legs straddling him. She started kissing him passionately, hard. And Donnie let her sweep him in to their late night memories of bliss. Being together. Alone. They kissed, and kissed, and Donnie made sure to leave a couple of hickeys on her neck to make her remember this moment. "Donnie..." she almost screamed, "Chloe, whoa there. yes? what is it?" "I have to tell you something...she started heaving like she was completely out of breath..."oh my god, ok, uh, get some air, breathe in , breathe out, there you go..." "Donnie, I need to tell you something. I am completely and utterlly, wholly and unconditionally...."
and her breath started heaving again, like she was choking for air. "Jesus Christ Chloe! Stop scaring me! ok just calm the hell down ok? just breathe, just breathe hon please just breathe, jesus christ what the fuck is happening right now!" Chloe finally gasped out, "let me repeat it again and finish what i was going to say.." "Fuck no. you need sleep, and rest, you cant even talk in normal sentences because your body is so exhausted. You need to get your little ass upstairs to bed ok? And you can call me in the morning. I can drive you to school if you want but you need to--" Chloe put both hands up to his lips and whispered "Shhhhhhhhhhh" 'Just let me finish, ok?' Donnie heaved a deep sigh, and this time Chloe took her hands off of his lips and put her hands on each side of his face as close to hers as she could possibly get him.
"I am completely, utterly, wholly, and unconditionally....in love with you. with my whole heart, and my whole body, and my whole soul. And I hate what ive done to you, I hate it Donnie. I'll do anything to change. But if you want to stay with me, i think we need to be girlfriend and boyfriend and grow together you know? I just...I need you Donnie. I love you so much. I have never in my entire life told a boy I loved him, because i never did mean it. But I love you, Don Billingsley. I love you. Please, please choose me too." He could see tears in her eyes starting to make their way off the ledges of her eyelids. He was sort of in a state of shock. But he loved her too. He just didnt know what to say. So he figured he should say the only thing on his mind. "I love you, Chloe Sun. I love you more than anyone or anything ive ever loved in my entire shithole filled life. But I can't do this. I can't keep rescuing you from parties and getting in stupid prissy fights with you ok? I cant do that anymore. Because thats just a bunch of outside bullshit with other people. And today at school, you let go of me to go be with those people. Those arent the people that passionately love you, Chloe. That's me."
Chloe gazed at Donnie with her watery blue eyes, and slowly kissed him on the lips again. "I'm so sorry Donnnie. I'm so sorry about everything today and tonight. I'm so so very sorry." "I know you are," he said,"and i am too. but we can get through this, but its not going to happen if it ever turns back the way it was yesterday, ok? I cant deal with drama. And you and I are in love with eachother, there should be no drama between us. The only drama happens from other people around us. Block them out. You're so insecure...you have no idea how perfect you are. So you think you have to get to know/suck up to all these strangers just for them to notice you. They dont give a shit about you, or anyone else, besides themselves. And theyre just going to hurt you, babe. They're just going to hurt you . So you can either pick them, or you can pick me."
"I pick you, Donnie. I pick you...' and she started crying again, Donnie kissed her hard and deeply and tried to show her how much he loved her. They kissed like this for a few minutes, before they realized it was very late. "I gotta go babe. But. I love you so much and im so scared that im the only one feeling this way, Donnie." "Promise me, sunshine, promise me that you'll make yourself realize i love you as much as you love me. Probably more than you love me. But thats ok with me, because that means we're still together. And i still have you as my own. I love you. I love you forever, sunshine. Go get some sleeps, and have beautiful vibrant sweet dreams." "I'm going to dream about you, Donnie. I love you. Goodnight." and she shut her door and walked up her steps to her house, and through the door this time. And as Donnie was driving away, he looked up and saw her standing in her bedroom window, crying.