“What’s wrong?”
“It’s my mom.” I choked out.
“Oh hell. What did she do now? I swear to God I’m going to punch that bitch in the face! I’m so sick of this shit!” She growled.
“You don’t have to worry about that; she’s dead.”
The words still felt wrong as they fell from my lips. I didn’t think that reality would ever set in.
“She… What?” Amber asked.
“She killed herself.”
“I… Oh God Chloe!” She cried. “Logan! Logan, get in here!”
I waited as she explained everything to him. Within seconds, he was on the line.
“Chloe? Are you ok?” He asked, his voice full of concern.
“No, not really.” I answered truthfully.
“Where are you at?”
“At my aunt’s house. Danny and Jordan are both here with me.”
“Give us a couple of hours to get packed and make the drive. What’s the address?” He asked.
I gave him the address and he promised to hurry as he hung up. I felt relieved that he and Amber were on their way; I needed all the support I could get. I hoped Drake would call me soon; I hated to pull him away from the band, but I needed him too much.
A soft knock came at my door and Danny popped his head in. “Everything has been taken care of. I scheduled for mom’s preacher to come here for a small service once everything else has been taken care of and they will contact me to collect… to collect her ashes.”
“Thank you for doing this. I don’t think I could’ve handled it all.”
“We’re family, the only family either of us has left. We need to take care of each other.”
“We really are all alone now, aren’t we?” I asked.
“Looks that way. Not that your mom was ever really there for you to begin with.”
“I know, I just wish we could’ve fixed things between us. The last thing she ever told me was how much she hated me. What am I supposed to do with that?” I asked as tears filled my eyes.
Danny frowned. “Don’t let that get to you. You’re a wonderful person Chloe, and if she was too stupid to see it then that’s her problem.”
“Thanks, Danny. I don’t know what I would do without you and Jordan. I promise I’ll come back as often as I can to visit you guys.”
“I know you will. Can I ask you something?”
“Sure, anything.”
He shifted from foot to foot nervously. “Is there anything between you and Jordan?”
I raised an eyebrow, surprised at his question. “Of course not, why would you think that?”
“Just the way he acts around you, and you said Kadi had pictures of you two together. You can be honest with me, I won’t judge you. I just don’t want him to get hurt.”
“There’s nothing between us, I swear. The pictures Kadi took were innocent and she tried to twist them. Jordan is my friend and that’s all he will ever be.”
He seemed satisfied with my answer. “All right then. I’m sorry, but I had to ask.”
“I understand, he’s your best friend and you’re just watching out for him. Are you ok after everything came out about Kadi?”
His face turned hard as he answered. “I’ll be fine. You’d think after all the times she hurt me I’d know better. I guess love really does make you blind.”
“You don’t deserve what she did to you. It’s my fault that she even came here and for that I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. At least now I know what kind of person she is,” he said as he gave me a weak smile, “Why don’t you sleep for a little while, I know you’re exhausted.”
I really was tired. Drake and I hadn’t slept for more than a couple of hours the night before and I was done for, body and mind.
“Yeah, I think that’s a good idea.”
He closed the door behind him as we left, leaving me completely alone and shut off from everyone. My eyelids dropped and finally slid shut. My mother’s face was the last thing I saw before I slipped out of consciousness.
It was several hours later when I woke to the sound of my phone ringing. Still half asleep, I grabbed my phone from the nightstand and mumbled out a hello.
“Chloe, it’s Logan. We’re at the gate, but the guard won’t let us in.”
I groaned. “Let me talk to him.”
I waited as Logan spoke to the night guard. A minute later the phone was passed to him. “Miss Richards?”
“Yes, Logan and Amber are my friends. Can you let them through please?”
“Certainly, sorry to