When Angels Fall (Fallen Angels) (45 page)

All the lights were on when Chloe got through the door. She hadn’t seen or heard from them since she got back and hoped to keep it that way.

“Chloe, is that you?”

She cringed as she heard Shelly call to her.

“Yeah, I’m only stopping for a minute. I have homework, and then I have to work tonight,” Chloe told her. She tried to sneak up the steps but Shelly caught her.

“This won’t take long. Your father and I have drawn this up for you. Since you think that your rich boyfriend has such a great life and you can just go off with him whenever you please, we have made these rules. You have mail here, and you can’t have it until you pay for your room and board this month.” She smiled at Chloe and handed her the papers they drew up while she was away.

“You’re serious? You want $400 a month?” Chloe was in disbelief as she read over the rules they had planned for her.

“Yes, this gives you a room to live in and some privileges. Welcome to the real world, little girl. Things aren’t handed over to you on a silver platter, like your boy toy out there. Oh, I got the job, so you can still date him for now. I watched you on the dance floor with him. The way you two were making out at midnight? Have some respect for us. So, if you want your mail, pay up.” Shelly’s lips curved in an evil sneer as she put out her hand.

“I will need to go to my room and get the money. Can I still do that?” Chloe asked through clenched teeth. They were going to make it really hard for her now.

“By all means,” Shelly replied and waited.

When Chloe returned, she only had $200, the last of the money from Christmas.

“That’s fine until you get paid,” Shelly gloated and handed her the mail.

“Do I still have health insurance?” Chloe asked, fearing they had taken that as well. She would need it soon.

“We can’t take that from you. Why do you need it? Did money bags knock you up?” She laughed.

“No, I need to get a physical for school. Can I have the card?” She hoped it wouldn’t be a problem.

Shelly went to her wallet and put the money in and took out the card. “Find your own ride to the doctor.
 
I don’t do that anymore,” she informed her as she started taunting her with the card.

Chloe started for the door, and then stopped. The anger was building up and she felt like she would explode. “What the hell have I ever done to you? I have never said a word to you. I have played nice, as you put it. Why are you and him so evil to me?”

“Because you were your mother’s mistake and now we’re stuck with you,” Shelly said point-blank.

Chloe shook her head and went to the door. She had to get out of there before she said something she would regret.

“I expect the balance by next week,” Shelly called to her as Chloe slammed the door.

As they walked into the Allen’s house, Nick looked over the rules she had been given. “They can’t be serious. This is worse than jail.” He put his books down on the kitchen table and looked at her.

“Just leave it. This is what they want, to make my life miserable. I just have to keep telling myself; ‘one more year, one more year,’” Chloe said, sitting down. She had a knot in her stomach as she read through all they now expected from her.

“No, this is stupid. They are going to hold your mail from you if you don’t pay up. How much do you owe them?” Nick asked her as he looked at the list again.

“Another $200. I’ll have it by the end of the week. I just won’t be able to eat much this week because I have to fend for myself now.” She ran her hands through her hair and tried to keep from crying.

“Do I really want to know what is going on?” Gina asked, seeing that Chloe was upset and Nick was more than annoyed.

Nick handed her the rules Shelly had given Chloe.

“I’m speechless. I could see if you were a problem and got into trouble all the time, doing this to teach you a lesson, but you’re a good kid. Why did this start?” Gina looked as confused as Nick was.

“Because I stood up to them on New Year’s. It is nothing I haven’t dealt with before. I just have to start budgeting my money better now. Maybe find another job, or they will get bored with it and forget about it.” She tried to laugh it off.

“How much do you have left now?” Gina knew Chloe had not spent much when they were away.

“Nothing. I just gave her the rest of it. The little cracker and jelly packets at school are free, right?” Chloe tried to joke, but she knew that was the plan she’d thought of in the car. She just would have to start eating like a mouse.

“I can make an extra lunch for you and you can have dinner here before work.” Gina smiled and handed the paper back to her.

“Mom, Sister MM asked Chloe to tutor me again,” Kevin said.

“Really? How much do you charge?” Mrs. Allen asked Chloe.

“I don’t. You know that. That’s one of their biggest problems, that you have money, and they think I can get it off you or something,” Chloe explained as she opened her books.

“Yeah, we’re loaded,” Kevin joked.

“Yeah, we are just filthy stink in rich,” Nick continued.

Chloe rolled her eyes at them.

“I don’t have anything ready for dinner tonight yet, but if Nick is picking you up from work, I’ll send you something.” Gina sounded worried.

“Mom, can she get her mail here? I mean, if she is late with a payment or something, they are just the type of people to throw it away.”

“Sure. Do you have anything with your address on it?” Gina questioned, and Chloe handed her an envelope she had gotten that day. “I’ll go tomorrow and get it switched.”

Mark and Claire came in, talking about one of their classes, and joined them at the table. “Who got something from Griffin College?” Claire asked, seeing the envelope in Gina’s hand.

“I did. They invited me to something there this month,” Chloe answered and went back to her homework.

“Isn’t that the college that gave you a full four-year scholarship?” Nick reached for the envelope.

She knew she couldn’t go, so there was no point in even talking about it. “Yeah, it’s one of them. I mean, they have the best offer, but I don’t know yet.”

Nick opened the envelope and saw that it was a final request about the information weekend they were hosting. “Chloe, you’re going to lose your scholarship if you don’t reply to this.” He handed the letter to his mother.

“It’s no big deal. I have to go with a parent and that isn’t happening.” She was about to give up on her dreams of college and her future. If her parents had their way, she would be gone and left on the streets.

“Hello? Do you know how hard it is to get into this college, let alone get a full four-year scholarship? They’re an amazing school of the arts. I have a friend who goes there and she’s always going to Paris to study or hear a lecture,” Claire exclaimed as she read the letter over Gina’s shoulder.

“When is this thing? Because you’re going,” Gina said as she looked at the paperwork. When she found the date, she sighed. “The same weekend as the youth group retreat. Hmm.”

“See? I can’t go. I’m already signed up for that,” Chloe added, putting her hand out.

Gina looked at her.

“You really should not have said that,” Nick warned.

Gina raised her brow at Chloe, and then went through the paperwork in the youth group folder, and found her permission slip. She then looked at Chloe and tore it up. “I’m so sorry, Honey. I can’t find your slip, so you can’t go.” She smiled at Chloe.

Chloe was shocked she did that. “I still can’t go. I don’t have anyone to take me and you’re going away with the youth group.”

“Her older brother can take her,” Mark suggested as he sat down at the table.

“Mark, Honey, you look nothing like her. She doesn’t have the brown eyes you three have or the brown, curly hair,” Claire pointed out as she leaned on him and looked at the letter gain.

“Her dad was the mailman. Mom had this torrid affair,” Kevin joked and Nick hit his arm.

“Her older sister could take her. I have more of a chance passing off as her sister than you as her brother, but you could come to keep us out of trouble,” Claire suggested and kissed Mark’s cheek.

“I’m liking where you ‘re going with this. A weekend in New York that could be fun. How could I have let you go for so long?” Mark smiled at her and kissed her. Claire hugged him and whispered something in his ear, and then he looked over at her.

“Hey, Dumb Ass, my girlfriend is going, too, so don’t ditch her like you would do to me and Kevin,” Nick broke in.

“Hi. It’s me you’re all talking about, and I’m not going,” Chloe added, shutting her book.

Gina got up from the table and stood next to her. She put her hands on Chloe’s shoulders in a motherly-type way and asked her why.

“Because it cost, like $400 to go, and because of the new rules I got stuck with, I don’t have that kind of money. I really appreciate that you all want to help me, but I just can’t now,” Chloe explained. There was no point. Any money she had would pay her way at home.

Gina looked at her. “Then, you don’t know my rules. One of the big ones is ‘I can’t’ is not an option. This is your education and your future, Chloe. You’re going. Think of it as an earlier birthday present,” Gina pointed out picking up the phone to make the arrangements.

Nick drove her to work that night. Chloe was quiet; too quiet. She had really said nothing since his mom got off the phone with the details for the weekend. “Baby, what’s wrong?”

She looked at her hands, unable to even look at him at the moment. “Why is your mom doing this? I could never pay her back for anything she’s doing for me.”

“Chlo, she loves you like a daughter. I have heard her talk to my dad about you and how she really wants to see you go far with your dreams. You’ve had no one to believe in you, and she does. And it isn’t a secret, but I do, too.” He took her hand and squeezed it.

“You have to, I’m your girlfriend.” She faked a smile.

“You have to go, Chloe. This is such a great opportunity for you.” He wanted her to see that he really supported her on this. After looking at her sketches, he knew she would really benefit from a school like this.

“If I go to college in NY, it is going to take me away from you,” she reminded him. They still had a year, but she didn’t want to leave him here it would never work if she had to leave him.

“Yeah, but I could always apply to one in NY, too. We could get a loft apartment in the city and come home on weekends, or not,” he suggested. He‘d thought about her leaving, too, and the plans they could make to still be together. They’d grown closer and he really felt that she would be the one he would end up marrying someday.

“You’re so sure you can get accepted to a college in NY?” She laughed.

“I’m not Kevin. I get better grades than him any day. I could get a sports scholarship somewhere up there. I’m that good at baseball,” he kidded.

“I haven’t seen you play, so how would I know?” she teased.

“I’m pretty good. You’re going to have to come out to the games.” He kissed her hand.

She laughed and laid her head on his shoulder. “Yeah, and see all those sports groupies all over you. No, thank you.”

“You’re my girlfriend. You have to. It’s in the rules!” he stated as he hit the steering wheel.

“I’m so sick of rules. If we have kids, we are never going to put all these rules on them!” she almost yelled as she threw her hands in the air. He smiled at that. “Oh, shut up.” She realized what she just said.