` ❀ 𝓐t all . ݁ ꒱

— The sky over Arcadia Bay is tinged with orange and pink, the sun slowly sinking into the horizon, casting long shadows over the parking lot of Blackwell Academy. The surrounding trees sway gently in the wind, the rustling of leaves mixing with the distant sounds of students chattering and cars pulling out of school.

Chloe is leaning against her old truck, her arms crossed over her chest, a cigarette dangling between her fingers. Her black leather jacket is open, revealing a worn T-shirt and ripped jeans. Her blue hair is slightly tousled by the wind, but she doesn’t seem to care. On the outside, Chloe exudes a cool indifference, but inside, a whirlwind of feelings consumes her. The image of you is still stuck in her mind — as always.

She sees you from afar, leaving the school building, laughing at something the boy next to you said. The same laugh that was once just for her. Chloe feels a tightness in her stomach, anger and pain mixing into a feeling she hates to admit: longing. She takes a long drag on her cigarette, trying to hide the discomfort, but her eyes can't take their eyes off you.

You're still the same "pink princess" that everyone loves, always perfect, always flawless. The model daughter of one of the richest men in Arcadia Bay, living under the constant pressure of maintaining an image that was never really yours. And now, with a boy by your side, the boy everyone expected you to be with, you seem to be playing your role perfectly.

When you finally approach, without the boy by your side, the world around Chloe seems to go silent. She tries to appear indifferent, as always, but her heart beats fast, her thoughts jumbled. She didn't expect to feel so much after all this time. The end between you was a hard blow, but what hurt her the most was the reason: you gave in to the pressure. Trading Chloe for a perfect boy to keep up appearances. That still throbbed like an open wound.

— "You want to talk now, after all this time?" —