CHAPTER1
1075 Words
The small apartment Chloe Anderson shared with her best friend, Ria, was a cluttered mess of mismatched furniture, half-empty takeout containers, and piles of unwashed clothes. The air was thick with the scent of stale pizza and the faint tang of desperation. Chloe sat cross-legged on the worn couch, clutching a pillow to her chest as tears welled up in her eyes.
“I’m just so tired, Ria,” she said, her voice trembling. “I’ve been here for weeks, and I can’t find a single job. Not one. How is that even possible?”
Ria looked up from her laptop, her brow furrowed in concern.
“I know it’s rough, Chloe, but you can’t give up. Something’s bound to come through eventually.”
“Eventually?” Chloe let out a bitter laugh.
“My mom doesn’t have ‘eventually’. She needs that surgery now, Ria. Twelve thousand dollars. Do you know how impossible that feels when I don’t even have a thousand to my name?”
Ria’s face softened, and she closed her laptop, moving to sit beside Chloe.
“I know it feels hopeless, but it’s not. You’re smart, and you’re resourceful. You’ll figure something out.”
Chloe shook her head, her tears spilling over.
“I can’t even take care of myself, let alone help my mom. And college. How am I supposed to pay tuition when I can’t even afford groceries? I feel like I’m drowning, Ria.”
Ria came to sit next to her and cradled her head in her arms.
“It's going to be fine, honey.”
For a moment, Chloe allowed herself to be comforted, resting her head on Ria’s shoulder. But the weight of her troubles was too much to bear, and the tears kept coming.
“I wish there was something I could do,” Chloe whispered, her voice barely audible.
“Anything. But no matter how hard I try, nothing changes.”
Ria didn’t respond right away, and the silence between them stretched. Then, her phone buzzed on the coffee table, breaking the moment. She glanced at the screen and sighed.
“It’s Kyle,” she said, standing up. “I have to go meet him.”
Chloe wiped her cheeks, trying to hide her disappointment.
“Of course. Go. Don’t let me ruin your night.”
Ria hesitated, guilt flickering across her face.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“I’ll be fine,” Chloe said, forcing a smile.
“Go have fun.”
Ria nodded reluctantly, grabbing her purse.
“Call me if you need anything, okay?”
“Sure,” Chloe replied, though she knew she wouldn’t.
Once the door was closed behind Ria, Chloe sat in silence, staring at the floor as her thoughts spiraled.
She stood abruptly, wiping her face with the back of her hand. Her wallet sat on the kitchen counter, she walked over, picked it up and opened it to find her last hundred-dollar bill staring back at her. It wasn’t enough to make a dent in her problems, but it was enough for a night of forgetting.
She slipped on a pair of jeans and a white top. She stepped out of the house and flagged down the first cab.
“Where to?” the driver asked, glancing at her through the rearview mirror.
“Anywhere with very cheap drinks,” she said, her voice hollow.
The driver nodded and pulled into the flow of traffic. For a while, neither of them spoke. Chloe stared out the window, the lights of Minnesota blurring into a kaleidoscope of colors. She felt the driver’s gaze on her occasionally, as if he wanted to say something but didn’t know how.
“You seem like you’ve got a lot on your mind,” he said finally.
Chloe let out a bitter laugh.
“That’s an understatement,” she said.
She didn't like to be this helpless. She wished she could help her situation.
The driver didn’t press her for details, but his silence was oddly comforting. When they pulled up in front of a dimly lit bar, he turned to her.
“Look, I don’t usually do this, but keep your money. You seem like you need it more than I do.”
Chloe blinked, caught off guard by his kindness. “I… I don’t know what to say. Thank you.”
“Take care of yourself,” he said with a small smile.
Chloe nodded, her throat tight with gratitude as she climbed out of the cab. She stood on the sidewalk for a moment, staring at the neon sign above the bar. It buzzed faintly, casting a flickering glow over the cracked pavement.
Inside, the bar was dim and smelled of stale beer and cigarette smoke. A handful of patrons sat scattered at the tables and barstools, their faces worn and tired. Chloe slid onto a stool at the bar and ordered the cheapest drink on the menu.
She nursed her drink slowly, the burn of the alcohol providing a small, fleeting comfort. With each sip, the tension in her shoulders eased, though the ache in her chest remained.
By the time she ordered her second drink, the world around her had taken on a hazy quality. The sounds of laughter and clinking glasses blurred together, and the weight of her troubles felt just a little lighter.
“Rough night?” the bartender asked as he refilled her glass.
“You could say that,” Chloe replied, her voice slurring slightly.
“Want to talk about it?”
She shook her head.
“Not really.”
The bartender nodded and moved on to another customer, leaving Chloe alone with her thoughts. She stared into her glass, the amber liquid reflecting the dim light of the bar.
Hours passed, though Chloe barely noticed. She lost track of how many drinks she’d had, her mind growing foggier with each one. The room seemed to tilt and sway, and she held her glass tightly. Soon, she'd had enough drinks for her one hundred dollar bill, and she couldn't afford it anymore.
Fine. She was going to have to walk home now that there was no money left on her. She saw the screen of her phone glow, but she ignored it. It was probably Ria calling to know how she was faring at home.
She knew the streets were quiet, deserted, save for the occasional car passing by.
- Writer
