ROSARIUM ─── sirius black.

o.

PROLOGUE,
REAL.

CHLOE WOULD have liked to think that she was an intelligent girl, someone who'd be able to see trouble the moment it was in her midst. She had always been one to read people relatively well - it all being a part of maintaining her ice bitch streak for so long. Chloe had to be that way, it was a lot better to be five steps ahead of someone rather than being last. It was why she was on top of everything: her studies, her so-called friends, etc. Chloe knew just about everything about everyone so she never had to worry about betrayal or heartbreak.

She never had to worry about getting hurt.

That was until now, the news delivered from the lips of none other than Sirius bloody Black himself sending Chloe's seemingly perfect little world upside down. She still can't quite believe what he's just told her and she especially can't believe that it's been her that's just been tricked like this, royally duped but he one person she never suspected.

It hurts like hell if Chloe's been honest. It hurts more than all of the harsh words her family's ever told her, it definitely hurt more than the venomous things people spoke about her behind her very back. Chloe supposed that it hurt more than all of that because she thought that Sirius had been different - he was the only person she was beginning to trust up until now. They had had similar backgrounds and she could relate to him more than anyone else. So to find out that he had lied to her completely was enough to devastate her completely.

"Chlo...," Sirius trailed off, reaching out to hold onto her hand.

Chloe immediately backed away from his grasp, almost as though his touch would send shock waves of poison into her skin. Maybe it had all this time - deluding her into thinking that she would actually have a shot at happiness.

"No, don't touch me," Chloe hissed with as much hate as she could muster, glaring at the male in front of her.

That was the problem, however. She couldn't seem to hate him, even after all that he's just told her. She feels sorrow more than anything else.

"I didn't mean to hurt you," Sirius remarked, causing for Chloe to let out a bitter chuckle, "It was just supposed to stupid fun."

"I see, that just makes everything better then. Did you have fun playing your little game on me?" Chloe remarked.

Sirius didn't respond, his lips pressed into a thin line. The blonde then let out a shaky sigh as she briefly looked away from him, blinking away the tears threatening to roll down her cheeks. She had lived by the motto to never let anyone see her cry and she wasn't about to start now. Taking another deep breath, Chloe gained enough courage to look Sirius directly in the eyes.

"At least, enlighten me on one thing and then after that... I want you to leave me alone. For good. I never want to see you again after this, understand?" 

"Ok. I understand."

"Was it real? Any of it? Was there at least some part of your stupid bet that wasn't lies?"

"All of it was real, I swear. Everything I told you, how I felt about you... How I still feel about you. It's all real."

His words should have comforted her but they didn't. All Chloe could do at that moment was nod, a cool look in her eyes that made even Sirius himself shiver.

"Well then. It's comforting to know that you're not a complete lying prick after all then," Chloe remarked, her response laced with sarcasm, "But I'm still standing by my words, we're over. Goodbye, Sirius."

Sirius opened his mouth to speak but Chloe had already turned to walk away, holding her head up high as she usually did. He didn't even see the tears now staining her cheeks, the girl not even bothering to hold them all in anymore. If this was what love made you feel like, she would have rather not felt it at all.