Paying the Price - Chloe Price x Reader a Life is Strange Fanfic

13 - Train Tracks

In the corner of my eye, I see Chloe fidgeting like she wants to separate the interaction, but I have no control over my feelings at the moment, I'm lost in a swirling pool of memories.

"The fuck is going on?" Chloe blurts. "You two know each other?"

David pats my back reassuringly and lets go of me, but stays within arms reach.

"David was my Dad's best friend." I responded, a smile still painted on my face. "He helped us get on our feet when we first moved into the city."

Chloe shifted from one foot to the other and stayed silent, her lips in a tight line and her eyebrows knitted together as we all sat down at the table. David shared stories of him and my Dad training alongside each other in the police academy and how he helped us get on our feet in the city and would take me out for dinner when my Dad was working.

One story flowed into another and the conversation remained steady, but as lunchtime drew near Chloe became more and more irritated. Though with what I could not decide.

Chloe excused herself up to her room and after Joyce noticed several of my worried glances towards the stairs, she waved me away from the table. I thanked both Joyce and David and followed Chloe up to her room.

I found Chloe's door closed, and after knocking once, she answered a faint "Come in"

I pushed the door open slowly, Chloe sprawled on the bed, looking up at the ceiling absentmindedly.

Quietly I lay down next to her, staring at the ceiling with her. After a few minutes, Chloe spoke up.

"I guess I'm sort of angry" Chloe starts, "or disappointed" she sighed. "I'm not sure what I'm supposed to feel, I guess I'm just shocked that David actually has a heart, he never really treated me with kindness, let a lone be an actual father figure." Chloe said.

I looked at Chloe. "What do you mean?"

"He's never treated me like he treated you." She replied. "Instead he was an asshole, and bossy and controlling."

"I didn't know. I'm sorry." I said, why hadn't I recognized Chloe's discomfort?

"Don't apologize, I'm happy that you're reunited. I'm just pitying myself." Chloe finished, clearly not wanting to continue. "Junkyard?" She asked turning to look at me, a sad smile forming on her lips.

I smiled.

I grabbed my jacket, and Chloe pulled her boots on. For a moment I wondered what was in my jacket pocket and remembered I still had her cigarettes. But so far, she still had my book. So a deal's a deal. Besides, I'd let her finish the story before I made her give it back. I'm not that cruel.

Soon we were crawling back out the window, for what reason I do not know. But I laughed when Chloe nearly slid off, and made sure to hold onto her as we carefully climbed down the roof and down the tree.

We drove with music flowing through the truck's radio system. It was the kind of music one might listen to on a grey day, something smooth and relaxed but tinged with a deeper sadness. I didn't really peg this as a Chloe taste in music, especially since she took me to a Fire Walk concert, but I really like this softer side of Chloe as much as the reckless side.

The clouds were darkening on the horizon, but the sky was still blue over the forest and the scrapyard, though the sun wasn't as bright as it might've been in summer. After all, winter was creeping around the corner. Soon the trees would lose their leaves, all except for the evergreens, who despite the cold and the emptiness of winter keep their pine needles.

We walked towards the junkyard, but ended up continuing to walk along the railroad. Like on the sidewalk of the beach, I held onto Chloe keeping her from falling as she balanced on the rail. I followed her example and started balancing on the other beam.

Eventually we just sat between the rails listening to the birds. I started whistling calls and hearing the birds repeat them. Chloe would smile ever time a bird responded to my mimicked call.

The curious crow even showed up, sitting up on a branch looking down at us. I noticed it carried a blue feather in its beak.

I felt the ground rumble and sat up suddenly. The bird calls stopped abruptly and I shook Chloe who'd drifted off with a piece of grass in her mouth.

It was then that I heard the train whistle.

The tracks started to rattle and I rushed to get up, trying to pull Chloe up with me.

"Ow! Stop! My foot is stuck under the rail." Chloe yelled.

"Just take your boot off and run!" I said letting go of her arm to let her take her boot off.

She tried wiggling it off, then pulling fiercely at the black leather, but to no avail, and she was starting to shake. "Y/N HELP"

I scanned the area quickly for anything useful, but there was little around. I picked up a slope shaped rock and shoved it next to Chloe's stuck foot and started kicking it with all my strength to leverage the rail off of her shoe.

As soon as her foot was free, I lunged for Chloe, taking her to the ground with me a few feet from the railway as the train rushed past. Only I didn't calculate that I would land on a sharp rock.

"Y/N?" 

"Shit that's a lot of blood."

Can't wait to finish the next chapter guys! It's gonna be fun!

***I don't own the art, the characters or places mentioned, please don't kill me***

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