BLS 7: Breaking the Last

Chapter 3

Chloe Regens

"Nice to meet you, Chloe. I'm Angelia," Angel said.

"Hello, Chloe," I turned and saw Rose smiling at me. I gave her a warm hug. Yes, I knew Rose too.

"Hey, Rose... it's been a while," I said.

"You've really grown into a beautiful woman," she complimented.

"You're even more beautiful."

"Hello," I turned to see a girl with ginger hair, giving me a friendly smile.

"Hello," I replied.

"I'm Hailey, your name is?" she asked cheerfully.

"I'm Chloe, nice to meet you."

"Hailey is Luke's wife," Rose explained.

"How can you keep up with his foolishness?" I asked, causing Hailey and Rose to laugh.

"Ouch! That hurts, Chloe," Luke appeared suddenly.

"I mean, I agree with her," Hailey said with a playful grin.

You really didn't just say that, love," Luke quipped, and she playfully stuck her tongue out at him.

"Janet! Sophia!" Rose called out to two girls who were engrossed in their conversation. They turned to Rose and then walked over to us.

"Girls, meet Chloe. Chloe, this is Sophia and Janet," Rose introduced me to them, and I extended my hand to shake theirs.

"I'm Sophia."

"Janet."

"I'm Chloe."

"Nice to meet you," Sophia said.

"I miss your chubbiness," Luke remarked.

"What?" I asked, taken aback.

"I was overweight when I met them; they used to tease me about it, not to mention I had a lot of pimples back then. The boys really gave me a hard time," I glared at Luke.

"You're so mean," Hailey scolded him.

"Take that, jerk!" Rose added.

"Hey, I'm the nicest! I used to buy you your favorite milkshake!" Luke protested with a grin.

"My own brother even teased me because of you guys. I didn't have anyone to stand up for me," I confessed.

"Who's your brother?" Janet inquired, and I pointed towards my brother, who was engaged in conversation with Aaron.

"He's cute," Janet remarked.

"I'll just pretend I didn't hear that earlier," Luke quipped.

"Why didn't I meet him before I met—"

"If you keep that up, I'm going to take you home right now, Hailey," Luke warned, his tone tinged with jealousy.

"I feel like puking," I commented, and Rose nodded in agreement.

My phone suddenly rang, and I glanced at the caller ID. My eyes widened in surprise. I scanned the ballroom anxiously. I needed to find Kenneth; he was the one making this situation worse.

"Where's Kenneth?" I asked Luke urgently.

"He's with the guys," Luke replied.

"What's going on?" Angel inquired.

"I need to step out for a bit; I'll catch up with you guys later," I smiled at the girls before heading toward the boys. I looked around, but Ken was nowhere in sight. I quickly scanned the ballroom to find him.

Finally, I spotted him leaving the ballroom, and I hastened my steps to catch up.

"Kenneth!" I called out, but he kept walking. It seemed like he couldn't hear me over my ringing phone. I ran and managed to stop him.

"Kenneth," I said, slightly out of breath.

"What are you doing?" he asked, looking puzzled.

"Are you deaf? I've been calling you," I complained, my frustration evident.

He pointed at his earpiece to signal that he was on a phone call. Oops!

"Sorry," I quickly apologized, then showed him my phone screen to explain the urgency.

"I'll call you later, Collin, she's more important right now," he said with a smirk, and I glared at him. After ending the call, he immediately took my phone.

"Hello d***," he answered the call.

"Blah, blah, blah... let's see if you're smart enough," he quipped as he ended the call.

"What's your passcode?" he asked.

"What for?" I questioned.

"To block that jerk," he clarified.

"I can do it myself," I said, reaching for my phone, but he put it inside his suit.

"Hey! Give me back my phone!" I said.

"You're quite entertaining, Chloe. What did puberty do to you?" he teased again.

"I'm 22; I'm no longer the kid that you guys used to bully and tease."

"So what do you want me to see you as?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Woman! A woman, damn it!" I stomped my feet and crossed my arms in front of him.

"A woman?" he raised his eyebrows, taking a step closer to me. However, I mirrored his movements by taking a step back. This continued until my back met the wall behind me.

"W-what are you doing?" I said, I said as he cornered me between his arms.

"What did puberty do to you, Chloe?" He looked at my face closely.

"It had its way with me," I replied, a touch of confidence in my tone.

"You sure turned yourself into a beautiful woman."

My heart started to flutter, and I couldn't explain why. Damn!

"Yeah, well, you're not turning into anything," I said weirdly. Why the hell am I blabbering?

"So, tell me exactly, what did that d*** do to you? He cheated on you?" He moved his arms away and raised an eyebrow.

I mentally scolded myself for my earlier comment about him not changing. Clearly, he had turned into a good-looking guy who could make girls fall in love with just a smirk. He was tall now, with a well-built body and muscles all over.

"Are you done fantasizing about me, Chloe?" I was taken aback by his question.

"I'm not looking at you. There's a bug on your head," I quickly pointed out, and he chuckled.

"You're quite the kid," he teased.

"I'm not a kid. Stop calling me that!" I glared at him, feeling irritated, and he laughed.

"You're not quite a woman yet," he remarked, glancing at my breasts I instinctively covered myself.

"Pervert!"

"I'm outta here," he said, raising his hands in laughter before walking away. I suddenly realized that my phone was still in his pocket.

"Kenneth!" I called out and hurried after him.

"Don't shout my name so loudly... save that for the bedroom," he said with an inappropriate remark.

"My phone," I demanded.

"Get it yourself," he gestured, prompting me to retrieve my phone.

"Take it easy, Chloe... it could be risky," he said in a sultry tone. Why did it sound so sexy?

I held onto his suit, attempting to reach my phone, but my heart unexpectedly started racing. Ken suddenly closed his jacket, trapping my hand inside it. My fingers brushed against his muscular chest.

Damn it!

"You're playing dirty!" I accused him, retracting my hand.

"Playing what?" he asked with feigned innocence.

"You... closing your suit like that and it—" I began to explain, but he interrupted.

"Is Chloe Regens stammering?" he teased once more, prompting me to boldly open his suit and retrieve my phone. I stuck my tongue out at him and turned away.

Great to see you again, Chloe. You've transformed into quite the attractive woman," he commented, and my cheeks instantly flushed. I felt like a tomato.

"Curse you, Kenneth!" I muttered under my breath, then walked back to the ballroom with an embarrassed blush on my face.