Plunking down on the couch to try and calm himself, Alex searched for something to talk about while Chloe chose a movie.

“So… er, where’s your mom tonight?”

“Working as usual,” Chloe sighed, “She’s in her office upstairs.”

“Oh.” In order to keep his eyes off of the way Chloe’s spaghetti strap had slipped off her shoulder, Alex leaned back and focused on the ceiling. Chloe had changed so much in the last year. She had always been smiling and happy and confident. Now… well, now Alex wasn’t sure what to think. He still loved her just as much but he worried about her.

Chloe popped in some old comedy movie and sat down next to Alex. It was mildly easier to pay attention to the movie when she brought her knees to her chest and pulled a blanket over tanned legs. Somewhere in the back of Alex’s mind, a warning flashed: MATH PROJECT . But he shoved the thought from his conciousness and tried to think about the way Chloe was acting. He needed to ask her.

“Chloe,” he started, “What’s wrong?”