Chloe can not understand it.  It has been four whole days since he last sent her a text. Not that she should care or that it matters, right?   She has friends.  Then, again she has no other friends than her crush.  Oh, boy!  What is she to do now?  How will she respond if she sees him anytime soon?   

       Chloe climbs out of bed, prepares for the day and heads to the local spot. She is not sure where it got its nick name.  She just goes there in the hopes to get to talk to him.  Only when she arrives there she sees him with someone else.  She tries to tell herself that it is not that big of deal, right?  She watches them closely and overhears Nathaniel say,  "Forget it!  I will not do it!  That is not something I will ever do!  Not for you!  Not for anyone!"  She thinks, wait, what is it he refers to anyway.

         "Oh, come on Nathaniel!  It is that bad an idea.  It just a prank!  It is a small one at best. It is not harmful.  Why are you such a chicken?"  The girl whines.

         "Susan, I already told you no! "  Nathaniel says.

           "Hmm, well maybe you need me to convince you it is okay."  Susan says with a smirk. She leans in and attempts to kiss him.

           Nathaniel has no interest in her.  He feels no need to let her kiss him.  He rather kiss a porcupine than her!  Yep, this is how much he can not stand this girl.  She is just a total pest !  Why she is no fun!  

           He turns his head so she only grazes his cheek with her kiss and misses his mouth completely.  He rather save those sort of   kisses for someone special.  He is not sure who just yet.

         Susan does not take no for answer, so easily.  She smirks, and says, "Say, Nathaniel if did not no any better you got to be a bore lately!  As in you actually might like her !  Is that it? "

        "What?  Me?  Ha,ha!  Is this a joke?  There is no way she interest me,not in the least." Nathaniel says.  He tries to act tough to deny his feelings.  He feels unsure how to control himself around his crush to be honest and thinks the girl might just freak out if he ask her out.  For that matter, he is not sure her mother would approve.  Nah, he better play it safe and try to act as if she is nothing to him.

         "Well, then what is the big protest about Nathaniel Kurtzberg!  Now, go show e'm whose boss!  Go throw this sack of tomatoes at her!  Then, all will be just fine and dandy as it always is you know it." Susan says.

         "Susan you might be my girlfriend, but.."Nathaniel states only to be cut off by her mouth. To his disgust she kisses him on the lips this time. He thinks, ugh! Why did I let myself go out with this one?   I do not even like her anymore than I did my ex-girlfriend. What is the matter with me?

         Nathaniel slaps her, but Chloe misses this part. She only was around long enough to here him say he does not like some girl he is suppose to do a prank on and she walks away. She has a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.  

          Chloe turns left, so he can not see her cry. She knows he will ask why, so she decides not let him have that chance. She sobs. She does not notice the tomatoes as they hit her in the back. She is too hurt to care.  She thinks, he uses girls and says, they use him.  She sighs as she realizes he does not love her.  All the text were a game too then, huh?  

      She hurries home, decides not to let on she knows his secret.  Not for the moment anyway.  why give him the pleasure to know she knows he hates her?  She goes to her room and feels something slide down her shirt.  She takes it off  and gasps.  "Tomatoes, t-tomatoes, I am the girl he was to prank!  Oh, my goodness !  I am the one that he has no interest in at all.  Ugh, that is it!  I will never speak to him again.  Never!"  Chloe says sadly.  She goes to the bathroom, pulls off the rest of her clothes,showers, dries off, puts on fresh clothes and climbs into bed. She is so sad she does not know what to do. 

      Chloe thinks, so much for a friend.  Now, she believes the only ones who truly care are her mother-sort of-and her brother.  There is no one else. Sabrina is dead and Nathaniel might as well be too since he wants nothing to do with her. She sobs into her pillow.  Why does love have to hurt so much?

     ....Six days later, Chloe prepares for the day and hears her phone buzz.  She ignores it. She hears it beep. She checks it and sees no messages from her mother. No surprise there!  She sees two from him, the boy who just keeps on hurting her!  She dares not answer him. She has nothing to say to him.

          Text sent at 6 am:  Goose, sorry, it is be so long between text.  I have a new girlfriend and is she is the jealous sort. So I will send them, but not as often.  Anyway, I bet you are just adorable as ever. -N.K.

       Text sent at 10:30 am - Hey, Chlo!  Did I say something, wrong?  I have this feeling you are not speaking to me.  Please, tell me it is not true.  Look, I only went out with Susan on a dare. I swear!  She did kiss Patrick last night and even hit the send button back accident to me after she took a photo of them together.  It was a total shock, but hey I am over it!  See, why else would I text my favorite girl just to tell her?  I am single again!  Single as in solo! -N.H.

      Chloe goes about her day without a glance at her phone anymore. She puts it in her pocket and leaves it there.  She grabs her jacket and goes on a short walk. She might as well to get fresh air.   

      Alan is on  a date with Wendy!  

       Chloe has the place to herself since her mother is not back from her trip yet.  She goes to her tree. She climbs up there and just looks around at everything. She is glad she never told anyone about it.

        Nathaniel sighs. He thinks, great even now that Susan is out of my life for good, Chloe ignores me!  Why?  Why does she do it?  Why does it hurt so much?  He sits down on a bench outside not far from where Chloe is and puts his hands over his face in shame.  He never should have given into the teases that he got from that rotten, ex Susan.  Now, everything is over. He will never get goose to speak to him again.  This is what he wants right?  It does make it harder to want to kiss her.  Nah, who is he kidding?  He still wants to kiss her! He wants to give her flowers too!  

       Chloe sees him sit down on the bench. She thinks, what?  She does not give him the satisfaction as to a hello, or anything though. She feels no need too. She is not the traitor here, he is!  Yeah, that is right and she intends to make him pay for what he has done to her!  After all,he hurt her!  He hurt the girl he calls Goose, so she is down and she will never be the same again!

        to be continued in   Chapter  7   Goose: Answer me?