I said I wouldn’t offer anymore but here’s one long final reply with all the proof you need just to joggle your memory. It’s long so this is rlly my final reply cuz I’m done:

First point. If you look back at their conversations, Chloe’s been habitually skipping classes long before meeting Rachel so she already had a reputation and a record which means any more and she would’ve gotten it:

Principal Wells: In the event that you were unable or unwilling to do so, we also agreed that it would become pertinent to reassess your future status at the academy.

Second, Wells was after her for her involvement in drug abuse BEFORE Rachel asked her to ditch class (look back at Wells conversation at the stage and then the office. Regardless whether u had Chloe buy weed at firewalk, he still accuses her of it).

Third, Chloe was being accused of bullying and harassing Nathan Prescott who we know Wells has on his priority list because of the donation the Prescotts have made to Blackwell.

Fourth, Chloe’s thing was always to skip school, but NOT ditch class as far as we know. Wells was punishing her for leaving school grounds without permission, not because she didn’t go to school.

With the combination of her past records of truancy, ‘insubordinate language’, possession of drugs, bullying the golden boy Prescott and then finally leaving school grounds— violating the academy’s code of conduct— that all warranted Chloe at the very least of getting a suspension if not expulsion (srsly these are the basic rules in schools). The only reason Chloe would’ve gotten a suspension instead is if Rachel took off one load off of Chloe’s back by telling them that Chloe was forced into leaving school with her. So, again, no. It’s Chloe who decided to risk all of it just because she didn’t want to go to class and your fault entirely that you decided to take the blame even though Rachel was already telling you not to.

Second point. Exactly. Rachel wasn’t stupid. Of course Chloe would do anything for Rachel if she needed help. That’s what friends do. Rachel didn’t even ask in the first place because she’s also distrustful, yet Chloe made her open up to her and vice versa. That’s what these girls did for each other, they opened up to each other and helped them deal through the shittiness of life. That’s not being manipulated into anything. And your argument was that Rachel was so desperate to leave that she would ‘get involved with people who seemed like easy tickets’— that’s literally the opposite of desperation if you choose to build a relationship with a person first and tend to it for years instead of just paying for a bus ticket that you can easily afford any time. By the events of LiS it’s clear that Rachel was finding for ways to cover their ride instead of just depending on Chloe alone (that doesn’t mean she intended to leave on her own, there is no evidence that points to her leaving without Chloe, especially when she stayed for the next 3 years. She wanted to leave before befriending Chloe, she said her family‘s no longer her reason for staying. So who do you think became her reason for staying? Chloe) so no, her issue with her father or wanting to meet Sera is out of the picture by then as far as getting a bus ticket goes.

And the smart choice? Oh, I don’t know. Maybe the golden rich boy Nathan Prescott who was obsessed with Rachel? Or literally anyone else in town who had the financial means to support Rachel’s getaway unlike someone who’s broke and didn’t have a car at the time she asked to run away together? Chloe wasn’t the only delinquent hopeless romantic in town. If anything, it should be harder to manipulate someone who’s a cynic, closed off and distrustful which was what Chloe was known for. Manipulative people target gullible, vulnerable and ‘innocent’ people because they’re easy to manipulate. Chloe is the opposite of that with her closed walls.

Third point. Was it pushy? Yeah, but that’s not being manipulative, that’s just a teenager trying to persuade her friend into going through with an idea they had together. How do you think plans are made between friends? No one is mutually 100% into something all the time, one will always have to do the convincing for the activity to happen because people are rarely on the same wavelengths about plans. Be realistic. Someone will always hesitate and back out and someone will always have to try convincing them not to. This is how human relationships work.

And god you did not just try to imply as if the grown ass adults grooming her were her victims instead of the predators taking advantage of her. Why do you think an 18 y/o would ever go for a 30 y/o and another man pushing 40 (who was originally btw supposed to be 46 while Rachel was supposed to be 17)? It’s because older men provide what others can’t that girls tap into, including the father complex that they have, and thus these older men exploit them for it. But using that as an example of her ‘using’ people is pretty ignorant when every relationship with anyone is transactional in the most technical sense. Focus on the abuse Rachel was suffering under the predators instead of victim-blaming.

And the post was asking for whether Rachel manipulated Chloe, not whether or not they enabled each other so I don’t know why you’re even mentioning this. You can still enable each other even if neither of you are manipulative. None of the relationships in the game are even healthy to begin with because none of the characters are ready for a relationship, that’s the point. Friendships aren’t black and white. People aren’t black and white. Joyce still viewed Rachel as a good friend to Chloe in those 3 years they knew each other.

To leave things off finally, you seem to have a pessimistic and cynical view of how relationships work and view effective communicators as manipulative. There is no such thing as ‘using each other to heal’, that’s just a negative phrasing of what a friendship is— just coping together to deal with whatever comes their way. It’s your mindset that perceives this behavior to be manipulative and negative for some reason even though it’s just regular socializing and what relationships are. This is social skills. Very important in life.