I stand beside Chloe as we look down at the casket that carries her father, my parents waiting idly to the side.

This is it.

This really is it.

I'm leaving Arcadia Bay.

I'm leaving behind my best friend.

"Chloe," I whisper, reaching out to hold her hand.

She pulls back so I let my hand drop to my side.

"Chloe... I have to go now".

She continues to ignore me, her body shaking for constantly being in tears.

She doesn't want this to be goodbye, I realize, If she says it now... it'd be like she was letting me go.

I don't want to say goodbye either but... I'll have my chance.

"I... I'll see you soon," I tell her, tears still filling my eyes as I walk back towards my parents, turning around to face her one last time, "I promise".

Dad places a reassuring hand on my shoulder and leads me to the car.

"You're okay, sweetheart," he says, realizing I'm still crying, "You're okay".

I shake my head and get into the car, keeping a watch on Chloe from the back seat.

She'll find the tape, Max, I tell myself, wiping the tears from my face, She'll find it and we'll be okay.

Once my parents are both inside the car, they close the doors and begin to drive out of the cemetery, our new life in Seattle set just in front of us.

I watch with a broken heart as Chloe Price and her mother fade from view.

We're Max and Chloe.

And we'll always be friends.

We'll always be together...

Forever...

"Don't worry, Sweetie. Once we touch-down at the new house I'll see what we can do about getting you your own phone," Dad says, smiling sadly at me through the rearview mirror.

I whimper in response and hug my teddy bear; Captain; tightly against my chest, settling back down in my seat.

"I miss her already...".

"I know, Max. We'll be on the road for a few but like your father said, you can call Chloe once we get home," Mom says, trying to get me to smile along with them.

"But she needs me, Mom!" I cry, my voice cracking at the edges, "I can't just leave her!".

She needs me...

...and I need her.

"*sigh* We know, Max. And if things were different, We'd stay in Arcadia Bay. But you know we need money and your father's new job is going to give us that".

I roll my eyes slightly, having a vague understanding of our financial situation.

"I know... but I still don't have to like moving," I say sourly, "Or the new house, or my new room, or my new school, or-".

"We get the idea, sweetie". Dad mumbles, already sounding annoyed, "but please try to keep an open mind. I know this move was sudden and you didn't get much time to say goodbye to Chloe but it's not like you're never going to see her again. Plus, you'll make new friends".

I don't need new friends, I think to myself, all I need is Chloe

I sigh softly and nod, knowing that eventually, I'm going to have to warm up to the idea of living in an entirely different state, far from Chloe.

"I know...".

"Alright. Now, let's listen to some music, yeah?".

I nod a little, "Yeah".

So my mom turns on the radio, music drowning out the silence. "There we go. Now let's enjoy the rest of the ride, okay? No more sad talk".

I nod again, "Okay...".

"That's our girl... just try and stay positive. This isn't as bad as it seems, I promise".

I stay quiet after that, knowing that she's wrong.

This is bad.

Me moving is the last thing that Chloe needs right now.

No matter what anyone says...

Nothing is going to be the same after this.

With another sigh, I close my eyes, exhaustion from crying and the day's events starting to have its effects on me.

The radio continues to play in the background as my parents carry on with their idle chatter.

I yawn and hold Captain tighter, making myself comfortable in my seat as I drift to sleep, a dream begins to form at the edge of my mind.

I wake up to the sound of rain pounding on the windows, my parents still talking, their voices sounding strained and worried.

"Ryan, please pull over!" Mom hisses softly, "You know you have a hard time driving in the rain, please don't put everyone else's safety at risk just to prove yourself. At least wait until the storm dies out".

"Relax Vanessa. Everybody's fine. We're on a straight-away and there are no other cars in sight!" Dad replies, "I can see the road in front of us so you have nothing to worry about, alright?".

Mom grumbles a bit and nods, "Alright..."

I stay quiet, still half asleep as I look out the window at the darkness surrounding the car. I can tell that I've been asleep for a few hours, the tiredness in my mind more pronounced than before.

The music is still playing and I smile a little, recognizing it as something me and Chloe always listened to.

"We played hide and seek in waterfalls, We were younger, we were younger" I hum, feeling an odd pang of nostalgia in my chest.

I sigh again.

"Someday we will foresee obstacles, Through the blizzard, through the blizzard"

I close my eyes again and try to fall asleep, but the sudden rumbling of the car snaps me back into consciousness.

"Mom?!" I exclaim, trying to grab onto something as the car continues to shake.

"Hold on, Maxine," she says, quickly turning to dad, "Ryan, what's wrong".

"Just a bit of engine trouble, I think," he says, slight panic coating his voice, "That or the car is finally giving out".

"What?!".

"Mom?" I continue, trying to hold down my own anxieties.

"Oh, god, Ryan. I thought you got it fixed".

"Dad?".

"Pull over, Ryan. Now".

Dad presses down on the breaks, but nothing happens.

The car continues to accelerate.

"Ryan!".

"I'm trying!".

"Try harder! Everything was working just fine until now!".

"It's a 10-year-old car, Vanessa! Damn thing's been giving us trouble for months, you know that!" Dad yells, turning to mom with his eyebrows furrowed

"Mom? Dad?" I say, cowering slightly as they continue to fight neither adult paying attention to the road ahead.

They both ignore me.

"Mom! Dad!".

"Not now, Maxine!" they both yell, their attention broken for a moment.

"Watch the road!" I scream, the headlights catching a deer standing in the middle of the highway.

Dad looks forward and grabs the steering wheel, jerking it to the side to avoid hitting the animal.

"Ryan!" Mom screams, gripping on to the seat as we're whipped violently to the left.

"Everyone hold on!" Dad yells, slamming his feet down on the breaks even though he knows it's useless, "Brace yourselves!".

I watch in horror as the car swerves off the road, the tires quickly losing traction on the slick road.

Time seems to slow to a crawl for a moment as the car flips over, sending all our belonging that were packed away in boxes flying, pelting me as we go back down.

There's a loud crashing sound as time finally catches up with itself and the car smacks to the ground. The windows shatter and the sound of bending and breaking metal rips through the car.

Pain soon follows as broken glass rips into my skin and random debris continue to pelt and pierce my fragile body.

The last thing I hear is before everything goes dark is the sound of my own voice, saying the only thing my mind could comprehend in that exact moment.

"Chloe...".

There's a bright light all around me, wrapping me in a blanket of warmth and comfort.

Everything is calm and quiet, serene almost.

I was in a car accident and... I don't remember getting out of it.

I don't remember waking up or being rescued.

I... died.

I'm dead...

Mom...

Dad...

Chl-

No... oh god...

no no no no...

Chloe...

Wherever I am, nothing hurts and everything is okay.

But...

It's not.

There's something that prevents me from being completely enclosed by the light.

A deep longing that consumes my heart.

A need to fulfill a promise I made to the person that means the world to me.

T̷h̸i̸s̵ ̵i̴s̸ ̶y̷o̸u̶r̸ ̷t̸i̷m̵e̵ ̸M̸a̴x̸i̶n̸e̶ ̵C̴a̸u̴l̶f̴i̵e̸l̷d̸.̸ ̸P̸l̸e̵a̵s̵e̶.̵.̴.̴ ̵j̸o̴i̴n̷ ̶m̵e̴ ̵a̸n̶d̶ ̶y̵o̴u̷ ̶w̸i̶l̸l̷ ̶l̴i̸v̵e̶ ̶i̷n̴ ̴e̵t̸e̶r̵n̷a̵l̵ ̸h̸a̵p̶p̸i̴n̶e̸s̷s̸ ̷w̶i̶t̷h̵ ̸t̷h̶o̶s̴e̵ ̶y̵o̶u̸ ̸h̵a̴v̸e̴ ̴l̶o̵s̷t̷.̸

No... I won't be happy without Chloe.

There is no happiness without Chloe.

I cant go yet, I tell the light.

I'm not done.

I can't leave her...

Not now...

Not like this.

Not after William...

She still needs me.

The light, almost in response, flickers slightly and dims.

W̵h̶o̸ ̴i̶s̷ ̶t̷h̸i̸s̶ ̸s̸h̴e̴ ̴y̸o̵u̵ ̵s̴p̶e̴a̸k̵ ̴o̶f̵?̸ it asks.

Chloe...

She's my best friend but...

She's more than that... a lot more

I'm not exactly sure what I mean by that but it feels right to say.

She's my everything.

I love her...

There's a slight pause before the light speaks again

I̸ ̵s̸e̶e̴.̸.̵.̴

I̷ ̴c̶a̷n̸n̶o̴t̶ ̸g̴i̵v̷e̷ ̴y̸o̷u̷ ̷e̵x̶a̷c̴t̵l̴y̶ ̷w̸h̷a̵t̶ ̴y̸o̸u̵ ̵s̴e̶e̴k̴,̶ ̷b̸u̵t̷ ̸t̶h̸e̶r̸e̵ ̴i̸s̴ ̸a̷ ̷w̴a̴y̴ ̷f̵o̷r̸ ̶y̴o̸u̶ ̴t̸o̶ ̷r̵e̶m̶a̵i̷n̴ ̷t̵o̷g̴e̵t̷h̵e̵r̷

There is?!

I'll do it!

I don't care what it is, I just want to be with Chloe again.

I'd do anything for her.

Anything, I say, Anything for Chloe.

V̶e̷r̶y̶ ̷w̸e̷l̴l̸.̵ ̶

A̴l̶l̶ ̵I̶ ̵a̵s̸k̶ ̷i̵s̸ ̶t̴h̶a̶t̴ ̸y̷o̵u̷ ̸c̶a̷r̴e̵ ̷f̶o̷r̴ ̶h̴e̶r̸ ̸t̵h̴e̸ ̸w̸a̷y̷ ̴s̵h̶e̶ ̵w̷i̵l̵l̵ ̸c̶a̴r̵e̷ ̵f̴o̸r̵ ̷y̴o̴u̶.̵

Y̷o̷u̶ ̸a̴r̵e̶ ̸b̸o̴n̴d̷e̸d̷ ̴b̵y̷ ̴l̷o̵v̷e̴ ̶a̷n̵d̵ ̷t̷i̸m̷e̴.̵.̶.̴ ̵t̷a̵k̶e̷ ̸c̴a̸r̴e̶ ̷o̷f̸ ̸e̶a̵c̷h̶ ̷o̴t̴h̸e̵r̴ ̸t̵i̷l̸l̶ ̶y̴o̸u̸ ̴p̶a̸r̷t̴ ̵w̸a̵y̵s̶ ̸o̷n̸c̶e̴ ̵m̵o̶r̷e̴.̴

I will... I will, I say, watching as the light continues to recede, the warmth being taken with it, I'd do anything to be with you again, Chloe Price. Anything.

U̷n̷t̴i̸l̸ ̷n̸e̷x̸t̴ ̴t̶i̶m̴e̷,̴ ̴M̵a̷x̵i̸n̷e̴ ̶C̸a̴u̸l̴f̴i̵e̵l̶d̴ ̷