After three hours of driving, I finally pull up to the Caulfield household.

Max has been silent since the cliff and I haven't been able to get her to make so much as a sound.

"Max," I mutter softly, not wanting to startle her, "We're here".

It's no surprise when she doesn't respond… not that I really expected her to.

I sigh a little and look towards the house, seeing the porch light flick on.

Cue worried parents in 3… 2… 1

The front door swings open and runs Ryan and Vanessa Caulfield, looking a little grayer than I remember.

The couple rushes over to the passenger side of the truck and basically rip the door off.

I half expect Max to scream or panic or... something when her parents grab at her, but… she just goes limp, allowing herself to be hugged and grabbed at.

"Oh, Max, oh my baby girl, you're safe, you're safe," Vanessa cries, smoothing her daughter's hair back.

"We were so worried about you, Max," Ryan says, his voice weak and quivering, "We thought we'd lost you".

I watch as Max just stopped moving, acting as if she's not even aware of what's going on.

Maybe she's not , I think, continuing to watch the Caulfield's reunite.

"Max, sweetie….please… say something," Vanessa says, looking towards me for answers, "Why isn't she talking? What's wrong with her,".

I furrow my eyebrows for a moment before sighing sharply. "Nothing's wrong with her… she just. She needs time. We all need time" I mutter, meaning more than I'm letting on.

Ryan nods and turns to his daughter who stares blankly into oblivion.

"Come on inside you two. You both must be exhausted".

I'm hesitant at first… to leave the truck, I mean.

These people, that house, this whole fucking state… they all took away my childhood.

Max did too.

No. You did that yourself, dumbass. You're the one wasted your childhood feeling sorry for yourself, doing drugs, smoking your lungs out, drinking yourself into oblivion and ruining your relationship with your mom.

"Chloe?".

I jolt back into reality and look towards Vanessa who gives me a very concerned look.

I sniffle and wipe at my face, feeling tears roll down my cheeks.

I brush them away.

"Sorry".

"It's okay, sweetie… it's okay," she says, reaching out to me.

I pull back and open my door, stepping out into the cold frigid night.

My joints are stiff and my body ache slightly from sitting in the same position for the past five hours, and having been soaked head to toe in ice-cold rainwater doesn't help this fact either.

I rub my arms and shiver unintentionally, pulling my jacket tighter around my body.

"Come on, sweetie, let's get you inside," Ryan says softly, trying to get his daughter to follow.

Of course she doesn't move, staring down at her hands that rests in her lap.

After all Ryan's attempts to coax Max out of the truck fail, I sigh again and look towards the other adults.

"Mind giving us a second? She'll listen to me".

Vanessa seems hesitant for a moment but obliges when her husband convinces her to let me at least try to talk to Max.

Once her parent's give us some space, I hop back in the truck and close the door, taking hold of her hands which despite everything, are warm.

"Max?".

She acknowledges me by intertwining our fingers and sighing weakly.

I smile, "You okay?".

I don't get a response but I don't need one to know that she's not.

"Wanna go inside now?".

She nods a little but remains still and silent.

"... do you want me to carry you in? I totally don't mind" I say, keeping my words calm and deliberate.

Max sighs again and nods, finally breaking herself from whatever dark stupor that was holding her.

"Okay," I reply, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

I get back out of the truck and walk over to the passenger side, giving Max's parents a reassuring smile as I go.

I open the door and scoop Max up, feeling her cling to my form like a lifeline, which… I guess I kinda am.

"I got you okay?" I whisper, "I'm right here".

She whimpers a little and holds on tighter.

I shoulder the truck door closed and walk towards the house, allowing Ryan and Vanessa to lead me inside the warm inviting house.

"Are you two hungry? We have some leftovers warming up in the oven if you want" the bearded man says, trying to keep a conversation going.

My stomach groans uncomfortably at the mere mention of food.

"Um, no thanks. I kinda just want to kick back and sleep" I say, "Preferably for a week".

The couple exchange a few nervous chuckles and whispers, giving their daughter a worried look when she reluctantly allows me to set her down.

"That's fine, kiddo. We already got the guest room all set up for you,".

I blush and nod a little.

"Oh… that... cool. Thanks".

What? Did you really think they were going to let you sleep in the same bed as their daughter let alone the same room?

Yeah… kinda, I admit to myself, looking around the house.

"Your place is… nice," I mutter, "Very homey".

Ryan smiles and wraps an arm around his wife, "Well, thank you, Chloe. And may I add, It's really good to see you again".

I chuckle, "Huh, thanks Mr. C. I know I'm not the girl you were expecting to see".

"That's an understatement," Vanessa says as she walks up and embraces me, "But we're glad to see you all the same".

I stiffen up when she hugs me, not exactly used to all this fluffy shit… well at least when it's from someone that's not Max.

"Why don't you two go upstairs and relax. Max will show you where everything is… won't you dear?" Vanessa asks as she pulls away, looking at her daughter expectantly.

But Max doesn't respond.

She's closed herself off to the world again, a cloudy haze coating over her eyes.

I look down at her, "Max, uh… wanna show me your room?".

She hesitates for a moment before silently sliding her hand into mine and gesturing to the stairs we're standing next to.

I gladly follow, moving my hand to her shoulders, giving her a warm reassuring embrace.

"We'll be down here if you need us," Ryan calls up to us.

I nod and give the man a quick thumbs up before disappearing upstairs.

I keep quiet, not exactly sure what to say to Max as she pull me along.

Max seems to be thankful for the silence, squirming out of my arms when we walk up to a door with the words " Max's Room" painted on the wood.

"Um… so, which one is the guest room?".

She pauses for a split second before pointing to the room at the end of the hallway.

I nod, "Cool. Cool. And uh, I'm guessing this is your room?".

I know I'm just stating the absolute obvious, but… I don't know what else to do.

Without a response, she pushes the door open and steps inside, keeping the lights off.

I watch as she staggers over to her bed and sits down with her head hung low, another small whimper escaping her throat.

"Uh… Max?".

She hiccups and sniffles a bit, pressing her hands over her face.

"Max?".

I take a small step inside her room, feeling anxious and hesitant.

I've never been good at comforting people but when it comes to Max...I'm willing to put some extra effort in.

As she cries, I walk up and sit beside her on the bed, giving her a moment of space before placing a gentle arm around her waist.

She flinches slightly but allows me to hold her, pulling her small shivering body closer.

Max wraps her arms around her and sobs heavily into my chest, her tears soaking through my shirt.

"Shh… it's okay. Let it out… let it out," I coo, hoping her parents don't hear her pitiful cries.

I brush my hands through her hair in a soothing fashion, doing my best to calm her down.

"I'm right here… I'm right here, Max".

Still not saying anything, Max's grip on my tightens until I can barely breath, acting as if the moment she let's go, I'm going to disappear.

I don't mind, as long as Max feels safe, I'm fine.

I don't know how long I hold her, whispering soft, reassuring words into her ears, but at some point her tears stop, leaving me in silence.

I sigh, relieve to find that she finally, finally relaxed.

Her soft, calm breathing is enough to tell me that she's asleep, so, careful as not to wake her, I peel her arms off of me and adjust her so she's lying peacefully under the covers.

I wipe at my own face and move quietly out of the room, closing the door behind me.

"You guys okay?".

I jump when Vanessa's voice sounds next to me.

I look over and see her bringing a fresh load of laundry into one of the other rooms.

"Um… yeah. We're good,".

"Is Max okay? She… she's hardly said a word".

I shrug and sigh, "I… I'm honestly not sure. A lot of crazy shit went down and… it was really hard on her,".

I decide to leave out the part that I haven't heard her speak a single word since we left town.

" Forever"

And that was it… that was the last word she spoke in over 9 hours.

"And what about you, Chloe?".

I blink, "What?".

Vanessa smiles a chuckles a bit, "You, Chloe. How are you doing? I know what happened to the bay couldn't have been easy on you".

I swallow the lump in my throat and shrug.

"Just tired… sad… f- fucking…" I let my voice trail off and sniffle, regaining my composure, "I'll be okay, Mrs. C. As long as I've got Max, I'm good".

She nods and smiles, "It's nice to see you two are friends again," Vanessa says, watching as I begin to enter the room.

I nod a bit and sigh, "It's… it's amazing to have Max back. Hopefully, it'll be for good this time".

With a soft smile, Max's mom walks up and squeezes my shoulder.

"I get the feeling that you two are gonna be together for good now," she says with a smile, "Now, go bed. We'll figure everything out in the morning, okay?".

I nod and walk inside, closing and locking the door behind me.

The room is warm and welcoming, making me feel oddly nostalgic.

I sigh and take off my jacket, then my shirt and finally my pants, leaving me in my boxer shorts and bra.

I crawl into bed and pull all the sheets over my slightly bare body, creating a soft, safe cocoon around myself.

I just lay there, alone with my thoughts.

Everything is so… quiet in the house.

I can hear the light ticking of an alarm clock next to me and the sweet chirping of crickets outside.

I don't know when the tears come, but at some point, I'm aware of myself heaving my lungs out.

I cry in hard, painful, silent sobs. It's like everything comes crashing down, suffocating me in the process.

I want to scream, curse the universe for taking away everything that has meaning in my life, but I keep my mouth shut.

I keep my emotions hidden behind a wall of bad attitude and short tempers.

I'm not going to burden the Caulfield's with my problems, they have enough to deal with now that Max has to come to terms with all the shit that was thrown at her that week.

I need to be there for her too… there's no point in both of us losing our minds.

Eventually, after what feels like hours, I cry myself out, a familiar numbness form at the edges of my mind. I reluctantly let my eyes flutter closed, knowing that with sleep… come nightmares.

I jolt awake in a cold sweat, my body shaking and my heart pounding in my chest.

I shut my eyes tightly, taking some quick breaths.

You're okay, you're okay. It wasn't real I tell myself, letting a shuddering breath escape my lips.

I open my eyes and see that it's still pitch black outside, but I can tell some time has passed.

The alarm clock next to me flashes 3:34 AM.

"Goddammit," I mutter, realizing that I've only been asleep for less than two hours.

I wipe a few beads of sweat off of my brow, squinting slightly from the light that floods in from the hallway, the door I had closed now slightly ajar.

What the… did Max's parents check up on me or something? I think, a small bit confused.

I stiffen up when I feel a sudden shift in the blankets beside me.

"Max?" I ask, knowing that if anyone was going to slip into bed with me, it was going to be her.

Sure enough, a messy brown head of hair pokes through the white sheets when I lift them.

I go red in the face, wondering how long she's been in bed with me half naked.

She's fast asleep, her arms wrapped tightly around herself, so I figure a while.

"Max?" I repeat, giving her shoulder a light shake.

She grumbles and swats my hand away.

"Max… come on, kiddo. I know when you're fake sleeping," I continue.

With a small groan, Max opens her eyes and looks at me.

"What are you doing here?".

She shrugs and sighs, still remaining completely silent.

"Couldn't sleep, huh?".

Another sigh, and another nod.

"You okay?" I ask, pulling the sheets over my chest.

Max sits up a little and looks blankly at her hands.

She doesn't reply, only nods.

"Nightmare?".

No reply, and no nod this time.

"*sigh* It's okay… I get them too," I say, knowing that the answer is yes.

I slide my hands into hers and give it a light squeeze, "And I'm right here for you, okay? Remember that".

She nods a little and scoots closer, resting her head on my bare shoulder.

As a kid, Max was always weird about us dressing in front each other, getting adorably flustered, but now, even though I'm half naked in the same bed as her, she doesn't seem to care.

God… she really is out of it… isn't she? I think, giving her a light shrug.

"Hey… Max?" I say, "Why aren't you talking?".

I feel her stiffen up slightly before shrugging again.

I sigh, "It's okay… you'll talk when you're ready, right?".

Another nod. "Good. I miss your weird hipster lingo,".

For the first time in what feels like a forever… Max giggles, sending a warm feeling throughout my heart.

"And I miss your voice…" I add, brushing some stray hairs behind her ears, "I miss hearing you laugh and seeing you smile and…".

Pausing for a moment, searching her face for something.

She does the same, her eyes focusing on mine with great intensity.

I want nothing more than to kiss her, feel her lips against mine… and this time, not pull away.

But I don't make a move.

And the moment passes.

"I um… *ahem* we should probably get some sleep, huh?" I ask, shifting away slightly.

She nods a little and looks away.

"W- want me to walk you back to your room?".

Max shakes her head and wraps her arms around herself.

"So… you wanna stay here with me?".

She nods.

I sigh and slide out of bed for a moment, "Okay, just let me put my clothes back on. I don't think your parents would much appreciate finding you cuddling up to my half-naked body".

Max goes beet red, well… I imagine does.

It's a bit too dark to see anything, but I know the little hipster too well, she's totally blushing.

I chuckle a bit once I'm redressed, seeing that Max hasn't stopped staring at me with an almost dumbstruck look on her face.

"What? You didn't know I slept like this?".

She shakes her head and clenches her jaw slightly.

"Huh… normally I'd say, sucks for you , but I hella think you liked being that close to me" I say as I crawl back into bed.

I half expect her to shake her head in denial, but Max just tries to shield her face from me, clearly too embarrassed to admit that she might actually have liked it.

I brush it off and pull her closer to me, resting her head on my heart, "You are adorable, Caulfield… you know that?".

She nods and cuddles up closer to me, letting out a small sigh of content.

I smile at this for some reason, continuing to brush my fingers through her hair.

Max shivers a little, causing me to pull away, "Huh… sorry".

She shakes her head and grabs my hand, placing it back on the side of her face.

"You um… you want me to keep doing that?".

She nods again and closes her eyes.

"Okay…" I whisper, resting my head against hers, "I've got you, Max. And I'm never letting go".