(A/N: My second attempt at a fan-fiction, taking place right after Max moves to Seattle. First chapter of many - comments would be appreciated. This fan-fiction is written in first person, alternating between Chloe and Max's points of view.)

Chapter 1: I need you.

MAX:

Sunlight refracted through the glass of water in front of me, rippling with the rolling taps of my fingers on its edge, seated at a desk that had been pushed against the wall. I looked around myself, seeing the dim room with the unmade bed in the corner. The blue paint on the walls resonated with my mood perfectly, and cracked blinds only allowed the sun to filter in where I sat, illuminating dancing particles of dust in the air. Tan colored cardboard boxes sat stacked on top of each other, taking up most of the space.

I didn't want to be there… this new room, in this new house. Far away from the place I called home, and far away from the one who desperately needed me.

Chloe...

There was nothing anybody could do, I watched in horror as her spirit shattered like a dropped porcelain doll. I scrambled to pick up the pieces, but my hands couldn't carry all of them.

She had expressed to me at some point not long before William's death, that her faith in god had been waning. Never had she been one to blindly believe in anything. Chloe liked to question things, why the universe works the way it does.

I remembered part of a conversation we had.

"Why?" I asked.

"Well, think about it Max. How many times have you prayed to god?"

"Uh, too many to count."

"And how many of those prayers have been answered?"

I hesitated for a moment, thinking of my response, "I remember when I was little, I prayed to have a best friend. Somebody I could always love. You were the answer to that prayer."

"Wow...is that true?"

"Of course it is, Chloe. I believe that god meant for us to meet each other."

Not that I was trying to preach to her, but I did genuinely believe a higher power had connected us. She might've believed the same thing, until she lost William.

"What god does this? What loving god breaks up a perfect family?" She'd muttered this to me at his funeral and yanked off her crucifix necklace, casting it to the ground.

I couldn't answer her question, since I was left wondering the same thing.

All I could do was watch, and think, 'God, if you're there...help her. Please.'

I wasn't the most religious person on the planet, but I had hoped there was a god.

But faith wasn't my strong suit. I decided to reject god, since he didn't seem to be helping Chloe. Though...not denying his existence, quite frankly I didn't know.

Though I did know I didn't need a god to make things better for her, I'd do it myself.

I was going to help Chloe, my personal goddess. But it uh...kinda proved to be a little bit of a challenge, given that I was in a different state.

I'd begged my parents in utter desperation to let me stay with her, and she'd begged them too. I could still hear her cries, as she knelt before them with her face bright red and tears coursing down it.

"Please! Don't take her from me!"

"She's all I have...I need her!"

I stayed seated at that desk and stared down at the glass of water. A few tears fell from between my eyelashes, dripping into it with tiny plops. My Polaroid camera sat beside it, taunting me.

My hands balled into fists, 'Me? A photographer? Sure, when hell freezes over. I want to be one so bad, but all the pictures I take are garbage. Who the hell wants to see pictures of squirrels?'

An urge to dump that glass of water on the camera filled me. My fingertips touched the condensated surface of it, lingering there. I must've sat like that for a few minutes, but it felt like an eternity.

My hand pulled away, and a wave of shame hit me. 'What the hell, Max? That'll only make shit worse, and you know it.' I rubbed around the wetness between my fingers. The cold liquid dried, and I dropped my hand into my lap again.

I ruminated for a while, feeling regret for having to leave Chloe at such a terrible time. A slight resentment for my parents clawed around in my heart, but I felt guilty about that too. I hoped and wondered if she'd ever listened to the cassette recording I left her. The most painful goodbye I've ever had to utter.

Except that it wasn't a goodbye, I refused to call it that - anything but goodbye.

A flood of tears threatened to burst from my eye sockets, and I gave in, releasing all the pent up hurt that I'd held in for the past few days...or was it weeks? Though of course I knew, I was hurting nowhere near as much as Chloe was. Sobs wracked my body and I let them, no matter how much it hurt.

I promised Chloe we would always keep in touch.

I was determined to keep that promise, even if it meant isolating myself from the rest of the world. It would just be me and Chloe, close yet so distant.

A knock echoed through the empty room, followed by my Mom's voice. I tried to stop crying to no avail; she saw everything.

"Maxine, dinner's ready," she opened the door gently.

Upon seeing my crying face, she clutched me, feeling her warm skin against my comparatively colder flesh. I'm pretty sure she understood what the camera being next to the water meant, but she didn't mention it. I was thankful she didn't.

Her breath warmed the side of my neck, chin on my shoulder, "I'm sorry, baby. I know you're hurting right now, mommy's here."

Sniffling escaped me as tears fell upon the desk, "I… I want to go home, mom."

"Honey...this is our new home."

My voice shook with erratic breaths, "No, this isn't home. Our home is in Arcadia Bay."

"We can always visit, whenever you want."

I shook my head, "Mom, visiting isn't good enough. I want to live there. Chloe needs me right now..."

She hushed her voice, stroking the curtain of hair that hung down around my face, "I know sweetheart, but we can't. Your father's got a better job here, and he makes more money now. Also, you can always call Chloe, she's probably expecting you to."

All I could manage to say was, "Hmm."

She stood up straight, releasing me, "Now come on, Maxine. You need to eat. Your father made barbecue."

I muttered, "I'm not hungry."

"I'm not going to let you waste away over here, I'll just bring the food to you."

My jaw clenched, "I said I'm not hungry, leave me alone."

Mom stood at my side for a few tense moments, before quietly exiting my room.

I continued to wallow in my negative emotions, until my stomach growled painfully. I hadn't eaten anything for a while. I wiped the tears from my eyes and stood up, wincing as muscles in my gut twisted and rumbled.

'Whoa, I'm starving! Fine, I guess I'll go eat…'

I opened the white wooden door and stepped into the barren hallway, with its beige carpeting and white painted walls. Admittedly, I did like the carpet. It felt good on my bare feet, its softness cushioning my toes. Not a single light was on in the hallway, and I liked it like that as well.

The hallway opened up into what was to be our living room, with the dining room/kitchen adjacent to that.

We'd already set up our wooden dining table, complete with a matching set of chairs. Mom and Dad were seated at them as the smell of barbecued meats permeated the area.

I sat down at the table, eyeing the food before me, with a chandelier illuminating it all. It was just grilled hot-dogs on buns. Squeeze containers of mustard, ketchup, and pickle relish sat in the center of the table.

My stomach rumbled again, causing a watery mouth.

Dad chuckled through his brown beard, "There she is, we knew you couldn't resist my world famous hot-dogs."

I didn't smile, laugh, or even look at him. I just grabbed a plain hot-dog, contemplating whether to really eat it. Contradicting feelings stewed around in my brain, starving but not wanting to eat. Eventually, I set it back down on the plate.

His voice cut through the silence, tenderly, "Max, sweetheart...are you okay?"

'No...not really,' almost escaped my mouth, but I didn't have the energy to say it.

After I failed to respond, he asked, "Is there anything we can do...to help you?"

A few of my tears dripped onto the table, leaving tiny reflective puddles. Dad got up, bringing his chair by my side and sitting in it. He wiped my tears with his fingers, turning my head towards him as he did. One of his hands gently landed on my shoulder. My body shook, trying to hold back more whimpering sobs. Mom came and stood a few feet behind us, clasping her hands in front of her waist.

He made eye contact with me, his own eyes appearing watery, "Moving sucks, big time."

We just stared at each other for a moment, before he continued, "I know it's my fault. We left at the worst time imaginable. The whole thing with William, it…doesn't make it easier."

He broke eye contact and tilted his head downwards, "Right now, Chloe needs you more than anything. And- and I took that from you."

I shook my head, causing a few more tears to fall, "Dad, no...you-"

"If I would've just waited...we could be there still."

My voice had a hint of annoyance, "Dad, there's no way you could've known."

He scratched his lip, raking through his scruffy facial hair, "William...he was like a brother to me. If I could just...shoot the shit and have one more beer with him…"

I began to hyperventilate, pressure building up in my tear ducts, 'I-I cant...I can't handle this right now.'

My voice shook, blurting, "I need to get up."

He didn't say a word, taking his hand off of my shoulder and scooting his chair away from me. His downcast face told me he truly was sorry, but I still sorta felt angry at him. I shot a glance at my mom, probably a more fiery one than I meant to. She stood in silence, chewing her lower lip.

I got up, wiping my eyes with the backs of my hands. My legs carried me away from the table, going into the empty living room.

The surface of the floor transitioned from hardwood to carpet as I entered the hallway again. I continued my determined march, grabbing the house phone and shutting myself in my room.

'That's it, I'm calling Chloe.'

CHLOE:

"I will always, always love you."

Click - Whir

"...always, always love you."

Click - Whir

"...will always, always love-"

Click - Whir

"I will always, always love you."

I just kept pressing that rewind button, over and over again. The sadness didn't really bother me anymore, it just made me feel empty, like a piece of me was missing. And… I guess a pretty big piece of me was missing, not just my dad, but Max too. A dad shaped hole in my heart ached with every pulse, and Max was the only one that could somewhat plug it.

She promised we would stay in touch, and I really hoped she'd keep that promise. It wasn't quite a pinky swear, but still punishable by death in my book.

I lay on my bed, staring up at the ceiling as the cassette player sat on my abdomen.

What I can only describe as a 'fog of grief,' hung over me, threatening to royally mess up my world. Not a sound was audible in my room, except for my own breathing and the whirring of the air conditioning system.

Reverie and pleasant memories flowed through my mind, leaving me feeling nostalgic. But these memories weren't really distant - in fact, they were probably a few weeks old.

"Come on, Max! Dance with me!"

"But I can't dance...I'm terrible at it."

"You can't possibly be that bad. Give it a try."

I could still hear her laughter and feel her soft hands gripping mine, "Fine, but you better not make fun of me!"

"I won't. Now dance, hippie!"

Max. God, I missed her so much already. I didn't know how I was going to get through all of this without her.

But geez, some timing huh? My dad dies, and she fucks off to Seattle? Well… against her will, it's not like she wanted to leave. Seriously, on the day they left it was practically a dick measuring contest between Max and I; Who could beg, bitch, and sob the hardest?

It had to be a tie.

I heard the faint ringing of a phone come from downstairs, probably just some more condolences from people who pretended to give a shit. Which seemed like a lot of people lately. But who am I kidding, I knew at least Max cared - which was all that really mattered to me.

More tears emerged, wetting the edges of my eyes. They built up and were about to spill over, like water on the edge of an overfilled glass. But I didn't have any time to let the tears out, since I heard a knock at my bedroom door. My stomach muscles clenched up for a second, and I blinked back the tension behind my eyes.

I used the most 'leave me the fuck alone' voice I could muster, "Whaaat?"

The door was locked, so my mom couldn't enter, "Chloe, someone's on the phone for you."

I rolled out of bed after placing the cassette player to my side, and unlocked the door without saying a word to mom. As I opened it, I glanced at her. Her hair was disheveled, hanging down in greasy locks, puffy eyes all bloodshot. I probably looked just as bad as she did, having not showered for a few days and basically fuckin' crying non-stop.

I took the phone from her and put it up to my ear, kicking my funeral dress across the floor and locking the door again. Cool breezes blew in through the open window above my bed, with the silent street below.

I sighed and didn't even try to fake my mood, "Hello?"

A familiar voice cut in from the other end, "Hey, Chloe. It's Max."

Just like that, some of my grief eroded away, "H-hey...how's Seattle?"

Her voice was slightly fuzzy from the audio quality of the phone, "I haven't really paid much attention to it, everything's been a blur."

"Yeah, it really has been."

I heard her breathing on the other end, as if she was hesitating for a moment, "I wish you were here. Or...I wish I were there with you right now."

"I know you do, I feel the same way."

"I'm sorry, Chloe. About everything…"

I was still standing there, so I went back over to my bed and plopped onto it, bouncing for a moment. I stared at the ceiling once again, eyeing the patterns on its bumpy surface, like a giant connect-the-dots.

"There's no need to apologize for anything at all."

Her voice trembled, "But I had to leave. I-I tried to stay but I guess I didn't fight hard enough."

That kinda irritated me, I hated it when she pinned this kind of shit on herself, "Max, listen to me. Do not apologize, it's not your fault."

She remained silent on her end.

I didn't like where this conversation was going, so I detoured it, "I listened to the cassette you left me. Thanks, I needed that."

Her voice trailed off, "It was uh, difficult...for me to leave you..."

"I know, Super-Max," deep breath, "I really appreciate how much you care about me."

She spoke after what felt like ages, "I care about you so much, that no cassette tape can explain it."

A brief pause, "I kept rewinding that cassette at the part…" I gulped, trying to fight back more tears that were working their way up.

I shut my eyelids, seeing the colorful patterns of light behind them, "The part where you said you'll always love me."

Another brief pause, "Don't you ever forget it, Chloe. Because I mean it, I'll always love you."

I listened to her say that with my eyes still shut, imagining her lying beside me.

My mouth moved to tell her the same. She continued before I could utter a word, and I opened my eyes again, "Ugh, I hate it here. I've only been here for a few days and I already hate it. I just wish I could run away, you know?"

"Yeah… I know what you mean - but, how come you don't like Seattle?"

"Duh… you're not here with me. I really want to see you."

I pulled out a strand of hair that had made its way into my mouth, "Well, one thing's for sure. We'll see each other again before long."

"Much sooner than you think. I'll come and visit often… Hey! Maybe I can stay for the summer, wouldn't that be great?"

I smiled from ear to ear, "I'd love that."

"Yeah! It'll be just like I never left."

"Yeah…"

Both of us remained silent for a moment, until a short series of sobs sounded in my ear.

I immediately felt my eyes well up again, vision blurring at the edges, "Max… don't cry..."

She took in a deep breath, voice sounding strained, "I'm really sorry...about William. He was like my second dad."

I choked up, "I miss him so much."

"Cherish the memories, Chloe. Never let go of them."

"Never. The…" Hot tears ran from my eyes, wetting my ears as I lay there, but I stayed strong. I didn't want Max to hear me cry.

"The day I die, is the day I forget."

Her voice sounded distant, like she'd pulled her face away from the phone, "Wow, you're so poetic..."

I shook my head, even though she couldn't see it, "Nah, I'm no Robert Frost…"

We sat through another one of those silences. A hummed song came from my mouth, trying to get Max (and myself) to stop sniveling. It worked extremely fucking well.

She'd been listening, "...Obstacles?"

"Heh, yeah…you remember that one?"

She chuckled, "How couldn't I? I've only heard that song a gazillion times."

I grinned, "And it never gets old."

Max continued, "So um, I've got my first day of school tomorrow. I'm really nervous."

I wiped my eyes with my shirt and sat up, "Hey, remember what I told you, Max. Keep your chin up high and smile. Always remember to smile."

She let out a cute giggle, one that practically melted me, "Thank you, Chloe. You have the best advice."

Another voice came in from the other end, sounding very distant, "Max, are you-"

It was impossible to make out what she said, but I could tell it was her mom.

Max's voice turned away from the phone, "Yeah mom… okay, I'll be there in a second."

Her voice was louder again, "Hey, I guess I need to hang up for now… sorry Chloe."

I sifted through a lock of my hair with my nails, "It's okay dude. Tell your parents I said hi."

"Alright, I will. Tell Joyce I'm thinking about her."

Smiling again, I said, "Can do. And… Max?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you too."

And I meant it.