Life is Strange
I drove home, pissed at Max, Rachel, shit the whole world. First Rachel lies to me, then Max goes against me, what the hell was going to happen next? I pulled into the driveway of my house and rushed up the stairs, slamming the door.
"Chloe?" my mom called out.
"Fuck off, Mom!" I exclaimed. I knew what she would say. Oh you can't keep blaming everyone, you can't blame Max, it's not like you can reverse time and tell her to stay! I thought, mimicking my mom.
But I could reverse time. Well, Max could. If she'd even help me. I groaned. How the hell could she get that power but not me?! I'm the one whose life has gone to shit ever since she left. She doesn't deserve that power, She hasn't suffered like I have! I took my shoes off and threw them against the wall, leaving a nasty hole.
I fell onto the bed and stared at the ceiling as my brain tried to process what had happened. It was difficult knowing Rachel had lied to me and slept with that asshole Frank. It felt like she was trying to hurt me purposefully.
"Chloe?" my mom said at the door. "You alright?"
"Go away! Why does everyone need to be in my shit?!" I shouted.
"Well for one, I'm your mother, I'm allowed. And two, because I care about ya'. Whether you care about anyone else or not." she said, opening the door that my dumb ass forgot to lock. "Now tell me what's troublin' ya'."
"Oh you know, Rachel going missing, Step-prick, Max leaving, and dad dying. You know, all the things in life that should leave me a fucking bundle of joy." I said sarcastically.
"Chloe," she said as she walked to the end of my bed, "you've got to learn to let go of what you can't control." she said.
"You mean like dad? Oh don't worry, I know who to blame for dad's death." I said glaring at her.
"Don't start that now. I miss him too. Nobody can replace him and nobody will. But ya' can't take it out on everyone else."
"Why not? You sure as hell did after he died. I couldn't go a damn day without you drinking and crying to me all those years. And then David comes in and now that you have someone to bang, all's good in your happy little world!" I shouted.
"He made me happy in a dark time. He's tried to make you happy, yet all you've done is shouted and rebelled against him, forcing his hand to multiple things." she explained.
"Oh, so now you're defending him? Even after Max told you about his files and the cameras in the house?! I shouted, leaping off the bed and onto my feet.
"I didn't say I approved, but that's what I'm talking about. All your smokin' and drinkin' is forcing him to keep a much closer eye on you." she said.
"Stop defending his sorry ass! He was spying on Rachel and Kate! He didn't do anything to keep Rachel here and he caused Kate to kill herself! How can you defend him?!"
"Because we all make mistakes. And I'm sure he didn't think she was like that." she said. I cut her off before she could say anything else.
"You don't know what he thought about her! He thought she was suspicious all because she was shy and quiet! She had been avoiding people for awhile because she was bullied, yet he thought she was the suspicious one? Kate's dead now and Rachel might as well be!" I exclaimed. I was giving it all to her. "After you found David you became so damn blissful while I was so fucking miserable! Everyone left except for the one person I wanted gone. And you married the fucker!"
"That is enough, Chloe!" she shouted.
"No! Enough was when dad died, enough was when Max left, enough waas after Rachel disappeared, and enough will be when you leave me the hell alone!" I shouted, inches from her face.
We glared at each other, silent. I felt the tension in the air but I didn't care. I didn't care about anything anymore.
I waited for her to make some retort or to just walk away like she always did. But I became unsettled when she just stared at me, silently. "Well? Have anything else to say? Or are you going to walk away like everyone else in my life?"
"I just… don't have anything to say to you anymore. When you and Max were younger you always had a glow in your eyes when she was around. Now...I thought maybe she could help you, hell, I even thought I saw a little glow in your eyes again when you two were together. You moved more freely, more carefree. You smiled more. I just want you to be happy." she said as she turned and walked out of the room.
"Well I am happy! Happiest I've been in years!" I shouted. I sat on my bed, my brain starting to cool down. I always felt better after an argument. It helped relieve the stress and frustrations I suffered. I sighed and put my head in my hands.
I did feel better when Max was around. It was almost like when we were kids, goofing off, hanging out, doing stupid shit, usually with Max being the voice of reason. She hadn't changed a bit. Well, except for the rewind powers.
I laid on my back, letting my hands hang off the side of the bed. I felt something on the floor where Max had been just this morning. I looked over and saw the picture of us she took this morning. I chuckled as I remembered it. She was so cute and adorable. I really didn't think she was going to kiss me, and I'm glad she didn't rewind it.
I felt a familiar feeling in my chest, like the one I felt when we were younger. Shit not this again… I thought. Why do I get so mushy when I think about her? Well, I know why, but how come it's only around her?
I started feeling guilty for what I said to her in the car. I grabbed my phone and dialed her number. "Hopefully she's not royally pissed with me.' I said to myself.I groaned when it went straight to voicemail and hung up the phone.
"What would I even say?" I said quietly. "Sorry for being a Class-A Bitch, I didn't mean it, don't hate me, I lov-" I stopped myself.
Don't be such a dumbass. She's your best friend. And even if you did, she was probably just playing around your playful banter. She didn't really mean that kiss...did she? I thought. It seemed like she meant it. She didn't hesitate or hold back. But maybe she did that just to make it seem like that. If she really felt that way, shouldn't she have hesitated?
Then again, when I pulled away shocked, she did seem to have a slight look of disappointment in her eyes.
"You know what Chloe, fuck it. Call her again." I said, dialing her number went to voicemail again and I called five more times with the same result. "Fucking kidding me? What did you drop off the face of the Earth?"
I sighed. "I'll just leave a voicemail. She'll have to talk to me eventually." i said, standing up and waiting for the beep.
"Hey Max, it's your bitchy friend Chloe… Look I just wanted to say sorry about what I said in the car. I.. I know it's not your fault and I shouldn't have blamed you or whatever…." I said. I paused, unsure of what to say next. "Well, anyways...I was thinking about this morning, after you...after you kissed me. Would you mind we hung out someplace quiet? No rewind abilities, no drama with Nathan, Kate or Rachel? Just us? Like my secret place? Or maybe one of yours, if you have one. You must have one in order to avoid Nathan and the other rich bitch kids there." I said awkwardly. "I just want to talk to you in person. I know I'm a bitch but it's kept me going since dad died… You know...I never stopped thinking about you while you were away. Even with Rachel here she could never replace you. Even though you never fucking called or sent a text." I said.
"Look I'm sorry, we talked about that and it's over with. Just hard for me to let go I guess. Anyways, enough mushy gushy shit. Call me back so we can find a place to chill. See ya'" I said and hung up the phone.
I laid back on my bed. "Love you Max…" I said quietly to myself and closed my eyes.
I woke up as the birds chirped outside my window. "What the-" I said, seeing the sunrise through my window.
What a weird dream. It felt so real…" I thought. I tried to get up, but remembered that I couldn't. At least not while I was in my chair. It wasn't the most comfortable place to sleep, but for the next few years it was all I had. I couldn't even turn my head due to the restraints that held my head in place. After the accident my spine became super fragile.
"Hey Chloe." I heard my dad say as he opened the door. "How'd you sleep?"
"Pretty good. I had the weirdest dream. It felt almost real." I said.
"Ah, lucid dreaming. It's an amazing experience." he said smiling. "Here, it's time to take your meds." he said, holding out a few pills for me. I leaned my head forward as far as it would go and worked the pills into my mouth. I refused to let him put them there for me. I wanted to do things on my own. No matter how trivial. He then tipped a glass of water to my mouth and I sipped enough to swallow the four horse pills. I had gotten used to them so they weren't too difficult to get down.
"Alright, let's get you changed into your day clothes." he said. It was still awkward having him dress me, even after the last year. I couldn't do anything about it though. With the minimal movement my legs and arms gave me, I could barely eat by myself. My Doctor said if I followed all his rules and regulations, maybe in a few years I could try to walk again with the assistance of a walker. And that's the best case scenario. The worst case? I was living it right now.
"Alright, you want some breakfast?" my dad asked.
"Of course. I'm starving." I said. He opened the door to the living room and I rolled the chair in. My parents refitted the old garage into a room for me so I wouldn't need to worry about the stairs. I had slight movement in my right hand which I used to control the buttons that moved my chair around.
"So this dream, what happened? Were you a pirate looking for that infamous pirate booty?" he asked in a bad pirate voice.
I chuckled. "No. And stop doing impressions. You've lost that ability.
"Hey you're the one who wanted to grow up and stopped liking them to begin with." he replied. "What are you interested in eating today? Pancakes, Waffles, or some other amazing pastry?"
"Surprise me." I said, pulling up to the table. I thought about the dream as I waited. It was so lifelike and vivid. It was believable, like I could really feel the tension in the room and feel the anger I had. I could move and everything. Maybe that's why it felt so real. Because it reminded me of how I used to be able to move.
After a little bit he placed a plate on the table in front of me. Pancakes, eggs, and bacon. I was able to eat with my left hand, but just barely. It was hard, but I powered through it. I heard a knock on the door and my dad stood up to answer. "I wonder who that is this early in the morning."
I continued to eat my breakfast as best as I could. I thought back to the dream and what I had said about Max. The emotion I felt in my chest when I thought about her in the dream felt so real. Like my heart was actually beating out of my chest. But here, it felt normal. Thinking about her didn't bring up that same emotion. Maybe because it had been five years since I saw her and in the dream we had hung out what I assumed was a long time, something I missed.
"Chloe, you have a visitor." I heard my dad call from the door.
What? Who would visit me? I thought. I moved the chair to the hallway and I couldn't believe who I saw standing in the doorway. I rolled up to the door, not believing my eyes. Max had finally come home. I smiled as I locked eyes with her, knowing that despite everything I went through, it was all going to be alright with her back home.