Lost and Found
"I wish you were here," Max whispered as she trekked through the woods around Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, the crunching sound of twigs, dry grass, and old leaves the only other noise as she made her way through the woodland by herself back to Big Sur Lodge, "You'd have loved this place, Chloe. Your carefree spirit and my hippie-ness were born to live here."
Max had intended to spend her spring break from Blackwell Academy with friends, a few of the girls on her floor having promised to come along with her down to California. Now, by herself when all of their planning fell through, Max found herself wandering alone through the vast California park and did not really mind. Maybe it's better this way, considering this was where…was where… The thought of Chloe's smiling face, months after she'd been shot, left her feeling emotionally wrecked and she wiped the single tear from her eye as a preventative measure that would hopefully keep the other tears back. A result of Max's going back to that fateful Monday in October, only she remembered the five days and multiple timelines she'd spent slowly falling for her best friend. Reading the journal entries she had entered between the Monday of letting Chloe die and the Friday of coming back into herself had been like a nightmare, the timeline she now found herself in devoid of American Rust and "Splish, Splash." There's nothing here to even recognize that time I had together with Chloe, the time we had. Except me.
Arriving at Big Sur Lodge, Max walked over to the small, one-person cabin she was staying in and dropped her backpack by the door as she slipped her boots off and curled her toes into the soft carpet. Looking more like a vaguely rustic studio apartment than an actual cabin, a full-size bed was nestled in one corner with the kitchenette occupying another as the living room area took up the remainder with a loveseat, coffee table, and couch. The TV was off and had been left off ever since Max had arrived the day before yesterday, the brunette opting for her laptop and the lodge's half-decent Wi-Fi. Starting up the coffee machine, Max stripped out of her jean shorts, tank-top, and undergarments before she headed into the small bathroom and its shower.
The water sprayed the sweat and dirt off of her face, as well as the tears that Max had let fall unchecked. Her parents had grown concerned since that October, with each conversation between getting tenser and tenser as they wanted Max to come back to Seattle. Blowing them off good-naturedly at first, Max had then started to snap at both her mother and father. She didn't want to leave Arcadia Bay just yet, even with Blackwell's photography program essentially over. With Mark Jefferson in prison and the fate of her school's next academic year in question, Max's time at Blackwell Academy was still only second place for the main reason why she remained. Chloe. It's…It's like I can feel you in the places we had gone together, an echo or a ghost. That butterfly at your funeral, wowser, I smiled so dumbly at it but maybe it was you. Telling me that everything would be okay, that you were okay. I wish I could believe that.
God, I wish I could believe that.
Max had become an honorary member of the Price-Madsen household, that being what the house was now with Chloe gone. The anger in David's mentality, the bitterness, had been shocked out of him with the death of his stepdaughter and his mood had softened through his bonding over Chloe with Joyce. Max had helped, Chloe's childhood best friend visiting nearly every day on top of being a student at the school he worked at lifting his spirits a little. For Joyce, Max was a godsend, bringing light and life into what Chloe's mother felt was a mausoleum to what remained of her family. With William gone five years and now Chloe residing alongside him, Max's time at Two Whales or at the house were uplifting to Joyce as they reminded her not only of better days but that life would eventually go on for her.
Though she was certainly no longer the awkward wallflower she had been before that Monday, Max had not changed as much as people told her. With Jefferson's arrest, Nathan being sent to a psychiatric facility to receive care, and Chloe's death, the walls of social cliques in Blackwell had been forcibly torn down and everyone seemed to hover toward each other. For Max, she earned her friendships now instead of cheating her way into them via time powers. Dana, Juliet, Kate, Brooke, and even Victoria sent her daily messages during spring break and Victoria had nearly lost it when Max had shown up to class after Christmas break with her bangs dyed blue and a butterfly tattooed on her collarbone.
"Did something in your head break, Max, or have you finally lost it after three months?" Victoria had teased, an edge in her voice reminiscent of how she'd acted before everything in October had gone down. When she saw Max's eyes become downcast, however, she'd quickly regained her senses and ran over to hug the little hipster tightly, "I'm sorry. You…You did it for her, didn't you? God, Max, I'm so sorry."
Switching off the water in the shower, Max toweled herself off and changed into a t-shirt and jeans before grabbing her coffee and setting it on an end table. Walking over to her backpack, Max recovered the digital camera her parents had given her and plugged the SD card into her laptop. She still had her Polaroid camera, still used it, but her parents had argued that it was more of a trend than practical and Max had a hard time arguing over a fancy Canon SLR for Christmas. Shots of wildlife, the surf crashing over rocks, and sunlight streaking through treetops brought a smile to her face before she clicked on the folder marked "McWay Falls". Shot after shot of the waterfall that fed into the beach, a paradise in real life, played across Max's laptop screen and she applied filters and edited some of the pictures that seemed to pop out at her before she submitted them to various nature photography journals for entry. I might not be an "Everyday Hero", but I can still make my own mark, Max thought as she clicked the submission button on every tab she'd opened up with her browser. Closing her laptop, Max pulled her phone out and scrolled through the texts before selecting the one marked Kate.
MAX: Kate, I really wish you'd come here! Just being here is worth it, never mind the endless opportunities for fantastic shots!
KATE: I know, Max. I'm sorry – it's just that, well, you know… :(
MAX: We've talked about my new policy on emojis, Kate Marsh, and yeah I get it. Your parents are terrified if you so much as step across the Arcadia Bay town line after what happened.
KATE: Send me pictures?
Max attached as many pictures as her phone would allow, using her cloud drive of shots she'd taken and edited to send to Kate. A good minute or two later, Max smiled at the use of exclamation points and other characters that had become indicative of Kate's self-censorship. Kate Marsh with a "potty mouth". Who would have thought? Wowser. Max grinned when the string of Kate's idea of expletives ceased.
KATE: Sorry! It's just… Ugh, Max, I should've been more vocal with my parents! Those shots are amazing! I'm assuming you've submitted them already?
MAX: Hella yes, I have! I just wish everybody could've come. I mean, I saved a decent wad of cash by you all bailing on me, but…
KATE: I know, and I'm sorry for my part.
KATE: Have you heard from anybody else?
MAX: Yeah. Dana and Jules apologized the day I left, meeting me at the parking lot before I took off in Jezebel.
KATE: Max, why'd you name that old truck something like…like that?
MAX: Slow your righteous roll, Kate. It could've been Harlot. Or something equally designed to irk you lol
KATE: You… You suck :P
MAX: No. Emoji. In. My. House.
MAX: Anyway, Tori's parents pretty much demanded she spend her break helping them at The Chase Space. She sends me angry selfies for every picture I send her of this amazing place.
KATE: I've got to go – my sisters are begging me to get off the phone. TTYL?
MAX: Of course. Don't go too crazy with your ice cream and your Davey and Goliath, lol
KATE: )! (#$ ()!(!
Max smirked at the last message and shut her phone off before she slipped on her sneakers, grabbed her camera bag, and headed out the door of her cabin.
Chloe's old truck, now Max's, drove along the highway leading into a small town that served as a tourist trap with its proximity to the nearby beach. The only fast-food place being a drive-thru, Max pulled in and hit the buzzer to the delightfully static sound of "Hold up, I'm coming!" and a small amount of unintelligible grumbling. Hearing the sound of something rolling on pavement, Max snickered as a waitress glided by on roller skates. Oh my God, it has a theme. For cereal, Chloe would've not been able to stop laughing at something like this…
"Yo, you gonna order or am I going to need to hella smack you upside your head, kid?" a waitress asked and Max froze at the voice. A chill ran down her spine at the familiar, irritable tone and when she looked up the sight before her left her feeling equal parts terrified and exhiliarated.
Chloe Price, or a girl who looked exactly like Chloe Price, stood before her in a waitress's outfit, hand on her hip as she chewed absently on a piece of gum. What…? What the…? Holy shit, it's her, Max thought as she tucked some loose hair behind her ear and smiled when the waitress looked away with her cheeks tinged red.
"So, uh, can I help you?" the waitress asked, looking away. Max noted the nametag read "Jane" and she looked up at her.
"Um, what's good?" Max asked, leaning on the open window of her truck as an idea came to mind, "Aside from you?"
"Jane" laughed at Max's intentionally-terrible flirting and Max felt part of her cringe a little at how exactly like Chloe this girl laughed. Not the laugh with a tinge of bitterness, however; Jane laughed like Chloe had laughed when they were kids, carefree and full of hope and dreams. Smiling as she watched Jane's laugh turn into a contagious giggle that left Max chuckling herself, the waitress eyed her appraisingly.
"I should totally just leave you here with a cup of water and the stalest bread we have, that line was so goddamn bad…um, sorry, who are you?" Jane asked, smiling apologetically as she scratched at her fading blue hair, the roots a mixture of blonde and violet, "God, you didn't tell me your name already, did you? I'm crazy-bad at forgetting people's names for some reason."
"I didn't, and it's Max," Max said warmly, leaning against the window a little further, "So, Jane, what's good?"
"Well, that depends," Jane said with an attempt at mystique, "What do ye seek?"
"I seek the Grail!" Max boomed out in her best Monty Python impression.
"Answer me these questions three, ere the other side ye see," Jane finished, laughing again with enough force that she leaned against the door of Max's truck, "Dude, why aren't there more cool chicks like you in this dive. I think I'll pick for myself what you'll be getting. I dare you to let me."
"Who am I to turn down a dare?"
Max watched the waitress named "Jane" wink at her as she zipped down the sidewalk and back into the small kitchen as a couple other waitresses came out to deliver orders to the two other vehicles parked. Turning on the radio, Max caught Piano Fire and was about to quickly switch it off when "Hey, that shit's pretty cool!" came through the small speaker on the menu display that was quickly followed by "Oh, uh, the button on that display sticks sometimes. So, like, if you're gonna talk dirty do it hella quiet."
The chicken strips and waffle fries were piping hot when the basket of food and cherry-lime slushie arrived in her smiling waitress's hands, Max more than eager to take the nosh when Jane pulled back a little with a Cheshire grin on her face. Cocking an eyebrow at the bluenette, Max followed Jane when she headed over to a picnic table that wasn't in use and sat the food down before taking one of the benches all for herself with Max sitting across. Only when Max sat down and felt booted feet tap against her sneakers did she realize that Jane seemed much more at ease as the taller girl stretched before trying to look sneaky as she grabbed a single waffle fry.
"Hey! I'm paying for that, y'know," Max said, the smile on her face undermining the attempt at irritation in her voice, "Besides, aren't you working?"
"Nah," Jane said, looking over at the kitchen and waving at the people inside the small building, "You were actually my last customer for the day. Also, because you're terribad pick-up line so made my day, you get your food for free!"
"…Which means you'll be sharing my noms, I take it?"
"Uh, yeah. Girl's gotta eat some time, dude," Jane said as she took another fry, "So, I haven't seen you here before, Max. You passin' by or what?"
"Spring break," Max said, hands raised in defense when Jane scoffed, "No, not like that. I've got a cabin at Big Sur Lodge, little one-person deal, and I've just been hiking, swimming, and taking photos. I go to Blackwell up in Oregon, for photography. At least, it was for photography…"
"Blackwell, Blackwell…," Jane said ponderously, tapping on her chin as she chewed at a chicken strip while Max dug into the food, "Oh! The place where that one dude was caught with his pedo-dungeon!"
"Uh, one of my friends was a victim of his," Max replied, the somberness in her voice causing Jane to look at her with a more concerned expression.
"Dude, I-I didn't know. I mean, I just met you an' all. How could I?" Jane said, reaching over to lay one of her hands over one of Max's, "My bad, nonetheless. So, um, is it hella cool? Going to a nice school like that? What about Oregon? I've never been there?"
Never been there. Is this for reals? Max thought as she chewed her food. Time seemed to stop as she weighed everything that was going on in her head. She was sitting at a drive-thru in northern California with a girl who looked, sounded, and acted just like her dead best friend. We could've been more, but that kiss was a lifetime in a moment, so I guess I'll never really know. Startled out of her thoughts with snapping fingers near her face, Max blinked her eyes several times before narrowing them at Jane.
"What was that for?" Max asked, confused and a little irritated at Jane's method of getting her attention, "Also? Rude, like rude as fuck."
"Not my fault you spaced out. Also, um, you're kinda crying so I figured whatever was on your mind must be hella sad."
"I-It… It was. I was thinking of a friend of mine. She…she passed away last October."
"Sorry to hear that. You two tight?"
"The tightest," Max said before cocking her head to one side, "What about you? Tell me more about 'Jane', if you don't mind."
"Not much to tell, really," Jane said, shrugging her shoulders as she took a sip of the slushie, "I've been here since last fall. I…I don't remember anything before that…"
What the actual fuck was what ran through Max's head when Jane finished speaking, the awkward pause between them blossoming into a train of thought that had Max in a state of confusion. This girl sitting before her, who was so much like Chloe it was kinda killing Max inside, couldn't remember anything before last fall? Max wanted to pull the girl's hoodie off, look for a sleeve tattoo. Max wanted to also yank her own hair out and scream curses at the universe for fucking with her in this fashion. To have her sacrifice Chloe only to have a look-alike sitting across from her that sounded and acted so much like Chloe left Max with enough many mixed feelings that she smacked her head against the table hard enough to leave her wincing a little as she sat back up.
"Dude, for real, do you space out hard all the time? Because if you do it's gotta be hella bad for your grades," Jane piped in, Max realizing that the girl was now sitting next to her. Flinching at the closeness, Max watched Jane back up a little with an awkward smile on her face, "I, um, I was worried because that whack sounded pretty whack."
"Look at you, all punny and stuff," Max said, a sly grin on her face. Talking to this girl was nearly as easy as talking to Chloe. It was the memory of Chloe, however, that made things difficult, "So what happened? If you're willing to talk about it, I'd be willing to listen."
"I dunno. The first thing I remember is the beach, covered in sand and smelling like I took a bath in the grossest water ever," Jane said as she lit up a cigarette only to snuff it out when the manager banged on the window and pointed at her, "Look, you can maybe give me a lift in that monstrosity of yours and I'll tell you all about it. The locals felt bad for me, so they gave me a place to crash. Sick little beachside place that the town owns for who-the-fuck-knows kind of reasons."
The drive to the small bungalow was a good five minutes of complete silence. Jane had offered Max a friendly thanks and appreciative smile, but it was evident to both of them that Max wasn't feeling particularly chatty in the truck. One look at the driver's side mirror and Max could see the thin-lipped frown plastered on her face. She couldn't get out of her head just how fucked up it was that for all intents and purposes Chloe was sitting next to her as Max drove…but it wasn't Chloe. We buried Chloe, held a wake and a funeral for her. I sat by her grave at night for days, telling her everything that she'd missed because she had to play the goddamn hero and plead for me to go back in time. This girl… Jane isn't Chloe, she can't be.
So why do I feel so deep inside that she is. I mean, if she woke up with amnesia, they'd call her… Oh fuck, they'd call her "Jane Doe". Like my shirt. Ugh, what the hell is going on…?
"This your camera?" Max heard Jane ask, looking over at the passenger side to see Jane handling what had been William's old Polaroid camera. After Chloe's funeral, Max had started using William's old camera when she found it in a box of Chloe's things sitting on her dorm room floor. "This is pretty retro. Film's gotta be expensive as fuck."
"It is," Max said with a sigh, "My parents bribed me with a sweet SLR camera for Christmas, but I still like to use that camera for my own stuff. I keep a journal, and I'll usually put a photo along with the entries."
Jane slipped the camera back into Max's bag and grimaced before she looked up. Max wanted to know what that look was about but kept her thoughts to herself in the hope that Jane might say something herself. The silence continued until Jane coughed and Max saw her pointing to a small shack nestled right next to a long parking strip overlooking the beach. Pulling in right in front of the shack, Max switched off the ignition and looked over at Jane, the tall bluenette looking back at Max with a saddened expression.
"…You're not coming in, are you?" Jane asked.
"I-I just don't want to intrude-"
"S'fine. I see how it is, me being the weird girl who can't remember shit. I get it," Jane scoffed, rolling her eyes as she looked out the window. Max could see the deep sadness reflected through the passenger side window coming from Jane's eyes, "Do you know what it's like, Max, to wake up one day and find that your life is basically over? That you have to start again and you don't even know or understand why? Do you?"
"I…I actually kinda do," Max replied, tensing up when Jane's head whipped around to look at her with reddening eyes, "When my friend died, we…we hadn't gotten much of a chance to get back together. I'd moved years ago and neither of us kept in touch, but I was there when she died. It… Something like that changes you, and no matter how hard you try you can't just go back to how things were. Others did, and some try, but I just let the change come."
"I'm sorry…," Jane said, reaching over to lay her hand on Max's as she gave the brunette a sympathetic grin, "That sounds incredibly rough. Are you going to be okay?"
"Y'know, I think I would like to see how 'Jane' lives," Max said, her chuckle a little brittle but there was enough mirth in her eyes to lessen the tension between them. Smiling, Max climbed out of her side with Jane following suit through the passenger door, "Looks kinda dumpy."
"Gee, thanks," Jane said with a smirk as she flipped Max off, Max returning the gesture with a double-bird that had Jane laughing as she unlocked the door, "It is 'kinda dumpy', but it's presently home. As soon as I have the money, I'm fucking bailing. C'mon, welcome to my home away from wherever."
The walls were painted a seafoam green, the single room containing a kitchenette, bed, and living are with an adjacent bathroom toward the back. The mattress was littered with old blankets and a black comforter, a suitcase lying open next to it with what looked like an incredibly random wardrobe. Max thought she'd spied a Misfit Skull shirt, but that was just a trick of her imagination; walking around the small dwelling, Max found an old plug-in CD player and brought it over to the lawn chairs and card table where Jane was presently sitting. Smoking, the taller girl looked at the player and shrugged.
"No discs, no joy," Jane said, toking on her cigarette like she hadn't had one all day.
"Gotcha covered," Max said with a grin as she walked outside and swiftly returned with the cassette adapter she used for her phone, "Plug and play."
"Sweet! Can finally rock this place hardcore…," Jane said with a grin before deflating when 'Something Good' by alt-J began to play, "…or, we can mellow out and chill. Either works. S'cool."
"You said you're leaving here? How, exactly?" Max asked, curiosity piqued as she arched an eyebrow in the direction of her new friend.
"Been saving up, countin' my dollar bills. There's this old lady in town with an old town car that's willing to sell on the cheap. It's just a matter of eating, having some fun, and saving up for the ride. Oh! Lemme show you something hella sick, Max! Let's go out back and chill, so that you might feast your eyes on the badassness."
Folding up the lawn chairs, Max followed Jane outside and gawked at the surfboard leaned up against the shack with a wetsuit drying on it. Apprehensively reaching a hand out, Max looked over at the grinning blue-haired girl for approval before touching it. The smoothness of it seemed to make everything happening more real, as though the tactility of the object grounded Max. I'm not dreaming. This is real – there's a girl here who looks like my Chloe but isn't, and it's like we're finding the same groove Chloe and I had that one week we had together but we've only just met. Wowser.
"This is pretty fucking cool," Max said with hand still on the board as she looked over at a smiling Jane, the other girl having taken a seat in her camp chair as she lit up another cigarette before pulling another from her pack.
"You want one?" Jane offered, waving the cigarette in Max's direction as though it were candy.
"Well… Okay, sure," Max said with a shrug as though to imply she gave zero fucks, "I smoke when I'm super-stressed, so why not smoke just to smoke for a change?"
"The stress smoking coming from your friend passing away?"
"Yeah, but it was only every now and then," Max said before hacking as she'd taken too much of a drag. Looking at the cigarette she held in her hand, Max cast a glance over at Jane, "Tastes like shit."
"Don't you judge me and my gift to you. There are starving children in Third World countries, Max. Starving. Children."
"What does that have to do with smoking?" Max asked, a grin on her face as she tilted her head in amused perplexity.
"Dude, if I was living over there and was starving I'd sure as fuck want to light up," Jane said, waiting for Max to laugh before she joined in, "You're awful, laughing at such a terrible joke."
"You're worse for telling it."
"It's the company I keep," Jane retorted with a grin, missing Max's twitch at the words she'd chosen.
The eeriness still lingered for Max, hanging out with a girl who looked like Chloe and talked like her. Add to eeriness phrases and discussions that bordered on juxtaposed conversations she'd had with Chloe last fall and you had a situation that had Max fidgeting in her seat. She didn't know whether to leave or to stay, but Max knew she had to do something. Getting to her feet, flicking the cigarette out into the sand, Max slipped off her sneakers and socks and dug her toes deeply into the sand next to her chair. Her nerves making her anxious, Max looked over at Jane who was in turn eyeing her like Max was doing something suspicious.
"…You want to go for a walk, a moonlit stroll with your new pal?" Jane asked, rolling her eyes exaggeratedly as she lifted herself out of the camp chair and onto her booted feet, "C'mon, Max. We'll go walking and then you can head back to your fancy-pants cabin."
"…Can I see you again? I'm here for another day and a half before I need to head back north," Max asked, looping her arm around the proffered one of Jane's, "I mean, um, I'd like to see you some more."
"Well… I do have tomorrow off, and it's not like I had some super amazing plans or whatever," Jane said with an impish grin as she led Max along the beach side by side, "I can totally show you the basics of surfing, and we can grill some food and just chill. I'm a bit of a surfing prodigy, according to the guy who 'donated' the board."
Max woke up the next day with a renewed interest in her remaining break. Some days since Chloe's passing Max simply went through the motions, doing things expected of Max Caulfield because that was what she did before her life was upended with time powers and losing her best friend. The night before with the mysterious Jane, this girl who seemed to be Chloe in nearly every way, had left Max infatuated and a little obsessed. Grabbing a quick shower, Max slipped on a pair of jean shorts, leggings, her boots, and a red skull shirt. Slipping her hoodie on, Max decided to leave her hair down when her phone went off.
VICTORIA: Hey, Max. How's Big Sur? I know I've been shitty about it, but I'm glad you at least made it there. Ugh, I love the opportunity helping my parents with the gallery presents, but I just want to lay down on the beach with my friends and unwind.
MAX: There's always a post-graduation drive down, Tori…
MAX: I… I think I might've met someone here…-
VICTORIA: OMG! Cute?
MAX: Like, mesmerizingly cute. And funny. She works at a diner-ish drive-thru.
VICTORIA: "She"? Damn, Max. If I'd known you play for both teams I would've taken a swing ;)
MAX: -facepalm-
MAX: Got to go – spending the day with her, surfing and chilling out on the beach! Did I mention she has a place on the beach? ;)
VICTORIA: t(-.-t)
Clicking the screen off, Max grabbed the SLR camera and stuffed it into her camera bag before she ran out the door and sped along in her truck to the drive-thru. It had been their agreed-upon place where she would meet with Jane. While Max was excited to see the girl again, she was also incredibly nervous. Aside from knowing that Jane looked like Chloe and acted a lot like her, what else did Max know? She has amnesia, but she likes a lot of the same… Oh, I guess I don't really know that much about her. Shit! Max saw someone waving along the side of the road and smiled at the blue hair. Her face lit up with a bright smile, Jane kept flagging Max down until the truck came to a stop right next to her. Sporting a tank-top and jean shorts like Max's, the distinct lack of any tattoos momentarily soured Max's temperament before Jane scooted over and leaned in for a bone-crushingly tight hug.
"Dude! Oh man, Max, I thought that maybe you'd forgotten or got weirded out by my crazy-ass shit!" Jane said, clearly excitable, as she slid an arm around Max's shoulder while sweeping her other arm out and across both girls' field of view, "Today, the world is ours, Max. Surfing, grilling, and chilling. The life."
"It does sound pretty good, though I'm not so sure about… Oh, shit!" Max spat as she pulled into the drive-thru to avoid getting a ticket, "I forgot my swimsuit. It okay if we double back?"
"Hella yes, I want to see this luxurious manse of yours, Maximus!"
"…What'd you call me?" Max asked flatly, glancing over at Jane.
"…Um, sore spot? I-I don't have to call you-"
"No. No, it's cool. Just caught me by surprise. I already have that nickname," Max said, stifling a chuckle when Jane's face paled even more so than it already was.
"Aww, no way. I'll come up with something, something that's just ours."
The drive back was fun, a small battle ensuing over the radio with Max eventually claiming victory when she made a point of enforcing driver's rules on the disappointed Jane. Catching a little scoff from her new friend when she switched to her phone and played some acoustic indie tunes through the cassette adapter, Max bobbed her head along with the beat until they made their way to the cabin Max had rented. A smattering of random vehicles parked along the narrow road that ran parallel to the cabins, Jane emphasized how Max's beast had the most character because it was the shittiest. Not sure if it was a compliment or not, Max shrugged before she walked up to her front door and unlocked the cabin.
"Come on in," Max said as she ushered Jane inside, "I'll only be a few minutes."
Going through her suitcase as Jane went exploring through the cabin's single-room interior, Max looked at the small collection of swimwear she'd brought. A rare moment of decisiveness coming to her, Max grabbed a tasteful two-piece suit she'd bought when Victoria had strong-armed her into clothes shopping over Christmas break and headed into the bathroom. Stripping down quickly, the bathroom door closed and locked, Max heard Jane utter a curse that caught her attention.
"You okay?" Max asked as she switched her bra and panties for the swimsuit, cerulean material clashing with the red shirt as she slipped it on and walked out into the cabin's main room to find Jane cleaning up a dropped coffee mug in the kitchenette, "Jane, there's a broom in the closet, and we can use a magazine to collect all the pieces on."
"Sorry. I'm kind of a klutz at times," Jane said, smiling awkwardly as her face gained a faint crimson hue. Okay, so she's klutzy, funny, and sweet. One thing at a time, Max. "Good to go?"
"I-Is this right?" Max asked, wobbling on the board as she and Jane had floated it out into the water. Jane waded at a safe distance, slowly kicking her legs and extending her arms so as to keep afloat, though her laughter wasn't helping. "Hey! This isn't funny, dude! I'm don't want to-"
Her fragile balancing act fell apart, and Max heard Jane laugh even harder before she hit the water with a splash. Eyes narrowing as she caught sight of Jane's legs in the water, Max swam over to where her friend was keeping afloat and yanked her down hard. Jane's expression of complete surprise made the momentary embarrassment of falling into the water ass-first worth it as she giggled and the bubbles of air came out of her like a torrent, Jane following suit after a sluggish underwater shove. Rising up to the surface, Max chopped the water and splashed Jane in the face.
"Agh! Asswipe!" Jane cried out as she shielded her eyes and splashed blindly at Max, who in turn had dived back down again only to pop up behind Jane as she dunked her. Looking down into the water, only her face submerged, Max smiled innocently when Jane looked up from where she was floating to flip Max off before shooting up like a rocket, "You… You, Max Caulfield, are the brattiest brat to ever fucking brat! God, don't do that! You do remember I woke up on this very beach smelling like the ass-end of a barge, right?"
"O-Oh…Oh shit, Jane, I-," Max started to apologize only to cry out when Jane repaid Max's playfulness by pushing the brunette's head down into the water. Floating back up, Max scowled at Jane before rolling her eyes, "Okay, okay. I think I've had my fill of splish splash for the time being. Isn't it time for food, anyway?"
They'd relaxed a bit after the surfing lesson failed spectacularly, Max and Jane crashing on Jane's bed and just talking. Max told Jane about her life in Arcadia Bay, how she'd grown up there but had spent the past five years in Seattle before going back. Eventually, after a lot of prodding, Max had reluctantly told Jane about Chloe and had shown her a picture.
"Dude, that's so fucking eerie," Jane said as she handed the picture back without looking at Max, her voice thin and pained, "She could be my twin. Is…Is that why you're hanging out with me? Because I look like your dead friend?"
"I was freaking out, at first," Max said, running a hand through her bangs, "I'm hanging out with you because, well, you seem really cool. There's an easiness around you when it comes to talking. Chalk it up to Chloe or not, but I feel more relaxed around you than I have in months. I want to know more about you, Jane, like your likes and dislikes. Do you drink, or smoke something a little stronger than cigarettes?"
"Whoa, you mean like drugs drugs?" Jane sat up, looking at Max with a disbelieving smile, "Do you?"
"Beer's kinda gross."
"Agreed," Jane said, Max's eyes widening only by a fraction, "I tried pot. The guy who gave me the board lit up and offered a blunt. Shit was… It gave me bad dreams, felt like I was dying or something, so that's it for my psychedelic experiences."
"Chloe tried to get me to smoke, but cigarettes are the furthest I've gone and even then they're rare. I just… The smoking itself puts me at ease, I guess."
"Max," Jane said, lying back down on her side to look the brunette square in the eye, "Are you here because of her? I mean with me."
"Didn't I answer that already?"
"You kinda answered, but I want something more concrete."
"I'm here for me. Because I met this smartass waitress when I was hungry and she seems pretty chill. Plus, free food. Who doesn't love free food?" Max teased, laughing when Jane playfully tried to shove her off the bed, "No, I'm also here because I want to spend time with you. I came down here by myself, but with you I don't feel lonely."
"Okay, okay," Jane said, leaning forward to bump her forehead against Max's, "Let's pause the mushy, yeah? I don't mind sappy stuff, but one can only go so far. There is such a thing as overindulgence, Max."
Their foreheads still leaned against one another's, Max could feel Jane's breath on her cheeks and watched as the other girl's eyes soften with her face reddening. Her breath hitching in her chest, Max felt herself start to breath faster and more shallowly until she was on top of the strange girl. Sitting on Jane's lap, the girl's unpainted nails raking along her legs, Max leaned down until her face was inches from Jane's. I… I want to kiss her. I want to kiss her? Max, you just met her and she looks like Chloe so that could be unfair to both of you. Think, Max! Is this what you want-
"I want this," Max answered her thoughts aloud, lowering herself down to Jane's waiting lips.
Starting off slow and chaste, Max felt Jane grind up against her and the whimper that came with it stirred something inside of Max. Clamping her lips down on Jane's lower lip, Max tugged at it playfully and leaned back in for another kiss when the blue-haired girl's lips parted. Their mouths open, Max slid her tongue into Jane's mouth just as Jane was doing the same to Max's and they giggled when they bumped into each other. The giggle turning into full-scale laughter, Max opted out of the intense kisses for several smaller ones all over Jane's face before she reached Jane's neck and bit down a little.
"D-Did you just leave me a fucking hickey, you brat?" Jane asked, feeling the damp spot on her skin with probing fingers, "Ugh, dammit. How am I supposed to explain this to my boss, Max? I can't exactly-"
"You can cover it up with makeup or a shirt collar, dork," Max replied, a smirk on her face as she sat up, "Food?"
"Oh, I don't taste good enough? Feels like you bit a chunk outta me, fuck…"
"D'aww," Max said, a sly grin on her face, "Poor baby. Feed me. I am guest. Feed guest. Max eat. Eat food or eat you."
Max chopped up the vegetables on the counter-top for their kebabs while Jane grilled the chicken breasts, having let them soak in a marinade since the morning. Looking out the window at her new friend, seeing the carefree smile on Jane's face as she poked and prodded the chicken breasts every now and then before flipping them, Max absently stopped chopping and just watched Jane. The girl was something of a mystery still to Max, the reasons obvious to her, but she also couldn't deny the lump in her throat or fluttering in her stomach, either. There'd been a spark right? A thing connecting the two of us? I'm…I'm not crazy for thinking that, right?
"So, this is it, huh?" Jane asked, scratching her hair as she stood outside of her shack, "Time for you to 'hit the road, Jack' and everything. Can't say I am not disappoint."
After having woken up, taken a shower, dressed, and gone out for breakfast with Jane, Max still could not believe she had just slept with someone she had only known for not even two full days. I kinda did the spring break hook-up. Oh God, I came so close to another fucking cliché. Not… Not that I would take this back. Jane is amazing. I just… Wowser. Just wowser.
Standing up on her tip-toes, Max leaned in and grabbed two handfuls of Jane's hoodie as she leaned in for a kiss. Sweet and chaste, their lips coming together, both girls held the kiss and Max felt that she had somehow frozen time all over again. Max wanted to freeze time, keep her and Jane in a bubble. She didn't know if this was somehow Chloe from an alternate timeline, or if her karma had hit the button marked "dumb luck", but Max knew that this time with the girl kissing her was worth every moment. Pulling back regretfully, a faint whimper coming from the taller girl, Max smiled and cupped Jane's cheeks before she leaned in for a more intense, open-mouthed kiss that left both of them panting and red in the face by the time it was done. Wiping the slight bit of spittle off her chin, a string of it having connected their lips when they'd broken apart, Max leaned her forehead on Jane's shoulder.
"You have my number," Max said, a statement rather than a question.
"Just like you have mine, though I'm still a little bummed," Jane replied, an impish grin on her face.
"A 'little' bummed? Do tell."
"Well, I never came up with a nickname for you to call all my own."
"How about… 'babe'?"
"Willing to go the long-distance route, eh, after 48hrs? What if I don't stick around here and you come down after graduation to find me lickety-split, or it turns out that I'm not all you hoped for?" Jane asked, eyebrow cocked though something in Max told the brunette that Jane would indeed wait.
"You won't take off, and I'm willing to take that chance. Besides, CSU Monterey Bay is near here and they have a good photography program, so stick around if you don't mind. I… There's something strong here, isn't there?" Max asked, a hand to her chest, as she leaned into Jane's waiting arms.
"Totally. You… I feel like I don't have to worry around you, like just words from you seem to make me hella warm and safe. That seems so damn strange, right?"
"Life is strange, Jane Doe, but that doesn't mean it can't be beautiful in its own way."
"We're beautiful?" Jane asked, Max looking up to see the girl shedding tears, "Max, why am I crying? It's not the end, I know, but it's like I've been waiting for you for so long even though I only just met you."
"You're beautiful, JD," Max said, kissing Jane on the cheek before the tall bluenette smiled approvingly at the nickname, "and I learned months ago to not question when something amazing happens. You have to just let it take its course."
"…'Kay, but I'm hella trusting you."
"I know."
Max let the tears fall freely as she watched Jane wave goodbye as she pulled onto the highway, the taller girl running so that Max saw her as long as possible. Seeing one hand outstretched and waving while the other was held to her face, Max knew that Jane was likely crying as hard as she was. Turning her phone on, Max selected Bon Iver's "Blood Bank" and caught a glimpse of her wallpaper – the night before when she and Jane had grilled burgers, a selfie of them with the small charcoal grill lighting up their faces as the moon lit up the night sky behind them. Her phone pinging, Max swiped at the screen.
JANE: I miss you already.
MAX: I know. I miss you, too.
JANE: Max, I have to tell you something
MAX: …what is it?
MAX: Jane?
JANE: …
JANE: Um, is love at first sight dumb? It hella is, right? Pff, forget it-
MAX: Who says this is first sight? Maybe we met in another life, and this is just…
JANE: Destiny?
MAX: Yeah. Destiny.
Author's Note –
This is a one-off, my sole dip into the "Sacrifice Chloe" ending. I'm going to say whether this is Chloe from the timeline Max had left, Chloe somehow reincarnated, or the biggest case of dumb luck in the entire universe – I'm going to leave that for your own interpretation :3
That said, this was arduous to write because just thinking of that ending makes me want to cry…which I usually end up doing. So, I hope you enjoyed this because it took some effort to go in a direction I purposefully avoided.
Review, please, and I'll see you later!
Stay hella, Cinnamon Rolls!