Her right hand was stretched out. The world had turned to a hazy red that squeezed the air around her skull like a blood vessel about to burst. Every time she did it, she could feel that pinch between her eyes, like something trying to break free from the cartilage over her nose. And when she dropped her hand, the red mist faded and the pressure dropped to zero again.
Max Caulfield let out a sigh and hugged herself.
She'd just gone back a whole minute in time.
Again.
"…So, are we doing this or what?" Chloe Price asked. Perched on the bench on the cliffside, she ran her thumb over her chin, looking more thoughtful than usual. Her blue hair looked amazing under the light filter of the setting sun.
"We just did," Max replied. She slid her hands into her pockets and headed over to Chloe. "See that rock by your shoe? Go ahead and throw it over your shoulder."
"Aye aye, Captain." Chloe snatched up the rock—no more than a pebble—and hurled it with gusto over her shoulder.
The sediment went spinning through the air, pinging off the boulder behind the two girls. Chloe and Max watched as the pebble flew up into the air again. It rotated to the side and landed right in the middle of the burnt-out campfire. When it hit, a plume of cigarette ash and charred sticks rose up in response.
Chloe grinned. "Now that's what I'm talking about! You're like the freaking goddess of the chain reaction!"
Max laughed. She decided not to tell Chloe how many times she'd screwed up that particular test. By her count, it had taken six attempts. Hitting the bluejay by the lighthouse door had been a total fluke; Max was pleased that she could spare another innocent bird from Chloe's antics. Although that never explained why birds seemed to congregate around Chloe in the first place.
It could've been her spirit animal, Max supposed. Like her and the doe or Samuel and his squirrels. But that mystery would have to wait.
From their vantage point outside the lighthouse, they had an excellent view of Arcadia Bay. Max wished she could feel better about coming here. It had been a stressful couple of days. First she'd watched her best friend get shot. Then she'd saved Chloe's life by rewinding time. Then she'd intervened for sweet Kate Marsh, who'd nearly jumped off the roof of the girls' dorm if it hadn't been for Max's kind words and a litany of good deeds to back them up. All while reconnecting with Chloe Price and testing out the full extent of her new superpower.
One crazy fucking week. But it was still one of the best experiences Max had ever had.
Back in the present, Chloe was off the bench and examining the campfire where the rock had landed. "Goddamn, that is scary. Max Caulfield, the goddess of Fate and Timely Rescues."
"And not just your sorry ass," Max quipped. "Kate Marsh had it coming, too."
Chloe didn't look up from the campfire, but Max could see the way her shoulder blades were tightening underneath her jacket.
"She's lucky to have you," said Chloe. "And I am sorry about what I said. Swear on my mom's grave—and on step-fuhrer's, too."
"I hope so."
"What more do you want from me, Max?" This time, Chloe turned around. She jumped up from her crouching position and marched toward her friend. "I know I'm an asshole who doesn't think when she says shit, but Kate isn't the only one who's miserable!"
Max hugged herself again, bracing herself against those words. "Chloe, I do care about you—"
"Not enough to stick by my side." Chloe's glare was icy. Then she turned her head and slowly looked away toward the ocean that stretched out below them. "You've got your time control power, all right? So go ahead. Make everything better. Rewind time and bring back Rachel. Or my dad." Her hands balled into fists. "Or why don't you go back and fix everything from five fucking years ago!"
The air pressure around Max's head tightened just like before. Everything was turning red, even Chloe's face. Even her blue hair.
But, Max thought, I didn't even lift my hand…
She tasted blood. When she moved her left hand to her lips, she saw more red—
Boom. That sound, coming from somewhere beyond the cliff. It was so familiar. Was it the tornado?
And then everything went black.
"Max!"
The words flew out of Chloe's mouth faster than she could move. Everything went into slow motion the moment she saw the blood on Max's hand—and the red trickle down her nose.
In a single bound, she caught Max before she hit the ground. The girl dropped into Chloe's arms like deadweight. But not actual dead weight, thanks to a quick pulse check. Chloe's heart ached when she heard the tiny ragged breaths coming out of Max's lips.
How many times was this going to keep happening?
Grunting, Chloe pulled Max into an upright sitting position. Her friend wasn't that heavy; compared to dragging a drunk Rachel back to their secret lair, Max was practically a feather in her arms. With an extra push, she got the unconscious girl to tilt her head back. Something about that was supposed to be good for nosebleeds. She could've sworn she'd read that somewhere.
Don't be an idiot, Price! Her inner voice of reason shouted. They call it a smartphone for a fucking good reason!
Keeping one arm around Max, Chloe grabbed the phone from her pocket and began tapping like crazy into Google. Sure enough, the phrase "how to stop a nosebleed" was the first thing that popped up.
"Okay… gimme something." Chloe let out the breath she'd been holding in while the phone's Web browser booted up. Two WebMD articles later, she got the gist of what she had to do—and tilting Max's head definitely wasn't one of them.
Another fuckup to add to her pile that day.
"C'mon, Max, stick around for me," she said, not sure at all if her friend could hear her. Chloe put one hand on the back of Max's head, cradling it as she leaned the girl's face forward. The blood continued to flow down her face and over her lips. Chloe reached over and pinched her friend's nose, just hard enough to staunch the blood loss.
Seeing that much blood on her hands—on both their hands—made Chloe's heart race, but there wasn't anything else she could do but wait. She hated it. She hated every fucking thing about this day. If it wasn't that asshole Frank crashing her secret lair, then it was almost getting run over by a train. Max Caulfield had been the only good thing to happen in her life in the last six months. And there was no way in hell that she was going to lose her over some stupid blackout.
And whose fault was that again? that pissy voice of reason added.
Chloe's pinch slacked off on Max's nose. She wiped at the blood around her friend's upper lip, trying to find some clean skin underneath. It was hard to concentrate when her fingers were frozen solid from the wind, which had just decided to pick up.
"I'm an idiot for even coming here," she smuttered.
To the west, the sun had almost set, casting a dark orange aura over darker waters. The only thing giving off strong light this far north of Arcadia Bay was the lighthouse itself. Whoever was in charge of it these days knew what they were doing. They didn't hesitate to switch on the lamp the moment the sun disappeared over the horizon.
All of which suggested to Chloe that she and Max needed to get the hell out of Dodge.
Max's breathing had softened a little. At least her nose had stopped gushing blood. Chloe wiped at the girl's face with the sleeve of her jacket, not minding the stains. She'd come home to her mother in worse condition. At least there'd be a good excuse this time.
Chloe shivered. At the same time, Max gave a quiet moan. When she pressed her hand to the side of her face, Max's skin felt like ice.
"I can go without it," she said to herself and stripped off her jacket.
Wrapping it around Max's shoulders, Chloe took a few shallow breaths and acclimated herself to the October chill that hit her arms, showing no mercy. Once she'd gotten used to the cold, she slid one arm around Max's shoulders and tucked her other arm behind her knees.
With a mild grunt, Chloe managed to wobble to her feet. Carrying Max wasn't as tough as she'd feared. A tense, silent moment passed as Chloe shifted her friend around, letting her head rest against Chloe's shoulder—while still leaning forward, just as the online article suggested. And then began the long, awkward march back down the forest trail.
Going to the Emergency Room was out of question. For one thing, Chloe didn't know how to explain Max's nosebleed as a side effect of her godly powers. Not to mention the fact that her mom and her prick of a stepdad would flip out if Chloe had another visit there. No doubt a drug accusation would be the first thing out of their mouths, even before she could explain what had happened to Max. In any case, the bleeding from Max's nose had stopped and she sounded like she was breathing normally again.
Max had already blacked out twice before, but never for more than a minute at the most. But it had been at least ten minutes by the time Chloe carried her all the way down the hill to the dirt lot where her truck was parked. She was huffing and sweaty when she made it to the passenger-side door, yanking it open with a sharp squeal. After a moment to catch her breath, Chloe got Max into the seat, keeping her head upright with one hand.
Racing to the other side of the truck, Chloe hopped in and slammed the door shut. She rolled the window all the way up, cutting off the sea breeze that was still rolling in.
When she looked over at Max, her heart sank. The other girl's face had gone pale. Of course, Max had always been a little fair-skinned, but she'd never looked this bad.
"Shit, Caulfield." Chloe grabbed the lapels of her jacket and pulled the garment tighter around Max's body. Thankfully, Max was already wearing a sweater. She already felt warmer to the touch, at least below the neck. Her nostrils flared a little as she dozed in the passenger seat. Except for the blood crusting over her lip, she seemed so young and innocent.
So perfect.
Chloe bit her lip. Was now a good time to get that big awful thing off her chest? Max was asleep, after all. She wouldn't hear a thing, especially if it came through a whisper.
Geez, Price, she could hear Rachel saying, laughing as she did. When'd you puss out on me?
Rachel. Even the memory of her voice was a beesting to the heart. Chloe shut her eyes and snuggled up against Max, wrapping her arm around the girl's shoulders. Besides holding those memories at bay, she could at least keep her friend warm until she recovered.
They used to be so close. What the hell had happened? As a kid, Chloe couldn't recall a time when she and Max weren't hanging out at each other's house or grabbing dinner at the Two Whales with Mom working the counter. And then Max had left. And then her dad. And now Rachel.
And every time someone left, Chloe took another flailing stab at the world. Blue hair, tattoos, blazing up with a joint, thrashing to the latest indie rocker—anything to pull herself out of the darkness, even if only for a week or two. It wasn't like she could talk to her mom about it and the teachers at Blackwell weren't any better.
"I could've faced it, y'know," she said out loud. With a glance at Max's sleeping face, Chloe smiled. "You remember when we were kids? We were gonna travel the world together. Just the two of us on adventures, with you taking pictures and me watching your back." She fought the lump rising in her throat. "God, this fucking hurts. You don't have the first clue, do you?"
Max continued to snore. Her head had shifted to the left, using Chloe's shoulder for a pillow.
"I guess you never figured it out," Chloe continued. She put her other hand under Max's nose, wiping away some of the red crust that had formed there. "I think Rachel knew. We were close. Like, as close as girlfriends get. But she knew about you and she…" She smiled, remembering the warm smile on that girl's face. "She was cool with it. I couldn't believe that shit. She knew exactly how I felt about…"
Her voice ran up against the lump in her throat. Chloe closed her eyes again, fighting back tears. When she opened them again, she noticed her ghostly reflection in the truck's windshield. Max was reflected, too. She still slept like a baby, even five years later.
Letting out a sigh, Chloe turned to face Max. She put her hand on her friend's cheek. The color and warmth was starting to come back to her face again and there wasn't a hint of blood left around her nose.
Perfect. Chloe couldn't think of any other way to describe her.
"Oh, fuck it," she whispered. With her hand on Max's cheek, Chloe turned her face up and leaned in for a quick, gentle kiss on the lips.
"Mmph."
Chloe froze.
Her eyes snapped open, meeting the bleary blue eyes of Max Caulfield.
She pulled her lips away, struggling to think of some clever ha-ha-just-kidding excuse. Or to think of anything. Literally anything that might sound plausible.
But all Chloe could say was, "I… I thought you were asleep…"
"Um, I was…" Max blinked and lifted her hand to her lips, brushing at where the blood had been collecting before. "But then I heard your voice…" She blinked again and smiled. "I'm sorry if I scared you with that blackout."
Chloe bit her lip. Before Max could get another word out, she threw her arms around her friend and hugged her close. At least this way, she couldn't see the worried look on Chloe's face.
"You seriously need to chill out, Super Max," she said into her ear. "I won't always be there to back you up when your face goes Old Faithful like that."
It was so easy to make jokes. So much easier than to spit it out—
"Chloe." But Max was nothing if not persistent. She leaned out of the hug and took Chloe's hands, locking their fingers together. "I'm not stupid. You were trying to tell me something because you thought I couldn't hear you, weren't you?"
"Don't—" Chloe ducked her head. She'd dealt with the likes of Frank Bowers and Nathan Prescott, but even now, she was too messed up to meet the eyes of an eighteen-year-old waif hispter chick. "Please don't make me say it."
"Chloe, believe it or not, I am your friend. And I care about you." Max squeezed their hands together. "Please, tell me everything."
This was like that moment at the lighthouse, when the random snow had started falling and Max had told Chloe about her new powers. Even Chloe had used those same words on her: Tell me everything.
Except this moment was worse. It had been five years in the making and she was still too chicken to even say…
"I never knew how to tell you," she whispered. Her voice cracked a little and she hated herself for being so weak in front of her friend.
Max nodded. "It's okay, Chloe. Take it slow." She pulled her right hand away and waved it around in a weak fanning motion. "We really do have all the time in the world now."
Looking back, she didn't know if it was her mind playing games with her or if Max really was using her powers, but for that moment, time seemed to stop. Chloe didn't hear anything except for Max shifting her legs over the ancient blue seat cushions. Max's whole face was frozen in a soft, flawless smile. And those baby blue eyes were staring right into Chloe's soul, like she already knew what was on her mind.
With all her strange powers, maybe mind-reading was part of the bargain, too.
"Growing up, you were the only one who really got me. You were cool enough to go along with all my crazy adventure ideas and you never complained about sharing the blame when it was my dumb ass that got in trouble." Chloe sniffled and wiped her nose with the inside of her arm, never once letting go of Max's hands. "I didn't realize it until… until you were gone…"
"You knew even then?"
"Yes," Chloe whispered back. The word cut her mouth like a razor, but she felt amazing for finally saying it. "I knew it was always you, Max Caulfield. Even when I was with Rachel"—she closed her eyes, letting an image of her badass smirking face come and go—"she knew, too. We were together because we both needed each other. Because we'd both lost something…"
Chloe never knew who Rachel Amber had lost, but she'd been happy for a time that they'd found each other. She'd leapt for joy when she found out about Rachel's interest in photography and when she'd made the same dumb jokes that Max did. And it was with her that Chloe found she could finally breathe a little easier. It was with Rachel that she could start to forget the quiet and cheerful little girl who'd been by her side for years.
"Chloe…" Max's soft voice tickled her ears and her hand pressed into her flesh brought back memories of when they'd been so happy together. "I should've taken you with me. If I didn't think it would kill me, I'd rewind all the way back to five years ago and—"
"Don't you dare." Chloe tightened her grip, pulling Max closer so that they were eye-to-eye. "I might still be mourning Dad and Rachel and everything else that's happened, but I don't want you to change a thing. You're here now and it's been the best week of my life." She smiled and added, "You've been the best thing to happen to me. Now and forever."
Max blushed. "It means a lot coming from you. And as far as first kisses go… that was nice."
Chloe snorted, feeling some of the old bravado surging back. "Oh, come on, Caulfield. Don't tell me I'm your first. You must've gotten a lil' sugar from the boys up in Seattle."
"You changed, Chloe. I haven't." Max shrugged, helpless and adorable as always. "But it was still nice."
Chloe didn't respond. She searched her friend's face for another clue about how she felt. Was she just being nice? Was Max that much of a shy nerd to say it'd been nice? Meanwhile, Chloe's world was slipping away beneath her feet and there wasn't a damn thing she could do except—
Except for the fact that Max leaned forward and planted a kiss of her own on Chloe's lips. A sweet little kiss that put butterflies in Chloe's stomach and made her hungry for more.
She wrapped her arms around Max and held her close, parting her lips and letting her tongue slide in. Max didn't resist, though her inexperience at kissing girls—or anyone—was obvious. But Chloe could afford to be patient. She was living out her fantasy and loving every second of it.
Not even Rachel Amber walking up to them in the flesh could spoil the beauty of this moment.
Max held Chloe's hand as they ducked behind bushes and along the dorm building walls at Blackwell Academy. It was late enough in the evening that no one was out, though Max could've sworn she heard Samuel whistling to himself and pushing a broom somewhere as they approached the front door to Prescott Hall.
Once they were inside, Chloe grinned as she followed Max down the hall to her dorm. "See, now this is what I'm talking about. You're the Blackwell Ninja!"
"Keep your voice down!" Max whispered, but she couldn't resist a light giggle of her own. Somehow they'd gone back in time, acting like a pair of twelve-year-olds sneaking in through the back door after curfew.
She paused outside the door to Kate Marsh's room. For once, someone hadn't bothered to write an insult on the slate by her door. Instead, it was completely blank. Max winked at Chloe and grabbed the marker from the ledge. She uncapped it and scribbled in "Matthew 11:28," then added a smiley face underneath it. She couldn't wait to see Kate's reaction when she saw that.
And this time, she'd know who'd written it.
Turning around, Max saw Chloe standing to the side with her arms crossed and a smug grin on her face. "Okay, I take it back. I didn't think ninjas were supposed to be huge cuddly dorks."
"Says the girl with a crush with a huge cuddly dork."
Chloe dropped her eyes to the floor, still smiling. "Touché."
Max slipped past her and went to unlock the door to her room. She took a few steps inside before leaning over and crashing onto the bed. A quick glance over her shoulder revealed that no one had touched her wall of photos since she'd left. No more abuse from Nathan Prescott since his suspension—for now, at least.
She supposed she couldn't afford to be picky about her blessings.
Speaking of which—
"God, look at this little girl cave," Chloe remarked. Moving around the room in a languid spin, she chuckled at the posters on the wall above Max's couch. "It's like I want to crank up the Piano Fire and start thrashing just to liven things up here!"
"Please, don't." The words came out of Max's mouth as more of a mumble than a full sentence. She lifted her head, still lying on her side as she looked at Chloe. "I'd rather not wake up the entire dorm. Or Victoria."
"Seriously, how do you even get a dorm right across the hall from that bitch?"
"I'm just that lucky."
"Yeah, you are." Chloe smiled and pounced onto the bed, tackling Max in a hug. "You've got me, after all."
Max squirmed against her embrace. Chloe didn't waste a second now that they were alone. She began kissing Max on one cheek, then the other, before brushing their lips together for a solid minute. Max returned her kisses and slid her hands up the back of Chloe's shirt.
She couldn't believe they were really doing this. The best ending to one of the strangest days ever.
"Ooh, Mikey, I think she likes it." Chloe leaned over and nibbled at Max's earlobe. "Mm-hmm."
"C-Chloe…" Max shuddered. "Before we keep-ooh, there…"
"Right there?" Chloe nibbled again.
Max nodded and shivered in ecstasy. Before Chloe could continue, Max pressed her hand against her friend's breast, forcing their eyes to lock.
"I'm…" She gasped for breath, trying to pull her thoughts together. It was impossible to think clearly around Chloe anymore—and after tonight, she doubt she ever would again. "I need to get something off my chest first. Before we go any farther."
Chloe looked ready to give another snarky one-liner, but she glanced to the right and kept her lips pressed shut. After an awkward moment of silence, she sighed and slid back down. Max let herself be cradled in her girlfriend's arms, with her head resting agiainst her shoulder.
"It's cool," said Chloe. She started to stroke Max's hair, taking her sweet time doing so. "Say what's on your mind."
Max glanced up at Chloe. "Okay. It's about what happened today at the junkyard."
"I know, I know. It was a dumb idea to lay down across the tracks like that—"
"Andwasting your bullets shooting those beer bottles."
"Please. How was I supposed to know I wasn't fully loaded?"
"And getting yourself shot in the bathroom by Nathan Prescott!"
"I…" Chloe's face darkened. "That wasn't supposed to happen, Max. I didn't think he'd—"
"Exactly, Chloe." Max took her friend by the hand and pressed it to her own chest, holding it right above her fast-beating heart. When Chloe turned to face her, Max gave her a pointed stare. "You weren't thinking. And if it wasn't for me showing up these last two days, you'd be seriously hurt or dead by now. Do you see what I'm saying?"
Chloe fell silent for a long time. Max continued to squeeze her hand, keeping it fixed over her heart.
"I can't change what I am, Max." The girl's face had settled into a cold mask of resolve, but Max could still hear a quaver in her voice. "I don't do half-measures like you or Kate, all right? I live for the Show." The quaver in her voice got worse, almost toward a sob. "And so did Rachel…"
Max felt that pain herself, even though she didn't know the girl like Chloe did. She lifted her head and planted a soft kiss on Chloe's jawline.
"Jesus, do you have to be so understanding all the time?"
"That's why we're friends. No one else gets you like I do."
"Can't argue with that." Chloe laughed and dropped in for another kiss, pushing a little harder than before.
Max was tempted to let the matter slide and just enjoy the moment. But when she considered that, she could still see Chloe's face from the bullet entered her stomach—not only in the girls' bathroom, but in the middle of the junkyard.
Those cold blue eyes, wide with shock as she fell—
"Chloe, please." Max put her hand on her friend's cheek, waiting until her heart stopped beating so fast and she had Chloe's full attention. "I want this to work. Not just after this week is over and everyone's okay, but…" She bit down on her bottom lip. "I want to know that you'll take better care of yourself. For both our sakes."
With her face half-lit from the holiday lights hanging off Max's wall, Chloe's grin stood out in an eerie glare. "Sure thing, Caulfield."
"I mean it." Max fixed her with a glare. "Or else no more kissing, Price."
A pang of guilt flashed over Chloe's face. "Geez, okay." She sat up and leaned herself against the bedroom wall. A sigh escaped through her teeth, like she was exhaling a puff from her cigarette. "If it means that much to you, I'll run anything by you first before I commit. Deal?"
Maz smiled. Relief flooded her veins like ice water, reminding her of the rain-soaked rooftop where she'd clutched a sobbing Kate Marsh to her chest. She shifted herself across the bed and dropped her head on Chloe's lap. The other girl giggled and moved around to cradle Max's head as best she could.
"We're gonna be fine, right?" Chloe stroked Max's hair while she spoke. "I'm still not sure this isn't one crazy fucking dream sequence."
Letting out a sigh, Max closed her eyes and said, "Yeah, me neither. But this sure beats what we were doing the last five years, right?"
"You bet your sweet skinny ass it does."
Chloe's hand was warm when it brushed against Max's cheek. Letting out a sigh, Max snuggled deeper into her friend's lap. Her right hand tingled and she thought about reaching out and rewinding time, all so she could stay in this moment forever. But she kept her hand by her side and savored the moment anyway.
After all, there'd be other moments with Chloe and she looked forward to every single one.