Note/Warning: We're assuming interested readers have played the game or are familiar enough with it to know what to expect.
Episode 2: The Shadows Cast by Rachel Amber
"This angle highlights your purity, see? The slightly unconscious model is often the most open and honest. No vanity or posing, just… pure expression. Oh, Christ, look at that perfect face."
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"Hold that stare there! Stay still."
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"Oh, Max! You fucked up my shot! But please don't worry, we have all the time in the world. For now."
Click.
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"Wait, wait… let me guess… you fucked up time and space for your precious punk Chloe."
"You think she's worth all that?"
Max woke up with a start, jerking up and hunching over like she had been held under water. She clutched at her chest with both hands, feeling her heart race, and then recoiled to look at her wrists.
No duct tape, she wasn't bound.
Her hands were clean, no grass, soil or Rachel Amber stuck under her fingernails.
She wasn't in the dark room with Jefferson and his cameras and his needles. She wasn't in the diner full of people telling her the storm was her all her fault. She wasn't at the lighthouse with Chloe, taking the butterfly picture from her and agreeing to let her die.
With a long, shuddering breath, Max finally looked up and let her dorm room come into focus. It looked just like it did the last Tuesday she had lived through, missing only the post-its, books and DVDs about time bending. In their place was the presence of Rachel Amber, alive and in love with Chloe Price, changing the ambience of her room through just a few pictures. It made perfect sense that the girl whose death had such an impact would be more radiant in life.
Max checked the time, feeling like she hadn't slept at all, and saw that she had actually woken up late. She found a more suitable place for her journal, made her bed and grabbed her toiletries. Her room less a mess without the time power research, she quickly noticed the copy of The October Country Kate had lent her.
Kate would want that back, she remembered, and then she inhaled sharply, overcome with memories of Kate on the roof.
Forgetting about her own hangups, Max rushed out the door and went straight to Kate's room, filled with surprise and hope when she heard the violin music from the other side. She held her hand up to knock, stopping when she saw that Kate's slate wasn't vandalized, instead containing an inspiring bible passage.
After several knocks, the music stopped and Kate answered, giving her a smile that could light up a room.
"Max, hi!"
Unable to help herself, Max rushed to her friend and hugged her. She took a quick look around the tidy room, seeing the curtains pulled back to let the light in and a stack of Kate's cute, colorful drawings on the desk.
"Are you okay, Max?" Kate asked sweetly, always concerned about her.
"I am," Max said, smiling when Kate returned her hug despite being confused. "I just really missed you, that's all."
Kate laughed, a sound Max didn't know she had missed so much.
"I missed you, too. Maybe we should have a tea date sometime?"
"It's a date!" Max exclaimed, laughing with Kate.
"You're so happy this morning," Kate remarked, finally breaking the hug to look at her but still held her arms. "Did you get some good news recently?"
"No, I just…" Max trailed off, smiling like a goof. "I'm just really glad we're friends, Kate."
Kate smiled back, the kind of pure, happy smile she never thought she would see again. She had last seen Kate at the hospital, recovering and being strong, but still not quite herself, not quite like the girl she was holding right now.
"I'm glad, too, Max," Kate said, and then seemed to remember something. "Oh, do you still have my copy of October Country?"
"I do. Do you need it?" Max asked, and Kate nodded as she had expected. "I can bring it by after I hit the showers. Or do you need it now?"
"I can wait, Max," Kate assured her pleasantly, looking very amused with her eagerness.
"Okay," she said, not caring how silly she must seem to Kate. "Say hi to Alice for me!"
Max waved at Kate and continued down the hall, stopping when she saw Dana exit her own room and enter another, one with its door open and labeled 224.
Room 224, Rachel's room, she remembered from her nightmare.
"Max?" Dana called, her head popping out of the room. "Hey, look who's finally up!" she announced, sounding like she was talking to more than one person.
Beckoned, Max bypassed the showers and stepped into Rachel's room, finding Rachel herself with Dana and Juliet. Rachel, wearing what was obviously Chloe's jacket over her sleepwear, beamed upon seeing her and got up to hug her.
"'Morning, sleepyhead!" Rachel greeted her cheerfully. "I was waiting for you to wake up. Did you stay up late last night or something?"
"Kind of," Max mumbled, distracted by the smell of Chloe on the jacket.
She took the chance to look around Rachel's room, finding it as vibrant and multifaceted as Rachel herself, and at the center of it all was Chloe, just like the bullet necklace caught between their hearts right now.
"Good thing we don't have classes early," Rachel said, giggling, "but we should get ready."
"Where are you guys going?" Dana asked.
"Stringing Max along for another date?" Juliet joked.
Rachel let her go and sauntered back to her bed, playfully swatting Juliet on the way.
"We don't string her along, and we're taking Chloe's folks to the airport, if you must know, you snoop. It's gonna be great, Max. David's letting Chloe drive the muscle car!"
"That's exciting for you, driving your girlfriend's folks to the airport?" Juliet asked, shaking her head. "God, Rachel, you're so married to her already."
"I think it's adorable," Dana said, swatting Juliet for Rachel.
Rachel hugged Dana appreciatively and sat back on her bed, sticking her tongue out childishly at Juliet. Max sat next to Rachel and smiled at the three of them, finding the exchange cute. She was glad to see that Dana and Juliet didn't seem to be part of the Vortex Club.
As though summoned by her thoughts, Victoria Chase came marching into Rachel's room, Taylor and Courtney at her heels.
"You, Amber," Victoria snapped. "I know you had your girlfriend spend the night again. Just because you're little miss perfect doesn't mean you can get away with shit like this."
Rachel smiled sweetly at Victoria.
"Rules say no boys allowed. Last I checked, Chloe's a girl."
"She's actually right, Victoria," Courtney pointed out, so quietly it was almost a whisper.
"What?" Victoria barked, whirling around in a rage. "Are you fucking serious right now? What decade are these rules from! And why the hell didn't you tell me? You're useless!"
As quickly as she came, Victoria stormed out, Courtney trailing after her and begging forgiveness.
"Taylor," Rachel called before the blonde could follow, "keep me posted on your mom, okay?"
"I will," Taylor murmured, smiling slightly. "Thanks, Rachel."
When Taylor left, Rachel stood up, and Max felt herself being pulled to her feet.
"C'mon, Max, let's hit the showers! I want to see my baby."
"So married," Juliet sang, but it was a playful tease. "And, hey, don't forget! You owe me an interview. Alone! You're completely useless when Chloe's around!"
This time, Dana didn't come to Rachel's defense, instead agreeing by laughing quietly.
"Ugh, fine, whatever," Rachel grumbled, and tugged Max out of the room.
Toiletries and extra clothing in hand, Max followed her anxious friend into the quiet shower room.
It appeared empty, which Max was grateful for, but even as she stepped in after her, Rachel stooped and checked the first shower underneath the curtain.
She proceeded to do this with every stall down the line.
Max quirked her head curiously until Rachel turned and gave her a smile. "We're all clear," she said. "Nobody's here, Max. Don't worry."
Max shook her head, touched and amazed that her friend was so intuitive and sweet. Rachel had that awe factor about her: everywhere she went, people noticed it, noticed her, and could see how incredible she was. It wasn't just her beauty, which was unmatched but for Chloe; but it was in the very way she held herself, like royalty, and in the way she talked to people, always kind and gentle with this tone that just tore straight into the heart of things. Every move she made had a definitive purpose, it seemed.
Max didn't know anybody quite like her, and as she set aside her spare clothes and entered a shower stall to undress, it was all she could think about.
All of it felt surreal. How did one beautiful, clever girl make such a world of difference?
Rachel had no supernatural powers, but she seemed to touch everyone at Blackwell. Kate was doing better because of her; she was happy with friends, not bullied, and in no danger of it. Dana and Juliet seemed closer than ever, to the point that they trusted each other over third party accusations, and without rewinding, even shy little Max had become good friends with those friendly, popular girls.
Most of all: Chloe. Chloe was so different. She had gotten her life together and taken such a healthy turn, not just physically, but with her family, her friends, her grades, they all reflected it. She seemed happy.
Max was so lost in thought about it, she didn't even hear the curtain open until Rachel said, "Hey, Max."
Max started and turned to face her, finding Rachel Amber standing in the curtained doorway of her shower.
And she was naked. Beautiful, stunningly naked.
Her body was wet and glistened from it, highlighting every perfect curve and bump that Max had only seen through clothes before, and by God, was she perfect. Her skin was smooth and flawless, allowing the droplets to easily slide down her body, unhindered by hair or grooves. She had blemishes, but they were made by Chloe and did not take away from her beauty at all.
Max's eyes went everywhere: from the perfect, luscious curve of her hips to the flat, bitten and bruised stomach, to the blue belly ring in her navel, all the way down those silky legs.
"Max," Rachel said loudly and touched her shoulder, bringing Max's eyes upwards with the alarming realization that she had only been admiring half of Rachel, and that there was more.
Rachel laughed, and it lit up every flawless feature in her face, especially her eyes. "Did you even hear me?"
"No," Max said, not even processing that she shouldn't.
Rachel Amber was gorgeous from head to toe.
Rachel smiled at her, and it felt like she had reached heaven. "Well, if you're done staring, can I borrow your soap?" she asked, eyes twinkling. "I was in such a rush, I left mine in my room."
"Oh…" Max said, because it was all she could muster. She looked away to grab her unopened toiletry bag, but turned back quickly, feeling the loss, which was when her sightline momentarily met Rachel's bruised, studded, and pierced breasts.
Max dropped the toiletry bag.
"Wowser," she whispered, completely unable to help herself.
Rachel smiled and shook her head. "I'll get it," she said, starting to bend for the bag.
"No!" Max blurted, frantic, and dove for the toiletries.
She couldn't contain herself admiring just one side of Rachel. She didn't need her friend's glorious and bare back also imprinted into her head.
She grabbed it up in trembling fingers and fumbled to pull the soap out of the bag.
Unfortunately, when she stood, it was to obtain another eyeful of those curvaceous, swollen breasts on the way up, and Rachel's smile provided no relief for the heat in her body and face.
"I'm sorry," she mumbled, barely able to speak.
"You're so cute, Max. Reminds me of when Chloe was like that," Rachel said. She took the soap from her, leaned in, and kissed her burning cheek. "Thanks, sweetie. I'll pop back in to give it back in a minute," she teased, winking, and closed the curtain before she left.
Max groped for the shower knob and turned it on icy cold before she had even undressed.
Fifteen minutes later, Max had showered and dressed. She picked up Kate's copy of The October Country and headed out the door, finding Rachel already waiting at the far end of the hall.
"Just one second!" she called to her friend, going to Kate's room, and pushed open the door without knocking, rushing because she knew Rachel was waiting on her. "Kate," she greeted, entering the bright and decorated room.
Kate looked up from the floor where she, Stella, and Alyssa were hovering over a drawing. She smiled again upon seeing her.
"Hey, Max."
"I'm just returning your book," Max said, holding up the book in question before placing it on Kate's dresser by the door. "I gotta run out," she said, wary of making her anxious friend wait any longer.
"Okay! Thanks, Max!" Kate said with a friendly wave as Max disappeared, shutting the door behind her.
Max hurried over to Rachel apologetically and said, "I'm sorry, Rachel. Ready to go?"
Rachel held the door for her, and together, they left the dormitories, finding the day outside to be bright and sunny with a blue sky overhead.
"Chloe said she's at the main campus building," Rachel said and led the way.
Max followed her through the campus, silently noting how friendly everyone along the way was. Hayden waved to them, and Logan even stopped tossing his football around to let them pass before resuming his play. Even Luke, who never talked to anyone, looked up and gave them a passing greeting as he headed back to the dorms.
Max wasn't used to being so noticed around the school. It was just like what Chloe had told her half a lifetime ago: Rachel got along with everybody at this school. Victoria excluded, that was, but even her groupies seemed friendly to her.
"Woohoo!" a sudden shout caught her attention, making Max turn to the source. She heard the skateboard before she saw it, listened to it grind along a metal pole, and then she saw the source.
In an incredibly well-cut sleeveless tank top that was made to show off lean and lanky, muscled arms, the sun beamed down on the blue-haired skater wearing a beanie in the midst of summer, and it illumined her. Her tank top hung loosely over a stretched torso, and her long jeans hugged her skinny ass perfectly.
Max forgot everything, stopped, and stared.
She wanted to be those jeans.
Chloe reached the end of the rail and jumped off, popping up the board and flipped it 180 degrees and then smoothly landed it. One long, lean and beautiful leg reached out to pump her skateboard further, and Max realized there was nothing in the world that she would rather see.
As Chloe rode, she smiled, and it lit up her whole face, warming Max to her bones. Pretty blue eyes were full of joy and laughter, and when they turned towards her, Max swore she could have died.
"Chloe," she mumbled, watching the flexing of that corded body with every new stunt she pulled.
"Isn't she gorgeous?" Rachel said from beside her, but the word didn't fit. No word did. Nothing could even hope to describe what Max was seeing right now.
And then, she came closer, and Max stopped breathing for a little while.
Chloe rounded the corner of the big block towards them. She rolled past Max and winked, and then effortlessly rolled up to Rachel, extending a hand to her girlfriend's cheek, and kissed her as she skidded to a halt on the board. Stepping off it, mid-kiss, she stomped on the back of her board, flipping it up into her free arm, and proceeded to wrap Rachel into a full hug as they made out.
Max stared. She stared as Chloe's pink, studded tongue came out, and stared when Rachel's hands dropped to her girlfriend's fine little ass. Even watched Rachel's hand dip into those lucky jeans as she pulled Chloe in close, not aware of anything but each other.
"Whoa," Justin said from somewhere nearby, and Max finally looked away to see Chloe's skater friends on the grass a few feet away, having enthusiastically followed their friend.
Trevor and the other boy had looked away politely, but Justin was staring with wide, astonished eyes.
Max frowned and moved in front of her friends, clearing her throat pointedly, and Justin finally got the picture when Trevor nudged him.
"Oh," he said as if waking up from a dream. He turned away with one last glance back at them.
That prick. Who said he could look at them?
Max was tempted to give him a piece of her mind, and she stepped towards him to do so, but then realized the picture of Rachel and skater Chloe kissing was imprinted into her mind. It was there, because she had been staring at Chloe since the second she had seen her on that board.
Max stopped and bit her lip.
Had she looked that stupid?
"Chloe," Rachel murmured, and it was so sexual, Max feared they might have lost their clothes. She glanced back and saw them interlocked, still clothed, but in great danger of rectifying that problem within the next few seconds.
"Rachel, Chloe!" Max blurted, hurrying towards them, not wanting anyone else to see.
It took Chloe's pretty eyes a full thirty seconds to recognize her. "Max?" she asked, seeming hard-pressed to focus, and the with the way Rachel was kissing up her neck, biting a bruised spot on it, Max couldn't really blame her.
"We have an appointment, remember?" Max said, putting herself between them as much as she could. She didn't really reach either of them with that, so she tried again. "Your mom and David, Chloe. We gotta get them to the airport."
"Later, Max," Chloe grunted, closing her eyes as Rachel bit her particularly hard.
Trevor and his skater friends had politely started to mosey off, but Chloe and Rachel were getting some attention from others.
"They'll miss their flight," she tried to reason with them, feeling pretty hopeless, but from some unexplained miracle, this seemed to reach Chloe. She opened her eyes and put her hands on Rachel's shoulders.
"Babe," she said, looking truly regretful as she gently pushed Rachel back from the shoulders. "Max is right."
"They can wait five minutes," Rachel said, clinging to her, unwilling to let go.
"We've never taken five minutes," Chloe said and pulled Rachel off her, who looked as if she had just lost a child. "Later, Angel," Chloe promised. "I'll make it up to you."
For a long moment, Max was afraid she might start to cry, but when Chloe didn't relent, she rested her head on her girlfriend's shoulder with a shaky sigh.
"Okay, Ellie," she said, and Max felt like she was witnessing something extremely private. Not that either of her friends seemed to care, but it almost felt sacred.
Rachel took a long moment to regroup, and then regaining her usual confident tone, she said. "You better."
Chloe rubbed her back until she was ready to straighten herself, and then she didn't let go as she looked around them, spotting Max. "You ready to go, Max?"
"Uh-huh," Max said, because syllables were very hard in the wake of watching these two.
As they started to walk, Max stared at the ground, finally looking away from the romantic couple. Between Rachel invading her shower stall in the nude and Chloe bringing her skater girl fantasies to life, Max stood no chance.
Max tagged along, wheeling one of Joyce' luggage bags behind her as they wove through the airport, weaving through a mass of people to find their gate, and then they passed through two sets of security. Chloe and Rachel set both of them off, and Chloe stuck her studded tongue out childishly, which resulted in a full body pat down and scan from an officer, but they eventually found themselves at the right gate at the right time, about a half hour before the plane was due to leave.
"Well, girls," Joyce said, standing in the small waiting room with all her carry-on luggage as other passengers slowly shuffled through the long hallway into the plane. "This is where we must part. It's a shame the cruise was only for two and not the whole family. I would have loved for us all to go."
"Aw, Mom, don't you get enough of us already?" Chloe complained.
"We're just worried," David said in that stiff tone of his. "All this weird shit's been going on in Arcadia Bay: first, that prick Jefferson, and now it's snowing in 90 degree weather."
"Come on, man," Chloe said in a reprimanding tone. "We'll be fine! You just worry about giving Mom the honeymoon you never got to have."
"Oh, Chloe," her mother gushed. Leaving her bag on the ground, she opened up her arms and embraced her daughter. "I'm so proud of you, my baby," she said in a hushed tone. "You've made such a wonderful change these past few months. I'm so proud."
Chloe tucked her head into Joyce's shoulder and hugged her back. "I know, Mom," she said, sounding somber now. "I tried for you."
"I love you, Chloe," Joyce said, not letting her go.
Chloe was silent a moment, and when she did speak, she sounded uncharacteristically emotional. "Love you, too, Mom."
As the two embraced, David looked at them and said, "keep my soldier out of trouble."
"She doesn't need our help for that," Rachel said as the mother and daughter finally separated from each other. When Chloe pulled back, she was smiling and chipper again.
Joyce came over to hug her and Rachel before she went.
"Take care of Mom, David," Max heard Chloe say, giving her step father an affirmative nod. "And don't call us! The next two weeks are yours!"
Joyce gave her a look. "We're going to call, Chloe."
"I won't answer!" Chloe quipped, light of spirit again. "Bye, Mom, David!" she said as Joyce shook her head, giving her daughter a heartwarming smile.
"We'll miss you, Chloe," she said, picking up her bags.
They departed, waving one last time before entering the ramp to board the plane, and Chloe turned back to her and Rachel.
"We've got some spare time. Wanna hang out at our spot for a bit?" she casually asked.
"Sounds good to me," Rachel said, and Max nodded quietly, fearfully remembering Rachel Amber buried in the dirt of that place. Not just Rachel, but Chloe as well, lying there, dead and growing cold as she bled out over Rachel's grave.
Max tried to breathe evenly, not giving herself away, but with every step they took, getting closer to that junkyard, her fears multiplied.
She coached herself, repeating it over and over again in her head.
As long as she stayed close to Chloe, she would be okay.
Chloe pulled up into a small patch of grass among the dense thicket of trees. She killed the engine and hopped out of her side of the car and held the door for Rachel to slide out her side of the truck.
On the other side of the truck, Max let herself out and looked around her new surroundings in wonder.
Mountainous trees surrounded them, thickly packed together and lush, towering over them at great heights that reached up into the blue sky like arching fingers. Birds, rodents, and animals chittered all around them; Max saw a small family of deer just a few yards from where they had parked, and above, an eagle soared, screeching as it passed on by. The air was fresh, and the temperature, cool.
It was nothing like the dirty, rundown junkyard she and Chloe had gone to as their secret place. Where the junkyard held crusted and forgotten bits of man-made machines, the forest was pure and clean. The air smelled of mother nature, and no one had polluted the area, not with anything. She didn't even see trash littering the ground, they had reached such a quiet and peaceful area.
Max doubled back and grabbed the camera Chloe had given her out of the car.
"Max, hurry up!" Chloe called out to her from the other side of the car, near the forest's edge.
"I'm coming!" Max said, shutting the car door behind her. She hurried off after her friends, who entered the tree thicket and followed a path they seemed to have memorized, because there was no trail leading them.
All around Max, nature pulsed with life and warmth. They were shaded by the tall fir trees, which seemed to make up a great majority of the forest, but other species cropped up here and there, adding a bit of color and variety to the various shades of green.
As they tread over large rocks and fallen trucks amidst the brambles that commonly littered the forest floor, they came upon one spot in particular that was beautiful: a single maple tree stood among a row of towering, green firs, and it had prematurely lost its pigments. The color was magnificent against the backdrop of greenery.
"Wait," Max called out to her friends, pausing to lift her camera and take the shot. She couldn't stop thinking about how very different this secluded place was from the junkyard. Everything was serene.
"That one again?" Chloe asked her with a shake of her head as she caught up to them.
Max realized her error and could have smacked herself. Of course, if she thought something was picture worthy now, she would have thought the same thing before. She would have to be careful and check out her photos in this world before jumping on every pretty little thing.
She tried to play it off. "Can never have too many pictures."
Chloe shook her head, and Rachel smiled faintly. "This is why you're going to be a famous photographer one day, Max," she said kindly, and the trio continued their journey through the thick forest for a little longer until they came upon a small sort of clearing that led to a jutting ledge hanging over a glistening lake that stretched on for miles as far as the eye could see.
It was breathtaking, and Max had to remind herself not to voice her awe aloud because this was not the first time she would have seen it.
"Not gonna swim today. I'm exhausted," Chloe said, yawning.
"That's okay, Ellie," Rachel murmured, stroking the skater's side. "I worked you pretty hard last night. Here, come lay with me."
"I thought I did that to you," Chloe said, and Rachel giggled.
They moved to a large tree trunk that sat a ways back from the edge of the cliff. It was enormous: even bigger and more grand than the one in the picture Max had just taken, and they seated themselves, Rachel sitting with her back to the trunk and Chloe laid at her side. She closed her eyes to sleep.
Just above Rachel's head where she had chosen to sit, Max saw familiar words carved into the tree.
Chloe was here.
Rachel was here.
Max was here.
Her stomach dropped, remembering the morbid inscriptions Jefferson had written over their names with, and she suddenly felt sickly.
Max sat down quickly, facing the cliff, not wanting to draw attention to herself. She looked over the edge at the blue water, taking in the gorgeous view in an effort to forget.
She wasn't there anymore. She didn't live in that reality. Jefferson had been caught and imprisoned; he couldn't hurt her or anyone anymore.
She repeated the words to herself until her heart stopped racing and her eyes had cleared. It took long moments to pass, but knowing Rachel was alive, Kate was okay, and Chloe was with her helped. She was able to overcome it without breaking down into trembling pieces, and upon settling, she took a deep breath and braved the turn around to look at her friends, wondering why they hadn't said anything during her panic attack.
She found them looking absolutely serene.
At some point, Chloe had readjusted and moved her head onto Rachel's lap to sleep. Rachel seemed quite happy with the position. She had removed Chloe's beanie and idly stroked her fingers through her girlfriend's pretty blue hair. She had a book in her opposite hand, held up, and was reading, comfortably humming a little as she threaded her fingers through those fine strands.
Next to Chloe on that skateboard, it was the most beautiful, majestic scene that Max had ever seen. Her heart actually ached, they looked so perfect together, and her hand instinctively went to her camera. Max lifted it for the shot, and just before she snapped the picture, Rachel noticed her.
Max lowered the camera to see her friend giving her a gorgeous smile.
"How did it come out?" she asked, speaking softly so she wouldn't wake Chloe.
Max pulled free the picture as it finished printing and flapped it through the air a few times. She let her camera hang from her neck and looked at the photograph, which was every bit as magnificent as the real life people.
"It's perfect," Max said with a little exhale. There were no other words for it.
"Can I see?"
Max nodded and went to her side, seating herself on the other side of Rachel with her back to the tree. She held up the picture, showing her friend.
"Ooh," Rachel said, looking at Chloe in the picture. "That is a good one. You caught her beauty on camera."
"Both of yours," Max corrected, because it really was a flawless picture. "Do you want to keep it?" she offered.
"You don't want it?" Rachel asked.
"I'll see it if you put it up," Max reasoned, giving her friend a tentative smile. "It's of the both of you. You should have it."
"Thanks, Max," Rachel said, putting her book down to take the picture. She slid it in-between the pages. "I'll have it framed and put up in Chloe's room."
"That's a good place for it," Max said, resting her head back against the giant tree trunk as she gazed out over the ledge and water to the trees in the far distance.
"I like this," she voiced after a long moment, feeling the peace of the forest resonate within her. Her problems felt far, far away out here. "This is really nice. It feels normal."
"It actually does, Max," Rachel echoed, staring out into the distance with her. She lowered her head slowly, finding the sleeping punk in her lap, fingers twined in her beautiful hair. Her eyes softened in realization, and one last time, she echoed, "It actually does."
"Kinda sucks being responsible sometimes," Chloe jokingly remarked as the three of them entered the school, having arrived with time to spare before their next class. "I could use another nap right now."
"School now, sleep later," Rachel chimed, interlocking fingers with Chloe.
"Don't know if I could hold you to that, babe."
"Behave."
Max smiled, enjoying the banter between the cute couple. Her smile grew when she felt Chloe's free arm wrap around her shoulders, charmed that her best friend was making her feel included.
"Rachel! Hey, Rachel!"
All three of them stopped and saw Courtney waving them over. Rachel was the first to react, tugging a very reluctant Chloe over while Max followed, eyeing the Vortex Club party posters adorning the table Courtney was sitting behind.
"Hey, Courtney, what's up?" Rachel asked, friendly despite the confrontation in her room earlier.
"Sorry about this morning," Courtney said. "I tried to tell Victoria, but you know her when she thinks she has one over you. Anyway, you're gonna be at the End of the World party, right? Chloe and Max are on the guest list, too, as always."
"Yes, we'll be there," Rachel said, giving Chloe's hand a squeeze.
"Awesome!" Courtney cheered, even doing a little dance. "And Max, if you want a makeover, I'll be happy to help!"
"Oh," Max mumbled, surprised to be addressed at all. "Um. If I decide on it, I'll text you. Thanks, Courtney."
"I like Max's style," Rachel said, smiling her way.
"Me, too," Chloe agreed, giving her a wink.
"Can't hurt to have options," Courtney shouted as they were walking away. "Think about it, Max! I can make you look so hot ,you'd make Chloe think about another girl for once!"
Max blushed, not helped by Chloe pulling her closer protectively.
"Don't mind her, Max," Rachel said, smiling at her reassuringly.
"Yeah, she's just messing with you," Chloe added. "I mean, you already know I think you're hot."
Max groaned and lightly punched Chloe's side.
"Not helping."
Chloe was very pleased with herself the rest of the way to photography class. Outside the room, Ms. Morrison seemed to be in the middle of a phone call, but went out of her way to smile and wave when she saw them. Max waved back, seeing Ms. Morrison for the first time and already seeing the contrast between her and Jefferson.
Max sucked in a breath when they entered the room, briefly seeing Jefferson leaning against the desk, even hearing his voice as he gloated about capturing desperation in a dark room. Then the room dissolved, turning into Jefferson's dark room, a camera flash making her close her eyes.
She flinched, curling against Chloe and focusing on her. The smell on Chloe's clothes, while not the cigarette and weed she had grown accustomed to, was still comforting, and Chloe's arm, though a little heavier on her shoulders, made her feel grounded and anchored her.
Max looked up, now seeing the room as it was, stripped of everything Jefferson and replaced with effects that was no doubt Ms. Morrison's, her style a complete opposite of his, and it was a breath of fresh air.
"You okay there, Max?" Chloe asked, holding her closer.
"Yeah," Max murmured, allowing herself to enjoy the feel of Chloe's heartbeat, the reminder that her best friend was alive exactly what she needed. "I just, uh, tripped back there. Sorry. Clumsy."
"You are," Chloe teased lightly, chuckling, "but I'm used to it."
They reached the back of the room, where her and Rachel's desks were, but unfortunately, their seats were currently occupied by Nathan and Victoria.
"Nate, I'm serious, if you don't go to the nurse's office right now, I'm dragging you there," Victoria threatened, sounding aggravated. "You look like shit and you have a concussion, you should be in bed."
"Vic, chill, okay?" Nathan hissed, wincing when she tentatively touched his face. "This is nothing, I fucking own thi-" he stopped when he noticed them, the color drained from his face, his wide eyes fixed on Chloe.
Victoria, finally noticing them, stepped in front of Nathan. Max, seeing Rachel cling to Chloe, placed herself in front of the couple, not for their sake but for Victoria and Nathan.
"You look like shit, Prescott," Chloe said evenly, and Max could only wonder how her best friend must have looked because Nathan gulped. "Now get the fuck out of my best friend's seat."
Nathan, finally mustering his nerves, sneered, though it looked more like a grimace.
"F-fuck you, Price!"
"Hah," Chloe snorted. "You're a bitch today. What's wrong, your dad finally had enough of your whining and kicked your ass?"
Nathan sprang from his seat, his fists clenched.
"At least I have a dad, dyke!"
Max braced herself, ready to stop Chloe, but her best friend just laughed it off.
"Yeah? Last I checked, I had a stepdad, so I guess I have one, too. And you know what else? My dad loved me. He loved me from the day I was born to the day he died. I can say that knowing I'm not lying to myself."
Nathan took a step back, making a noise in his throat like he had stopped himself from speaking, and then, after a glance at Victoria, he fled.
"Nate!" Victoria called out to him, but he only ran out of the room faster. "Damn it. Amber!" she snapped, closing in on Rachel threateningly. "Leash your rabid mutt! She has no Goddamn right to talk to Nathan like that!"
"Yeah?" Chloe growled, stepping between Rachel and Victoria. "How about you train your fuckboy to stop slobbering all over my girlfriend?"
Looking surprised, Victoria immediately backed off, eyes wide in fright.
"I thought so," Chloe said, scoffing.
Victoria wordlessly went to her seat, and when Chloe left for her class, Max and Rachel took their own seats. Max looked at Rachel, who looked back at her before turning back to the door where Chloe had just passed.
Chloe pulled up into the small parking lot near the lighthouse. "Okay, photo nerds, outta the truck."
Rachel held a hand over her chest, giving Chloe a stricken look. "Calling your own girlfriend a nerd?" she asked, feigning her offense.
Chloe smirked playfully, blue eyes lighting up. "Nerds are hella hot."
"You're such a dork," Rachel laughed, smiling, and grabbed Chloe by the front of her tank top to pull her closer. "C'mere," she said in a more sensuous tone, tugging Chloe down to kiss her.
Max turned away and saw the lighthouse looming over them on the cliff. It made her feel very small. The last time she had been here, she had stood on that ledge overlooking the town, and she had decided to let Chloe die.
It hadn't happened, but the daunting feeling didn't leave her. It could have. It should have happened, and then Chloe would be dead. Rachel wouldn't have come back, and she would be alone.
Max shook her head, quelling the 'what if' scenarios before they got out of control in her head. The fact of the matter was she had been willing to sacrifice Chloe, but the universe had said no, and she was grateful for it. She would gladly take being a little jealous of Rachel Amber over mourning the death of Chloe Price any day.
"-me up here, Max!" Chloe said, but Max didn't register the words were directed at her. "Max?"
"Max?" Rachel asked and touched her shoulder, abruptly snapping her out of her thoughts. She looked over and saw Rachel gazing at her with pretty hazel eyes. "You okay?" she asked, and Max realized she was worried. "You're spacing again."
"Sorry, was just distracted," Max mumbled lamely.
Chloe chuckled. "You artsy types. Go be inspired out there; the view's better," she said, and Max wondered if she was purposefully covering for her as she handed her keys to Rachel.
Rachel took them from her fingers, clutching Chloe's whole hand, and wrapped her other arm around her girlfriend's neck. "Wish you could stay here with us. The sunset is always beautiful from here."
Chloe grinned roguishly. "Thought you liked me being mature and reliable."
Rachel leaned in and kissed her briefly, giving Chloe her answer. She pulled back only a couple of inches.
"I love it, just feel selfish and greedy sometimes. Like now," she said, tugging Chloe down to her again, lingering much longer this time, taking her time to enjoy Chloe. Max thought she even saw a peep of tongue.
Max watched them, feeling both happy and jealous before a tiny thread of guilt seeped through. She lowered her head.
Here she was, watching her best friends make out after having been with them almost the whole day, and she had been enjoying it. Despite herself, she had ogled both of her friends and joked with them. She had taken Joyce and David to the airport and basked in the motherly affection Joyce had given. She had had a really, really nice day with her friends.
In this perfect world she had been enjoying, whatever it was, however it had come to be, the storm was still coming for it, and this time, she had no powers to stop it.
Max heard the door open and looked up in time to see Chloe exit the truck and pull out her skateboard. Taking her cue, Max opened the car door and got out, followed by Rachel, who immediately returned to Chloe for one last kiss.
"Babe, you're makin' it really hard to go," Chloe complained.
"Good," Rachel said, looking at her in absolute adoration. "You better miss me as much as I'll miss you."
"Always," Chloe said, initiating the last and final kiss between them. "Love you."
"Love you, too," Rachel whispered, finally letting her girlfriend go with great reluctance.
Chloe came over to Max and hugged her before she left. "See you, Max!"
As Max held her, she lingered, resting her head on the front of Chloe's shoulder, and clung to her, remembering the last time she had let Chloe go here.
When the hug dragged on a little noticeably long, Chloe laughed. "Chill, Max! It's just for a few hours tops."
"I know," Max mumbled, not ready to release her yet. Even with those lean and muscled, unfamiliar arms around her, Max felt better knowing she had Chloe to hold. "Just… be careful out there, okay? You're awesome on a board, but it can't hurt to be safe, you know?"
"Gonna put my gear on, promise," Chloe swore.
"Okay," Max said and released her, almost as reluctant as Rachel. She smiled at Chloe tentatively, feeling conflicted about staying here without her.
"You had better. Now, get out of here before I change my mind about letting you go to work," Rachel said and spanked her girlfriend.
Chloe chuckled and stole another last kiss before grabbing a helmet from the truck bed and hopping onto her board.
She was the cutest, hottest, sexy, safe skateboarder that Max had ever known.
Rachel and Max both watched her go, and then when she took a corner, turning out of sight, Rachel sighed, forlorn as she looked up to the lighthouse. "Shall we?"
They began making their way up to the lighthouse, and Rachel glanced back a few times as if hoping for Chloe to return. Eventually, she asked, "have you picked out a photo for the contest yet, Max?"
"Oh, I haven't," Max said, because the Everyday Heroes contest was the last thing on her mind.
Like Rachel, Chloe's disappearance had really mellowed her mood.
"The deadline's tomorrow. You sure you don't want my help picking?" Rachel ventured softly. "I'm sorry if it seems like I'm nagging you, Max, but I think you have a real shot at winning this. It would be a waste if you don't even try. I get that you're scared about putting your work out there, but trust me. You're an artist, Max, and it's about time the rest of the world found out."
"The world?" Max asked, feeling small in it. "I'm so not ready for that. An exhibit at San Francisco is scary enough," she said, remembering the timeline that she had won the contest in. She had felt like such a real artist, surrounded by her peers.
Then, Chloe had called, and Max had dropped everything to save her, including her dreams.
What had happened to that girl, the one who had been ready to give up anything for Chloe, to fight the world if she had to? Max didn't know, she only knew that she wasn't here.
"You gotta think big to make it big, Max!" Rachel was saying, "and you have an actual shot at it, not like that stupid idea Chloe and I had when we wanted to run away together."
She paused, glancing at her friend, not sure how much she was supposed to know of their plan to run away together, so she opted for a neutral response.
"I'm glad you and Chloe decided to stay in Arcadia Bay, Rachel."
"Me, too," Rachel said, smiling wistfully. "I don't know where we'd be now if we had ever went through with that."
"Rachel, you're gorgeous," Max blurted, stating the obvious, and then blushed when Rachel looked at her with a suggestive and pleased smile, probably remembering their episode in the shower this morning.
Max cleared her throat, fumbling. "I-I mean, I'm sure you would have made it as a model," she stuttered, desperately trying to cover up the clumsy compliment. "You still could, you know? Not that I'm telling you to go off and do it now, but if you wanted to…"
Rachel's smile warmed, and she extended an arm around Max's shoulders to pull her close as they walked. "You're a sweetie, Max," she said and then looked away, eyes growing sad as she shook her head. "But no, that's not something I want to do anymore. It just reminds me of all the stupid things I used to do before."
Max frowned, remembering how Evan had approached Rachel after class and asked her if she would model for him. It had seemed like he had been asking for a while now, but Rachel declined, saying she wasn't comfortable with it anymore. Chloe had shown up, and she had returned to her normal self thereafter, but that shyness in Rachel was such a far cry from the girl she had heard so much about in her world, the one who handed out her pictures to complete strangers.
"Besides," Rachel went on to say. "There's a lot of other things I can do. What matters is having Chloe with me when I decide," she said, and smiled a few seconds after, glancing at her. "Maybe we can travel the world like you wanted, Max."
"That would be awesome, Rachel," she gushed, meaning it. She would leave this town in a second with these two.
If only it weren't for the storm.
They reached the top of the hill, and Rachel stopped as they passed the information stand.
"I'll never stop finding this cute," she said, and Max approached to see she was talking about Chloe's doodles. She smiled, remembering them fondly from when they were children.
"Chloe always did like to leave her mark," she remarked, but grew sad afterwards, remembering how Chloe had asked her to remember her before she had killed them.
Rachel smiled fondly, looking at the plaque, but seeming far, far away. "She's so silly; she's anything but forgettable. Even if we hadn't gotten together, and we somehow went our separate ways, I'd remember her for the rest of my life."
It was more than she had done.
Max looked away guiltily. "It probably didn't help that she had a best friend who pretended she didn't exist for the past five years."
"Max…" Rachel said, breaking out of her happy headspace to look at her, a bit anguished. "You and Chloe are past that."
"Because of you, Rachel," Max said and knew it to be true. "If you hadn't been around, she would probably still be furious with me, and I wouldn't blame her at all. Probably would have been an idiot about it and not call or text that I was back in town," she mumbled, guilt growing to weigh her down. She was lucky, and she knew it. Without Rachel, Chloe had a sore spot about being abandoned.
"So, seriously, Rachel, thank you for being there for her when I wasn't," Max thanked, getting a little emotional about it. Neither Rachel's nor William's abandonment of Chloe had been willful. Only Max's had. "Thank you for loving her," she said, because even her Chloe had loved Rachel, and it felt right that Rachel loved her back.
"Max, I know you have five years to make up for, but you're still her best friend, trust me," Rachel said, tone serious and soft. "You know her better than I do."
"I really don't know about that…" Max trailed off with great uncertainty.
Rachel looked at her with hard, serious eyes. She didn't say anything at first, but wordlessly went to the bench and sat, leaving Max to follow and do the same. Still, Rachel didn't say anything; she gazed out at the waters, expression deep and thoughtful.
Max fidgeted, suddenly a little cold, despite the weather. She wondered if she had misspoken. Would this Max have questioned Chloe's friendship to her? She didn't know, and it made her increasingly more nervous with every moment that passed.
Finally, after a small eternity, Rachel quietly spoke. "Did you know Chloe's never talked back to Victoria before?" she asked, eyes still far away on the ocean. "Victoria's been giving us shit since we got together. Chloe just pretended she didn't exist, but today…" she trailed off and turned to Max with sad, pleading eyes. "Be honest with me, Max. What happened to… to him, it was Chloe's doing, wasn't it?"
Max stiffened a little, not sure how to answer or what to say, but it must have been clear on her face, because Rachel nodded, receiving confirmation from her silence.
"She told you?" Rachel guessed. "Is that why you've been spacing out so much?"
Max had made a promise to Chloe to keep quiet, but she couldn't just put it down. Rachel had already guessed half of it, and Max didn't want to lie to her. She wanted to reach Chloe.
Maybe Rachel could help.
"No, she didn't tell me," she said and took a deep breath, bracing herself. "I saw it, Rachel. I was there when it happened."
Rachel reached out and took her hand immediately, stopping the tremor Max hadn't noticed had begun.
"That bad?" Rachel asked in a hushed breath, looking fearful.
"I had to stop her, Rachel," Max said with a shuddering breath. "I don't know what would have happened if I didn't."
She didn't mean to scare her, but Rachel gasped, very pale, and whispered, "Oh, my God."
Max looked down, hesitant to continue because Rachel already seemed so affected, but she was curious. She wanted to help her best friend. "Do you… do you know why she would do that to him?" she asked, already suspecting the answer she had concluded before.
"It's because of me, Max. It's my fault," Rachel confessed very quietly, and the unexpected answer made Max raise her head.
"What?" she asked. "What do you mean, Rachel?"
Rachel fell quiet again, breaking eye contact as she looked down at the bench between them, clearly struggling with this.
Max squeezed her hand, which Rachel still held, offering her support in the same way her friend had done the same.
"Max, there's a reason Chloe and I don't say much about why we decided to get clean. It wasn't out of nowhere like Joyce and David think."
Rachel turned away from her, hazel eyes raising to the ocean again, looking so affected, it hurt.
When she spoke again, her voice had dropped to a lower octave, and her eyes looked haunted. "Six months ago, I went to a Vortex Club party; I was drugged, and…" she stopped speaking, having trouble saying the actual words.
"By Nathan?" Max asked just to provide her a breather; she already knew the answer, having figured out that Rachel couldn't even say his name. She squeezed Rachel's hand again, which had started to tremble just from hearing it. "Jesus, Rachel," she cursed, blood bubbling over the nasty prick.
That was one thing her world had over this one: Nathan Prescott was dead in it.
Rachel nodded, still unable to look at her. "I was already pretty strung out before that," she confessed. "He gave me something to drink, offered me a ride back to school, and then… I was out."
It was just like Kate. Nathan had manipulated her exactly the same way.
Max shivered as she thought of Kate's binder and the pictures Jefferson had taken of her. She had been desolate, helpless, and Rachel had been there, huddled up in the corner, completely unable to help herself, the same way Max had been unable to help herself when Jefferson had injected her.
Max lifted a hand, touching the back of her neck where she felt an uncomfortable pinch, and before her, she saw Chloe fall. It happened in slow motion, giving Max exact details. She saw the wound start to bleed, watched the life seep out of her eyes as she fell and hit the ground, then watched as that horrible teacher loomed over her. Max tried to help, but she was dizzy and she couldn't lift her arm anymore. She couldn't move anything. In another terrifying flash, darkness seeped in at the corners of her vision, threatening to take her.
"When I came to," Rachel said, and the sound of her voice abruptly pulled Max out of the horror. She saw Rachel sitting there on the bench, hand held in her own, and felt her limbs, which she was fully able to move.
Max released a shaky breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. She shivered a little, passing off the phantoms, and focused all her attention back on Rachel.
"I was in his car, and I couldn't move. I wasn't tied up, but he had given me something," she murmured, pale and haunted by the memory. "I couldn't move," she repeated, whispering.
"Rachel…" Max said, knowing exactly what she was going through. She touched her friend's lower back, lending her presence and comfort, and when Rachel leaned into her, she put her arm around Rachel's shoulders and held her close. "That must have been horrible," she said, remembering the cold fear she had felt upon waking up, being bound to the chair, and then later, on the floor, held down completely helpless by sticky duct tape.
Max shook herself of the visage, not letting it progress like the last one had. Rachel needed her right now, she told herself. She had to focus on Rachel.
"He kept talking, about how much he loved me, about how he was the only one good enough for me," Rachel said, looking sickly as the fear shone through in her glossy eyes upon remembering. "At red lights, he touched my hand, my shoulder, my face… told me I was so beautiful and that only he could capture it on print, that he should be the only one I should model for," she said and closed her eyes tightly, starting to shudder. "I wanted to scream, wanted to get his hands off me."
Max felt her tremor increasing and held Rachel tighter, one arm bracing her around the shoulders, the other gripping her hand, almost white.
Nathan was just like Jefferson. Jefferson had touched her as well, and it repulsed her. She still hadn't showered enough to get rid of his phantom fingers on her cheek; it was enough to make her sick just thinking about it, and with Rachel, Nathan even lusted for her. Max remembered Jefferson telling her that, and judging by the way Nathan reacted around Rachel, it was completely true.
Max rubbed Rachel's back, honestly not sure who the touching was helping more.
"You can go on if you want," Max said, even though she wasn't sure she wanted to hear it, but if it was helping Rachel that someone else knew, she would listen and bear through her own burdens.
She owed Chloe and Rachel that much.
Rachel didn't speak immediately, but her fingers tightened in Max's, and she had scooted so close, they could have melded together.
"I don't know where he was taking me," she finally said, voice quiet and fearful. She hadn't stopped shaking since Max had held her. "Just that he seemed to be heading to the boondocks. Then, I don't know how, but he popped a tire and had to pull over. He got out, and I thought he was going to get me, but when the door opened, it wasn't him."
Max swallowed hard, fearing the worst, that Jefferson had gotten to her there.
Rachel finally turned to Max, looking at her with expressive, hazel eyes, like she was reliving the whole thing all over again. "It was Chloe, Max."
Max froze, eyes widening, and stared. "What?" she asked, needing a moment to process it.
"She said she showed up late at the party, saw him putting me in his car, and tailed us," Rachel said, eyes drifting away again, but there was gladness in her sad eyes this time. "You know what's even more amazing? She had just gotten out of the hospital that day, and that's the first thing she did. The girl I had messed up and strung along for the hell of it, she saved my life."
The memories clearly impacted her, because when Rachel closed her eyes again, the first tear fell, her face a total mix of bliss and sadness.
"Why was she at the hospital?" Max asked, struggling to piece this all together.
"Also because of me," Rachel confessed, lowering her head from the setting sun to open her eyes again. She brushed away the fallen tear, but the tremor remained in her voice. "We were hanging out with our dealer, Frank, and I made her try crack. I was a dumbass; got high and didn't watch her, and she OD'd on the second hit."
At this, Rachel released Max's hand and buried her face in her own. "She almost died because of me, Max. I got her started on all that shit: the drinking, the smoking, the weed, it was me, and on the day she could go home, where was I?" she asked, voice cracking as she revealed the truth. "At a fucking party, getting high on the shit that had almost killed her. And where was I the night before? Fucking Frank like the Goddamn crackwhore that I was," she whimpered, and Max could hear the tears in her voice. "I deserved what happened to me."
Max went rigid. "No, you don't, Rachel," she said firmly, knowing how that would have ended without Chloe. Nobody deserved that, especially not at the hands of Nathan Prescott. "And I'm sure Chloe has told you the same thing."
Rachel lowered her eyes and curled in on herself. "She doesn't know about Frank," she said in a very small voice.
"What?" Max asked again, not very happy to hear it. She had been hoping, with how close Chloe and Rachel were, that Rachel had been honest about Frank in this world. She remembered how much it had broken Chloe when they found out, could see the pain in her pretty face when she realized the romance with the drug dealer had been real.
She had hoped to spare Chloe from reliving that pain again.
"Max, Chloe is the best thing to have ever happened to me," Rachel said, pulling her head out of her hands, but was still a little teary. "After she pulled me out of the shit I put myself in, I wanted nothing to do with that kind of life anymore, with the kind of person I used to be.
I didn't like who I was, Max. I was selfish, I used people to get what I wanted. It was so easy for me, to say the right things, act a certain way, give them what they want. Most people, it doesn't take much, but then I didn't want much usually. Chloe, she had nothing to give but baggage, but I was drawn to her. She had this light inside of her, Max. A light that even she couldn't snuff out, no matter how angry and bitter she wanted to be. So I stuck around, because I loved seeing it.
And you see how that turned out. I got her into all kinds of stupid shit, and I got hooked on crack. Frank had what I needed, so I slept with him, gave him what he wanted. I got my crack, and he got a girl who loved him, at least that's what he thought. By the time Chloe was getting serious about going to LA, I didn't give a shit about it anymore. Before she OD'd, I was trying to figure out how to tell her about Frank, play him off as some guy who changed my life or something. That was the plan, make her mad at me, get her out of my life, and stay with Frank and his stash. I thought the least I could do for her was be a bitch and not make her feel like it's her fault.
I was with Frank before I went to the party. We had a fight about Chloe, he was as jealous of her as she was of him. All I wanted was a hit, and somewhere between all the lying and the shouting, I told him the truth, that I didn't care about him like he cared about me, and that all I ever wanted from him was the crack. He was so upset that he got high, and then he was just pissed. He- he almost... I… I got away, but I still needed my fix, so I went to the party."
Max rubbed her back, soothing Rachel in whatever meek and feeble way she could. Her friend had been holding this in so long, she had to tell somebody, and Max was happy to sit there and listen for her.
While listening, she had been trying to put herself in Chloe's face and gauge her best friend's reaction, which automatically made her think of Nathan on the floor of the bathroom, beaten and bleeding. She thought of the gun Chloe had been using to smash Nathan's face in, and she remembered the ease in which she handled that weapon.
"Rachel," Max said once her friend had confessed everything and was clearly still hurting over it. "If you explain this to Chloe like you had told me, I'm sure she would understand," she said, confident about it until the last word left her mouth.
Would this Chloe understand? It was so hard to get a read on her. She could go from sweet girlfriend and best friend one minute to beating a guy with a deadly weapon in the next. Max didn't know what to make of it, but at least she understood the anger now.
Still. This had happened six months ago. Why was Chloe acting up now?
"Are you worried about Frank?" she asked, redirecting her efforts to the problem at hand. "Do you think she'd go off on him like she did with Nathan?"
Rachel shook her head. "I don't think she'd find Frank even if she wanted to. He's still dealing, but no one's seen him in person for months. Pompidou was his dog, you know. I found him at the diner a few months ago, no sign of Frank or his RV. We lied to Joyce and David about him belonging to a friend," she said and glanced at Max, eyes full of guilt and remorse. "Sorry we lied to you, too, Max."
"It's okay," Max said, because she didn't know what else she could. "I understand, Rachel," she mumbled and cursed herself for not having the words to help, for sitting here so awkwardly as one of her closest friends in this world struggled.
Rachel had been through hell, first with Frank, and then with Nathan, and to make matters worse, she felt like she actually deserved it.
And Max just didn't know what to say.
Rachel quieted down again, taking a few long breaths, trying to relax herself, but the tremors didn't go away, and she still looked just as troubled and scared.
"I don't want to tell her, Max," she finally confessed. "I just… I want to put it all behind me, behind us. I want to move past it; it's what I've been trying to do for the last six months," she said it like she was trying to convince her, and then frowned, not even buying the excuse herself. "I'm afraid that, if I tell her, it would change the way she looked at me, how she sees me," she finally said, the truth coming out. "I'm afraid that she'd see that I'm… ugly, that I'm dirty and disgusting."
"Rachel, no," Max insisted, grabbing her hand because touch comforted her friend. "That's not true, and Chloe would never think that about you."
Rachel looked at her with sad, heavy eyes, burdened and hurting. "Max, when I'm with her, I feel like myself, I feel like… like I'm okay. And when she kisses me, when she touches me, I feel beautiful, cherished… loved. What if that changes when I tell her? What if she changes? The way she looks at me, the way she feels about me? What if she leaves me?" she asked, voice trembling and on the tip of breaking down again just from thinking about it. "I love her so much, Max. I don't know what I'd do without her."
Max didn't know what more she could say or how she could quash a fear like that, so she didn't say anything at all. She lurched over Rachel, draping herself over her friend as much as she could, and hugged her.
As a shadow fell over them, Max didn't look up, already knowing it was the eclipse. She kept her eyes on the girl in her arms.
A cool wind passed over them, and Max felt an odd mix of calm and dread all at once. Everything seemed to be falling into place: her, Rachel, even the storm.
Everything, but Chloe.