Recorded: 7.25.12 1:17AM Length: 5m24s
Another day in paradise, Chloe Price.
First, I make up a lame excuse to avoid my best friend. I mean, orientation and school supplies? Really? You weren't within a ten-mile radius of believing me, but still you said nothing. Why not, Chloe? You used to call out my every bullshit. Why are you making allowances now? What's changed?
In other news, Rachel Amber freaks out at Frank and Pompidou, then writes both of them a fucking letter of apology.
And... I guess this is my letter of apology to you.
Frank... is a good guy. You know what he did for us better than I do. Being our dealer, he's also hella easy to get a hold of. Which is what I did, eventually. I mean, I knew he liked me… since early on, but that wasn't why I contacted him that first time. Can you guess? I'm sure you can. We haven't talked about it since the hospital, but I kept thinking about Sera… I'm sorry I haven't told you this, Chloe. But I didn't want you to be in any more danger because of me. So I went to Frank and asked him to find her again. You know how he has to maintain his tough facade, so of course he demanded something in return.
Don't clench your knife handle, Chloe Price. It wasn't what you think.
He just wanted me to do some work for him on campus.
So I did for a while. All last year, in fact. Yeah, it's been going on that long. I am scum of the earth.
He found her, finally. She refused to come see me, though, and Frank would not take me there. I even got drunk once and asked that creepy truck driver who hangs at the Two Whales to take me to LA… Good thing he said no...
-Rachel sighs-
Then… last spring... Sera died. Overdose… Accidental or… I don't know… March 8, to be exact, three days before your birthday. Frank told me on the 10th…
And you know what? I bet you couldn't even tell. With a little chemical help, I was totally fine celebrating with you. Do you remember? Our second Firewalk show. I mean, nobody tried to cut your throat with a broken bottle, and the only thing we burned were our insides, but that was still some of my finest stage-diving work to date. Fuck, I love those nights with you.
Anyway, with Sera dead, you'd think my business with Frank was concluded… Even he said as much… And yet I kept coming around. Remember that time I went on a family road trip? The one I sent you that post card from? "Wish you were here?" Well, the family didn't come...
Should I wear a helmet when I tell you this, Chloe Price? Are you going to knock my head off with a baseball bat? Or maybe you're hiding something, too? I wonder what you do when I'm at school…
-Rachel laughs-
Listen to me… I sound like we're married or something… We're not married, are we, Price? You'd probably laugh in my face at the suggestion.
It's just that... after everything we'd been through, I didn't think we would ever have secrets from each other again... And yet here I am sitting on a pile of them, like some dragon guarding a treasure. You being the treasure, of course.
It's so weird how we... decide not to say something once to protect a friend, and the next thing we know is we're doing it without thinking, like it's the most normal thing in the world. Everybody lies, no exception, right? Is keeping a secret the same as lying? Does it ever become too late to start telling the truth? Like, is there a line, which, if you crossed it, the truth would just destroy everything?
-Long silence-
So listen, Chloe… if I survive this conversation about Frank, I promise not to keep secrets from you anymore. And also I promise - if you'll still want me to, that is - to take you away from Arcadia Bay. Again. Only… since Sera died, I've been thinking that LA might not be far enough for us.
How about Kathmandu? How about Everest? Would you run away with me for a year - or three - to see the world? And then we can come back, go to college and become adults, or something crazy like that. Sounds like death, but we can't run from it forever.
Of course, we'll need a lot more money, but maybe I can work something out.
-Rachel laughs-
I swear I'll tell you all about it! I wouldn't want to do this with anyone else. Frank is a good guy, but there's only one Chloe Price. So what do you say? Will you still be my faithful driver, bodyguard and companion?
I really hope so.