I feel bad for this being a short chapter. I'll try to make up for it in future ones. I know you guys are being patient with me not updating, and I thank you guys for sticking around.
"Well?" Max crossed her arms, tapping her toes to the ground as she waited for an answer from Chloe.
Chloe took a deep breath through her nose, trying to gather all the anger and breathe it out. "You and I need to talk, Max. Now."
"What's to talk about? You told me to fuck off when I TRIED talking."
"Maybe that's because I haven't seen you in 5 fucking years! Do you know how it feels to know your so-called best friend is back in town and she doesn't call or text?"
"I was going to, Chloe! I already to you I wa-"
"No, Max! You weren't. If that was the case, you would've. But you waited 5 years! If it wasn't for your little boyfriend, I'd still be wondering what the fuck happened to you!"
Everyone around them were just staring, tiny whispers traveling back and forth.
"What the fuck, Chloe.." Warren spoke out
"Can it, nerd."
"Chloe, don't talk to my boyfriend that way."
"Oh, so your boyfriend is more important than me huh? I see how it is."
"Do NOT play the guilt card on me."
"Ugh!" Chloe lunged over at Max, grabbing her wrist and dragging her.
Max quickly tried smacking her hand off her wrist, but to no avail. "Let. Me the fuck.. go!"
"I'm not gonna talk about this anymore as long as we're here! And I do not want Blackhell security up my ass."
"Yo, lay off my girl Chloe!" Warren quickly gets up and runs after them. Chloe notices and quickly whispers something to Max that gets both of them to stop running, and Chloe releases her grip from Max. Warren continues bolting towards them before Max holds her hands up.
"Okay, okay Chloe. You win.. But fuck, why the tight grip?"
"Max, come on!"
"Tell him to fuck off, Max."
"Warren, it's okay. Just let me go."
"Dude, she'll hurt you!"
"Even if that's the case, just let me go. I don't think she'll do anything bad though."
Warren slowly walks over to Chloe, with his finger shoved in her face. "If you even fucking touch her.. I'm coming after you, Price. No one will save you."
They both stare at each other with hate before Max grabs Warren's shoulders and turns him to face her. She gave him a quick kiss as Chloe shook her head and started walking. With Warren walking the other direction, Max follows the punk to God knows where.
"So where exactly are we going? You know I don't have time to-"
"Shut up."
"No. I came along, now you wanted to talk. Let's get this over with."
"Can you wait 'til we get there? Shit."
"No"
Chloe slams her hands on the wheel causing the truck to jerk a little. "Fuck!"
"What are you gonna do? Rewind time? I can't change the past, Chloe. If you want to be stuck on that for the rest of your life, so be it. Don't fuck up my life because of it."
"I-.. Please! Can we fucking do this when we get to where we're going? I don't want to crash because my mind is thinking a million things at the moment."
"Whatever." Max lays her head on the truck door, closing her eyes slowly.
15 minutes, later, Chloe abruptly stops her truck, causing Max to jerk forward in fear.
"Chloe, what the fuck?!.. W-Where are we.."
Max never got a response as Chloe stormed out of the truck, pulling out a cigarette in the process. Max slowly looked up and saw nothing but junk around her. 'A junkyard. So.. Chloe.' Grabbing her backpack, she opened the bulky door and slammed it shut, slowly following the girl. 'I wonder how Chloe found this place. An escape from the real world, it seems. Wait, who is she talking to?'
Off in the distance, she saw Chloe discussing something with a semi-homeless looking man. There was an RV right in front of them. Next thing she sees is the man handing off something small to Chloe, and him getting back into the RV. Chloe then rushes over, shaking her head.
"Chloe, who was that? What were you doing?"
"Who cares? Let's talk."
"We are talking."
"You know what I mean, Caufield." Taking her last puff of the cigarette she previously lit up, she tossed it, only to light up another.
"You smoke a lot.."
"It's one of the few things that keep me from killing myself. Cigs, weed, alcohol, any sort of drug."
"Oh.."
[Cue the song; Gravity by Wage War.]
Chloe then sits on the hood of a car, her legs going back and forth for a few seconds, then still. "Max.. Why would you promise something if you can't keep it?"
"..."
"You know, it's funny." She then inhales the smoke and leans back on the hood. "The word 'promise' loses it's meaning everyday. In fact, I cringe at the thought of someone promising something. I feel like it's used as a word to get someone to shut the fuck up." She takes another inhale, and with a little sparkle in her eyes, Chloe tries not to show Max what she calls 'weak'. Meanwhile, Max just stares at her while leaning against the car across from Chloe. "You promised, Max. You said we would visit each other. You said we'd call, text, email, whatever it was, we'd always be Max and Chloe. Put yourself in my shoes. If your parent told you that your other parent just passed away, knowing your only best friend in a small town was moving in a few days; wouldn't you be just as destroyed as I was?" She couldn't hold the tears no longer. She wasn't crying hard, but she did shed some. She sat up and wiped the few tears away, staring straight at Max. "I know you had to move, I know you couldn't do anything about it. But telling me that you'd be there, and then barely even messaging me? It hurt.. It hurts. Nothing prepares you for losing your parent. I got tired of being the girl who'd sit in the corner of class. I got tired of everything because I was so fucking sick of life. The only thing that was there for me were drugs.."
Max was now wiping tears from her face. 'I thought I knew the pain she was in.. Here I am acting like it's not a big deal that I stopped talking to her. She just wanted someone there for her. Why was I such an idiot..'
"Despite all this.. I still went to school. I eventually got a scholarship to Blackhell a few years later. My grades were fucking dropping by the minute. I didn't give a shit." She threw the cigarette, blowing the last bit of smoke and looked down at her knees. "Then I met her.. Never in a million years did I think she would become important in my life. She saved me.."
'Pretty sure she's talking about Rachel.'
"But then just like other people in my life, she left. No words, nothing. I-.. Something happened to her!" She slammed her fist on the hood, startling Max a little. "She wouldn't leave me like this. I know she wouldn't.. I-I'm tired of being abandoned by everyone I love." Chloe brings her knees to her chest, digging her head into crossed arms, finally breaking down.
'I haven't seen her like this since her dad died.. Of course, I wouldn't know how much she's cried, because I was too much of a coward to reach out to her.. I-I need to reassure her that I won't go. Not this time.'
Max slowly walks over to Chloe, knowing that Chloe needed the most comfort she could get right now. Max hovered over her, putting her hand on Chloe's back, then wrapping her other arm completely around Chloe's already wrapped up body. Surprisingly, Chloe leans into Max and sobs even more when Max whispers "I'm sorry Chloe.. I should've been there. I wish I could go back and changes things. I'm so, so sorry. But I'm here now. I want to make things right with you. I want my best friend back. I only made 2 friends in Seattle, but none of them compares to you. You're one of the few people I would literally die for. Please, Chloe.. Give me a chance to make things right."
Chloe mumbles into Max's chest, but Max doesn't get what she's saying. Max backs away a little, hearing a small 'Hmph' from Chloe. "What did you say Chloe? I didn't get that."
"I said.." Sniffle "How can I t-trust you again? I'm so scared.."
"I'm not gonna promise anything because it won't mean much to you. I'm telling you that I'm going to try my best to rebuild your trust in me. Okay?"
Chloe just nodded in return.
"Where is he, Mark?"
"In the back of the truck."
"What are we waiting for? Bring him in."
Oop.