Chloe wakes up Sunday morning, with the thought of going to pick up Max from Blackwell to the cemetery to visit Nathan. She hates Nathan, even after his death, but Kate thinks this should be a good idea. Chloe has some of her faith onto Kate because she really believes Kate has a good head on her shoulders and her actions always mean well, even if she doesn't mean to.
She wears all black despite Kate never disclosing of a dress code, then stares at herself in the mirror. Her hair's a mess, so she flattens it up with a black beanie.
"There you go." Chloe turns around to see Rachel sitting on Chloe's desk chair, smirking and checking Chloe out. "You're ready to conquer the day."
"What are you doing here?" Chloe asks.
"I'm visiting you, genius," Rachel smiles. She gets up from the chair, walks up to Chloe, and folds her arms in an authoritarian, but her typical pose. "I gotta say, Miss Marsh is too kind. I would've never visited Nathan if it were for me."
"Yeah, that's one of the many different things about you two," Chloe says.
Rachel frowns. "Come on, are you still mad at me from the last time we conversed? You know I never ever meant to hurt you in any way, shape, or form. I would never do that, which is why I never told you."
"It would've been better if you didn't do it," Chloe glowers.
Rachel sighs and drops her hands to her sides. "I know, but what's done is done. I died because of my mistakes. Now this is your second chance. You have the opportunity to be better than me. You already are better than me though. Aside from befriending Victoria, you manage to have a relationship with David, and you went back to school. You're doing so much better and that's the only thing I ever wanted from you."
"Thanks Rach," Chloe smiles.
"You're welcome," Rachel replies. "I have one request for you though...wait, two requests. First one, get a spare graduation cap and put it on my tombstone...for silly reasons...and the second one, I want you to keep up with that resolution. I've seen so much growth from the last few months and it will bring both William and me great satisfaction that you're being a better you."
"My dad talked to you? Is everyone friends in heaven or what?"
Rachel snorts. "No, but I have a feeling he would want you to be your best, because why would he be different from the rest of us?"
Chloe chuckles, wiping tears from her eyes. "I love you Rachel."
"Love you too, Chloe." Once Rachel disappears, Chloe sniffles and laughs. She couldn't bring herself to cry, not anymore. Not when she knows Rachel is right.
She heads downstairs and is so happy that both David and Joyce are at their respective jobs because she did not need any more questions. She talked to Samantha last night about visiting Nathan's grave, and she only offered her best advice, not to worry about it so much. She attended the funeral so when Chloe offered to take her, she declined. Chloe understood.
Kate delivers a moving prayer for Nathan and offers her ultimate favorite bible verse for Chloe to finally move on and live without the heavy feeling in her heart reserved for her dad. When she leaves the cemetery, she feels so much lighter and she feels like things will be better. Plus, spending the day with Max, Kate, and even Victoria isn't that bad. She never expected to befriend either Kate or Victoria — she never knew Kate and she never liked Victoria — but they're hanging out. It doesn't even feel terrible.
Four months later
"Maxine Caulfield," Professor Michelle Grant calls out. Max walks down the aisle to Principal Wells, waving to her friends in the front row and the grabbing her fake diploma, shaking hands with her former principal, and allowing him to move her tassel to the left side. She steps down and stands right next to Victoria, who nudges her to the side.
Max watches other names being called, like Kate, Dana, Taylor, Hayden, Brooke, Stella, Justin, Trevor, Zach, and many others. After announcing the class of 2014, Max takes both of Kate and Victoria's hands and walk over to Chloe, Steph, Mikey, and Warren; the former two no longer attending Blackwell and the latter two attending Blackwell for one more year.
Chloe gives Max a bouquet of mixed flowers and kisses Max sweetly. "Awww," some of her friends coo.
"Dykes," Victoria chides.
"You jealous?" Chloe smirks, after pulling away from Max.
"How could I be jealous when I have a girlfriend of my own?" Victoria says, gesturing to Steph standing right next to her. Steph removes the graduation cap from Victoria's head and starts rubbing her head, messing up the pixie cut. "Bitch!"
Max giggles. "You two are so cute."
Victoria smiles. "We could've won class couple if Stephanie didn't graduate early. Luckily my bff Taylor did."
"Kinda glad they won class couple," Max shrugs. "Taylor and Dana are really cute. Plus, their contender was Juliet and Zach. I don't hate her but…"
"Straight people weird her out," Chloe finishes the sentence.
"That isn't what I was gonna say," Max argues. "I was gonna say that Dana is more popular than her. Most of the yearbook superlatives are popularity contests anyway."
"Then why did you win 'most likely to succeed'?" Victoria inquires.
Max turns to Victoria. "Because you rigged the election, Leztoria Chase."
"I did not, Max Gayfield!" Victoria defends.
"Alright losers. You ready to get away from this shithole of a school or do we have to say some more fake goodbyes? It's not like you don't have each other on social media," Chloe speaks up, avoiding a playful argument between Max and Victoria.
"Listen, just because you don't have any friends doesn't mean you have to discredit us normal folk from having friends," Victoria quips.
"You don't have friends either, bitch," Chloe sneers.
"Oh? So these people aren't my friends?" Victoria asks hypothetically, gesturing to the rest of the group. "And Taylor isn't here but she counts too."
"I thought you two were friends," Kate says.
"We're frenemies," Victoria clarifies. "I still can't stand Kari Price but the bitch is dating my best friend so we gotta coexist." Chloe glares at Victoria, then she slaps her on the head. "See?"
Max rolls her eyes. "Can we go? I don't think Joyce can keep the place empty for a while."
After getting some graduation grub from Joyce at the Two Whales Diner, Chloe takes Max away from her friends and heads to the cemetery. Max is confused at first, because why would they come back here, until Chloe grabs a maroon cap and a single white lily from her backseat and heads to Rachel's tombstone. Max follows Chloe carefully, while Chloe speeds up to the sole tombstone of Rachel Amber.
Chloe sets down the cap and tassel in front of Rachel's stone. She casts her head down and says a silent prayer before stepping up and stepping back. She pulls one more item out of her pocket, a postcard from Long Beach, and tapes it around the tombstone. "I know it will fly away, but I just wanted to...put it there."
"I know," Max replies, rubbing Chloe's lower back. "She would appreciate it."
"I hope so," Chloe mumbles. "Now, let's get out of here."
Max packs up her stuff as slowly as possible, sighing happily. Now that she's a graduate of Blackwell, she is finally finished with this school, and this town. She may love Arcadia, but now it's time to embark on a nice American road trip before she goes to school in San Diego.
Kate is going to an art institute not too far from her, so they will have plenty of tea time. However, Victoria is traveling to NYC for school along with Steph so Max is definitely gonna miss her favorite bitch to steal notes from. However, she definitely promises to keep in touch, with both girls. Chloe already leased a place so Max will be living off campus (since it's hella cheaper) and will be attending school again. To get there, Max and Chloe will alternate driving.
Max didn't have much of a hard time saying goodbye to her parents, but Chloe did. Her relationship with both Joyce and David improved since the accident, so leaving them right when things are changing made all three of them cry for almost an hour.
After the graduation and dinner at the Two Whales Diner, all of the kids from the dorm had a grad party. Max definitely did attend and it isn't like a Vortex party, but it was definitely more fun than the Christmas soirée. Hey, most of these kids were leaving so one last party seemed fitting.
Max said her goodbyes to everyone. Taylor and Dana are going to OSU together, to study different things but Max is sure they won't ever stay away from each other. Brooke recently coupled up with Justin but Justin isn't going to school. He's taking a year off and then he'll go to study pharmacy while Brooke embarks on a STEM program at MIT. Juliet is going to school in Florida to study journalism, and Zach is going to the same college on an athletic scholarship. Trevor is also taking a year off and staying in Arcadia Bay with his parents. While Max has never really talked to him, talking to him for the first time seemed refreshing. Alyssa is working on a chicklit book that she promises to give Max a manuscript to read. Stella is going to Princeton and she didn't detail what she was going to study, so she might be undeclared.
Now it's the next day and she is very sure David will start kicking students out if they aren't fast enough. Then again, he has a soft spot for Max since she's dating his stepdaughter. The others...not so much. Most of the students clear out before noon, leaving Max to finish packing by herself.
Max should've been finished packing but she isn't. She still has some of her clothes, her laptop, and her guitar. She already has the rug to be shipped off to her parents' place but Lisa is a plant that needs to be watered everyday and she can not afford to bring it with her on the road trip, and she knows her parents may not remember to water her, so she decides for Lisa to be taken care of by another parent for the time being. Kate volunteered as tribute, so now basically it's a co-parenting agreement, as Chloe likes to call it.
Max stocks up on Polaroids because she plans to take many pictures. Chloe makes sure the truck is working as smoothly as possible so they won't come into problems on the way across the country and back. With a huff, Max finishes her packing and lines up her two suitcases outside her door.
"Max, you're still here?" Courtney Wagner inquires, with a bit of an eyebrow raised.
Courtney doesn't talk to much people aside from Taylor and Victoria, so Max was a little surprised when she addressed her. "Uh, yeah. I'm kind of slow when it comes to packing."
"Same here." Courtney gestures to the single suitcase and duffel bag she's carrying. "I've been meaning to ask you since I wasn't at the party last night. What are you doing after graduation?"
"I'm taking a road trip with my girlfriend and then heading to San Diego for college," Max answers.
"Oh, cool! I'm going to school in Vancouver," Courtney replies. "Something about Canada seems...kind of cool. Maybe it's the maple syrup."
"Or the free healthcare," Max jokes.
"That too." She removes her phone from her pocket and reads it. "That's my ride. Even though we never really talked, I can kinda see why Victoria liked talking to you."
"Uh, thanks," Max smirks. "I love her too."
"Bye, Max," Courtney waves, and goes towards the exit.
"Bye, Courtney." Max sighs and realizes she's all alone. Chloe hasn't gotten here yet. What is taking her so long?
"Captain Bluebeard is ready to embark on the grand expedition through the seven seas with her trusty sidekick!" Chloe announces, making Max burst out laughing. "Are ya ready, Maxine?"
"Aye aye, Cap'n," Max salutes
"I can't hear you!"
"Aye aye, Cap'n!" Max says louder.
Chloe kisses Max's forehead and grabs a suitcase. "Let's get the hell outta here. David's getting impatient."
"He still knows I'm here?"
"He knows I was gonna pick you up, so that's a solid yes. He's gotta make sure all kids are evacuated so he can tell the cleaning crew to replace anything that may have been left back from other students, so by next term, the rooms are clean and ready to go. By the way, I saw Courtney Wagner get picked up in a particularly beautiful pickup truck and I got jealous for a little bit."
Max snorts. "You had all year to replace your metal death trap."
"Yeah, but the Chloemobile holds too many memories for me to just give it up."
Max rolls her eyes and grabs her their suitcase. "Ok, let's get out of here."
"Wait, let's take one more selfie before we go. I kinda wanna get stepdad riled up one last time."
Max pulls out her Polaroid and they take a selfie in front of the Blackwell totem pole. "Chloe! Maxine! Get out of here!" David yells from afar.
"Love you too, David!" Chloe yells back. "Come on. Let's go." Max runs behind Chloe, getting into the truck with both of them laughing. "Shit, that was fun. I knew I had to get him mad one last time."
"Some things will never change huh?"
"No, Max. They won't." Chloe backs up from the parking space and drives off. Max smirks a little at the Leaving Arcadia Bay sign, with a positive thought that whatever happens, at least she has Chloe by her side this time. No rewind powers, no storm, no death and destruction.