This morning Max had awoken to the sound of a gunshot. Thankfully, it was just a nightmare. Still, the rude awakening left her on edge for a while. She thought about the name choice that she and Rachel agreed on, or rather, the one she let Rachel pick.
Maxine Amber.
She started liking the sound of that. Now it was the time to make plans. The bank remained closed for the day as the authorities were wrapping up their investigation of the site of the robbery. At the very least Max could do some research on where they could go to get married before they left for school. It was Friday, so at least this was the last school day to get through.
Rachel wasn't up yet. Max noticed that she usually woke earlier than her. She glanced over at her and saw her sleeping peacefully still. Her face seemed to be permanently etched into a smile. At least one of them had nice dreams.
Max went on the internet and browsed. The list of states that supported their cause wasn't as short as she imagined, but unfortunately, Oregon was not one of them at this time, as she already knew. As fate would have it, the neighboring state of Washington did, however. The irony didn't' escape Max. They could do this in Seattle. Going there would also present a chance for Rachel to meet her future in-laws. Max wondered if Rachel was nervous about that, considering she had to pull out all her acting tricks to not lose composure in front of Max's parents the day before. Max asked herself if she could have done this any better if she was in Rachel's shoes. She had serious doubts. Thankfully, Rachel's parents already knew her from before. That was something Max thanked her previous self for.
She would without a doubt need other documentation for their trip as well. But she didn't have the time at the moment to research all of this. Still, the thought of sailing the high seas with Rachel sounded magical. Max couldn't imagine a better honeymoon. Hopefully, Rachel agreed with that.
She gently woke her up by stroking her cheek. Almost on cue, Rachel opened her eyes. Even after all this time, Max could still feel herself getting lost staring into them.
"There you are, my blue angel.", Rachel said with a smile.
"I never left."
"Good. I would have hated that. Besides, cassette tapes are so 90's anyway."
"You will be delighted to hear where are going.", Max said.
"Oh? Where are you taking me to?"
"Seattle. Washington state supports our proposed marriage."
"That's great, Max. Good work."
"I figured we would need a place to stay though, it's not exactly a drive that I would want to do in one day. It would take us almost eight hours to get there. So I wanted to propose something."
"I thought I did that already.", Rachel teased.
Max chuckled.
"No, not that kind of proposal. I meant the idea of us staying with my parents for at least a day or two so we can get this done and get you to meet them at the same time. We would be killing two birds with one stone. Besides, I think it would just feel right if we did it this way. What do you think?"
"I think that's a great idea. I admit I am somewhat intimidated about meeting your parents, but you were brave enough to face my dad in a one-on-one conversation to get his approval. I can't exactly look like the coward now, can I? I say we do this."
"Awesome, then we just need to agree on when we wanna do this."
"Well, we would need sizable time off school.", Rachel pointed out.
"Yeah, especially if you wanna hit the waves with me after. Where is that ship of yours leaving from anyway?"
"You are gonna love this. It leaves from Galveston, Texas."
"Texas?! That's at the other end of the U.S. Rachel!"
"So? Let's make it our road trip and our cruise all at once!"
Max ran the numbers on the required time for that. The calculations almost crashed the computer program that she was using to figure out the travel times.
"Wowser Rachel, that would take us 36 hours by car from Seattle! We would be taking three days just to get there and back. Add the cruise of seven days to that and we end up with... twelve days. That's not considering time for stops and sleeping by the way. So... this is easily a two-and-a-half week thing at the very least! We would need to wait for Summer Break for this. That's a hell of a honeymoon.", Max realized.
"Sounds like the adventure of a lifetime if you ask me. I'm willing to wait until then if you are. We could do Seattle sooner if you are still willing. We could get that done during Spring Break easily. By the time we get underway to our honeymoon, I will have graduated too."
"I admit, it would be a bit weird having to wait so long for the honeymoon, but I guess the wait will be worth it."
"Yes, it will be. We get to jet across the country and also get to enjoy a boat trip? That sounds hella awesome."
"Or...", Max was formulating an idea in her mind.
"Or... what?"
"We could fly to Texas. That ought to be faster."
"Something to consider, but I still like my road trip idea better."
"Rachel..."
"What? A girl can dream can't she?"
"Don't make me quote Mr. Jefferson again."
"Why?"
"We aren't even in our 20s yet. My point is, we can do a road trip literally any time we want to in the future. We don't have to do it all at once. Besides, I would imagine a trip across the country to be somewhat draining, considering we gotta hit Seattle first.", Max argued.
"You make a good point. Maybe a flight to Texas is better. Gives us something to look forward to in the future. Sorry, I got a bit carried away."
"That's ok, I know you can't wait to get out of here."
"Oh, whatever gave that away?"
"Oh I don't know, maybe the three dozen travel posters you got plastered all over this room?", Max said with a sarcastic, yet friendly tone, while pointing at all the various posters, maps and brochures that one could spot no matter which direction one looked in Rachel's room.
"It's only two dozen and you damn well know it.", Rachel said to herself in a defiant whisper.
"What was that?"
"I said nothing!"
"You did, I heard you whisper something! What did you say?", Max pried.
"Hella nothing."
"Hella my ass."
Max leaned in and started tickling Rachel, trying to force the answer out of her. Rachel began laughing uncontrollably while flailing about like a fish out of water. She tried in vain to defend herself. Eventually, she waved the proverbial white flag.
"Ok! Ok!, I yield! I said it's only two dozen!"
"There was more to it than that."
"And... you know it?", Rachel said sheepishly.
"Uh-huh. I've got your number now Rachel!"
"But I already gave it to you."
"I should punch you for that."
"Domestic abuse! That started way sooner than I expected! Damn, you are hardcore Maxter!"
"You won't stop until you had the last word, won't you Rachel?"
"Winners make their own rules remember?"
"Oh yeah? Win this."
Max tickled her again.
"Ok, stop! You win Max, I surrender. Showeth mercy on me!", Rachel begged. This, in turn, caused Max to giggle.
"I've got you figured out Rachel Amber. Your biggest weakness is finally revealed. Your kryptonite is that you are hella ticklish!", she laughed.
Rachel remained quiet for a moment. She actually admitted defeat.
"There, are you happy now? Let this be your first ever and only victory Maxter. I suggest you savor it while you can!"
"So this is what it feels like to be like you and win all the time? I kinda like it.", Max said with satisfaction.
Max noticed Rachel's eye twitching at that remark.
"Max I swear to god if you rub this in any more I will get you back so bad you will..."
Rachel's threat was quickly interrupted by Max forcibly kissing her and pinning her down on the bed. Then, before she could say something again, Max put her index finger on Rachel's lips.
"Hush. Losers don't talk. That's my new winner's rule.", Max stated.
Rachel just stared at Max with her eyes wide. What on earth had happened the shy girl that she ran into just a little over a week ago? Was her dominance really being challenged here?
"Ok, where is Max and what have you done with her?"
"I told you, I never left."
This caused Rachel to smile.
"Wow, I'm proud of you. This is definitely not the Max I ran into at first. Seeing you stand up for yourself like that, that's kinda hot.", Rachel said.
"What can I say? I learned from the best. Come on, we don't wanna be late for school."
The whole time during breakfast and on the way to school, Rachel couldn't help but admire how much more confident Max had gotten around her. Instead of treating her like a stranger whose feelings needed to be handled with utmost care, she treated her like an equal and wasn't afraid to speak up for herself anymore. This had to be a good omen. Rachel was so used to everyone abiding by her every whim and being nervous around her, it was a welcome change to see someone just being themselves in her presence.
The day at school was fairly unremarkable for Max, but she did run into Mr. Jefferson during a break, who was busy repairing and painting stone tiles that were damaged during the storm. At first, Max wasn't sure what to say to him. In her mind, he had always been the celebrity teacher, one of the reasons why she came to this school in the first place. Seeing him do grunt work just seemed wrong to her. It also didn't help that he looked rather silly in his work getup, much like Max assumed he would.
"Uh, hi there Mr. Jefferson?", She greeted.
"Oh, hello there Max. Enjoying your break?", he asked.
"Yes. How are you doing?"
"Well, as you can see I'm busy fixing the damage left behind by that monster storm the other week. I have never seen anything like it. Keeps me busy at least if nothing else."
"I see. Mr. Jefferson, I was wondering about something. Were you ever into photography?"
"Funny you should ask. I once meant to make a break in that field, but it just wasn't meant to be I suppose. No one would take my artwork seriously. Also, I didn't really know what I was looking for you know? Most artists have the drive to get that perfect image that they have in mind. For some reason, I've yet to find that. So, until I may or may not do, I gotta work jobs like this. Just don't tell Wells that I said that."
"Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans.", Max said.
"One of my favorite quotes from John Lennon, I see you are well versed. It's true though. You may plan your future down to the most minute detail, but let me tell you something Max, it never quite works out the way you think it will. But then again it is also important to have your goals and things to work towards. Whether that's career, family or something else is up to you."
"I bet you would be a terrific photographer."
"As much as I appreciate the flattery, the public obviously disagreed with you on that. Don't worry about me though, I will be fine. Is there something you dedicate yourself to?"
Max thought about what to say.
"There is now. I've met someone special and I think it is meant to be."
"I'm assuming you are referring to Rachel Amber? I've seen you two together a lot."
"Yeah, it's her.", Max said while slightly blushing.
"I see. Well, its nothing to be ashamed of Max, on the contrary. Rachel is a terrific individual. Blackwell is lucky to have her. Take good care of her and she will do the same for you."
"Do you know what drives her? What is her goal in your opinion?"
"She can be hard to read. But it is obvious that she wants to land it big after Blackwell. I once heard her talking about wanting to be a model. If I may say so, that shouldn't be too hard for her to accomplish. I have seen her acting on stage as well. I firmly believe that if she tried hard enough, she could take it all the way to Broadway one day. But, no matter which way she chooses to go, I know she would be good at it, but she will want someone to watch over her. Those fields of work can be very rough. I'm honestly not entirely convinced she could face that alone."
"Do you think I could make the difference?", Max asked him.
"I cannot pretend to see the future, Max. But, I do know that you have a gift. By that, I'm not just talking about taking selfies with a camera but also the ability to influence people in a positive way. I have seen you do that more than once, especially lately."
"Oh really?"
"Yes. This one student, Daniel DaCosta, he's been talking to me lately. He told me that he always had a hard time coming to school every morning because he was afraid that others might pick on him. Ever since you and Rachel gave him your attention, he's actually looking forward to coming to school now and people ask to be sketched by him."
"Wow. That is great to hear."
"So you see, sometimes it's the small gestures that make the biggest difference."
"Thanks, Mr. Jefferson, I appreciate you taking the time to talk."
"Anytime, Max. I don't get to converse much, so whenever you want to chat, I will be around. Now, if you excuse me, I gotta make sure to follow Well's number one rule when it comes to janitorial work."
"And what rule is that?"
"Always apply a second coat of paint."
"Alright, I gotta get going anyway, I'll ill see you around Mr. Jefferson."
"See you later, Max."
Max continued her day like normal but kept thinking about what Jefferson said about her "gift". Could he have been right? She always assumed her powers to manipulate time were a gift, even if it was a strange one. Since she had lost her powers, she felt like a part of her was missing. Perhaps being there for people in need was her real talent. If Rachel really had such tall goals, then Max would do her best to support her in any way she could. She also remembered Kate Marsh. She saved that poor girl from death by suicide. Where was she now anyway? If she wasn't at Blackwell, then where was she instead? Max had to find out, just to put her mind at ease. She had already lost Chloe due to her fateful decision to save William. She really didn't like to think that she could be losing another friend, assuming they still were friends or even knew each other. If nothing else, she just wanted to know she was fine. First, however, she had to tell Rachel about this. Remembering the last time she had brought up something like this, she had to be very careful in her approach this time.
Rachel and Max left school as usual and went to the Amber's house together. Max wanted to wait until after dinner to bring up her concern, so she remained mostly quiet for the rest of the day.
Going upstairs for the night, Rachel went into their room first and Max followed her in. Immediately, Rachel sat down in her chair and faced Max with her arms crossed.
"You have barely spoken a word since we left school, Max. What is going on?"
She saw right through Max's attempt at keeping her thoughts hidden.
"Rachel, I meant to tell you right now actually."
"Is that so? Then I'm all ears. Though I'm not sure why you are suddenly keeping things from me. You know I can tell when people do that, don't you?"
"It's nothing bad, I swear. I won't make you do anything you don't agree with."
"I feel like we've been here before, haven't we?", Rachel observed.
"Yes, but I don't want to make you mad again, so I will be upfront about it this time."
"Very well, I'm listening."
"Do you remember me telling you about Kate Marsh when you played that game with me?"
"Two Truths and a Lie. Yes, I remember. You told me you saved her life."
"Exactly. You see, the thing is that she isn't at Blackwell anymore ever since I messed with history. I'm concerned about her, not knowing where she is or how she is doing."
Rachel took a moment to process this.
"So you want to find her?"
"Yes, I would like to. However... I won't do it if you have a problem with that."
"How close were you two anyway?"
"We were friends, at least that's what I always assumed. She was very alone at Blackwell and a constant target for bullies, especially after that damn video that was spread around. I was pretty much the only thing close to a friend that she had, not even her family could give her the comfort and support she needed."
"I see."
"So... what do you think?"
Rachel got up and started pacing. After a moment of deliberation, she delivered her answer.
"I'm fine with it."
"For real? You won't get mad when I find her and want to go see her?", Max asked carefully.
"No, Max. I won't. I will tell you exactly why. It would be a pretty ugly thing to deny you this. Your history with Kate has occurred before we met and with everything that has happened between us since then, I trust you to know where the line between friendship and love is. I admit it is hard for me to give trust, I was never good at it. But just maybe you can help me with that by giving me the opportunity to trust you with something I normally wouldn't trust anyone else with. If Kate is your friend, then I will not stand in your way. Loving someone also means giving them the freedom to allow them to do what matters to them. I do not wish for you to lose any more friends, not after what you went through with Chloe, who would still be alive if it weren't for me. I still feel guilty for that at times, you know. I wasn't lying when I told your parents that I owe you a debt that can't be repaid. I'm only here because you decided to tear the picture to shreds which meant you had to stay here with me. I will never forget that and I will be living with that fact until the day I die. I was afraid your silence earlier had something to do with our future, so please excuse the temper that I gave you just now, I will promise that I will try to work on that. I'm just relieved that this wasn't over something between you and me."
"I'm relieved myself. I just want to know she is alright. She may not even recognize me anymore."
"I hope she will, I really do. She would be missing out on a hell of a friend. As a matter of fact, if you permit it, I will accompany you in this and help you find her."
"You would do that?", Max asked.
"Yes, I would. The other Chloe never stopped looking for me and you helped her to find my other me. Assuming your vision was true, then you managed to do so successfully, even if I turned out to be long dead. I think its time I start earning my keep and return the favor."
Max tore up.
"Thank you, Rachel, that means to a lot to me."
"Aw, come here."
They embraced.
"Let's find your friend.", Rachel said with a smile.