"At least this is one of the last times we'll have to say goodbye like this" Chloe pointed out as she and Max held each other outside of her truck
"We'll still have to say bye to each other in Arcadia, with me having a dorm and all" Max replied with a smile returning to her face.
"Psh… you won't even need that dorm just move in with me" she half joked
"I couldn't do that to Joyce, plus I think having a dorm will be nice, no parents and stuff. My little way of rebelling"
"Finally getting a little more punk into you" the punk bragged
"Plus you got me to agree to getting that piercing on my 18th. Don't know if Arcadia can handle that much punk" the brunette joked
"Hmm, I think it can. And hey, that piercing is mostly for you, you saw what it does" Chloe smirked
"Alright alright, now come on, don't wanna repeat Winter break and have you leave on a Monday instead of a Sunday Max said changing the subject as she began to blush
"I'll just have coffee" She replied dismissively "Plus it's the first day back, teachers aren't gonna give us anything difficult
"Do you always have to make goodbyes harder than they already are?" Max said smiling bittersweetly
"No…" Chloe pouted "But it makes hellos that much better" she added, returning the smile
"I suppose" Max said as she embraced her girlfriend
4/8/13
2:08 AM
Chloe: Hey Rach, just crossed into Oregon need me to pick you up from some place?
2:14 AM
Chloe: Probably passed out from partying huh?
Call me if you need me
4/8/13
12:36 PM
Chloe: Hey babe, you hear from Rach?
Max: Not recently, why?
Chloe: She didn't show up today,
Max: Oh, and you don't know why?
Chloe: No, but it's no biggie, not much happened today so far
4/9/13
3:15 PM
Chloe: Could you try and call Rachel?
Max: She didn't show up again?
Chloe: Yeah, I called her and left a message during lunch but nothing
3:17 PM
Max: She didn't pick up, I left a message too
Chloe: Shit, do you think she's mad at us?
Max: I don't think so. Idk what'd she be mad at us about
Chloe: We've kind of been on her ass about her partying and stuff
Max: She'd let us know if it was annoying her though
Try asking someone else to call her
3:23 PM
Chloe: I asked a few of her other friends, none of them got answers
Max: Crap, maybe she's super sick or something, try her parents?
Chloe: Okay, I'll try them
"Hello?" A man's voice replied after a few rings
"Hi Mr. Amber, It's Chloe" she answered
"Chloe!" James replied sounding relieved "Is Rachel with you?"
"Wha…? I was calling to ask if you knew where she was…" Chloe said uneasily
"Oh…" He trailed off "I thought she'd be with friends. When did you last see her?"
"You've probably seen her after me, last time I saw her was before I left for Washington, right before spring break started" she answered
"No… The last time I saw her was then too after you left she got picked up by some other friends"
"Wait, you don't know where she is?" Chloe asked with growing worry as her heart rate started rising.
"I don't. Have you tried calling her?" James asked
"Yeah, and a couple of her other friends too, none of us got answers" Chloe replied
"Which friends?"
"Um… me, Max, Justin and Trevor… and Juliet and Dana" she said between pauses to remember exactly who she texted
"And none of them know where she is?"
"No, Dana and Juliet both said the last time they saw her was at a Vortex party on the day I left"
"Okay… Thanks for telling me all of this Chloe" James said calmly
"Wait, so what? She's… Missing?" she asked not wanting to say the last word out loud
"We don't know that yet, please call me if you learn anything else" he replied continuing to stay calm
"You're going to the police right?" Chloe asked
"Yes, and I'll probably be investigating what happened at that Vortex party too" he replied
"Fuck… okay then" she said after blowing air through her mouth
"What the fuck!?" Chloe yelled to herself once she and James said their goodbyes and hung up
4/9/13
3:30 PM
Chloe: WTFFFFFFFF he doesn't know either and now he's going to the police cause he thinks she's missing
Max: omg What!? That is not good
Chloe: What the fuck is this Max? She can't be missing
Max: Do you want me to come down?
Chloe: No, no, I'll be fine.
I'm gonna go look for her
Max: Please don't go alone
Chloe: I won't, I'll ask some of the skaters to come with
Max: Okay, you sure you don't want me to come down? I could get there by tonight
Chloe: It's fine Max, you stay safe too
7:18 PM
Chloe: FUCK! Idk where she could be
Max: Where have you looked so far?
Chloe: The junkyard, the lighthouse, where the party was and the surrounding areas then I went to Frank to ask him if he saw her, same thing.
Max: idk either Chloe :( this is scaring me. Where are you?
Chloe: Yeah, me too. I just dropped off the last of the search party, I'm heading home now
Max: Okay, stay safe
I'm coming down on Friday
Please don't try to convince me not to
Chloe: I won't.
"How are you holding up?" Max asked as the two joylessly embraced each other outside of the train station, mostly for comfort rather than a greeting.
"Better now that you're here" Chloe answered with her chin resting on the brunette's shoulder causing her head to bounce as she spoke. "How 'bout you?"
"About the same" She mumbled in reply as she mirrored her girlfriend
"Fuck, that was the longest three days of my life" The taller girl sobbed hiding her face in her girlfriend's shoulder "Thank you for coming"
"Of course, I'm here for you, now and always" The brunette comforted as they began making their way to a nearby bench.
"I hate that we always have to be here for each other" Chloe complained "Why can't we just be with each other just cause"
"I hate it too" Max agreed as she held the taller girl closer to her on the bench.
"I feel so hopeless Max, like when I was just waiting for my Dad's funeral to happen" Chloe said as tears returned to her eyes
"It's not hopeless Chloe, all the local news stations just ran the story about her right?" Max asked trying to console her. "That means there's going to be more people aware and a higher chance of her being found" she said after a quiet nod from her girlfriend. "And if you like we can print and put up missing person flyers, or we can ask James to because I know you're tired" she added
"I'm so glad you're here Max. Fuck, I don't know what I would do if you weren't"
"You don't have to think about that, I'm not leaving you" The brunette assured
After a few minutes to calm herself down Chloe exhaled a long sigh and shifted herself so she was sitting next to the brunette instead of lying against her.
"Alright, I think I'm ready to get us home, you ready?" Chloe asked
"Yeah, you sure you wanna drive? I could get us home, I know the way now" Max suggested
"Yeah… You probably should" Chloe agreed. "I'm probably one cut off away from getting road rage.
4/12/13
7:16 PM
Chloe: Max suggested we print out missing person posters and put them around town
I could also put them around Portland on Sunday when she has to leave
James: Good idea, I'll see what I can do
Chloe: Thanks, anything new since the story aired?
James: No, I'm planning on starting the investigation on the vortex club soon since that's the last place she was seen and possibly where she went missing
Chloe: Good luck
"James just said he's gonna start investigating the Vortex Club, god if anyone of those fuckers are responsible for Rachel going missing, I'll… I'll burn down their house with them in it or something" Chloe seethed as she put her phone away
"Whoever it is, they'll get what's coming" Max replied as she continued to drive
The rest of the drive home is uneventful and mostly filled with the sound of the radio and of the punk's CDs when she got frustrated with how many commercials a radio station was playing.
"This is the worst" Chloe huffed as she plopped onto her bed. "You're here and like, I'm happy, I really am but, I'm still pissed, stressed, worried, and a million other things" she continued as the brunette sat next to her on the edge of the bed
"I know…" Max sighed as she placed her hand on her girlfriend's lap to try and reassure her. "I am too, but we'll find Rachel soon and this will all be over and everything will be back to normal" she assured as she fell to the bed so she could lay next Chloe.
Hey, Chloe!" Max yelled from inside of the junkyard shack.
"Find something? She answered as she ran over and entered their hideout
"Did you see this letter?" Max asked as she handed the punk a previously crumpled piece of graph paper full of Rachel's handwriting.
"No… where'd you find it? Chloe questioned as she took the paper and began reading it.
"In the trash can over there" The brunette replied pointing to the corner of the shack where a trash can was.
C. (And hopefully M through a picture or something)
You can tell how much I want you guys to read this letter since I've been dragging my ass to give it to you. Maybe I just want you two to find this when I'm not around so we never have to talk about it. And I don't want you guys to hate me. Where to start?
I met somebody recently who's so different from the lame Vortex Club snobs. I know both of you will have a meltdown when I tell you and think it's gross, but I SWEAR he's wise and unconventional. Kind of scary, not in a "bad boy" way. He's just experienced some serious shit. Yes, I'm kinda obsessed. I won't blame you guys for freaking.
Maybe I know you guys are right and this just has to be my secret.
I hate not sharing this with you guys except I know I'd get shit from both of you and I'd get grilled for every stupid detail. If I even told you that just last night we hooked up near campus…
It looks like there's another half a paragraph left but it's all crossed out, only a few letters being visible.
"What the fuck? This was crumpled up and in the trash over there?" Chloe asked once she finished reading the letter.
"Yeah, it was the only thing in it"
"Fuck, what the hell? Why wouldn't she tell us about this? Chloe yelled as she put the letter under a mostly empty soda can and sat down in the shack. "And 'maybe this just has to be my secret'? We all promised we wouldn't do that shit" she continued running her fingers through her hair in frustration.
"Do you know who she could be talking about?" Max asked as she joined the blue haired girl in sitting.
"I don't know… someone at school who isn't in the Vortex Club… The skater boys all drool over her but she'd never hook up with any of them" She answered between pauses to think then picked up the letter again to skim through the details as she thought again. "This dude Evan? I don't know him well so he could be 'wise and unconventional' but why would she think we'd freak out about him? Fuck, I dunno" she concluded as she put the paper back under the soda can.
"Wait, she said they hooked up near campus, do you think David would know anything?" Max asked as she picked up the letter and read the part she was referring to
"Maybe, we can go and ask him, might as well send this to James too, hopefully it'll help him" She replied as Max placed the letter on the ground so Chloe could take a picture of it
…
4/13/13
10:48 AM
Chloe sends a picture of the letter Rachel wrote for the couple from the hideout
Chloe: James, we found this letter from Rachel, we don't know who she's talking about but maybe it'll help you
…
"David, we need your help" Chloe yelled into the house as she entered
"With what?" He answered back from the living room over the volume of the TV
"We found a letter Rachel wrote, and we think it'll help in finding her" Chloe said as she handed the letter to the man. Muting the TV and accepting the letter he began reading it.
"We thought maybe you'd know if Rachel was hooking up with someone at school" Max said once it looked like he finished reading the letter.
"The only person I'd suspect from this letter would be the Prescott boy… But he'd fall under the 'lame Vortex Club snobs wouldn't he?'" He answered
"Yeah" Chloe replied simply. "Why do you suspect him though?"
"A while ago I suspected Rachel and him were peddling drugs into the school, but I wasn't able to find out anything concrete, he'd go to suspicious locations and when I went there I didn't find anything"
"You suspected Rachel was…? Whatever, which suspicious locations?" Chloe asked
"Bad parts of town, one of the parking lots at the beach, some barn up North in the country, and a junkyard" he answered
"Well… those all sound like places people would go to get drugs" Chloe replied "Maybe you could tell Rachel's dad what you know, maybe you and your cop friends could help Rachel's dad. And could you go back to investigating Nathan?"
"Yeah alright" David answered as he got up from the couch and walked into the garage, closing the door behind him.
"Okay so, I'm pretty sure those are all places Frank has dealings, all except the barn, he never had me meet him at a barn before, but maybe I was never told to meet up there since I'm always in town" Chloe said to Max when David left the room
"Should we ask him?" She asked
"Couldn't hurt" Chloe shrugged as she took out her phone and began texting
4/13/13
11:17 AM
Chloe: Hey, could I get a resupply
Frank: Beach.
Chloe: I'm not in town, could you deliver? I'm up north a ways
Frank: I don't deliver.
Closest I'll go is the Boondocks but it'll cost you extra
"Boondocks?" Max asked as she read the messages coming through
"The 'bad parts of town' David mentioned" Chloe replied before replying to Frank
Chloe: Not any further?
Frank: No, I only stay in town, you know that
Chloe: Actually, maybe another day
Frank: Don't waste my time
"Okay so… Frank doesn't do deals at some barn in the country, we should ask David when Nathan went there" She said as she got up to go into the garage "David, when did you say you saw Nathan at the barn?" She asked opening the door to the garage and peeking her head in.
"I don't know… a month ago? I stopped tracking him a while ago since I wasn't able to find anything" He repeated as he continued to look through manila folders from a overhead cabinet.
"Could you start again? I asked one of my stoner friends and he said he never gets his stuff from a barn and well, this is really the only lead"
"Okay…" David said suspiciously "It'll take a while though
"Maybe Rachel's dad could help speed it up? He's a lawyer or something, did you call him?" Chloe suggested
"Not yet, but I could see if we can help each other" David answered
Max held a stack of missing posters on her lap as her girlfriend drove the two of them to Portland. She agreed to go to Portland early to help Chloe put these around town before her train arrived, but seeing a legitimate missing person poster of someone she knows and cares for didn't help her feel any relieved.
"MISSING"... "...star on the inside of the left wrist"... "Rachel Amber Age 18". No matter how many times you read it and wish it wasn't real it isn't going to change Max
"Damn, so I guess it's back taking Zquil to get myself to fall asleep" Max said looking up from her lap as the two drove into Portland
"Zquil? Damn girl living large in the city, I just pop a generic melatonin pill and that does the trick for me" Chloe replied as she slowed to a stop at a red light
"I don't like taking pills" Max replied in defense
"Aww, my lil baby" Chloe said with a small smile as she pinched the brunette's cheek and shook her back and forth "I'm sure they have gummy versions at the drugstore"
"Are you always such a little brat" Max laughed already knowing the answer as she swatted away her girlfriend's hand
"You should know that I am by now babe" Chloe smiled as she returned her hand to the steering wheel, happy that they were having a more lighthearted conversion for once.
…
"Thanks for helping me put up the posters, James' will probably be happy that we were able to post the full stack around town" Chloe said as she stapled the last missing person poster they had to a neighborhood telephone pole
"Of course Chloe" Max smiled as she grabbed the punk's hand and began walking toward where they parked. "Even though what we were doing is… sad, it was nice walking around the city with you" she added looking for the silver lining
"Yeah…" Chloe trailed off as while being guided by the brunette as she focused on nothing in particular.
"Hey" Max said in a small voice, stopping outside of the truck and taking Chloe's other hand in hers. "We'll find her" she reassured as she brought her face close to the punk's
"I know…" Chloe replied tilting her head forward to rest her forehead on the other girl's "How long do we have till your train comes?" Chloe asked
"Like two hours?" Max replied pulling away and taking out her phone to confirm
"What do you wanna do till then?" She asked as Max put her phone back in her pocket.
"Wanna go back to that park we saw, its close enough to the station so that you could walk me there if you want" The brunette suggested
"That sounds nice" she smiled "It's a date" she added
Returning her girlfriends smile Max entered the truck with Chloe doing the same shortly after.
Her music suddenly stopping and phone vibrating to signify a phone call confuses Max as she thinks who would be calling her during school, but the confusion is replaced with worry as she sees that it's Chloe who's calling her. "Miss Fisher?" She called out to the teacher who was making her rounds around the class. "Uh, my mom is calling me, she wouldn't call me if it wasn't important. Could I go outside and answer it?" she asked as the woman turned around to give the brunette her attention.
"Go ahead Max" she replied prompting Max to quickly exit the room and accept the call before it goes to voicemail.
"Chloe?" Max said in a whisper as the classroom door closed behind her
"Max…" Chloe's tone petrifies her, hearing her girlfriend's voice sound so defeated and so deflated has a contagious effect, giving her a sinking feeling in her chest
No, no, no, this can't be happening
"It's Rachel, they…"
This is just a nightmare, wake up
Her girlfriend's voice became more and more difficult to hear, and she couldn't tell if it was her head doing that or Chloe having trouble trying tell Max the news
"They found her..."
Wake up, please wake up
"...overdosed her…"
NO!
"...what kind of world does this?" Max's hearing returned to normal as she heard Chloe sob out her rhetorical question. "Max, I...I can't be here anymore, I'm going to ask David to take me to Portland so I can take a train to Seattle"
"Please" is the only thing Max can whimper out as she felt her knees start to give, she leaned her back against the wall of the hallway and slowly slid down. After trying to exchanged goodbyes with Chloe she puts her phone on the ground next to her and brings her hands to her face. After a few minutes the door to the classroom slowly opens and Ms. Fisher's head comes out into the hallway "Max? Is everything…" she asked looking both ways before looking down to see the brunette crying into her knees on the floor "Max? It's okay, we'll get you to the counselor's office"
...
"A tragic end to a missing person investigation in the Oregon coastal town, Arcadia Bay…"
"The culprits, the missing girl's photography teacher and a fellow student were both apprehended at the scene when authorities arrived. But the young Rachel Amber was said to be overdosed just hours before authorities arrived…"
'Hours before authorities arrived'
Dead. How could she be dead?
She was still in high school
They kidnapped her. Then… Overdosed her
'Hours before authorities arrived'
What kind of world does this?
She wasn't even 19
'Hours before authorities arrived'
'Hours before authorities arrived'
…
Hearing the train finally come into the station didn't do anything to help Max's anxiety or heartache, and seeing her girlfriend emerge from the crowd only made her want to break down even more, but somehow the two made it to the brunette's bedroom without doing so. "She's gone" Chloe said at a loss for words, breaking the silence
"Chloe…" Max wept as she wrapped her arms around her girlfriend
"She's gone Max" she repeated "And I don't believe it, I don't want to believe it" she continued as she wrapped her arms around Max and tilted her head down.
"I don't want to either" Max sobbed into the girl's jacket
"That fucking town, first it takes my dad away from me, then it tried to take my best friend right after, but since it couldn't do it then it had to try again but succeed this time with a different friend. Your dad had the right idea with moving, I'm surprised I still have all my limbs living in that fucking death trap of a town my whole life" she went on coldly.
"They found the people responsible didn't they?" Max offered removing her face from the girl's shoulder and looking up to Chloe with teary eyes
"Yeah well, they found the one responsible for my dad's death and he lost his job, but then those monsters just showed up a few years later to take away someone else I love. They didn't even show up, one of them was their the whole time and the other just came back" Chloe shot back. "FUCK!" she yelled as her defenses finally broke and tears started falling from her eyes. Making sure to still hold Max closely she maneuvered her way to the brunette's bed and the two collapsed onto it simultaneously "That town just keeps taking and taking Max, and I don't have much left to give" she wailed into brunette's chest "I can't lose you Max" she continued, shaking her head and holding the smaller girl tighter
"You won't lose me, I'm not leaving you" Max tried to comfort the taller girl. "I'm never leaving you" she repeated, this time into the girl's ear as she ran her fingers through the punk's hair.
For a split second after Max woke up everything felt normal, waking up in Chloe's arms in her bed with the morning sun pushing through her curtains lighting her room, the only sound being generic suburb sounds coming from outside and her girlfriend's breathing. But once that split second was over everything seemed to change. The lighting was not as bright, her girlfriend's breathing not as calming, and the arms wrapped around her not enough to comfort her.
"You wish you were still sleeping don't you" Chloe asked as she rubbed the brunette's arm.
"Yeah…" She replied her voice a mix of being tired and gloomy.
"Me too" Chloe returned "I hate that I'm experiencing this again" she said simply "But I hate that you have to go through this too" she added bringing her lips to the brunette's scalp. "Not to say that you didn't mourn my dad" she quickly corrected "Just that, we're on more even grounds this time, if that makes sense" Chloe continued "Crap, that just sounds like I'm saying…" she went on before interrupting herself with a sigh "I'm sorry"
"It's okay Chloe, I know what you're trying to say" Max assured and she spun around in her bed to wrap her arms around the taller girl.
…
"Hey, just so maybe we get out of bed, could I use your guitar?" Chloe asked after the two have been comforting each other for a while
"Yeah, of course" Max replied with a small smile
"At least this time around I have that smile to remind me that there still is some good in this world" Chloe returned with a smile of her own. " I don't have a song planed or anything, I just wanna practice" she added getting up from the bed and walking over to Max's closet to take out the guitar as Max went to her desk to grab a pick. Both girls returned to the bed in a seated position
"Remember what I taught you since last time?" Max asked offering Chloe the pick
"Yeah" Chloe replied as she slowly took her girlfriend's hand and brought it to her lips before taking the pick
"Hey" Chloe whispered as she gently shook Max awake
"What's happening?" Max mumbled as she rubbed her eyes in an attempt to wake herself up
"We're going somewhere" Chloe replied doing her best to hide her tiredness.
"What time is it?" She asked as she stretched on the bed
"It's like…" she extended the syllable to think "Five" she replied as she grabbed the brunette's hand and began to pull her out of the bed
"Five?" Max said in something louder than a whisper "Where are we going at five in the morning?" she asked returning to a whisper
"Trust" Chloe simply said back as she fully pulled the brunette out of bed
…
"Where are we going?" Max asked again sounding more awake now as Chloe drove the two to their destination
"I don't know the name of it, but I remember you saying it's one of your favorite places to take pictures in Seattle" Chloe replied as she gestured down to her chest where the brunette's polaroid camera was dangling from a lanyard "And well, I really like your photography and don't want what that fucker did to ruin your love and passion for it either"
"Thanks" Max simply said with a small smile. "I didn't know what to feel about photography when details of what he did in that bunker came out. I can't believe I used to think of him as an inspiration…" she trailed off "But maybe this is exactly what I need to get that out of my head" she said with a small smile returning.
"That's what I was hoping to do" Chloe returned with a smile, returning her attention to the road.
…
"Rachel always said sunrises were her favorite to photograph" Max remembered as the couple took a seat at a nearby bench after the brunette took some pictures.
"It better have been, her middle name is Dawn after all" Chloe joked as the brunette snuggled up against the punk on the bench.
"How're you doing with… everything" Max asked after laughing through her nose
"I'm… doing" she replied as she wrapped one of her arms around the brunette "Don't know how I'll be doing once the school is done being investigated, or really, how I'll be doing once I have to leave you. How 'bout you?"
"Probably the same" the brunette answered in a similar tone "At least the people at your school will probably know what's up, everyone I know will probably ask why I missed a week of school and why I look so 'out of it'"
"It was like that for me after my dad's crash, but everyone seemed to leave me alone after a few people asked me" Chloe replied trying to find the silver lining. "But I'll always be a text or phone call away if you need me" She made clear
"I know, and so will I" Max returned, gently squeezing the taller girl
"It doesn't have to be when you need me either, I'm always a text or phone call away"
"How'd it go today?" Chloe asked from her side of the Skype call
"It was… okay" Max answered in a sigh "Most of the people I hang out with knew what was up, there was just the occasional teacher and curious classmate that asked why I was gone for a week. What about you? What'd you do today?" she returned
"Just hung out with Justin and the others, we mostly just smoked and talked a lot, mostly about Rachel" Chloe replied with a more noticeable hint of sadness in her voice.
"Oh… are you alright?"
"Yeah it was draining but, somewhat… therapeutic? I guess. In a cathartic kind of way" she clarified "You wanna give it a shot? Without the weed obviously but I do think it helped in a way" Chloe offered
"Maybe, but not today, I'm already pretty drained as it is. Every class felt like it dragged on, and break and lunch just disappeared, I feel like right now is the first time today I can try and collect myself" Max explained
"I know what you mean. You wanna end early and get some rest?" Chloe offered
"No no, I like our after school video calls" Max assured with a smile "Plus if I nap now it'll make staying asleep at night harder" she replied. "Did uh, anything new come up?"
"Nothing really but, David said he and his friends at the station think that Mark's getting multiple life sentences from what they found in the bunker, so that's something I guess"
"Good" Max said coldly "What about the Prescott kid?"
"They're pretty sure he's gonna get hospitalized, and the shitball's dad is going to be investigated for funding that place" The punk replied
"Good" Max repeated
"Also got an email from the school saying that classes will resume in two days, so I have that to look forward to" Chlo said trying to change the subject
"How are they going to adress… well, everything? Max asked
"I don't know…" Chloe replied pondering the question "Probably a school wide assembly followed by every teacher having their own thing to say to the class before it begins. Gonna be a long and awkward day, at least we're close to the end of the school year"
"Thank god for that" Max agreed
…
"I'm back!" Max yelled from the entrance to her room. To both girl's relief the two had moved on to a more normal conversation and had planned to watch a movie together.
"Welcome back cutie" Chloe smiled as the brunette returned to her desk carrying a popcorn bag
"Aww, so you guys are out of popcorn?" Max asked as she noticed Chloe was laying on her bed popcorn-less.
"Yeah…" she sighed "David probably ate the last bag" she huffed glaring in the direction of her door.
"Yikes, glad I don't have to witness that confrontation" Max teased plopping a small handful of popcorn in her mouth.
"Looks like you're ready to watch the confrontation right now though" Chloe pointed out with a chuckle.
"You ready to start?" Max asked after rolling her eyes
"Wait, could I ask you something?" Chloe said getting up from her bed and bringing her laptop back to her desk.
"Of course" Max replied as she adjusted herself in her seat to sit more attentive.
"I was gonna do this as a surprise and in a cute little way and shit, but with everything that's happened I don't know if a surprise would've been the best thing to do so I'm just gonna ask you now" Chloe explained. "Could I come down there and be your date for Junior prom? I know it's in 11 days and sign ups or whatever start next week" she asked with a unsure smile "But if you don't wanna go to prom we can just hang out that weekend instead if you like" she quickly added before the brunette could respond
"Awwww, Chloe…" Max beamed smiling ear to ear "I'd love to go to prom with you" she continued. "But how'd you know about the details and everything?
"Michelle, she moved there last year, she says she has art class with you" Chloe answered
"Aw really? I didn't know she was from Blackwell!"
"At least I know that you really don't pay attention to the hot chicks at your school" Chloe joked
"Psh, you're the only hot chick I see" Max smiled "Wait, you think Michelle is one of the 'hot chicks' at my school? Max asked jokingly suspicious
"Uh… we should start the movie before it gets too late"
"Fancy" Chloe commented as the two walked into a ballroom filled mostly with round tables and buffet style tables set up along the walls of the ballroom with a dance floor near the center connected to a stage setup against the wall "You won't get shit from people for bringing a girl as your date will you?" Chloe asked holding the brunette's hand as they walked further into the ballroom
"Ha! This is a city high school, I'd get shit from people for bringing anyone as my date" Max retorted. "Plus I don't care who knows you're my girlfriend" she added quickly pecking the taller girl on the lips. "But we gotta keep the PDA down, they were really strict about that
"You tell me that after I agreed to be here all night?" Chloe joked
"You'll live" Max returned rolling her eyes. "There's our table" she said pointing to a table, already half filled with two girls waving at the couple to get their attention.
"That's Bethany" Max pointed to her friend who waved at the couple enthusiastically once they were close enough to have introductions. "And apparently you already know Michelle" she added pointing to the girl who gave a quick wave to the couple "That's Michael and I guess the other one is Michelle's date?"
"Steve" Michelle confirmed as the two boys gave a 'what's up' head nod to the couple
"And this is my date, Chloe" Max beamed wrapping her arms around her and giving her a tight squeeze.
"Sup" Chloe said regarding the group at the table. "I'm the one who steals her away for weekends and breaks"
"And I guess when she starts blushing in class that's you too?" Bethany asked with a grin already knowing the answer
"Yep, that's me too" Chloe replied proudly "At least I hope it is" she added turning to the brunette eyeing her suspiciously. "Do you happen to keep track of when these happen? So I can cross reference them with texts to make sure she's not texting someone else"
"Oh shut up" Max laughed swatting at the punk's shoulder.
"I'll have to get back to you on that, I keep my records in my notebook, but it's at home" Bethany played along
"Cool, I'll have Max give you my number" Chloe replied before stopping to think. "Actually, I'll have Michelle give you my number" she corrected as the brunette rolled her eyes before taking her seat at the table.
...
The couple elected to take their prom photos while the buffet line dies down since the two were busy chatting with Max's school friends when the buffet line opened
"Sooo, we went to wait in this line to take photos in hopes that the other line will be shorter by the time we're done waiting in this line" Chloe said connecting the dots of their plan together
"'Maxipoo, we should take photos now since the food line is hella long and knowing me I'd probably make a mess and spill food on my dress since I eat like a pig. Oink oink'" Max mocked in a over exaggerated manner.
"I know that's exactly what I said" Chloe replied sarcastically. "I'm just being difficult, and didn't know the photo line would be long too" she smiled before kissing the brunette's nose "The oinks were a bit much though" she laughed
"I thought so too, but hey, you said it, I'm just quoting you" Max teased swinging the punk's hand back and forth as they moved up in line
"Such a smart ass" Chloe said rolling her eyes "You know I always thought we'd go to prom together"
"Aww, really?" Max asked smiling up to the taller girl
"Yeah, but as friends, it was like whenever High School Musical came out, I was thinking 'who'd I go to prom with'. And I think I was in the 'ew boys' phase" she explained before leaning in to whisper to the brunette. "Still am actually" she smirked before continuing her explanation "And so I thought, 'obviously I'd go to prom with Max', didn't know it'd be as your date though"
"That's so cute" Max smiled "I never thought about that at the time but 2006 Max would probably think the same"
"High School Musical was 2006? Fuck, we're old" Chloe said with legitimate sadness
"Speak for yourself, I'm not even an adult yet, you turned 19 two months ago, you're pretty much a college student. You sure you can be dating a high schooler?"
"Oh shut the hell up" Chloe laughed "Not my fault my parents enrolled me to kindergarten late
"You think we still would've met if your parents enrolled you when they should've? Or if my parents enrolled me late?" Max asked suddenly thoughtful
"Without a doubt" Chloe said confidently as she let go of the brunette's hand and threw her arm around her girlfriend's shoulder to bring her close.
5/21/13
6:05
Max: One more month and it's summer babayyyyy
Chloe: Fiiiinally
We should probably make real plans for your move here when (yes when, not if) you get accept to Blackwell
Max: You're right, do you remember your experience? With getting accepted
Chloe: Nah but I asked my mom and some friends since she did it for me I didn't need a dorm.
They'll email you around July saying: Congratulations! your application has been blah blah blah... then it'll tell you when your dorm will be ready and they'll send you a picture of it so you can start planning on decorations and shit.
Oh! Then they'll send you a bunch of rules and bureaucratic bullshit that you'll need to agree to and have your parents to sign
Max: Okay, so I'm thinking you come visit till I hopefully get the acceptance email (if you want to visit, if not you could just pick me up when I get accept) then pack all my crap into your truck then head down and hopefully David and your mom will be cool with having some extra boxes in the garage or something until I can move them into my dorm
Chloe: Alright, A: You're crazy if you think I wouldn't want to come for a visit, so yes the second that last school bell rings for me my ass is coming there. B: "hopefully get your acceptance email"? You mean when you get your acceptance email. C: Good thinking, I'll bring some big ass boxes and cables to secure your stuff in my truck. D: Of course they'll be cool with having your stuff in the garage. And finally, E: I love you
Max: Sounds like a plan, and I love you too :)
Hey, so while we're on real talk mode…
Chloe: Yeah?
Max: Did Rachel's parents say anything about if a funeral is happening?
Chloe: Oh, right. The investigation or whatever returned her body recently, so I'd guess it'd be happening soon
Max: Are you going to go when they do?
Chloe: Yeah
Max: Okay. Could you let me know when you find out anything
Chloe: Of course
Max: Sorry I had to bring it up
Chloe: Don't be, these things have to happen
Max: I wish they didn't
Chloe: Yeah… you and me both
"You look nice" Chloe commented to the brunette as she re-entered the punk's room
"Thanks" Max replied, allowing herself a smile "You do too" she returned as she rubbed Chloe's shoulder through her leather jacket. "You ready?" she asked as the punk took the brunette's hand and intertwined their fingers together.
"As ready as I'll ever be" Chloe said after a sigh "You?"
"Same" Make returned as the two began to made their way to the truck.
…
"Arcadia Bay Cemetery" Chloe said through a sigh as she read the sign from afar. This fucking place again Chloe thought to herself as she looked to her father's grave and finding it quickly because she memorized it's position relative to the parking lot since she would spend quite some time waiting in her truck as she built up the courage to visit her father's grave. Now I get to remember two graves positions so that I can stare at them from this parking lot and try to wish them away. "Thanks for being with me" Chloe said as she reached for the brunette's hand while she parked.
"Of course, I'll always be with you" Max assured as she accepted the punk's hand and scooted closer to her after she undid her seatbelt.
…
This guy might as well not have shown up, I don't even remember what he said two sentences ago. I'm not even paying attention to him now, all I hear is when he says her name followed by the past tense of something. 'Rachel Dawn Amber was a beloved daughter…' 'She was a great student...' 'She was beautiful, always loving and…' 'Rachel would have been…' 'She always had… ' '... touchedall of us…'
Dead.
She's gone.
I'll never see her again
I'll never hear her voice again
I'll never hear her laugh
I'll never hear her get upset
I'll never hear one of her crazy plans
I'll never see her photography again
I'll never… She's brought out of her thoughts by the brunette taking a step closer to her to wrap her in a one armed hug as she cried into her shoulder.
They'll never team up against me
They'll never gush about photography together
They'll never compare photographs again
They'll never exchange photography tips again
They'll never get in arguments about some artsy crap
'You could always count on her... ' ' She Lived.' 'She wanted.' 'She planned.' 'She dreamed.' 'She loved.'
The three of us will never hang out again
We'll never chill at the junkyard
We'll never stay up late watching movies together
We'll never listen to music together
We'll never bicker between each other again
We'll never go to live shows again
We'll never graduate together
We'll never make plans outside of highschool together
We'll never escape this fucking town
…
Looking up from the coffin for the first time in a while Chloe is surprised to see that there were only four people left at the funeral, her and Max and Rachel's parents. Max had returned to a normal standing position, still with her fingers intertwined with Chloe's, probably waiting and hoping Chloe would take the first steps in leaving. The two made their way to Rachel's parents and exchanged silent hellos followed by silent goodbyes.
"I'm sorry" Chloe thought as she hugged James since she didn't have the strength to say it outloud but hoped that he knew what she was trying to say.
12 hours huh? Chloe thought as she looked at the time on her phone Crying yourself to sleep really puts you in a coma. At least this is better than the last funeral I had, I came home with Max rather than coming home to a message from her. Even though she does have to leave tomorrow. Fucking school, four more weeks…
"Are you two up yet?" Chloe heard from her door after two faint knocks "Breakfast is still waiting for you in the fridge" Joyce said through the door quietly before walking away. With that she felt the brunette beside her shift around
"You up?" Chloe asked, surprising herself with how awake she sounded
"Yeah" The brunette returned in a similar manner
"Fuck me, this just reset the whole process, I'm so tired to waking up and instantly feeling miserable" Chloe complained
"I know, I am too" Max agreed "But we'll make it through this, together" she said grasping the punk's hand in her own "One day at a time"
"Holy shit Max" Chloe laughed as she was picked up and spun around after crashing into her girlfriend's arms "I don't think you've ever spun me around like that" Chloe commented once the smaller girl placed her down "Normally your the spinnie and I'm the spinner"
"Well don't get use to it, cause you are heeeavy, don't know how many times I can do that again" Max said dramatically
"You calling me fat Caulfield? Pretty sure that's cause for tickle retaliation" Chloe smirked.
"No no! I'm saying that I'm just weak sauce babe you're fine" Max retorted quickly
"Insulting yourself? That's an even worse offence, I may just need to call the executioner now" Chloe continued as she snaked her hands on both of the brunette's side grinning intently.
"Chloe, don't you dare, I do not want to fall onto the driveway" Max warned, holding her girlfriend's hand away by her wrists "And if I do fall you're coming with me"
"I don't see what's so bad about that, plus there's a patch of grass just over there I can tackle you onto" Chloe continued to smirk "Oh alright" she conceded when the brunette's continued her unenthusiastic look.
"Okay so, the only thing planned is being up bright and early tomorrow at eight to enroll for Blackwell than it's all chill till they accept you in July right?" Chloe asked once the two were in the brunette's room
"That's the plan" The brunette confirmed "Then we pack up and leave any time after that, but probably at least give my parents a heads up" She added
"Then your back in Arcadia…" Chloe said as she took off her leather jacket and placed it on Max's computer chair "You know what this means right?"
"What's it mean" Max smiled as she approached her girlfriend from behind. "It means that…" Chloe began before turning around and becoming face to face with Max "Hey…" Chloe said with a hint of nervousness
"Hey…"
"That our long distance relationship is over, and now it's just a relationship" Chloe said as the shorter girl rested her arms on the punk's shoulders
"I know!" Max beamed as she connected lips with Chloe.
"No more counting the days till we see each other"
"No more lonely nights"
"Or mornings"
"Or days"
"No more long road trips"
"No more long train rides" They said back and forth between kisses
…
"You think we'll get many of the same classes?" Max wondered out loud
"You kidding me? We better have like all our core classes together, you got like the same G.P.A. as me, what did you end with again?" Chloe asked
"3.4" Max answered
"God, is it weird that I'm 19 and already so proud of someone?" Chloe asked
"Nah, but you are old enough to be the wise old teacher type, so maybe it's not weird in the first place" Max joked
"Oh shut the fuck up" Chloe laughed "One and a half years is not that big of a difference bitch"
"You mean two years, I'm 17, you're 19" Max continued
"Oh my god, is that what I sounded like? I can't believe this shit has switched around now, I'm sorry I ever teased you for being one and a half years younger than me" Chloe apologized.
"I'll think about forgiving you" Max laughed "And I never used the B word when you'd pull that on me"
"You are such a brat"
"Maybe that B word though"
"Were your dolls of choice Bratz growing up? Cause you sure are one" Chloe teased
"You know I was a barbie girl through and through" Max corrected
"Oh, were you in a barbie world too?" Chloe began to grin
"I'm going to bed" Max said flatly "And I'm taking all the blankets with me" she added as she spun around to face away from the punk, making sure to take as much of the bed sheets with her.
Hearing her phone's notification alert go off equally startles and confuses Max and gets a glare from Chloe as she picks it up from off the couch
"Dude, silence your phone during movies, I don't wanna get kicked out" Chloe joked
"Oh shut up" Max laughed as she opened her messaging app "Oh my god, pause the freaking movie" Max said as she got up from the couch "It's from the Blackwell scholarship office" she said reading the sender.
After Max had sent her application from Blackwell the office had texted her to confirm that her application was received and that she would received another text to tell her if her application was accepted or not.
"Holy shit" Chloe replied fumbling with the remote for a few seconds before pausing it and getting up from the couch to read Max's phone beside her.
7/10/13
1:58 PM
Blackwell Scholarship Office: Congratulations! Your application to attend Blackwell Academy has been accepted, furthermore Your request for a full scholarship has also been accepted. We have sent you an email with more details and the next steps you have to take to attending Blackwell Academy with the email you gave us in your application. We look forward to seeing you in September.
"You did it babe" Chloe said at a loss for words
"WE did it babe" Max corrected. "Holy crap, WE did it babe!" Max repeated as she reread the text. "And I got a full scholarship? Oh my god thank you so much" she beamed as she wrapped Chloe in a hug
"I knew you'd get accepted babe, I'm so proud of you" Chloe said returning the hug
"I love you, so much" Max added before crashing her lips into her girlfriend's.
…
"When should we start packing?" Chloe asked once the two had mostly calmed down and resumed watching the movie
"I don't know…" Max contemplated "Maybe some time in August? So I could say bye to my parents and stuff"
"Works for me" Chloe said with a shrug. "I can't believe it, your freaking moving back to Arcadia Bay" Chloe gushed "And to the same freaking school I'm going to, oh my god you're going to love it there" she added
"Knowing that you go to Blackwell already makes me love it there" Max smiled
"I don't even care how much of a dork your being, I'm just so excited, we get to go back to school together" she returned "That's a pretty lame thing to be excited for" she thought out loud "But it's true" she clarified.
"I am too" Max agreed "But I'm mostly excited for being able to see you everyday"
"Oh yeah, that's a given" Chloe said matter of factly.
After slowly packing over the course of three days and a teary goodbye to both her parents, Max and Chloe left Seattle and made their way to Arcadia Bay, with boxes of Max's stuff in the bed of Chloe's trunk.
"No matter what I do I keep getting more and more excited for school to start, but I know that the day after it does all the excitement will be gone" Max said as the two crossed into Oregon
"I know!" Chloe agreed "It'll last till like the first class and I'll get all 'Oh right, this isn't exciting at all, what was I thinking?' But I'll do it again next year. Though, maybe with you there the excitement will last" she added giving an over exaggerated smile to her girlfriend.
"Yeah…" Max agreed slowly "With you there it might last another day" she smirked
"Just a day? Ouch, thanks babe" Chloe replied with feigned insult.
"Any time darling" Max sassed back.
"Wow…" Chloe said taking a step back and taking in their hard work "It really does feel like a mini version of your room up in Seattle" She continued "I really do like those lanterns" she said looking above the girl's bed. "I mean, they're no Christmas lights, but I do like them" she smiled.
"Thanks for helping me decorate" Max smiled before wrapping the punk in a hug.
"Of course baby" The punk replied returning the hug. "I can imagine us coming here after school doing all our school shit, jamming to music, watching movies" she contemplated out loud. "Me staying the night…" she added with a smirk "Bed's kind of small though" she added gesturing to the brunette's bed
"We never needed all the space on my bed back in Seattle, or in your room" Max returned
"True" Chloe smiled before leaning down and connecting her lips with the brunette's
"Hello? Is there anyone in this dorm?" The girls heard a voice ask accompanied by knocks at the brunette's door.
Reluctantly breaking the kiss, Chloe walked over to the door a swung it open
"Sup?" Chloe nonchalantly asked, recognizing the voice.
"Oh, Chloe?" The girl asked clearly surprised to see the punk greet her at the door. "I didn't know you were moving into a dorm"
"God no, I'd never live here" Chloe scoffed. "I'm helping my girlfriend move in" she said stepping to the side and revealing the brunette behind her in the room. "Though now that she's here I may just move in with her" Chloe said smiling to the brunette
"Oh, Oh! You must be Max, I'm Dana, I'm just greeting all the new people moving in and offering them some cookies I made" Dana said presenting a plate with a stack of napkins on the center with chocolate chip cookies surrounding it.
"Oh, thanks, I'd love some. That's really nice of you" Max said happily taking a napkin and putting a few cookies on it. "And yeah I'm Max, I guess you heard of me through Chloe?"
"Yeah, and Rachel. Only good things, I promise" Dana replied with a smile that changed to a frown accompanied with a glare when the punk had stacked a bunch of cookies on one napkin and walked off with it.
"What? I'm new to the dorms too" Chloe smirked as she placed her napkin of cookies besides Max's on her desk
"Sorry about her" Max laughed as she rolled her eyes "Do you want some of mine back?"
"Oh no I made extra" Dana said a smile returning to her face. "I'll let you guys get back to it" she said exiting the room "Bye you two, and welcome to Blackwell Max" she said from the hallway
"Bye! And thanks for the welcome" Max said as Dana closed the door
"Thanks for the cookies!" Chloe shouted with her mouth full before the door closed.
"That was nice of her" Max remarked once the door closed and sufficient time had passed to where Dana couldn't hear them.
"Yeah, she's one of the alright ones here" Chloe replied before chomping down of another cookie. "Damn, these are hella good, I hope she wasn't just being nice when she said she made extra, might have to run her down for some more"
"You're terrible" Max laughed before biting into a cookie from the pile.
A/N: We kind of went way off the path of the game in this chapter. Originally I was gonna have events around this time remain mostly the same, Rachel going missing and the two never finding out about what happened to her until October, but I just got the idea of what I did in this chapter and it was hard for me not to go with it, especially since people in comments/reviews were excited or showed excitement for how this AU would play differently so I just went with it. Also, I'm fortunate enough never to have been to a funeral so I have no idea what it would be like so that's why I kept it brief and mostly in Chloe's head, sorry if that bothers anyone.
Forgot to say in the last chapter's A/N that +44's only album and Rise Against's Wolves album is also a hint for the tone/inspiration I got for the next fanfic I wanna try and write
Side note: I hope I didn't or haven't been messing up the school breaks in this fanfic, sorry if I did. I live in Hawaii and the schools here do things differently than they do in the rest of the U.S. (Our last day of school is in May and first day of school is in August) so I've just been googling school calendars for Oregon and Washington.
Anyway, thanks for reading and as always please leave comments/reviews to let me know what you thought about the chapter, or anything you want me to know, I love reading them.