"Max, if you allow me, now it's my turn to do something fucking impulsive."
Chloe, holding the joint that we were sharing near the Two Whales diner, suddenly stared at me with a playful gesture. We both were in a good mood, and the effects of the weed became noticeable, so I was ready for any possible craziness from my punk friend.
"Surprise me, you crazy head." I couldn't believe it, but I was smiling. I'll remember this Saturday afternoon for being the first time I manage to smile after… you know. That thing.
"I dare you to kiss me."
What the heck…? I stepped back at Chloe's words, to become immediately nervous, with a cringy grin of my face. Does she mean… a real kiss? In her lips?
"What did you just say, Chloe…?"
"I double-dare you. Kiss me now."
Why? That was not only impulsive, but also totally out of context now. I wanted to believe she's just talking nonsense due to the excitement of the moment and probably dope's effect.
"Are you cereal? I just can't believe you said that. Why, Chloe?" I lost my smile. In fact, my face turned distressed. I couldn't believe she came up with that just when I was about to overcome all the traumatizing experiences I lived this week.
"What's wrong…? I mean, it's just a kiss, between… two good friends… right?" The blue-haired girl sounded hesitant and looked away.
"Rachel died this week, for fuck's sake, Chloe!" I turned angry as I clenched my fists and leaned my face to Chloe's. "Don't you have any respect? What's wrong with you?"
"Max, I-I didn't mean to… I just wanted to… Damn, forget it." Chloe, as soon as she noticed that she just fucked it up, put a tone between concern and regret.
"Goodbye, Chloe."
Easy come, easy go. Once again, I was on the verge of tears, that feeling I knew so well after experiencing it so many times over the last few days. I turned around and left Chloe behind, walking briskly with a hand in my forehead. After all, I haven't made any progress, everything was just an illusion. I'm still as depressed as I was at first.
"Wait, Max! I'm sorry! Forgive me, please!"
Chloe yelled in the distance in a brittle voice, but I ignored her. I could only see the horizon of that Arcadia Bay street in front of me, blurred by the tears that I was starting to shed.
"What the fuck…?"
I opened my eyes and found myself in a completely different place. Why did that painful memory about Chloe come to my mind? It felt like if I was dreaming... I found myself with a slight headache and completely disoriented. What did just happen?
I looked around. I was sitting on a couch, inside some kind of office with several shelves, a desk with a desktop computer and ostentatious decoration. I also heard a noisy electronic music rumbling, apparently from the adjoining room. This place rings some sort of bell... Wowser, I got it! It's the room where that Logan bastard groped me. That's true... fruit of my despair, I decided to travel back in time to this very moment to try to change the events. I remember everything now.
Okay, Max. It's not the time to complain about a simple headache. Let's get things right for once. I can remember Chloe lurking around here in the Vortex Club VIP area, looking for Nathan, and I was about to bump into her. And of course, I had every intention of bumping into her again, but this time the script will change dramatically.
When I felt ready, I set out to leave the office and reach to the dance floor, where every Nathan or Victoria crony would be boozing and getting stoned as if there was no tomorrow. I cursed the DJ the Prescotts hired for the occasion. Dude, for reals, listening to this kind of music blasting is the last thing I want now. A déjà vu came to me when I saw everyone partying again in the exact same spot, doing exactly the same stuff as I recalled, but this time there was something... strange in the background. It was a kind of 'black wall', made up of something I was unable to identify, which only allowed me to move within a few yards. I guess my power is not omnipotent, and my actions are limited when I travel to the past using that photo focus method. Anyways, that's not a big deal now. I know Chloe is around here for sure, and that's more than enough to change the future.
A few seconds looking around were enough to find my punk friend, who was nervous, watching in all directions. She stood out in the crowd, as if she were glowing. I inmediately walked towards her and stopped short.
"Whoa!" Chloe stepped back and lifted her hands as soon as she noticed my presence, frightened as if a ghost had gotten in her way. "Max...? It can't be. Is it really you?"
"Hi, Chloe." My gesture was serious and my voice was calm. I guess Chloe probably would have preferred to see me in better spirits after five long years of absence, but really, I'm unable to use another register right now.
"What the fuck are you doing here, Max?" Chloe raised her voice due to that damn musical aberration that was rumbling in the background.
"We have to talk right now, Chloe. There's no time to lose."
"Yeah, of course we have to talk!" My resentful friend gestured self-defensive and folded her arms. "Five years in which I haven't heard from you, except for a couple of elusive text messages, and now you reappear like that, out of the blue, and with that stone face!"
"Listen, Chloe. I don't have time for this bullshit, so I'll go straight to the point: I came from the future. Yes, I can travel back in time. I know that your first reaction will be thinking that I'm zoned, but I will prove it to you: I know everything that is going to happen next week. I know you're looking for Nathan for payback, because of that incident in which he took some disturbing pics while you were unconscious in his room. I know your mom remarried with the step-douche, I know you got kicked out of Blackwell, and... I know Rachel. I know her more than you can imagine."
Chloe, how could it be different, was freaking out as she listened to my speech. Her eyes widened when I named her blonde friend.
"What kind of introduction is that? This is incredible! Max, have you been spying on me? How long have you been here in Arcadia? What do you know about my step-shit and Rachel? And, above all, what the fuck is that you came from the future? What kind of game are you playing?"
I realized that, even though I was telling the whole truth, trying to convince Chloe could take a long time, so I decided to speed up the process by appealing to her feelings. I hope it works.
"Chloe... I-I'm sorry. Sorry I've been an ass to you. I've made a lot of mistakes, but... forgive me, please." My voice cracked as I spoke. "I've missed you so much. I did want to write to you, I always wanted, but I was afraid... and in the end, I always regretted. But I never desired to leave it like this... You're my best friend, Chloe, and you always will be."
"Max, I…" Judging from the gesture my friend made, she seemed to be touched. Great. "I don't know what to say… You suddenly appear out of nowhere, you talk to me as if you got all hopped up on acid, and now you come to me with that rant... I'm confused. Anyways... maybe it's possible that I'd been an ass too... eventually."
"Don't worry about that, really. I know you had your reasons. But for reals, I need to tell you something very important. Rachel's life is in danger."
"Rachel? What's wrong with Rachel? You won't think I'm believing that time travel shit, won't you?"
"Let's go outside and I'll tell you everything. You have a cig?"
"What the…? You also know I'm a smoker? And, since when do you like smoking?"
"Oh, gawd, my innocent Chloe. If you only knew…"
For the next ten or fifteen minutes, I kept telling Chloe everything that had happened in the last few days. My comeback to Arcadia Bay with the aim of studying in Blackwell, the adventures we had together rescuing Kate, stopping Jefferson's evil plans, how I saved her life, how I had to carry her gun and kill Nathan with it, how her stepfather helped us, and the fact that we couldn't do anything to save Rachel. I just omitted one detail: my true feelings. At this time, as much as it pains me, it's a secondary matter. The important point is saving the life of the third crew member of our pirate ship.
While I told my story, I included a lot of personal details, trying to make Chloe had no choice but to believe me. Her face was truly a picture of a thousand words, from the first word to the last.
"Well, that was hella weird." When I finished speaking, Chloe seemed excited. "So, if I got you well, Max... Right now, with your powers, you could kick the snot out of Principal Wells, rewind, and nothing would happen then?"
"That's right. Do you want me to bring some Wells' blood as a proof?"
"Lol! That would be cool, but let it be, Max... I don't know, I'm still quite confused... How can I be sure of all this story isn't a product of your prodigious imagination and you haven't actually been spying on Rachel and me?"
"You know perfectly well that I ain't good writing fiction... photography is my thing."
"Yeah… if you're still the same Max Caulfield I remember, that's true. Look, Max, to be honest, I'm flipping out right now, and you sound convincing as fuck... but I need real proof. I need something that proves you didn't go freaking nuts… I got it! Tell me some secret about me that a hippie snitch couldn't guess in a lifetime. If you do so, then you'll win over me and I'll start to believe in supernatural powers, and even in unicorns if necessary."
"Let's see…" I remained thoughtful during a few seconds. "When was the last time you played Arcadia Booze with the skater guys?"
"No shit! You know about Arcadia Booze too? The last time we played was like... six months ago, and no one has blabbed about it since then!"
"So? Are you gonna believe me already, or do you still think I've been spying on you during the last six months? By the way, I hope you hadn't played that 'perform a naked hardcore' card…"
Chloe's mouth fell wide open.
"Well, the truth is that one day… Meh, forget it! So, you were right! This is the most amazing thing ever! From today, I pledge allegiance to Max and the power for which she stands!" My skeptical friend made a reverential gesture.
Gawd, Chloe, aren't you gonna tell me your story about performing a naked hardcore in front of Rachel and the boys? Too bad. Anyway, keep your mind on the job, Max. It's not the time to think dirty, the point here is that you finally won over your stubborn friend.
"This is not a game, Chloe. I've really passed through all the fucked-up events I've told you about a moment ago, and believe me, I'm not happy about it. Indeed, I'm here to try to change it."
"Uh... okay, Max. You're on command. And what am I supposed to do now? Do you want me to call Rachel?"
There's nothing I'd like better than hearing the voice of my beloved one. But unfortunately, that's not my focus right now.
"For now," I answered, "we must save Kate and stop Nathan. The young Prescott plays a more important role than you think in all this. Let's get your truck, I know where they are now."
"Wow, thanks for saving me a hella bunch of work! I was expecting to get Nathan's location by beating some of the Vortex Club dickheads up... Okay, SuperMax! Let's burn those wheels!"
I love Chloe's attitude. That excitement and exuberance made me feel a little better. Suddenly, I noticed something strange in the environment. Those 'black walls' that surrounded me seemed to narrow little by little. That should mean I've already done all I had to do here…
"By the way, Chloe." I added, with a slight smile before I disappear completely from this timeline. "Do you know I can guess the underwear you're wearing right now?"
"Hey, don't overuse your powers, you smartass!" Chloe slightly nudged me as she spoke, but her smile proved that she wasn't really bothered by the fact I could guess that. "You've changed a lot since the last time I saw you, Max Caulfield…"
"No doubt about it, Chloe. Now I am the other Max."
There was no time left. I was caught by the dark atmosphere that surrounded me, blackening everything, and then only emptiness remained.
My eyes started to open very slowly. It took a long time until my vision became clear and realize that I reappeared in a completely different place again. I'm… lying down? This isn't my bed… Where am I? I allegedly changed reality and now I'm back in the present, right?
"You gotta be kidding me…"
I looked around: white walls with sober decoration. A bedside table. An IV and many other medical devices next to my left. I'm in a damn hospital room, all alone.
This can't be real. What happened to me to end up admitted in a hospital? I fucked it up again. It has no other possible explanation.
"Rachel? Chloe…?"
Despite my desperate attention calls, no one came.
Try to remember, Max… What happened these days? What did Chloe and I do after talking to her? It's useless… No matter how hard I try to recall, those are memories I don't have. It's exactly like the last time, when I changed reality and I appeared in Santa Monica Hospital, completely out of place. Thinking about that memory makes me shudder.
Looking for clues, I examined my own body. Obviously, I was dressed in hospital clothes, although I didn't notice any symptoms or any particular ailments. But suddenly, I was horrified when I discovered that I had both arms bandaged, from the wrist to almost the elbow. What… the hell have you done, Max? Immediately, my face turned pale. I was completely terrified and my heart began to beat too fast.
"Help! Please, somebody help me!" I screamed as I squirmed on the bed, completely out of myself.
The only thing my shrill screams caused was confirming that I was completely on my own. I was filled with a dreadful fear. Then, I began to whine, overwhelmed by desperation and helplessness, and still having no clue about what happened to me in these last days.