"So that's it, huh? We'll keep in touch, right?"

"Of course, Chloe. We've both got phones and email and the internet. You're too good of a friend for me to let fade away."

Chloe allowed the silence to hang for too long. Something about those words felt like a lie, not that she would ever say so. Best to think of the positive. Change the subject and make their final moments happy.

"How do you think it'll be when you're off to see the world and make your big break on the coast? Will the world learn to love the name Steph Gingrich?"

"Don't get too far ahead; the big break comes after I graduate. And it'll be less the entire world, more just the people I work with. Maybe some big company if I'm lucky, but I wouldn't hold my breath."

"Hey. Don't put yourself down like that. You've got talent."

"Have you ever seen any of this talent?"

"Not... personally. But anyone who can rip CDs as well as you has to have some somewhere. And those D&D sessions, too. I still get chills thinking about those times we had."

"Good chills, I hope."

"Oh yeah. The best chills."

-Final Timeline, August 20th, 2010

Chloe shoved her phone back into her pocket and sucked on the last of her cigarette, feeling the nicotine relax her as she leaned against the cool wall. The sun had chased away the worst of the chill, but it still wasn't as warm as she preferred. Max's request was simple, and it made Chloe eager to find out what she planned to do with it. Another reason she couldn't wait for this trip to be over.

A quiet distrustful voice in the back of her mind whispered small doubts, but she pushed it away. There was no need to worry. She distracted her mind by thinking of other things.

"Alright," called Steph, finally coming out of the store with several plastic bags in her hands. Chloe stubbed her cigarette out on the wall and tossed it to the side. "Chips, sodas, candy, and we should be good. You okay to drive the next leg?"

Chloe grabbed one bag and reached in for a candy bar. She unwrapped and ate it as she spoke. "As long as I got some food to keep me going, I can handle it."

"I wouldn't call this food, exactly."

Chloe shrugged. "It's all sugar in the end. Same difference." She punctuated her point by opening a soda and drinking half of it without stopping. The burp afterward was louder than she intended. "You grabbed a Playboy from the front too, right?"

Steph raised an eyebrow. "If you really need one of those, you can borrow one from my stack at home. I keep them under my bed."

Chloe squinted her eyes, trying to figure out if Steph was serious, but her impassive face revealed nothing. "Like some fifteen-year-old boy? Gotta say I'm surprised."

Steph let the question hang for a second before breaking and belting out a laugh. "Of course not." Her smile was wide. "I use the internet like any sane person."

A roll of the eyes was all she got in response. They filed back into Steph's vehicle, Chloe now in the driver's seat. Steph's soft chuckles carried through the closed space while Chloe took a minute to readjust the seat and mirrors. Soon enough, they were pulling out back onto the highway.

They drove in relative silence for many miles, the only sound the radio quietly pumping some new pop song Chloe had never heard. It was Steph's turn to set the music, and she'd have her rock tunes soon.

The world passed by without notice. Other than the occasional billboard for funeral homes and fast food, all that broke the monotony of trees beyond trees were the cars that cut them off far too often for Chloe's liking. Every time a semi-truck appeared, Chloe tried her hardest to let it pass with as much space as possible. She refused to acknowledge—twisting, screeching, torn metal and a body crushed—the reason.

Eventually, Steph's voice broke through the monotony of driving.

"Hey, Chloe?" She had been on her phone for a while, and only now looked up. "Can I ask you something? I don't mean to be pushy after earlier, but it's been on my mind."

Chloe felt she knew where this was going. The exact reason why, however, remained to be seen. "You can ask, but no promise I'll answer." She kept her eyes on the road.

"I noticed you had some bandages on. You've been limping too, just a little. Can I ask what happened?" Damn it. "If it's about earlier, you don't have to say if you don't want to," she added.

Steph simply wouldn't let up. It wasn't her fault she was such a caring person, Chloe knew, but it was still annoying. Chloe had tried her hardest not to think about it her own problems too much; not that it worked. First Max, now Steph. She supposed her problems coming up was only to be expected, considering this entire trip was specifically because of her ex-girlfriend problem.

"You know I only ask because I care about you, right? I haven't been the best friend, but I want to fix that."

Chloe quickly glanced over—eyes on the road, idiot—and saw no judgment in her eyes. Not a surprise, but still. She both did and didn't want to say something, and each of those parts of her silently warred in her mind. One side won.

"It was my shitstain of a stepdad. And..." myself was the word she couldn't squeeze out. This was a mistake, her brain yelled at her, but she wasn't listening to that part anymore. If she would say this, it had to be now. "...I hate myself."

That was all she could say about it, but Steph seemed to get what she meant. Chloe could feel everything boiling to the surface and pulled off into a cutout before she crashed. She was in no position to drive with the coming onslaught of words.

"That's the truth. I hate myself, I hate that abusive douche, I hate that cheating bitch Rachel, and I hate my worthless life. Even Max, the girl I grew up with and loved from the very beginning. I hate that she's been pushed through all of this and I'm the only one that's been there for her, and even that hasn't been good enough." Her voice reached a sharp yell. "Why am I such a FUCKUP?" She slammed her hand on the steering wheel on that screamed word.

"I can't even make one person want to stay. They leave. They always leave because I can't fucking bother to be there without making all their shit worse. Everyone nearby gets their life ruined. I should just fucking die. It's all I'm useful for..."

Chloe's blood pumped through her as the car sat idling beside the highway. Steph said nothing during her rant, but at some point had put her hand on hers. She was waiting for Chloe to either continue or let her know she finished. Chloe had so much more to say, but she had run out of steam to carry on.

"I'm sorry about that." Her words came out weak.

"Don't be," Steph replied, voice calm and strong in comparison. "It sounds like this needed to come out. Trust me, I understand. I know people who have gone through the same things you have."

Chloe rested her head on the steering wheel, avoiding eye contact and hoping the vibrations would soothe her. They didn't.

"That stuff at the end," Chloe said. "I didn't mean that. I just got worked up in the moment."

"Look, Chloe. I'm not here to judge, but I can listen. Everything that you've had to go through, that can't be easy." When she didn't receive a response, she followed up. "Have you ever thought about talking to someone? A professional, I mean."

The thought had crossed Chloe's mind before, but she always rejected it out of hand. Therapists were for crazy people, and she hadn't crossed that boundary. Not yet, at least.

"I don't need to see anyone. I've got it handled. That was a slip-up, nothing more."

Steph gave Chloe's hand a small squeeze. "You can't keep pushing everything down like this, waiting for problems to solve themselves. I won't tell you what to do, but can you think it over? For me, please."

Chloe bit her lip, feeling her breath move faster than it should have. Steph was right, obviously. She was probably the only person who wouldn't tell her to fuck off after that. What if next time it was someone else? What if it was Max?

The thought of Max having to deal with another outburst like that pierced through her like a spike. All it took was a single question for her to explode. If Max pushed—really pushed—for another explanation, would she be able to hold back?

She didn't think she could; she had too much anger.

"The limping," Chloe said, lifting her head and forcing her voice steady, "is from something different. Fell and busted my ass. The bandages are from everything else. Max helped me with it."

"That was very thoughtful of her."

"Yeah..." And Chloe hated that she had to. But Max didn't care. She only wanted Chloe to be safe. "After we finish with Rachel. I'll... think about it." Chloe didn't want to make any promise more binding than that. Knowing herself, there was a good chance she wouldn't follow through.

"Thank you, Chloe." Steph's smile was visible on the edge of Chloe's vision. "And if you ever feel unsafe, either because of your stepdad or yourself, know that you can call me. I might not be there in person, but I want to help."

"Sure." With no other response, the conversation was over. Steph wasn't going to push it, and Chloe wasn't going to elaborate. Though it feels like it should have helped, Chloe only felt a chill in her mind for saying anything at all. Parts of her screamed that she had made a terrible mistake, that Steph was silently regretting taking her along in the first place.

As she always did, Chloe ignored those parts as best as she was able. She focused solely on the current moment, on maneuvering the car back onto the highway, still many miles to go until L.A.

•••

Chloe had long since become restless, stuck in the car with little to do other than check her phone or watch the California land roll by. They had left behind the trees and cliffs for rolling fields dotted with cities on either side. The highways were designed for speed, not scenery, but even still they still had several hours to go.

They were past Sacramento and the November sun was setting, casting long shadows from every car and truck that sped past them. Even ten over the limit wasn't enough for some people, apparently, but Steph didn't seem bothered.

Chloe's phone currently showed her last few unanswered messages that she had sent to Max. It wasn't abnormal for her to not respond, but right then, Chloe missed her. Even the half a day they had spent apart was more than she wanted. Was it clingy? Maybe. But Chloe didn't care.

"Steph, do you mind if I call Max real quick? I want to check up on her before it gets too late."

Steph nodded. "Be my guest. Tell her I said hi."

With no hesitation, Chloe made the call and waited for Max to pick up. The line rang several times, but just before she got sent to voicemail, she heard the click of an answer.

"...Hello?" Max's words came staticky through the phone.

"Heyo, Maxi! Hope I didn't interrupt anything important."

"Oh. No. Not really." She sounded tired, her voice slow and slightly hoarse. "I've been working on some assignments, but that's it, really. How about you? How are things?"

"Pretty cramped, honestly. But Steph is good company. We've still got a ways to go, so I just wanted to call you while I can, because we'll probably be there around midnight. Oh, and Steph says hi."

"...Steph?" The confusion was clear in Max's voice. "Where are you, Chloe?"

"Uh..." Oh no. Not again. "I'm going with Steph down to L.A. for a bit. We talked about this, remember? You were there when we left."

Max didn't respond at first, and Chloe immediately began to worry. She forgot small things still, but this was bigger than anything else she had. Chloe saw Steph shoot a worried glance out of the corner of her eye, obviously listening.

Only Max's heavy breathing came over the line for almost a minute before she finally responded. "Right, right." An unsteady chuckle. "You're with Steph in L.A. Sorry, it's been a long day."

"I understand." Chloe didn't, not really, but she would support her as long as she needed. "So you finally gonna tell me what the photo's for? Cause you know I can't wait until I get back. What's the plan with it?"

Another pause before Max responded. "Sorry, Chloe. I've just been really busy."

Max was acting strange, which wasn't unheard of these days, but something about it rubbed Chloe the wrong way. That distrustful part of her spoke louder, that Max had done something she shouldn't have. Chloe needed to know.

"Weird question. What do you think about Back to the Future?"

"Like... the movie?" She remembered that, at least.

"Yeah."

"You're right. That is a weird question."

Chloe tried to hold in her sigh. She didn't want to come out and ask, especially with Steph listening in. "I think we should watch it together when I get back. That photo reminded me of it. Wouldn't you love to time travel?"

"Um," Max started to talk, then cut herself off. "I feel like you're trying to get at something, but I don't get it. Is this about that joke you made the other day?" She hummed over the line "If I could time travel I'd go somewhere cool, like Ancient Rome."

That pretty much confirmed Chloe's fear. This wasn't Max. This was the version of her that existed when her Max was gone, either into a photojump or her new fast forward power.

"I..." Chloe almost couldn't speak, the betrayal was so strong. "Yeah. Just a joke. Sorry Max, I really gotta go." She hung up before Max could respond.

Max had left at some point, and Chloe had a decent idea of where. She lied to her, saying that she wanted it for a surprise when her intention was to disappear without saying anything. Did she think Chloe didn't trust her? That she could leave and come back before she noticed?

Whatever the excuse, Chloe was shattered. Part of her was livid, but it was drowned out by the rest of her, stunned by the sudden betrayal.

"You okay, Chloe? You've been pulling on your shirt for like five minutes now."

Steph's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Her loose shirt was bunched into two tight wads in her hands, and she had been unconsciously tugging on them. Chloe took a deep breath and smoothed them out as best she could.

"It's nothing."

"It's obviously something," Steph said immediately. "I was listening, and not to be rude, but you seemed kinda weird. I don't know what Max said to freak you out so much, but it really hit home."

It was less what she said, and more what she didn't, but Chloe couldn't explain any of it without sounding crazy.

"I asked her not to do something, and she did it. That's all." Close enough to the truth. "It's not a big deal."

"Ah. I get that." She kept her eyes on the road as she spoke. "But if you're having a problem, you shouldn't have hung up on her like that. Learn from my mistakes. Talk it out."

"Yeah, I know." Chloe couldn't very well talk with Max if it wasn't really Max on the other end of the line. "I just got overwhelmed."

"You want my advice? Calm down, then call her again. Either tonight before she goes to bed, or tomorrow if you need me gone. You should give her the chance to explain herself."

"I said, I know!" Chloe snapped, louder than she intended. She realized her mistake almost instantly and tried to correct. "Wait, shit, that came out wrong. I didn't mean it like that."

"It's fine, Chloe." Steph didn't look at her, but Chloe heard something in her voice that made her think it wasn't.

"I'm so sorry about that. You're right, I should call her tomorrow. I think that'll be best." That part of Steph's advice was sound, at least. The rest was less helpful than she knew.

Chloe was even more worked up than she had been, which was hard to believe. She wasn't back to 'depressed, angry rant', but she didn't trust herself to speak anymore. Fortunately, it seemed she wouldn't have to. She received no response, and all of Steph's focus was on the road, leaving Chloe alone once more with her thoughts.

•••

"Chloe, wake up. We're here."

Steph's voice roused Chloe from her light rest. After their last driver switch, she had tried to fall asleep to the sounds of the highway but was less than successful. Her mind was too chaotic to relax, and she was awake before Steph even finished her sentence. Somehow she was even more tired.

Wordlessly, she exited the car and stretched her muscles, letting out a loud groan as she did. Steph grabbed the bags from the back and handed Chloe hers.

The apartment complex was located well outside the city, about an hour north of her college. Far enough that she could avoid the bustle of the big city, but close enough for her to join it if she wanted. Now, it was past midnight, and other than the flow of cars from the nearby street, the scene was silent.

"You can sleep on the couch," Steph said as she led them up the steps to the second floor. "I've got extra sheets and pillows and all that. Food in the fridge if you get hungry, and laundry downstairs."

She opened the door into a small apartment, probably only the size of Chloe's living room and kitchen combined, if she had to guess, and dropped her bags at the door. A kitchenette in the back with a stove, microwave, and fridge, a single closet, and two doors that Chloe presumed were Steph's room and the bathroom. In the far corner of the room was an L-shaped desk with a monitor and keyboard for a computer on one end, and open space with a sketchpad on the other. The walls were dotted with posters of books and movies that Chloe didn't recognize. Mostly sci-fi and fantasy, she saw.

"Cozy, isn't it?" Steph said. "A worthy sacrifice for privacy."

"No roommate?"

Steph shook her head. "Can't stand it, honestly, so I shell out the extra cash for a place to myself. You'll be fine, though, so long as you don't plan to move in."

"You never know," Chloe said. "A girl could get used to this."

"Believe me, all the girls I've brought back here don't stay for the scenery." Steph walked to the closet and pulled out several blankets and a pillow to use. "If you need anything at all, give me a knock. We can get started tomorrow, alright?"

Chloe took the supplies and nodded. "Sounds good."

They exchanged a quick goodnight before Steph retreated into her room, leaving Chloe alone. She turned off the lights and set up on the couch in the most comfortable position she could manage. There was plenty of room for her legs, but the back of the couch dug into her awkwardly.

Unfortunately, her ill-attempted attempt at sleep during the last leg of their journey ruined her laze. Her body refused to accept that it was past time to turn off for the night, and her brain did her no favors. She couldn't get beyond Max and what she had done.

After their conversation about no more secrets, she had immediately turned around and recklessly used her powers without saying anything. There was the chance that Chloe had misread the situation, and she hadn't done anything, but she doubted it. Max, her girlfriend, had betrayed her. The worst part was, she didn't even know why.

Her conversation with Fake Max—come up with a better name, idiot—did make her wonder, though. It sounded almost like the Max she expected, only she seemed odd and confused, similar to how she acted when they first tested her fast forward power. Not as annoyed and aggressive, but in the same vein.

Was this something to do with Max's strange journal entries? At this point, that seemed the most likely. Old Max had been scared to death of her body being taken over. What if that was another version of herself, traveling back through photos or temporarily fast forwarding to communicate? It would explain why she couldn't understand her own actions sometimes.

But if that was another Max using her powers in secret, where did she come from? Was it the same Max who simply didn't remember or another one from far in the future? The entire situation was odd, but there was nothing she could do with her Max gone into a photo unable to talk.

Despite how much it shouldn't have, anger flowed through her in waves, though its focus was unclear. Max? The situation? Herself? She didn't know, but it showed itself all the same. Chloe only hoped that Max would have a reasonable explanation in the end. They could laugh at how silly she acted, and why did she even get upset in the first place?

Chloe reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She immediately navigated to her last proper conversation with Max, before Chloe had sent numerous meaningless texts just for the company. Knowing what Max did, it put her in a different light.

Even the photo was poisoned. A memory of the start to an ultimately wonderful day. Her choices were poor, that much was obvious, but it worked out in the end, making it all worth it. Having Max accept her for who she was, even after everything, proved to Chloe that she was the one.

Chloe loved Max. That's all there was to it. It didn't matter whether Max remembered, because it was true. Those were the things that crossed her mind looking at that photo. But now, what did it mean? Would it change when Max returned? Had it already done so, and she had no way of realizing?

She couldn't know. Not until Max returned. And so, answers out of reach, she spent far longer than she should have looking at those final texts wondering what it all meant.

By the time she fell asleep, her tears had dried many times over.

•••

Max: Hey Chloe! Can you send me that picture I photobombed with you on Wednesday? I know it's kind of cheesy but it's the only one we took on that day you asked me out (yes I count that) and I want to do something special with it.

Me: oh yeah totally. you gonna tell me what youre gonna do with it or will you be mean about it?

Max: You'll have to wait and see! ^_^ Maxoxo

Me: no EMOJI! but fiiiine ily.

A/N:

Thanks for reading.
Next chapter: 12-28