Chapter 15 Not enough time.

Part II. A place in the world.

Blackwell's main building was still as imposing as ever. In the courtyard, the only visible changes came with the technological advances of recent decades. All message boards were digital and advertisements were published through personal devices instead of printed sheets of paper, however, the differences stopped there, since the content of the messages was the same. Gatherings for people with different interests, lost property and bad jokes, the latter usually on the spicy side.

Warren was already waiting for them in the main entrance, the one that gave access to the courtyard. That fact surprised Max, as he was supposed to be waiting for them in the main building and the logical thing would have been for them to park in the parking lot and access through the side entrance. Once again, she decided to drop it without giving it any further thought

The car doors rose and the four occupants stepped out of the car. Warren approached Max and hugged her.

"Distance, please". Chloe immediately said, pulling slightly on Warren's arm

"Hello to you too Chloe" He replied in a funny way.

"Max, hand me my sunglasses please, and Waldo... you've already touched my wife too much, she's not for you. Restrain yourself, please".

Max and Warren looked at each other and smiled, both expecting something in fashion.

Chloe smirked, proud of herself, before addressing her sons. "Kids, Mr. Graham is your vice-principal and will be Clara's teacher in physics. I will not tolerate any disrespect to him... we have a history together and a different way of behaving around each other. When he visits you can call him Warren or uncle Warren, but while you are studying here, he will be Mr. Graham and he will be respected for his position. Are we clear?".

Both of them nodded casually.

"Now, you can unload your bags, we'll meet before leaving".

Chloe waited for the kids to get all their baggage to lock the car. Once they were out of sight, Warren spoke to her. "Thank you. I didn't expect anything less. Not that I think it was necessary though, I have been looking at your children's records and they are spectacular. Not just the GPA that it is very high and in the case of Clara perfect, but zero misbehavior notes throughout all their school years. It's really incredible, I mean, in the end, they're Max's kids and we all know what kind of student she was".

"I see, this is how you repay me when I'm the one always defending you from Chloe".

"Max, you know I appreciate you, but I attended this very academy with you. Your children are much better students than you ever were, and that's something to be proud of".

She shrugged before answering "Chloe put a lot of emphasis on the twin's education. We found ourselves immersed in this life that is so different from the one we had, and we had no idea how it could influence them. I remember one day I was in Seattle visiting my parents, Chloe was away, filming a movie, we were taking a walk in downtown and Clara started pointing up saying momma, momma. There was this huge billboard with Chloe's face advertising some stuff... I don't know Warren, it's very complicated. We tried to make them understand that they have to live their own lives and don't take anything for granted, at least I know we raised them in a familiar environment".

"I think you've done a great job, they are two amazing kids".

"Thank you", both mothers replied at the same time.

The day was cloudy, but Chloe put on her sunglasses with deliberately exaggerated movements.

"What are you doing?" Warren asked, "you know that you don't need to try to keep a low profile or anything in here".

"That' s not it, the few sunbeams that make it through the clouds are reflecting the billiard ball you have for a head and it's bothering me".

"Chloe, you asked me for the sunglasses just to make fun of Warren. You're incorrigible". Max looked at her wife with fake hatred as she returned the glasses and patted Warren on the back.

"You should defend me, this man here tried to pull you out of my arms. I had to employ all my seduction techniques to win you over".

"Oh, come on. Warren didn't even know you existed when he asked me out. And for the sake of our relationship, I'm going to pretend that I haven't heard the employ all my seduction techniques part".

Warren laughed earnestly at the exchange between the two women. "You know, I'm not particularly nostalgic, but there's something whenever I talk to you... somehow it makes me feel younger seeing that you have the same kind of relationship as when we met. It brings me back to our years here, it's like I'm back to being a student instead of a teacher".

"A student back here you say? You're not gonna make a move on my wife, are you? Because I couldn't bear to see a friend getting defeated so overwhelmingly... once again".

"Please, let it go" Max scolded Chloe, but even she couldn't suppress a naughty giggle.

"Chloe Caulfield," Warren said solemnly "You're right, you got the girl I wanted, but at least I have the comfort that I was defeated by the right person".

"Warren Graham saying nice things about me? I thought you'd been hating me for years".

"You know I don't... now seriously, I have to give you serious kudos, both of you but especially you, Chloe."

"Pardon me?".

"When I found out that you were both dating... it was a shock. I didn't know Max liked girls and there was also this thing that you were the most unlikely couple ever, you had literally zero in common at first sight. Eventually, we found out that you had a past together and the rest of the story. It was such a sweet story... but still we were really young. How many couples survived high school? Brooke and myself?, we started dating a bit later and we didn't even make it to Christmas in freshman year at college. How many of the couples from that Blackwell year lasted more than months? None. But then there's you, we saw the Oscars ceremony in my dorm room at college, that proposal and the kiss, it was so funny and amazing, and at the same time, I'm sure everybody was secretly jealous of Max (and not just because of Chloe's behind). Many of my colleagues anticipated that your marriage would not last long. You were going to become a superstar and that meant a brutal change of life in an environment so little prone to stable couples like Hollywood... And yet you survived all that as a couple, stronger every year".

"I guess, thanks," she answered blushing.

"Seriously Chloe, your speech for the last Oscar was really something else. The way you talked about Max... it was just amazing. I'm not ashamed to admit I shed my fair share of tears. It's true that the part about how sex had gotten even better after you turned 50 once you got to know all the corners of your wife´s body was a bit out of place but the rest... it was inspiring".

"You mean better than the speech for the second Oscar?".

"Definitely. I thought you weren't going to work again on the industry after that. Second film, second Oscar and you make that speech".

"Come on, Warren, there was too much expectation after what happened the year before. I'm sure you've seen the video a million times holding a blanket and crying because you'll never get Max, at least you could see my ass".

"Nice ass, I won't deny that. But you were out of the line that second year".

"I was very nervous, I self-medicated before the ceremony...maybe a bit too much".

"Maybe? You were totally stoned, at least you remembered to thank everybody ... before going on to tell everything that had happened in your life since you asked your wife to marry you and how wonderful your life with her was... with all kinds of kinky details".

"Well, consider that speech the closest you'll ever get to know how's sleeping with Max".

A growl echoed in the background coming for said person.

"Chloe, really. I'm glad you guys are together. I know you are the only one who would make her happy, I don't think it could have worked that way with me. You two...it feels like the right thing".

"It's not personal, Warren, not even because you're a man. For me it's always been Chloe, there's never been anyone else, man or woman. Nobody, literally" Max said.

Chloe looked away for a second. Maybe Warren missed that minimal gesture, certainly Max didn't.

"Thank you Warren, you know I enjoy mocking you and I don't plan to stop in the next future, but I do know you are happy for us...and now, enough with the mush, I have an image to uphold".

"We're here anyway".

The group entered the main building. Just as in the courtyard, the interior was very similar to the one Max and Chloe had known in their student years. The principal's office was located in the same place and upon arrival, the secretary instructed them to wait.

"I'll let Principal Williams know you're here. His previous reunion started later than it was supposed and he's not available at the moment".

The secretary made a brief phone call, and almost immediately, Justin came out of his office. His face was marked by the passage of time and his aspect was, to say the least, curious. He maintained the same laid-back attitude, minus the weed vibe, which combined with his formal suit and tie attire gave an image that was the polar opposite of the Justin they had known.

"You've finally arrived! look who's here, nothing less than an old honors student...".

"Well, there's also the thing about me being a movie star plus an award-winner screenwriter, but I guess all you care about are my academic achievements".

"Sure I do", Justin answered without giving it any thought before addressing Max "and one of the most famous photographers in the world, I've just came out to greet you, give me 10 minutes to finish my meeting and I'm all yours".

Justin locked the door behind him and Max turned to Warren with a funny face. "Please remind me how Justin ended as Blackwell's principal".

"It's a long story but OK. After the Jefferson scandal and his confession, Sean Prescott was imprisoned and principal Wells only lasted a few more days after Jefferson's confession was leaked. Prescott's involvement with that scumbag was undeniable and he realized that he wasn't going to get away from it. One thing was to control ABPD but the Feds were way above his influence, so, with no way out, he took the coward's call and hung himself in his cell. With Prescott out of the picture and no one in his family available to take his position, the power structures in Arcadia Bay fell apart like a house of cards, creating a power vacuum. The Prescotts controlled everything, but now their empire had collapsed and as the investigation progressed more a more pieces were falling. Half the police department was arrested, the Major, the whole town council... Justin's mother belonged to one of the old money families from Arcadia Bay, families who had been forced to live in the economic shadow of the Prescotts. There were many under the table meetings and many alliances were forged to retake the town's government, both the nominative and the real one behind the scenes. Blackwell was the most prestigious institution and it was entrusted to Justin's mother. She appointed an old family friend who was tasked with the double aim of running the academy and prepare the ground for a successor, of course, always under the effective control of Justin's mother... but something happened, something that put Blackwell on the map at... national level".

All eyes turned to Chloe, who bowed gracefully "you are welcome Blackwell Academy".

"The most popular actress of the moment had decided to put a hiatus in her career to graduate. The youngest actress to ever win two Oscars, in a way that no one has ever done before, in two consecutive years on her first two films and she had chosen to attend not one of the most prestigious or exclusive colleges in the country but the same academy from which she was expelled years ago. If the story wasn't appealing enough, she returns and becomes the best student in her class and one of the best in the academy's history. Blackwell became the crown of the jewel. Everyone asked for a teaching position here, the 1% people from all over the country wanted to send their kids here, and of course, Justin's mother wanted to exploit that success to her advantage. She came up with an idea, one that was very convenient for her interests, find another lost sheep and transform him into the perfect principal...assuring control of the academy as a bonus for that. A story that could give continuity to Chloe's... so who had both the principal and Justin's mother at hand? someone someone who fulfilled all the requirements?. Justin himself".

"Except, it didn't happen according to plan?". Max interrupted.

"No, Justin was a pothead at that time. He was in college, always on the verge of being expelled because of his disastrous academic record. Only her mother's influence kept him on campus. They forced him to change majors and finish studies. He was initially appointed as head of management, which was a made-up position so that nepotism wouldn't be so evident. Justin's plan was to smoke pot and skate all day while the principal and her mother ran the Academy, and so he did for a while, until they promoted him as the new principal".

"I had already graduated and was acting again, but I would have come back to school only to see the principal teaching skate tricks to students much younger than himself".

"The moral of the story is that you never know when or where you are going to fit. When Justin became the principal, all his friends were away and had families. He was alone at Arcadia Bay, so he focused on the students. He became a very popular principal always taking care of his students. He used to call them, only half-jokingly, my little bros. He quit smoking in the academy premises, started getting up early and dressing as...you know...a principal. And then he made what was his master move. He hired a second in charge, directed all the administrative and managing work to him to focus on the face-to-face side of the job".

"That would be my Step-Father".

"Exactly. The most awkward choice that turned out to be the missing piece of the puzzle and gave Justin the independence he was seeking. It seems so odd that someone like David fitted in that position as he did, he went from being a grumpy security guard to running Blackwell's internal management with an iron hand... by the way Chloe, how is Joyce doing?".

"Oh, she's doing well. Becoming a second-time widow it's not easy but she is holding up fine. She moved with us, we built a detached one-bedroom apartment on our property, so we can keep an eye on her and at the same time she can have her own private space. We have this super nice woman who takes care of her, and she spends her days fighting with her about how to make pancakes and waffles the way Max likes them. As you know, we are moving to New York until next May, preparing the retrospective of Max at the MOMA, I'll be doing round trips to LA to check on her while Max works on her exhibit".

"Give her my regards. Please tell her that a lot of Blackwell members still remember David and miss him".

"I'll most definitively tell her. She'll be glad to know that David is remembered, she always saw that something in him when nobody else did".

"Yes, please do. OK, I better finish before he calls us inside. Justin enjoyed the personal contact with students and not so much the managing he was supposed to do. He called me and asked me to take David's position once he decided to take a step back because of his health issues. I accepted, we teamed up and I would say we did a great job. Justin and David had been fighting for years with her mom and her lobby to get Blackwell's control. They wanted to turn it into a more elitist ivy league-like academy while Justin was more focused on scholarships and equal opportunities for students who deserved it. The alumni association and patrons board we established ensured that no one was going to interfere with his vision...I guess Justin found his place in the world. He never married, he never had children, but he is happy. He has his students, his work and that seems to be enough for him".

"What about you Warren? did you found it too? your place in the world?" Max asked.

"I wouldn't say so much. After my... divorce... I was lost and Justin's call helped me. It was a welcomed change. I guess I'm fine, I like my work, I live comfortably and I'm moderately happy. I guess that's all there is, anyway, what else there is to life?".

"And at least you've managed to sleep with someone from Max's class, even if it wasn't Max herself. Give my regards to Victoria the next time she comes to... whatever excuse she uses every time she comes to Arcadia Bay for a kinky rendezvous".

"Chloe, we're both consenting adults, you know we had these on and off relationships during Victoria's intermarriage moments... not everyone gets married and divorced four times. Now, she swears she'll never remarry again. We are just two old friends who seek solace in each other".

Justin emerged from his office escorting two parents out. Once he had dismissed them with a sincere promise to look after their kid, he instructed the group to come into his office.

The interior, in stark contrast to the rest of the academy, had undergone a drastic change. Long gone were the brass birds, on the table only electronic devices and dozens and dozens of photos and papers were to be seen. The dark tones and wood paneling had been replaced by flashy colors, although the walls were barely visible as they were covered from top to bottom by framed pictures of the different classes.

After sitting in his chair that still looked as comfortable as the one Principal Wells had, Justin offered a fist bump to Chloe, who happily indulged him.

"I hope you had an easy trip, please sit down... So... I'm very happy to see you both, I want to talk to you about a couple of issues...oh before I forget, Chloe, can you sign this picture, is for my personal collection".

Justin gave her an old photo wrapped in protective film. In the picture there was a much younger Chloe with blue hair, happily smiling among other students who looked younger than her. Under the names of the students, in garnet print, it could be red Blackwell Academy, Class of 2018.

"Sure thing, you still have this picture around?".

"You see that wall? All the way up to the top with class photos. When I finished printing and framing the digitalized ones I began to search for the old ones. I started this group with former students asking them to contact relatives or whoever could have old pictures. I managed to recover a lot. This pictures here, they help me remember why I'm here and what's important..these students, they are like my family" Justin said this last one with pride, without a glimpse of sadness in his voice.

Max stood up and looked at the wall, looking for a specific picture "are those organized in some way? I'm looking for a picture... let me think, some 5-6 years ago".

Justin pointed a specific zone in the wall and Max walked over there to examine the pictures there "let me see...um...yes, there it is my goddaughter...well sort of, because we never did a religious ceremony".

"You mean Fernando and Dana's daughter?" Warren asked.

"Yes, they asked me to be her godmother but as the parents have different religions we just decided that I would be appointed as so without the need of the ceremony".

"That was another improbable couple. I remember the day they met, at Chloe´s second Oscar party. This guy Fernando, as soon as he set his eyes on Dana he went straight to her.. and they ended up married".

"I'm just happy he finally got his cheerleader".

"And the other girl from Seattle? the one we spend the whole night with us because his friend was busy trying to charm Dana. I haven't heard of her since that night".

"Oh, that was Kristen, my other friend in Seattle, we talk almost every week. She got married and has a boring husband and a boring life in her own words, but she's more than OK with that. She's doing fine also, I'll tell them both you asked for them".

"Thanks, tell them it would be nice to meet again... probably Chloe should shoot another movie and won another Oscar to have an excuse to meet again".

"A movie every four-five years is more than enough for me. I rather spend my time writing and taking care of my wife...and by taking care you know what I mean".

"Hey guys, we still have some work to do," Justin said before retrieving two files from the mountain of papers that inhabited his desk. "Let me check... here I have these files... Clara is the eldest, am I right Max?".

"Yes, 7 minutes older than her brother".

"Okay, let's see, Clara Caulfield, no middle name... curious. her GPA is a round 4.00, no behavioral misconduct, enrolled in the advanced physics program... simply amazing".

"She's just like Chloe. She doesn't have any behavioral problems in class but at home.. she reminds me of young Chloe. About her studies, as I said, just like her, so advanced physics".

"Chloe, please remind me about it. You did really graduated twice? I have heard many stories about it but I want to have a clear picture. I add this kind of information to students' files".

"Not to brag, but BS degree plus grad school in Physics in Berkeley. And a few years later when I started to get interested in screenplays and writing I went back to college and got a BA in English".

"Impressive, really. Not for the studies themselves, but graduating once you were a star and then going through college and grad school and college again, you showed a lot of focus there".

"I suppose that's what happens when you have enough income to pay for college taxes and you can choose if or when you work" Chloe winked her eye at her wife who stoically withstood the joke. Internally it was a totally different story. Max was utterly impressed by her wife's accomplishments, even more so when, already a star, Chloe confessed to her that she wanted to go back to school mostly because she wanted Max to be proud of her.

"Anyway" Justin continued "this is curious. William D. Price, GPA 3.95, as his sister, no misbehavior and he is in the arts program with photography classes, I guess he's the one that tends to your side, Max".

"You could say that, yes".

"I think it's the only case I know of twins with different last names".

"You know how Chloe took my last name after getting married. She insisted on it even though I offered her all kinds of different chances: hyphenate, calling us both Price, I even proposed her to change both our last names to Pricefield. It was a lost cause, she wanted my last name and there was nothing I could do about it. When we were informed that one of the twins was a boy. I told her that it was my prerogative to choose his name and there was nothing that would keep me from calling him William Price. It took a bit of paperwork but nothing that a bunch of well-paid lawyers couldn't solve. The perks to being married to a movie star, I guess".

"Pricefield?, I wonder what kind of name is that. Who would use that?" Justin snapped his tongue "and his middle name D.? I guess that stands for David".

"This one is on me. When Max told me we were going to call the boy William Price... well, she understood perfectly what my father's death meant to me and it was... very emotional. That made me think a lot about my father, what kind of person he was and how he would have wanted me to move on. It took me a long time to accept David but with Max's help, I could understand that he loved me in his own way so I decided that adding his hame would give me a bit of closure... The funny thing about it is that David never learned how to be a good father to me, I know he tried but it didn't work between us and when we were both at a point to make it happen, it was too late. Anyway, we had a good relationship for years before he passed away, just not father-daughter relationship kind. But as much as he failed to be a fatherly figure to me, he was the most amazing Grandad you can imagine. Both Ryan and Vanessa and Joyce are excellent grandparents, the best you can ask for. David? He just was another thing, maybe it was because he never had children of his own, but I've never seen a person so totally excited about some children like he was about Clara and William... you know the story of his mustache, the infamous pornstache?".

Justin and Warren shook their heads before Chloe spoke again "2 days after the twins were born, Joyce and David came to visit us. David had some trouble at Blackwell and couldn't come sooner. David took Clara in his arms and gave her a kiss, the girl made a disgusting grimace and Joyce told him, not seriously, that it was because of his mustache. He returned the baby to Max and excused himself. He returned twenty minutes later, the mustache was gone and it remained that way until his last day. No amount of combined pressure from Joyce and us over the years got him to remove his mustache. A single gesture from his granddaughter and that was it. That´s the kind of grandfather he was".

"He never told me, I asked him a lot of times but he always grunted and said it was personal" Justin said.

Chloe laughed sadly, remembering the man she had come to appreciate.

Justin got up and walked towards his guests, he leaned on his desk casually and looked at Warren with complicity. "You know how Blackwell works, both as former students and patrons. You have donated a great sum and more than that, you have actively helped to raise lots of money over the years. Now we have the best photography program in the country at this level of education and some science laboratories that are the envy of many colleges and that's mostly because of your involvement with Blackwell. Needless to say that I will take care of your children as I do with all my students, without making any distinction. However, you can come to me as their principal, as well as your friend. Whatever you need, Warren and I are at your complete disposal".

"Thanks, Justin. To us, it's critical that our kids don't get special treatment. We have tried to raise them out of the spotlight, it wasn't easy especially with Chloe's media exposure but I think we succeeded".

"You're welcome. I want to thank you both for entrusting Clara and William's education to us. I know that you have the means for them to attend the best academies in the country and yet you've decided to send them to Blackwell just like you did. I know that I speak on behalf of Warren also when I say it's an honor".

Justin glanced sideways at Chloe before going on "All the formalities are already covered,... I think it's time for us to address the other issue we're dealing with today".

"Another issue?" Max suddenly noticed how three pairs of eyes were staring at her. She looked at Justin and Warren who returned a half-smile, she looked at her wife and saw that a malicious smile was drawn on her face.

Thus, she knew she had been played.

"It seems your wife has managed to keep all this a secret. Justin and I doubted it. We were pretty sure you would find out sooner or later with the number of calls and emails we've been exchanging".

"What are you talking about?" Max turned to Chloe who kept staring at her with the same playful face.

"I think we should go out".

The group, led by Justin went out into the courtyard and headed toward the parking lot until, halfway through, Max made an abrupt halt forcing the rest of the group to stop.

"We are going to the parking lot. Does this have to do with the whole Chloe parking in front of the main building thing?

"Yes," Chloe replied as if she had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

"How long have you been planning this?".

"We've been working on this project, let me think...give or take... two years," Warren said with some discomfort "Chloe contacted me a long time ago and since then we've been planning, the most complicated thing has been to keep it secret from you... something so big".

"Oh my God".

Chloe reached out her hand to Max before asking her "do you trust me?"

Max immediately took her wife's hand and there was no need to answer.

"I know this feels a bit cheesy, but I need you to close your eyes for complete effect".

As instructed, Max closed her eyes just before the group arrived at the parking lot. Chloe put her arm around her waist and guided her. "Before you open your eyes, I need you to know that I couldn't have done this without Justin's and Warren's help and... well... you know that I'm not very good with speeches...but I wanted to do something for Blackwell, besides the donations, something more... physical. This place brings me back so many good memories, I know it does for you too and now our children are attending here too. Blackwell is important for us, I mean, in this exact place is where we met again so I insisted to place my project as close to this place as possible..."

"Your project? Chloe, what have you done?".

"Just open your eyes, please".

Max opened her eyes.

Almost immediately her jaw dropped.

She was in the parking lot. The wall that bordered the area adjacent to the forest behind the pool had been demolished, instead, that area was now open. A small step delimited the end of the parking area and from there a corridor of hardened concrete gave access to the area formerly occupied by the forest between the parking lot and the pool. From the main entrance, it wasn't visible if you didn't know what to look for.

"I... this is... you build a...I can´t believe it... it's a Skatepark?".

"Yes" Chloe showed her best ear to ear smile and despite the bizarreness of the moment, for Max it was as if the world exploded in light and colors.

The park was huge. No matter where you looked, there was nothing but ramps, rails, slabs and all kinds of skating elements. It looked like the wet dream of a skater armed with infinite Lego pieces. A huge Half Pipe occupied the central part of the park, becoming the dominant figure. Chloe took her wife's hand and led her there. Max couldn't articulate any words. Her eyes were trying to grasp the magnitude of what she was seeing. No cheap prefabricated pieces seemed to have been used, everything was troweled concrete, shiny steel, and polished wood. It had been built with no trouble or expenses spared, that was evident.

Upon reaching the halfpipe, Chloe stood in front of one of the walls that supported the structure. There was a small steel plate with a simple message in stylish black letters.

Max and Chloe Caulfield Skatepark

Blackwell Academy

Arcadia Bay

"You built a skatepark... and named it after us?".

"Yeah, a place for young people to have fun and forget about their problems. You know, hang out with friends, maybe drink a little beer, perhaps smoke a little weed, it's the second-largest on the West Coast after one in San Diego but it's certainly the biggest and best built in the Pacific Northwest".

Max couldn't believe what she was seeing, with her eyes wide open, she alternatively looked at Chloe and the park.

"This... this must have cost a fortune".

"It hasn't been cheap, but you don't have to worry about it. I have regular meetings with my accountants and we are more than covered. It all comes from my personal funds and anyway you know we donate three times more than we spend".

"You've built a skatepark... for students to drink beer and smoke weed." Max apparently wasn't coming out of her daze. Words came out from her but no emotion was reflected in her face.

"Max, talk to me please" Chloe replied, slightly concerned about her wife's reaction.

"For the same money... you could have built a new library... renovate all the dormitories... set up new laboratories... but somehow you decided a skatepark was a better idea". Max finally reacted by hiding her face in her hands and bursting into tears.

Chloe's world stopped and for the first time, she thought her brilliant idea wasn't probably that brilliant "Oh my god, you hate it...you hate it, Oh no, please don't" She leaped over her wife and hugged her tight.

Max was crying heartlessly and none of her caresses seemed to appease her.

"Sorry, I'm so sorry, you hate it and it's my fault, it was a stupid idea. I'm sorry I don't know what I was thinking".

"That's not it" Max babbled amidst tears.

"What do you mean?".

"Chloe, Chloe".

"Please tell me something..."

"I don't hate it, I... I fucking love it" Max wiped her eyes on her sleeve "I love it... you could have done dozens of things and you've chosen to do a skatepark, it's... it's... the most absolutely stupid and meaningless thing you could have chosen and it's…" Max sunk her head back into Chloe's chest crying again "it's perfect".

"You have to help me here Maxaroni, I don't understand what's going on".

"We've been together almost all our lives and I've seen how your life has changed completely without even trying. You have the world at your feet and yet you haven't changed at all, except for one thing but it's for good... you're still the same joyful and brainless girl you were... you keep doing these incomprehensible and stupid things as you've always done... you're the same girl I've been in love with before I even understand what it was to be in love... a lifetime together and you're still able to surprise me... please Chloe, please, don't ever change, I wouldn't want it any other way".

"You're making me cry, Max".

"We're older now, and I'm thinking about stuff I never considered before. I'm starting to see the end of our lives and my only regret is that I know it's not going to be enough. A life with you is not enough time ... once, a long time ago, I was sure that I had lost you, but I still had to try because you've always been the most important thing to me... and I didn't just get my friend back... I found everything I always wanted. Even today I can't believe how blessed I am to share my life with you after I was so close to losing you forever".

"You did not".

"Of course I was, I don't even know how you gave me a chance. I left you when you needed me the most".

"Max..." Chloe disentangled from her with eyes till red and glazed. Her gaze had taken on a more serious expression.

"You had me at Chloe".

"Sorry?"

"That morning... I would have died in a public bathroom, shot and bleed to death. I... I did my fair share of stupid things in my life, still... I would have died alone and nobody would have cared about me except for Joyce, David and you. I was driving away from the lowest point of my life. I had to hit the brakes because someone jumped in front of my truck and suddenly you appeared, that doe-like gaze so familiar... and it was...all I was missing in my life. All you said was my name and right there I knew it. In spite of everything... I wanted you back in my life. I wanted to resume our friendship but not from that day on, I wanted to resume from the day you moved. I needed you in my life as if time had not passed at all... you only had to say one word and I was already yours… I didn't tell you straight obviously, there were too many layers of pain, fear, abandonment and I didn't know if you wanted me back, after all, we had met by chance... Just a word, that was all it took for me to be yours again".

"Chloe... Chloe...Oh my God".

Justin and Warren were staring, dumbfounded, at the two women fused in a hug and crying.

Warren clicked his tongue and with a blank stare said. "I never stood a chance".

"No offense dude, you know I appreciate you, but you weren't even close". Justin sentenced.

Warren kept nodding "Not a fucking chance".

They looked at each other and shrugged, unsure about what to do next. Justin was the first to speak "I think we should get back to work and respect their privacy".

"You're right, but we can't just leave, ... you tell them?"

"Um...I dare not, you tell them?".

"Maybe we just wait".

"Thought so".

Max and Chloe kept hugging and crying on each other's shoulders in between comforting words. It was as if the rest of the world didn't exist, and truth be told, since the days of the pillow forts that was a not so extraordinary occurrence.

Finally, Max lifted her head and saw her two friends standing, trying to look anywhere but at them.

"Warren and I are going back inside, take all the time you want and come say goodbye before you leave".