The next few weeks flew by Max in a blur. Between talking to Kate and Warren, reminding Victoria of her virtues, her schoolwork, and keeping an eye on Jefferson, every day passed by faster than a trip through a photograph. On the bright side, the amount of homework she had to do actually made her feel like a regular schoolgirl again.
When Max woke up on the morning of the 21st, she was surprised to find her feet touching slippery rubber rather than the musty carpet she had gotten used to. Her foot slipped and she went flying upwards comically.
"WAAAHH!" She screamed. Her back hit the edge of her bed and she slid down onto the floor. Her head hit her mattress. "Ow." She whimpered.
"Shit." Chloe mumbled from outside the bedroom.
"I told you it was a bad idea!" Rachel harshly whispered.
Max looked to see what the culprit was. Her jaw dropped as she saw her entire bedroom floor was covered in balloons. "What the fuck…?" She started wondering if she time-jumped in her sleep.
Chloe slowly opened the bedroom door. "H- Ahem." She coughed. "Happy Birthday, Max." She smiled.
"Birthday…?" Max asked slowly.
"Yes, dummy. You're 18 now. Get up, slut."
Rachel walked in, making a concerted effort to whack Chloe on the arm hard as she did so. She crouched down next to Max. "Happy Birthday, sweetie. Sorry about the balloons. Someone thought it was a good idea to leave you no floor room."
Max laughed slowly. "Nah, it was cool. I just need to watch my step. Thanks, guys."
Rachel briefly caressed Max's cheek, before extending a hand for Max to take. She pulled Max off the ground and raised her onto her feet. Together they awkwardly ambled around the balloons and out of the bedroom. Chloe closed the door behind them.
"Did you seriously forget it was your birthday?" Chloe asked.
Max sighed. "Time is a blur for me at the moment."
"When is it not?" Chloe replied.
Max blinked. "Touché. But I mean in the normal sense, for once."
"You still have to think more about other people than you need to." Rachel replied.
"Yeah." Max sighed. "Anyway. I remember you saying you had a lot planned for my birthday. Is that correct?"
"Hell yeah we do. Got several surprises for you."
"Is one of them hot and steamy?" Max asked sarcastically.
Chloe rolled her eyes. "Yes, Max. We've been waiting two months for you to turn 18 so we can fuck your brains out."
"Ooh! I'm excited." Max said.
"Ew, you guys. Don't even joke about that. I've had men pull that shit to me and it's so fucking creepy." Rachel shuddered.
"Yeah. I know." Chloe sighed. "Just wanted to have a little bit of fun for once."
"Sorry Chloe." Rachel grumbled.
"Don't be. That was a jerk move."
"Well this is a fun way to start my birthday." Max smiled wryly.
"Yeah, fuck that shit! Let's go have some fun!" Chloe screamed. "Woohoo!"
"Oh boy I'm genuinely excited now."
"I managed to scrounge up a fake I.D, so we can have alcohol aplenty tonight." Chloe smirked.
"You're still a punk at heart, aren't you?" Max asked.
"At heart? " Chloe cried. "Dude, look at me." She gestured to herself. Max took a few seconds to admire Chloe.
"Oh believe me I am." Max nodded.
Chloe looked shocked briefly, then laughed. She whacked Max several times on her arm. "STOP! BEING! HORNY!"
"That's ironic coming from you, Chloe Price." Rachel smirked and folded her arms.
"Ah yes, miss goody-two-shoes actress over here." Chloe giggled. "Anyway. We'd want to have fun with just the three of us tonight, so is there anyone in particular you wanted to see this morning/afternoon?"
"Well, Kate, obviously. I think it'd be cool to pay Warren a visit as well."
"Sounds like a plan!" Chloe clapped her hands. "Ring them up and we'll take you there."
"Are you sure they're not busy-"
"Max, it's your birthday." Chloe interrupted. "They have to make time for you."
"I'm not sure that's how it works, but okay! Worth a shot." Max picked up her phone and rang Kate.
"Hey Kate." Max said.
"Oh Max! I was just about to ring you! We're all just about to go to the Two Whales. We can shout you a birthday brunch."
Max smiled. "That sounds wonderful, Kate. We're on our way. See you soon."
"See you, Max."
Max hung up and pocketed her phone. "Two Whales. Kate said we, so I assume there's a whole group of them."
"Wow, going to work on my one day off this week. Thanks Max." Chloe said jokingly.
Max rolled her eyes. "You're a big girl, you can handle it."
"I didn't say I couldn't." Chloe said defensively, holding her hands up. "Come on, let's go."
Rachel and Max followed Chloe out to the truck and they drove to the diner. When Max got there, she quickly found a booth occupied by Kate, Warren, Stella, and Alyssa. Kate waved at her. Warren got up and hugged Max.
"Happy birthday, Miss Catcher in the Rye." Warren smiled.
"Oh boy, do I never get sick of hearing that reference. Glad to see you're well-read."
"That's Kate's influence." Warren smiled as he sat back down. "You know, I thought we'd never be more different, but Kate and I have really hit it off, you know?" He wrapped his arm around Kate's shoulder, and she rested her head on his shoulder. "She has good taste, just like me."
"Your taste is what my family would call a little too sinful for me." Kate smiled as she looked up at her boyfriend.
"Ah, but what they don't know won't hurt them, right?"
"That's not how it works." Kate said. Warren just shrugged.
"Max! Happy birthday!" Stella rushed up and gave Max a hug, somehow even bigger than Warren's. "So, how does it feel to be officially legal?" Stella smirked.
"Why, you offering?" Max folded her arms and looked at Stella.
"Haha! No." Stella said pointedly. "Besides, you've already got two girlfriends for that. Ultimate score on that one." She looked behind Max at Chloe and Rachel, who were having a conversation at the bar.
"Jealous, Stella?" Max smirked.
"Why would I be? They must be a fucking handful."
Max shrugged.
"Hey Max." Alyssa smiled. "Happy birthday."
"Thank you, Alyssa! How's that column coming along?" Max asked.
Alyssa nodded. "Pretty good. Juliet's got me on crunch time, though." She sighed. "Newsletter's gotta be printed next week and I'm not even finished writing."
"You'll get there." Max nodded. "I believe in you."
"Thanks Max. Hold on, I'll move over so you have room next to Stella." She moved over towards the window and Stella sat back down, leaving enough room for Max to sit down."
"So, what do you wanna get? Nothing over ten dollars, I'm afraid." Warren said.
"Excuse you, Mr. Graham!" Kate scolded him. "Anything you want, Max. Our special treat."
Max couldn't stop her eyes from watering. "Thank you guys. That really means a lot."
Warren and Kate looked at each other. Warren cleared his throat. "We've just been a bit… worried, I guess. About you."
"Worried? Why?" Max asked.
"We think you're overworking yourself. That you're too stressed out." Stella blurted out.
"That's crazy!" Max cried. "Well yeah I've got plenty of work to do, but I'm dealing with it."
"Then how come I keep seeing you sleeping in class?" Warren replied.
"Or how you seem perpetually angry at Mr. Jefferson?" Kate added. "He's arguably one of the best teachers in the school."
Max sighed. "Look, you guys, I love you so much, and you know I'd do anything for you, right?"
"That's the other thing." Stella said. "I don't mean to be harsh, but we've only known you for three weeks. A little too early to go full-on ride or die for us, right?"
"Yeah, Max. We hardly even talk." Alyssa added.
"I'm sorry, Max. We don't mean to make you feel more stressed." Kate said. "But if there is anything on your mind, please, tell us."
"Some things you can't confide in with your girlfriends, you know." Warren said. "We'd be happy to share some of the burden."
Max sighed. "Okay. I can't really tell you what's going on, okay? It's incredibly complicated, but it's nothing major, and I promise it doesn't concern you guys, ok?"
They nodded.
"Cool. I'm starving." Max said, picking up a menu. She secretly eyed the concerned expressions of everyone else at the table. Warren shook his head.
"So. How's Chloe and Rachel?" Warren asked.
Max lowered her menu slightly. "Good. It's nice to be living with them."
"How long have you been… um…" Kate hesitated and coughed. "Dating?"
Max put down her menu. "Hard to say, really. There wasn't a definitive 'Can we go out' moment. It just sort of… happened. It kinda feels we've been dating for years. Like since I first heard about Rachel through Chloe."
Stella nodded like she understood. Everyone else seemed confused. Max was too tired to elaborate, so she picked her menu back up, desperate to find an out of these conversations.
"Man, I could really go for some of those killer pancakes." Warren moaned. "I didn't eat breakfast this morning."
Kate flashed her eyes angrily at him. "You didn't eat breakfast?"
"Well, yeah." Warren blinked. "I got up like an hour ago, and when you rang about brunch, I figured I'd just save room for more brunch."
"Why so late, Warren?" Kate asked.
"Probably cause I went to bed late." Warren mumbled.
"How late?"
"3 am."
Kate rolled her eyes. "You need to take better care of yourself."
Warren only nodded. " Conversations like this must be frequent ." Max thought. She had never felt more uncomfortable in the presence of her friends.
"A little birdie told me you were here." Came a familiar voice from behind her.
"Joyce!" Max cried. She jumped up from her seat and hugged her.
"Woah, settle down there!" Joyce cried, returning the hug. "You act like you haven't seen me in years."
"It feels like it." Max replied.
"I'm sure it has." Joyce chuckled. "Happy birthday, Max. I see you've got a whole crowd here."
Max giggled. "They invited me here. It's nice to be back at the diner. I feel like it's been so long since I've actually been in here. To eat, that is."
"5 years certainly is a long time."
"You're looking really good, Joyce. I see you've gone higher up in the rankings."
"About time, too." Joyce grumbled. "Worked here nearly all my life. Thanks to that shit-ass manager who thankfully, got investigated and arrested for wage theft."
Kate gasped. "That's awful!"
"Thankfully, with my new position, I can actually afford to live in the house William and I bought."
"That's great, Joyce." Max smiled. "How's David?"
"David?" Joyce shrugged. "He's alright. Still recovering, but he's getting there. He's long-since finished his therapy sessions, thank God. You'd have seen him around Blackwell. You talked to him?"
"Not really. Still kinda scares me."
"He can be a little intimidating, yes." Joyce sighed. "Thankfully, that's his job now. And he's really good at it."
"Are you happy, Joyce?"
"With him? Or in general?" Joyce laughed uncomfortably.
Max grimaced. "In general."
"Max, now that you're back in Arcadia Bay, I'm happier than I've been for a long time." She looked at Chloe and Rachel, who were sitting at the bar, drinking and laughing to themselves. "You mean the world to Chloe. Rachel is lovely and treats her well, but you keep her grounded. The three of you being together is exactly what Chloe needs. Thank you, Max." She clapped her hands. "Anyway, enough chit-chat. I'm sure y'all are hungry, is that right?"
A chorus of affirmations erupted from the table.
"Well then! I'll go see if I can find a waitress. We're a little bit short-staffed this weekend, I'm afraid. So it might take a while."
"That's cool, Joyce." Max said kindly.
A few minutes later, a waitress came out and took their orders. Half an hour later, the dishes came out one by one. Chloe and Rachel had since left, but Chloe had reminded Max that she could just text her and she'll pick her up.
Max looked out the window. It was beginning to cloud over, but the sun was still shining bright, expertly painting the Bay with beautiful shadows, a dark gloom hanging over the lighthouse. "Give me one second." Max said. She got up from her booth and walked towards the doors.
"Max, is everything...?" Kate asked.
"I'm fine, Kate. Just getting a photo. I'll be right back."
"Okay. You've hardly touched your food, though."
Max shrugged. She went outside and sat down on concrete. She could smell the salty sea air as the wind battered her face. It was blissful. She sighed. Before her friends started worrying, she did what she came outside to do. Still sitting down, she grabbed her camera, and took a photo of the lighthouse, the ground in front of her partially shadowed by clouds. "This is a nice shot. I could show this to-" Max cut her fantasy short. She was outraged. "For a minute I completely forgot everything Jefferson ever did." Max wanted to cry as she felt all the harrowing memories hit her like a train. She balled up her free fist and, resisting the strong urge to angrily throw her camera, took a deep breath and walked back inside.
"You were gone for quite a while. You sure you're alright?" Kate asked.
Max nodded. "Yeah. Turns out I just needed a little bit of fresh air."
Warren whispered something into Kate's ear. She nodded and got up from her seat, allowing Warren to get up too. She sat back down and Warren approached Max.
"Stella and Alyssa may not know you that well, but Kate and I do." Warren whispered. "I understand if you don't want to talk about it in front of them, but please, Kate and I aren't stupid. We know there's something going on with you. If, whenever you feel like talking about it, don't be afraid to come to us, okay?"
"I…" Max stopped. She didn't really want Warren and Kate to get involved, but Max knew they were smart people. They would understand.
"Don't insult me. Please, go on."
Max shook her head. That was the first flashback to the other timeline she had for a while. She realised she had a lot to get off her chest, especially to someone who could understand. Someone from outside. "Warren, I… I can't. Not right now. I promise you I will explain it to you sometime I just… I'm still struggling to understand it myself. I'm in a very difficult situation and it's not fair for you to see me like this. I'm happy today, and I want this day to remain happy. I promise, when the time comes, you and Kate will be the first to know."
"Do Chloe and Rachel know?" Warren asked.
Max looked down.
"I don't mean that in an accusing way, they have more of a right to know than I do, but they can't carry this burden alone. They had a pretty shit life themselves, as I'm sure you know."
"Yeah. They explained it." Max nodded.
"At the very least, do you wanna hug?" Warren asked.
"That would be nice." Max replied, stepping in for the hug. Her mind flashed as he hugged her. "I… I forgot how warm his hugs were. It's nice." Max smiled. As she broke the hug, she was still smiling. "Thank you, Warren. Anyway, I should enjoy the rest of my brunch."
"I'd hardly call it brunch now." Warren chuckled, checking his phone. "It's nearly 12."
"Shit, really?" Max said as she sat back down. "I'll call Chloe and then wolf down this meal. Sorry for being such a downer."
"Max, you could never be a downer." Kate reassured her. "I'm glad you could come out with us. I hope we were at least somewhat good company."
"Of course. Now I'm gonna enjoy this meal."
In the following ten minutes before Chloe picked Max up, everyone had forgotten about what had happened, and instead were just talking and laughing. Max finally felt like she was having fun. It was moments like these, Max realised, that had become such a rarity for her. The emotional toll that she had placed upon herself prevented her from enjoying life for what it really was in the first place. However, that made these moments that much more enjoyable, and Max was regretting having called Chloe. Looking at her and Rachel was a constant reminder of the hellish world she left behind, and while sometimes she still saw Kate as the traumatised girl on top of the dorm roof, in this moment, she saw Kate for the charming beauty and happiness that she was. Here, with one of her hands rested upon Warren's thigh as they occasionally swapped loving glances at each other, Max found happiness vicariously through them. Warren seemed happy too, and Stella and Alyssa were friendly and kind, not having to worry about anything bad happening to them. Max allowed herself a moment of glory.
"You did it, Max. They're safe. And happy. This is a day for celebration." Max smiled.
"Wake up, sistah. The rave ain't even started yet." Chloe clamped a hand on Max's shoulder and shook her.
"Alright, silly." Max smiled. "Thank you so much, everyone. I had a great time."
"Absolutely. Our pleasure." Warren smiled. "Oh hey, don't forget! Movie night tomorrow at my place!"
"Of course." Max smiled.
"You've got yourself pretty booked, huh?" Chloe said as they walked out.
"Only good things at this stage." Max grabbed Chloe's hand. "Where's Rachel?"
"She's already at our destination."
Max pretended to think for a second. "Let me guess, the junkyard?"
"Max quit abusing your rewind power." Chloe scolded.
"No, this power is me knowing you too damn well." Max smirked
"So much for the surprise." Chloe grumbled.
"It's fine, I'm excited anyway."
"Damn right you should be! Let's go!"
"Fuck yes! I love this song!" Chloe cried as the radio blared to life.
"What's it called?"
"Don't Mess With Me. By Brody Dalle." Chloe smiled. "I've always enjoyed it but…"
"But?"
"The day I tracked down Rachel's mom… at the mill…" Chloe stared straight ahead. "This was playing. I was angry. Didn't pay attention to the road. Almost hit a truck and swerved off the road." She looked at Max as they approached a traffic light and stopped. "I talked to my dad. I see him in my dreams from time to time, but that was the last time I talked to him. I don't know what happened. Maybe I passed out? I felt conscious the entire time, but he was there. Talking to me. And that whole time that was happening, this song was playing."
"Why that particular memory?"
"I don't know. It was a pretty important moment in my life. I asked my dad if he ever lied to me. He said he couldn't tell me. After all, he's dead." Chloe sighed. "I don't know if I was ready for his answer anyway."
"Do you still think he did?"
"For my protection?" Chloe asked. "Telling a 6-year-old that Santa is real isn't going to cause them any serious trauma, as long as you tell them the truth when they're old enough."
"Did William ever tell Santa wasn't real?"
"Of course. When I was like, 10. He explained to me how they bought the gifts, and how Santa was just a face for excitement."
"He broke the illusion that early?"
"Well, yeah. I was better off for it. How did you find out?"
"Someone blabbed in middle school and I freaked out." Max mumbled.
"See? Exactly." Chloe smirked. Max crossed her arms and huffed, looking out the passenger window. "Before you asked, no. I don't think he did lie about anything serious."
"I don't think my parents ever had much drama to lie about."
"It's the sort of thing you can usually tell." Chloe agreed. "Rachel knew something was up."
"She just had no idea the scale."
Chloe nodded. "Exactly."
They pulled into the junkyard and parked the truck just inside the entrance. Rachel stepped out of the shack and waved to them.
"Last one there's a rotten pirate!" Chloe cried, slamming the door of her truck and sprinting towards the shack.
"Hey! No fair!" Max yelled, chasing after her.
"Come on, slowpoke!" Chloe yelled back, not even remotely out of breath despite being miles ahead. Max stumbled after her.
"There you are! My two little pirates." Rachel smiled.
"Little? I'm half a foot taller than you, hippie!" Chloe laughed.
"Oh shut up. You're like 4-inches taller than me at best." Rachel huffed. "Anyway, come see the work I've done." She smiled and walked back into the shack.
Max followed her inside with an awestruck look on her face. What Max had remembered as a cramped and decrepit building with rubbish strewn everywhere had become what Max and Chloe had always dreamed of. A secret hideout. The torn and faded elephant tapestry Max remembered had been replaced by a large white sheet, decorated with various colours. A large black spiral covered the background, and 3 girls standing in the middle together, laughing and hugging.
"It's us!" Max said, feeling tears beginning to form.
"Took Chloe and I nearly all night to paint it. Finished at 3am and chucked it in the truck first thing so you wouldn't notice." Rachel smiled.
Max looked around. The same old, worn couch was still there, but it hadn't been abused quite as heavily, and looked almost clean. Various other pieces of memorabilia were strewn across the place, mostly Chloe's artwork. Chloe handed Max a large black pen.
"For you." Chloe smiled. She pointed at a piece of wall where Rachel and Chloe's names were written.
Max's eyes lit up. She scrambled over to the wall and wrote 'Max was here.' She giggled. "Now we're officially a trio! I love this so much. Thank you guys." Max could feel the tears run down her face.
"Happy birthday Max." Rachel said, hugging Max.
After several hours of talking, laughing, drinking alcohol and wandering around the junkyard, Max decided it was time to go home. Chloe was tipsy, so Rachel insisted on driving home. For once, Chloe didn't protest. Rachel smiled as the two women that she could proudly call her girlfriends fell asleep, their heads resting on top of each other.
"My two little pirates." She breathed out loud. Rachel shook Chloe and Max awake when they arrived. Chloe yawned and stretched.
"Thank you, baby." Chloe leaned over and kissed Rachel, completely forgetting Max was there, squashing her.
"Ow." Max moaned.
"You're still drunk." Rachel giggled.
"Not even close, babe." Chloe replied. "Sorry Max. I'll kiss it better." Chloe leaned down and kissed Max."
"That tickles!"
"Oh it does, does it?" Chloe asked.
"Oh no." Max said. She shoved Chloe into the seat and scrambled out of the truck and upstairs.
"You can't outrun me, Max! You don't have the key anyway!" Chloe laughed, chasing Max upstairs.
Rachel walked slowly and calmly upstairs, ignoring Max's cries for help as she lost the tickle fight. She opened the apartment door slowly and calmly, stepping back as Max ran inside.
"Alright, Chloe, you win this round!" Max giggled, out of breath.
Chloe smiled, tucking her unkempt hair behind her ear. "Anyway, that's enough excitement for one day. I'm so tired."
"We spent like, all afternoon and evening at the junkyard." Max sighed.
"Can you imagine how it would have gone down if our pizza had been delivered?" Chloe giggled. She mimed putting a phone against her ear. "Yes, please take it to this incredibly shady junkyard where you will most definitely not be mugged and killed!" Chloe laughed. Rachel looked nervous.
"I'm glad you're the smart one out of all of us, Rachel, and suggested picking it up and bringing it back there." Max said.
"It was fun, in the end." Rachel smiled. "All of us together, in our special spot, eating pizza and talking shit."
"Today was a fun day. Thank you guys." Max yawned and stretched. "I'm gonna head to bed. It's like, insanely early I know, but I've had a big day." She walked towards her bedroom door.
"Where do you think you're going?" Chloe asked.
Max stopped, and turned to look at her. "To… my room…"
Chloe coughed. "I mean, I was just wondering if you wanted to um… sleep with us, tonight. The bed should be large enough." She awkwardly swung her arms and looked at the ground. That quality was a rarity for Chloe to allow to surface, but Max loved it more than anything else. It was cute and innocent, terms that Chloe didn't often associate with.
"I was joking this morning-" Max started to say.
"I wasn't referring to that, dumbass." Chloe said quickly. "It's just… we felt the bed was a little empty, without our third."
Rachel nodded.
Max looked at Chloe. "Then that would be wonderful."
The bed wasn't as big as Max thought it would be, but they managed. Max, in her half-asleep state, kept demanding cuddles and kisses, which Chloe and Rachel happily obliged. Max lied on her back, catching her breath.
"That was nice. This is amazing. I love you guys so much." Max said soothingly. She couldn't but feel sandwiched between Chloe and Rachel, but it was a nice feeling. She kissed Chloe on the back of the neck, stroking her hair. Rachel pretended to be upset, so Max did the same to Rachel. "Are you purring?" Max asked.
"Yesss…" Rachel said sleepily. "I'm a little kitty cat, I must have pets." She meowed.
"You two are dorks." Chloe mumbled.
"Naw, is the other sleepy kitty jealous?" Max said condescendingly.
"No, but the tickle monster is!" Chloe giggled, rolling over and raising her hands up like claws.
"Don't you dare!" Max cried, giggling.
"Maybe we should…" Rachel yawned. "Go to sleep. I'm a sleepy baby."
"Fair enough. The tickle monster must rest." Chloe said. "Btw, I get to be the big spoon."
Rachel tutted. "For now, Miss Price."
Max rolled over so she was hugging Rachel, her head resting in the back of her neck. She could feel Chloe's warm arm around her body and her head resting against hers. Within seconds, they were all fast asleep.