AN: Here is the final chapter! :)
It was Max's last night in Arcadia Bay. She and Chloe were cuddling on Chloe's bed embracing one another and sharing each other's warmth. The younger girl woke up to the sound of her friend sniffling and tightening her embrace.
"Chlo, are you alright?" Max asked. Her eyes felt very heavy, and she could barely make out her blonde companion.
"A nightmare, I had a nightmare…" Chloe spoke as she began sobbing.
"Oh my god, Chloe, what happened?!" Make replied with concern.
"My dad… I watched him die… I saw the crash… th-then you showed up too and just… vanished like the wind. But it was almost like… a storm…"
"Chloe, it's alright. It was just a dream. It wasn't real." Max assured as she rubbed her friend's back, trying to comfort her.
"It WAS, though!" Chloe burst. "That's exactly how my dad died! I was just in the front row center this time to watch! And you're leaving today!"
"I'm sorry your dreams made you see what happened to your dad. That's… That's awful! But I'm not just gonna leave and disappear out of your life. I promise you that," Max replied, holding Chloe tight.
"You promise?" Another sniffle.
"Absolutely. I'll always be here for you, even if I may not always be here here."
Chloe clung to her friend's shirt.
"Please, don't go, Max," the older teen begged.
Max didn't know how to respond. She wanted to just tell Chloe that her parents had changed their minds again and that they would be staying in Arcadia Bay for good. But this was something that was out of the young teen's control. If only she had some kind of power that could influence people's decisions. Maybe then she could remain with her best friend as she had wanted.
"I'm so sorry, Chloe. Please forgive me," was all Max could muster. Returning the powerful embrace to her friend, both of them clung on to each other and sobbed together as one.
—
Joyce had prepared breakfast for Max and Chloe. Today it was Belgian waffles with eggs and bacon, which was of course cooked to perfection as it normally was. But while Max was eating like normal, or trying to at least, Chloe had barely touched her food. She was merely playing with it as her fork hopped around the plate. Her mother, of course, picked up on this. "Chloe, you hardly touched your food. Are you not gonna eat?"
"Not really hungry," Chloe responded dryly, not having any concern for the bitterness in her tone.
"Oh, I see… Why not save it for later then?" Joyce suggested.
"Fine," Chloe agreed as she excused herself and headed to the kitchen, wrapping the plate up in cling wrap before placing it in the fridge.
"I guess today's the day, huh?" The graceful woman sighed.
Max nodded, making little eye contact.
"We're sure gonna miss you," said Joyce.
"I know, I'll miss all of you too." Max attempted to smile, but it just came off as a small quiver as if her tears were about to give, which may have not been too far from the truth at this point.
Chloe made her way over to the TV, turning on a random channel that she wasn't even paying attention to. Instead, her eyes wandered as she looked bored. Or more like depressed in this case.
"Are you all packed up, sweetheart? Do you need any help with anything?" Joyce questioned, picking up Max's plate. Which, to Max's surprise, did an okay job of eating her breakfast despite her anxiety and heartbreak.
"No, no, I've got everything. Thanks, Joyce, but you didn't need to pick up my plate, I can do that," the photographer assured.
"It's alright, Max. You've got a long day ahead of you. Besides, what's picking up one more plate when you've worked at the Two Whales Diner for almost 20 years?" Joyce chuckled, trying to lighten the mood, but her attempt failed, at least with Chloe. Max headed upstairs to gather her things, bringing them back downstairs. Her phone buzzed, displaying a text from her mother that they'd be arriving soon. She sat down on the couch next to Chloe but neither had uttered a word and just sat in silence. They did not even make eye contact. Eventually, however, Chloe reached out her hand and placed it on Max's, giving her a look of heartbreak. Max felt so defeated because she couldn't do anything, but at least she could hold the hand of the girl she loved, even if it may be for only a few minutes. A dark hum of the doorbell then rang throughout the Price household sooner than expected, alerting everyone. Chloe and Max froze, aside from their hands, which they created a tighter grip as they held each other. Joyce answered the door, greeting Vanessa and Ryan Caulfield.
"Welcome, welcome," Joyce addressed. "Max is sitting on the couch right next to Chloe."
"Thanks, Joyce. Have you been alright these past weeks?" Vanessa asked as she stepped into the house, giving Joyce a hug and Ryan following suit, being attentive to the conversation. Chloe and Max remained on the couch, still frozen like statues.
"Just tryin' to get by one day at a time," the waitress confessed, greeting the floor with sad eyes.
"We can't even imagine," Ryan spoke. "But if you need us for anything, anything at all, you can always call us. Distance isn't an issue."
"Thank you, both." Joyce was fighting back her tears. She had already been crying so much as it is. She believed she needed to control her emotions better in this situation, especially for Chloe's sake. "Anyway, I think Max is still on the couch."
"You ready, kiddo?" Ryan called as he entered the living room.
Max had whispered "no" to herself that Chloe could barely pick up on before responding properly to her father. Vanessa put an arm around her daughter's shoulder as Max arose from her spot.
"Time to say goodbye." Max felt her heart drop at those four words. She had already known that she had to say goodbye, so why remind her and make her feel even more awful? The lot stepped out in front of the Price house, even Chloe, but she remained distant. The Caulfields gave Joyce a goodbye hug once again before Joyce approached her second daughter.
"We're gonna miss ya so much," Joyce said as she held onto the small girl tightly, allowing her tears to flow this time.
"I'll miss you too, Joyce," Max replied, caught a bit off guard. As much as Joyce felt like a second mother to her, the two of them didn't hug too often. But if she never expressed her love properly for her second mother before, she certainly did this time in their final goodbyes. Max held on to Joyce tightly before they separated. Then there was just Chloe left, who was still keeping her distance from everyone. Max approached her friend carefully, but Chloe just rushed into Max's arms, bursting into tears.
"Did you really think I'd forget about you, silly girl?" Max joked, attempting to hold back the waterfalls so she could be strong for Chloe. The blonde ignored the joke however and held onto her friend as tight as she could. It was likely the tightest she's ever held anyone besides her father.
"I love you, Max," she whispered. "I'll miss you so much…"
"I love you too," Max affirmed, sneaking a quick kiss onto Chloe's cheek. "I promise I'll come back to see you."
The older teen made a small coo before the two finally broke apart after several minutes. It was now time for Max to head over to the car, which her parents were waiting patiently by. Hesitantly, once again, the two broke their connected hands as that was the only thing keeping them from breaking apart. Their connection was like a chain that finally had to give up and shatter. Max entered the car into the back seat, staring back at Chloe, while Chloe stared back at her before her parents drove away. The two girls continued looking into the declining sight of each other until both were merely small specs. Max eventually fully sat down in her seat, finally letting out quiet tears of agony that her parents didn't seem to notice. Whereas Chloe pushed aside her mother's affections, rushing into the house to her room. She crashed onto her bed and screamed and cried into the pillow that Max always used, while simultaneously taking in her scent. Chloe wailed and wept herself to sleep, dreaming of Max and mistaking them as real experiences before waking up and realizing that her mind was trying to belittle and play tricks on her. Chloe continued to sob again before drifting off once more for the night and dreaming of her father and Max yet again. It was then that an unbearable cycle had begun.
