Chapter 04: Seriously Ominous Bullshit

After Max stormed off, that just left me, my never-ending supply of anger, and Rachel. "What the fuck was that?" I nearly shouted, turning to Rachel.

"What the fuck yourself," Rachel replied with an icy coolness as she grabbed her forty and chugged whatever was left before setting the empty can aside. "Your freckled friend from Seattle doesn't make a bit of fucking sense."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" I pressed.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "You are not this stupid. Stop being pissed off and think."

"Think about what?" I threw her words back in her face.

A saw a bit of disappointment in Rachel's pout as she leaned forward and glared at me. "Name every person on this planet that knows I set that fire."

"Just the two of us," I said. "So?"

"And how did Max answer?"

I felt my face scrunch up as I thought back. No way. Max's anguish distracted me so much, I didn't see it. She said that Rachel setting the fire was true. It didn't make a bit of fucking sense. If there was anything that Max should've guessed was a lie, that was it.

"Yeah, now you're getting up to speed," Rachel said, obviously figuring out just where I was in my thoughts by whatever my stupid face was telling her. "So now, ask yourself how she knew our brands of beer and cigarettes and just how the hell she got all that out of there without getting in trouble."

Shrugging, I shook my head. "How the hell am I supposed to know? Maybe she picked up hella awesome ninja skills in Seattle."

Rachel shook her head. "When she said she wouldn't get caught, she lied. And not just once. I asked before and after our little heist. She lied. Both times."

"Obviously she didn't. There was a fucking cop right there. If she got caught, she'd have been in seriously deep shit," I shot back, swinging my arm just a bit too much as my beer sloshed over. I chugged a good third of it to make sure that didn't happen again before wiping my hand and the bottle on my jeans. "Maybe you're just losing your touch."

"Come on, Chloe," Rachel said, her stern look slipping just a bit as those big, hazel eyes bore into mine, almost pleading. "You know something's going on."

I nodded. I held up a hand, letting Rachel know I needed a sec before I doubled back to the door. Taking a moment to survey my stomping grounds, my eyes found their target. Max stood over by that old fast food sign, just staring down at the dirt. My stomach turned, just about sending my beer back up my gullet and I forced my gaze away from her. Fuck did it hurt seeing her all beat up like that, especially considering she wouldn't just tell me what the hell was going on with her.

"Okay, Rach, but this stays between us," I said as I stepped back in. For good measure, I gave her a glare as I pointed at her with my beer. "I mean it." My churning stomach demanded that I not stand up, so I went back to the bench, snatched up the half-eaten bag of cheese puffs, and spread out there. I set the orange snacks on my chest and started noshing as I waited for Rachel to also settle in. Damn this was really riling her up. If I didn't feel like shit, I'd have tried to wind her up more. The more pissed she got the crazier she was between the sheets.

After fuming in her seat for a good ten seconds, she finally snapped at me, "So? Out with it already!"

I sighed as I set the beer on the ground next to me so I could tuck my arm under the back of my head. "She's got a journal, you know. In that little brown bag of hers."

That got a genuine smile out of her. "You little snoop! I knew you had it in you."

"Hey, Max learned from the best," I said, throwing a wink her way. "Still don't know how the fuck she knew what was in my wallet, though."

Rachel practically bounced in her seat. "What did it say?"

I sighed. "I didn't get much. I read a page while she was in the shower, and she added a bit that I got while you guys were hitting the convenience store."

"Oh my God, you are killing me right now! Spill!"

"You realize I'm not drawing this out to fuck with you. I really didn't get much, and what I did get made zero fucking sense," I said, giving her a look that I really hope drove home the fact that I was completely serious. "I read just three entries, and each one made less sense than the last."

"You are absolutely doing this to fuck with me. Out. With. It!"

"Okay, okay!" I snapped back. "The first entry was mostly about her being scared shitless about facing me after five years of silence. That part made sense. But then it mentioned you. By name." I glanced over, and Rachel's impatient scowl had been replaced by a scrunched up face that told me those little gears in her head were running wild. "Yeah, how the fuck did she even know who you were? And it gets weirder. It said something about her not getting a chance to make up for it by saving my life again. It definitely had 'again' in there. But, thing is, she never saved my life before. Not that I can think of."

Rachel leaned back in her chair. "I've been bouncing a few theories in my head, and this is making one stand out."

"Yeah?" I asked, sitting up, and sending half of what was left of the cheese puffs into the floor. "Fuck." I grabbed my beer and took a drink. "Let's hear it."

"Crazy ass stalker," Rachel said. Her face was completely serious, but it wasn't like she couldn't fake that look, either.

"Are you fucking serious?"

Holding up her hands, Rachel gave me a sympathetic look that she probably couldn't fake. Or at least, she wouldn't. Not to me. "Hear me out. She knows what's in your wallet, who I am, our brands of beer, cigs. She knows a shitton she shouldn't. And, I'm gonna give this one to you since you're obviously not going to get it. Her first truth, she was totally talking about you."

Her first truth?

It hit me like a train. She said that she liked a girl. Max had the hots for me!

My heart leaped into my throat. "Wh-what?"

"It pisses me off just how happy that fucking makes you," Rachel bit back at me, her voice dripping with venom.

"Sh-shit!" I got up, turning my back to her. Like hiding my stupid blushing face from her now would make her unsee whatever idiotic expression I had. "Fuck! Rachel, I..."

Before I could turn around, I felt her arms around me, and her breath on my ear. "I get it. That sexy little thing walks in from Seattle and it's all about you. I'm jealous."

I stumbled as Rachel suddenly shoved me away. "What the fuck?" When I turned, I found Rachel with her thumbnail between her teeth. She only did that when she was worrying over something. Putting my hand on her shoulder, I leaned on her. "Rachel, what's wrong?"

"Crazy stalker doesn't fit." She said though she kept her gaze a thousand-yard stare. "She wasn't jealous. I told her I was your girlfriend. She looked… sad. Not angry. Not jealous. It doesn't make sense. I know she has a thing for you. Why isn't she jealous?"

Looking at Rachel, I saw this was more than just a little curiosity. This whole thing with Max was really bothering her. Fuck if I knew why, though. I mean, I cared because it was Max and I needed to know what was going on with her. But for Rachel, Max was just a story. A person I told her about. "Hey, uh, maybe we can figure it out? I did read two other passages."

"Yeah. Hit me," Rachel said. A twirl of a step and she fell into her chair. The joint came from behind her ear and she lit it right up. "I can't figure this girl out, and it's driving me crazy."

I can totally see that shit.

"Okay, the second passage she mentioned Joyce and David." I held a hand out, silently asking for a hit, but the look Rachel gave me told me I wasn't getting any until I finished talking. "It mentioned that she had to something to talk to step-shit about, but it was cryptic as fuck. She just used abbreviations. I know one was M.J. 'cause I was totally hoping she was talking about Mary Jane, but I think it's pretty clear that wasn't the case. It also mentioned some shit about nobody noticing before. She wanted to do more snooping and internet searches. But that's it."

Rachel passed me the joint, a little reward for finishing the bit. "That gives us literally nothing to work with. Unless you know a fucking M.J."

With lungs full of smoke, a sudden remembrance hit me. I passed the joint back and I held up a finger, letting Rachel know I had something to say. A few seconds later, I exhaled. "I'm a fucking idiot!" I said.

"And here I thought you had something insightful to add," Rachel said with a roll of her eyes before bringing the joint to her lips.

I flipped her off. "When you were challenging me to prove Max was at my place, I went looking for a photo of her. I knew she'd have one. That's how I came across her journal in the first place. But, before I went through the journal, I found this folder thing. I thought it was her portfolio or some shit, but it was just full of printed off internet searches. Whatever the fuck that M.J. and what-the-fuck-else she was writing about was in there."

Rachel nodded, "What was in there?" she asked before taking another hit and passing the dwindling joint my way.

"Fuck if I know," I said before taking a hit of my own. When I passed it back, she just snubbed out the roach in the ashtray.

"You didn't read any of it?"

I shook my head. "I was looking for pictures of Max. They weren't in there, so I didn't give two shits."

"So basically you suddenly remembered something that literally tells us nothing."

Again, she was just verbally kicking me while I was down. I knew it was fuck all, but now we know where that fuck all was, right? "You fucking want me to tell you the thing she wrote while we were buying from Frank or not?"

"Sorry, Chlo. She's under my skin." Rachel hugged herself, rubbing her hands along her arms. "Making me doubt my ability to read people. She lies when it makes no sense and tells the truth to contradict those lies… Even when she tells the truth it just doesn't make fucking sense! I don't get it!"

"Yeah, well, the last one was even more fucked up. And all about you."

Her eyes rolled up before they closed as Rachel sighed. "Okay, let me have it."

"First and foremost, I gotta know—and do not fuck around—have you ever, ever, maybe in just a passing way, met Max before?"

Rachel leaned in. "Never. I've never been to Seattle and you know I came to this shithole years after she got her ass outta here."

"Yeah, that's what I thought." I reached up, slipping a hand under my beanie to scratch my scalp. "She mentioned her panic attack in that one, including what caused it. It read something like she saw you and had a flashback of the only other time she saw you. And something about a smell and she thought she'd puke." I looked Rachel in the eye. "You're sure she's never seen you before?"

She shook her head. "Never."

An almost silent "Fuck" left my lips as I wondered if any of this shit was gonna make sense. "Okay, well the rest of it was mostly praise about you. She really appreciated you helping her during her panic attack and she totally meant it when she said she liked your picture of me." I sighed. "Then, at the very end, it got super-fucked up. Like, seriously ominous bullshit. She wrote that she wasn't going to let fate take you away from me."

"The fuck is that supposed to mean?" Rachel asked.

I held up my hands. "How should I know? Just telling you what I read."

"I never met her," Rachel said, her head shaking a bit. Her brow was all furrowed up and I could tell she was trying hard as fuck to remember. "Never."

"Speaking of Max, she's been gone a hella long time." I got up, heading for the door.

Rachel sighed as she stood. "I guess if we want answers, we gotta get them from the horse's mouth."

We left our hideout in search of Max. It didn't take long for us to find her, either. She was in the same spot I last saw her. Only this time she was covered in dirt. "Max… you okay?" I asked as I approached the bizarre scene. She knelt in front of what could only be described as a pit that she, apparently, dug out with her bare fucking hands. The brown completely covered her hands and forearms, staining the hoodie she wore. Her jeans weren't any better off, and she even had dirt all over her face.

She looked up at me, and she fucking smiled. Not a nervous smile or a fake one to say "I'm okay." No. She grinned ear to ear as she said, "Nothing's here!"

No longer feeling the slightest bit interested in picking at whatever wound caused this fucked up cry for help, I asked, "Why don't we take a break and hit the Two Whales? Grab some lunch, let Max clean up a bit?"

Rachel didn't miss a beat. "Yeah, I could totally get my grub on. Come on, Max."

We helped Max to her feet before heading for the truck. The whole trip was spent by casting sidelong glances between me and Rachel. We silently said the same thing to each other, "Are you good to drive?" When it came to tolerance, Rachel always had me beat. But she also blasted through more booze and at least twice the weed I did. So I got stuck behind the wheel with Max between us. Two beers weren't a lot. I'd driven home way more fucked up before, not that I was proud of it. More importantly, it wasn't just me I was driving. My whole fucking world was packed into the cab of the old rust bucket. One wrong move and… Fuck!

"I… uh, Max, you know how to drive a stick?" I asked, looking over at Max. "I'm kinda feeling the beers."

"Are you cereal?"

Rachel snickered and snorted at the lame-ass phrase, but I just smiled. It was so Max. "I mean, I'm probably good to drive, but if I get pulled over, we are seriously fucked."

"I don't technically have a license. Never needed one," Max said. "I mean, I know it's not that complicated. I've driven an automatic before."

Rachel elbowed Max, a mischievous grin on her face. "Without a license?"

"Extenuating circumstances," Max replied.

"Oh, like to keep your friends from drunk driving?" I joined in, leaning over to bump her with my shoulder. "Come on. Switch me."

With a groan, Max started climbing over me as I scooted over toward Rachel. It wasn't until I was firmly planted in the middle did I realize how much of an opportunity I just missed. A little handful of this or that could have easily been explained away. "Fuckin' idiot," I berated myself as I leaned my head back.

"What?" Max asked, looking back over at me.

"Just kicking myself for being so stupid," I said.

"She does that a lot," Rachel chimed in, nudging me. I didn't have the energy left to flip her off again.

"Okay, so how does this work?" Max asked as she messed around with the equipment.

I walked her through starting the truck and working the clutch to get the gears. It blew me away just how quickly she caught on. I swear she got everything right the first time, every time. Put my sorry ass to shame. Once she'd done a lap around American Rust, we settled on Max taking us to the Two Whales for lunch and cleanup.