"In December, drinkin' horchata..."Max sang as she gleefully pranced in circles around Chloe. The hood of her parka bobbed up and down with each hop. She leaped into the air, stomping down right in front of the punk. "I'd look psychotic in a balaclava!"
"Is that your official theme for December?" Chloe asked, smirking at the fidgeting girl in front of her.
"Yeah man!" She shouted as she began to skip again. "Every month should have a theme song! Like wrestlers do!"
"Hard to imagine the abstract concept of months beating each other over the head with metal chairs, though," Chloe added, continuing to walk down the street. Max seemed to orbit her, continuing in an energetic circle around the blue haired girl. Chloe eyed the girl's beanie, giggling to herself. "You know, with the hat and the hood and the necklace, you look like a super thugged out rapper. Like, MC MC." She recoiled at her own brilliance. "Holy shit, dude," she laughed. "You have to pay me for that one."
I could so be a rapper. Aw yussss.
"Gimme a beat," Max demanded, her smiling cheeks pink from the cold.
"Not gonna happen," Chloe said, flitting her hand in the air. "I don't have the chops for beatboxing. Believe me, I've tried."
"Fine, whatever," Max said as she disappeared from Chloe's vision. "I'll rock it a capella. Yo, my name is Maxine and I'm a dork." The punk stopped, grinning as Max slid in front of her. "I like to eat many foods with forks!" She disappeared again. "And sometimes forks are made of plastic," she said, her rhythm absolutely garbage. "If I don't stop dancing I'm gonna be sick!" She finally stopped in front of Chloe, doubled over as she gasped for breath. "I am out of shape," she complained. "Hoooo boy, I am out of shape."
"Sorry, babe," Chloe said, rubbing her hand on Max's back. "For what it's worth, that was the worst rap I've ever heard."
"Yeah, thanks," she said, waving her hand. "I did that on purpose."
"And for what it's worth a second time..." Chloe gestured to the building in front of them. "We're here, so you get to chill for a second."
"This place is new?" Max asked as she stood up straight.
"I mean, new since you left five years ago, yeah. It's where I buy all my music." She placed a cigarette between her lips and lit it. "It's pretty cool, I know the owner. Total retro, Robert Plant lookin' motherfucker."
"How come you don't put any music on your phone or just get an iPod?" Max asked, scratching her hair through her beanie. "Join the modern era, yo."
"The last iPod I owned was like, the original shuffle and that thing is long dead. And I guess with my phone, just never got around to it." She took a deep drag and tilted her head, exhaling away from Max. "Besides, I like CDs. They make me feel nostalgic. Even peeling off that annoying white strip at the top has a certain fuzziness to it."
"Uh huh," Max giggled. "And I'm sure you miss that clusterfuck AOL sign in noise followed by 'you've got mail!'"
Or that sad sound of the door slamming when Chloe signed off. Hmm.
"In a way, I do kinda," Chloe snickered. "I mean, I'd never go back, but little dumb shit like that defined eras of our lives. There will always be something charming about them." Max dug through her bag for a moment, producing her camera.
"Yeah, that's true," she said, holding it out to Chloe. "It's like me using an instant instead of digital. It just has that certain...je ne sais quoi, you know?" She held it high above her head and made a serious face, throwing up a peace sign as she took the photo.
"Now who's speaking French?" Chloe laughed, poking the smaller girl in the side. "Is that your album cover?" She dropped the cigarette on the ground, stomping on it and twisting her foot.
Chlo, I wish you wouldn't litter. Baby steps, I guess.
"That's what I'm going for, yeah," she quietly giggled. "I kind of just want to have the fucking filthiest beats but with lyrical content on par with Sesame Street."
"Well, there's a market for everything," Chloe replied, wrapping an arm around Max. The brunette grinned and held the camera out, quickly snagging a photo of the two of them. The punk smiled, leaning down to kiss Max on the temple. "You taking pictures of me so much is giving me kind of a complex, I think. Might just fall into the next pond and drown trying to get at my reflection."
"That makes me happy to hear," Max said, beaming at the taller girl as she whipped the Polaroid around. "You absolutely deserve to know how beautiful you are." She felt a hand tug on her hood, pulling it down over her eyes. "Hey! It got dark!"
"Stop bein' so cute," Chloe said. "You're on cute timeout."
"That's not even a thing," Max mumbled, readjusting her hood. "You can't just create new timeouts. There's a system!"
THESE CHAINS CAN'T HOLD ME
"I can do whatever I please, ya little dork." Chloe poked her in the side, causing her to yelp and giggle. "Come on, let's go look at some music. I'll buy you an album or two."
"Sugar Momma," the brunette said, returning the poke.
Once in the store, Max's eyes lit up as she unleashed a playful 'oooooh!' She removed her hood and gently tugged Chloe's sleeve.
"Or three," she said. The blue haired girl rolled her eyes and laughed.
"Or three, sure." She dipped her hands into her front pockets, swaying side to side as she looked around. "So, Maximo, where to first?"
"Pussy banjo strumming, duh," Max said, gripping the girl's wrist and pulling her along.
"It's really my fault for expecting anything different," Chloe added with snark.
Max methodically scanned the rows of CDs, occasionally making small 'hm's' and 'huh's.' Chloe waltzed around behind her, feeling a simple joy at the girl's intense interest. Grinning, she quickly grabbed Max's ass, making a quiet 'honk!' sound.
"Hey!" Max whipped around as she furrowed her brow. "What you doin'?"
"Couldn't resist," the taller girl replied with a shrug. In return, Max playfully shook her butt.
"Oh man!" Max's eyes went wide. "The new River City Extension album!" She plucked it from the row and examined it, smiling to herself. She held it out for Chloe to see. "I've been wanting this forever! Definitely one of those that you need a physical copy of." She tucked it under her arm happily.
"Weren't you just giving me shit for only buying physical music?" Chloe laughed, placing a hand on her hip. "Somebody's a hypocrite."
"Well, maybe a teensy," Max admitted with a toothy smile. "You'd love these guys," she said, turning back to the CDs. "They're like a nine person band with violins, trumpets, all kinds of crazy shit."
"So, Reel Big Fish, then," Chloe snarked. Max glanced back in offense.
"No, not like Reel Big Fish! These guys are way folksy but with transgressive, punk lyrics." She dangled the album left and right. "Trust me, you'll love them. I'll play them in the truck!"
Chloe will totally love them if I know that big, blue brain of hers.
True to her demands, Max found two more CDs she wanted. With each one, she turned to Chloe, excitedly showing her the cover and going on a long tangent about why they were so good. For the punk's part, she rolled her eyes, acting nonchalant despite loving the girl's enthusiasm. As the two walked further into the store, they reached the vinyl section.
"Holy. Shit." Max squeaked, flinging herself against the glass case. She pressed her palms and nose into the glass, fogging it up as she breathed. Inside the case were several vinyl record players, though she was clearly focusing on a particular one. She glanced back at Chloe, breathing quickly in a dramatic fashion.
"Yanno," Chloe mused as she wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulders, "maybe smoking before we came here was not the correct choice."
"I'm just playin' it up," Max admitted. She tapped on the glass. "But look at that, one of those cool digital vinyl players." Chloe bent down to check it out with her. "It's got a USB so you can connect it to your laptop and digitize your records? So cool, right? I mean, even if the sound quality during the transfer is debatable, it's a great option to have." She turned to Chloe. "I've always wanted one of these."
"I'm kind of surprised you don't have one already," the punk said as she looked it over. "Vinyl is hot shit these days. Thought every good, little hipster child was growing their collection?"
"Yeeeah." Max sighed. "I kinda fell behind on that one..." She let go of a tiny pout, turning to evaluate the wall of records. She tapped her fingers against the plastic CD cases in her hands.
"Well..." Chloe said coolly, twisting a finger with the brunette's locks. "I mean, want it?" Max looked at her in shock, then back at the player.
"Chloe, it's almost three hundred dollars! I'm not letting you spend that much on me, dude." She smiled warmly and held out her CDs. "Besides, I got my three just like ya promised, Sugar Momma." She poked the glass. "I'll get one someday, but not today."
Maybe by the time I get one they'll be out of style again and I can be the hipster queen, muahahaha.
"Okay, baby," Chloe snickered, planting a kiss on Max's head. The girl snuggled into Chloe, burrowing her face into the punk's cleavage. "Searchin' for treasure?" Chloe asked with a laugh as she quickly rubbed the girl's back.
"Snorkelin' for boobage," Max mumbled.
"Hey, Little Price! You gonna actually buy somethin' or just use my shop as a makeout parlor?" The man at the counter briefly swept a hand through his long beard in thought. "That might be a successful business idea, actually." Max recoiled in embarrassment, quickly taking several steps away from Chloe as she shielded her face with her CDs.
"Er, yeah, sorry, Ralph! Give us one second!" The man lazily waved to her before diverting his attention to a Gameboy Color in his hands. Chloe wrapped an arm around Max and winked as she directed them toward the counter.
Well, that was embarrassing. But I bet Chloe loved it.
"Lovely as ever!" The man proclaimed with his hands high in the air, looking Chloe up and down. "What can I do for my favorite customer?" Chloe wasn't lying about the rock 'n roll vibe coming off the man. He had long, silver hair and an equally impressive beard with thick, straight out of the 70's glasses. Max carefully set her CDs on the counter.
"Well, since I have some cash from the Two Whales, figured I'd pop in and get a little somethin', somethin' for my babydoll here." She weakly flitted a hand against Max's cheeks.
"Righteous," he said with a grin and half-lidded eyes. He scooped up the CDs and looked Max over. "Hey, uh, you seem pretty familiar, man."
"Oh!" Chloe shouted. "Shit, I didn't even think of that. You guys might have actually met before! Max," she said, turning toward the girl. "Ralph here used to be buddies with my dad. They worked together. I'm sure you crossed paths once or twice back in the day." She glanced at him sideways and smirked. "Ralph went MIA from his job sometime after dad died, rediscovered marijuana and LSD and opened up his own record shop." She pointed at the man. "That about cover it?"
"You leave a lot of illegal activities out, but yeah, I suppose that about covers it." He laughed as he held a hand out to Max. "Nice to possibly meet you again, young lady."
"Likewise," she said, bowing a little. "I love your store. It gives me that cozy, warm feeling."
"I'll take that compliment," he said with a smile. "Makes me feel better about the heater bein' on the fritz."
Once back outside, Max gleefully waved the plastic bag in Chloe's face.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you," she cooed, rocking her hips left and right. "Now I'm gonna Clockwork Orange you with music."
"Huh," Chloe said as she narrowed her eyes. "So instead of Beethoven, indie rock is gonna make me burp like crazy?"
"Awww yes," Max said, bopping the girl's nose with her palm. "A cacophony of belches."
"Now that's a band name." The punk quickly whacked her pockets before groaning. "Fuck, left my wallet in there I think. Wait out here, okay? Keep doin' your little dance."
"Okay, but I'll miss you soooooo much." Max blew a kiss at Chloe, then winced. "Too much?"
"No way, man," the blue haired girl said over her shoulder as she walked back inside. "I'll miss you more."
Impossible.
"Impossible!" Max yelled, deciding to make her thoughts known.
Max eagerly tore the plastic off of her CD, kicking her feet in excitement. She cracked it open, taking the disc out and sliding it into the player.
"You're gonna love these guys," she said confidently.
"We'll see about that, Caulfield," Chloe teased. "So...I kind of had an idea for something to do, if you'd be so kind as to indulge."
"Mmn, sure," Max said, twisting the knob to the radio. "It's a fun, lazy day, so we can just do whatever." Her eyes lit up as the music began to leak through the speakers. "Oh, but definitely nosh at some point. I'm starting to get a little hungz."
"Well, I'm not going to fucking let you starve. Jesus, what kind of mistress would I be then?"
"Mistress?" Max asked as she raised an eyebrow.
"Mistress Price sounds badass, don't it? I'm still deciding on whether or not I want to do the whole leather thing. I feel like it's too easy to mess up and look like a Matrix extra." She drummed her thumb against the steering wheel, smiling to herself as she talked.
More like Chloe in a Black Cat costume. Meow!
"You're actually crazy, you know that?" Max asked, leaning over and nuzzling her nose against Chloe's arm.
"Yep, yep, insane in the brain," she barked back proudly. "Ooooh," she said playfully, turning the knob of the radio louder. "I can dig this."
Yes! I knew she'd like it!
The ride was silent for a while as the music filled in the space of dialogue. Max carefully watched Chloe, relishing any small hints that the punk was enjoying the music. Max had always found that sharing music was one of the most intimate things two people could do, as songs often conveyed emotions that people like her were too clumsy to express. Finding someone else who could listen to a song and say 'I totally get it' always felt a lot like getting to know that person that much more. And with Chloe, Max wanted to know every detail. However, because she was so distracted, they were practically at their destination before she realized where they were going. She closed her eyes and sighed.
"Chlo..." Max groaned, nervously wiping at her eye. "Why are we going to the junkyard? We didn't exactly have the best experiences there..." A quick collage of images splattered against her mind: Jefferson, Rachel, Frank, the train...
"I know, Max." Her voice was heavy. "I just want to look around one last time. If...if it's too hard for you, you could stay in the truck? Just knowing you're here is enough for me."
"No, I'll go with you," she said quietly. "This place kind of sucks," she said as they pulled in through the gate.
"Yeah, not much of a hideout anymore, huh?" Chloe asked as she threw the truck in park. They were quiet for a moment, as if neither wanted to be the first to get out of the truck. Finally, Chloe rolled her eyes, throwing the door open. Max followed suit, sliding out of the truck. She shivered in the cold air, pulling her hood up. Chloe slowly scanned the area, plucking a cigarette from its pack and placing it between her lips.
"If nothing else," Max said with a smile, wrapping her arm together with Chloe's, "I did take some cool shots here before." Chloe turned to her and allowed herself a small chuckle.
"Well, good, baby." She began to walk, keeping Max close to her. "I just want to check out the clubhouse, then we can leave..." Max nodded as they continued, finally reaching the dilapidated structure. Chloe ducked inside and immediately frowned. "They took everything," she said.
Max walked to the center of the room and slowly spun, seeing that aside from the graffiti, everything had indeed been taken, presumably as evidence when Rachel's body had been discovered. She was struck with a melancholic feeling, similar to the one she experienced when she entered the Alternate Chloe's bedroom. She sighed as she read the graffiti, messages that seemed so playful at face value, but sad and desperate once you knew the truth.
"Nothing gold can stay..." Max said quietly. She regarded her girlfriend. "I'm sorry, boo."
"It's kind of what I was expecting," the punk said thoughtfully, dragging her fingertips over the the 'LALALAND THIS WAY' paint. "Just been bothering me lately, dunno why. Thinking about all the shit I had in here..." She turned toward the 'Chloe was here...' message and sighed, her shoulders sinking. "I just kept thinking it'd be like a snow globe," she said, leaning against the wall. "That maybe it'd be preserved forever as this fun, little area where Rach and I went to escape our problems." She took a drag of her cigarette, closing her eyes as she cherished the nicotine.
"Well, it still is in there," Max said, poking the blue haired girl in the chest. Chloe's eyes blinked open as she looked down at Max's finger. "Nothing can change that, right?"
That sounded a little too hippie dippie.
"Guess not." The punk smirked, standing up straight. She leaned through the window, looking to the left and right. "This place is just a cluster of shitty memories now, though..." She eyed the train tracks, working her bottom lip between her teeth in thought. "Well, there is one good thing still left," she said, turning to face Max.
"What's that, baby?" The brunette huddled in close, ducking under a fresh plume of smoke.
"When we were walking on the tracks, you know, after the shit with Frank happened...that's when I knew." She tenderly ran her fingers through Max's hair, her eyes faraway.
"Knew what?" She asked, cuddling in against Chloe's chest.
"That I was totally cuckoo for Max-o Puffs," she said quietly. Max gasped, moving away from the girl so she could see into her eyes.
No way.
"Really?" Max glanced over the punk's shoulder to the train tracks, thinking of that particular memory. She'd admit that when their hands first touched, she felt a small spark in her stomach.
"Really," Chloe said, flicking her cigarette through the window. "I mean, like I've said, I was crushing on you back when we were tweens. But that day, it all came flooding back about a thousand times stronger. I, uh..." She rubbed at her neck, her cheeks growing pink. "I actually forgot about Rachel for a little while that day. Which sounds super shitty but I was just so fucking enamored with you. You have to understand," she said as she laced her fingers with Max's, "you show up, save my life with these magic powers. It was like a fucking fairy tale, I couldn't believe what was happening." She snickered, leaning down to rub noses with Max. "Like instead of princess in a tower, I was a shithead stuck in a town. That was the day, even with Frank, even with the fucking train barreling toward me, that I finally felt like everything was going to be okay. That I was finally saved, you know?" She glanced to the side and snirked. "I mean, aside from you literally saving me. I guess I just mean existentially."
Wowsers, Chlo...
"You're such an angel," Max said, her eyes starry and intense. Chloe smiled, then dragged the girl closer by the waist, leading in to a kiss. The punk strengthened her grip, lifting Max off the ground as the girl clutched her hair, wrapping her legs around Chloe's waist. She took a step backward, her foot rolling off of something round beneath her. She fell onto her ass, 'oofing' as Max's weight landed on her hips.
"Jesus fucking ow damn shit," Chloe snarled, wincing in pain.
"Oh god, Chloe, are you okay?" Max rolled off of her lap and cupped her cheeks. "What happened? Why fell?"
"Slipped on something," she muttered as she pouted. "I think I broke my butt." Her eyes went wide. "Max!" She gripped the girl's jacket tightly, a look of crazed concern in her eyes. "I need booboo kisses on my butt!" The brunette stared at her for a moment, then burst into laughter.
"I ain't kissin' your butt in here, you doofus!" She playfully swatted at the punk's shoulder. "Are you okay or not?"
"I'm fine," she huffed. "Would be fuckin' stellar if my girlfriend cared enough about me to administer healing kisses but hey, fuck me, right?" She perked up for a moment. "Wait, in here?" Max rolled her eyes.
"You're such a brat."
"Yeah, yeah, whatev..." She trailed off as her eyes caught sight of something rolling across the floor. She lurched forward and crawled toward the object, clapping a hand down on top of it. It was a marker. "Huh," she said. "Guess they didn't get everything." She plucked it off the ground, rotating it between her fingers as she examined it. She stared up at a blank spot on the wall, determination lighting up her eyes. "They can't have it," she said, getting to her feet and strolling over to the wall.
"What do you mean?" Max asked as she followed her.
"I mean," she said, biting the cap of the marker, "the last thing that happens in this room isn't going to be the police taking all of me and Rachel's shit." She began to write in giant letters, her tongue sneaking through her teeth in a gesture of concentration. Max watched as she did, a smile growing as her message became clear. The punk nodded to herself and stepped back, surveying her handiwork. A new, huge message was stretched across the stone, one that read: PROPERTY OF THE ARCADIA BAY PIRATES – RA, MC & CP.
"I like it," Max said quietly, threading her fingers with the punk's. Chloe smirked as she squeezed the girl's hand.
"Good," she said. "Because it's ours now, forever."
Max opened the door to her dorm, happily squirming inside with her bag of goodies. Chloe closed the door behind her, immediately kicking off her boots.
"Interesting day," she said as she removed her coat. "Thanks for going to American Rust with me, I know it's tough. It's just been weighing lately, yanno?"
"Quite literally anything for you, gorgeous," Max said, looping her arms around the girl's neck. She pressed their noses together. "I'm glad we could address something that was bothering you."
"That's kinda your thing, ain't it?" Chloe asked as she squeezed Max's butt, prompting a small squeal. "Fixing all the broken things. World's best handyman. I'm gonna get you a mug that says that."
"You're such a dork," Max whispered, baring her teeth in her own dorky smile. She nipped at Chloe's neck. "I think I'm more like world's most handsy man," she said, cupping the punk's rear. "See, look," she giggled, dragging her other hand back and forth carelessly across Chloe's breasts. "I just can't even stop it."
"Why the hell would you ever stop?" Chloe wrapped her arms around the girl's waist and hoisted her into the air. Max continued to issue small squeezes to Chloe's chest even as she was carried to the bed.
My favorite stress balls evahhhh.
"Heh, wait," Max chuckled, kissing Chloe's ear. "Let me check my lappy for updates before we lose the rest of the day to snugs and kisses."
"Aw, fine." Chloe pouted, letting Max slide out of her grasp. The brunette sat down at her desk and brought her laptop to life. "You think your Facebook drama is more exciting than my tongue all up in that mouth of yours?"
"Oh jeez," Max sighed, turning to face her. "It's a real talent how you manage to make things sound both sexy and disgusting at the same time." She turned back to the laptop. "And I'm checking my grades by the way. They should be updated." She heard Chloe mumble an apology, surely crossing her arms and pouting. Max scanned the new emails in her inbox, her brow furrowing at one of the most recent messages. "Oh shit," she said, somewhat shocked.
Wait, what?
"What is it?" Chloe asked, reclining onto the bed. "Did you get all the grades?" She chuckled. "Are you the principal now?"
"No..." Max said, rubbing her temples. "This email says some representative from a local university is coming next week to kind of do a sales pitch. I just, uh..." She turned back to the punk. "I kind of completely forgot about the whole college thing." She nervously tapped on the back of the chair. "Dammit," she hissed, pressing her palm into her forehead. "What am I going to do, Chlo? I kind of need to figure this out really soon." Her pulse sped up as she began to feel clammy.
"Woah, hey." Chloe lurched off of the bed and knelt down in front of Max. "It's okay! You have plenty of time to straighten it out. It's not a big deal, babe."
"It's a huge deal, dude!" Max shook her head. "What am I supposed to do? I don't have a portfolio, I don't have any letters of recommendation, I don't even have a photography class right now!" She huffed in frustration as she buried her head in her hands. The familiar unease of anxiety began to circulate through her. "How did I fuck up this bad? Fucking Victoria has probably sent dozens of applications by this point!" She frantically combed through her hair. "What about us?" She asked, her eyes focusing on the blue haired girl. "Chlo...what about us? If I go somewhere far away, what does that mean?"
I can't be away from her. I won't do it.
"Sweetie, I'd come with you. You know that." She tried to slink her fingers between Max's, but the brunette pulled away in frustration.
"I feel so fucking stupid, how could I just forget about all this?" She blinked her eyes, grinding her teeth as she felt tears begin to collect.
Calm down, Max. Just calm down.
"Babe, you've had a lot going on lately. Much more important stuff than where you'll be spending the next four years. I mean," she waved her hands as she talked, "not to make light of college, it's really important and all, but you kind of just did have an extremely traumatic experience." Max just shook her head as she trembled.
"I don't know," she whispered as she sprung from the chair. She began to pace back and forth, clutching her hair as her breathing continued to quicken.
"Max..." Chloe watched her, still kneeling on the floor. She glanced around the room, searching for any way to calm her girlfriend down. This panic attack was different than her more usual ones. Sure, maybe those included mystic nosebleeds, but at least Chloe had an idea of how to handle them. Now she was confused, her heart twitching as she watched Max cry and shake. She suddenly spotted a stack of index cards on the girl's desk. She rocketed to her feet, snatching up the whole pile. "Uh, Max," she said, trying to get her attention. She didn't seem to hear her. "Hey!" She said, raising her voice.
"What?!" Max asked, continuing to pace, not even glancing at the girl.
"What uh, what are your favorite filters to use to contrast each season?" Chloe furrowed her brow as she read it, mouthing 'what the fuck' to herself. Max turned to her.
"What the fuck are you talking about?"
"I...I don't know!" Chloe flailed her arms. "I'm trying to help! I don't even know what this means!" She threw the card to the side. She quickly read another, then discarded that one as well. She began to read a third aloud. "Think of ten things that remind you of..." She sighed, closing her eyes with a small smile. "Chloe." Max had again seemed to fall out of contact, muttering to herself as she paced. "Max!" Chloe yelled. When the girl didn't answer, the punk bulldozed into her, straddling her and trapping her on the bed.
"Chloe, oh god, please get off of me! I can't breathe!" She squeaked.
"Ten things that remind you of me!" Chloe demanded, whipping the index card against the brunette's forehead. "What reminds you of me?!"
"I don't understand!" Max shrieked.
"Grounding! Grounding! Grounding!" Chloe repeated it as if it would make more sense the louder she got. "What reminds you of me!?"
"Fucking sumo wrestlers, apparently!" Max yelled, viciously shaking from side to side to throw the blue haired girl from her. "You weigh a million pounds, you fatass!" In spite of everything, with Max in clear discomfort and panic, Chloe couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Okay, that's one," she said, desperately trying to hide her laughter. "Nine more to go, Mad Max. Come on, you can do this!"
"Nails! Your fucking stupid buttons on your jeans are digging into my hips! Stupid jeans!"
I can't breathe I can't breathe
"Sorry!" Chloe shifted herself, but stayed on top of Max. "That's two. Come on, sweetness."
"The way cows chew their food!" Max hissed. "You chew like a farm animal!" By now, Chloe was failing tremendously at keeping her laughter in check, instead cackling like a lunatic.
"Three, okay," she said when her joy allowed her a moment to speak. "Come on, baby, you're doing great."
"Get off me!" Max growled, weakly flinging an open palm at Chloe's face. The punk leaned back, though even if it had made contact, it wouldn't have hurt. "House fires!" Max snarled. "You smell like smoke all the time!"
"I'm a fuckin' firebender, dude," Chloe quietly argued, cursing herself for giggling. "Fine, fine, I'll take it. Four." Max stopped struggling for a moment, her teary eyes glaring deep into Chloe's. She looked angry, but something in her eyes betrayed it.
"Brick walls." She muttered quietly, not breaking eye contact. "You're stubborn like a brick wall."
"Five," Chloe said, taking her palms off of Max's chest. The smaller girl sighed.
"Roses," she said. "Beautiful but thorny..."
"Oooh yeah, totally," Chloe agreed, now working her fingers through Max's hair. "That's six, babe."
"The ocean. The blue. The waves. The unpredictability of it. The serenity of it..." Max whispered, snaking her hand into Chloe's.
"Seven, angel," was all Chloe could say.
"Um," Max swallowed, "the sound of rain on my window. It helps me fall asleep and...so do you..."
"Good, baby, eight. Keep going," Chloe said, lowering herself on top of the girl.
"Religion," she said and Chloe could feel her shoulders attempt a shrug. "Belief and hope, I guess. Being able to just have undeniable faith in something."
"Wow," the blue haired girl whispered, finally rolling off of Max and next to her. "Nine."
"Fairy tales," Max whispered, staring deep into Chloe's eyes. "Happily ever after." The punk sniffled, blinking away the happy tears growing. She suctioned the girl into a hug, cherishing her steady pace of breathing and non-trembling skin. Max kissed her, gently dragging her knuckles across the girl's cheek. As they broke the kiss, Chloe regarded Max proudly, leaning their foreheads together.
"Ten," she said.
"How you feelin'?" Chloe asked. Max simply stared at her, the light bleeding through the sheets pulled over their heads. They were practically smashed together, legs and arms intertwined, foreheads crammed against each other.
"Better," she said, shifting just a little closer. "What was that?"
Felt like a nosebleed situation...
"Well, I've got good news and bad news," Chloe said, her fingers dancing along Max's spine. "The bad news is, you had a panic attack. No es bueno. But, uh..." She wriggled closer, slipping her thigh over Max's. "But the good news is it was a real panic attack. Like a normal one that people get for justifiable reasons."
"College," Max groaned, closing her eyes.
"College," Chloe agreed. "You just tried to take in too much information at once. You have plenty of time to think about this. And I'll help, of course." She kissed Max's palm.
Of course you will. My partner in crime.
"What do you think about the future? What are your plans?" Max asked.
"Well, honestly..." The punk puckered her lips. "All I've really thought about is that I'm staying with you, wherever you go. Figured I'd get my GED and then go to the same college as you or if that's not feasible, find one close enough nearby. Or online classes, shit, I really don't care. As long as we're together."
As long as we're together, everything will be alright.
"Do you know what you'd major in?" Max asked, blinking one eye open.
"Not a clue," she replied. "I don't really know if I'm good enough at anything to have an expertise."
"Chloe," Max said sternly, jostling the punk. "Your problem is that you're too good at everything but you don't dedicate time to it. You could be the next Da Vinci."
"Having a wicked beard and getting arrested for sodomy does sound like my cup 'o tea," Chloe laughed, squirming as Max slapped her butt. "I dunno. Just haven't thought about it. I'm pretty content to stay here in the present for now after everything that happened."
"Yeah, me too," the brunette agreed. She let go of a snicker. "That was kind of like an exorcism earlier."
"The power of Chloe compels you," she growled, nibbling on the brunette's hand. "It uh, kind of goes without saying, but I'm pretty flattered that you worked me into your calm down plan."
"No idea why you're surprised at this point," Max said as she rubbed her foot along Chloe's. "I basically eat, sleep and drink Chloe Price these days." She groaned and slapped herself in the forehead. "I know, okay? I understand."
Goddamn this mouth.
"I'm sorry but I can't let that slide," the punk giggled, rolling over on top of the girl. She took a deep breath, playfully watching as Max surrendered to the joke. "So, you say you eat me, and yet..." She pointed down at her crotch. "Where is? Where is the eats?"
"I deserve that, no question." Max quickly jolted up, kissing Chloe on the cheek. "And hey, maybe soon, huh?" She batted her lashes, giggling when Chloe blushed. "You're the living embodiment of the 'can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen' saying."
"I'm just not used to it, man," she huffed, falling flat on top of Max and causing the girl to 'oof.' "You were so timid just two months ago, now you're a compliment gunslinger. Like a cowboy."
Sheriff Caulfield, I like the sound of that.
"I could be a cowboy," Max mused as she combed through Chloe's hair. "I mean, cool hat, you get a horse, you can spit literally anywhere and it's okay. Sounds like a sweet deal to me." The punk snuggled in, resting her cheek on Max's chest.
"I could totally get off to you in a cowboy costume, for sure," she said quietly. She grinned as she looked back up at the girl. "I could be tied to the railroad tracks and you could save me and I'd be all coy like 'oh, however could I repay you?' You'd show humility at first, sure." She traced small circles on Max's arm. "You know, you'd give me the whole 'just doin' my job, ma'am' spiel. But I'd be persistent, because I've secretly already fallen for you and I want you to take me. Just go wild. Mmm, yeah." She narrowed her eyes at Max. "Too elaborate?"
"No..." Max snickered, wrapping her arms around her tightly. "You just described something that literally already happened." The punk let out a small gasp.
"Holy shit, you're right..." She sucked in air through her teeth, making a 'tsk' sound. She raised herself on her hands, hovering over the smaller girl. "So, then," she said quietly, sending out a dangerous gaze. "However could I repay you?"
A/N: Sorry for the delay, my lovely readers!
Truth be told, this chapter had me just about tearing my hair out! I was being very stubborn about refusing to cut a major point in the chapter that would have added quite a lot of angst. I genuinely LIKED the way it was written, but I just couldn't figure out how to get it to mesh with the rest of the chapter. Ah well, you know what they say: Murder your darlings. Perhaps it'll work its way back into the story at some point, or maybe it'll never resurface. Only time will tell~
The good news is I'm VERY excited about the next couple of chapters that I have planned, and I have a good portion of them written already! Gonna be diving into some fun territory. Hopefully the next chapter will be up soonish, I hate leaving huge gaps in between uploads.
Thanks again for reading guys! You are all incredible and lovely and deserve many hugs. XOXOXO