For the rest of the day, I was with Chloe and Kate and Rachel were downstairs talking together. I almost forgot about the incident until Rachel and Kate came into the room again. Chloe and I were watching Family Feud, trying to come up with answers, and became severely awkward when Chloe yelled "dick!" at the TV as they walked in.

Rachel snickered and raised an eyebrow at her, "We're gonna go out for some snacks. Do you guys wanna join?"

"What do you think, Max?"

I might as well go. I needed some air to breathe and Kate needed it, too. I dunno if it was just me, but there's a weird tension in this room and it was making me uncomfortable.

"Yeah, I think I'm ready to go."

"We won't leave you alone too long," Rachel waved her hand, "Plus, I'm still pumped up from the party, so I have so energy to burn." She seems… angry? I feel like she's mad at something? I hate to assume, but…

I nodded. Kate smiled at me, but it felt and looked forced. I still returned one back.


We were back out in the sunset again, feeling the light breeze and, as Chloe walked ahead to hold Rachel's hand, I was with Kate again. She was looking ahead of her and up at the sky with her hands behind her back. Should I say something?

"Beautiful Kate we're having—I mean, beautiful evening!"

I saw Chloe slap her hand over her mouth and Rachel swatted her hand on Chloe's shoulder in front of us. Shit, if I wasn't the gay wreck before, I am now.

Kate giggled and looked at me, "Yes, it's very nice."

I could barely look at her. "What, uh, snacks are we looking for?"

"I'm looking forward to doughnuts, but anything would be great right now."

"That sounds amazing." I sighed dreamily.

Kate nodded, causing another silence to commence. I rubbed the back of my neck, letting it happen and keeping my space. She got closer as we walked through couples and families walking on the sidewalk, peering into the shops and talking among themselves. She eventually put her arm around mine again, clearly worried for me. I was more focused on Rachel and Chloe in front of us. No one was stopping Rachel, however, the attention somehow shifted to Chloe on this day. Rachel hasn't noticed yet, but about ten people passed us just now and they were checking out Chloe more.

Oh, my dog, people were really looking at her, while holding hands with Rachel-fucking-Amber, and ogling at her as she passed like she was the hottest person in the universe. I was worried that Rachel really does know and was just waiting for someone to take it too far.

We waltzed up to a shop at the very corner of the street, a window with a long line going on for a mile, which only served doughnuts and coffee. They only seemed to serve at late hours, as the sign next to the window said four PM to five AM.

"Hey Rache." I tapped on her shoulder as we got in line.

"What's up?" She lifted her heart sunglasses. She was definitely the hot one in our group. My heart skipped a beat when she looked at me and that has never happened.

"Did you notice the people staring at Chloe?"

"What the fuck? No!" She gasped. "Are you fucking serious?"

I nodded slowly, suddenly afraid of her.

"If it happens again, I'm going to kill them." She put her sunglasses down again. How ironic that she had those on while saying she'll kill someone.

Chloe was more invested in the line, "How long will this shit take?"

The man in front of us turned around and responded, "I really don't know. I've been standing here for an hour."

"Oh shit…"

That would be the correct response in this situation. I held onto Kate's wrist, waiting for the ticking timebomb in Rachel to explode.

"Yeah," he nodded, "Hey, those are some gnarly tattoos."

"Thanks. You only wanted one?" She pointed at his arm.

I turned to Kate and Rachel. Kate was staring and wondering what was going to happen next, while Rachel stared behind her glasses, eerily silent with her arms folded. I blanked out on their conversation, only watching them talking back and forth, waiting for Rachel to interject herself.

"Oh, you seem to know a lot about cars." He was still talking. I missed ninety percent of this, but I think he was just mansplaining to her.

Chloe just nodded. She wanted this to be over just as much as we did.

"That's pretty hot." His arm was starting to reach over, probably to put his arm around her or touch her.

Rachel finally reacted, pushing him hard enough to actually take a step back. "Okay, back off," Rachel lashed out. "She's with me."

"Whoa, hey, I was just talking." He put his hands up defensively.

"Hit on her again and I'll hit you!"

"You're lucky I can't hit a girl!"

She threw her glasses off, "Try me, motherfucker!"

Chloe and Kate were looking at this altercation she was starting. Why isn't she doing anything?! They backed up, completely out of the line, with wide eyes and dropped jaws. Everyone else around us watched, with their phones already out. Panicking, I grabbed onto Rachel's shoulder, "Okay, hold on, Rachel! Calm down!"

Rachel had steam blowing out of her ears and her eyebrows were creased. Chloe finally took action and got in between them, holding her down and pushing her away from the man.

"Let's just go!" Chloe took one look, a sharp glare, at the man and back at Rachel. "Let's fucking go!" She had to carry her away as she tried to kick and get out of her grip.

Kate and I were speechless. We followed, but we couldn't say anything or start a conversation. Wowser… she would kill that man if we didn't stop her. What's going on inside her head?


Like she always does, Rachel was silent and avoiding any vocal interaction and holding onto Chloe's hand for dear life. It took a while for her to calm down, like a fussy kid.

We took a long stroll, turning at corners and going deeper into the middle of Long Beach, passing small restaurants and salons, filled with happy and carefree people, until we saw something familiar: Starbucks. I repeated my question in my head before I said it aloud.

"We should get something in Starbucks," I spoke up, "We could share those little cake pop things. Just a suggestion…"

"You know what," Rachel finally spoke, but her voice was low and unfeeling, almost, "That's a great idea."

The three of us looked at each other, scared out of our minds. The short and sweet—pun intended—mission to get chocolate cake pops was successful and we were on our way back home. We got twenty, splitting ten and ten between us. You know, the more I ate these, the more they were becoming enjoyable.

"Am I about to see a different side of Rachel?" Kate asked me. "A different side" was an understatement. It was like a locked-up achievement, but it was the achievement you never want. Though, you somehow lock that shit anyway.

I finished chewing on one and sighed, "Maybe. I can't guarantee, because I feel like she's gotten better at controlling her anger. Can't be sure…"

"I'm scared."

"Me too."

We all stopped near our house, standing on the sand and watching the people on the beach playing volleyball or running near the water. Chloe didn't seem so bothered by her reaction, though she was trying to make her feel better like hugging her and kissing her cheeks. Rachel's lips twitched from her attempts, so she was holding back from grinning.

Kate and I walked a few feet away from them, we already finished our pops, looking more at our feet than each other. She stopped.

"This place is really pretty," Kate was looking out to the water, "I have to admit."

"It is, but," I side-smiled, "I like San Francisco more."

Come on, be corny and say she's the reason why you like it more. "I'm used to being there and it's too hot here anyway."

She weakly smiled and then looked towards me. She looked upset and scared, almost. Did I say something wrong? Don't panic. I'm sure she's fine. Max, don't! She's fine!

"Listen, Max… I…" She pressed her lips together.

"What is it?" Anxiety kicked in and I felt myself holding my breath for an answer. I held my hands together to stop them from shaking so much.

Her facial expression changed a few times, different looks of confusion and uncertainty, and she hasn't tried to say a different sentence or finish one at all. She was clearly unsure yet had a million words to say. I gulped and grabbed her arms; I wouldn't want her to force herself.

"You don't have to say it right now. It's okay."

Kate was biting her lip, "Can we wait until we're home again?"

"Of course, whatever's more comfortable." I squeezed her arms, sending her a weak smile.

"Thanks…" She walked back towards the other two again and I followed.

As we walked over, there was another group approaching. I didn't think much of them, they were a group of four girls too, and were just walking to where they need to go. As one of them passed Chloe, she cockily slapped her hand on her Chloe's ass. The atmosphere automatically shifted.

"Hey!" Rachel instigated, "She's mine."

Chloe and this stranger were the same height, so of course she laughed at Rachel's attempt to be the bigger person.

The girl scoffed at her, "I see. You're the model, aren't you? Fight me then, how tough could you be?"

"Uh, Rachel!" I rushed and grabbed her arm. "I wouldn't do this if I were you!"

Chloe held onto her another arm, "Yeah, babe, you don't have to do this!"

"My face is free." The girl faced her cheek towards Rachel, provoking her.

Rachel growled and swung her hand out of my grip, scratching four lines onto her face. She reacted by sucking on her teeth and placing her hand over it, "You're fucking dead!"

"Let go of me!" Rachel pushed us off, lunging at the girl and taking the upper hand immediately. She was knocked over to the ground, Rachel sending punches left and right at her face. Like she said, it was free.

"Rachel!" Chloe grabbed her by her sleeves and pulled her off. She embraced her, holding her arms down to stop her. Rachel was out of breath and we all stared as her opponent got up, bloody and scratched up.

"Shit… Good-fucking-bye to your career, bitch!" The girl spat and left with her friends down the sidewalk.

"God damn it…" Chloe murmured. "Let's go home."

With the short and silent walk home, we took our separate ways in our rooms, simultaneously closing the doors. Kate got ready for bed first, taking a long shower beforehand, and then me. All I did was change and brushed my teeth, then headed back to the room, where Kate was just sitting in bed with her knees to her chest.

I have to be brave now. Just ask her.

"What did you want to talk about?" I sat next to her, matching her position. She took a deep shaky breath and then held her hand out. I grabbed it, interlocking our fingers.

"What happened earlier…" I saw her jaw clench. "Did you… see something?"

"See something?" The scars on her arms. I couldn't tell how recent they were, though. I had to guess when she started wearing her cardigan and sweaters more. There's something deep in her mind. Something causing this beyond what she had told me. "N–no, why do you ask?"

"Nothing," She let go of my hand, "I… I don't know what that was. It was a lot like what you said about being in the moment." She laughed, but it felt sad. She didn't mean a single second of it. "Let's just… Can we forget it ever happened?"

"Yeah," I lied again. I can't forget about this. Not when she's like this. The way she looked at me, like she was pleading and numb, I could barely look. "Of course. What happens in Long Beach stays in Long Beach."

She chuckled, more genuine this time, "Yes, something like that."

"Alright, no prob. You sleep first, I'm gonna go and give Chloe a piece of my mind." I grabbed my pillow as she got under the blanket.

"This has been a difficult day." She yawned.

"Yeah… Goodnight, Kate."

I left out the room and turned the light off for her. After I closed the door, I heard voices coming from downstairs.

"—know what got into me!" That was Rachel.

For whatever reason, my first instinct was to crouch down. She sounds mad. I can't intervene now, they'll kick me out.

"That was fucking stupid, Rache! What the fuck was that?!"

"Chloe, people at the party were hitting on you, touching you, and that wasn't even the first time someone smacked your ass! All I did was watch and let all my anger bubble up! How will I talk to my manager about this?!"

"What I do know is that I won't let you say "good-fucking-bye" to your career. You're not walking away, not after everything you've done to get here. I'm not letting you."

"I think I went from inspirational to awful. The magazine headlines will change to "Rachel Amber Alert."

"So-fucking-what? Companies will try to change it to as if you just randomly attacked her, but we know that she challenged you."

"… Would you be okay with me leaving, if my manager asked?"

It was creepily quiet. About five minutes pass of coughing and my racing heart. I know she's getting ready to yell about the drinking. I could feel it.

"No, but if that's what needs to be done."

"Baby, I want to take you along, I really do! I would love to travel and experience everything with you and create new memories… You don't want my life and I don't want it for you."

It was quiet again; I could faintly hear them heavily breathing. Oh dog, what's gonna happen? I can't get in the way again! I'm sick of all the shit going on this shit day…

"I can't be apart from you again!"

"Why?!" There was a sharp snap in her voice. All her built up again from the first fight was coming out and all at once. My heart raced faster.

"Why do I need to say it?! I hate us not being together! I love you, Rachel!"

"If you fucking loved me, you would be okay with me being away!"

"I don't want that—"

"You're a fucking alcoholic, Chloe!"

Their breathing was louder now. The tension in the room was high. I gripped my pillow as the sentence echoed and cut through the air. Fuck… What the hell is going on down there?

"Max told me! The whole time I was gone, you drowned yourself in beer and you cried because you missed me and wanted to be with me! I love you, Chloe Price, I do, but when I heard that for the first time, I was scared! What if you die? What if you poison yourself? What if it started to change you? Then I would die too!"

"Rachel," Chloe was on the verge of tears, I could hear it in her voice. "Fuck, I—I ruin everything. I didn't know—W–why didn't Max say anything?! Why can't I remember—I'm such a fuck up!" The sound of her fist connecting with the wall reverberated through the house.

"I hate us fighting." She was crying too, "I hated us fighting and us not talking… I hated thinking about the whole time I was out there and you were home doing that. I'm okay with ditching—"

"It's my fault, don't fucking say that!" Chloe hit the wall again, trying to catch her breath through her sniffling. "I hated us not talking. I hated how we were together, but it didn't… it didn't feel like we were together. I hated having to tell Max we weren't talking!"

"Me too. I hate bringing her into this. This is us…"

"It's me, Rachel. It's always me…"

"We were both the fuck up in this, Chloe!" I heard Rachel sigh. I was nervous but, at the same time, so relieved to hear them finally talking. "We're in this together, okay? We've been us for years and I'm not stopping now."

All I heard was the sound of Chloe letting all of her emotions again, hearing her strained breath trying to breathe and hearing a weak "I love you." In a lower voice, Rachel said it back.

I figured it was safe to get up and see what was happening down there. I peeked my head up and saw them standing in the living room, embracing tightly and closely, as Chloe cried on her shoulder. They were rocking from side to side. From what I could make out, Rachel's eyes were shut tightly.

I wouldn't want to ruin their moment, so I reached up to the open door and went back into the room.

"You're back already?" She asked so fast, she probably hasn't slept yet.

"Yeah, they were busy talking. I didn't want to bother them." I stubbed my toe a couple times, one on the dresser and one on the bed; I cursed under my breath both times. I got into bed, pulling the blanket over my head. I aimlessly reached, but slowly so I didn't punch her, and cuddled against her back.

I released one last yawn, "Goodnight, Kate."

"Goodnight, Max. Sweet dreams."