Chapter 5: Hunger

CHLOE:

'Fuck, I feel like a horrible human being.'

I had just rejected Max, and I could tell it hurt her. It hurt me too, but I couldn't bring myself to be Max's girlfriend. As far as I knew, Rachel was...and I had kissed Max.

Trying to avoid a 'love triangle' situation would prove to be difficult or damn near impossible.

I clicked and dragged an online map with Max looking over my shoulder.

"It's that place right there," she pointed at a birds eye view structure, "That's the barn."

"Huh, twelve minutes from here," I mumbled.

"We should probably stop at a hardware store and get a pair of bolt cutters, we'll need them to bust a lock."

"Hey, I have that .44 Magnum still, we could use that to bust a lock."

She scoffed, "Uh, do you even know how to shoot one of those without hurting yourself?"

"No…" I opened a new tab and started searching, 'How to fire a .44 magnum.'

She let out a chuckle, "No, Chloe. The internet won't help with that."

I waved my hand in dismissal, "Sure it will, I just need a few tips and pointers."

"You need to learn it from somebody that knows how to safely fire one."

"Oh suuuure, I'll just go ask step-dick to show me how to shoot the gun I stole from him."

She groaned, "You're impossible."

"No, I'm possible."

"Fine, you win. I can't beat you in arguments."

"Nope...Hey, want to shower first?"

"Uh...sure," she sniffed herself and cringed, "Do you have any clothes I can borrow?"

I smirked, "Yeah...stinky ass," I got up and went to my closet, opening it.

"Hey!"

"Take your pick."

She picked a red flannel coat with patches and a tear on a sleeve, as well as a Black Flag shirt to go underneath it. She also picked a torn pair of jeans. They were Rachel's clothes, but I didn't tell her that.

"Alright, don't take too long. I need to shower too."

"Okay, I'll be quick."

I got back on my computer and continued searching how to fire a .44 Magnum. I wasn't about to blow money on bolt cutters.

I learned absolutely nothing.

Max got out of the shower, Rachel's clothes fit her perfectly.

I whistled, "Damn, Max. You're looking like you're ready to fuck some shit up."

She did a little dance, "Ready for the mosh pit, shaka brah."

"Who knows, maybe you can come with me to a punk show one of these days."

"That would be pretty cool, but scary."

I shrugged, "Pfft, It's not that bad. Just watch out for crowdkillers, they'll fuck your day up."

I cleared my throat and changed the subject.

"So...I'm kinda hungry," I rubbed my stomach, "Want to eat at the Two Whales?"

She grinned, "Hell yes, I need my Belgian waffle fix."

"Whatever, bacon for me. You don't know what you're missing."

I got up and grabbed my clothes and shower shit, "Alright, ten-ish minutes and we're outta here."

"Okay."

I nodded towards my computer with full hands, teasing, "Don't look up hentai on my computer, I know you."

She blushed, "Hentai?"

I left my room and took a shower, taking extra care to scrub my hair. I wanted it to look nicer, for once.

I threw on a plain black hoodie leaving it unzipped, exposing a white Bad Brains shirt. If Max was wearing band shirts, so would I.

I threw on torn jeans and some black boots that were already in the bathroom.

I stepped back into my room and spun around, arms out to my sides, "How do I look?"

"Hella punk."

I grinned, "Oh shit, I'm a bad influence on you. Now I've got you saying that."

She feigned a shocked expression.

I cleared my throat, and with my best accent said, "Vamos, señorita. Para los dos…...whales."

She shook her head, "I can see Spanish class didn't stick with you."

We set off. Being the only ones home, we weren't stopped.

I gripped the slim black steering wheel and shifted into gear repeatedly.

A few minutes passed and we didn't really exchange any words.

Glancing down at the broken fuel gauge, with its cracked glass and loose needle, reminded me that I probably needed to get gas.

I cleared my throat again, "Hey, I'm probably going to need some gas. I'm gonna stop at the gas-station across the street from the Two Whales. Would you...mind getting us a booth when I stop?"

"No problem, Chloe."

"Alright, cool."

Max gazed out of the window for a while more, silently.

Wanting to strike up a conversation, I asked, "Did you ever go by that gum wall in Seattle?"

She turned her head towards me, "Yeah, a few times. How come?"

I snickered, trying to hold a laugh back, "How much money...would I have to pay you to scrape a bunch of gum off the wall, and eat it?"

She threw her head back in laughter, "There's no amount of money you could pay me!"

"Oh, come on. Not even for a billion dollars?"

She pondered for a moment as we pulled into the gas station, "Nope, you couldn't pay me any amount."

I turned off the truck as she asked me, "What about you? How much would you have to be paid?"

I smirked, "Pfft, I'd pay you to let me eat the gum...I'm kidding."

She jabbed me in the shoulder and got out of the truck, "You're gross."

Looking both ways, she crossed the road after waiting for some cars to pass by.

I walked over to the attendant and opened my wallet, pulling out a fifty dollar bill.

I began to speak, "Hello, can I have thirty dollars on pump-"

My fingers must have held it too loosely, because it blew out of my hand into a puddle of sludgy, putrid water a few feet away.

"Fuck!" I picked it up between my index finger and thumb, smelling of rotten eggs and coated with some weird green shit. I gagged at the smell and released it, 'Fifty dollars down the shitter…'

I sighed in exasperation, wiping my hand on my jeans as I pulled out a twenty dollar bill.

The guy behind the counter took no pity on me.

I gripped the bill tightly now and slammed it on the counter, "Okay, twenty dollars on pump two."

He took the bill and punched some keys on a computer system, "Would you like your rec-"

"No."

If I had to guess, I'd say the gas only filled my tank halfway.

I crossed the road in my truck and parked it at the Two Whales.

I noticed Frank's RV was also parked there, 'Shit.'

I pulled the door open and my nose was hit with the delectable aroma of good, American cooking.

Sure enough, Frank was seated in a booth by himself at the very end of the diner. We locked eyes for a split-second as I held my breath, and he went back to eating his meal...beans.

A sigh of relief escaped me, and I spotted Max talking to my mom.

I went to the bathroom and washed my hands, eliminating the putrid stench that coated them.

MAX:

Joyce glanced to her side as Chloe approached the booth, "Morning, Chloe. I was just talking to Max here," she gestured to me.

"Hi, mom," she plopped down across from me and appeared to be pouting.

Joyce inquired, "What is it this time?"

"Ugh, nothing."

Joyce poured a coffee, pursing her lips and raising an eyebrow, "Hmm, doesn't sound like nothing."

"Fine...I dropped a fucking fifty dollar bill in some nasty shit water and now it's ruined."

Joyce finished pouring Chloe's coffee and put it down in front of her, "Language, Chloe. Where'd you leave it?"

Chloe took it and began to add sugar and milk from a few little containers, "In the shit water."

Joyce pulled out a notepad, "That's unfortunate. Not much you can do about it, I guess. Can I get you girls anything?"

I smiled, "I'd kill to have some Belgian waffles right now."

She looked at Chloe as she finished writing my order, who said, "Homestyle eggs and bacon, the usual."

"Alright, girls. It'll be out in a few."

Chloe and I said at around the same time:

"Thanks, Joyce."

"Thank you, Mom."

Joyce grinned, "You're very welcome," and she went into the back.

I cleared my throat, "Tell you what, Chloe. I'll pay for the food."

She gawked at me, "Fuck no, dude! I'm paying."

"How much money do you have left?"

She sighed and slouched, "I don't have shit…"

"So then I'll pay. You let me sleep at your house, after all."

"No, I'll find a way to-"

"It's the least I can do."

She sighed, "Okay, fine...thanks, Max."

"Woah, did I just beat you in an argument?"

She shook her head and leaned forward, elbows on the table, "I wanted to talk to you about something."

I sipped my coffee as dread struck me. Gulping down the coffee in my mouth, I replied, "Talk about what?"

"Your power, I still can't wrap my head around it."

I tilted my head, "Really?"

"Yeah, Max. I'm still kinda skeptical, I just don't understand how it's possible. I know your journal explained a lot of things, but I want to see it for myself."

She leaned further forward and studied me, like an art connoisseur studies a statue.

I blinked, "What?"

"If you can really rewind time, I need you to tell me three things that'll happen in the next few minutes."

I frowned, "Chloe, I'd like to avoid using my power as much as possible. It gives me nosebleeds."

"Aw, c'mon. I need to see if this shit's real."

She pulled out two tampons from one of her pants pockets, "Besides, if your nose bleeds, I got you. Maxi-"

I stabbed a finger at her, "Don't call me that!"

We both laughed for a moment and I gave in, "Aw, what the hell. I'll do it, but you better have those tampons ready, because I might spring a leak."

Just then, Frank spilled his beans all over the floor. The plate shattered into a million pieces.

"Shit!" He yelled.

An employee I didn't recognize came out from behind the counter and helped him clean it up.

Chloe turned back towards me and fell lower in her seat, trying to hide her laughter.

I gulped, "Okay...that'll be the first one."

A few moments went by, looking out the window I noticed a bird landing near a half-eaten burger that someone had discarded.

I made a mental note of it.

Chloe watched me silently, like an attentive school child.

Finally, the third event: two cars blew past the diner at a high rate of speed, racing each other.

"Okay, here goes nothing."

I raised my right hand up, and nothing is exactly what happened.

Gasping, I dropped my arm, "Holy shit."

Chloe looked equally surprised, "What?"

My heart raced as the room spun around me, "I don't have my powers anymore…"

As I soon found out, I no longer needed them. You don't use 'em, you lose 'em.