Two Friends

by Demon King Piccolo

Chloe Price gets through life with the help of her imagination and the ability to not care. She figures this is her life. So she didn't know how to react upon seeing the short and awkward Maxine Caulfield other than that she was nice. Their lives seemed intertwined, though, and Chloe finds that she may have found the friend she didn't know she had been looking for.

4. Chapter 4

Chapter 04

Mistakes are difficult to rectify. Sometimes, when the stakes are higher, it becomes even harder to resolve it. You become afraid that it's impossible to fix, so you don't try.

When she asked her father how he apologized after making a mistake, he said that he tried to fix the situation through a convoluted process which was poorly thought out and ultimately didn't work.

As it turns out, all he really needed to do was apologize.

The solution seems so simple and obvious, yet her father chose the harder approach. Now she is taking the same path. The following day during class, Chloe decided that she must see Maxine. She had been unable to sleep and focus through the entirety of her morning classes.

Instead, replays of the Sunday visit occurs endlessly in her mind, and she keeps creating alternate scenarios of how she could have avoided the entire situation or perhaps convinced Maxine she didn't mean it before she left.

And she genuinely didn't mean it. If Maxine wanted to change, Chloe would be happy to support her all the way. Her mouth just says things before she thinks it through and this is hardly the first time it's gotten her in trouble.

So she felt bad and guilty since Maxine left and it basically made attending school worthless as she hardly even heard a word. At noon, she decided she must see Maxine again. Had she been reasonable, perhaps she would have just called and explained herself.

Chloe isn't reasonable, though, so she has the idea instead to skip her final class, find Maxine's school, then apologize face to face when she comes outside.

Just as the bell for the final class of the day rings and all the students head to their last class, she makes her way outside and, using the GPS on her phone, searches up 'Hoover Middle School'. The address pops up with the directions showing a relatively easy two miles walk. A longer trip than she's used to but she can definitely do it.

She pulls a hoodie out of her backpack that she took along for this occasion and slides it on ensuring the hood covers as much of her head as possible. It is chilly out, so the hoodie actually feels nice. Once comfortable, she follows the directions on her phone.

As she goes along, she begins to realize just how little of Arcadia Bay she has actually seen.

The sights become unfamiliar, the houses and stores look different, and the people become unrecognizable. She approaches an impressive looking building with a sign out front indicating that this is what she is looking for – Hoover Middle School.

Hoover is a more impressive building than Chloe had expected. It has a large exterior providing plenty of room and the school itself is huge. Possibly big enough to fit the entirety of Arcadia Junior High into it and still have walking space left.

Checking the time on her phone, she takes a seat on the curb along the school to wait for classes to be over. Patting down her hood, she rests her head on her knees.

To her surprise, they start leaving without her notice until she started hearing footsteps behind her and then sees students passing. A part of that was because there wasn't much talking among the students and no one was really bursting out of the school.

Her eyes roam around trying to find that special girl she came for but she was nowhere to be found. She keeps waiting and the trickle of students – already small to begin with – grows dimmer. The students already outside also slowly disappear as they walk away or get picked up.

Frustrated, but not willing to give up, Chloe continues waiting even as the school becomes quiet and she remains the only person there. Her patience was wearing thin when she hears the door opens again. Looking over, she sees a familiar puffy blue coat.

She looks into the face of Maxine and feels relief flow through her. She wanted to run up and hug her, but nerves hold her back. She reminds herself of the need to say something about her comment yesterday, but is unsure what. She feels the need to practice a line or a speech to make the process go as perfectly as possible but everything she could think of sounds wrong.

When she sees Maxine slowly walks towards where she is, Chloe gets up and runs to hide around the school building. It is a step back rather than the step forward she wanted to take, but she was convinced that had she been forced to do it then, she would have simply made the situation worse. She needed time.

Problem is that Maxine wasn't waiting. Instead, she continues walking away from the school down the street. She second guesses herself several times before slowly following behind at a distance.

Maxine walks alone pausing every now and then to look down at herself and pats her coat before continuing. She keeps her eyes towards the ground for most of trip looking up only to check for traffic or to ensure she doesn't bump into anyone.

Chloe follows along keeping her footsteps silent and trying desperately to think of something to say. Each step makes her mind scramble a little more as she knows they must be getting closer and closer to Maxine's home.

Then they reach the front of a house where Maxine angles herself slightly to walk over the grass towards the front door. She approaches and reaches into her pocket to pull out a key. As she does so, a voice shouts from behind her.

"I'm sorry!"

She freezes. Confused, Maxine turns around and her eyes widen slightly, then lowers in guilt. "Chloe, you're here."

"I'm sorry." She swallows. "Please don't stop being my friend."

Silence. "I…should be saying that to you."

"No, I should. It's my fault."

Chloe comes up to her. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have pushed you- I know I can be pushy, but I don't mean it, Maxine. You look great to me, but if you want to be different, I'll be happy with whatever you want. I didn't mean it. Please don't hate me."

"Chloe, stop."

"When I said those things, I was trying to say it in a good way, not bad. I didn't think it would come out so harsh. I wasn't thinking-"

"Stop it!" Maxine raises her voice a little causing Chloe to flinch. "It's not you. It's me. I was angry at myself."

"…huh?"

She averts her eyes. "When I got angry at you, I was really angry at myself. I feel fine too and I hate keeping up that stupid diet. I can't ever have cookies or chocolate or anything I want."

"So when you questioned it…I agreed with you, but I put so much work into it already. I felt like all my efforts were being attacked. I lost it at you then, afterwards, felt guilty the entire time. Since yesterday, I wanted to say sorry. I was too scared, though."

"I had thought I ruined everything and lost someone I really had fun with."

"You didn't. You didn't." Chloe says. "I don't want this to be over either."

"Chloe, I…" She pauses glancing around and becomes visibly shy. "We've been standing here a while. I…we're not as your house now, but if you like…"

"Hm?" Chloe stares at her. "What is it?"

"Would you like to come to my house? We could talk more inside."

Chloe looks up in surprise. She stares at the house in front of her and realizes that, yes, this is Maxine's house. She also realizes, with a sudden burst of urge, she wants to come into the house.

"Yes, I want to."

Maxine smiles a little. "Alright, lets go in."

She unlocks the door and head in with Chloe following along. They place their shoes on a rack near the door and they walk through the living room then up a set of stairs with Maxine leading the way. All the while, Chloe stares around in utter amazement.

A long time ago, during a talk her parents were giving her about the importance of money, Chloe argued asking why should they worry since they were rich? When asked why she thought that, Chloe said it's because she seen them depositing large wads of bills at the bank. Her parents laughed.

Her dad, William, responded that half that money went into bills, a quarter into necessities, and that final precious quarter often goes to feed the family squid – 'family squid' being his endearing term for the miscellaneous and unpredictable costs that seems to pop up every month. If you do not feed the squid with a lot of money, it will drag you down to the abyss.

He said the best way to tell if someone is rich is not by the money they have in their hands, but by the money they have in their 'foundations'. That is how much they spent on the things that matter most. Most of these things can't be seen, but one very easy to see thing is the home.

At the time, she didn't see how that changes anything because it seems like they had a very nice house. Now she might have an idea what her father meant. Maxine is wealthy.

This realization occurs to her as she is led upstairs. The house contained nice furniture and sophisticated décor. Furthermore, everything just looks so utterly fresh – as if they were newly purchased. It was almost like walking into a showroom in a way.

Prior to setting foot into Maxine's room, she had expected to see something equally nice. As she steps inside, though, she found it was…empty. The room is shockingly bare.

There was a small bed placed near a corner and, beside that, an office desk. Near the door is a hanging stand where she and Maxine put their backpacks. The wall had two paintings depicting calm scenery. Aside from these few items, the room didn't have anything else.

If she didn't know this room belonged to Maxine, she wouldn't have even known if it belonged to a boy or a girl due to no distinguishing characteristics. There wasn't a speck of 'feminine' color anywhere. Even the walls were a plain champagne color.

"Your house is really nice." Chloe says with sincerity. "It's so much nicer than mine."

Maxine frowns. "I thought yours was better."

"Wha-?" Chloe sputters flabbergasted. "Why? Your room is incredible. It's-" She glances around. "-it's huge. Your room is as big as my living room."

Glancing around as if to confirm this herself, Maxine shrugs, "I guess. I never really thought about it."

"Where's all your stuff, though?"

"Stuff? What stuff?"

"Like all the things you own."

"Oh. I keep panda bear inside my closet." She goes over to take the bear out placing it near the closet door. "I also keep my textbooks inside my desk."

Chloe furrows her eyebrows. "What about your toys and games and that kind of thing. You also said you read comics, right? Where are they?"

Maxine looks down. "My mom says I'm not allowed to have those kinds of things. Those comics I read are at the library in school; they weren't mine."

Her mouth drops in surprise. Chloe asks, "Not allowed to have them at all? So wait, what do you do for fun?"

Twiddling her fingers, Maxine says, "I read books and I watch some TV. Most of the time, I have to study, though. It's the only way to ensure my future."

That sounded like something a parent had said. "So you spend most of the time watching TV and reading?"

"Not really. I study most of the time."

Chloe tries to think of a life where she would have to spend all her time studying…and even the idea of it seemed terribly boring. She wonders how Maxine can do it.

Then it occurs to her that if her parents enforce it, 'can do it' isn't the right choice of words. She has to.

"Your life is tough." Maxine looks at her. "You have to do so much. You can't have comics, you have to study all the time, you're not…allowed to have too many sweets. My life revolves around comics."

Immediately remembering yesterday, Chloe immediately backtracks, "Not that that's bad! If you want to do this, it's great!"

Maxine shakes her head her eyes downcast. "You don't have to hide it. I'm boring."

"What? No, I didn't say that."

"You don't have to. I know it." Maxine sits on her bed sighing. "I think so too. I don't do anything. I don't go out because I'm not allowed to. Even if I were, I wouldn't know where to go. I'm just…a boring girl."

"Maxine…you're not. I promise you're not."

"Stop saying that. I know I am. Other kids told me already."

Chloe bites her lips. "I don't know why they would say that. I like being around you."

"You haven't been around me, though. You would get bored if you do stay." She takes a deep breath. "On Monday, I have piano practice. On Tuesday, gymnastics and calisthenics. Wednesday, I have to focus on studying. Thursday, it's the piano again."

With each listed item, Chloe becomes more and more incredulous. Chloe's entire week melds together because she does nearly the same thing every day. Go home, do homework, play games or listen to music, then go to sleep. Not necessarily in that order.

"On Friday, it's gymnastics and calisthenics again. Saturday is, well, it's usually piano again, but, this week, my mom had something different planned. Hold on." She walks to the head of her bed and fingers a paper pinned to the wall. Chloe's eyes widen realizing it's a weekly schedule. "Oh right. This Saturday, my parents want me to try a hand at painting; they say it's good for the spirit. Then on Sunday, I usually do some kind of exercise then study afterwards. If I have some kind of work or recital coming up, I have to do that instead."

"That's…oh…it's…" Chloe struggles to come up with some words. "That sounds hard."

"They, but usually only starting by the second hour."

"Second…hour? Wait, how many hours are you doing these things for?"

"It varies, but usually three. My mom will let me finish early if I do well." She glances at Chloe's face and becomes distressed. "I knew it. You think I'm boring."

"No…no! That's not it!" Chloe clears her throat. "I'm just surprised. That's all. You are the hardest working girl I know. I'm happy if you like doing all this, though."

"…I don't." Maxine whispers sitting down against her bed. Her voice rises. "I don't like it. I want to read comics and play games. I don't want to do the stupid piano anymore. Nobody even likes it. Every time I say I can play music, they ask if I can play the guitar."

"If I had a choice, I would do something I like. I want to read comics, play games with you, or something else really cool." Her expression becomes worse. "But I don't have a choice. These things are what my parents want me to."

Chloe didn't know how to respond, especially when Maxine is so obviously upset. What can she do, though? If it was another kid, Chloe could maybe beat the other kid up or something, but against her own mother? So she remains silent.

"That's why I'm boring, Chloe. I don't have anything anybody wants."

Swallowing, Chloe walks over and sits besides Maxine. "You don't have to have anything. I only wanted to be with you." Her gaze makes her blush. "Truth is that I don't have anything either."

"What? What about your comics and games? Your mom also makes great food."

Chloe bites her lips. "You're the first person to ever be interested in my comics and games. When you were, you don't even know how happy I was. I've been dying to show someone – anyone – my comics for so long."

"And those games? Before you, I've only ever played them with my parents. It isn't the same. Playing with you is way different than my mom and dad. I had so much more fun."

Maxine looks at her. "Are you telling me the truth?"

"Cross my heart."

Silence reigned for the longest time. It was a little suffocating and Chloe tried to get a reaction by reaching out with a finger and trace it alongside Maxine's pinky. The other girl lets out a little giggle then pulls away blushing.

She sighs, "Chloe, I just wish I had something for us to do besides sit on my bed."

Hardly a moment passes before a grin comes onto Chloe's face. Fact is there are a few things that don't need game boards or comics.

"I have an idea." Maxine turns to her. "Your house is huge, so…want to play hide and seek?"

Before her eyes, Maxine transforms and becomes brighter. Her eyes light up with excitement and she leans in close.

"I love that idea! Lets play."

"Alright then, rock, paper, scissors to see who will be first to count."

They play a game and Chloe wins when Maxine's rock is captured by her paper. They set up some quick rules wherein the hider can't go outside or hide in basements/attics – Chloe didn't even realize the house had either – while seeker had to count to 30 and can't peek.

As soon as Maxine covered her eyes and starts counting, Chloe bolts out her room and runs downstairs skipping two steps at a time. She hurriedly looks around then lies down on the floor in the front of the couch. She silences her breathing.

Shortly after, she hears footsteps and it immediately heads her way. She curses internally realizing Maxine must have heard where she ran.

The footsteps stops once it reaches downstairs, then becomes slower. It also becomes steadily louder. Chloe keeps her eyes to the couch end and, eventually, Maxine appears tiptoeing towards another room not seeing Chloe behind her.

Taking this moment, Chloe stealthily maneuvers backwards then gets on all four to crawl towards the stairwell intending to go all the way back up. Just as she got halfway, a body lands on top of her.

A giggling voice exclaims, "Found you!"

She rocks her hips trying to knock Maxine off and make a run for it, but the other girl wraps her arm around Chloe's chest to prevent it. Chloe raises her hands to concede defeat.

"Alright, it's my turn to hide now." She declares getting off Chloe.

"Gotcha." Chloe pushes herself up too. "I'll count to 30 now, so you go hide."

She walks to the wall, crosses her arms, then leans her head against it to begin counting. Slowly and loudly. She hears footsteps behind her going upstairs and grins to herself knowing where to go already.

Chloe finishes her count, then turns and runs up the stairs. She quickly glances around then begins checking every room skipping only Maxine's figuring the other girl wouldn't try such an obvious place.

The rooms are a feast for her eyes. Their bathroom is beautiful and large, they had what looks like a guest room and even that is nicely decorated. Eventually, Chloe wanders into a room that holds a large bookcase, a make-up desk, a large laptop, work desk, and more.

She already suspected it is the bedroom of Maxine's parents and a few visible portraits confirms it. Getting to work, she checks underneath the bed and inside the closet. She opens one door thinking it was another closet only to be surprised to find another bathroom in there, albeit a smaller one. A bathroom inside a bedroom.

While checking the back of the bookcase, she catches sight of some of the books. Most were thick, frightening looking ones with long titles. She didn't pay attention to most of them, but some happens to get her attention.

Alongside the less interesting books, she notices titles such as 'Piano Solos', 'Piano: Traditionalist', "Vrksasana Yoga', and 'Childhood Education'. These all sound like things Maxine does. Her books are kept in her parents' room?

Shaking off the distraction, Chloe gets back to her task. She searches a few more small areas where someone of Maxine's size might fit in, but finding nothing, she abandons the room. When she gets close to Maxine's room again, she pauses and walks in. Right away, she notices the closet door is not fully closed.

Now feeling foolish that she didn't check this room off the bat, she makes a point to return Maxine's favor from before. Walking up to the closet, she talks out loud.

"I know you're in there."

It takes a moment. "No, I'm not."

"Is that right? Well then, if Maxine isn't in there, I'm going to just have to grab whoever is."

She opens the door fully and reaches in grabbing a body just as a shriek resounds. There is a brief struggle, but Chloe easily pulls Maxine out of the closet and lifts her into the air. The other girls continue wiggling and contouring, but Chloe holds on tight. She walks over to the bed and tosses Maxine into the center before jumping on her to engage in a tickle attack.

However, it seems the younger girl learned a thing or two since their last meeting. Chloe was only able to tickle her for a few seconds before Maxine's hand quickly shoots out and wraps around her chest holding her arms down.

Chloe looks down, then back up grinning. "Over already? I really can't use the same trick on you too many times."

She laughs. "My piano tutor says the same thing. She likes to play back songs to me and make me repeat after her, but she sometimes does it wrong on purpose. If I don't notice it, she punishes me. She has to keep finding new tricks, though, because I remember what she does."

"Piano tutor? Oh, right." Chloe says remembering. "I almost forgot you can play the piano. You have a teacher too?"

"Yeah. She doesn't call herself that, though. She tells me to call her professeur de piano or as Ms. Muzyki."

"Sounds fancy." Chloe laughs. "Is she hard?"

"She was in the beginning, but I think I'm used to her now so I have an easier time. She has been complimenting my playing more and more recently." Awe must have shown on her face because Maxine shyly looks away. "I'm not that good, really."

"Your teacher thinks you are. It sounds amazing."

Maxine hesitates a little. "Would you like to hear me play?"

She didn't even need to think before shouting yes.

Giggling, Maxine leads her out of the room and back downstairs. They walk through the living room into another room where there is a wooden piano. Maxine sits on a simple padded leather seat and pats the spot beside her. Chloe eagerly takes a seat looking on in anticipation.

"What are you going to play?"

She hums in thought. "How about I play some songs and you try to guess what I'm playing?"

"That's what you teacher does, right?"

"Right, but I won't try to trick you. I'll play it right."

She didn't think she would recognize any piano music, but Chloe is more than happy to try. "Got it. Give me a shot."

Thinking again, Maxine then places one hand on the piano and slowly plays some notes. Almost immediately, Chloe recognizes the tune.

"Twinkle Twinkle Little Star!"

Maxine stops playing and giggles. "Yep!" She licks her lips. "Alright, try this one."

She plays another tune. This time at a much quicker pace. Again, Chloe recognizes the tune immediately. Jingle Bells. Though it sounds fundamentally the same, hearing it on a piano is an entirely different experience. Somehow it seems calmer. She wonders if it's simply an effect of the piano or if it's Maxine playing.

"Jingle Bells." Maxine stops and nods. "Give me a tough one now."

"A tough one? I don't know…oh wait, here's one I had trouble recognizing at first."

She begins playing and, again, Chloe immediately recognizes the tune. How could she not? She hears it regularly at church. The tune is Amazing Grace.

Chloe pause in thoughtfulness. Maxine had trouble recognizing this song? Chloe glances around the room and tries to recollect the living room. She doesn't remember any Christian memorabilia.

Her own house had quite a few crosses, mini Bibles, and a figurine or two of Jesus Christ. Whenever she visits her grandparents or her parents' friends' homes, she recalls seeing similar objects. However, she doesn't recall any here. Does that mean Maxine isn't a believer? Or are her family 'invisible' believers preferring to hold their faith in silence rather than showy displays?

If she isn't a believer, it would be a shame because her rendition of the song really fills Chloe's heart with warmth and sets her mind adrift. She leans into Maxine a bit just listening to the tune. Before she knew it, Maxine plays finishing notes and the tune ends.

Maxine looks at her. "You really like that song?"

"Yeah, Amazing Grace is one of my favorite songs. Whenever we hear it at church, it always grabs my attention. The way you play it is just so nice."

Her cheeks turn red. "Thanks, Chloe." Collecting herself, she continues, "You're good at this. Let me try a harder one. I'm not really good at this song, but my teacher says it's a popular one."

Chloe could definitely tell she had less practice with this next one. She hesitates at times and is off-key at others. She couldn't blame Maxine, though. It sounds and looks more complex than the other tunes.

She also doesn't know what it is. She gets the vague sense she heard it somewhere before, but she simply couldn't drudge up a name. When Maxine stops and looks at her waiting, she grins sheepishly and shrugs.

"This one, I don't know. I think I heard it before but I'm not sure."

"It's called Für Elise by B…Bat?...Be…Beethoven! That's his name. Für Elise by Beethoven."

Chloe smiles helplessly. She has no idea who Beethoven is. Perhaps he's really famous and she simply doesn't know.

"Let me try this one."

Another tune that Maxine clearly has less practice at. It's a slower tune and it's very calming. Later on, it becomes more upbeat. The tune is catchy and easy to tap a foot to. Chloe also swears she heard this song before. She heard it and she has no idea what it's called.

Again, when she finish playing and looks at Chloe, she could only shrug.

"It's called Pachelbel's Canon." Maxine looks unsure here. "I…can't remember the name of the guy who made it. I know his last name is Pachelbel like the name of the song, but I don't remember his first name."

"It's a nice song." Chloe says. "I heard it before too, but I don't remember where."

"Yeah, my teacher says this song is used everywhere though most people don't know it."

"That's cool. Okay, give me another."

Maxine blushes. "I don't know any other good ones. Most of the ones I'm good at are simpler stuff, so you can probably guess them right away."

"Oh. Okay." Chloe colors a little too. "If it's okay with you, I was wondering if you could play Amazing Grace again?"

"I'd love to."

And she does as Chloe listens attentively. As she only plays this tune now, there seem to be a difference to it as if she's putting more of herself into it.

Chloe peeks at Maxine's hand moving along the keyboard and the fluidity of the movement hypnotizes her. She couldn't fully follow the movement, but that adds to its appearance rather than detract.

She leans into Maxine and drifts off again, though she tries to keep a sliver of attention to the playing wanting to witness music flow from her friend's hands. A glance at Maxine's face assures her that she doesn't mind their proximity and, in fact, looks like she's enjoying it.

Neither is aware just how long they kept at this. When Maxine finishes the song, she simply starts over. Several times, she even adjusts the song playing it more soulfully or in a more upbeat way. In one rendition, she adds a colorful finale that completely changes the style of the song making Chloe giggle uncontrollably against her.

Lost in their enjoyment, it took the sound of the door opening and shutting to awaken them. Maxine stops playing abruptly, looks at Chloe, then stands up to go peek into the living room.

"Maxine." The voice of her mother calls out. "Were you just practicing the piano? That's good."

Vanessa walks into view and bends down hugging her daughter before she stiffens noticing Chloe. She gets up looking speculatively. "You're…the Prices' daughter, Chloe, right?"

Chloe gets up and stands at attention feeling apprehension replace the warm feelings. "Yes, Mrs. Caulfield."

"Dear, I had no idea you were coming. Maxine, you have to inform me before bringing your friends over, understand?"

"Yes, mom."

"It's not her fault, Mrs. Caulfield." Chloe quickly says. "I sort of surprised Maxine by my coming too."

Vanessa raises an eyebrow. "I see. Well, I can let it pass now, but you must call ahead first in the future, dear."

"Yes, ma'am. I'm sorry."

"It's fine. You may stay for-" She checks the clock. "-another hour, but then Maxine must get back to her tasks. She has an upcoming piano recital. Right, Maxine?"

"Yes, mom."

Chloe looks over in surprise. She has an upcoming recital? How does that fit in with the schedule she learned before?

Vanessa must have noticed her surprise. She elaborates, "My little girl here has a habit of slacking off without the right prodding, so her father and I ensure she stays busy and productive. She needs our help now. Once she is old enough, this will become habit and she'll always be productive on her own."

Chloe nods in understanding, though she didn't really understand it. She can only suppose that all that studying and practicing must be why Maxine is so talented, though she hopes that the other girl could still have some time to spend with her.

"Anyway, the two of you run along upstairs and play in Maxine's room. I have some extra work to do. Remember. Only one hour."

The two nods to Vanessa's words before quickly running away. Inside Maxine's room, Chloe thinks of the time nervously now knowing she can't stay much longer. She knew from the start she couldn't stay forever, but she had thought that perhaps it would be a little longer. It's not even dark yet!

"What do you want to do?" Maxine asks.

"I don't know. Anything is okay with me." She bites her lips. "Say, did you get a chance to read those manga?"

"I wanted to, but I didn't have time yet."

"Then lets read them together."

Maxine's eyes light up excitedly and she runs to her desk taking out the manga volumes lent to her. Chloe jumps on the bed patting the spot beside her. Maxine climbs on lying close beside her.

Opening one of the manga, they start reading this time with Maxine leading the page turning. As before, much of their reading is with Maxine remarking on strange cultural differences she notices and Chloe giving what details she does know. Chloe pays attention, though her mind drifts to the time now and then.

Eventually, it arrives. Vanessa's voice calls out informing them that playtime is over. Chloe groans as soon as she heard the voice, but stops in surprise as Maxine groans too. They look at each other and cover their mouths giggling.

Maxine, her face a little flush, says, "I rather read manga than study or do piano right now."

"So you really don't like the piano at all?"

"I just don't. My mom says it's good for me, but I don't get it. No one else I know does it. Even the girls my mom tries to make my friends do dance, not play piano. Everyone keeps asking if I play the guitar, so maybe I should do that instead."

"You'd look cool like that." Chloe laughs doing an air guitar. "It's hard to rock out even with the best song on a piano."

Chloe only said that to make her happy. Truth is that the Maxine's rendition of Amazing Grace never left her mind and, even then, she still wishes she could keep hearing it.

Even if she doesn't enjoy it, Chloe couldn't help but already feel that her friend's playing skills are essential to her character.

"My teacher played really hard songs to impress me before. Even the hardest ones don't sound…'rocky' or anything. They're all soft and calming. It's like napping music." Maxine frowns. "I don't want to make anyone nap. I want to play a song that, like, makes you dance, Chloe."

"Hey, I'll dance to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star if you like."

"No, that's embarrassing."

"Maxine! Chloe!" Vanessa calls again.

Looking down at the manga on the bed, Maxine's face drops. She picks them up and holds them out to Chloe who stares back confused.

"Are you finished with them already? I thought you said you haven't read yet."

"I haven't, but I just realized that maybe I won't be able to. It'll take me way too long and I don't feel right keeping it until I finally get a chance to read. I just don't have that much free time."

"But you really like the story, don't you?"

"I do and I want to read so badly, Chloe." Maxine says unhappily. "But studying and the piano won't wait for me."

Chloe scowls equally unhappy at seeing her friend's demeanor. In a snap judgment, she comes up with the solution.

"Then I'll give them to you. As a gift."

Maxine looks up in surprise. "Really? Are you sure?"

"Positive. It'll make me happy if you keep it. I…please think of me when you read them, okay?"

Looking at the manga more closely, Maxine hugs them to her chest before walking over to place them on top of her desk leaning them against the wall. She takes pain to straighten them to her satisfaction.

Once done, she returns, leans in, and kisses Chloe on the cheek. This startles Chloe so much that she takes a step back and covers her face in embarrassment. Maxine is equally embarrassed by her action and she smiles sheepishly.

"Thanks, Chloe. I'll leave them like that on my desk and, before I go to sleep, I'll see them and think of you."

Chloe's blush deepens. "T-thanks, Maxine. That makes me happy."

"Alright, lets go down. I'll walk you."

Maxine grabs her hand and leads her downstairs where Vanessa is waiting. She looks at the two girls with slight annoyance for taking so long. Turning to Maxine first, she bends down to look at her daughter in the eyes.

"Maxine, dinner is baking. It'll take about a half hour to complete. I want you to practice calisthenics until then. Understood?"

"Yes, mom."

Chloe's eyes widen a little. Wasn't that supposed to be on Tuesdays and Fridays? Or is she actually supposed to do them a little everyday too?

"Good girl. Now go."

Maxine walks off into the piano room glancing back at Chloe before leaving. Chloe waves good bye weakly then lets her hand drop. Vanessa turns to her next.

"Now dear, when is your mom coming?"

"My mom…? Oh! Oh no, I'm just going to walk home."

She looks taken back. "Walk home? But don't you live nearer the central area? That must be over an hour's walk." She glances out the window. "Plus it's getting dark."

Chloe glances out in confusion. It's a little closer to twilight than before but it's hardly dark. It probably won't be for another good hour or two.

"It's fine, Mrs. Caulfield. I'll be able to get home pretty quickly and it's an easy walk."

Vanessa shakes her head. "No, dear. That is just not right. Young girls can't walk that far and at this time. Even I don't feel safe walking at night. Come with me. I'll drive you home."

Without waiting for a response, Vanessa goes to the door and grabs her keys. She turns to the piano room, "Maxine, I'll be driving your friend home! If I'm not back within a half hour, turn off the oven. Understood?"

Her daughter shouts back a confirmation. Nodding, Vanessa holds the door open expectantly looking at Chloe. She shuffles through and the two of them goes into the car.

On the way, Vanessa didn't speak much. Not that Chloe would know how to converse with her, but the silence was a little thick. On a whim, she decides to comment on the only subject the two of them had in common.

"I'm sorry for coming unannounced. I didn't realize Maxine was so busy. She told me about her schedule and it's really intense."

Vanessa glances at her assessing. "Yes, she is. It's important to keep her mind and body occupied for good health."

"I really like her piano playing. She played some songs for me."

"Did she? Which ones?"

Chloe tries to recall. "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Jingle Bells, Amazing Grace, and, uh, there were some German- oh, right, Für Elise and something called 'Pachelbel'."

Vanessa frowns a little. "Some of those are good decent compositions, but I wish Maxine had played you her better ones. Recently, she started work on a sonata by Mozart and I think she gotten good enough that you might have liked it."

"Oh no, she was really good and I really like her." Chloe assured her. "I also guessed she might have known more. I saw her books in your bedroom."

"Hm? Oh, those aren't hers. Maxine's books are either in her room, the living room, or the kitchen. I can watch her there to make sure she's doing her work. The books you saw in my room are mine."

She blinks in confusion. "But I saw books about piano and exercise and stuff."

"They're mine." Vanessa nods. "Everything I teach Maxine, I try to learn alongside her. I try to learn the same things she learned alongside her, so I got those books for myself. I can hardly make sure she's playing the piano right if I don't know how it should be played, right?"

"That's seriously impressive." Chloe says slowly. "Are you a big fan of the piano? Is that why you wanted Maxine to play it? And why you're learning it?"

"Not really." Vanessa says surprising Chloe again. "I wanted Maxine to play it more as something to keep her mind occupied intellectually. I wanted her to learn and grow and not turn to silly TV shows for entertainment. I ended up picking the piano, but it could have been anything. Violin, painting, or, really, even knitting."

"As for why I'm learning it," She continues, "I do it so I can know when she plays incorrectly and how to correct her. I actually do this with everything she learns. I study her school textbooks alongside her. I exercise with her. I learn the piano with her. Everything she does, I'm right there besides her offering my support and expecting her best."

Chloe tries to imagine Joyce hovering over her shoulder making sure she does all her homework correctly. On one hand, even the idea of it makes her stomach do a flip. On another hand, it actually sounds kind of nice in a strange sort of way.

Outside the car window, some familiar landmarks passes letting Chloe know they are close to her home. She was tempted to remain silent the rest of the ride, but there was one particular question that was burning inside of her.

"Mrs. Caulfield, could Maxine- uh, I mean, does she ever have free days?"

"Free days?"

"I mean days where she doesn't have anything to do. I was thinking that maybe I could come over then? Or maybe she could come to my house?"

Vanessa smiles lightly. "Maxine doesn't have such days, dear. Even on her breaks from school, I work to make sure she has something to do. That Sunday she was able to spend with you? We cancelled some of her practice time to do so and she had to make up for it later."

They didn't talk much from that point on. Chloe really wanted to ask if Maxine could take a break from her schedule sometime, but the more she hears, the more she gets the sense that this is not something the other girl would normally get.

It occurs to her how different their lives are. Whereas Chloe has a large amount of freedom and her parents take a hands-off approach to her, Maxine seem to have the opposite. Little freedom and parents who seem to hover over her constantly.

She wonders which one is truly better. Maxine is genuinely talented and it wouldn't far off to say Chloe would be more than happy to have the same skills. However, the girl says she hates having to do those things and would rather do what Chloe does.

So which is right?

Her house really isn't that far from Maxine's and Arcadia Bay lacks traffic lights, traffic, and life in general. So the ride ended up not being that long at all.

When they arrive at her house, Chloe is surprised to see her mom's car already there. She shouldn't have been back for at least another hour or so. Maybe even longer. She gets out of the car and thanks Vanessa. The woman smiles lightly, but doesn't leave.

She goes to open her door not even bothering to take out her keys knowing her mom left it unlocked for her. She turns back to wave to Vanessa who only now begins to drive off having seen Chloe enter her house safely. Chloe watches her still wondering if perhaps she should have asked more.

"Chloe? Chloe, is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"Chloe Price, have I not told you before about contacting me if you're going to be gone far past school?" Joyce comes out looking crossed. "We got you a cell phone for a reason, young lady. Your father and I like to think we're very open and forgiving parents, but we have our limits too."

"I know and I'm sorry, okay? It's just…I was seeing Maxine, okay?"

Joyce pause, then smiles lightly. "Ah, I can understand a little better now. Would this happen to be about the question you asked us yesterday? Did you and Maxine make up?"

"Yeah." Chloe grins. "It was awesome. Did you know she can play the piano? A lot of songs too. I love her playing of Amazing Grace so much."

"My goodness, that little one is talented, ain't she?"

The grin disappears from her face. "Yeah, she is…but she works really hard for it. She's so busy and she does so much. I think it's a miracle I've even seen her twice to begin." Chloe thinks a moment. "No, not a miracle. After all, I went twelve years without seeing her."

"Why think about that, Chloe? All that matters it that you found each other now."

"Yeah, you're right. It's just that I was hoping we could spend some more time together, but that won't be possible if she ends up being busy all the time." Chloe bites her lips. "She has something to do every day of the week. She practices piano for hours. Even on holiday breaks, her mom plan things to keep her busy the entire break."

Joyce frowns. "I think Vanessa is a fine woman, but I don't understand why she's so strict on little Maxine. This ridiculous diet she has her on and now this schedule? It's fine to ensure your child is keeping up, but isn't this a bit much?"

Chloe nods. "I think so. I want to see her so much more, mom, but I'm scared that I'll end up being a bother to her." A sigh escapes her lips. "You know, I think I'm really beginning to like her."

"Beginning to? Good Lord, Chloe, the things I've been seeing you do for this girl. If you do all of that and you're only beginning to like her, what will you do when you actually really like her?"

"Marry her, I think."

Joyce raises an eyebrow. "Well, I'm sure you two will have a very happy marriage. For now, though, would you mind helping me make dinner?"

She nods and follows behind Joyce into the kitchen where they begin to prepare dinner. Despite the fact that her mother works at a diner and is an exceptional cook, Chloe does not have the skill for it. Joyce never really taught her how to cook having never had time and Chloe having never shown interest.

Fortunately, she is not completely incompetent. As an assistant, she is capable at bringing the correct tools and ingredients when asked and she could perform the more physical labors like washing dishes, cleaning the kitchen, and wrapping a plate for William.

Originally, Chloe had figured she would have had to make a simple dish and eat herself before going to bed. As her mother arrived home early – explaining that she had to close early due to a situation involving unruly patrons – she instead gets to eat with her mother before both turn in to bed.

She had expected dinner to be awkwardly silent, but once small talk started, it slowly got very lively. Mainly because they had so much to update each other on. Joyce is hardly even aware of what classes Chloe is in and, though she frequently threatens and stresses its importance, she doesn't know what kind of grades she gets.

So Chloe tells her and she, in turn, inform Chloe of how things are faring at the diner. Much of this involves meeting interesting strangers or visits from the eccentric owner of the diner who mostly spends his visit puttering about in the kitchen for maybe an hour or two before leaving.

The small talk fortunately makes it to the end of dinner when they both clean up and bid each other good night. In her room, Chloe thinks of the day and wonders when would be the next time she could see Maxine.

Curiously, she also compares Joyce to Vanessa and wonders what it would be like if they were switched. Would she become like Maxine? Playing the piano all day while wishing she could read comics instead? Would Maxine become like her? Would the two of them still have found each other?

She wonders if Vanessa is a warm mother. The scene of her coming home and hugging her daughter replays in her mind, but, simultaneously, she wonders if Maxine might secretly resent her mother for forcing her to do things she doesn't want to do. Would she be happier with a mother that bakes cookies and brownies?

Briefly, she imagines Vanessa in a 'Two Whales' apron making a batch of cookies and the thought makes her giggle. As much as the idea of Joyce crossly reminding her that it's time for her to do calisthenics.

As she falls asleep, she falls asleep to the phantom melody of Amazing Grace.