Chapter 05
A woman, Vanessa Caulfield, once impressed onto Chloe that wanting something requires that one works at it.
She mulled and thought over the words for a long time. She never really had to work for something. Good grades? She found school easy. Chores? The little she had to do weren't that difficult.
However, the more she put thought into it, the more true it seem. Once she does believe, she decides that she has to work much harder for what she wants too.
Now Vanessa had spoke in the context of academic excellence and achieving success, but Chloe didn't really want that. She wanted Vanessa's daughter. Only thing is that she gets the feeling that what she wants makes what Vanessa wants harder as they both want to monopolize Maxine's time.
However, she figures it's fair game, right? If one has to work at what one wants, then Vanessa simply has to work harder to get what she wants.
For Chloe, the process happened almost naturally. She started by calling Maxine more frequently. Phone conversations can be difficult, though, and neither one of them really knew how to keep it up. However, they were willing to learn together.
Maxine had the fantastic idea to read the manga Chloe gifted her over the phone so that they both enjoy it. Chloe returns the favor by reading other manga in her collection. This eventually evolved into them doing other things; mostly things Maxine isn't allowed to do at home.
She isn't allowed to watch TV? Chloe loudly plays a TV show and narrates events to her over the phone. She wants to read a comic? Chloe reads it to her.
That was perhaps the more surprising part of this. As much effort as Chloe put in to be together, she would never demand that the other girl try as hard knowing how busy she can be. That didn't stop Maxine from giving as much she gets, though.
One day, Maxine gives Chloe a huge surprise when she calls her and asks her to open her front door. She runs downstairs three steps at a time and throws the door open and there was the brunette smiling. As it turns out, she got the idea to walk to Chloe's house after school after Chloe did the same thing several times.
They spend a few hours watching the TV show Chloe narrated to Maxine. Eventually, the other girl receives a phone call and, shortly after, a crossed looking Vanessa appears at Chloe's house. Maxine sheepishly apologizes to her mother for going somewhere without informing her before Vanessa brusquely told her to come along.
Shyly, Maxine pecks Chloe good-bye before leaving with her mother. In a moment of spontaneity, Chloe stops her to return the peck.
Afterwards that little incident, Vanessa got involved more often implementing rules meant to limit such activities. Phone calls had a time limit and surprise visits had to become informed visits – informing both the Caulfields and Prices.
Gifts also become more of a thing. From a perspective, gifts have always been a part of their relationship. After all, their first gift to each other was friendship. However, physical gifts are important too. During one of her visits to Chloe's house, Maxine gives her a bottle of French perfume.
It is a curious thing. It comes in a small clear bottle which Maxine calls a 'crystal decanter' and it has a round top. The perfume inside is a light blue liquid that seem to sparkle. She opens it and sniffs before dabbing a tiny amount on her hair, face, arms, and chest.
This makes Maxine giggles saying that Chloe didn't do it right. She dabs a bit of the perfume on her index and middle finger, then slowly made circles on Chloe's wrist, her elbows, behind her ears, at the crook of her neck, and then below her chin. She explains that applying it at 'pulse points' retains and directs the smell better.
Chloe didn't really understand it, but she continues using the method. In return for the gift, she takes several selfies of her and Maxine together, then later got it printed out to present to her. In a future visit, she notices that Maxine's backpack, once barren, is now housing some of the selfies she gave her.
So they call each other, visit, and give gifts. These were enough at first, but it couldn't last. As time passes and Spring nears its median, Chloe begin slipping in the suggestion that they have a sleepover.
At first, the brunette was hesitant as she was never away from home for an extended period but Chloe was persistent. She showed Maxine the many things she has that can keep them both entertained and proselytize about all the things they can do together. It took some time, but she slowly came around.
So when a time came that they had a three day weekend for teachers' in-service day coming up, they had to convince the Caulfields. Chloe's parents didn't need any convincing.
After another of Maxine's visit, Vanessa was unavailable so her father, Ryan, came to pick up his daughter. In a daring move, Chloe approached Ryan to ask if Maxine could have a sleepover.
Pausing contemplatively, Ryan mutters, "A sleepover. Huh, Maxine never had one before."
"Me neither! I was thinking we could have our first time together because she's my best friend. There is a teachers' in-service coming soon for both our schools and we're both free for three days. How about then? It'll only be three days."
"Well, I don't see a problem in it." He responds cautiously. "I'll talk it over with Maxine's mother and, if she approves, we'll bring her over, alright?"
Chloe nods enthusiastically hoping that Vanessa would say 'yes' and, after an agonizing wait of several hours in which she continuously glances at her phone, Maxine calls her yelling excitedly that her mom approved.
The week before her three day off was one of the longest in Chloe's memory, but it does arrive.
The first day of their stay together begins with Maxine arriving with a large supply of 'necessities'. Her parents actually packed a luggage bag of materials they believed she needed, including a sleeping bag, pillow and blanket, toothbrush, clothes, and toothpaste. Included in the luggage were even bottles of pills designated as multivitamin, diet, and one was meant to help 'focus/intellect'. The only item that was Maxine's was her stuffed panda.
They placed her luggage in the corner of Chloe's room, Panda Bear on Chloe's bed, then the rest of the day is dedicated to the introduction of Chloe's life outside the Price household.
Intending for them to eat first, she brings the both of them to The Two Whales. That day, Joyce couldn't stay home long enough to see Maxine arrive so she was happy to see her daughter come in with her friend and she offers them lavish helpings of hot cakes submerged in blueberries and syrup.
Rather than eating from their own plates, they share and both end up eating from Chloe's plate then moving on to Maxine's.
Both devoured until Chloe feels like she's about to explode and Maxine looks bleary eyed and sick. Even then, as they were about to leave, Joyce packs them a large box of cookies and brownies giving both girls a hug before they depart.
They walked through town passing Chloe's school, parks, and other pieces of Arcadia Bay which Maxine was unfamiliar with despite living here all her life. It appears she had spent most of her life in the area around her house.
"Maxine, what…was it that brought you to the Two Whales diner that day? My birthday."
Taking a moment, Maxine responds, "I think my mom and dad were fighting about something – something about our house, I think. They said they were too stressed to cook, so we decided to go somewhere to eat. I thought we would go to their favorite restaurant, but they wanted something quick and close. My dad saw your mom's restaurant and decided to go in."
The explanation reminded Chloe of their meeting at the giant mall in the city. It seems their initial encounter could have been so easily missed and everything was against it. To think, the girl she's growing to love could have remained unknown by the slightest twist of luck.
"Maxine, ever climbed a tree?" She shakes her head no. "Want to? C'mon, I'll show you!"
They walk over to a nearby tree that had plenty of sturdy looking branches. Chloe tests the lowest one briefly, then lifts herself up onto it demonstrating to Maxine that it was easy and safe.
Climbing back down, she declares, "Okay, it's your turn. You're shorter than me, so I'll help you up."
She bends down cupping her hands together. Maxine puts one foot onto her hands and, with a little effort, she pushes the brunette upwards. Things were going smoothly until Maxine slips and falls. Chloe reacted quickly slamming her body against Maxine's placing one hand against her back and the other under her butt. The method works and the other girl is held against the tree safely not moving.
"Sorry." Maxine says sadly.
"It's alright. So long as you're not hurt. Try grabbing the branch again."
She does as instructed and, with Chloe still holding and pushing her up from underneath, she successfully climb onto the first branch. Afterwards, Chloe lifts herself upwards to sit beside her. Putting an arm around her waist, Chloe leans in.
"Are you alright? You're not hurt, are you?"
"No." She smiles. "I'm fine."
"Good. Want to climb higher?"
Maxine looks up a little unsure, but nods. "Yes, lets try it. Let me do the next one by myself."
She stands on the branch unsteadily preparing to climb up. Despite her insistence on doing it by self, Chloe's hand sneaks out and touches the small of Maxine's back prepare to help her again. She resists the urge to push her only until Maxine is half-way up at which point she moves to help push her up.
This continues until they reach the highest point they were willing to go, which was only a few branches from the top. There, Maxine holds onto Chloe's arm and stares down wide eyed at the height, then at her surroundings.
That tree – as with most others – has long regained its leaves and health with the passing months, so much of the view is blocked by foliage, but the few open spots are enough to gain Maxine's attention. However, what really catches her eyes is when she sees a bird's nest.
Being the adventurous and helpful friend she is, Chloe immediately suggest that they go get it. The problem is merely that the nest was almost near the top and at the further end of the branch.
As Maxine is the smaller of the two of them, it is decided she would be the one to go for the nest while Chloe would hold onto the end of her leg for safety. It was a slow process wherein Maxine cautiously climbed to the right branch then slowly crawls towards the nest as Chloe watches carefully the entire time. Once she had the nest in her hand, Chloe eagerly pulls her back.
The nest is empty but Maxine is so thrilled with it that they decide to keep it as a souvenir. On a whim, Chloe pulls her smartphone out, leans against Maxine's face asking her to hold up the nest, then snaps a shot of the two of them. Showing her friend the photo afterwards, she watches Maxine's eyes gleam excitedly.
"The picture is so pretty. I wish I had a cell phone like yours."
This brings to mind something that has been bothering Chloe for a long time.
"Maxine, your phone is…it seems kind of outdated. Is there a reason you have it instead of a phone like mine?"
"My mom says phones should be for emergencies only, especially when owned by children. She has the same phone as me. She also says she doesn't want me to be distracted by playing on my phone."
"But smartphones are so useful! They're not just for slacking off, they're a serious help."
"Really?"
"Yeah. You can use them to do homework, practice the piano, or use the GPS for your mom to track you in case you get lost. It's extremely useful. Definitely ask your parents to get you one."
Maxine nods. "Yeah. I'm going to ask them when I get home."
As it was getting dark, they decide to head back to Chloe's house. There, they unpacked the box of snacks Joyce baked for them and ate it reading more comics until Maxine yawns asking if she could head to bed early. Being a good host, Chloe, of course, says yes then promptly joins Maxine in getting cleaned up before retiring to sleep.
Then they climbed in Chloe's bed together using her blankets and pillows rendering the materials the Caulfields packed for their daughter useless.
In bed, the two of them lie still not able to sleep easily as they weren't used to sleeping beside another person. This is added to the fact that Chloe's normally bedtime is actually much later.
"Chloe, I can't sleep."
"Me neither. I guess we can talk until we do."
"What about?"
"Erm, how about school? How's yours?"
"I don't know. It's okay, I guess. Nothing really happens there and I get bored easily." Maxine makes a noise. "Wait, it's not all boring. I really like my English class. We read fun books."
Chloe frowns. "I don't like my English class."
"Really? Why?"
"Well, it's because of the teacher. She's…she's such a bitch to everyone." Chloe pauses a moment to see if Maxine minded her cussing. "She likes to make everyone afraid of her and, one time, she embarrassed me in front of the whole class."
"She sounds terrible. Is she always like that?"
"I've never seen her any different." She stops remembering a strange incident. "Well, actually, something weird did happen recently. We just started English again, right? And everyone was waiting for her to come in. When she did, though, we saw she had been crying. Her eyes were red and everything."
"Why?"
"I dunno. She got class started again and looked normal again, so that was that. Before it, I couldn't imagine her…having emotions and stuff. I always thought she was made of something hard inside and nothing could make her feel bad enough to cry. Whatever it is that made her cry must have been really bad. I would really hate to see it."
Maxine makes a noise. "Maybe it wouldn't be so bad for you. I think…the worst things are personal. There are things that make us all cry like Bambi dying or something."
"Bambi's mom." Chloe corrects.
"Right, the mom. However, it would be far, far worse if it's something that happens to us specifically, right? Like our grandma dying. My grandma dying might make someone else sad, but it wouldn't make them sad like me. They might not even cry like I would."
Here, she suddenly yawns. "I'm getting sleepy."
Chloe only felt it a little. The reason being that Maxine appears to have a bedtime several hours earlier than her. Noticing her friend's problem, Maxine looks over in concern.
"Is something wrong, Chloe?"
"I'm just having a hard time getting to sleep." She says not commenting on the time.
Maxine makes a tired noise. "Here, I know how to make you sleepy."
A hand is placed on top of Chloe's head stroking her hair. Chloe is initially confused at the contact, but doesn't resist. She looks over at Maxine.
"My dad does this to me sometimes and it always made me sleepy." She explains.
Unfortunately, Maxine ends up drifting to sleep before Chloe did leaving her hand on top of her head. Giggling a little to herself, Chloe closes her eyes slowly losing herself to dreams too.
The sleepover ended without fuss or fireworks and everyone was happy. Later on, though, Chloe hears that the bird's nest they took as a souvenir makes its way into Maxine's room much to the distress of Vanessa who calls it filth.
Time marches on and Maxine comes to increasingly dominate her thoughts and her influence has come into nearly all aspect of Chloe's life.
Daydreams of aimless trips around Arcadia become daydreams of journeys alongside a familiar brunette, doodles of various objects of unimportance turned into artworks of pandas, and even the things such as how she dress for school became a thing that involved Maxine's opinion. Notably, she has grown very fond of the color blue.
There were still parts of Chloe's life which has not taken in the other girl, however. In particular, the thought of learning to apply make-up still remained in the back of her mind, though she never had a chance to start. That was to change.
On an uneventful day, she decides a trip to Hillside Home is in order after having not gone for a while. While heading there, she happens to look through the window of a store she passes everyday and stops as if seeing it for the first time.
The store is a simple mom and pop place selling a variety of locally sourced food, clothing, and other knick knacks. They don't have much variety and the varieties they do have are not well stocked, but they do have their loyal customer base.
Chloe wasn't one of their loyal customers, but something inside got her attention. She walks in going up to the aisle displaying a simple makeup box.
The cosmetics section was never something the store owner wanted, but his wife insisted it be added as she says it would appeal to women. He fought against it at first, but ultimately gave in and ended up having to eat crow when it turns out the section is, indeed, popular.
It never had anything fancy or particularly great, but its appeal lies in the same thing that attracted Chloe. The store is close and held something that interested her.
She grabs the makeup box, then goes to the counter where the store owner scowls at her. He's a crotchety old man anyway, but she gets the idea his real distaste is that he's the type that thinks she's too young to be using make-up. That it'd turn her into a 'jezebel' – a word she learned old men likes to use to refer to women who attracts men too easily.
Considering this is the first and likely last time she'll ever come to this shop, she doesn't care.
"That'll $16.24, young miss."
She silently hands him a $20 then leaves with a muttered 'thank you' upon getting her change. Stuffing the items into her backpack, she turns towards the direction of her home figuring the visit to Hillside Home could wait.
Once inside her house, she quickly runs upstairs, throws her backpack on the floor, then gets out the makeup box.
Sitting on the floor, she stares at it. The box is small enough that she could fit it in her hands so long as she cups both her hands together. It is an obnoxious bright pink color – presumably to indicate it is a feminine product – with glittery text on the top saying 'Her Make-Up Kit'.
Unsnapping the box, she opens it to see that it expands upwards into two compartments with the top one showing a dizzying array of colors and the colors were separated by two vertical grooves possibly meaning that the three sides were meant for different things. They're all just colors, though, aren't they?
The bottom compartment houses a series of…tools? Products? There is a tube of red lipstick and red lip gloss beside each other. After that, there's skin concealer, a blush brush, eyeshadow brush, and eyeliner pencil. Lastly, the box helpfully contains a mirror attached to the top cover, though she intends to use her much larger bathroom mirror instead.
Chloe lets out an unhappy squeak when she realizes that whoever designed this kit didn't deem it necessary to include instructions on what to do. That is unfortunate because she is in desperate need of instructions.
To start, what is the difference between eyeshadow and eyeliner? Also, why are there so many brushes? Does that mean they're not interchangeable? What is the concealer used for? More importantly, what exactly are all the colors on the top compartment and why are they separated into three areas?
She leans back thinking this over. She had picked up this makeup box mainly on a whim born from curiosity that's been boiling inside of her ever since she spotted her neighbor Polly and decided she needed makeup.
This thought also reminds her of why she wanted to do this: to get a boyfriend. Something the other girls seem to have and it seems like she should have too. In actuality, she hadn't thought of it in months, but it seems to come back to her.
However, it was really the thought of being beautiful that drew her attraction. She wants to that others find her appearance appealing. She would especially like to surprise Maxine with a new face once she learns how to do it right.
Sighing, she decides the only way to learn will be to try it. So she picks up the lip stick and lip gloss, and decides to have a go at it. Two hours later, she runs the bathroom and stares at herself. It isn't quite the look she wanted.
Her eyes had dark eyeshadow circling it and her lips are now a deep red. So basically, she looks like a panda with lipstick on. She scowls a bit feeling disappointed. She runs to get her phone and snaps a selfie of herself before returning to the bathroom to take a quick shower.
Later, she none too gently closes the makeup box figuring she'll try it again later.
As it turns out, she wouldn't try it again anytime soon. After that day, she had taken to leaving her makeup box in corner always reminding herself that she'll give it a second try some other time, but that time never comes up.
Perhaps if the test had gone easier, she might have given it another chance. As it is, the only positive thing to come out of it was that she showed the selfie to Maxine who giggles uncontrollably at the photo saying she looks like her stuffed bear. Some time later, Chloe visits Maxine's house again and happens to notice that Maxine painted her stuffed bear's lips red.
So she put the makeup on backburner intending to get to it at some undetermined point which, secretly, she was beginning to see as 'never'. However, it turns out she'll have some help.
On one of the day Maxine was coming over to stay for a while, she had downloaded a piano app on her phone and been practicing some songs. She intended to play some for Maxine as a sort of fun, mock piano performance. Of course, all she really practiced was Twinkle Twinkle Little Star…but she's very confident in her ability.
When the doorbell finally rings, she rushes forward and opens smiling widely. Of course, there stands Vanessa and Maxine, but they came with more than she expected. There is Maxine's familiar backpack, blue puffy coat, and stuffed panda, but she was also carrying some kind of…lunch bag? It was large enough that she had to use its strap on her shoulders instead of carrying it by hand.
"Hey, Maxine." She wraps her arms around her. "I'm happy you're finally here."
"Me too." Maxine replies then whispers. "I brought a surprise."
Chloe's eyes brighten at the possibilities and she pulls Maxine inside her home. There, the two of them stare back at Vanessa who was looking around the house before turning to them.
"Ahem." She clears her throat. "I will be back a little later than usual today. Will your parents mind, Chloe?"
"Oh no, not at all! Please take your time!"
Vanessa nods, then looks at Maxine. "Do you remember the rules, Maxine?"
"Yes, mom." Maxine nods. "Nothing dangerous, only two snacks, and I'm to call you or dad if anything goes wrong."
"Good. Good bye, Chloe."
"Good bye, Mrs. Caulfield."
Without even waiting for her to leave the driveway, Chloe shuts the door then turns excitedly to Maxine who now looks excited too.
"C'mon, I'll show you what I brought in your room!"
Maxine runs ahead upstairs and Chloe quickly follows behinds running two steps at a time. Once inside the room, Maxine sets down her backpack and stuffed panda then shrugs off her puffy coat. She keeps the lunch bag and walks over to place it on Chloe's bed.
"This is it."
"What is it? You didn't bring lunch, did you? I have food already."
"This isn't lunch." She laughs. She opens the bag and Chloe's eyes widen to see an entire set of makeup. "After you showed me that photo, I asked my mom if I could bring the makeup she bought me. I wanted to help you put on makeup."
After a pause, a brilliant smile lights up on Chloe's face. "You know how to put on makeup? And you'll help me?"
Maxine blushes. "I don't really know that much, but I have experience since my mom helps me with it. I'll try to help you too."
"Awesome! Lets do it! Where do we start? What do I do? Wait, let me get my makeup box."
Chloe runs to get the makeup box she bought as Maxine opens her own. Placed beside each other, Maxine's own kit is far more extensive with more tools and supplies. Eager, she sits down in front of Maxine prepared to take whatever is given.
Maxine looks up and examines her face. She blushes at the attention but doesn't look away. Turning to pull out a jar, Maxine opens it and takes out some sort of grooved pad. She turns back to Chloe.
"First, we have to cleanse your face. I'm going to use a skin toner pad to wipe your face, okay?"
She nods and Maxine then lightly holds the side of her face with one hand while wiping the other side with the pad. When satisfied, she switches sides and continues until she nods and puts down the used pad next to the jar. Then she hesitates.
"My mom says it is right to use foundation after cleansing my skin, but I'm supposed to use the right color to match the skin. I only know foundation for my skin color."
Chloe furrows her eyebrows. "Aren't we the same skin color?"
"I think you might be a little darker." She says. "Hold on. My mom told me to do this to find out."
Maxine dabs a small bit of her foundation on Chloe's chin, then she takes out a mini flashlight and shines it onto the area. She looks closely for a moment, then shakes her head.
"I can see it. That means it's not exactly the right color. It's supposed to match your skin." She looks at her bag again. "Lets use concealer instead."
At this point, Chloe realized just how supremely out of her depths she was when she attempted to do this on her own. Cleansing? Foundation? Using a flashlight to inspect whether it matches her skin? Are all of these things required?
When she did it, the concealer confused her as to its purpose and she isn't even sure if there is 'foundation' in her makeup box or not. Is even putting on lipstick a lot more complex than she did it? It's a miracle she didn't turn herself into a troll.
She smiles up at Maxine staring into her eyes and feeling the touch on her hands on her face. Truthfully, she finds that she's kind of glad she didn't know this stuff.
Maxine dips a brush into a carefully selected color palette then brush a bit in parts of Chloe's face and around her eyes. She then takes out a different brush and brushes at the same area she put the concealer on keeping focus on her face. Chloe watches Maxine's blue eyes flit from area to area silently doing her magic.
"Now I'll have to set all the stuff on your face." Maxine says taking out a large, puffy brush. "Close your eyes."
She does as told and feels the puffy brush all over her face. When the feeling stopped and she hears Maxine messing with her bag, she testingly opens one eye then the other. She glances at the mirror in her makeup box and…she likes it. It's subtle but she does notice a difference.
Her skin is lighter and her facial features have a more 'upbeat' look to it. Once the other stuff is added – whatever they are – the look might be complete and she might resemble more like Polly or her mom. She chuckles internally at the thought of her being a mini version of Joyce.
"The next step is eyeshadow. You'll like this one, Chloe. My mom always says to use a subtle color, but I've seen other girls use all sorts of different colors. We can use the colors from your box too. Which one would you like?"
Chloe looks excitedly at the color palette Maxine pointed to, but she couldn't choose. All the colors look neat. She hums and haws staring at each one at points almost deciding on it before second guessing the choice. Then she gets an idea.
"Maxine, which color is your favorite?"
She blinks. "My favorite color? Oh, I like green."
"Then lets do that one."
Taking a brush from Chloe's box, she dips it in the green palette then applies it to Chloe's eyes. Afterwards, she had Chloe choose a blush – they ended up choosing a pinkish red together deciding it looks best on her – then brush it on her cheeks.
As last, they came to something Chloe thinks she knows.
"We have to put on your lipstick now."
"I want red for this."
She could have done this herself but Maxine took the initiative to apply it for her too…and she did it a very different way. She applies the lipstick to only two spots on the top and bottom lip, then she used her fingers to spread the lipstick. Once done, she leans back for a lecture.
"If you accidentally get lipstick on your teeth, what you do is pop a finger into your mouth, wrap your lips around it, and then pull it out. Like this."
She demonstrates and Chloe watches nodding. She looks at herself in the mirror making sure to check every curve and an especially close look at her eyes and lips. It's amazing just how much of a difference to her appearance the eyeshadow, blush, and lipstick alone make.
Smiling at her reflection, she likes the look she now has more and more with each second. She jumps up and does a bit of twirl looking at Maxine to see how she reacts. The other girl laughs and claps her hands.
"You look pretty!" Chloe blushes at the compliment. "You look really different!"
Chloe touches her faces happily feeling more and more elated each second slowly beginning to understand why Polly did this. When she turns to Maxine again and stares into her face, she gets her own idea. Sitting down in front of her, Chloe clasps her hand.
"Let me do you too?"
"You want to put makeup on me? Alright." Maxine sits down waiting. "Do me."
The entire process is repeated as Chloe tries to follow the steps Maxine taught her. It takes her a moment to start, but then she remembers that she must start by cleansing the face. Taking a skin toner pad, she proceeds by wiping Maxine's face as she sits compliantly waiting.
It took some prodding, reminding, and coaching from Maxine here and there, but Chloe goes through the process relatively well reinforcing the things she was taught. When it came time to apply the lipstick, Maxine chose a light pink.
She puckers her lips and leans forward as she closes her eyes. Chloe carefully dabs lipstick on her lips and spreads it as she remembers starting with the bottom. The brunette opens her lips slightly to allow Chloe easier spreading. Chloe hums appreciatively and slowly traces her finger along to ensure the lipstick is applied evenly.
Afterwards, she smiles. Noticing the pause, Maxine opens her eyes and checks herself in the mirror. "That's good. Now do my upper lip."
The second time goes easier, though no more quickly than the previous. When the process was over, she mutters a 'done'. Maxine checks herself in the mirror again smiling. She gets up and does her own twirl imitating Chloe who smiles and compliments Maxine.
Sitting down in front of her, Maxine looks at her curiously. "Say, why now?"
"Hm?"
"Why are you suddenly interested in makeup? You didn't mention anything about it before and I didn't notice any makeup in your room the last time I came here. Why are you interested now?"
Chloe thinks it over. "I think I should get a boyfriend."
"Really? Is there someone you like?"
"No, not really." She shakes her head. "It's just…all the other girls have one and it feels like I should too." She sighs then glances over. "Do you have anyone you're interested in?"
Maxine shakes her head. "No. My mom told me I would have a boyfriend one day and she says that's why it's important to learn makeup now in order to get the right one. She says I need it to find the right one."
"The right one?" Chloe hesitates but badly wanted to know the answer. "How do you know which one is the right one?"
"She says he's the smartest one. He has the best clothes and he looks good. She says all the girls want him, so I have to try hard to get him before they can. She told me that any girl can get a boyfriend, but to get a good one requires hard work."
This just confuses her more. 'Smartest'? 'Best Clothes'? 'Looks good'? None of these things describe a lot of 'boyfriends' she has seen. In fact, these words don't describe a lot of the boys in general. Most of them look normal, not like they have the best of anything.
Does that mean those girls didn't get the 'right one'? If not, why not? And how can she?
"I'm so confused." Chloe mutters.
"It confused me too." Maxine says. "But my mom says it's important to know. She says there are so many things you have to know, to do in order to get ahead in life. I have to know the piano to be smart. I have to study to get a good job. I have to wear makeup to be pretty."
After a moment of silence, Chloe whispers, "But I think you're pretty already."
Maxine looks at her and gives a small, sad smile. "I knew you'd say that."
"Well…it's because I do think it."
"Yeah, but you're my friend, Chloe. It's not the same. We're supposed to tell each other that we're pretty."
"Would it mean more if we weren't friends?"
That gives Maxine pause and confusion comes over her face. She swallows. "It's weird. I don't think it does. Knowing what you think means a lot to me, Chloe, but I'm doing everything now for a bunch of people I don't know."
"I'm studying to impress some guy I don't know so he'll give me a job. I'm losing weight to get a boyfriend I've never seen. My dad wants me to start taking French lessons to be cultured and impress my business 'clients', which I don't have."
It took a long time, but finally, Chloe responded. "You're right, Maxine. I'm doing the same thing right now too. For what it's worth, though, I think all this work was worth it because I had a lot of fun with you today and I was…really happy when you called me pretty."
Maxine pauses, then coughs. "It's no big deal."
"It is to me." Chloe says haltingly. "I'm…so happy to have met you, Maxine. We've only known each other for a short time, but you've become the best thing to happen to me."
Maxine regards her steadily. "I'm happy to have met you too, Chloe. You bring light into my life."
They fell into silence gazing into each other's eyes. Picking up a comic book, Chloe holds it up questioningly. She nods in return and they lie down beside each other. Chloe leans up close against Maxine and opens the comic book to begin reading.
It was largely a quiet time as they read through the book. Chloe didn't really care much for the story, though she does like their closeness as they enjoy the comic. Eventually, Chloe's father arrived home and he calls for them prompting them to get up.
Disappointed, Chloe licks her lips, "My dad's home. That means your mom is not too far behind."
Maxine clasps her hand and smile. "Don't worry. I'll come back. Now lets go down."
Downstairs, William is excitedly preparing waffles. When he hears the footstep of the two girls approaching from behind him, he automatically puts on a big smile to announce the upcoming waffles. His smile drops when he turns around.
"Oh…well…" He takes a moment to gather himself. "I see you two girls have been trying on makeup. My, eyeshadow and lipstick and everything. The whole works."
Chloe giggles. "Maxine helped me with mine."
"Oh." William clears his throat. "Any reason why?"
"I'm looking for a boyfriend."
A very long pause. "Uh, not that I don't think that's good and all, but aren't you a little young for that? Both of you. And you girls don't need all this makeup for something like that."
"Don't be ridiculous, dad. We're pretty."
William quickly assures them using his cartoon voice. "Oh yes, very pretty. The belles of the ball. The cutest girls in the world. Chloe with her luxurious wild hair and Maxine with her adorable babyfat cheeky weeky face. You're both-"
"Maxine doesn't have babyfat!" Chloe interrupts vehemently surprising William. "She's thin and pretty and she's been keeping her diet!"
"O-oh right, I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry!" William stutters a bit. "Um, uh…waffles…in fifteen?"
Nodding, Chloe pulls Maxine along to the couch as her father watches them go. Afterwards, he feels old. He also gets the feeling this scene will be repeated when Joyce gets home.
The two girls watches TV together alternating between laughing at what they see on TV and whatever Chloe pulls up on her phone. Their laughing is interrupted only when William arrives – slow and cautious – with one plate of blueberry waffles, one plate of strawberry waffles, and a bottle of syrup.
Maxine takes the blueberry waffles plain while Chloe pour plenty of syrup on her strawberry one. Not that it matters as they ended up feeding each other their own waffles.
When Vanessa called to say she was near, Chloe quickly jumps into action pulling Maxine upstairs with her to the bathroom. There, they wiped off any traces of syrup off their face to prevent Vanessa from knowing Maxine had been gorging on waffles. Because their makeup then smudged badly, they decide to wipe it all off too.
Grabbing her stuff, they run downstairs to wait out front until the familiar car pulls up. Chloe was about to mutter a good-bye when Maxine leans up and kisses her cheek eliciting a surprise blush. At last, the two separates staring at each other even as Vanessa pulls away.
Walking back inside the house and leaning against the door, Chloe heaves a sigh wondering when seeing her friend leave will become easy.
The memory of their using makeup together would remain strongly with Chloe the longest time and she continues to apply makeup (only to take it off immediately afterwards) at least every other day in order to keep what she learned fresh.
At the time, she had thought that it would be the highlight of the month for them, but, only a week after that day, Maxine comes again. When she came inside, she puts her hands behind her back and juggles something out of view.
Chloe tries to cajole what it is out of her and playfully reaches around her, but Maxine insistently avoids her saying she can only see it upstairs with her eyes closed.
So she gives in and they go up to her room. There, she closes her eyes. Curiously, Maxine then physically maneuvers her body – while reminding her to keep her eyes closed – then asks her to make a kind of face. When she does so, a moment of silence passes before she hears the sound of a shutter.
She couldn't resist anymore and opens her eyes. That's when she sees Maxine standing there with a new smartphone. She jumps up excitedly and rushes over.
"You finally got a smartphone!"
"Yep. I had to beg for a few days, but they finally said yes. My mom said she'll watch me closely to ensure I don't get distracted too much, though."
Chloe looks down at the photo Max had taken of her. "Hey, let me show you a few tricks."
It seems like Maxine learned to utilize the camera pretty well on the phone, but she was ignorant of some of its finer aspects. Aspects such as sending the photos she takes through text messaging – to Chloe, of course – and video calling.
Maxine had convinced her parents to get her a smartphone on the strength of their utility towards her education and time. It does end up aiding her greatly in that regard, but, despite Vanessa's best efforts, it also becomes a primary source of entertainment for her, especially as she isn't allowed to have much else in her room.
Thanks to video calling, Chloe is now able to watch TV shows with Maxine instead of just narrating it. The brunette also fell in love with her phone camera taking dozens of photos daily and sending it. They would be on the phone with each other late into the night.
As their time and lives become more intertwined, though, the small changes continue to blossom into something greater and greater. On a visit to Maxine's house one day, Vanessa, as has become usual, arrives and asks to Chloe to prepare to be driven home.
In an unusually bold move, though, Maxine asks her mom to let Chloe stay over saying she wanted another sleepover. Vanessa is immediately opposed to this, but not wanting to do so openly, tries to argue around it. She used every argument she could think of from focusing on studies to Chloe's parents not approving on such short notice to them not having enough room.
The two girls had a counter for every argument, though, and Maxine refused to budge regardless of how firm her mother was. Vanessa was forced to reluctantly consent clarifying that she'll only allow it this once. That one allowance, though, was soon forced to grow when Maxine consistently asks again and again.
So combine with their ever increasing time spent on calls with each other, their time at each other's houses, and their sleepovers, the two becomes inseparable. At that point, it could be surmised that the two already shown each other everything they had to show.
However, there is one last thing Chloe wanted to show the other.