"Gah, no! Chloe, your stance is...it needs...here, hold on. Let me help."
'A couple more things' turned into Chloe begging Max for an impromptu shooting lesson, something the other girl agreed to, but only on the condition that she could find them six bottles for target practice. It struck her as an odd request, but given that she knew the old junkyard like the back of her hand, it was a quick and easy task to complete.
Granted, she was expecting some sort of secret, awesome gun-fu that was going to immediately up her game and turn her into a force to be reckoned with. Instead, what she received was a lot of long and complicated stuff about how she was holding the gun or the way she was standing.
Oh well, I guess TV...and videogames, and movies, and books all make it look too easy!
"Okay, so now, you need to rest the first pad of your middle finger right on the trigger, in the middle. This is gonna sound weird, but you need to squeeze the trigger. Don't just pull it, but squeeze it slowly. And don't jerk or flinch as you do it. Nothing screws the bullet trajectory up more than flinching, right before or at the moment you fire the gun. It took me years of practice to get as good as I am now, and that was the last bit I really mastered."
As Max continued to talk about things like 'trigger discipline' and 'creating the sight picture', how to hold her arms out and blah blah blah, Chloe couldn't help but feel like maybe her friend was getting a little more touchy feely than she'd normally been in the past. It was probably all in her mind, but she could have sworn the other girl let her fingers linger just a bit longer than needed across her own while setting up her grip, or reaching down and pushing on her thigh to guide her into the appropriate stance as she explained...
"So you want to narrow your physical profile. Same reason you do it when you get into a fistfight, makes you harder to hit. Turn a bit, and...you're right handed, yeah? So move this leg back, about a foot, and..."
No, you're just imagining it. I mean, why would she even...of course...that is, you went and made things weird with that kissing dare. God, what was that all about?
Chloe was still trying to figure out the answer to that question. The entire dare was a spur-of- the-moment thing, an impulse that leapt up to her mouth, completely bypassing her brain in the process.
Then she doubled down.
Well, that's just me being me. Seems like I never know when to stop when I'm on a roll with a bad idea.
Still, there was something about seeing Max dressed in Rachel's old clothes, and God knows she loved her ex-semi-girlfriend's sense of style. She certainly wasn't expecting her friend to lean in and actually do the deed. Was she? Chloe just...
Ah God. I freaked! I totally freaked and played it too cool to compensate. And now Max is probably wondering W-T-F. Or...or maybe she doesn't think a damn thing about it? She's guessing it was a weird goof or something. That it was just a stupid dare like...like I said it was...and not...
It was a line of thought that didn't bring Chloe any comfort. She hated the notion that Max might have just been going along with the dare for shits and giggles, that she felt absolutely nothing in their brief little kiss. The thought that Max might have only considered it a dumb joke, one so easily forgotten, tied Chloe's stomach up in knots and threatened to crush the butterflies already fluttering around inside.
But things were definitely 'weird' now, in some deep and unspoken way, since then.
Or is it all just in my head? Mine alone. Gah! This is driving me nuts!
Between the time spent learning some hand-to-hand combat basics and the firearms training, Max was close, intimately so, up in her personal space. She had to be, naturally, in order to convey the lessons properly, but it was distracting the hell out of her.
Oh fuck. Chloe. Chill. This isn't what you think this is. It can't be. Just...focus on this gun shit, okay? You just get whatever else is going up in that brain of yours, and focus on this instead, because fuck knows it might go bad with Frank. Or maybe someone else'll try to pull shit with me. Maybe one of those assholes from the government comes looking for Max, and I'll have to defend myself...or...or her?
"Okay, now glance down the sight, and line it up with the target. Just squeeze the trigger. Don't stop, don't think about it, just do it."
Pausing to aim and take the shot as instructed, Chloe barely registered what she'd done until the sharp sound of shattering glass filled the air. She blinked, then cheered, undeterred by Max nervously reaching over to secure her hand, the one with the gun in it.
"Yeah! That is the shit, right there! Okay, so how many times did you have to rewind and guide me so I could make that shot?"
"None, believe it or not." Max smiled. "You did it on your first try. But you know, beginner's luck is everything." she teased with a playful wink.
There were those knots in her stomach again.
The way Max was looking at her, like she was proud of what she'd just done. It brought a hot rush to her cheeks, a tight ache in her chest. Chloe glanced away in embarrassment.
It isn't what you think it is.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
Well, maybe it is?
She knew the feeling. The electric attraction, the sweet suffering that suffused her body. More than just mere physical lust; beyond and better than that. Above it. She was no stranger to the sensation, remembering just how deeply Rachel affected her, once upon a time.
But this isn't like that! This is Max, my best friend. My bestest friend. The one who stands above everyone else. I mean it's...c'moooon Chloe! Get your head out of your ass. You're still smarting from being super-mega dumped in the worst way by Rachel Am-bitch. Max comes back, and the two of you have these amazing, intense adventures. And now you want it to be more than what it really is.
Wait...
Really? Was that it? Was she just rebounding? Transferring all those lingering thoughts and feelings from Rachel over to Max? Or was it something more?
Because God knows, it felt different this time. Not new...at least, not totally. A lot of it was old, familiar, and comfortable, but now there was a twist. Like a song she'd been blithely singing for years, until she suddenly figured out the actually meaning of the words, having been completely obviously up until now. Afterwards, the tune was still the same, but with an entirely transformed meaning.
"Hey Chloe. Are you with me?" Max asked.
Chloe nodded in quick succession. "Yup. Just - ah - still savoring that victory. Watch me do it again!"
Ah...shit. Whatever it is, you need to let it go, Chloe. Chances are, you're only crushing on her for the wrong reasons, like you're wanting her to be Rachel, in which case, that's hella fucked up. She still needs to figure out who the hell she is. Doesn't need you trying to shape her into something she's not.
But what if there was something there? If Max felt the same sorts of things, right now? Chloe almost let the gun slip out of her grip, as she bit down on her lip. She did her best to exorcise of the effect these lines of thought were having on her.
"To the right, Che."
She blinked, jerked out of her thoughts. "Huh?"
Max gave her a warm grin. "Move your aim to the right. You just missed when you tried the shot...let it pull to the left."
"Oh." She smiled sheepishly, and readjusted her aim, viscerally pleased when the second bottle disintegrated into splinters.
"Yeah! Ha ha! Still swear you're gonna turn me into the Terminator before you go, Mad Max!"
Her friend rolled her eyes with dramatic flourish, "Seriously though? Just keep in mind there's a world of difference between standing in a target practice session, where you have all the time in the world, and a live fire situation where people are trying to kill you. A lot of gun battles are over in less than fifteen to thirty seconds. Same thing with a street fight, when the other guy is out to absolutely fuck you up."
Awwwww. Look how cute she is, the way she's holding her hands behind her back, like she's in instructor mode or something! Bet she doesn't realize how it makes her chest thrust out. Or maybe..maybe she can't keep her hands off me, and this is how she's dealing with...
Chloe winced lightly.
You stop this. Seriously. No matter what's going on, Max...she doesn't need your shit, okay? Your hang ups. Don't even go down this road, Chloe. She's got dangerous assholes on her tail, and the last thing she needs is to be worried about you, or...or...because...okay, what happens if you tell her, "Oh hey Max, I know you're heading out of town, but I think I'm falling for you. Or I don't know! Gah! I mean, does she even like girls? Or boys? Either? Maybe after all that time in detention, she doesn't like anything even remotely sexy or romantic.
All the same, there was an instinctive doubt, chewing away insistently at the back of her mind. Softly screaming that something was there, more than just the simple bonds of friendship.
But Chloe made her mind up, right then and there.
She doesn't need to find out something that's going to make everything crazy, just as she's running away for her life. Just...let her go Chloe. Let her go, and after a week or two, you're gonna see the truth. It was only a brief thing. Intense heat of the moment stuff. But none of it is what you think it is.
She swallowed hard, and decided to mix it up, make things interesting. Something to distract her from her internal agonizing.
"Max! I wanna get creative here. Thinking about a trick shot. Can you make that happen?" She turned, smirking at the exasperated groan her request prompted from the raven-haired girl.
Max rubbed at the bridge of her nose; Chloe paid close attention, watching the subtle 'frame skips' as Max clearly zipped back and forth through potential timelines.
Wow, people would miss that shit if they didn't know what to look for.
In that moment, Chloe did her best to push down the realization that Max was burning off time from her life for her request. For her. Maybe it was just a few minutes here and there, but it all added up in the end, right?
Damn, maybe I shouldn't be encouraging her to show off like this...
Suddenly, Max pointed over towards the left "That old wheel rim on your left. Give that a shot...ha ha, pun intended."
Chloe loosened up her shoulders, tightened her grip, and squeezed the trigger. She expected it to be a complete wiff, but the forty-five degree ricochet they pulled off was far more delightful than the bottle breaking.
"Hella yes!" she called out!
"Nice shootin', Tex." Max drawled out, in a terrible Southern drawl.
Chloe laughed, triumphantly waving the pistol in the air, until a sharp glare from Max shut her carelessness down.
"Okay, how about we get one more trick shot out of your system, Che? And by the way, your basic form isn't bad. When you hit the road, go visit some target ranges and get a few more lessons. But you're off to a solid start!"
"Well, I did have a really ho-...awesome teacher." Chloe replied, trying to smoothly slip past her initial stumble.
Shit, did I start saying hot? Gah! Chloe! Staaahp!
"Okay, so how about we use that old junker for a target, this time?" Max waved a dismissive hand at the ancient, rusting hulk of an old Studebaker; it was precariously perched behind the board where the bottles were arranged.
"Yea-ah! That's what I'm talking about."
Ah man. This is fun! So much fucking...damnit Max! Why do you have to leave? Why can't we just stay together like this, the whole day? Week, month, year...
"Hey, I need a target, oh great teacher." Chloe said.
Again, Max appraised the car, tapping her lips...
...two seconds later, she was suddenly hugging her for dear life.
Chloe completely missed the transition from one moment to the next, grateful that she was holding the pistol away from her friend, and wondering what the hell could have prompted that reaction...
She tried her best to ignore the feel and the weight of her friend's body, pressed close against her own.
"Whoa! Maxima! Are...what happened? What's wrong?"
Max pulled back, blushing furiously, as an agitated, almost fearful expression blossomed over her face. She swallowed hard, fanning herself with a hand, and spoke through gritted teeth. "Don't...don't shoot the bumper! Don't...just...uhhh..." She stabbed a finger in an accusing fashion towards the car. "That left tire. Yeah, that should work."
Chloe glanced sideways, chills running up and down her spine. In that moment, she wanted to put down the gun, wrap her arms around her best friend, and tell her that everything was going to be okay. They could stop doing this, and she was sorry, for whatever the hell just happened.
Fuck...what did you see, Max? Did I get hurt, somehow? Shoot myself, or maybe the car fell on me? Geezus, I...I don't think I want to know.
The memory of watching the Other Chloe, the one paralyzed from the neck down, flashed into the forefront of her mind.
I definitely don't want to know...holy shit! Geezus, the things you must see, Max. The things you have to take back, and then pretend never happened, because they kind of didn't...except for you.
Her self-control nearly broke at the thought. Resisting the urge to give Max another hug, she instead focused on performing the shot as instructed: checked her stance, held out her arms, but didn't lock them, took a calm breath, squeezed the trigger...
...the bullet bit deep into the old tire, deflating it.
"Aidios, spinning wheel of death!" Chloe called out in triumph.
The shift in load was enough to cause the old car to roll forward, smashing into the rest of the bottles, before landing on the ground with a loud thud. Momentum carried it further along, until it flipped over, prompting the pair of them to back away.
"Ubercool!" Chloe exclaimed, and on instinct, she and Max smacked hands together, following it up with a fist bump.
Hah. Just like we used to do when we were kids. Like no time passed at all.
She carefully held out the gun. "Here, you wanna take a few shots?"
She immediately regretted saying it, realizing how lame her question sounded.
Like you weren't doing this shit morning, noon and night, Max. Damn!
She bowed her head. "Never mind."
Max slowly placed fingers over her own, closing them around the pistol. "It's okay. Shooting guns stopped being fun for me a long time ago. But you know what?"
"What?"
She smiled happily. "It was pretty great, watching you. Seeing it through your eyes, living through you. You know, just for a minute?"
Chloe bowed her head, heat rushing through her cheeks at the words. At Max, not taking back her hand, letting it linger.
Then it happened; her mouth jump ahead of her brain again.
"Max, I need to tell you some-"
"Hey, it's Thelma and Louise." a rough voice mockingly intoned. Frank, eternally scruffy in his dirty blue jacket with a popped collar, appeared as if from nowhere. Chloe immediately tensed up, adrenalin rushing through her veins. Then she smirked to herself; Max was here. Chloe had nothing to fear from this asshole. Not today.
"Or is it Bonnie and Clyde?" he asked.
"Excuse us, Frank!" Getting out of the junkyard seemed like a good idea. She'd pay him back soon enough She certainly didn't feel like giving up any more of what dwindling time she had left with Max in order to deal with his shit.
"Oh, sorry Chloe." he sneered. "Don't let me get in the way of your bonding."
She glanced over to the side, and caught sight of Max: she was unafraid, almost placidly so. She had a tiny smile on her lips, like someone who was totally in control of the situation.
Oh my God. Look at her. Look at you, Max. You are one bad ass sistah. Probably thinking of twelve ways to take this little prick down with just your pinky. Or maybe you'll smash your head against his. Or hell, you'll just fucking make him back off with sheer bravado!
"I heard the gunshots and the breaking glass. It's cute that you're playing with guns. Just like me at your age." He waved his hands in her general direction, in a mocking gesture of false comradery.
Chloe glared sideways. "We're not anything alike, man."
"We both need money." Frank shot back. "In fact, you need it so bad, you owe me a shitload, don't you Chloe. Huh?"
Chloe's lips curled up almost painfully.
"Yeah? Well guess what, asshole? I got your money. All of it. You want to be paid back? You just name the time and place."
Frank stopped short, clearly not expecting that answer. He shifted from one foot to the other, narrowing his eyes in disbelief. "Oh yeah? Just like that, huh? Bullshit."
"It's not bullshit." Max said. "I helped her get it. So yeah, you'll get what's coming to you."
Frank wasn't amused by Max's double entendre. "Who the fuck are you? And what the hell are you hiding behind your back?"
"Ms. None Yo Fucking Business, that's who." Max snarled back sharply. She then held out the gun. "And this is what I'm carrying. Not that I'd need it, if I had to take you down." She made a show of carefully engaging the safety and putting the gun into a jacket pocket. "But we don't have to turn this into a fight, do we? Like Chloe said, you'll get your money. You just tell her where to drop it off. Then it's over. Simple as that."
Chloe watched Max, acting like she was a shark, or a mamba, or maybe a wolf; some sort of predator able to keep up with the best of them. The way she casually canted her head, and then pulled back the jacket to let her sculpted muscles show through. Not to mention the aura of absolute fearlessness she exuded. Everything about her at this moment sent out a single message: 'Try me, punk. Give me a reason. It won't end well for you.'
Chloe couldn't help but jump in with her own digs, inspired and feeling shielded by Max's presence. "Holy shit. Is that one of Rachel's friendship bracelets around your wrist? God, I knew the two of you were fooling around on the side, but I always thought she only did it to get you to give up the drugs for her. I mean, shit dude, I burned mine when I found out she was such a lying bitch. Running off without telling anyone, then suddenly popping back up last month."
Frank's eyes flew open, presumably in shock. Pressing her advantage, Chloe laughed derisively. "Jesus dude, did she not even call you to tell you she was still alive? Damn, I thought I was a loser. But you're right, I guess we do have something in common: we both got fucked and fucked over by Rachel."
The lanky blonde male was torn, his face a mask of barely contained rage. He obviously wanted to salve his wounded pride, but clearly didn't feel lucky enough to mess with a woman who was not only armed with a pistol, but felt confident enough to not need it.
"Fine!" Frank viciously spit out. "You bring it around to my RV on Friday, bitch. Six P.M. " he said, pointing to Chloe. "All of it. I'm not playing around anymore. This is it, debt called in. If there's even a fucking penny missing..." he left the empty threat hanging in the air. He started to walk away from them, glancing over his shoulder as he snarled, "I can just imagine what you two little lesbos did to earn three grand."
Chloe burned with fury, fists balling up tightly as she watched Frank sulk away. She didn't want to admit it, but that last line cut her hard, and it was all she could do to keep from running at him and jumping onto his back. She desperately wanted to force him down onto the ground and smash his head repeatedly in the dirt. Max must have sensed it, because she laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, giving it a soft squeeze.
"He's not worth it, Chloe. Just...just ah..."
Chloe turned around, facing her friend squarely.
"...let it go." Max glanced towards Frank's shrinking figure; it was clear that she was shooting him daggers of her own. In that moment, Chloe could see it, clear as day: if she asked, Max would stick around, to make sure Frank wasn't going to hurt her. She'd put herself in more jeopardy, hanging around Arcadia Bay. The risks growing day by day...
No! I gotta get a handle on this!
Chloe shrugged, "Yeah, whatever. Frank's bark is way worse than his bite, like that stupid ass dog of his. He could have killed me a hundred times over, but the asshole never has. Never will. He just wants his money so...I guess after Friday, I'm out of here. And...and you'll be long gone too, so..." She followed it up with a reassuring smile. "I got it. Although damn, maybe you can lend me a cup of Bad-Ass Bitch before you leave, right?"
A little while later, the two of them were walking together, side by side on the railroad tracks that cut perpendicular from the junkyard. They held their arms out for balance and gabbed away.
"Wow! I can't believe it, Max. Asshole didn't even recognize you."
"Why should he? I wiped that whole timeline out. As far as reality is concerned, it's the first time he's ever laid eyes on me."
"Never gonna get over that, Max. Never in a million years."
Chloe stumbled, her fingers reaching for Max's...who instinctively reached out on her own to steady her. They paused, turned, and just looked at each other. Chloe's mind replayed their moment together from the morning: the kiss. And for the thousandth time, she cursed herself, wondering why the hell she dared Max to do it. She was so nervous now, afraid she'd thrown a permanent wrench into their friendship. But there was more than that: part of her was even more angry at herself for not having kissed back.
The quiet intensity of the moment reached an overwhelming peak, and they both let go at the same time, before continuing to walk ahead. They were grinning like loons, not quite looking at each other.
"Yeah, well, I'm just glad I was there to protect you." Max blanched, quickly adding. "I mean, not that I think you really needed protecting..."
"Hah! I don't mind. I like it, that you're here. Watching my back. Teaching me shit, like this." Chloe glanced down and in a quieter voice said "Teaching me to be stronger."
They stopped, and then knelt down to spread themselves out across the train tracks. Max suddenly 'shifted' and reached out to insistently stop her from placing her feet near one of the switch rails.
"No. Not there." She shook her head, and didn't seem to be in the mood to explain further.
Chloe blinked, and joked, "What? Do I get my foot stuck in there before a train comes screaming down?"
"Best not to find out, right Che?" is all Max said, in a tiny little voice.
Swallowing hard, her heart unpleasantly skipping a few beats, Chloe laughed nervously. "Damn, Maxima. I'm starting to wonder if you're my lucky charm or cursed." The look of pain that spread across her friend's face felt like a knife twisting in her gut.
"Ah...oh...shit! Sorry. I'm...so fucking stupid sometimes. I'm sorry, I don't know why I..."
"It's okay...really." Max interrupted. "I'm just - that is - it seems like I've had to save you a bunch of times this week. It kinda reminds me of the reason why they took me away from Arcadia Bay in the first place. They said it was because I was so powerful, that it was warping reality or something. That's why all the dead birds, and whales, and the tornado that never was. I mean, what if some of that's still lingering around here? Like..like it remembers me? And it's telling me to go away...trying to hurt you, to make me leave." She hugged herself tight, and then asked. "Chloe, what if this is how it's like to be me? Like I'm so powerful, just being around me is fucking dangerous? Because I'm this supernatural force, warping and breaking the world around me simply by existing."
"Max...hey. No way!" Chloe said, trying to come up with the most reassuring words she could manage on the fly. "It's stupid coincidence! I mean, I...ha...I lead a dangerous life. I've just been lucky until now, and I've been getting luckier and luckier, with you around again. So don't..." She lay back, resting her head against the iron rail, and stared up into the blue sky.
"Don't ever be afraid, Max. Okay? Of life. Or living it. I know it probably doesn't seem like it right now, but it's gonna be an adventure. You're gonna stay one step ahead of those government prick assholes, and one day, they'll realize it's just not worth the trouble anymore. Maybe afterwards, you'll find me, and we'll hang out a bunch more, and we'll talk about all the awesome things we did, when we were apart. So just...promise you'll find me again someday?"
She hadn't meant to say the last part. There was a logical part of her brain that realized after today, she'd probably never see her old friend again. Small, and ever dying against the ragged, building maelstrom of emotion, which roiled at the thought of no more Max in her life.
Like she might as well be dead.
"Just wish it could be like this, forever. Sitting here. Calm. Like we're the only two people in the world, Max."
The other girl bowed her head and said, "I know."
They sat together in silence, not talking for almost ten minutes before Max finally clambered onto her feet, holding out a hand to help her up.
"No point in drawing it out, huh? Probably time to get back on the road." she said in a soft, sad tone, before perking up. "But thanks for showing me all of this. For showing me your world, the one I missed, all those years I was away. Seriously."
"Yeah. Hella nice we got to see it together, at last." Chloe turned and looked back forlornly, before the notion struck her, full on.
She'd never go back to American Rust again.
She couldn't. All of that was in the past, tainted with bittersweet poison. First Rachel, and now...
...how could she return to her tiny kingdom, and sit all alone in her crumbling castle? To wallow in her memories of Max and lament that there was nothing else left to live for?
They could hear the train horn howling in the distance. They both stepped off to the side, watching as the train passed swiftly by. As it did, Chloe couldn't help but feel small and helpless. Utterly powerless.
Her own train was rushing towards her; in no time at all, Max would be gone. Her amazing friend, the one who blew into her life like a summer squall, leaving her completely and permanently changed in the wake. For the rest of her life, time would be measured before this particular week in October, and after.
Max was slipping away. Chloe knew that a life forever without her was drawing closer and closer still. She still wasn't sure if she'd be stupid enough to simply stand there and let the cruel reality hit her square on or if she'd have the courage to jump out of the way in the nick of time.
Damnit!
As they made their way back to the truck, Chloe silently begged the Heavens to give her an answer before it was too late, doing her best to tamp down the panic clawing its way through her chest. Now, Portland was the worst possible ending to this story, holding only the promise of a quiet, living death; a path of regret, and woulda-coulda-shoulda's. If she drove there, let Max out of the truck, stood idly by and watched her disappear into the night...
I just need a sign, God. I just need a sign! Something I can work with. Anything...
...please.
It became a mantra repeatedly ringing in her head, filling the awkward, uncomfortable silence as they drove ever onward over the next half hour.
And then suddenly, she saw it:
COUNTY FAIR - TWO MILES AHEAD.
Chloe took a deep breath, her courage building into a roaring inferno. In one perfect moment of clarity, she knew what she needed to do. And as the Ferris wheel and the other rides came into view over the hilltops, she knew where and how she'd do it.
"Hey Max." She said, a chipper lilt in her voice. "How about one last stop?
A/N: Hey kids. It's Lyta, riding solo this time, on your Fabulous Swan Friday. NuQueerWarhead has already been putting me through the editorial paces with chapters 30 and 31, so I think you're going to be in for a real treat. I don't want to give too much away about the next chapter, except to say that it's probably going to be one of, if not THE longest entry in this series to date...make of that what you will ;-D
To the kind guest who left a review a few days ago, and asked specifically about playing around with making Max even more powerful: Yes I had thought of that. Sorta. Believe it or not, when I first conceived of this story, it was going to start off with Max being able to not only manipulate time, but also step through parallel dimensions, and the kicker at the end was going to be that this was never Max's timeline at all. Then, I was going to have a weird episode of Riotgrrls in Love where RiL Max and BS Max meet up briefly. But as you can imagine, this was a concept that swiftly became overly-complicated, and I tossed it out before I even pitched the concept to NQW. I'm having enough trouble as it is keeping things straight. Plus, I like having Max have some limits on her power, it forces me to be a bit creative in coming up with solutions.
So thank you for hanging in there with the romantic angst. I promise next week is the payoff. You're gonna like it. :) Then shit starts getting real again in chapters 31 and 32.
Have a great weekend! I think Passover starts today, so happy holiday, to those who observe it.