Chapter Six
Birds singing outside the bedroom window that lets the morning light shine in all over the bed wakes Chloe up, the teen very used to nature's alarm clock. She stretches with a cute little groan as she blinks the sleep out of her eyes, twisting to see Max snoozing a couple feet away. Max is facing away and cuddling around her pillow with both arms, lying on her right hip mostly with her left knee bent and out in front of her. The position pulls her little shorts very taut against her left cheek and Chloe smirks at the idea in her mind. She can't stop herself as she leans forward and spanks that cheek nice and firmly to wake Max up.
"Ngha!" Max wakes with a start, scrambling in place. "Sexual harassment!" She comes up to her elbows and presses both hips flat to the bed, arching her back as she holds her head up to remember where she is and who she's with.
Chloe laughs at the reaction. "You're too cute, Max. Sexual harassment, really?"
Wait. Max looks over at Chloe, then beyond her at the light coming from outside. Oh no!
Max twists around to sit upright as she stares out the window with a horrified expression, sucking in a few rapid breaths as she realizes she missed her opportunity to plant the warning note totally unseen. "Fuck!"
Chloe sits up as well and adopts a very concerned expression. "Max, it was just a joke. I was waking your ass up. Get it? Waking your ASS up?" She juts her face forward and raises her brows as she stares at Max, wondering what the big deal is.
Oh, God! How could I have fucked this up? If I don't get that note to David then the criminals won't be caught. Then Rachel is going to be dead in a month anyway and this trip will be worthless! Everything hinges on this note!
Her eyes shift to Chloe and she forces herself to steady a bit. "I… sorry, no. It's not that. I just realized I forgot something, that's all. You're fine." She waves Chloe off as she twists to roll out of bed and rushes over to her suitcase.
As Max rifles through her things Chloe scoots to sit at the foot of the bed, still staring at her friend with concern. "So… was the thing you forgot called crystal meth? Because it's starting to seem like that's what you're on. Are you a tweaker, or are you freaking out right now?"
Max sends Chloe an apologetic look as she picks out her outfit for the day. "I'm sorry, Chloe. I'm still Mellow Max. This isn't normal behavior for me. I just… really wanted everything about this trip to go perfectly. I just need a minute. I hope you don't mind if I take the first shower."
"Sure, whatever calms you down." Chloe waves dismissively toward the door. "Just chill, Max. We're going to Portland, not Mordor. There's no army of orcs trying to kill us."
Max can't help but smile at the Lord of the Rings reference as she carries her bundle of clothing to the door. "There's a piece of the old Chloe I grew up with. You're not all badass punk-rock girl."
As Max passes through the bedroom door she hears Chloe call out behind her. "Don't tell anyone I used that reference! I have a reputation!"
Max rolls her eyes as she pads down the hall, her mind immediately slamming back into the elephant in the room. Great! I can hear Joyce and David talking downstairs. Everyone is up! Now what am I going to do?
She makes her way into the bathroom and stoops to check that the envelope is still tucked in the towel, and it seems undisturbed, so at least nobody accidentally found it. Max stands and stares at herself in the mirror, her expression one of panic that slowly morphs to agitation as she glares daggers at her reflection and thinks a dozen accusations over her failure. But, she's able to snap herself out of the self-loathing staring contest with the mirror and slips out of everything to hop into the shower.
It's warm and humid, and the smell of flowery soap and fruity shampoo lingers in the air, probably from Joyce showering earlier. While Max sets the water temperature and hastily cleans herself she tries to calm down and come up with a new plan, thinking up half a dozen fool-hardy plans before having her little eureka moment.
Oh, I've got it! I'll just slip it in the mailbox. As long as I'm not seen, they won't know who put it there.
Max steps out of the shower to dry off and put on her outfit of the day. She's wearing crisp white jeans with a little purple belt that's just for looks, a pink t-shirt that says JANE in white letters followed by a picture of a doe, her 'Jane Doe' shirt, with an unzipped grey hoodie over top of that. After brushing her hair she collects the envelope she hid to tuck it into her pants along her spine, hiding it beneath her shirt. She bundles up what she slept in, collects her bag of bathroom supplies and steps out of the bathroom to hurry back over to Chloe's room, and is shocked to find the girl packing her suitcase.
"You're packing for our road trip now?" Max puts her right hand on her hip and cocks it to the side. "Procrastinate much?"
"Uh, have you seen my room? I'm not all big on organization and planning. It's just clothes and toiletries, anyway. Not like it takes a rocket scientist to figure out what to take on a road trip. Besides, I already hid my weed stash and sex toys in my truck, so the true essentials are already taken care of."
"Oh, jeez." Max rolls her eyes and lets out an exaggerated sigh as she moves to her own suitcase. "You are going to be such a handful this week, aren't you?"
"Yes I am, and you're gonna loosen up and enjoy it!" Chloe smiles as she stands up and heads to her bed, collecting the outfit she laid out for the day. "Order me eggs and bakey when you head down, please."
As Chloe walks out of the room Max smiles to herself, a wave of euphoric nostalgia warming her body. "Wakey wakey eggs and bakey." She softly mumbles as she remembers all those pleasant sleepovers at Chloe's, and the breakfasts they shared with Joyce and William the following day. She sighs as she has to shake off the wonderful feeling and get back to the mission at hand.
Max tugs the envelope from her back and removes the letter from her future self to put in her suitcase, then licks the envelope to seal the warning note inside. She finds a pen in the disaster zone that is Chloe's room to write David Madsen on the envelope, then tucks it against her back once again. After zipping up her suitcase she hauls it out of the room and down the stairs, leaving it by her shoes at the front door so she can walk the house to investigate where people are. Joyce is sitting at the dining table reading the newspaper and David is sitting on the living room sofa watching TV. When Max walks in Joyce looks up and smiles at her.
"Well, good mornin' sunshine. Ready for those pancakes?" She pushes her seat back to stand, the question rhetorical.
"I am, yes! Chloe is showering now, but when she gets out, she said she wanted eggs and bakey." Max smiles and folds her hands in her lap as she watches Joyce move over to the kitchen to begin work.
Alright, that'll keep Joyce busy for a few minutes. Chloe is in the shower. David is watching TV. Now's my chance… but why would I go outside right now? Come on, Max, do or die here. Think of a reason to go outside!
As Joyce starts preparing the pancakes Max comes up with an idea. "Hey, would it be alright if I stepped outside for a few minutes? I want to see what's changed in the neighborhood over the last four years, and it was too dark when my cab pulled up last night."
Joyce nods. "You go right ahead, young lady, but don't dilly dally. These pancakes will be done in a few minutes."
"Yes ma'am." Max offers a bright smile as she turns to rush over to the doorway, shoving her shoes on as fast as she can.
Joyce can't help but smile and comment loudly over her shoulder to David. "It's so nice having such a polite girl around callin' us ma'am and sir. Maybe her manners will rub off on those two hell-raisers over the week."
"Yeah right." David grunts back. "More likely they'll gang up on her and turn her into a punk like them."
Max snickers and shakes her head, unable to help but wonder which of them might be more right. She glances over her shoulder as she lets herself out to see David still staring at the TV.
Ok, we're clear! Do this, Max!
She bolts down the driveway and to the mailbox at the street, reaches behind herself and tugs the envelope out of her jeans so she can open the box and stuff it inside. She notices the mailbox is empty and wonders when the mail comes around here these days.
Maybe they already came out here and got the mail this morning. Will it matter if David doesn't get the message until tomorrow? Ugh, I don't know, how could I possibly know? I don't have time powers yet. Or do I…?
Max locks her gaze on the mailbox and adopts a stance as if she's a gunslinger from the old west. Then she thrusts her right hand forward all of a sudden. "Reverse!" Nothing. She tries again. "Halt!" Still nothing. She tries once more. "Time powers activate!" She stares at the mailbox for a second and sighs as she relaxes.
This is more embarrassing than Tobey Maguire trying to figure out how to web in Spider-Man. I don't have super powers, but I will in the future. Oh! Future Max told me to take pictures. I should take one now in case she has to come back and move the warning note now.
Max surges back up the driveway to enter the home and lay her suitcase down, opening it to pull out her photography satchel and secure the strap over her left shoulder. Then she sees David giving her a suspicious look.
"Sorry, sir, just getting my camera. I want to take a picture of something, that's all." She offers a sheepish smile and twists to run back outside again.
Panting a bit from all the running around, Max does her best to steady herself next to the mailbox, taking a selfie with it in the background. Her Polaroid whirs as it spits out the image, which she shakes out a little, then tucks into her satchel. She finally takes a look around to actually see what's changed over the last four years. Some homes are very much the same, while others are wildly different. Her old home, two doors down, is one that's wildly different.
Wow, guess the people mom and dad sold it to wanted to make a lot of changes. Oh well, I hope they're as happy living there as I was. I wonder what life would have been like if I still lived there. Maybe Chloe would be dating me instead of Rachel…
Max loses herself in the ambiance for a minute as she just listens to the birds singing and the leaves rustling in the breeze, feeling the morning sunlight warming the right side of her face and watching some bees zoom around the flower bed. She takes a deep breath to smell those lovely flowers in the air, then walks up the driveway, the flowery scent replaced by scrumptious buttery pancakes the moment she passes through the doorway.
"Smells delicious!" Max calls out as she stoops to zip up her suitcase, then places her satchel atop it for now. She makes her way to the dining room to have a seat and waits to be served.
Joyce brings over a plate of pancakes three high with squares of butter melting atop and between them, and plenty of maple syrup spilled all over them. "Here you go. Don't eat them too fast now."
Max can't help but salivate as she sees and smells the breakfast below her, immediately cutting into the pancakes. "Oh, thank you so much, Joyce. This is like having dessert for breakfast!"
Joyce chuckles and heads back to the kitchen to finish the eggs and bacon, puts them on a plate and sets it down at the placing in front of Max for when Chloe comes down. Then, she heads over to the living room area to look through some shelves and pulls out a binder. She takes the binder over to the dining table, sitting to the left of Max and opening it up.
"Seeing you again… ahh, made me remember so much." Joyce flips through a few pages, looking at all the photos in the album. "I know these photos don't measure up to your work, Max…"
Max offers a kind smile and response. "My favorite photographers probably take pictures similar to yours." She watches the photos go by as she works on her pancakes, noticing how many recent photos have both Chloe and Rachel in them. "Look at those awesome outfits. Rachel always looks so cool."
"You have your own cool style." Joyce takes her turn offering a kind response. "Besides, it's what's on the inside that matters most."
Then the page flips and there's a photo of Max and Chloe together, the last year Max lived in Arcadia Bay. "Wowser, I totally remember that day." Max stares at the picture, especially at the little strawberry blonde Chloe.
"I'm glad… William took this picture with his instant camera." Joyce begins, then lets out an audible sigh. "It was the last picture he ever took. He had his car out right after this and… and…" Joyce locks up at the memory of losing her husband.
"I know Joyce." Max shares her sorrow. "I'm sorry."
Joyce snaps herself out of it as she plucks the photo from the album. "I didn't show you this to be morbid. In fact, I want you to have this." She extends her arm to offer the photo to Max, who puts her knife down to accept it and stare down at the image. "This is when my baby was so full of life and light. She was hopeful, positive… everything she's not today. And this was the last time I ever saw Chloe truly happy."
Max can't help but feel the claws of guilt digging into her heart. "After William died, and I moved away, she was never truly happy again? Doesn't Rachel make her happy?"
"In a way." Joyce flips through a few more pages of the album. "Rachel is a bundle of fun. She's a wonderful distraction. But when Chloe was fourteen she lost too much at once. Whenever she needed an adult to solve a problem she went to her father. When she needed a friend, she went to you. I don't reckon Rachel ever filled the void from you leavin' all those years ago, she just helps distract Chloe into not feelin' it."
"Oh…" Max tries to wrap her head around the idea, but it just makes those claws sink in deeper. Her heart aches as she watches Joyce rise and go put the album back, trying to distract herself by finishing up her pancakes.
Is that true? Rachel is just a distraction? I'm sure nobody knows Chloe better than her own mother, but I don't know if I should believe that. And now I feel like such a horrible person for never calling or texting. It really hurts to hear about leaving a permanent void in Chloe like that.
Chloe comes thumping down the stairs and spots the eggs and bacon waiting for her, walking straight to the dining table to sit down and enjoy them. She's wearing black boots that go halfway up her calves and flare out at the top, another pair of shredded jeans but with only one quilt repair this time, the same unused suspenders flopping around her thighs, and a black t-shirt with a different punk-rock band logo on it. A dark blue skater beanie keeps her wild blue hair from getting in her eyes, which find the sad expression on Max's face.
"Uhhh, I'm starting to feel like you're bipolar or some shit. You have hella big mood swings, Max. You need some meds? Hey, junkie!" She calls over her shoulder, knowing just how to push her stepfather's buttons. "Max needs some of your PTSD pills."
"God damn it, Chloe! That is NOT something you joke around about!" David twists in the sofa to glare at the back of Chloe's head as she casually munches on her breakfast.
"No, guys, please don't fight over me." Max waves her hands and tries to mediate. "Joyce and I were just talking about William, that's all. I'll be fine." She stands up and tucks the childhood photo into her hoodie pocket, then takes her plate to the kitchen sink.
"Thanks mom!" Chloe says sardonically. "Perfect topic to start the day on. Way to get in Max's head and fuck with her emotions before the road trip."
Joyce sighs and slumps her shoulders as she shakes her head. "I swear, Chloe, all you see is red. Just eat your breakfast and try to get through a day without pickin' a fight." She waves David off to end the argument before he says anything else.
Max collects her toothbrush and toothpaste from her suitcase and heads upstairs to brush away the remnants of breakfast, then makes her way back down and lingers by the front door, fidgeting with her photography satchel and trying to avoid sparking another family fire. Once Chloe is ready to go the two of them haul their suitcases into the driveway and load them into the back of Chloe's old brown pickup truck, using a tarp and bungee cords to cover them in case it rains.
"Sorry about all the drama in there, Max." Chloe offers a look of concern with her apology. "I haven't had a lot of good memories in that house lately. It brings out the worst in me. I hope you don't think I'm a total asshole."
Max sends a pretty muted expression over the bed of that pickup truck. "You shouldn't be mean to your mother. She lost William, too." She turns right and steps up to the door to let herself in on the passenger side.
Chloe follows suit, hopping into the driver's seat. "Yeah, well, she didn't have to go and marry the biggest douche in town afterward. I'm not upset with her about my dad. I'm pissed about step-dick. But, hey, I got him back with that junkie jab. That was epic payback for him giving you shit last night. I might act like a queen bitch sometimes, but I'll always have your back, Max." She starts up the engine and looks over her shoulder as she pulls out.
Max can't help but smile a little. "Well, at least your heart is in the right place. I'll watch your back, too. God knows I'm going to need to on this trip. Chloe Price with no parental supervision for ten days?" She pulls out her cell phone and starts searching the net on it.
Chloe glances over a few times as she drives along the residential roads. "What are you doing?"
"I'm plugging in speed-dials for the fire department, poison control, the FBI…"
"Oh, fuck off!" Chloe whines as she grins, realizing it's all a joke. "Now who's being an asshole?" She laughs and shakes her head. "Nice one, Max. Way to bring the mood back up."
"That's what I do." Max offers a bright smile as she tucks her phone back into her pocket. "Alright, please tell me a few things about Rachel before we get there. I promise I won't fall asleep on you this time."
"Hah, you better not!"
Chloe gives Max a recap of what she told her the other night as the two drive down a few more streets, soon pulling up to Blackwell Academy where Rachel lives in her dorm. Chloe pulls out her phone to text that they're in the parking lot and ready to go while Max steps out of the truck to take a few pictures of the campus, of Chloe sitting in her truck, and then a selfie in front of the welcome sign of the school. As she's facing the parking lot admiring her selfie Max hears footsteps coming along the walkway behind her.
"You must be Max." The tone is amused by Max's selfie-taking while the voice is sweet and rich, definitely belonging to a young lady. It must be Rachel.
Author's Note: Yes, I sort of plagiarized from the game a little. I just felt like 4.5 or 5 years wouldn't make a difference, and Joyce would bring out the photo album upon seeing Max either way. I gave the scene a different spin to keep to the theme of my story, so hope you enjoyed it. And in the next chapter the actual road trip you've all been waiting for finally begins! It's so exciting!