Chapter Fourteen
Max wakes suddenly as she feels Chloe shifting about and throwing the sheets off, the blue haired girl groaning as she holds her head. Max just lifts her own head to watch carefully, still traumatized about how things went with Chloe the previous morning and not wanting to attract her attention. Chloe just goes to their pack of water bottles and gulps one down to rehydrate, then drops the plastic container on the floor and moseys into the bathroom. Max sighs in relief and rests her head back down on the pillow, frightened by a flash of red in her peripheral vision, but then remembering she has red streaks in her hair now.
Chloe must be hung over. That's just great… on the day I have to reveal my letter. And I don't feel so super myself. I never thought I'd feel like I needed a day off during a week off. I always used to be able to keep pace with Chloe… did I get lazy and fall out of shape? Could I even date her full time, or is my heart just being stupid and filling me with unrealistic fantasies? Even if we lived in the same city, she's so much more hardcore than me. David was right… these two are turning me into a hell-raiser. Oh, David… are you in heaven now, cursing me for stealing away your future, or do you forgive me? Will Chloe forgive me? Can I ever forgive myself?
Max sits up and swings her feet out of bed when she hears Chloe open the door to exit the bathroom, her eyes glancing at the red digits of the clock to see it's almost 9:30. "Oh, wowser, we slept in a lot today. I don't know if I can handle partying this hard."
"Can't handle it? Come on, now." Chloe approaches and reaches her hands out to help yank Max out of bed. "You finally let your inner punk-rock girl out yesterday. I promised I'd be the hammer to break you out of your shell this week. Don't go crawling back to being Max the Quiet Wallflower after that epic day we just had."
A smile builds on Max's face as she's relieved to see that Chloe is in remarkably good spirits this morning despite her hangover. "Oh, are we making promises? If I promise not to go back to being a quiet wallflower, what will you promise me in return?"
Chloe twists her face to look sideways at Max for a moment, squinting through her smile as she holds the girl's hands. "I feel like this is a trap. How about… I promise not to barf all over you again?"
Max can't help but laugh before twisting away. "Well, that's a good start." She goes to her suitcase to put together an outfit.
Chloe walks around the bed closer to the sliding glass door and starts shoving Rachel. "Hey, Rach, wake up. Get your purse. I need one of your magic hangover cures."
As Max heads into the bathroom she can't help but smile that Chloe is willingly beginning conversations with Rachel now, even if it is to make rude demands. Progress is progress. While washing she thinks about her grand gesture, coming up with a secondary item that would be a perfect fit for the first.
Oh, yes, that would really complete it. I just need to get on my phone and search around, see if I can find one of those. There has to be one in Portland somewhere. But, that means I'll probably have to borrow Chloe's truck to go get it. Think, Max, there's gotta be a way. We're going to eat breakfast, then… I'll tell them about the letter. I should probably give them some time alone to discuss how they feel about me after that. And they still need to sit down one on one to discuss the future of their friendship, too. I guess that's my plan then. Shop while they think, get the second piece of my grand gesture, then… I just need to figure out the perfect time and place for it.
Max comes out of the bathroom in her white t-shirt with the cute doe graphic on it, and her faded blue jeans below. She sees Chloe and Rachel leaning their butts on the dresser that the TV is on, Rachel's purse behind them and Chloe drinking more water, presumably with Rachel's hangover cure mixed in.
"Don't even think about wearing your grey hoodie, Max. You wear that black one with the pink skull flowers on it, or else!" Chloe threatens playfully, while Rachel makes her way past Max with a bundle of clothes to step into the shower.
Max holds her hands up like she surrenders, slowly backing to her suitcase and pulling out the black hoodie. "Yes, Officer Price, please don't arrest me!"
Chloe grins and sips at her drink. "If my head didn't hurt I'd totally role play with you right now. But I'm usually the one getting frisked by the cops in that scenario." She winks.
Max blushes as she imagines what kind of naughty fun Chloe and Rachel must have had over the years, then shyly rubs her feet on the carpet as she thinks about what she might do with Chloe in the future. Her shy girl antics earn an amused chuckle from Chloe, so Max snaps herself out of it and fetches her journal. She props up the bed pillows to lean on and gets to work writing down all the crazy things that happened the day before.
"There you go again, Novelist Max Caulfield. Does this have something to do with the writing that was on your arm? The big secret you have to reveal today? You know we won't let you weasel out of that, right?" Chloe finishes her drink and moves to sit cross legged in front of Max.
"Yeah, kind of." Max admits as she considers everything, her eyes rising to watch Chloe rub her toes. Max pauses to admire her; all those pretty blue fingernails and toenails that match her hair, how beautiful the contrast is against her pale skin. "I was thinking of bringing you two back up here and telling you everything right after breakfast, if that works for you."
Chloe nods and smiles at that. "Fuck yeah that works! The sooner the better. I'm tired of waiting for this shit. It better be good, like, you have super powers or something. That would be so epic."
Max goes wide eyed for a second and swallows a lump in her throat. "Hehe, yeah, super powers would be so cool." She desperately searches for a new topic. "Actually, Chloe, I wanted to ask you something, if it's OK. When you weren't here that one day, Rachel called you 'strictly a lesbian'… is that accurate?"
Chloe scrunches up her nose, seeming agitated at first, grumbling before she responds. "I'm gonna have to fucking talk to her about that. I don't like her telling you shit about me behind my back. But, to answer your question… kinda. After Rachel…" Chloe pauses, struggling to even mention the event in passing. "Saved my life, there were seven months before she turned sixteen and I asked her to date me. So, I went through a boy toy phase during that time. It was just for shits and giggles, though. I never loved any of them, not like I did with Rachel… which has now blown up in my face. I don't know, Max… I don't really feel like being with anyone right now. Not until I get over Rachel."
Max feels really bad as she sees Chloe's mood drop during the response, immediately regretting asking the girl about it. "I'm so sorry, Chloe, I shouldn't have brought it up. I'm sure nobody would blame you if you wanted to be single for a while, but… I don't want you to feel alone ever again. Not after what I put you through four years ago."
Chloe wrinkles her brows in thought and rubs her head. "Ugh, fuck, that wasn't a dream, was it? I actually told you about my childhood crush on you last night, didn't I?" She sighs as she pulls up those alcohol addled memories.
"Yes." Max confirms it softly, her eyes glistening with moisture. "I totally understand now… why you wanted to kill yourself. I'm so sorry for what I put you through, Chloe. I'll always be there for you from now on, I promise. You have my cell number and you can call or text whenever you want. You don't even have to be nice to me. Just tell me what you need and I'll do all I can for you. I owe you so much after what I put you through. I'll owe you until you tell me I don't anymore."
Chloe just stares down at the bed sheets for half a minute as she rubs her toenails, a few tears slowly streaming down her cheeks. She sniffs and reaches up to rub the backs of her wrists along her cheeks, then twists to the side. "Thank you, Max." She whispers her response, but then rises to walk to the sliding glass door and makes her way to the balcony to be alone with her thoughts.
Max rubs the moisture out of her eyes as well, then goes back to writing in her journal to try and keep the sad thoughts out of her mind. She writes away as Rachel eventually comes out of the bathroom all done up and Chloe heads in to take third shower. Given her high level of empathy Rachel can sense the sadness in the air and sits with Max, asking what happened, and nods in understanding when she's told. She sits with Max and rubs her shoulder soothingly for a few minutes while the girl finishes writing in her journal, and when Chloe emerges they all put their shoes on and head down to the dining area to order breakfast.
"So, what's the plan for the day?" Rachel asks as they wait for the food to arrive, having missed the exchange Chloe and Max had while she was showering.
"Well, I have a plan." Max responds as she searches her phone relentlessly for the item she thought of this morning. "I'd like to borrow the keys to your truck, Chloe. That way, after breakfast, we can go back to the room and I'll tell you guys everything. Then, I can drive off and go get something that I need while you two discuss what I've told you, and maybe also talk about… your own stuff, if you both feel ready to get into that topic."
Chloe frowns and folds her arms over her breasts, not seeming too thrilled by the idea. "I'm starting to get the feeling that we're gonna be hella pissed at you over this, Max. Already trying to distract us with our own shit before you even tell us what you've done? Real smooth."
Rachel fidgets uncomfortably and starts playing with the thin silver bangles on her right wrist, but works up the courage to speak to Chloe on Max's behalf. "Well, I guess we'll just see how we feel after she tells us. Only Max knows how heavy the thing is that she's gonna tell us, so we've gotta give her the benefit of the doubt if she thinks she should bail after saying it. I think it's a good idea to let her borrow the truck so we can talk it over afterward."
Chloe lets out an exaggerated sigh and shrugs. "Fine, whatever."
There's an awkward silence as the three wait for breakfast to arrive, though Max continues to busy herself trying to find that specific item she needs for her grand gesture. She does eventually find what she's looking for while Rachel and Chloe talk about what time of day they should begin their drive back to Arcadia Bay. But, soon the food and coffee run out, and tension builds as the girls know the moment of truth is closing in. They take the elevator back up to the room and Max has Chloe and Rachel sit on the foot of the vomit free bed.
"Alright, this news is pretty extreme." Max begins as she rummages through her suitcase to find that letter hidden inside. "You won't believe me at first. I didn't believe it at first, not until I saw that writing on my arm that said 'It's real. Save Rachel and Chloe!' I hope you appreciate what I've done, even though it didn't all go according to plan."
After taking a deep, nervous breath, Max holds the letter up and recites it word for word in front of the other two. The first paragraph about the letter being from Max seven months in the future almost has the other two laughing, as they think it's a practical joke to lighten the mood before the real news. But, the second paragraph giving the exact dates of their deaths doesn't amuse them one bit. They remain skeptical of Max as she reads off her instructions about gluing the selfie in the binder and changing her Spring Break plans, and when Max reads about the warning note for David it infuriates Chloe. She demands that Max stop immediately, saying that the joke isn't funny, but Max persists and reads the paragraph written specifically to prove everything to Chloe. It silences Chloe, flooring both her and Rachel. Max doesn't understanding the references she's reading as she mentions the yellow elephant rug, customized poster and darts scores in the secret junkyard hideout she's never been to before, but the terrifying reality that this is no joke strikes the other girls hard. After reading the final paragraph about how her memory will be lost on October 15th, Max reaches forward to hand the letter to Chloe so she can reread it as many times as she wants.
"I'm so sorry about what happened to David. That wasn't supposed to happen. But, maybe in October my future self who wrote this will come back and change things to keep him from dying." Max pauses as she looks at the two stunned girls staring at the letter. "Yeah, I need to leave you two to absorb this. Call or text if you need to. I'll be back in around an hour."
Max picks up the keys to Chloe's truck and heads out, the silence behind her digging a pit into her stomach. She can't help but worry as she takes the elevator down, her mind coming up with all the ways Chloe and Rachel could respond negatively to what she just revealed to them.
Rachel reaches out to start rubbing Chloe's back, seeing how many conflicting emotions are swirling in her expression. "Chloe, Max is a total sweetheart. She wouldn't be so cruel as to make up a lie this heavy, right? This is real, right?"
Chloe pushes off the bed to begin pacing back and forth. "Shitballs, this is so insane! How could it be real? You can't travel through time! But how did she know? The coordinates of the barn, the code to get in the basement, the crimes that were being committed there, our secret hideout, all those details about what's inside it… there's no way Max could have researched that stuff from Seattle."
Rachel takes a few breaths as she folds her hands in her lap and looks down at the floor. "Jesus… I was supposed to die in less than three weeks from now. They took me, Chloe… they took me to that barn and killed me!" She reaches up to dig her fingers into her hair and starts pulling on handfuls. "I'm fucking freaking out!"
Chloe turns to aid the girl, dropping the letter on the bed and reaching down to pull Rachel into her arms. She gives Rachel a much needed squeeze. "It's OK now, Rach. Nathan and Jefferson can't hurt you anymore. Max saved you… she saved both of us." Her mind races as she tries to run scenarios through her head, imagining the way things would have gone and the way they will go now with the changes that have been made.
Rachel buries her face into Chloe's neck as she cries, unable to stop herself after being told the horrible way her life was going to end. Only after a few minutes is she able to speak again, though she keeps Chloe locked in a tight embrace. "What about David? He wasn't supposed to die in all of this. It's not fair to him… or to Joyce."
Chloe sighs deeply. "I don't know what to think about all of that. I'm hella pissed at Max for being so stupid. She should have just gone straight to the police. Why leave the tip for David to deal with? She got him killed… but apparently she might come back and fuck with time more to save his ass. I don't know, Rach. I'm just as fucked up about this as you are."
Silence dominates the room for several minutes before Rachel pulls out of the hug to look over the letter one more time. She sits back on the foot of that bed and shakes her head. "This would have been so horrible. I would have never made it to L.A. I would have never become a model or anything. I would have never told you the truth or found someone wonderful for you to be with. Oh, Chloe, you would have lost me so suddenly… you would have been all alone again. You would have been so sad. It's unbearable to think about!" She cups her face with both hands and begins sobbing where she sits.
Chloe crawls onto the bed and sits behind Rachel, spreading her legs around the girl and hugging her from behind to let Rachel lean back on her. She does her best to rub Rachel's stomach and soothe the girl, but she doesn't come up with much to say other than quietly shushing her. Chloe does her best to be strong and internalize her emotions, but tears continue to break free and roll down her cheeks as she imagines the cruel fates that had been in store for both of them.
Rachel leans her head back on Chloe's shoulder, drained after all her sobbing, her makeup a mess. She sniffs and clears her throat so she can share her thoughts. "Life can end at any time. You never know what day will be your last… or when it will be the last time you see someone. Chloe, I'm so sorry… I'll never lie to you again. Please don't hate me forever. I care about you so much!"
Chloe gives Rachel a tight squeeze and leans down to press her nose against the girl's ear. "I don't hate you, Rachel. I love you… that's why I was so hurt. I'm sorry I hit you. I'll never do it again."
Rachel slowly twists her face to look at Chloe, but Chloe doesn't pull hers away. The proximity of their faces mixes with all the emotions swirling between them and results in a kiss, meant to seal their forgiveness and acceptance of each other's faults. But one kiss turns to two, and then to five, and soon Rachel twists around to fall upon Chloe on that bed. Kissing escalates to groping, then to stripping, and then to sex as the teens desperately flee from the morbidity of learning the exact days they were supposed to die, while also realizing how precious every positive relationship is given the fleeting nature of life.
Max skips happily down the hallway, her photography satchel swinging around with one extra item in it, the girl so glad she was successful with her little shopping trip. She fetches the keycard from her jeans pocket and slides it into the reader to let herself into the hotel room. "And I'm back. That didn't take nearly as long as I…"
As Rachel and Chloe scramble out of bed naked to try and hide behind their clothes, pretending they didn't do what they just did, Max just freezes in shock and horror. She drops Chloe's keys to the floor as she meets the gaze of the blue haired girl, slowly shaking her head as her eyes well up.
Oh my God… this is a nightmare. I knew it. I never stood a chance. I should have never come here. I can't take this anymore! I just want to go home!
"Max… it's not what it looks like!" Chloe frantically says the most cliché thing for the situation, a line that never works.
Max responds by turning and sprinting back to the door, then bolting back to the elevator. She jams the button frantically to summon it so she can leave before the others can get their clothes on and come out of the room to stop her. When the doors open she steps inside and pounds the lobby button until those doors close again. There, she breaks down, collapsing to the floor of the elevator and bawling as her young heart breaks, her ideas of a grand romantic gesture suddenly feel so stupid, and her dreams of a wonderful future with Chloe are shattered.