"I don't know why, but train tracks always seem to calm me down," Chloe said as she walked along the rail, Max's hand in hers. Max walked on the opposite rail with their hands held in between. They didn't hold hands for balance, it wasn't hard to walk on a train track. No, they held hands just for the sake of touching each other.

"Oh, I know this…okay. Keroauc, the romance of travel and movement," Max said confidently, sounding proud of herself.

"Makes sense, me and Rachel used to come out here all the time to watch the trains go by," Chloe said, lost in memories for a moment. It was weird, but it seemed like everything Max and her were doing today weirdly mimicked things Rachel and her used to do. She wasn't really sure what that meant. "Sometimes we'd jump on them too, ride a way. We used to play this game, it was kinda like chicken, where we'd see who'd be the first to suggest jumping off. We'd just keep riding till someone couldn't take it anymore. This one time, back when I was expelled, we rode it so far it took us two days to walk back. Step-shit was furious."

"Sounds like you and Rachel had a lot of fun. I'm glad you have her," Max said. She sounded genuinely happy for Chloe, and genuinely sad.

"Rachel is…its intense with her," Chloe said after a moment. "It's never quiet like this. She's always moving, always doing, I don't know, it's hard to explain."

"Sounds like someone I know," Max said with a chuckle.

"Hey, I'm a thinker too," Chloe said. "Everyone just seems spontaneous compared to you."

"Still, I can see what you like about her," Max said. She kept her eyes down, watching her feet as she walked along the rail. Chloe frowned and gave Max's hand a reassuring squeeze. Then Chloe looked forward, watching the train tracks disappear into the horizon.

"We always planned to run away," Chloe said. "Seattle, Portland, LA, we made so many plans. It never seemed like the right time. We'd run away for a couple days, but we always ran out of money or…" Chloe died off and shook her head. "Then Mom and Dr. Strong got me back into school. Still, when Rachel left all I wanted to do was drop everything and go with her. Rachel was against it though. Surprised the shit out of me. Maybe some part of her knew I needed to finish."

"It's just one year, and then it'll make the rest of your life easier."

"What if I had though? There was nothing stopping me. What if I wasn't here this year? Would have put a kink in your bathroom plans," Chloe said.

"I don't know what would have happened. Could have been good, could have been much worse," Max said absently, most of her focus still on her feet. She'd never been as coordinated as Chloe. She could barely make a bike work.

"Some time-predicting, imaginary ghost friend you are. Barely know anything," Chloe said with a smirk. Max glanced over at her and glared.

"Just trying my best, which has never been very good. I had a feeling you'd be here though."

"Yeah? I do always fuck up so what were the odds right? I'll probably be stuck here until I die," Chloe said. She felt a tug on her hand and Chloe glanced over to see Max had stopped walking.

"You're not a fuck up Chloe. You're the most incredible person I know. I mean it, no one else even comes close," Max said, her face deadly serious. What could Chloe even say to that? Such an earnest face on such a cute person.

"Why does my mom even bother with therapy? Just have to have my Super Max around to cheer me back up," Chloe said and tugged her forward so they started moving again.

"I'm just telling the truth. And I don't think it's your fault you're still in Arcadia Bay. There's something about this week."

"So you've been saying, which is why you need my help."

"Yes, in a big way."

"You know, imaginary friends asking you to do stuff, that's like the first red flag," Chloe said, arching an eyebrow at her.

"I know, it's why I tried to never ask you for things when we were younger. Just when it's really important, like now. I didn't want to make you think you're crazy," Max said matter-of-factly.

"Well, I can't say you were one hundred percent effective." A grimace of pain flashed across Max's face.

"I know, I am sorry Chloe. For all the pain I've caused you."

"Get over yourself Caulfield, I do just fine at fucking up my own life, thank you very much. Stop trying to take all the credit," Chloe said.

"Still, I really need your help today Chloe. I'm going to have to ask you to do things, things that will sound crazy. So I'm going to need you to trust me."

"Well…either you can tell the future or I'm crazy. Like seriously, lock me up and throw away the key, crazy. What do I have to lose?"

"You're not crazy Chloe," Max said quietly. Chloe shrugged, uninterested. "You're not crazy," Max said again, this time firmly. Chloe paused, glancing over at Max. Max stared back at her, her blue eyes scrunched in determination. Chloe laughed, if this was what crazy looked like she was fine with it.

"Honestly, I don't care Max. I don't care. I'm just glad to have you back." Max huffed an acceptance.

"Still, I'll prove you're not crazy. I have a prediction!"

"A prediction?" Chloe said excitedly. "Impress me Mad Max, make that diner stunt look like a parlor trick."

"Easy, after school today there will be a solar eclipse." Max said with a flourish of her arms.

"A solar eclipse? Haven't heard about that."

"Because it's not supposed to happen. But it will, and the whole town will see it. Then you'll know you're not crazy." Chloe smiled and squeezed Max's hand.

"Whatever you say Maximus."

"I'm serious," Max said, annoyed.

"I am too," Chloe said, looking over at Max. "I believe you Max. I'm your best friend after all, I got your back whether you can see the future or not. So lay it on me, what do you need me to do?" Max looked over at her, her eyes widening in disbelief. She blinked once, and then broke into a smile.

"Well, for starters, I need you to take me back to Blackwell," Max said.

"Have truck, will travel. Could have just stayed in the junkyard if we were heading back there though Max."

"Don't tell me you didn't have fun," Max said with laugh as she let go of Chloe's hand and jumped down from her rail. Chloe stood there a moment, looking down at her hand.

""I wish…" Chloe started, a rush of emotions running through her as she squeezed her hand shut. Max paused and looked over at her. "I wish other people could see you Max," Chloe finished.

"What?" Max asked, her face looking concerned.

"I wish I could show you off, show everyone how fucking awesome my best friend is. I wish I could introduce you to Mom without her freaking," Chloe said.

"You make it sound like we're dating," Max said with a laugh, getting a small pink blush to appear on Chloe's cheeks.

"It's not like that," Chloe said hotly. "It's just...you're amazing Max. I wish other people knew that too."

"It's okay Chloe. Don't worry about me." Max turned back towards the junkyard, but Chloe couldn't let it go just yet.

"It's not just you Max. Today, walking with you, everything just feels so right. It's like, this is how it's supposed to be you know? I just want to hang out with my best friend without it being...I mean my hand still feels warm," Max paused and then looked back at her. Staring into her eyes, Chloe suddenly felt like her friend had aged two decades. Her eyes just looked so much more worn out then she could ever remember them being.

"I don't want you to mistake this for something it's not Chloe. This right here, it's as real as I can be. Don't expect more from me, I don't want to disappoint you."

"Max…" Chloe began, but just like that, Max's face returned to normal and she beckoned Chloe over.

"It's time to turn around. Come on," Max said. Eager to change the subject, Chloe bounded down after her.

"We're not walking on the tracks? Sounds lame."

"A train's coming before we get back. Best to just get off the tracks now."

"There's always a train coming Max, that's what makes walking on the rails fun, the sense of danger."

"I've had enough danger in my life. We're walking by the forest," Max said, her voice serious.

"Aye aye Captain Maxipad! Getting bossy today," Chloe said as she joined Max by the edge of the forest.

"Oh, I'm only beginning, I'm going to keep you hella busy today."

"You know, Rachel says hella too. It completely threw me off at first. I thought it was some sign from you when I first met her."

"Is that so?" Max said without a hint of surprise.

"Fuck, you already knew that didn't you?"

"Don't doubt my powers," Max said with a wiggle of her fingers.

"So what's next?'

"Well, do you have any paper in your truck? We need to write a note."

"Okay, take me through what you need to do," Max said as Chloe drove. They'd spent most of the walk back going over it. There wasn't a lot yet, Max was keeping a lot of information back till later, but she was insistent Chloe knew it all by heart.

"First, take our note and tape it to the door to the roof at the girl's dorm," Chloe said. The note was a Bible verse, one of those 'God is always with you' deals. Why Max wanted a Bible verse taped to a door was beyond Chloe. She was being maddenly unforthcoming.

"Good, what's next?"

"Meet you in the hallway before Chemistry Class," Chloe said. She paused as a thought hit her. "Wait, how did you know my last class was Chemistry?" Max turned a little pink and coughed awkwardly.

"I might have checked out your room while you weren't home. I saw your class schedule."

"You always were an incurable snoop," Chloe said.

"Yeah, well, I had to do something to occupy myself."

"So, you've been pretty mum on details. Mind telling what I'm meeting you in the hallway for?" Chloe asked. She knew Max wouldn't tell her. Max wasn't telling her anything, but Chloe couldn't help trying one more time. As expected Max shook her head.

"I told you, need to know basis, the less I change the better. After today it shouldn't matter anymore, but for now I need to play things close to the chest. Besides, I need you to stay in class so you don't get expelled."

"Well that's true but...wait how do you know about that?" Chloe asked. She glanced over at Max who gave her a guilty smile. "Fuck, how much snooping did you do?"

"Enough?"

"So what you're telling me is, if I knew about this stuff you're trying to do I could screw it all up? Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"It's not just you, it's anything I change. I might have already screwed everything up, I won't know till we get closer to the event. I'm not even sure what I want you to do in the hallway will happen. It's all up in the air. Just…"

"Trust you. I got it Max."

Chloe wasn't a runner. Punks don't run, it just didn't match the aesthetic at all. Apparently, most of the student population at Blackwell seemed to agree because she got a lot of stares as she raced across the lawn. She really thought Max and her had made good time, but class was starting in just twenty minutes and she still had to make it to the top of the girl's dorm first.

When she turned around path to the girl's dorm she saw Victoria and her two bitchettes standing in front of the doors. They were huddled around Victoria's phone, watching something and laughing. Chloe didn't slow as she raced towards them and Victoria looked up at her and grimaced.

"What the fuck are you doing here, this is…

"I know, I'm poor and have no style. You're a bitch," Chloe said as she ran by. "Nice conversation!" Chloe yelled before flinging the dorm doors open and racing inside.

She tried running up the stairs. She didn't make it. Her chest was heaving by the time she got to the door and taped the note to it. She took a moment to try to regain her breath and failed. She needed to work out more, especially if Max kept giving her assignments. She sighed and started towards classes.

Chloe spent the rest of the day barely paying attention to classes. Instead, her mind kept wandering to the morning. No matter how she looked at it, she simply couldn't believe her morning had actually happened.

In just a few hours her entire life had been turned upside down. She knew she should be scared. She had almost died apparently. She could still die if what Max said was true. And whatever Max was up to today, it was serious. Chloe had never seen her so worked up before.

But despite all of that, the only thing Chloe felt was relief. For the first time in years Chloe felt like her life was starting to feel complete. She had Max back. That was supposed to be a bad thing, she'd trained herself to think that way, but the truth was her had life felt empty without her. And now she had her back, only this time she had super powers. Beyond that, Chloe was now 70% sure she wasn't just in her head, which meant Chloe might not be a complete loser.

But most important of all, it meant that this time Max might stick around. If Max was real, there was no reason she had to leave. And Chloe desperately hoped that was true, because she wasn't sure she could go through losing Max all over again.

Chloe skipped lunch to do some research in the school's computer lab. It didn't take long to confirm that there was no solar eclipse scheduled to happen anywhere in the world, let alone in Arcadia Bay, Oregon. A little more digging confirmed Chloe's other suspicion, solar eclipses were easy to see coming. The likelihood that a solar eclipse would catch NASA off guard was abysmally low. If Max called this one right than she really was far more than an imaginary friend.

But what did that make her? Chloe wasn't at all sure and Max was completely unhelpful on the subject. It didn't change the fact that no one else could see her. Was Max right, was she just a way for Chloe to understand her own powers? That seemed extremely unlikely, not to mention depressing as hell. Was she a ghost? A ghost of who? And since when do ghosts know the future?

Chloe sighed as the lunch bell chimed. She wasn't going to find the answers this lunch break. Half an hour wasn't enough time to solve all the mysteries of the universe.

Max smiled and waved as she walked up. Chloe felt a smile spread across her own face as she returned the wave. She glanced around, there were few people in the hallway by Ms. Grace's classroom, and none of them were paying attention to her.

"Max, Captain Chloe reporting in as promised." The smile on Max's face widened.

"Good to see you Cap'n."

"So what's the scoop? What are we doing here?"

"Get your phone out. Get your camera ready." Chloe pulled out her phone and flipped on her camera. It wasn't a terribly great one. Hopefully Max didn't expect crystal clear details.

"Ready."

"Okay, angle the camera at Jefferson," Max said. Chloe glanced over to the photography class doorway where Jefferson was standing. She turned the camera his way. "Be discrete about it, he can't know. Kate should come up to talk to him soon. I want you to videotape their conversation." The way she said Kate was intimately familiar, kind of how Chloe talked about Rachel. It caught Chloe off guard, she barely even knew who Kate was. She was pretty sure she was the Christian girl. Why did Max know her? One more mystery to throw on today's pile.

"Didn't know you were into voyeurism. Kinky," Chloe said.

"Gross Chloe. What happened to the innocent schoolgirl that blushed when I cussed?"

"She emerged from her hella awkward teenager phase as a badass punk. You know you love it," Chloe muttered as she tried to angle her phone towards Jefferson without being extremely obvious about it. "If you have a crush on Jefferson you could have just told me," Chloe joked. Half the school had a crush on Jefferson, wouldn't surprise Chloe if Max did too. He seemed her type. If imaginary friends could have types.

"I do not have a crush on that asshole," Max spat. Chloe's eyes went wide.

"Wow, what did Jefferson do to you, I mean I think he's a self-absorbed, washed up, hipster…"

"Just watch Chloe. You have no idea."

It didn't take long for Kate to make her appearance. Chloe angled her phone as best she could while looking the other way. Luckily, she had years of experience with the 'don't give a shit' look.

"Mr. Jefferson, I was wondering if I could have your help with something?" Kate asked as she walked up. Chloe never paid much attention to Kate, but even she could tell something was wrong with her. She didn't remember her hunching over this much.

"What's wrong Kate?" Jefferson asked.

"There's this video…"

"Ah, yes, I've seen it. I know it must be embarrassing, but I don't want it to affect your work."

"Embarrassing?" Kate said, pulling back from Mr. Jefferson slightly.

"You're young Kate, I know you made some mistakes but…"

"I didn't...that wasn't me Mr. Jefferson! Something...happened to me, I don't do that!"

"Please Kate, let's not throw stories around. You have to own your mistakes," Mr. Jefferson said in a lecturing tone that reminded Chloe way too much of step-fuhrer. He reached a hand out to put on Kate's shoulder, but she pulled back from him.

"What do you want from me?" Kate asked.

"I want you to be honest," Mr. Jefferson said firmly.

"Nobody believes me anyway," Kate said quietly. Chloe didn't understand what the heck was going on, but she could tell whatever it was was breaking Kate.

"Stop acting so brittle," Mr. Jefferson said. He seemed annoyed for some reason, which Chloe couldn't understand. What she could understand was that Jefferson was being a major dick.

"Being on a viral video does that," Kate countered.

"Maybe this is your way of getting attention," Jefferson said. The knuckles on Chloe's hand turned white as she applied dangerous levels of pressure to her phone.

"That's really mean Mr. Jefferson. You just don't get it! Just leave me alone."

"You have to talk to me."

"Why? It's all over, like me," Chloe looked over at Max who gave her a sad look back. That was a serious red flag.

"Stop this martyr crap!" Jefferson shouted, once again getting annoyed. Chloe straightened up, she couldn't keep listening to this. She turned and Mr. Jefferson glanced at her, a look of worry crossing his face. Kate didn't notice however.

"So you can't help me?" She asked.

"I'm trying," he said, which seemed to only piss Kate off because she turned away from him and began walking away. "You have to understand my position!" He called after her.

"What the fuck," Chloe muttered under her breath.

"That's good Chloe, save the video and we should be able to...where are you going?" Max asked as Chloe shoved her phone in her pocket and took off after Kate. "Chloe! You can't miss class!"

"Just give me a minute," Chloe said. There was no fucking way she could just watch Kate walk away like that. Chloe didn't need to know much about the girl to realize the state she was in. After all, Chloe had been there.

"Hey Kate, wait up," Chloe said as she caught up to her. Kate stopped and turned to look at her. There really wasn't a nice way to put it, she looked awful. Her hair stuck out of her bun in odd places, her mascara was running, her eyes were puffy, and she was glaring daggers at Chloe.

"Do I know you?" She asked in a tone that was anything but friendly. It didn't phase Chloe, she knew all about lashing out and if that was the best Kate had, she had a lot to learn.

"Uh, not really. You might have heard of me. Chloe Price." At the name Kate's eyes went wide. Her eyes flicked between Chloe's tattooed arm and her blue hair, as if noticing for the first time. Chloe gave her a reassuring smile. "Looks like that's a yes."

"I'm sorry, but I'm very busy right…" Kate said as she started to back away from Chloe. Chloe took a step forward.

"Look, I heard what Jefferson said. He's a total fucking prick."

"You heard that?"

"Yeah, dick was completely inappropriate. Where does he get off getting mad like that?"

"T-thanks," Kate stammered, looking more confused than anything.

"Listen Kate," Chloe began. Kate looked at her while Chloe searched for the words to say. She didn't find any, she wasn't Max, but she had to try. "If you ever, if you ever need to talk about shit. It's just, I've been there you know? You can talk to me." Kate stared back at her for a moment. She opened her mouth. She paused. Her mouth pressed back together, holding back whatever she had been about to say.

"I'm…I'll be okay," she said instead.

"...Right." Chloe said, not believing her in the slightest. Kate turned and started to walk away. She paused and looked over her shoulder.

"Chloe? Thanks."

"No prob Kate."

"You're a good fucking person Chloe Price," Max said as she walked back to the classroom entrance.

"Don't spread it around."

"Couldn't if I tried," Max said with a laugh. Chloe cracked a smile, but her heart wasn't in it. She couldn't stop thinking about Kate.

"I don't know Max, I'm worried. Kate's not in a good place. I'm afraid what she might do. Maybe I should follow her."

"It's okay Chloe. I'll look out for her. You need to get to class."

"How can you…"

"Get to class before you're late. Just trust me," Max said. Chloe looked at Max.

"I trust you," Chloe said. She didn't have any other options. "Max, the note on the door to the roof?" Chloe asked, afraid to say any more. Max glanced at her and nodded.

"If class gets interrupted, head there quickly," she said and then turned to walk into Jefferson's class for some reason. Chloe turned and walked into chemistry.

When Zachary burst through the door, Chloe jumped to her feet. By the time he said "There's a girl on top of…" she had shouldered past him and was out the door before Ms. Grant could even chastise her. Ms. Grant was cool for teacher, Chloe doubted she would turn her into Wells. Especially considering the number of students already making their way out.

For the second time that day Chloe raced across the Blackwell lawn, barely even noticing that it had started to rain. This time she didn't feel tired, out of shape, or silly. All she was thinking about was the look on Kate's face. Please Max, don't fail me now.

There was already a small crowd of people by the dorm when she got there, and judging by the amount of people she'd ran past, it was only going to get bigger. Students gathered by the entrance, gaping up at the roof. Chloe didn't waste time, she ran by them and straight towards the door.

When Chloe reached the top of the stairway she stopped, her mind struggling to process what she was seeing. Kate stood near the door to the roof, her drenched clothes making her look even smaller than Chloe remembered. Max stood beside her, one arm wrapped around Kate protectively. And a couple steps down was none other than David Madsen, step-ass extraordinaire.

"Come here, step away from the door," David said in a tone that was anything but comforting. Kate didn't elect to come down, instead she kept one hand on the door handle. She looked like she might bolt at any moment.

"Chloe! Do something! Get David out of here." Max said as she caught sight of her.

"Calm the fuck down. You trying to scare her back onto the roof?" Chloe said, causing David to jump slightly.

"Chloe, get back down…"

"You've got a mob of curious teenagers blocking the exit, get them out of the way. I'll make sure Kate gets down okay."

"No you're not, I'm…"

"Just look at her dude, you're scaring her. You need to leave. Kate will come down with me. Won't you Kate?" Kate looked at Chloe with wide eyes. Please Kate. Please.

"Y-yeah. With Chloe," she said finally. David looked between the two of them and then turned and walked back down the stairs.

"Get her down Chloe," he said quietly as he reached her.

"Like I'd do anything else," Chloe said and shouldered past him.

Kate watched her closely as she closed in on her. For a moment Chloe thought she was going to run still, but then Max pulled her in for a hug and she visibly relaxed. When Chloe was just a step away from Kate she held out her hand.

"Come on Kate," she said. Kate stared at her hand. Then, slowly and carefully, she reached her own hand out and placed it in Chloe's. It was cold, wet, and delicate. Chloe wrapped her fingers around it and gave Kate a smile.

"Come on." Kate took a step forward as Max released her. She fell into Chloe, who wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Chloe, I…" She started, but then broke down. She pulled herself against Chloe, burying her face in Chloe's neck and covering her in tears. Chloe pulled her in close and held her for a moment, thankful for how tall she was. It definitely had its advantages.

"I know Kate. I've been there too. I'm just glad you didn't," Chloe said as Kate calmed down. Chloe glanced over at Max who stood close by. Max was crying too, though it looked more from relief than anything. Chloe shot Max a questioning look, but then Kate started talking again.

"I was going to, I really was. But, there was someone up there," Kate said against her. The hairs on the back of Chloe's neck stood straight up. Could she see Max?

"Who?" Chloe asked. Kate pulled away from her and looked into Chloe's eyes.

"Do you promise not to laugh?"

"I won't. On my life Kate." Kate bit her lip. Then she hesitantly opened her mouth.

"...I think it was my guardian angel." Whatever Chloe was expecting to hear, that wasn't it. It took her a moment to process.

"Your guardian angel?"

"I know it sounds crazy," Kate said quickly. She tried to pull away, but Chloe held her tight.

"I don't think it sounds crazy, I believe you." Kate stopped and glanced up at her.

"You do?" Chloe looked up at Max who silently looked back down at her. She smiled and turned back to Kate.

"I do Kate. Tell me what happened." Kate nodded and Chloe helped her stand on her own.

"When I got up here my favorite Bible verse was taped to the door," Kate started with a wave at the door. "I thought it was a weird coincidence, but when I got up there it…felt like someone was there with me. I thought I was going crazy. But then, when I stepped up on the ledge, I felt these arms wrap around me and pull me into hug. It was so warm…" Kate said, wandering off slightly. Eventually she shook herself and continued. "I couldn't do it after that. I felt like I'd be letting her down."

"Her?" Chloe asked. Kate blushed and nodded.

"It...felt like a female hug," she explained. Chloe looked back up at Max again and arched an eyebrow, which earned her a blush.

"Well, I'm no angel Kate, but I give some hella good hugs. When you get time I'll take you out for some hamburgers and all the hugs you need," Chloe said.

"That...that sounds really nice Chloe," Kate said, glancing down at the floor. Damn she's cute.

"Come on Kate, let's head down," Chloe said. Kate nodded and the two started down the stairs, hand in hand.

"So, I doubt they're going to let me go back to my dorm now," Kate said as they walked.

"Uh, probably not Kate. But, I'll be waiting when you come back. And I'll come visit you!"

"You promise?"

"On my life Kate."

David had driven the students away from the entrance, but not by much. Chloe saw the flashes of light as phone cameras went off and she felt Kate tense beside her.

"Hey shitheads, turn off your fucking cameras!" Chloe shouted at them as she moved in front of Kate. A couple of them lowered their phones, but not all. Chloe strode across the grass towards the nearest gawker, Chloe couldn't remember her name, Courtney maybe, and grabbed her phone out of her hand and chucked it into the crowd.

"What about 'no fucking cameras' didn't you understand?!" To the left Victoria opened her mouth. Chloe turned and stared at her, daring her to say a word. Victoria's mouth slammed shut and she quickly put her phone away. Chloe's eyes swept the rest of the crowd. Phones disappeared left and right. Chloe turned and walked back to Kate, who gave her a small smile. Max had an even bigger smile.

"Fuck I love you," Max said with a laugh.

"You know it," Chloe said under her breath before wrapping her arm around Kate again as David walked up to them.

"Ambulance is on its way Ms. Marsh. Right this way," David said with an obvious attempt at sounding nicer.

"I'll walk with you Kate," Chloe said.

"Thanks Chloe, for everything."

"Don't thank me, just make sure you keep your promise. Hamburgers at the Two Whales, you and me."

"It's a promise."

"Did you just ask out Kate Marsh?" Max asked after Kate was safely on her way. Chloe had exchanged phone numbers with Kate so she could come visit her later. It was strange, start a day as strangers and end it as close friends. A close friend she had definitely not asked out on a date.

"What? No! It's just a friend date. I mean friend neutral meeting. Platonic friend neutral meeting."

"You're cute when you're flustered." Max said with a laugh.

"Fuck you," Chloe muttered.

"I'm surprised though, I thought loyalty was your highest quality. But here you are, making moves on every girl in Blackwell. Going on a date with me."

"When did I…"

"Dating Rachel."

"Exclusively."

"And now you're asking out Kate," Max finished.

"Drop it 'guardian angel.'" Chloe said.

"Okay, I asked for that one," Max admitted.

"What was that about? She could feel you couldn't she? You hugged her and she could feel it." Chloe said. Max glanced over at her and Chloe could instantly tell she was hiding something from her.

"Chloe, we don't have time…"

"Oh, you are seriously not giving me that line right now. You're not getting out of this one."

"I'll explain Chloe, I will, but I really do need you to do something and it has to be right now." Chloe frowned, but shook her head. She couldn't really argue, so far listening to Max had saved someone's life. Who knew what was next.

"Okay Max, I'll let you off for now. What's next?"

"I need you to go talk to David before he gets pulled into Well's office. Show him the video you took. I need him to implicate Jefferson in all this."

"Oh, that I can do. Fucker won't know what hit him."

"That's the plan, I'll see you in a little while. After the eclipse okay? Stay on campus until then, by the building entrance," Max said. Chloe nodded. She'd forgotten all about the eclipse. She took off running for the main building. She really should have worn something other than boots.

"David!" Chloe shouted as she saw the back of his uniform about to vanish inside the school.

"Chloe!" David said as he turned around, sounding surprised. He probably was, Chloe couldn't remember the last time she'd used his real name. "I don't have time right now. I have to get to the principal's office," he said as she reached him.

"I'll ignore how incredibly lame that sounds. Listen, I saw Jefferson picking on Kate right before she went to the roof," Chloe said. David's eyes narrowed.

"Pick on, what do you mean?"

"I got a video. I'll just...text it to you. Watch it before you meet with Wells okay. Okay?"

"Okay Chloe, I'll watch it. And...thanks for your help earlier," David said.

"Whatever, just watch it. It's your turn to help Kate," Chloe said as she sent the video.

"Got it," David said.

"Good, just, don't let him get off," Chloe said and turned away before he could respond.

"Chloe Price," a voice said from behind Chloe, interrupting her thoughts. For a moment she was confused. Then she was terrified.

"Rachel! Fuck!," Chloe exclaimed, jolting to her feet. She was sitting on a picnic bench on the Blackwell lawn, waiting for an eclipse that wasn't supposed to happen.

"Rachel fuck indeed. What happened to calling me when classes ended?" Rachel said as she walked over to Chloe. Something seemed off about her. Chloe couldn't quite place it, but it made her stomach fill with butterflies, and not in the good way.

"Rachel, I'm so sorry. Today's been absolutely, hella crazy. You have no idea," Chloe said as she moved over to Rachel. Rachel crossed her arms in front of her and stared Chloe down. Chloe stopped, feeling as if a physical barrier had been erected between them. Something was very wrong.

"Well. Enlighten me," Rachel said.

"Kate Marsh tried to commit suicide."

"The Catholic girl?" Chloe nodded.

"Yeah, she tried to jump off the girl's dorm," Chloe said, her mind going back to the image of Kate standing on top of the stairwell. If Max hadn't been there...

"Fuck, who stopped her?" Rachel asked.

"Huh?"

"You said tried? I thought that meant someone stopped her," Rachel said. Chloe could have kicked herself. How to explain this without sounding crazy?

"Oh, uh, she said an angel did?" Chloe said finally. Rachel arched an eyebrow.

"Wow, it's always the quiet ones," she said. Chloe almost opened her mouth to defend Kate, but then Rachel pressed on. "So what, you've just been sitting here ever since, forgetting about your incredibly beautiful girlfriend?"

"Y-yeah, sorry. Just really affected me ya know?" Chloe said. She wasn't good at this 'telling half-truths' kind of thing. She was used to blurting out whatever she was thinking. It took a lot of energy to think through every little sentence. She didn't know how Max did it.

"Didn't know you were that close to her," Rachel said, her voice a little cold. Chloe was confused. Yeah she screwed up by not calling, but Rachel seemed really pissed off.

"I'm not. At least not yet. It's just, I kinda know what she's going through." Rachel frowned and nodded, and for a moment Chloe thought she might be in the clear.

"Okay. Okay, I'll give you that one," Rachel said.

"Give me that one?" Chloe asked, confused.

"You lied to me Chloe," Rachel said simply. The butterflies in Chloe's stomach caught fire. She knew. Chloe wasn't sure which lie she was talking about, but it hardly mattered. They were all in a tangled not, expose one and the rest came tumbling with.

"I did," Chloe said quietly.

"What were you doing this morning?" Rachel asked.

"Do you want the truth? You might not like it," Chloe said.

"I'm a big girl Chloe, I can handle it."

"I was meeting Max." Rachel looked confused for a moment. Then she dropped her arms.

"Max? As in, the girl that doesn't exist?" Rachel asked. Chloe hated the look on her face. It was the same look her mom had whenever she talked about missing Max, a mixture of pity and fear.

"Yeah, I've been…seeing her again. Ever since we had that talk yesterday."

"Did I...trigger it? I'm sorry Chloe, I didn't mean…"

"I don't think that's it. Just a weird coincidence." Rachel stared at her for a moment.

"Chloe...you need to see someone. Like your doctor or something," Rachel said. She took a step towards Chloe, but Chloe shook her head.

"You don't understand Rachel. I don't want to stop."

"Chloe…"

"This...this isn't like the other times Rachel. She's doing things, things I can't explain. I...don't think she's just in my head." Rachel took another step forward. She reached out and put a hand on Chloe's shoulder.

"Chloe, you know she's not real. You told me she wasn't remember?"

"I know," Chloe said. "But everything is different this time. She...she knows things. Things that haven't happened yet. Like Kate. She knew what was going to happen with Kate today. I think she saved her life." Rachel bit her lip and looked down.

"I thought you were cheating on me Chloe," she said quietly. Chloe instantly reached up and cupped Rachel's face with her hand.

"Never Rachel, I'd never do that to you."

"I wish you were." Chloe's hand froze.

"What?" Rachel pulled away from her, leaving Chloe's hand floating in the air.

"I wish you were cheating Chloe. I could understand that. Long distances, it's hard. We could work through that. This though, I don't understand this Chloe. I don't…I don't know what to do," Rachel said as she slowly backed away from her. A spark went off in Chloe's mind, a flash of anger driven from years of isolation, years of people treating her like some tragic nutjob. Not this time. Not from Rachel. Not from the one person who always had her back. Chloe's hand curled into a fist as she advanced on her.

"How about just believing me Rachel?" She said.

"Believing you? Are you even hearing yourself? Imaginary best friends and predicting the future, you sound like you're from A Beautiful Mind for fuck's sake," Rachel said, reacting instantly to Chloe's change in attitude.

"You've been my friend for years, how about giving me the benefit of the doubt!"

"This has nothing to do with friendship Chloe, this is serious."

"Can't you just…"

"No I can't Chloe!" Rachel shouted. "You don't need me to believe you, you need help. Help I can't give you." Chloe opened her mouth, but then the world went dark. Chloe froze.

"Holy shit," she said.

"Chloe, what the hell is…" Rachel asked, but Chloe already knew the answer. She turned towards the sun.

"Turn around and look Rachel. It's happening, it's actually happening," Chloe said. Part of her couldn't believe it, but the larger part of her wasn't surprised at all.

"What…is there supposed to be an eclipse today?" Rachel asked.

"No, no there's not. But Max knew. She knew Rachel. You want proof I'm not crazy, there it is, for the whole fucking town to see."

A/N: Hello friends!

Sorry for the long wait. Ended up rewriting parts of this chapter over and over again to get the emotions right. I hope it finds you all well!