I drove us to town to learn more about Frank. Max, who was sitting between Chloe and me, said, "Hey, when I checked David's laptop, I found some pictures of Rachel and Frank that looked like they were more than just friends."

I quickly responded, "No way! She could do way better than him." Chloe chimed in, sounding really upset, "I don't believe it, Max. She was just posing to tease Frank." That was strange to me.

Max then suggested, "If you don't believe me, let's check out Frank's RV and see what he's hiding." When we arrived at the diner, I noticed Frank's RV parked in the lot, so I parked the truck on the opposite side.

"What's the point?" I asked, stopping the truck. "He has Rachel's bracelet. What else could he be hiding?" Max pointed out. "Motherfucker better not have anything else, for his own good. Let's check the door. Sometimes he gets so drunk that he forgets to lock his RV," Chloe said as she jumped out of the truck.

We walked over to Frank's RV, which was just a few feet away. "I can't believe you used to hang out with Frank," I told Chloe. "Not anymore. We need to be sneaky about this," Chloe replied, trying to open the door, but Frank's dog started barking loudly.

"Shit. Here's the plan. I'll head to the diner and distract Frank by saying I have his money, but he needs to come with me. While I do that, you two sneak in and check things out without him noticing. Then you can tell Frank that… umm…" Chloe trailed off, clearly confused about her own plan.

Chloe's behavior was really bothering me, and it felt like a knot in my stomach. I turned to Max and said, "Hey, do you mind handling this on your own for a bit? I need to talk with Chloe." Max smiled and replied, "Sure, I can manage. I'll be back soon." Then she turned and walked away, leaving Chloe and me alone.

Chloe looked puzzled about why I wanted to talk with her. "What's up, Aiden?" she asked. I pointed out, "You seem more worried about Rachel than I am. I know you two got close, but I didn't think you cared that much about her."

She seemed lost for words and a bit guilty. "Is there something you want to tell me, Chloe?" I asked, noticing her expression. She turned her gaze away and rubbed her arm. "Chloe?" I said gently.

"Please don't get pissed at me, okay?" she said, which made me think something was off. "Alright, just go ahead and tell me," I responded.

Chloe looked away as she said, "Rachel and I were seeing each other before you two broke up." Hearing that made my heart drop. "When did this happen, Chloe?" I asked, feeling a mix of betrayal from my cousin. It was hard to get the words out as I fought back my emotions.

"But we were still together..." I protested, my fists tightening. Chloe's expression was full of regret as she replied, "I'm really sorry, Aiden. I wanted to tell you but was scared of how you'd feel. I loved her back then and didn't want to hurt you."

I remembered the strained times Rachel and I had during that period, filled with constant arguing.

Although part of me felt hurt by Chloe's actions, I couldn't bring myself to blame her. "I understand. I can't be mad since Rachel and I weren't really doing well anyway. So, thanks for being honest, Chloe," I responded.

Chloe glanced at me with concern. "You're not angry with me, are you?" she questioned. I stepped closer and wrapped my arms around her. "No way, I can't stay mad at you," I replied. She squeezed me tightly in return. "I appreciate it, Aiden," she said.

"Alright, enough of the sappy talk. We need to find something to entertain Frank's dog while we work on opening this door," I said. "That works for me," Chtoe replied, smiling. We looked around the parking lot for anything that might keep Pompidou occupied.

After a little while, Chloe spotted a big dog bone, and we waited for Max to return with Frank's keys. A few minutes later, Max came back, proudly holding the keys up. "I should have guessed it would be the incredible SpiderMax," Chloe laughed when she saw him.

"You know it. Now let's hurry up," Max replied, handing over the keys. I unlocked the door and said, "Alright, get ready. On the count of three, throw it, Max!" I opened the door, and the dog leaped out of the RV as Max tossed the bone into the parking lot to keep him safe.

"We should check this place out," I suggested as we entered. It was just as gross as I recalled from my last visit to this RV. We began looking for any signs that could lead us to Frank and Rachel. Chloe was busy with the computer while Max and I rummaged through the back.

I noticed a slightly open vent, so I pried it open and found a journal inside. It was filled with photos of Frank and Rachel, along with some love letters.

"Hey, baby?" I called out, and she walked into Frank's room. "What did you say?" she asked, her face a bit flushed. "I didn't mean to say that," I replied, shaking my head.

"Are you really not going to tell me you love me right now?" she asked. "This isn't the right moment for that. Just check this out," I said, handing her the journal to see. We took the journal over to Chloe and laid it out in front of her. "It makes me ill that Rachel posed like this for Frank… or wrote him love letters. I can't believe she was banging Frank! Rachel lied to my face! Why didn't she say anything?!" Chloe shouted in anger.

Maybe you didn't tell me about you and her for the same reason. She probably knew how you'd feel, I said to her. Max looked puzzled by my words. "I'll explain later," I added.

"She wasn't really a friend, was she? Just another person who shits on me. Why does everyone in my life disappoint me? My dad died, you disappeared for years, Aiden stopped talking to me when he went back to that shithole school. My mom clings to stepfucker… and now Rachel has turned on me," Chloe vented her frustrations.

"Chloe, Rachel is missing. No one has betrayed you," Max replied, her voice showing some anger. Chloe shot us a fierce look and yelled, "Bullshit! Everyone has! Fuck everybody!" She jumped up and grabbed my car keys.

"Chloe!" Max and I yelled as she rushed out of the RV. We quickly followed her outside, where she had thrown Frank's keys onto a roof before heading to my truck. Chloe was taking us back to Blackwell, tears streaming down her face, and she didn't say a single word to us.

Max finally broke the awkward silence. "Chloe, you can't keep blaming everyone for everything that's wrong in your life. It's not fair," she said, glancing at Chloe, who was still crying.

"I have to blame someone. If I don't, it's all on me. No way," Chloe shot back angrily. I was frustrated with her attitude and snapped, "Would you just grow up? It's nobody's fault, not even yours." Chloe then said, "I can't trust anyone anymore… Everyone acts like they care until they don't. Even you two," which made my heart sink.

"Chloe Price, you need to take that back right now," Max said with a serious tone. It was the most intense I had ever heard her. "Fine, whatever. You both just don't get it... It feels like the universe is punishing me. Do you know what it's like to wait for your dad to come home as a kid... and he never shows up?" Chloe snapped.

That really pissed me off, and I shot a glare at my cousin. "I get it, Chloe. You lost your dad that day, but I lost my sister. I don't blame her for what happened. I've been through just as much as you. My parents stopped talking to me after that, and you were the only one I had left. You still have a parent who gives a shit about you. Max and I were there with you that day, remember?" I said, feeling tears welling up.

I felt Max squeeze my hand gently to help me stay calm. After a moment, Chloe parked in front of the school. She didn't look at us or say anything. Max and I got out of the truck and walked toward the school together.