The Only

A Way with Words

Chloe was already inside the coffee shop when Rachel walked in. "You're not about to burn down a forest, are you?" Chloe said behind a playful grimace. "The last time I saw that look in your eyes..."

"Chloe, what's going on?" Rachel looked furious and demanded answers. The girl was stunning, but when she got fired up, she became ferocious.

"First, I need to do something. This is for Max." Chloe walked up and casually gave her fiery friend a hug. "She wanted me to tell you, 'thank you'. Thank you for saving me and keeping me safe while she was in Seattle."

The blonde's eyebrows were pulled downward, and her shoulders thrust upward. "So, this is the same Max who deserted you when you were kids?"

Without pause, Chloe proclaimed, "That's the one! She's my person, Rach." She took a deep breath, held it for a couple of seconds, and exhaled. "Let's sit and talk. There's so much more I need you to know."

Rachel joined her at a booth near the coffee prep area. "You're dating Max, is that all you want to tell me?"

"No," the taller girl answered, "That's not even half of what I need to say." The girls faced directly across from one another. Chloe reached forward and grabbed Rachel's right hand, cupping it between both of hers. She pulled away at first, then reluctantly allowed her hand to be held.

"I love you, Rach. You mean so much to me. You came into my life exactly when I needed. My father died, Max moved away, and I was in a very, very dark place. You made life feel worth living again. I'll never be able to express what our time together means to me." She felt a sense of clarity wash through her, like a feeling of renewed confidence. She knew what she needed to tell the blonde; she just wasn't sure exactly how to do it.

Chloe released the actress's hand. "I need to tell you a story that you're gonna think is hella insane in the brain. But I promise, it's true. Just trust me." Rachel's left eyebrow was arched up with a look of intrigue.

"Well, I did trust you until whatever that shit was today in the park." Her partial smirk let Chloe know she was ready to forgive her. They'd been through a ton together and could still read each other's mannerisms like a book. "You're so stinking hot right now."

"Stop that, down girl. Just let me talk for a while to try and get my thoughts out, save your questions until the end. I'd be a good college professor, yeah?"

"You're adorable, Professor Price. It definitely has a nice ring to it."

"OK. So, uh, you know Max and I met each other when we were kids. You know we were inseparable then, and you know we played pirates literally all the time. Remember, you made fun of me for the pirate stuff? Anyway, then my dad died, and her mom and dad took her away from Arcadia Bay - away from me. Those are the things you know about us."

Rachel shook her head. "I also know she totally ghosted you when you needed her the most." Her words felt venomous but not completely untrue.

"Yeah, that was... tough. She still beats herself up nearly every day because of it. Come to find out, it wasn't even her fault. Her parents cut us off and practically forced her to disappear on me." Sticking out her tongue, Chloe added, "No comments until the end of the lecture, Miss Amber!"

She didn't really know how to bring up the whole time travel thing, so she just continued. "Max is... special. See, there was this note.... no, not that yet. Maybe, no." She was rambling. "Ok, I got it." She realized she would have to start at the actual beginning. It seemed to be the only way she would even have a remote shot at convincing her of the truth.

"Remember how earlier I sorta said you were missing? Well, you were. You were drugged and killed by Nathan Prescott. He didn't mean to; it was an overdose... thing. You WERE caught up in the Jeffershit stuff, and I posted flyers all over town searching for you. But Max and I found your body buried in the junkyard. It was horrible, Rach, a goddamn nightmare!" Chloe was sure her friend had no idea her mouth was hanging open. There is no way she believed the story so far, but she had to continue. Maybe the tears in her eyes at least confirmed she wasn't joking.