Song(s) that inspired this chapter: You're Somebody Else by Flora Cash
Rachel's P.O.V
Chloe and the other girl came inside, and I flung myself into Chloe's arms. Chloe still smelled the same, a mixture of cigarette smoke and leather, with a bit of mint from the gum she always chews. She held me back tightly and buried her face in my neck.
"I missed you so fucking much," She cried into my neck, and hugged me even tighter.
"I missed you too, Chloe." I sobbed into her jacket. She pulled out of the hug and looked at me.
She looked the same, but tired. I can't imagine what she's gone through this past year. If Chloe died, I wouldn't know what to do. Living without her was hard enough, but knowing she was out there, alive, helped.
"I can't believe you're actually alive." Chloe said tearfully.
"I'm glad I can finally see you again, but I fucking told you not to come!" I laughed and punched her arm, after wiping a tear from under my eye.
"And I fucking told you I don't listen!" She laughed and we both sat on the bed.
The girl with the brown bob and freckles stood awkwardly in the corner. She looked like....no, it couldn't be.
"Max?" I cocked my head to the side.
"You-you know who I am?" She looked confused.
"Oh yeah, Chloe used to talk about you all of the time." I chuckled. Chloe's face reddened.
"Wow Rachel, only two minutes of being together again and you're already being a bitch," Chloe teased.
"You love it." I gave her the middle finger. Max laughed.
Chloe and I sat beside each other on the bed, and fingers intertwined, and Max leaned against the dresser.
"I guess we've got a lot to talk about, huh?" I said with a small grin.
Chloe scoffed. "That's putting it mildly."
"I'll go sit in the truck for a while so you guys can talk." Max cleared her throat and stood up straight.
"You can stay if you want," I looked at her.
"Yeah Max, you're a big part of this too." Chloe agreed with me.
"No, it's fine. You can just get me when you're done." Max insisted, and left.
Chloe and I both sat together for a moment, still shocked about being together again.
"Where should I start?" I asked with a shrug.
"Frank." Chloe's face had a grim expression on it, her mouth set in a hard line and her forehead wrinkled.
Frank and I had a....relationship, and I had hoped Chloe would never find out about it, because I knew she would not approve. Frank isn't going to be a part of my life anymore, he's just a part of my past.
"Oh." I said softly. "So you know?"
"Yeah. I stole your bracelet from him." She raised her wrist to show me my blue, braided bracelet that I've had my entire life.
I chuckled. "Same old Chloe." She forced a smile. I knew she would be upset when she found out about Frank. That's why I never told her about him.
"At first, I liked him. He was sweet, and I thought he was good for me." I began, looking at Chloe worriedly. She looked a bit appalled at the mention of him being sweet.
"Then, after a while, we got in a lot of arguments. He'd get mad, and yell and throw things, and I'd get mad, and scream, and cause a scene. I ended up just using him for drugs in the end." I explained.
"You fucking lied to my face. I asked you if you were banging Frank, and you said no." She said, her voice filled with tension.
"I know, but I was worried about how you'd react. I thought you might not want to be my friend anymore." I admitted tearfully.
"I would never stop being friends with you, Rachel." Chloe said softly, placing her hand on my shoulder. I rested my head on her shoulder.
"I really missed this, Clo." I sighed and held her hand. "Did you get another tattoo?" I grabbed her hand when I noticed a flash on blue on her finger.
"Uh, yeah. On your birthday." She blushed, and stuck up her middle finger, to show me the tattoo.
It was the blue feather earring I had always worn, before everything happened.
"The placement is fitting," I laughed, and dropped her hand.
"Well, when I flip someone off, it's like we both are telling them to 'fuck off'." She shrugged and laughed.
"It's really sweet, Chloe." I said sincerely. Chloe said nothing.
"But, about Frank, I'm not here for him, I'm here for you Chloe; you're the only one I want." I turned to face her, and looked in her blue eyes that I had longed to see in person for too long of a time.
"What about your life in Portland?" She said after a silent moment.
"Well, I woke up in Nathan's car, I didn't remember anything. He seemed surprised by that. He said I was named Rachel, and I had a head injury. He dropped me off at a motel with a bit of cash. I ended up picking up a job waiting tables at a diner, and moved in with my roommate, Mackenzie." I explained, and fidgeted with the buttons on my flannel shirt.
"Max and I met her. That's how I got your phone number, actually. She seemed cool." Chloe responded.
"She is." I nodded, and linked my arm in Chloe's. "But you're cooler."
"Life was shit when you were gone." She said quietly, and looked away. I placed my hand on her thigh sympathetically.
"I mean, Max came back and all, but it wasn't the same. I was hoping for you to be the one that would magically return, just walk through my door one day, and throw your arms around my neck.....but that day never came."
Chloe has changed. She looked tired, and drained, and you could tell she had a rough fucking past just from looking at her. She sounded the same, and looked the same, but there was no doubt that she had changed majorly.
"Oh, Chloe. It fucking sucked not seeing you, and I'm sorry I tried to keep you away. I didn't want Damon to hurt you." I wrapped my arms around her. She pulled back.
"Damon fucking Merrick?" She asked angrily, her once calm eyes blazing with hatred.
"Y-yeah." I nodded, surprised by her sudden outburst.
Damon, Chloe and I have a very complicated history together. Damon stabbed me in the arm, almost killed Chloe and almost killed my biological mother, Sera. She has every right to hate him, as do I. And I do hate him; with a burning passion.
"He's the one that's been threatening you? How did he find you?" Chloe's face was red with anger, and her fists were tightly balled at her sides, as she stood up and paced back and forth in the small motel room.
"I don't know. He knocked on my motel door, not long after I had gotten here, and said if I didn't do what he said, he'd hurt you, and me." I sighed, tired from all of this crazy, TV like drama shit. Which is pretty ironic, considering I'm a drama kid.
"I thought Frank killed that bastard." Chloe's face was hardened, and deep in thought.
"Frank gave him a really good beating, and told him to never come back. At least that's what Damon told me." I explained, standing up to be beside her.
"What has he had you doing for him?" Chloe asked angrily, her voice as sharp as a razor.
"Collecting debt from people that owe him, delivering drugs. Stupid shit." I admitted, and was afraid to look her in the eyes, worried that she'd be pissed.
"Did he fucking hurt you?" Chloe put a gentle hand on my face and looked at me worriedly. She tilted my face up and turned it from side to side, looking for any signs of injuries.
I tugged at the bottom of my shirt, making sure the bruise on my hip was covered up. I had tried to fight him, when he threatened Chloe and I, but it's pretty hard for a teen girl to take on a big man like him.
"No. I'm fine, Price." I gently removed her hand from my face.
"Good, because if he did..." her voice trailed off and wavered with anger. "I need a smoke," she shook her head.
"Me too, C." I grabbed my glasses and put them on. I didn't want to take any chances of being recognized. In a small shit-pit town like this, everybody knew everybody. It doesn't help that I had missing posters with my face on them all over the town for over six months, not that I don't appreciate Chloe trying to find me.
We both walked out of the door, and Chloe gestured for Max to come out of the truck.
Chloe and I leaned against the corner of the building as Max walked over.
Chloe patted her pockets and groaned. "I left them in the truck. I'll get 'em."
"No, I have some." I said and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lighter from my jean pocket.
"So you smoke regularly now, huh?" Chloe elbowed me playfully. "That's new."
"Now that I don't have a dad riding my ass, it's a lot easier." I snickered and bumped into her back.
I raised a cigarette to my lips and placed the other one in between Chloe's lips. She grabbed it with her teeth, and I lit both of ours, with the same flame. Max stood there awkwardly, just watching.
I arched an eyebrow. "Want one?" Max began to say something, but Chloe cut her off.
"No, she's a good girl. She doesn't smoke or drink." Chloe chuckled, and patted Max on the shoulder. Max looked annoyed for a second.
"Actually, I'll try one." Max shot Chloe a dirty look. Chloe's eyes widened in surprise, and she took her cigarette in her fingers.
"Are you serious Max?" Chloe raised an eyebrow, like I had a moment before. "That's not like you."
"You don't have to if you don't want to, we won't judge." I added reassuringly.
I didn't know that Max would do something like that. From what Chloe has told me, Max seemed like a goodie two shoes. Maybe she wants to impress us? I don't blame her if she's jealous that I'm back, I'd feel the same if the situations were reversed.
"No, I want to. You only live once." She chuckled awkwardly.
"Try mine," Chloe handed her the smoking cigarette and Max took it nervously. It was obvious that she didn't want to do it.
"Do I just-" Max began.
"Put it in your mouth, inhale a little, then take it out and blow." Chloe instructed her, with a surprised smirk on her face.
Max did as Chloe had said, and Max a disgusted face. She handed the cigarette back to Chloe, and started to cough. Chloe and I chuckled, and Chloe patted Max on the back.
"That was disgusting," Max spat in between coughs. "You were right, I didn't want to do it, I just wanted to prove that I can be...spontaneous." Max admitted with a shy smile.
"At least you can say you tried it." I shrugged and puffed on my cigarette.
"Mad Max lives up to her rep!" Chloe grabbed the cigarette from Max.
"How can you stand that stuff?" Max asked with genuine curiosity.
"It's relaxing." Chloe winked. I nodded.
"We should probably catch her up on everything." I looked over at Chloe, then back at Max.
"Yeah. But maybe Max and I should catch you up on what we did first." Said Chloe.
"Yeah, it'd probably make more sense that way." I nodded.
We put out our cigarettes, and went back inside the motel room. Chloe and Max told me everything, about how they found out about Nathan and Jefferson, and finding "my" body.
"One more thing," Max said, and looked at Chloe uneasily. Chloe nodded.
"We wouldn't have been able to accomplish this....if it wasn't for my power." She continued.
"Power?" I laughed. "Is that why Chloe calls you Super Max?" I took a sip from my bottled water.
"No, I can rewind time." Max admitted anxiously.
I laughed so hard, the water I drank poured out of my mouth.
"What are you high on? I thought you didn't do drugs." I cackled, bending over in laughter.
"It's true Rach." Chloe looked at me with a serious expression.
"Shared delusions? This is more serious than I thought." I laughed once again.
I can't believe they think I'm that gullible! I wasn't born yesterday. And damn, Chloe's gotten to be quite the actress since I left. She looked really convincing.
"Prove it, Max. Like how you did to me." Chloe nudged Max's shoulder, and pointed toward my front pocket.
"Yeah, you can't expect me to believe something as crazy as this without proof." I shrugged.
"Rachel, show me what you have in your pockets." Said Max.
"Uh, okay. I didn't know you were a cop." I joked and emptied my pockets.
A tube of chapstick, six bucks and thirty-seven cents, and my purple lighter and pack of cigarettes.
Max studied them carefully then nodded. "Okay."
x-x-x
"Yeah, you can't expect me to believe something as crazy as this without proof." I shrugged.
"I'm going to tell you what's in your pockets," Max said.
I crossed my arms and leaned forward. "Try me. And don't leave out any details."
"Rach you're gonna love this." Chloe grinned.
"You have a strawberry flavoured chapstick. A lighter, with purple flames on it, a pack of cigarettes and money." Max smiled satisfactorily.
Damn she's good. Could it actually be real?
"How much money?"
"Six dollars and thirty-seven cents." Max crossed her arms.
I pulled out all of the items from my pocket. She nailed it all.
"Haha book Max!" Chloe cheered and high fived her. "Isn't it fucking sick Rachel?"
They were telling the truth. Holy shit, Max can rewind time! That's not fucking possible, what the hell is up?
"Rach? Your jaw is literally on the ground." Chloe laughed and stood up and walked over to me, wrapping her arm around my shoulders.
"I'm just...wow. That's fucking crazy." I said in awe. Max chuckled shyly.
"It's how we discovered what happened to you. I get visions sometimes, and I had two visions of you." Max fidgeted with her hands awkwardly. "So care to catch me up on what you guys were talking about?"
"Oh, yeah." I nodded, and plopped down on the bed.
Chloe and I explained everything to her, Nathan, trying to get a job, my memory slowly returning and Damon. She listened with wide eyes, and her mouth slightly parted in excitement.
"Oh my fucking God Rachel. I'm so sorry." Max's eyes welled up with tears. "I...I can't imagine going through anything like that."
"All that matters is I'm here now," I said and looked at the both of them reassuringly.
"What are we going to do about Damon?" Asked Max quietly.
Chloe's face hardened into an angered expression and her thin brows furrowed.
"We're going to fucking kill him." She growled quietly, clenching her fists tightly.
Chloe has a bad temper, almost as bad as me. The good thing about us is that we balance each other out, with all of our craziness. Although it had gotten us into trouble at times, I missed her temper, she wouldn't be Chloe Price without it.
"Chloe we have to be rational about this," Max said calmly, but I could sense an underlying twinge of worry in her voice.
"I agree. I fucking hate Damon, but I don't want any of us to get hurt." Max and I both watched her, and her expression slowly softened.
"Fine. Do you guys have a better plan?" Chloe gave in, and sighed in annoyance.
"I say we keep going along with him. When we have enough evidence, we can bring it to the police- well you guys can, nobody knows I'm here." I suggested.
Max nodded. "That sounds like a solid plan, but what if he hurts you?"
"I don't want him laying a fucking finger on you." Chloe gazed at me, a worried expression on her pale, stony face.
"He won't. Don't worry." I reassured her. She sighed.
"So....what now?" Max asked.
"Well, it's not like I have anywhere else to stay, but it probably isn't safe for me to stay here now that you guys know I'm here. People might catch on." I shrugged.
"My house." Said Chloe. I looked at her with a confused expression on my face.
"I can't get caught Chloe, and David is sure to find me. He'd tell my dad, James." I raised an eyebrow in confusion at her.
"Yeah Chloe, Rachel's right." Max nodded in agreement.
I don't know what Chloe was thinking, but there's no way I could possibly stay at her house without anyone finding out. People have mourned, and it's best to let them move on with their lives and leave the behind- except for Chloe. She was the one piece of this shit hole that I was still attached to.
"Think about it." Chloe said, raising her arms in the air. "Joyce wouldn't tell anyone, if we asked her not to, she'd just be happy to see that you're alive. As for David, he won't tell anyone if Joyce tells him not to. He won't risk his relationship with her. And that's just if they catch us, because I don't plan on them finding you."
I sat in silence, and thought for a moment. Neither Chloe nor Max said anything, but then again, Max rarely spoke, she wasn't that talkative, and I barely knew her.
Chloe's right. It's not like I have anywhere else to go, and Joyce wouldn't sell me out, and as for David, we'll have to see how that would play out.
"Well?" Chloe wiggled her eyebrows. I rolled my eyes and chucked.
"I guess I don't have anywhere else to go," I shrugged.
"Yes!" Chloe pumped her fist and pulled me into a hug. "Fuck, I'm so glad you're here!"
I laughed and returned the hug, pecking her on the cheek when we pulled back. "I missed you too."
"I-I don't mean to interrupt, but I texted Warren to pick me up, so it won't be as crowded in the truck. I just said I was visiting a family friend who was in town here. I'll meet you guys tomorrow. Rachel, I'm glad that you're okay and that I finally got to meet you." Max explained, grabbing her bag from off of the nightstand.
"See ya Mad Max. And thanks for helping find Rachel. I gotta take a piss." Chloe saluted Max and wandered off into the bathroom. She was such a dork, but it's impossible to not love her.
Max began to walk outside, but I stopped her.
"Hey, uh, Max?" I began awkwardly. "Thanks for being there for Chloe while I was gone. She'd always talk about you, about when you were younger. I'm just glad that we'll all get to be friends, finally."
A flash of surprise flashed across her freckled face, but it was quickly replaced with a caring smile. "I feel the same way too, about you taking care of her when I was in Seattle, and about us all being friends. I'm so happy that Nathan and Jefferson didn't hurt you as bad as we thought they did. Warren's waiting for me, but I'll see you tomorrow." I hugged her, and she was hesitant at first, unsure of what to do, but she hugged me back, and left the motel with a wave.
Chloe returned shortly after, and plopped on the bed.
"Yo, pack up so we can go home!" She looked giddy, like a young kid about to get a new toy. On the inside, I was as bursting with excitement as she was.
"I can't wait." I said quietly, a smile creeping across my face.
x-x-x