Chloe knelt down at Rachel's headstone and moved aside the shrine built by Rachel's family. They had told her not to show up for the ceremony and acted like they loved Rachel, but they didn't even care enough to look for her when she was missing.
She swallowed the anger growing inside her and took off her bullet necklace and laid it across the grave before pulling out a picture of her and Rachel that was taken in one of those cheesy photo booths and laying leaning it on the headstone as she said, "I honestly don't know what to say. You deserved more from this world. You should be in Hollywood right now working on an acting career and not...I am never going to forget you and I hope you are finally at peace."
Chloe stood and started to walk through the tombstones. She wasn't sure where she was going at first but then she found herself at her father's grave. She cleared away the debris and pulled up the weeds before laying down, "It has been awhile since the last time I came here and this time I won't be getting high. You would actually be proud of me. I haven't smoked weed or a cigarette in almost four months but the last four months because my boss, Trotsky, asked me to stop. Me and Max are dating but that probably doesn't come as a surprise. And what else...Me and Joyce are talking anymore."
"Don't tell Max but Joyce came by the motel a couple days ago to try and fix things between us and I lost my temper with her." Chloe sighed, "She is divorcing David, because he hit her. He hits her once and he is out on his ass. She never gave a fuck when he hit me. No, I deserved it for being disrespectful, for pushing him, for being out of control. And then she started on my relationship with Max. Asking me if she was the kind of girl I actually wanted in my life. What the fuck does that even mean? I told her to get the fuck away from me and to stay out of my life. She started to cry and tried to apologize again but I slammed the motel room door in her face."
Chloe felt her pocket vibrate and she pulled her phone and almost had a panic attack when she saw a text from an unknown number that read, <Chloe?>
<Dad?>
<No it is Max. I got a new phone remember? Why did you call me Dad?>
<I am at the cemetery. I said my goodbye to Rachel and decided to talk to my dad and then you texted me. I thought that my dad was trying to pull a Rachel.>
<Oh...*Hugs*...Well I am at the dorm. My stuff is ready to be moved. All I need is you and the Bonnie Anne.>
<Be there soon.>
Chloe put away her phone and said, "Bye Dad. I will try not to wait so long before my next visit."
Chloe drove over to Blackwell. She helped Max load up her stuff and leaned on the side of Bonnie Anne to watch Max and Kate talk about future tea meetings in the park and almost broke out into laughter when she noticed Victoria was eyeing Kate like a hungry lioness as Kate walked away.
"So you and the Virgin Mary are together?"
"What?" Victoria turned to Chloe, her face a dark red, and said, "Of course we aren't. We are just friends."
"Uh huh." Chloe smiled, "And you weren't just imagining her naked."
"I..." Victoria huffed and crossed her arms, "How did Max get involved with someone as vulgar as you."
"Hey I am not judging you." Chloe motioned for Victoria to come closer, "I picture my girlfriend naked all the time. It makes working with her a bit difficult but it's just something that happens. She can be just sitting there, her face beaming with excitement as she explains how to repair a camera and the clothes start to vanish."
"Or you can be trying to play violin with her and you start to imagine her fingers doing something entirely different." Victoria's face turned red again, "Don't tell her I said that. She wants to be the one to tell Max about us."
"So when did it happen?"
"Shortly after the barn." Victoria leaned on the truck, "I heard her playing this really sad song and I knew something was troubling her. My brain kind of went blank because of what happened but she told her parents she was bi, and they...Anyways she then confessed her feelings about us to me and kissed me."
"Parents can fucking suck can't they." Chloe looked at Victoria, "Max got lucky but you, Kate and I got the bottom of the barrel."
"I have never told you about my parents."
"Didn't have to, rich girl." Chloe laughed, "I could tell from your attitude, your grades, your drinking problem, and your shopping addiction what kind of parents you have. Workaholics that paid you off instead of actually giving you attention except for when you did something that they approved of then they gave you all the attention in the world except their love was never real. You were a trophy child meant to show the world they had family values or some other bullshit, but still you idolized one of them. I am going to say your mother. She is probably a photographer like you. You have followed in her footsteps hoping that she will love you if you do."
Victoria glared at Chloe and said, "You fucking googled me didn't you?"
"Hey I may know who your family is but I did figure out the rest on my own." Chloe laughed, "For you to be this angry I must be right."
"Well I googled you as well." Victoria turned back to Max and Kate, "And I get you as well. Losing you dad like you did and then having your mom marry that asshole Madsen so quickly afterward."
"Why did you google me?"
"No reason." Victoria smiled, "Mostly curious and maybe a little bit of jealousy. I won't lie and say I didn't have a crush on Max when we first met."
"Trust me I already knew." Chloe looked at Max as she started to laugh, "I mean how you cannot fall for her? Every time she laughs or smiles I fall in love all over again."
"It fucking sucks that they are still kicking her out even with Madsen and Welles being fired.”
"Wait she didn't tell you?" Chloe looked at Victoria, "They asked her to return, but she turned them down. She only came back here because she was hoping this place would be able to open doors for her in the art world, but she didn't need it. She got a few of her pictures selected by the Rising Sun Gallery in Seattle."
"She was chosen for the Rising Sun Amateur Exhibit?" Victoria leaned back and took a deep breath before saying, "I submitted pieces to them as well and I was rejected."
"Sorry."
"No, it is fine." Victoria sighed, "She is better than me. I am not too proud to say that, but it hurts."
"Max has a way of seeing the world that I can't explain." Chloe noticed that Max and Kate were walking toward them, "You have talent though. I have seen your pictures and you work crowds better than Max. She is good with single subjects but you can somehow draw focus to one point even if it is among a hundred people."
Victoria smiled, "That is actually good advice."
"Gotta learn about art if one day I am going to be married to an artist." Chloe pulled Max into a tight hug and gave her a kiss on the forehead before letting go. "That is why Max is trying to learn how to work on engines."
"Not sure why you are talking about me, but if it is about the time I set that engine on fire that was just a simple mistake." Max looked at Victoria when she burst out laughing and said, "Is she high? I have never heard her laugh before."
"I...I am sorry Max, but..." Victoria shook her head and wiped the tears from her eyes, "I just imagined you standing in front of a burning engine with just this confused and bewildered look as you try to figure out what to do."
Kate snickered and said, "It's not that funny."
Chloe shook her head, "That is the kind of thing that happens when you finally decide not to bottle up all of your emotions. It is supposed to rain later this afternoon so we should get going if we want to get Max moved into her motel room before then."
"Go ahead and go." Victoria reached for Kate but stopped, "We will follow in my car and then we will all go to the Two Whales together. It will be my treat."
Max smiled and nodded as she said, "That is great. I have big news I am dying to let out. I have already told Chloe and my parents but now it is time for me to tell you two."
Chloe climbed into the cab and waited for Max to say goodbye to Victoria and Kate before pulling out. She put in a new cassette and hit play before looking to Max and saying, "So did you notice?"
"Kate and Victoria?" Max nodded, "She was staring at Kate's butt so hard I was afraid Kate's skirt was going to burst into flames."
"We got to act surprised when Kate tells us tonight." Chloe smiled and turned up the volume, "And I may have let it slip about you getting your pictures chosen. Victoria was upset but she was also proud of you."
"So what else did you talk about?"
"Nothing much." Chloe smiled, "We just got to know each other better and may have found enough common ground to be able to say that we are friends."
"That is good." Max yawned and rested her head on the window, "My mom and dad want us to come visit them as soon as we can. They are fine with me staying in Arcadia Bay but they also want to talk to us about everything that happened."
"Have you noticed?" Chloe looked out the window at the stores along main street, "For every business that is open there are two that are closed? This town let the Prescotts infect almost everything and now with the IRS and FBI ripping through them it is starting to die."
"Arcadia Bay will survive." Max smiled, "It might even get better."
"Let's hope." Chloe pulled into the motel, "But if it doesn't I say let's move to Hamilton. I will still be close to work and you can have fun with the Lewis-Clark National Forest."
"I don't care where we live." Max looked at Chloe with a confident smile, "As long as we are together."
"Damn listen to us be all mature and shit." Chloe laughed, "We got to think of something stupid to do before this becomes permanent. Your birthday is next month so what do you have planned?"
"Same as every year." Max fidgeted, "Nothing. I have been kind of skipping it."
"Well that is not going to happen this year." Chloe hopped out of the truck, "I am going to make sure you have the best birthday ever."
"Or we could do nothing." Max smiled, "Take the day off from work, wrap ourselves in blankets and just binge watch movies until our eyes hurt."
"Quick question." Chloe grinned wickedly, "Will we have clothes on under the blankets?"
"Well since it is my birthday I guess clothing can be optional."
Chloe felt her face heat up and she nodded, "Then we make your birthday a do nothing day. I like it."
"I figured you would."