One more time

It was around one and a half hours after Maxine Caulfield made her exit from Blackwell's campus when she had finally got her bearings straight, and got some idea for a plan which would include getting her time shifting hands on a picture that was taken when Rachel Amber was still living.

Talking about Rachel, she couldn't help but look at the dozens of missing posters spread around near her, it almost felt like it was on purpose. Everywhere she ran off to, there was a poster, every time she allowed herself a moment to think back on everything so far... Rachel. Every fallen feather which shed from a bird she saw on the ground, she couldn't help but see Rachel in those feathers... 

Any dug up or uneven patches of land...

Instead of letting it all wear her down, she used the posters and any other little things she recognized, which were now upsetting, as a reminder for what she must do...  

What she came back to do.

During her thinking and strategizing time alone, she did, however make some quick trips that were necessary. For instance, heading to her dorm room to pick up Warren's flash drive, which she would need to use right about now...

Moment in time - When Warren and Nathan fight at Blackwell's parking lot, and Max first sees Chloe again.

Warren is currently leaning against the front of his new, second-hand car, looking lost as per usual, yet is trying to play it off as cool.

Warren

Ooof, my car is so sick..! Can't believe this baby is all mine, I could so totally score some chicks with it...

And I've almost maxed out some levels on World of Warcraft, can't wait to-

Oh shoot! There's Max!

Be chill, Warren, call her over and act the opposite of a dweeb!

"Hey!"

"Come on over here! Please?"

"Max! Get yer ass over here!"

"Yo, Max! Check it out!"

There she is... Took a minute, but she does look like she wants to see me. Make ya' move, Warren"

 "What up, Max? How are you?"

I say sooo casually, and go in for a hug...

only to get stopped by Max holding out a flash drive for me.

Yeowch

"Here's your flash. Thanks" 

Suddenly I feel the urge to scratch my head. It's chill though, show her the car!

"No problem. Check out my new wheels"

"Cool. Very old school."

"1978, to be exact. Now we can go to the drive-in. There's one in Newberg, just sixty miles away."

"You're in the wrong time, Warren. But then, so am I..."

"You okay?"

"It's been one strange fucking week."

" I bet. I heard Victoria got a faceful of paint... I'd pay money to see a photo of that..."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Geez, you're Little Miss Sensitive today..."

"I wouldn't push your luck, Warren. Not in the mood today."

Silence for a few... Yeowch times two

"By the way, I saw Daniel's sketch of you online... Not bad, but I could do a much better job."

"You can draw? I thought you were Blinded By Science, not art."

"Art IS Science. Music is math, et cetera, et cetera. I'd put Stephen Hawking against Picasso any day."

"Hardcore. So you must use a computer to draw."

"Of course. I'd love to tweak one of your selfies with some cool graphics..."

"That might not suck. I'll let you know."

"So did you get a chance to check out the movie booty on my flash drive?"

"No, I've been way too busy with class...and life."

"Damn, girl, you had it like a year."

"Or a week. I did browse through all the titles, drama queen"

"Haha. Make sure you watch Cannibal Holocaust."

Max

Jesus, I forgot how long we talked together during this moment... 

Let me say my lines and speed this up for you a little...

↺

There we go... Here comes Nathan, getting to the good bit.

"Max Caulfield, right?"

"You're one of the Jefferson's photo groupies..."

It's rich to hear this coming from him, compared to what I know now.

"I'm one of his students."

"Whatthefuckever. All I know is that Victoria is in an extra bitchy mood right now, and's been ranting down my fuckin' ears all day about some paint getting on her. Now that lame shit isn't what I'm here for, it's her mentioning how you were apparently being all 'goody goody nice girl' to her right after it happened. What's up with that, huh, Caulfield? Where's the motivation for it from?" 

Ah... So he's still here, just taking this angle instead... Makes sense since he's pretty linked up with Victoria, all jumpy and on guard at the moment...

As usual, like in my previous timelines, he shoves Warren away and gets right in my face. Though, this time I never reported him to the principle after the whole Chloe and gun affair with him...

Knowing that Wells is as useless as anything last time she tried that. 

Warren budges back over and gets in front of me, like a shield.

A true White Knight indeed...

"Woah woah woah, now dude!-... I'm also kinda confused with what I'm hearing right now, too. You were nice to Victoria, Max..?

A-anyways, never mind that. She was just being kind, Nate! No harm done, ease offa' her dude!"

Nathan immediately headbutts Warren again... Ow.

"Hey! Leave him alone!" 

I give him a shove like last time, and I do remember how Nathan grabbed my ear right after.

This time round, I'm ready. So just before he went for it, I give the fucker a clean, swift boot in the balls.

He pathetically falls onto the ground right next to Warren, crutching his family jewels and yelling obscenities. 

"GRaaAAh!! MOTHER FUCKER!! STUPID FUCKING BITCH, I'LL KILL YOUR HIPSTER ASS-!"

I can't quite enjoy this moment as much as I would like to, as Chloe comes driving down in that beautiful beige truck, and I had to stop myself from smoothing out my hair.

Stand up properly, Max! You're no doe!

"Max?!"

"Chloe!"

"You agAIN!?!"

Nathan wasn't able to get up on his feet quite yet, and seemed a tad more angry.

I also notice Warren flying over to Nathan like an eagle as he pummels him in the head, keeping him down.

"Warren!? He's already down, damnit!" 

"Go, Go! I got this!"

This kid is never serious...

I did go though, got in the truck and slammed the door shut.

I feel kinda bad for Warren out there... It's fun being able to watch them as Chloe drives us away whilst I give the bird to Nathan.

Ah, and there's the 'step douche', too late to the scene as usual. Bye bye Nathan.

Chloe

Holy shitballs holy shitballs holy SHIT

Geeky science whiz kid Warren fighting Nathan.

Grown-up Max totally just blasted Nathan's balls.

MAX!!

I almost crashed my truck trying to keep a steady hand on the wheel, and almost snapped my neck when whipping it to look at Max, wide-eyed. 

"Okay okay, what the shit?? Max??? What're you- why-

"Chloe, Chloe, Chloe! Relax, drive"

"Easier said than done, Max! I've totally been like- mind fucked!!!"

"I know! Just please drive somewhere for us and I'll talk, and thank you by the way."

"I uh, uh I... wait, why are you thanking me?"

"For picking me up in your truck?"

"Oh right, right!... Don't mention it..?" 

"Will do"

Get me home quick, and a cig in my hand...

↺

Moment in time - Chloe's bedroom, right after the two first go inside.

Max

Alright, Max, this time in the car, it was mainly silence. Chloe seems a bit more spooked about all of this during my first timeline...

Let's just hope I can make some quick progress and not have to use my rewind much.

As this Chloe isn't my Chloe exactly... She knows nothing.

You've done it once, you can do it again.

"So, Max... My room looks a bit different than the last time you saw it."

Actually, I have seen it recently, you wouldn't know that though...

"It's cool. At least we can chill out."

"This isn't exactly my "chill-out zone"... My step-führer makes sure of that. Come in and close the door. Put on some music while I medicate."

Snooping time, one of the things I do best...

As I look around the room, taking it all in even though I now feel like I know this place like the back of my hand, I try to think back to anything I've seen that includes Rachel, maybe just before she went missing, so I won't have to go too far back...

I eventually had enough time looking around Chloe's room and re jogging my memory, and also taking glances over at her secretly.

"Um.. Hey Chloe?"

"Huh? Yeah, sup Max, you okay there?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, thank you... Just trying to find some disks over here, I guess, still. Though I see a metal box under your bed here, and I'm thinking a disk could be in here, but I don't want to go looking into your stuff like that..." My tone comes off innocent and convincing enough to seem like I am just worried about being a snoop, but I know what's in that box, and I remember the reaction I got from Chloe last time... I'm better off her getting the disk out for me here.

And my gut seemed to be correct, as Chloe pushed herself up off her bed and crouched down beside me on the floor, pulling out the box.

"Oh shoot, I do know there's a disk in here, good call... And thanks for not just... y'know, going through it without asking. I appreciate that, Max." 

I can't help but beam at the thankfulness and gentleness in her tone as I gave a little nod in response. Gosh, I feel so bad about all of this...

Pushing myself up onto my feet and backing away a bit from Chloe to give her some space, I lowered myself down onto the edge of her bed and silently watched as Chloe shuffled her hand through the metal box, eventually pulling out the disk, then shoving the box back under her bed. She expertly puts the disk in, and music plays, guitar strings strumming fill the room and fit in nicely. 

I awkwardly cleared my throat. "Ahemm..umm.. Chloe...?"

Chloe takes a puff of her cigarette. "...Yes, Max?"

"I'm sorry" 

She couldn't help but laugh at me. Which I fully understood, and deserved. "Oh, really now? Sorry? You're sorry? I'm sorry myself Max, I'm sorry that 'sorry' doesn't cut it when you completely ghost your best friend with no word, no nothing. That you left me all alone when I needed you the most, right when my Dad died."

"...Yes..."

"A-and before you cut me off here!-... Yes, because I really couldn't say anything else first to you, out of everything. And that I truly, TRULY mean it Chloe..."

She eyed me silently with a look I couldn't quite read on her face. I kept going.

"...Look. I am not at all expecting any forgiveness, or that we both suddenly forget about there ever being a five-year gap of silence between us. You can forever be mad at me and I'd understand, not that I'd have to understand... It wouldn't matter, because that's down to the way you feel at the end of the day, and I can't go between that."

"But... If it would maybe even ease your mind somewhat, of what my thought process was all these years... I can try to explain some of my reasons for my radio silence, Chloe... I don't want to hurt you even more, I never did... Tell me what I can do to help, even if it is just telling me to fuck off." 

She still had that look on her face, no clue what it meant. 

Chloe inhaled another breath of cigarette smoke. 

"Yeah, fuck it, why not. Talk to me, Caulfield."

I let out a sigh I hadn't realised I was holding.

"Thank you..."

"Well... First of all, I would like to preface that I was incredibly mad at my parents for making me move away from Arcadia. Especially so when William passed away, that I had to up and leave you on the day of his funeral... If I did have a choice back then, I would've never ever left you Chloe. I think that was a big reason as to why I shy-ed away from contacting you... I felt guilty about leaving you, something I had no control over. I tried to talk to my mom and dad so, so many times, to convince them, or at least let me stay another day with you. I don't think I've ever fully forgiven them for it, even up until now...

I gradually ended up stopping texting you over time because I could feel your struggles and pain, Chloe. Through text, I could still tell that you weren't fully my best friend anymore after what happened, it immediately changed you, understandably so... And I sometimes felt as if I made things worse for you, that I was now a reminder of the kid who left on the day of your father's funeral... That because I wasn't there in person with you, that things were strained between us... I- I dunno Chloe. This feels like a bunch of nothing excuses on my part, I'm sorry again... And I am so very proud of you, Chloe Price, you've been so strong and amazing to be where you are, still kicking it in your own epic way. I'm digging the new look and vibe you've got going on by the way, not quite how I remember you, but at the same time? It feels so you." 

The only sound in the room was the gentle guitar music playing for a moment. 

That was before I was suddenly tackled and wrapped into a hug by Chloe herself.

"Oh my god! Shut uuuup you sap!! I'd already forgiven your ass like seven minutes into our silent ride back to my place! C'mere Dorkfield!!! Dorkield! Dorkfield! Dorkfield! Dorkfield! Dorkfi-"