Author's Notes:

The events of this chapter are inspired by Cute Thing – Car Seat Headrest.

All credit is given to Car Seat Headrest for the song lyrics used and referenced in this chapter.

"Rachel."

Max felt nothing. She saw nothing.

"Rachel."

A blurred image began to form around her, pressing against her peripheral vision.

"Rachel!"

The world snapped into existence around her. Concrete bricks lined the area around her, the walls lined with various graffiti and posters. The room was in disarray – various objects littered about without any thought given to organization.

American Rust?

"What's up, Chloe?" Rachel stood at the entrance to Chloe's hideout. The sun shone from behind her, its rays catching in her blonde hair.

"I'unno. Just thinking."

Rachel entered the room and took a seat next to Chloe. "What're ya thinking about?"

Chloe sighed. "Last month, after The Tempest… were you serious?"

"Serious about what?"

"About everything. Leaving all this shit behind, starting a new life. Were you serious about that?"

"Chloe…" Rachel placed a hand on her shoulder. "I've never been more serious about anything in my life."

"Do you really think we could do it?"

"Of course! Do you want to?"

Chloe nodded. She leaned forward. "Uh, yeah. I just… I don't know. It's weird, right?"

"What's weird about it? You're always talking about how much you hate this town, so let's blow this joint!"

"Yeah, yeah I know. But I never expected to actually have the opportunity to do it. I guess I just expected I'd be stuck here forever. Like, I was waiting for something that would never come to me."

"Something or someone?"

"Both."

Rachel lightly caressed Chloe's cheek. Her fingers ran under her chin, prompting her to face her. "I know how you feel. A lost soul without a purpose, living off misplaced hope. But I have a way out for us, Chloe. We could ditch this town and do whatever we want, live however we like. Don't you want that?"

Chloe closed her eyes. "I do. But—"

"Then stop overthinking it! Just go with the flow…" She tugged at Chloe's chin, closing the distance between them. "And we can find new hope."

Rachel leaned forward, connecting their lips in a kiss. The gesture which normally radiated love and passion, care and joy, emitted an aura of uncertainty and lust, desperation and apathy.

Max clenched her eyes shut.

I can't watch this.

She turned away.

I don't want to see this. I want to wake up. I want to wake up.

The sounds of kissing, of leaves being gently tussled in the morning wind, faded from her ears.

Max sprang awake, throwing the sheets off of her. She leaned forward and placed her head in her hands.

Why am I so upset about this?

Something grumbled beside her. "What're you doing, Max?" It murmured.

Max glanced at the voice's owner. "Oh, sorry Chloe. I just… I had a dream."

The bluenette sat up. She rubbed her eyes. "Oh? A nightmare?"

Max rubbed her neck. "No, not a nightmare. I just… I don't know."

"Max, seriously," Chloe said, wrapping an arm around the smaller girl's waist. "What was it?"

"I don't know. I don't even know if it was a dream. I don't…" Max wiped a tear from her eyes. "Fuck, I'm such an idiot. I don't know why I'm so upset about this."

"You aren't an idiot, Max," Chloe assured. "What is it?"

Max sighed. She rested her head on Chloe's shoulder. "You and Rachel," She muttered.

"Huh?"

"You and Rachel. At the junkyard. Talking about running away, and then you… well…"

"Oh." Chloe coughed. "We what?"

"You kissed."

A grin tore at Chloe's face. She breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, just that? Fuck, I thought you saw something a lot less PG." She chuckled.

"It isn't funny," Max grumbled.

"It kinda is." Chloe nudged her.

"Hmph."

"Look, Max, I don't see why this is a big deal. You've always known that Rachel and I were together at one point."

"Yeah, I know. It's just weird to actually see it."

Chloe nodded. She pulled Max closer to her. "How did you even see that? I mean, you obviously weren't there when it happened."

Max shrugged. "I dunno."

Several minutes passed as the two sat in silence, lost in their own thoughts.

"Max, you wanna know why I never left this shithole of a town?" Chloe asked. She planted a kiss on Max's scalp.

"Why?"

"You. I spent every moment of those five years hoping that you'd come back to me one day, even when I thought I had given up. And, eventually, you did. Everything was telling me that my hopes were meaningless, but somehow, I knew." Chloe sighed. "I love you, Max. More than you know."

"I love you too." Max sniffled.

Silence returned to the room, dragging Max and Chloe into thought once more.

"Did you love Rachel?" Max asked.

"Yes, I loved her. But don't hold that against me," Chloe answered.

Max grunted.

"Listen to me, Max," Chloe said. "My relationship with Rachel was an escape. We both benefitted from it, and when that stopped, so did the relationship. Do I still love her? I don't know. But I do know that I love you more than I ever possibly could've with her, and that's all that matters. You're more important to me than anything, Max. I need you to know that."

"I know," Max murmured. "Fuck, I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Just don't worry about it too much," Chloe said. "You think you can get some sleep?"

Max shrugged. "I can try."

Chloe patted her shoulder. "Okay. If you need anything, wake me up. Yeah?"

Max nodded. "Okay."

The two settled back into the bed. Chloe wrapped her arms around Max's waist, pulling her body against her.

"Good night, Max. I love you."

"Love you too."

"What are you doing?"

A voice penetrated Max's ears, startling her. She opened her eyes.

She was in what appeared to be an old warehouse. Various discarded objects littered the area with an empty space in the middle. A man and a woman were sitting in the center of the clearing. They both were both dressed in all black with slicked back black hair.

"Listening," The woman responded.

"Have they spoken to you yet?" The man asked, his voice deep and his speech slow.

"Joe, we have to be patient," She said. "They will contact us when they are ready."

"What about the girl? Have you found her?"

She shook her head. "No. I don't know why, but this one is different. In spite of my best efforts, I only ever see darkness."

Joe sighed. "Nancy, are you sure that this girl even exists?"

"Yes. I have met her."

"How?"

Nancy stood and turned away from Joe. "She was my student."

Max's eyes widened.

Mrs. Peters?

"Then why can't you find her?" Joe walked to her side.

"I don't know." Nancy clenched her eyes shut and clenched her fists.

The ground began to shake, rattling the junk around the room. A loud clanging noise sounded from above.

Nancy abruptly exhaled, causing the rattling to cease. "Nothing," She said.

Joe patted her shoulder. "We'll get her eventually."

She hummed. "Perhaps. I—" She whipped around and glanced around the room.

"What is it?" Joe furrowed his brow.

Nancy raised an eyebrow. "Something isn't right." She winced and collapsed to her knee, bringing one hand to her temple.

"Nance!" Joe shouted.

She grunted, slamming a fist on the ground. "They're speaking to me!" She shouted.

"What're they sayin?" Joe stepped back. His jaw dropped, and his eyes widened.

Nancy's response evaded Max's ears as the scene around her began to fade. Lost echoes filled her ears, overpowering the sounds of her environment. Darkness overtook light, and she awoke once more.

Max gasped. Her head was throbbing as she sat up, her back against the wall. She winced and pressed a hand against her temple.

"Max? What is it?" Chloe mumbled.

Max grunted. She rubbed her temple, wincing as the pain flared up. "My photography teacher."

"What about her?" Chloe propped herself up on one elbow, regarding Max with a concerned expression.

"We have to find her."

Author's Notes:

I had originally planned this to be a part of a much larger chapter, but I thought it would be better to separate it into a few shorter ones.