Chapter Text
If you had told her what her life would look like after graduating from Blackwell Academy, Rachel Amber would never have guessed that it would look like waiting tables at the Two Whales while taking classes at a community college for two years, saving up enough money so she and Chloe could finally get the fuck out of Arcadia Bay and move to Los Angeles. To be clear, Rachel had no qualms about waiting tables at the Two Whales. It was respectable work, and her award-winning smile and dulcet laugh ensured she was tipped well. Even Joyce had joked that Rachel would run her out of a job, which she obviously would never dream of. Joyce was the heart and soul of the Two Whales and it would crumble to pieces without her.
Chloe, on the other hand, had been working at the same auto shop for as long as she had since been kicked out of Blackwell. Unlike the Two Whales, customers didn't tip, and unlike Rachel, Chloe's spending habits were reckless at best. But that didn't matter as much to Rachel because Chloe was providing transportation, and that was good enough for her.
After an unusually busy night at the diner comprising of a junior high soccer team, a throng of bikers, a large family celebrating a birthday, and a particularly rowdy group of absolutely smashed high school students, Rachel effectively sprinted to her room, took a nice long shower to wash off the day (mostly just maple syrup and jam), and crashed onto her bed, basking in the glow of the artificial starlight that splashed across the expanse of the bedroom ceiling. She checked her phone to wind down from the night, which she realised probably wasn't great for her sleep hygiene, but she was tired and it was the weekend. Sue her. There were several messages from Chloe and a few from Max in their shared group chat 'Arcadia Baes'. Of note was a selfie of Max sporting a big frown on her face with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. A response from Chloe appeared on her screen.
Chloe: SF bridge that underwhelming for u Maxi Pad? [11:34 PM]
Max: >:( [11:37 PM]
Chloe: NO EMOJI [11:38 PM]
Max: IT'S AN EMOTICON! >:( [11:42 PM]
Chloe: same difference u dweeb [11:43 PM]
Max: mean :'( [11:47 PM]
Rachel: aw, chlo, don't be mean to Max, you know she doesn't like that nickname [11:48 PM]
Chloe: hey, best friend privileges state I can call her whatever tf I want, thems the rules [11:48 PM]
Rachel: don't mind her maxie, she's just jealous that you made it out of arcadia bay and she didn't [11:49 PM]
Chloe: hey! ur stuck here too, bitch [11:50 PM]
Rachel: at least i'm saving up for us to gtfo of here [11:50 PM]
Chloe: yeah, and my contribution is my truck, so unless you wanna bus it down to LA... [11:51 PM]
Rachel: ugh, stfu Chloe [11:51 PM]
Chloe: bite me, rachel [11:52 PM]
Max: Max! max is here too. even if max is in SF. max is here c: [12:03 AM]
Rachel groaned, realizing that she and Chloe were once again arguing in the group chat with Max in it instead of their own private thread. And honestly, she was a little irked by how frequently she and Chloe argued, but that's how their relationship had always been, and it was… complicated to say the least. Regardless, she was thankful for Max’s ability to diffuse the tension yet again. She couldn't help but worry, though, that Max had taken on the role of mediator between her and Chloe. A role which realistically was becoming more difficult to fulfill, since Max was no longer physically present and could only mediate over text. Frankly, it was not Max's responsibility.
Rachel worried at her lip as she reread Max's response, her heart melting a little at the whisper of Max's presence, one she missed dearly, and one she desperately wished would soon return, for many reasons.
For one, to anyone else, herself included, Chloe was a mouthy badass with an attitude problem, and that was on purpose. She had a complete disregard of other people's opinions of her or how her actions affected others and didn’t care to give a shit. With Max though, Chloe was more... pliable. She softened when she spoke with Max. She was reasoned with more easily. She was less impulsive, thought things out a little more. She would even take responsibility for her actions sometimes. All because of a gentle hand on her shoulder, or a quiet but firm urging of her name, or even just an expression thrown in her direction, and Chloe would just melt. In some ways, Rachel envied Max's influence on Chloe. In others, she was extremely grateful. But now was not the time to dwell on such things. It was late, so she sent one last message before retiring for the night.
Rachel: miss you lots, maxie. we'll be in cali soon. promise [12:05 AM]
Max: ( ^◡^) [12:07 AM]
The response came so fast, at least for Max's standards, that Rachel caught herself smiling as she drifted asleep. Something tugged at an errant heartstring somewhere, but just as quickly, she stashed it away.
The next two months looked a lot like Rachel working fourteen-hour shifts at the diner, her charm exploding at the seams with a final push for additional savings in the first month, and then frantically studying for final exams, completing end-of-term projects, handling logistics for the trip, apartment hunting, completing transfer paperwork, and addressing any other loose ends in the second month.
Rachel, for one, was rather pleased with herself, managing high marks on her exams, finding a not-at-all affordable two-bedroom apartment, but by some miracle her savings would manage the first three months until she and Chloe found a job, and packing most of her belongings in compact receptacles to fit the bed of the truck. Essentials in one bag, clothes and other items in two large suitcases, personal items and memorabilia in a small box consisting mostly of playbills, her starlight, and several instant film photos taken by a certain skittish photographer. She also may have 'borrowed' her parents' air mattress so that she and Chloe would have something to sleep on when they arrived.
During this time, Chloe was tasked with finding hotels on the way down, since the trip would take a few days at the very least. She also spent more time remodeling her truck to ensure it was in suitable shape for the drive, eventually succumbing to impulse and installing a truck cap so they would have more protected storage space. A practical decision, she concluded, though perhaps ill-timed since she may have spent the funds intended for lodging toward her truck instead. It's a good investment, she reasoned, Rachel won’t mind.
They were set to leave in two days. Rachel pulled out a map of the Pacific west coast, outlining their intended itinerary: Arcadia Bay to Port Orford; then to Eureka, San Francisco (to visit Max!), and finally to their long-awaited destination, Los Angeles, California. More specifically, Malibu. How Rachel snagged a place in Malibu for a price that wouldn't immediately demolish her bank account was a wonder, though the extravagant monetary gifts her father had given her for her birthday, holidays, and as a general attempt to ‘apologise’ for the fucked up shit he had been up to, certainly helped. As much as she resented her father, Rachel couldn’t say no to some extra cash. She grazed her fingers along the penned line of their route, punctuated with tiny circles indicating their stops. While she longed to return to L.A., her fingertips lingered at a particular other stop, with profound longing to reunite with her dearest friend, that maybe they might restore some sense of normalcy, even if just for a little while. And in this moment, Rachel was met with yet another emotion she could not place, immediately stashing it away with all the rest.
_________
Rachel was awoken by the gentle light filtering through her sheer curtains and the melodic screeching of a bluejay’s birdsong, accompanied by the rise and swell of boisterous snoring from a one Chloe Price. Rachel attempted to wake her with a kiss on the cheek, but to no avail, so instead she made the trek downstairs into the kitchen to get breakfast started. It appeared both her parents were already out of the house, to which she let out a heavy sigh of relief. While the animosity between Rachel and her father had diminished over the years, she still made every effort to avoid him, even if he was paying for her tuition. She felt he owed her at least that much, after all.
She sauntered into the kitchen and started on pancakes with chocolate chips because why the hell not, but it wasn't until Rachel was nearly finished with the sausages that a wild Chloe appeared, summoned by the fragrance of cured breakfast meats.
"G'morning, sleeping beauty. I take it you rested well judging by the fact I was woken up by the sheer volume of your snoring," Rachel greeted Chloe with a quick peck on the lips.
"I don't snore..." Chloe grumbled, clearly still waking up.
"Sure, keep telling yourself that," Rachel chuckled, "Anyway, here's your coffee and pancakes. Sausage should be up in a few."
Chloe, despite feeling deeply offended at how awake Rachel was right now, took both items and set them on the counter, pulling Rachel into a deep but sloppy morning kiss, stealthily reaching behind her in an attempt to swipe a breakfast sausage while Rachel was distracted. This plan, however, failed miserably, Chloe dropping it on the floor as quickly as she picked it up, having somehow forgotten how stoves worked.
"OW, fuck," Chloe jerked back from the kiss and jammed her fingers in her mouth in an effort to sooth them.
"Serves you right, you ass," Rachel laughed brightly once she had recovered from her initial confusion, grabbing Chloe's hand and guiding it under cool water, "Now you only get one sausage, I'm not making you another." She shot Chloe a devious grin while she made quick work of the remaining links, luckily just before they started to burn.
"Aw, come on, babe, no fair."
"You touch it you take it, your rules not mine."
"My tongue has literally been in you mouth, though! Among other places..."
"Well, if you want another one so bad you can either cook it up yourself or eat that one off the floor," Rachel paid Chloe’s comment absolutely no mind.
"This is deprivation. I am being deprived," Chloe huffed.
Rachel merely shrugged with a giggle and flitted to her seat. “Look, I’m not stopping you from eating that one off the floor. You mouth has been in more questionable places, and I’m not taking about between my legs,” Rachel giggled, causing Chloe to roll her eyes. “Oh, I did want to check in though," she continued as she started with her pancakes, "about the lodging situation. Are we good to go on that front? And is your stuff all packed and ready to go?" Rachel relished the moment as chocolate chips melted in her mouth, as short-lived as it was.
"Yeah, about that," Chloe said with her mouth full of sausage, though whether or not it was the one off the floor was unclear, "Still gotta pack today. I'll get around to it tonight. Not like I've got a lot to bring along anyhow. And the truck is looking in pretty good shape! I finally got that life-threatening hole on the passenger's side all properly patched up and replaced some of the super rusted parts, re-upholstered, all that good shit. And! I got a truck cap, so now our storage space has basically been doubled without our shit falling out the back! We’ll be able to sleep in the truck bed with shade if we need, or at least with more privacy."
"Oh, that's hella awesome! I'm glad to hear the truck is in working condition for the trip. She's gonna be a long one. So, does that mean we'll be camping in the truck, or...?"
"Well... I may have dipped into the funds reserved for the hotels and stuff to do the repairs."
"Oh," Rachel said slowly, as if weighing the next words in her mouth, "...how... how much?"
Chloe tensed visibly, "...all of it... and then some... But it was for a good reason!"
Rachel inhaled slowly, trying to steady herself, "No, you're right. I'm glad you took initiative to make sure the truck was in good condition for the drive."
"But?" Chloe prodded, her brow now furrowing into a grimace.
"But?" Rachel echoed.
"I feel like there's a 'but' coming. You sound mad," Chloe projected.
Again, Rachel drew in a deep breath, desperately trying not to explode or snap or direct her anger at Chloe, despite the irritation rising in her chest, "I'm not mad. I just... I wish that I had been consulted about this before a decision was made. I was really trusting you with this."
"What, so it's my fault now? I'm just some big disappointment to you, huh? You know, if you knew this was gonna happen, you may as well have just done it yourself instead of wasting my time about it.”
"Chloe, no, that isn't what I'm saying—" Rachel was taken aback by the sudden escalation of the conversation, though not entirely surprised.
"Then what are you saying, Rachel? Because if you haven’t figured it out yet, we’ll be royally fucked if the truck isn’t in decent driving condition. Neither of us have a roadside assistance membership, so a tow would cost an arm and a leg. Those repairs were fucking crucial,” Chloe pushed, as if begging for their argument to blow up into a fight.
Rachel took another steadying breath, but was genuinely unsure of how much longer she would last before lashing out at Chloe, “Chloe, I’m not saying that these repairs weren’t a good idea. It was a good move to take initiative on that front. I… hadn’t thought of it until now. What I am saying was that I really needed the help with lodging because I was swamped with a ton of other things, and—.”
"You aren't the only one who has a lot on their plate, Rachel. Contrary to your preconceived notions, the universe doesn’t actually revolve around you,” Chloe spat.
"Chloe," Rachel pleaded as tears began to prick the corners of her eyes. "Stop putting—"Rachel cut herself off to reconsider her phrasing. "I really don't appreciate when people project or... put words in my mouth. I'm trying to communicate that I needed help and felt really... let down when I wasn't included in the decision-making," Rachel struggled to formulate her thoughts.
"Figures," Chloe rolled her eyes, slinking back into her chair, and crossing her arms over her chest with defiance, "Even when I do a good thing, it will never be good enough for you, will it?”
"Fuck, Chloe, that's not what I—" Rachel's temper was beginning to bubble over the edges of the titanium box she restrained it in. Chloe remaining unmoving but her eyes snapped in Rachel's direction, as if taunting her anger to come out and play. Rachel took one final reset breath, resigning herself to the fact that she needed to remove herself from the conversation. "You know what, I think I need to... go for a walk and get some air. I still have a few things to deal with, so don't feel pressured to wait up. You're welcome to stay here, I just won't be home for a while."
"Whatever," Chloe conceded, shoveling the rest of her pancake stack into her mouth chocolate chips and all, no longer paying Rachel any mind.
Rachel marched quickly upstairs to her room, tears escaping the hold she kept them in. She released the heaviest sigh once she closed her bedroom door behind her and locked the door, beseeching her emotions to remain hidden for just a little while longer, at least until she was out of the house.
It was a temperate day in Arcadia Bay. After getting dressed, Rachel found herself at a café searching for lodging along their travel route. By the grace of whatever deity blessed her that day, she was able to book a motel room last minute in Port Orford. Unfortunately, there were no vacancies in Eureka, but they could spend the night at a camper park, which wasn't ideal but better than the alternative. And finally, concerning their final midpoint destination, there were unsurprisingly no vacancies, nor either was there a designated space for camper vehicles. Which left her final viable option. She pulled her phone out to make a call she had been really hoping to avoid. The other line rang twice before it was answered.
"Hello?"
"Hey Maxie, I was wondering if you could help me out with a favor."