Shooting Star and Swallow's Song

Be Kind Rewind, But Blockbuster Is Closed

Alex's unresponsive face stared blankly at Chloe while she tried to run the name through the entirety of her data bank of people. She came up with nothing. The blue haired girl's initial bravado cracked at the sight and she took a step back. Glancing with furrowed brow, she asked Steph, "Wait. You never mentioned me? She must not be a very good friend, or-"

With Steph's wide eyed concern look toward Alex, Chloe grinned with comprehension.

"No...is she your-"

"Girlfriend, yes," Alex said, gathering all the confidence she could to respond to this cute but commanding, lanky, yet tough, fucking badass of a girl. She made Emily seem like a harmless flower in comparison.

Chloe raised an eyebrow and her smile turned to a smirk as she tried to give Steph a gentle jab with her elbow. Instead, Steph grabbed her arm and pulled it down while firmly saying, "Fuck, Chloe, why didn't you tell me you were alive! I cried for you. I fucking mourned for you!"

Clearly abashed, Chloe frowned and scrunched her mouth to the side, tight lipped at first.

The shorter girl's timid figure stepped forward before she softly said, "It's not her fault."

When all eyes turned to her she shrunk under the weight, biting her lip and staring downward. Chloe immediately moved to her side and an arm encircled the smaller girl who turned inward to be held by her. She turned back toward Steph and said, "It's my fault."

Her eyes turned glassy and her voiced quivered as she added, almost inaudible, "It's all my fault. I am so so sorry."

Steph glanced questioningly to Chloe who only sucked in her upper lip and turned away as if she knew exactly what the girl meant, but did not dare speak it.

"I...I can see you're sorry," she started with some confusion, questioning if she heard correctly. "But...I'm sorry...who are you?" Steph asked evenly, but also with uncertainty, not knowing how she should feel about this girl or what she was talking about.

The girl glanced up fearfully and said, "M-max. Max Caulfield."

Why does she look so upset and...guilty?

"That name sounds familiar..." Steph began, almost under her breath.

Chloe took the cue to change subjects and said, "I may have mentioned her. She was my best friend. Then she was the shittiest friend, but now she's my girlfriend. So it all worked out."

"Yeah..." Max breathed, glancing away with a faint broken smile.

Chloe's face resumed its concern and she quickly continued the conversation.

Squeezing Max into her hip, she said cheerfully, "But yeah, we're here now. In town for however long we fucking feel like, or when you get sick of us."

"Sick of Chloe Price? Never," Steph said warmly and there was a pause of silence where it seemed she was still catching up with the fact her blue haired friend was here.

Alex cleared her throat, hurrying along Steph's processing.

"So yeah, come on inside," Steph added and helped Alex back to the small guest house they both now called home.

I guess we'll find out what Max is going on about later.

As they walked toward the door, Steph asked, "So, you have a place to stay already?"

With an awkward exchange of glances, the answer was communicated already before they spoke.

"Well...not yet," Chloe began. "We were wondering..."