More time together (Grahamfield)

Farewells

October 8th, 9 a.m.

'Too bad dad didn't arrive yet' Warren thought as he searched for "easy necktie knot" at youtube.com. That was probably only the third or fourth time he wore a suit - the other occasions were weddings and graduations of some of his cousins – and in all of those times his father had tied the tie for him.

He sat to watch the best reviewed video, trying to follow the tutorial steps. His mind, however, wasn't on the task at hand; instead, it was on last night.

'Being so close and connected to Max felt so good and so... right. Ugh, I am probably the worst person in the world for thinking this, given the circumstances...'

The boy sighed. 'Well, at least I think I managed to not say anything stupid to her this time...'

Realizing that the video finished and he didn't pay attention to it at all, Warren started to rewatch it. 'In fact, she seemed... different with me last night. Like she knew me for a long time so she could fully trust on me... Yeah, that was really nice... And sometimes even looked like she was... worked up around me, maybe?'

When the video ended again, Warren looked down: his tie was a mess. "What the... I'm more intelligent than that!" He mumbled to himself as he pressed "replay" once more.

'Get real! Of course Max is acting different, she witnessed her best friend being murdered. Stop deluding yourself and focus on urgent things... Like tying this goddamn tie for example!' As soon as he finished his mental argument, he pulled the knot so tight it made him gasp a little.

He looked himself in a mirror: it was not perfect, but it was presentable enough.

....

Warren and Max left in his car and picked up Kate at the convent where she had spent the night. As soon as the three students arrived at the Arcadia Bay Cemetery, Max asked her friends for a moment alone and walked toward a bench next to a cliff.

The view from there, very similar to the one from the lighthouse, immediately brought the girl painful memories of her last conversation with Chloe. Fearing she would lose control, she swallowed the tears that threatened to come and moved towards the others.

Max positioned herself between Warren and Joyce. Although she was ashamed of not making contact for the last five years, she wanted her friend's mother to know that at least one person that truly cared for Chloe was there to offer support. Noticing that Warren glanced at her every other minute to check how she was doing, Max took a small step closer to him.

During the priest's speech, Max's mind started to wander through the countless events she had witnessed in all the timelines she visited over the last few days. It felt so surreal in comparison with the concrete reality of Chloe's casket before her eyes that she started to doubt that that week actually happened. 'Considering I was taken to a hospital after the shot... Maybe they gave me some strong drug that made me hallucinate... Yeah, that's quite likely... and sad.'

The girl was still on that train of thought when a gorgeous blue butterfly casually landed on the coffin. As she stared at it, she could almost hear Chloe's voice teasing her: 'Already breaking your promise of never forgetting me, hippie? That insane week hella happened, don't you dare to doubt it!'

Feeling embraced by Chloe's presence, Max smiled and mentally reinforced her commitment to her friend. 'I will always be with you too, Chloe, and I will do everything I can to bring justice for you and Rachel.'

As soon as the priest finished his speech, Principal Wells and the students surrounded Joyce and David to offer condolences. Since Max didn't know how Joyce would react when she spoke to her, she decided to let the others talk to the couple first. Meanwhile, in her head, she tried to rehearse apologies and meaningful words to say.