Viva La Hella

Sorting it Out

Chloe's lying on her bed, slowly exhales the smoke, watching it as it is enlightened by the red afternoon light. She looks at her girlfriend. She looks troubled.

'Hey, just take a photo of me. Look how the sun shines at the smoke. It's hella cool!' she smiles softly.
'It's fucking serious now, Chloe. It's my portfolio. It weighs a lot for my application.'
'My bad' she sighs and sits up.
'Sorry. I'm just... nervous. I can't fail this, you know?'
'I know. Don't think that it means nothing for me' she hugs Max from behind 'I want you to be happy' she tenderly kisses her neck.
'I know. I guess I'm ready. Do you mind if I use some of your pictures?'
'Not at all.'
'Even the one you posed naked?'
'Sure, bae. It's alright.'
'Now, would you give me a ride? I still need to get these pictures.'
'Of course.'
'We should talk after I get ready with this shit.'
'If you mean your portfolio, it's not shit. And yeah, we should talk.'

Until the photographer finishes her portfolio and posts it, they don't even say any further words to each other. But it's fine. Chloe already knows which direction this goes. When they finally get back to the bluenette's house, she drops on her bed, lights a cigarette and looks at Max.

'So?' she sighs.
'So, what?' she frowns.
'You wanted to talk, Max.'
'Yeah. It's like...'
'Just say it out loud...'
'What will happen to us, Chlo? If I'm accepted, I have to move.'
'I know.'
'So?'
'I don't know.'
'You don't know?'
'Do you?'
'Not really. I mean I...'
'It's fine' she smiles softly.'
'You don't understand. I don't want to...'
'You don't want to what, Max?'
'Fuck it, what's wrong with you, Chloe? I don't wanna break up with you! Is it that unbelievable that I love you?'
'I'm sorry, Max' she sighs 'I just want you to be happy. I know that you love me. I love you too. It's just... I want your dream to become true. I want to be by your side as long as I can. But it's...'
'Would you... could you...'
'What?' she gently cups Max's face.
'Could you move with me?'
'I don't know, Max. What will I do there? I need a stable job, and I have one here. Plus, I can't just leave my Mom here all alone after all the shit she's done for me...'
'You're... right.'
'We're gonna figure it out, okay?' she sighs 'My father would want me to go...'
'Do you wanna come?'
'Of course I wanna! Don't be stupid! You know what? I'm gonna ask Darren if he could find me a parlor there. I can already hear him: "What, Price, you thought I'd let my best artist go? Hell no!" But in the end he would.'
'You guys get along well' she smiles.
'Are you getting jealous?' she smirks.
'Don't be a jerk! I'm worried. You're right. What about Joyce?'
'She'll understand this. She would also want me to go.'
'Are you sure?'
'I'm hella sure. Listen, Max. I got you back, and I'm not gonna let you go again. Not without me. Those five years were Hell for me. My father died, you left, my mother married Sergeant Pepper and Rachel disappeared. I can't let you go again.'
'I feel you. But I don't want you to sacrifice anything for me, Chloe'
'For us, Max!' she places her hand on the brunette's necklace 'Remember? We're one now.'
'Yeah. I know. Just... We're coming back, okay? We're coming back in two years, I promise.'
'And what you gonna do here, Max?'
'Uhm, I don't know, teach? Or we may just travel around the world, selling off my pictures. We may even start selling your drawings.'
'I'm a tattoo artist, Max, not a drawer. There's some difference.'
'Well, I don't know. We'll figure it out, I promise, Chlo.'
'Right, Mad Max. I'll ask Darren tomorrow.'
'Are you sure about this?'
'Hella sure. I told you. I'm not leaving you.'
'It's not that. I'm about leaving you. It's not that I want to. I have to. I don't want things end like this.' She sobs quietly.
'Things will not end like this, Max' she softly caresses the photographer's cheek 'You're not leaving me. You're chasing your dream and I'm coming with you, no matter what it costs. I swear.'
'Why?' she sniffs.
'Because I love you, asswipe' she sighs 'Isn't it obvious enough? The whole town knows it by now, Max. And I don't care. All I care about is you and us. Understood?'
'Understood' she nods.
'Come on, dry those tears up! There's no reason to cry!' she hugs the photographer tight.
'Did you truly believe I'd leave you?'
'For a split-second.'
'I'd never do that to you! Never!' she looks deeply into the punk's eyes.
'I know. I didn't really believe that. I just... panicked and thought that we would never survive a long distance relationship. Not again.'
'I know. That's when I felt bad for a long time.'
'Oh, so it wasn't about the stress of the end-terms, nor about the portfolio...'
'Exactly.'
'Liar!' she smirks.
'I'm not.' The brunette keeps the serious expression 'You are my girlfriend. I love you. And I will never leave you, Chloe Price.'
'I get it.' she smiles and kisses the brunette softly.
'I'm not leaving you, Chloe... never...'