The Beautiful Guardian: Vengence

Chapter Eleven: Loss and Reconciliation

The sun rises over a subdued morning at the cemetery. The clergyman finished his benediction and the various groups paying their respects to Jillian Krane begin to dissipate to their respective vehicles.

Ivanova, wearing a sleeveless black dress, walks while hooking her arm within Maxine's arm. Maxine, while uncharacteristically wearing a close-fitting skirt and a black suit jacket over a simple white shirt, looks over the cemetery as they make their way out to the car. Ivanova looks out and spots someone in the distance. She tugs at Maxine's sleeve, getting her attention.

"Hey isn't that Chloe over there, sitting on that bench?" Inquires Ivanova.

Maxine looks toward the direction indicated by Ivanova, and sure enough, Chloe could be seen sitting with her legs crossed and hands interlaced while wearing her usual black outfit. Maxine resumes looking away.

"Yeah that's her," answers Maxine, "so."

"So you should go talk to her, you know patch things up between you two," suggests Ivanova.

Maxine squints to look at something in the distance, "Um, no I don't want to talk to her right now."

"C'mon you should go talk to her," Urges Ivanova.

"No, I don't want to, ok?" Refuses Maxine.

Sharp pain on her lower backside causes Maxine to jump away from Ivanova. She glares back at a visibly irritated Ivanova, who crosses her hands.

"What the hell! Why did you -?" Maxine begins her protest.

"Now you listen to me you stubborn ass, You and Chloe go way back, You two have a long friendship and I'm not going to let you throw it away because of your stubborn pride, now get yourself over there or you are going to have a very cold bed tonight!"

Maxine glares at Ivanova for a moment as she rubs the offended spot of the attack. She then rolls her eyes with a disgruntled sigh and begins to slowly make her way to Chloe like she was some child forced to apologize for a small fight in the playground. She eventually made to the concrete bench where Chloe sits and looks at Chloe with a sense of trepidation.

Even though Chloe observed from the corner of her eye Maxine's approach, she didn't acknowledge her presence. Chloe adjusts her sitting position, and just continues to look out at the departing mourners.

"May I sit here, beside you?" Maxine requests.

Chloe's eyes turn to Maxine without her turning her head, with a cold expression. She looks back to her previous sight and shrugs her shoulders.

"If you want to."

Maxine uneasily sits on the hard bench and rests her elbows on the thighs.

Chloe gets an irritated expression, "Just say what you came over here to say and be-"

"Chloe I'm sorry!" Maxine says suddenly, "I have no business in telling you what you can do or who you can see, it's your life."

Chloe doesn't look at Maxine, "This isn't like you, apologizing like that, Ivanova made you come over here didn't she?"

Maxine lowers head heavily with a small laugh' "Yeah she did, said that she didn't want me to throw away so long a friendship due to my stubborn pride."

Chloe looks up as she shakes her head as she laughs a little, "I thought so,... Look I'm sorry I said that thing about Ivanova, She isn't a whore, far from it, she is perfect for you, Hell, she made you do something you didn't want to do, How did she manage to get you to walk over here anyway?"

"She pinched my ass hard."

Chloe shakes while suppressing her laughter.

Maxine rubs her hands slowly as she sheepishly looks at Chloe, "So, are we good?"

Chloe final looks at Maxine fully at her face and a slow smile appears, "Yeah, I guess we are."

Maxine nods as she looks at the last group of mourners, spotting Darla Krane among them.

"So, are you and Darla a couple now?"

The smile fades from Chloe's face, "Um I'm not sure, she hasn't been in touch since that day."

Maxine glances over to Chloe, "Yeah sorry if I'm the cause of that."

Chloe shakes her head, "No it's not your fault, it's just one of those things."

Both women rise off the bench and begin to casually walk through the headstones of the cemetery.

Chloe sighs as she looks about, "You know, I'm jealous of you and Ivanova, you know, your relationship, I mean, when is it going to my turn? You know? When is Chloe going to find that one person who accepts me as... me?"

Maxine puts her hands behind her back as she continues the walk, "Don't worry Chloe, you'll find someone, I know you will."

"Well, I hope it's soon because I'm getting tired of eating alone all the damn time," Chloe responds.

"You could always come over," Maxine offers.

Chloe scoffs then nods, "Ok, I just might take you up on that."

A little ways away, Maria observes the two as they walk. She smiles as if some plan comes to her mind. She quickly enters her car and drives away, leaving the cemetery.