Chapter Text
Friday evening. Classes are over but not for the teacher. I put away the items I was grading until tomorrow. Remember, “never do today what you can put off until tomorrow.”
Just joking. Everybody is excited about tomorrow evening. Ladybug is making a special appearance. Ladybug is a popular group. Zoey and Jan met at Caledon and formed a girl group. They put on a performance once a year for the students. Chloe would love …
I froze. Once again, I thought about… Kate was right. It was time to stop thinking about the past. Maybe I can still get something going with Amanda if I don’t… Chloe is doing whatever she is doing, wherever she is. and she is with whomever she… Maybe I will finish up my work. Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
The Snapping Turtle was starting to fill.
“What do you want?” Amanda asked.
“Something,” I replied. “Busy day. Doing catch-up. Did you know when you take time off, the work you left will still be there when you get back?”
“Well no. Patrons of the bar don’t line up and wait for me to get back when I am off sick or something.”
“Maybe I should have a job like yours.”
“So how did the trip go, other than you didn’t get laid?”
“Better than I expected. Everything was rebuilt better than it was before the storm. Oh, I got an offer to be the photography instructor at Blackwell”
“Wouldn’t that be hard doing two teaching jobs and unless you have a two-way portal to Oregon and, no that would be too much even for your powers”
“I didn’t say I was going to take the job.”
“You didn’t say you weren’t.”
The thought flashed through my head. Maybe returning to Blackwell would be a good idea. I could hide from Safi, maybe. I am not interested in using powers again, ever. It cost me and others too much. And according to Chloe it was a part of the reason she left me.
The performance was about to start. Of course, I would be photographing the event in an official capacity for Caledon. Ladybug was unique. This was their way of expressing gratitude to the school. The admission was free, but only for Caledon students, faculty or alumni. Fortunately, that included me.
The house lights dimmed, and the performance began. This was a challenge. Photographing a performance is different from what I was used to doing. The performers were moving, and I had to compose and shoot on the fly. I needed emotional energy that I usually didn’t possess.
I was also having trouble keeping my eyes off Zoey. She had black hair like Amanda’s only it was shoulder length slightly curled. She was expressive, occasionally glancing at Jan. If I had her energy maybe I would have to be a performer.
The crowd was going wild, moving with the music. If I didn’t have a camera I would be moving with the music too. The show ended with the crowd screaming LADYBUG, LADYBUG!
Zoey waved at me to join her and Jan backstage.
“Ah I am Max Caulfield. I am the Artist in Residence…”
“We know about you Max,” Zoey said. “We were told you were kind of special here and we are happy to meet you.
“Uh I’m not special, but you two. I could never get up on stage and …”
“You never know, Max. What if I told you we stay to ourselves mostly. When we are on stage it’s like we get this superpower that lets us come out of ourselves. Who knows Max. You might have a superpower. You just have to find what you want the most.”
Superpower. That was my problem.
It was getting near 3 in the afternoon. Kate wasn’t comfortable working on Sunday, but she understood my schedule and she doesn’t think of me as a client.
Ironic. I talked Kate down from the roof at Blackwell. Now she is talking me out of the discomfort I have been feeling ever since I returned from Arcadia Bay.
I connected to Kate’s client portal and waited. The screen came on and there she was, not the shy, quiet, Christian girl I knew from Blackwell. She was someone I could be attracted to if it wasn’t for…
We talked about Ladybug and then we got to what I really wanted to talk about. I missed Chloe. I thought I had forgotten the pain of our breakup, but I had just suppressed it.
“And what do you want to do about it, Max?”
“What can I do about it? She left me and I haven’t heard from her since.”
“Have you tried to contact her?”
“What good would that do?”
“I don’t know, and neither do you. I am not saying you will reconnect with her, but you will not if you don’t try.”
“I guess you are right, Kate.”
Kate closed the connection, and I disconnected my end. She was right. Chloe wasn’t going to come back to me if I did not make an effort to find her and let her know I still loved her.
Monday class went ok. Miyoko is my best student. She showed some of her work from when she lived in Osaka. It was amazing. Another student asked about traditional film and darkroom photography and if it was better than digital. I explained the process of developing films and producing prints. What I didn’t explain was my visible discomfort over discussing darkrooms.
It was time. No more procrastination. I took out my phone. Chloe’s number was still in my contacts. I couldn’t bear to delete it. I sent the text.
Max>: “Chloe, I miss you. I visited Arcadia Bay recently. It is completely rebuilt. So is Blackwell. Wells is gone. Ms Grant is Principal. Being there made me think of you and reminded me what we were to each other. If you are ever in Vermont, come to Caledon University. Miss you”
No response. Her number could have changed. She could have me blocked. Maybe she doesn’t care about me anymore. Maybe she’s…
I waited a week. I knew what Kate would say. “Max, you have to let her go.” I sent another text.
Max>: “Chloe, did I ever tell you why I ghosted you when my family moved to Seattle? I was ashamed of leaving you, especially when you dad had just died. I felt guilty. You know me and guilty feelings. The more I waited the harder it got to respond . I needed you too, but I couldn’t say it.”
Thinking about Chloe was starting to affect my teaching. This was not the thing I was supposed to be doing. I tried forgetting Chloe, but I couldn't. One more try.
Max>: This is the last time I will bother you. I saw this weird movie. A boy built a time machine to help win a girl he was interested in. Didn’t work
When I got my rewind power at Blackwell I sometimes used it to make friends. Sorry Chloe. I should have thought more about us.
Sayonara as a student of mine would say.