One More Time

The Unexpected

"She makes me happy. I know there's something more there. There has to be, Max. So why do I feel this huge weight on me? Sorry for being a drama queen."

Maxine Pricefield took a sip of her tea. Had her friend not been in such a state of distress, she would've asked her to write down the blend.

Love advice was something she could do. In fact, advice of any type was her forte. She was a girl years beyond her youth. 'A lifetime ahead of everyone else,' as her dear wife would say. So, starting a column in the State Capital's newspaper was something that she felt she could handle. Some had felt that she wasn't qualified enough to give 'worldly' advice, considering her almost immeasurable wealth, but once the reviews came in, she had carved out yet another niche in Oregon. It was becoming more impossible to leave this beautiful town every day, and she didn't want to brag, but it was totally her fault. She just made the damn place too livable. There were certainly more blue-jays around than she remembered.

Of course, if it were any other person, she would have preferred to be anonymous. The paper didn't see it that way, so the pride of Arcadia Bay, Max Pricefield, had a steady job in the newspaper as a personal advice columnist. Ask Max even had its own website, to offer free advice to anyone that wasn't desperate to put their life on the third page of the Salem News. Daniel was very helpful with that, and Chloe enjoyed running the site, even partnering up to give advice most days. Her wife had enjoyed the Big Brother and Sister Program as much as Max had.

And while she was good at giving sound advice, Max's biggest criticism was that she almost never gave an actual direction, merely laying out the possible choices, and giving a pro/con list of following each path. Meanwhile, her readers loved the advice – it didn't make them feel like they were cornered, like the answer shouldn't be too obvious or simple, like they were idiots. Her advice made them consider wisely, and follow what they deemed was best in the most logical step on the path before them.

Graduation was approaching fast, and Max had found a pattern in life to keep her busy, while Chloe posted her artwork alongside Max's photos on their website. Really, it was amazing how responsive the art community was. Partnering with several Art Productions across the United States, they began a business of having prints ordered for their own works, and distributed throughout many museums. Hipster Instagram, Chloe called it, and Max couldn't help but agree, and considering she owned part of actualInstagram, this was a natural progression for them. The success of their work was staggering, and Max couldn't have been happier with the way their lives had been, and were going.

Still, she couldn't help but feel an odd sense of Déjà vu, sitting across from her best friend while she aired her personal woes. Her first ever real advice was another lifetime ago, the meek girl who felt challenged to go to anyone else.

"You're the only one I can talk to about this."

"And that's the problem, Kate." In so many ways. "You're going to have to tell your parents soon. At least your dad, and your sisters. You can't keep this from them for too long, trust me."

"Your parents were okay with you," Kate whispered, "you know... you and Chloe."

"Kate, look at me. Don't be embarrassed. We've never had a problem talking about my relationship with Chloe before. You were there, with me, the first time we walked into the school together. You even offered to hold my other hand. I can't... I just can't stand to see you looking so ashamed about this. Not now."

Kate gave a soft smile at the memory, but looked up swiftly at the last statement. "No, Max! That wasn't what I was trying to do at all! I'm sorry! It's just, I'm not too used to this – being on the other side, I mean. Wait, that didn't come out right. I mean..." she stopped her rambling to take a deep breath. "She's my friend. I love her. But I don't know if I love her like you and Chloe."