TimTak: hey. heard you went to the sugar bowl with maniac yesterday. didn't know you guys were like... a thing now.

12/20/3781 - 5:42 PM

 

shirleysparkles: We're not "a thing." He asked if I wanted to try their new float after rehearsal, and I said yes. It wasn't a date. Where did you even hear that?

12/20/3781 - 5:48 PM

 

TimTak: jonesey told me. said you two were sharing the jumbo version with the sparklers and everything. pretty date-ish. not that i care. just surprised i guess. didn't think he was your type.

12/20/3781 - 5:51 PM

 

shirleysparkles: And what exactly is "my type," Timmy? The boy who barely talks to me anymore unless it's about temporal anomalies or robot conspiracies?

Maniac isn't as bad as you make him out to be. He's actually been really supportive with the play, and he always stood up for me back when i was being picked on a lot. Which is more than I can say for some people lately.

12/20/3781 - 5:57 PM

 

TimTak: ok whatevs. glad you had fun with the amazing maniac.

sorry if i haven't been the most fun person to be around lately. some of us have bigger things to worry about than school plays and milkshakes.

12/20/3781 - 6:03 PM

 

shirleysparkles: That's exactly what I'm talking about, Timmy. This attitude. You act like everything you're dealing with is so much more important than what everyone else cares about.

You've been like this for months now. What's really going on with you?

12/20/3781 - 6:10 PM

 

TimTak: nothing. everything's great. go have more milkshakes with maniac.

12/20/3781 - 5:17 PM

 

shirleysparkles: That's not fair and you know it. I'm trying to understand what's bothering you.

We used to talk about everything, Tim. Now you barely look at me during club meetings, and when you do talk, it's either sarcastic comments or doomsday warnings that never come true.

I miss my friend. What happened to him?

12/20/3781 - 6:22 PM

 

TimTak: fine. you want to know what's going on? it's max. it's always been max.

ever since aquazone, i can't stop thinking about him. about becoming him. i thought the zotaxian data would help me figure out how to avoid it, but all it did was confirm what i already knew - the future is fixed.

i'm going to turn into him no matter what i do. and knowing that just makes me feel... what's the point of anything? school, time cruisers, friendships... it all ends the same way.

12/20/3781 - 6:30 PM

 

shirleysparkles: Tim, we've been over this. Commander Time Warp wouldn't have come back if the future was completely a lost cause. The very fact that he exists proves things can change.

And even if parts of time are fixed, that doesn't mean you have to become exactly like Max.

But honestly? I'm getting tired of this. You've been using Max as an excuse to push everyone away for almost two years now. At some point, you have to decide whether you're going to live your life or just spend it being afraid of what might happen.

12/20/3781 - 6:38 PM

 

TimTak: easy for you to say. you're not the one who saw your future self turn into a villain.

you don't get it. i saw things in the zotaxian data. things i never told anyone. it showed me hurting you, shirley. that's what starts the whole thing. that's what turns me into max.

so yeah, maybe i've been pushing people away. maybe that's the only way to make sure i don't hurt anyone.

12/20/3781 - 6:45 PM

 

shirleysparkles: You think you're protecting me by being a jerk to me NOW? That makes no sense, Tim.

And I'm so tired of this Max obsession. It's been TWO YEARS. Do you have any idea how frustrating it is to watch you sabotage every friendship, every opportunity, because of something that might never happen?

The Tim I knew was brave enough to face uncertain futures. The Tim I knew didn't give up before he even tried.

I can't do this anymore. I'm not going to keep trying to convince you to live your life when you're so determined to ruin it.

Message me when the real Tim comes back.

12/20/3781 - 5:52 PM

 

TimTak: shirley wait. it's not like that.

i just don't know what to do anymore. i don't want to be max. i don't want to hurt you. but i don't know how to stop it.

12/20/3781 - 6:01 PM

 

TimTak: shirley?

12/20/3781 - 6:15 PM