The thunder roars, rain thrusting itself against the dorm's windows as if it's trying to break in. The lightening is quick and bright, stealing the silence between it's approving rumbles to make another grand appearance in the dark cloud ridden sky.
Max loves nights like these.
It's nights like these that give her the chance to think.
Her hands are slightly shaky, the cold from outside somehow having made it's way to her- grasping her with long, boney fingers to squeeze the calming warmth from her body. Her fingers twitch and move ever so slightly, clacking meaninglessly and aimlessly on her keyboard as she internally groans about how shitty the internet is due to the wind and rain.
It's also nights like these where Max takes advantage of the situation and opts to visit the other students of her school (after all, their dorms aren't exactly that far apart; a short trip across the hall and she's practically slamming herself through the wall into someone else's room).
The brunette pulls herself up from her seat, snagging a blanket off her bed before wrapping it around her shoulders. It provided little warmth, but a little bit of it was better than none at all.
She escaped her room and made it across the hall in quick strides, her knuckles tapping on a door before she's even allowed herself permission for such things.
Despite it being well into the night, Max is pleasantly surprised when the door is opened a little a few moments later.
Kate Marsh is on the other side, dark circles under her eyes and a hand held over her mouth to catch a yawn. Her golden hair is everywhere, including hanging partly over her tired eyes before they widen in surprise and the door is swung fully open.
"Oh, hey Max."
"Hi, Kate. Sorry, I know it's kind of late but I was wondering if I could come in?"
Kate looks a little shocked, but also happy, and it doesn't take long before she's stepping aside with a small smile and allowing her friend inside.
"Well, make yourself at home. Sorry about the mess."
Max steps into the room and turns as Kate closes the door, though she makes sure to focus her light blue eyes on other things before she's caught staring.
"So, what brings you here then Max? Shouldn't you be sleeping?"
A common question; this isn't the first time someone's asked her that and it's probably far from the last. The brunette bites back a yawn before replying, making her way over to Bonnie's cage before slowly reaching a finger through the bars to gently pet the furry creature.
"Just wanted to stop by, I guess. See how you were holding up after..."
Max hesitated to answer the second question before deciding to just ignore it, withdrawing her fingers from within the cage to put them back underneath her blanket-cloak.
Kate smiles (Max barely catches the act out of the corner of her eye) at her friend's concern, though it only stays for a moment before she forces out a response.
"Oh, well I'm fine. Glad you decided to check up on me, though. Bonnie and I were getting pretty bored in here."
Max merely chuckles as a first response, just soft enough for it to almost drown underneath and upcoming roar of thunder. "I can only imagine."
Though, she is quite familiar with boredom. Boredom is what led her to Kate's door, after all.
Boredom and an old habit.
"You know, if you want I can go look for a movie for us to watch. To pass the time."
Max could've suggested the flash drive, but she was vaguely aware that most of the movies would most likely worry the poor girl before her. The flash drive was better off being saved for solo moving watching, before it had to be returned to Warren anyways.
"That actually sounds like a great idea. I probably wouldn't have fallen asleep for a while anyways."
Max grins and moves towards the door, grabbing the handle before glancing at Kate. "Hey, if you want you can come with. I'm not exactly sure what kind of movies you're into."
The other girl smiles sheepishly at the offer, hesitating before giving Max a confirming nod. "Yeah, okay. Don't be surprised with my movie selection though."
The two leave Kate's room as quietly as they can before slipping into Max's room, and Kate takes a moment to marvel at Max's decoration lit photowall before giving her guide her full attention.
They scramble around for a few scattered CDs (and Kate can't help but laugh a little at Max's frustration with how long it takes to find them) before Kate makes a quick selection, and Max really is shocked by what the other one grabs.
"A horror movie? Really? I didn't think you were into them."
"I'm not, really, but I'm willing to give it a try. I just don't like watching them alone."
The surprise is unexpected but pleasant in the end, because halfway through the movie Kate ends up latching onto Max's torso, a small squeak rising up her throat before she averts her eyes and hides her face in Max's hair.
Max nearly grins in response, moving her right arm to wrap it comfortingly around the other girl.
Max really does love nights like these.