As soon as the announcement was made that some fellow Blackwell students would be Christmas caroling, Max texted Chloe.
Max: Guess what we're doing this weekend?
Chloe: Each other?
She laughed to herself, hoping no one would notice her flushed cheeks.
Max: Even better, Christmas caroling!
Chloe: I beg to differ about that being better, but sounds hella fun! I'm in.
It was settled then. She loved this time of the year and knew Chloe did too. They could even wear their matching Christmas sweaters they had recently bought. Ever since the whole "end of the world" thing two months ago, they had been closer than ever. Some people thought a little too close, but all best friends are like that. Right? Either way she loved Chloe and always used any excuse to hang out with her. This weekend would be no exception.
The week flew by and before she knew it, Max was waiting outside with Kate for Chloe to pick them up so they could head to their designated neighborhood. Max and Kate chatted excitedly about the day. "Do you know who all is in our group?," Max questioned.
"I know Alyssa is, she mentioned it to me the other day," Kate replied. "Besides that, I have no clue."
"Oh okay, hopefully we got some good singers to drown out my wailing," Max joked, cracking a smile when Kate let out a small laugh. Just then, Max heard the familiar rumble of Chloe's truck pull up in the parking lot. The two girls walked over in their excessive Christmas attire. Before they even opened the door, they could hear Christmas music blasting at an ungodly volume. Chloe was overdramatically mouthing the worlds as well as producing some fancy hand motions and lots of pointing as she belted the lyrics of "All I Want For Christmas Is You".
When max opened the passenger door she was giggling at Chloe's performance as she slid into the middle seat, allowing Kate to have the passenger seat. "Someone's in the Christmas spirit," Max waited until the laughter died down before addressing the situation.
"You bet your ass I am Caulfield! We're gonna blow this shit out of the water," Chloe enthused, giving one of her famous grins as she headed towards their destination. Kate sat quietly to herself but overall seemed to enjoy Chloe's high spirits. The two were friends but still had not gotten to know each other that well. Hopefully she could fix that soon.
Conversation stayed causal throughout the duration of the ride, and Chloe managed not to say anything too offensive. As Chloe and Kate chatted back and forth, Max couldn't help but stare. The way the light flowed through the window, highlighting her sharp features and ocean blue eyes. She shook her head and brought herself back to reality. It's okay to appreciate her best friend's beauty, right? Chloe turned into the neighborhood and parked the car.
"Let's make Christmas caroling our bitch." Chloe couldn't say that seriously.
"I was thinking more along the lines of 'let's bring some Christmas cheer' but that works too," Max added sarcastically.
As the three girls approached their group Chloe let out a groan. "We're stuck with rich bitch and her little posse are you fucking kidding me?"
"This isn't the group I would have chosen to be with either but you can do it Chlo." She gave her best friend a small reassuring smile although she didn't know if she was going to make it herself. Kate grabbed Max's hand and squeezed it as to let her know everything was going to be alright.
When Victoria saw them approaching a grin stretched across her face. "Well if it isn't the three musketeers. This should be fun."
Fun wasn't exactly the word Max was looking for.