This is an AU where Chloe is the one that left for five years, and Max stayed in Arcadia Bay. There's a very good reason why I did this, as you'll see as the story goes on. I don't plan on giving anything away so soon.

"Let's see... I've got all my shirts, pants, bras, underwear..."

Chloe looked around her room, her hands placed on her hips as her eyes fell on the open suitcase resting on her soon-to-be-empty bed. She chewed on her lip absently and tapped her finger as she racked her brain, trying to recall what else she needed to pack. Just about every drawer in her room was hanging open. Various pieces of clothing that she wasn't planning on taking with her were strewn about the floor or hanging out of her dresser, giving her room a recently ransacked appearance.

What else am I missing? She thought. She scratched her freshly dyed blue hair and checked around the floor for anything.

Chloe scooped up the backpack she was taking along and slung it onto the edge of the bed, pulling the zipper open and taking things out to look through it. "Mom! Did I grab my toothbrush?!"

"Right here, sweetie." Joyce said, slipping into Chloe's room with a small white bag in hand. "Along with a few other things you missed."

Chloe turned around and sighed in relief as she took the bag from her mother, looking inside. "Ah, deodorant, soap, and tampons. Right. Thanks, mom." She turned towards the backpack and started restuffing it, shoving the white bag in after.

"Of course." Joyce smiled warmly. She took her own time looking around her daughter's room, a sense of sadness washing over her. She placed her hand to her chest and walked slowly around, taking in the much emptier closet, dressers, and bins. She looked at all of the posters hanging from Chloe's wall, some missing as Chloe decided she'd bring them along to decorate her dorm room with, and sighed softly.

"Mom?" Chloe said quietly, hearing her mom sigh. She set down the backpack and adjusted her body to face her properly. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, yes. Yes." Joyce's smiled shifted to one of concealed sadness. "It's just... going to be hard getting used to your room being empty, is all..."

Chloe glanced down at the floor and scratched the back of her neck. "It's gonna be hard not waking up to the smell of your pancakes..." She attempted to lighten the air with a joke and offered a smile when she looked up at her mother.

Joyce laughed a bit and met her daughter's gaze. "I promise I'll cook them up for you when you visit."

"Or you could find a way to slip them into the care package that I know you're gonna send in, like, an hour." Chloe's smile became more genuine. She abandoned her packing for a moment to approach Joyce and wrap her arms around her, hugging her tightly. Joyce greatly appreciated and returned the gesture.

"It's not like I'm going across the country, mom..." Chloe murmured, pulling back from the embrace. "It's just a state away. Back home."

"I know, I know. But you'll be there by yourself." Joyce said. "David and I will be here while you're-"

"Partying it up with all the stoners in town?" Chloe joked, and laughed at her mother's off-guard expression. "Relax, I'm kidding. Sort of." She laughed again. "But I'll be fine, mom. I promise. And I'll call you as soon as I get into town."

And I won't be totally alone... Not as long as she can forgive me...

"You sure you don't want me and David to give you a ride?" Joyce asked.

"Yes, I'm sure. Nothing more embarrassing than having your mother drop you off in front of everyone and crying up a flood." Chloe was clearly teasing, and her smile was gentle. Joyce, thankfully, found amusement in the comment.

"We could call ahead and tell them to go on flood watch." She said.

Chloe shook her hand and walked back to her bed, zipping up her backpack and reaching over to close her suitcase. "And put the town into a panic? Even worse." With a grunt, she tugs her suitcase off of the bed and picks up the backpack to sling it over her shoulder. "But... if you're that persistent... you can give me a ride to the bus station."

"No way, Jose!" a voice called from the stairs after the sound of the front door slamming closed, followed by rapid footsteps. Chloe's rolled her eyes, grinning from ear to ear as she knew who it was immediately.

Rachel came rushing into the room, running her hand through her frazzled hair. She was in nothing but her pajama pants and a wrinkled t-shirt which made it clear she was in a hurry to get there. She cleared her throat and looked to Joyce pleasantly. "Good morning, Joyce."

"And to you, too, Rachel." Joyce said, chuckling. "Got here just in time."

"Like I was really going to let my best friend leave without seeing her? You kidding?" Rachel said and looked toward Chloe, who had set down her backpack and let go of the handle on the suitcase to open her arms for Rachel.

Rachel instantly welcomed herself into the hug and gave Chloe a loving squeeze, backing away after a moment to look up at her. "I'm taking you to the bus station." She said with that tone, which told Chloe she had no other choice.

"Fine, jeez. You're worse than my mother." Chloe said, and smiled at her mom.

"Hardy har har." Joyce said with a click of her tongue. "At least let me help you carry your things down to Rachel's car."

"I could use the extra hands, thanks." Chloe said. She picked up her backpack again, along with her suitcase, and nodded for Rachel to step aside. As she left the room, Joyce and Rachel grabbed the remainder of her belongings and fell in step behind her down the stairs.

At the bottom of the stairs, David was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. Her looked up at the dull thuds of Chloe's combat boots coming down the stairs and gave his step-daughter a small smile when he stood up straight.

"There's the girl of the hour." David said. "All packed and ready to go?"

"Sir, yes sir!" Chloe said, straightening her back and raising her hand in mock salute.

David chuckled a bit and rested a hand on her shoulder. "At ease, soldier." Chloe relaxed and David proceeded to pull her into a hug, which Chloe returned happily. "We're gonna miss you, kiddo."

"I'm gonna miss you guys, too." Chloe's voice came out muffled, but her words were still heard.

"Psh, you know I'll be down there this weekend to check out your swinging pad." Rachel said in her best "hip" voice.

Chloe laughed, parting from David, and grabbing her suitcase again. "From what I've heard, the dorms at Blackwell are pretty small. So I don't know exactly how much 'swinging' I could do."

"We'll find out Friday, trust me." Rachel said, adding in a sly wink.

Chloe rolled her eyes and David got the door for them. Chloe gave him a smile and wheeled her suitcase out to the walk, trailed by Rachel and Joyce. Rachel fished out her car key and popped the trunk for them. With a grunt, Chloe slung the suitcase into the trunk and slipped her backpack off of her shoulder right next to it. She then adjusted them so there would be enough space for the rest of her things. Once they finished that up, Chloe gave her mother one last tearful (on her mother's side) hug, a wave to David, and hopped into Rachel's car.

"Ready to go?" Rachel said as she got into the driver seat and put on her seatbelt.

Chloe looked out the window to her mother and step-father standing in the doorway. David has his arm around Joyce's waist and Joyce had her hands clasped in front of her. They both wore the same encouraging grin. Chloe returned it, feeling her eyes start to sting, and nodded. "Yeah. I'm ready."

"How long has it been?" Rachel asked to break the semi-awkward silence between them. They'd been in the car for about fifteen minutes now, and it wasn't hard for Rachel to tell that there was something on the bluenette's mind. Especially when she had a joint pursed between her lips and her fingers picking at the stray fabric on her torn jeans.

Chloe knew exactly what she was talking about. "Three years..."

"And nothing?"

"It's both of our faults, Rach."

"That's not the point. You guys stayed in touch for two years, and all of a sudden she just goes quiet?" Rachel gave Chloe a sideways glance. "Doesn't that seem a little suspicious?"

"I...guess?" Chloe said. "But it's my fault, too. Phone numbers work two ways. I didn't try hard enough to keep the friendship going."

"And neither did she." Rachel huffed.

Chloe took a long drag from her joint and breathed it out the window in a sigh. "It's not exactly easy to stay in contact with someone that's a state away, you know."

"Yeah, but if she was really your best friend, I think Max would've tried harder to keep it going, too." Rachel made a turn off the highway, passing a sign that said "BUS STATION, 7 MILES".

"When I get back to Arcadia Bay, things will get back on track." Chloe said confidently.

"And you're sure of this how?" Rachel asked. "What if she doesn't like this new...you?"

"You mean the whole 'blue-haired, tattooed, pothead, punk, delinquent' thing?" Chloe said, quirking an eyebrow. "She's not one to judge, Rachel." Or she wasn't, anyway...

"I'm just saying, Che. Things change. And you guys have had three years." Rachel sighed as she slowed the car down at a red light and turned to Chloe. "I just want to make sure you'll be okay when you two reconnect."

"We'll be fine." Chloe assured her.

Rachel looked at Chloe for another moment, looking away only when the light turned green. She put her car in gear and pulled off.

"Promise me you'll text when you get there?" Rachel begged, helping Chloe unload her things from the car.

"I promise." Chloe smiled at her and took her second suitcase from her hands, after hooking her arms through the straps of her backpack and another bag.

Rachel stepped forward and wrapped her arms snugly around Chloe, sighing heavily. "I'll miss you."

"And I'll miss you." Chloe said. She laughed a bit. "But I know you were serious about coming Friday, so I'll see you then."

"Definitely. And I'll bring your truck when it's out of the shop." Rachel said. "Probably have Frank drive it."

"With Pompidou? No way, you drive my truck here and let Frank take your car." Chloe said. "I love the mutt, but if he shits in my car or something-"

"Alright, alright. I got it." Rachel laughed. She looked at the clock hanging just inside the building. "Ten minutes before your bus arrives. Want some company until then?"

Chloe beamed. "Yeah. Thanks."

It had been forty minutes. Chloe was reclined back a bit on the bus, her things safely secured over her head, minus her backpack, and her headphones were covering her ears. She stared out the window as 'If I Believe You' by The 1975 filtered into her ears. She sighed.

I'm itching for a fucking blunt right now...

But she couldn't afford to be kicked off of the bus when she's not even halfway to Arcadia Bay yet. She started picking at her jeans again and chewed on her lip absently.

What are you so nervous for?

What if she doesn't want to see me..?

Dude, you're being ridiculous. Of course she'll want to see you.

It's been three years.

Time doesn't matter to true best friends.

But...

The bus came to a stop and Chloe sat up straighter. She knew she didn't have to get off; this bus went directly to Arcadia Bay and back. For some reason, she was curious as to who was getting on the bus. There was an elderly couple, a father with his daughter, and two teenagers, a blonde and a black haired girl with blue and red highlights, both girls, also carrying luggage. Chloe glanced around to check the availability of remaining seats.

Great. They're gonna ask to sit here.

The two girls started heading down the isle and, as Chloe suspected, they stopped at her section. Chloe took her headphones from her ears.

"Ah, excuse us." the dark-haired girl said. "Can we sit here?"

Chloe gave the teens a once over. The first girl was pretty average except for the highlights; her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, she had glasses, and a hoodie with three lightsabers across it. The blonde looked shy; blonde hair styled up in a bun, a blank back shirt and gray skirt, and a gold cross hanging around her neck.

"Yeah. Sure." Chloe leaned over and shifted her backpack to the floor between her feet.

Not very "delinquent" of you.

Shut it, you.

The girls smiled in thanks and started packing their things into the overhead storage area. There was some shuffling noises, and then the sound of the compartment being closed tightly. The brunette sat next to Chloe, and the blonde took the isle seat. Chloe turned her attention back to the window, ready to put her headphones back on, when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked back and it was the dark-haired girl.

"Are you going to Blackwell, too?" she asked.

Chloe raised an eyebrow. "Uh, how'd you know?"

"We usually don't see anyone else on this bus our age unless they're going to the school." the blonde piped up.

"Ah." Chloe sat up again and laughed. "Well, you got me. I'm on my way to Blackwell."

"First year? Senior?" the blonde said. Chloe nodded, and the girl smiled. She reached across to offer her hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Kate Marsh. And this is Brooke Scott."

Chloe took her hand and shook it, smiling at both of them. "Chloe Price."

"What'd you get into Blackwell for?" Brooke asked.

"Graphic Design." Chloe replied. "I sent them in some pictures of shirts I designed using spray cans and watercolor. They loved it, obviously."

"That's amazing!" Kate said. Her eyes lit up with interest.

Chloe felt a blush creep up her neck. "Yeah, I guess so. What about you guys?"

"Photography." Kate said, and it was her turn to become sheepish. "But I have a minor is Visual Arts."

"You draw?" Chloe asked.

"Mhmm. I have a sketchbook full of characters I've made up." Kate blushed. "I've been thinking about writing and illustrating a kid's book one day."

"That sounds hella cool." Chloe said, smiling. She turned to Brooke. "And you?"

"Science major. I know it sounds pretty boring, but it's cooler than you think." Brooke said.

"Enlighten me." Chloe said.

"I've always enjoyed mixing chemicals together with the cliche chemistry set just about every parent gets their kids at some point." Brooke explained. "But I'm also considering taking up Astrology. I have this really cool drone that I fly around campus sometimes. Maybe I can show it to you later."

"Yeah, that sounds like a plan." Chloe chuckled.

The bus came to a screeching stop in the bus station. Chloe, Brooke, and Kate all filed off of the bus and set their stuff down for a moment by the waiting area. Chloe stretched out her tired limbs while Brooke checked her phone and Kate surveyed a map nearby.

"We have about an hour before the Blackwell bus passes through." Brooke spoke up, looking towards Chloe and Kate.

"Cool." Chloe said.

"Do you think we should eat?" Kate asked. She pointed at a list of nearby restaurants on the map, running her finger down the list. "We could go to the same place we usually do, or try something new."

"Doesn't matter to me." Brooke shrugged and tucked her phone away. "Are you coming, Chloe?"

"Huh?" Chloe's eyebrows shot up in mild surprise. She'd just met this girls, and they were already inviting her to go and eat out with them?

Heh. Eat out.

Shut up, you little-

"Chloe?"

Chloe's gaze snapped to Kate, who had a somewhat expression weighing down her features. Chloe coughed awkwardly, pretending to clear her throat, and nodded.

"Yeah, yeah. Sounds great. Where do you have in mind?" she said casually.

"We usually go to *Romio's Pizza & Pasta, but if you prefer something else-" Brooke started.

"No, no." Chloe interjected. She smiled. "Pizza and pasta sounds great."

"Awesome, it's right up the street." Brooke said. She started gathering her things.

"We can eat and then come back here to catch the bus." Kate walked back towards them and looped her fingers into the handle of her suitcase.

"Perfect." Chloe rolled her shoulders for a moment and grabbed her stuff, following the two girls out of the station.

"You used to live in Arcadia Bay?" Kate asked, wiping the sauce from the pizza off of her chin.

"Yeah. Five years ago." Chloe took a second slice and set it on her plate. "Left when I was fourteen."

"Why?" Brooke said. She was finishing up the crust of her pizza.

Chloe paused for a second, casually shrugging. "My mom got a job offer in Seattle. We needed the money and we couldn't afford to stay here anymore, so she took it."

Kate nodded in understanding. "How does it feel to be back?"

"Strange. Very strange." Chloe said, and bit into her pizza. "It's like wandering through a dream, almost."

"I know how that feels." Brooke said. "It's like dual homesickness. You miss being here, but you wanna go home. I get that every year when I stay the summer with my parents."

"Same here." Kate agreed.

Chloe smiled. "I'm glad someone gets it."

At that moment, Kate's phone began to vibrate on the table and her eyes widened. "Oh, the bus will be at the station in five minutes!"

"Shit!" Chloe said. She scarfed down the rest of her pizza, not caring that it was burning her tongue and the roof of her mouth.

Brooke polished off hers and reached into her pocket, taking out the money to pay and leaving it under the condiments rack on the table. Chloe noticed this and raised an eyebrow.

"Don't you need to wait for the receipt?" she questioned.

"We always order the same thing, we know exactly what it costs." Kate said with a smile as she gathered their plates and threw them away. "Plus, the owner knows us. It's alright."

The trio finished cleaning up what they could and grabbed their belongings, rushing out the door towards the bus station.

"Here we are." Brooke announced as they stepped off of the bus. She raised a hand to shield her eyes from the sun as she looked up at the school looming over them. "Blackwell Academy."

"It's about time." Chloe said. She adjusted her backpack. "I think my shoulders are about to fall off."

"In that case, we can probably go drop our things off at the dorms." Kate said.

"I'd love that very much." Chloe said.

"Afterwards, do you want us to show you around?" Brooke asked.

"Totally." Chloe grinned. Man, these girls are hella cool.

Kate nodded in the direction of the dorms and Chloe followed close behind them, taking in the scenery as they went. She saw other students being dropped off and wheeling their luggage around, some catching up with friends they haven't seen in a while. There were two kids doing tricks with their skateboards by the stairs and Chloe laughed, making a note to meet up with them later and show them what she knew with her board.

As they crossed over to the dorm area, there were two guys tossing a football around on the grass. The guy facing them caught sight and waved with the hand holding the ball, smiling.

"Hey, Brooke! Kate!" he called. "Who's that with you?"

"Hey, Warren!" Brooke and Kate said in unison, returning his smile.

Kate glanced at Chloe. "This is Chloe; she's new."

"Great to meet you, Chloe!" Warren said. "Maybe I'll see you around later!"

"Yeah, maybe!" Chloe said back, her shoulders shaking with quiet laughter.

The girls continued up to the girl dorms and Brooke caught the door before it closed behind someone else, holding it open for Chloe and Kate to get by. They lifted their things up the small incline of stairs and through another door that lead to a hallway full of doors.

"Do you know which room is yours?" Kate asked.

"Ah..." Chloe opened her mouth, prepared to answer, before she realized that she completely forgot. "Fuck, hold on."

She dropped her suitcase to the floor and opened it, shifting through her clothes for the letter and key she received about her housing arrangements. Kate and Brooke watched in mild amusement as the bluenette swore under her breath and threw her clothes back into the suitcase. Just as she was about to shut it and go through her backpack, something sticking out of a side pocket caught her eye. She reached over and plucked it out. It was an envelope. Intrigued, Chloe opened it and, of course, her key toppled out onto her clothes.

"There you are, bastard." she said, snatching it up. She takes the letter out of the envelope and unfolds it.

Figured you would forget this.

Love, mom.

Chloe rolled her eyes and smiled. Thanks, mom. You're the best.

She closed her suitcase back up and got to her feet, inspecting the number on the key. "Uh... It says it goes to room 224."

"Oh, that's right here." Kate said. She pointed to the first room on the left.

"Sweet." Chloe said. "So, I guess we'll meet back here when we put our stuff away?"

"Works for me." Brooke said.

"Yeah, that's fine." Kate said.

"Alright, then I'll see you guys in a bit." Chloe said. She gave them a wave and went to unlock her door, the other girls heading to their respective rooms.

Chloe dragged her things inside and shut the door, sighing heavily and closing her eyes for a minute. So far, things were looking pretty great at this school. "Maybe I will enjoy it here." she said to herself as she pushed herself up off the door.

She gave her room and once over. A twin sized bed, a computer desk, a mini closet, a dresser with a cabinet settled above it, a small couch and a love seat beside it. Hm. Cozy. She thought, already making a plan on how to rearrange and organize everything. She moved her suitcase over to the dresser and placed her backpack on the bed, not really wanting to be bothered with unpacking just yet. Instead, she plopped down on the bed and took out her phone, biting on her lip absently as she scrolled through her Facebook timeline.

I wonder where she is right now...

You should go look for her.

Yeah, no.

But you want to reconnect, right?

Yeah, but...

Chloe sighed and shoved her phone back into her pocket. No way was she going to be trapped in here with her thoughts. And no way was she going to continue talking to herself. She made a note to unpack after the tour around campus and stepped out of her room to wait for Brooke and Kate.

"Over there in that building is the pool area." Kate gestured to the building directly across from the dorm entrance. "It's actually really nice. It's a heated pool."

"Seriously?" Chloe said, intrigued.

"Yep. It's nice during the winter." Brooke added. "It's also where the Vortex Club holds their parties."

"'Vortex Club?'" Chloe laughed. "Sounds like something put together by a bunch of pompous assholes."

"It is." Brooke rolled her eyes. "They're all corrupted bitches in that group, boys and girls alike."

"Victoria Chase is the 'queen' of it." Kate said, using quotation marks around the word queen. "Her and Nathan Prescott run the whole thing."

"Nathan is a decent guy sometimes, but Victoria..." Brooke shuddered and sighed. "She thinks she just owns everyone and everything."

"She sounds pleasant." Chloe joked, smirking.

"You don't know the half of it." Brooke laughed.

"Wait, Brooke, aren't they holding that fair to introduce the new students to the clubs offered here in the school?" Kate asked, her eyes following students filing into the school and pointing at the banner hanging over the door.

"Oh, yeah. They are." Brooke recalled. She gave her attention to Chloe. "If you want, we can head over there. You might find something you like. And it'll give you a chance to look around the school."

"Maybe I'll even join the Vortex Club." Chloe said, which made Kate and Brooke laugh.

"Come on." Kate said.

They led the way to the school, Chloe reading the banner once they reached the steps. "WELCOME, NEW STUDENTS! ENJOY THE CLUB FAIR!" it said. Chloe scoffed and skipped the rest of the steps up to the school. Inside, the foyer was packed full of tables, students, signs, and everything alike. Club members stood in front of the tables handing out flyers, chanting their mantras, and speaking to interested students.

"I think we have a skate club here." Kate said. She gestured to the hallway on their right. "Justin usually sets up down that hallway if you're interested."

"I'll check it out." Chloe noted. "After I see everything else."

The girls made their way through the crowd, their ears being blasted with students trying to gain attention to their table. One or two were playing music. Chloe saw a boxing club, a swim club, a gamer club (which she also made a note of to look into), and a few others.

"There's the drama club." Brooke said. She pointed in the direction of three kids acting out a terribly written scene of why students should join them.

"How do they get by?" Chloe asked, genuinely confused. She shook her head.

"They're better than that, believe me. They probably wrote the script in a rush." Brooke said.

"They put on a great performance of 'Shakespeare In Love' last year." Kate said.

They continued to browse. They only took a few different flyers, ones that Chloe had no intentions of looking at later but figured she'd be polite. As she looked around, she noticed one table that had more students than the rest and made a face, taking a wild guess of what club that was.

"The Vortex Club table." Kate said, confirming her suspicions over her shoulder. "Everyone wants to get in there."

"Why? Didn't you confirm they were assholes?" Chloe asked.

"You'd be surprised how many people don't care." Brooke commented. "They get the most funding out of the school, too. I didn't mention that. Victoria or Nathan, I don't really care who, knows this 'dealer' that gets them drugs and alcohol for their parties or just for fun. The Prescotts pay off Principal Wells to overlook the whole thing."

"Druggies and drunkies?" Chloe said, grinning. "Almost sounds like my kind of setting. Think I'll go scope it out."

"What for?" Kate asked.

"Don't worry, I don't plan on joining them. I just wanna see what their hook is." Chloe gave them a reassuring smile and made her way towards the table, doing her best not to step on anyone's feet as she went. She passed a few people with their flyers clutched in their hands and scanned the words on it.

"Why should we let you into the Vortex Club?" she heard a girl ask.

"What can you bring to the table?" a second voice.

At least they try to seem professional. Chloe thought.

As she made her way to the table, she could see a few people standing behind it. One girl with blonde short hair and a somewhat pinched face wearing a cashmere and black skirt. Chloe automatically assumed that was Victoria Chase just by the snotty air she gave off. She was busy talking to a second girl who was a bit shorter than her, but Chloe couldn't see her face. Chloe made it to the table and picked up one of the other flyers that she didn't see, turning it over in her hands.

Boring, boring, boring. Chloe thought. Is this really the best they can do?

"Hey, do you plan on joining the Vortex Club?" a girl asked.

The voice was coming from directly in front of her, and Chloe knew she was referring to her. She gave a somewhat cocky smile, but didn't look up from the paper. "Maybe." she said casually. "Just doing a bit of research before I make a decision."

She looked up then; slowly, as if she didn't care. This girl was wearing a black striped white shirt under a purple cardigan and white pants. Her hands were folded in front of her. Chloe brought her gaze up to her face-

-and dropped the flyer.

No. Fucking. Way.

DUN DUN DUN! Haha, I hate to leave you on this wonderful cliffhanger, but I have to! I really hope you guys enjoyed this first chapter. I love the whole concept I have figured out for it. I'm not entirely sure where I'll be taking this story, so I'll be leaving it at a T rating until an official decision is made. Until then-

CaptainVampireKing awaaay!