title: scorpion

summary: Max Caufield forgot how it felt to go to school without a single friend. — or, max meets victoria in seattle before going to blackwell. (chasefield au)

notes: can u believe arcadian lesbians exist? anyways here's a fic to cure me of my nanowrimo writer's block. this also makes a lot of astrology references — victoria chase is a scorpio and nothing hurts.

Max Caulfield forgot how it felt to go to school without a single friend, but here she is, in a new school at the rainy town of the West, away from the only friend she had back at the Bay. However, she assumes that Chloe wants nothing to do with her and ignore her texts, thinking it's just petulant texts about how Max 'left her' and now she has no friends.

Whatever the fuck it is, she's starting over and she doesn't need a guilt trip about it.

(What she doesn't know is that Chloe already apologizes for being a huge bitch, and is trying really hard to contact her so they can keep up a friendship while being a state away. Max would know this, but she doesn't look at her damn texts.)

Once again, Max Caulfield forgot how it felt to go to school without a single friend. She enters a new territory, and it's fucking weird. These kids are different. They aren't too perturbed by Max's brand spankin' new face and aren't scared for their life because the big bad wolf (or the big bad fish, geddit, because Chloe is Max's fish and they're pirates sailing the ocean blue?) is here to back her up. Tough shit, Maxine, she says to herself.

Tough-fucking-shit.

The kids leave her alone, of course. There's one kid—she doesn't know the name but apparently she's the big bad bitch of the school, but not Chloe bad or whatever, like really bad—who picks on Max a little and it makes Max a little isolated. Almost a week passes and Max still hasn't made any friends, and she isn't sure if it's gonna happen.

But then, something happens.

"Hey! Leave her alone!" Some girl shouts at the bully that Max never learned the name of...starts with a K or something.

Apparently it makes the bully disappear and Max is all alone until she's not. Her savior looks at her with narrow eyes, but they're not narrow because of negative feelings. Max is sure that this girl - decked in designer clothing and a sash that indicates her role as hall monitor and long ass hair and hoops bigger than her wrist - is sizing her up or is merely interested in Miss Plain Jane over here.

"Hi. You're new right?"

Max is kinda intimidated herself. That's not a question, that's a statement...but she answers anyway - "Yeah, I am."

"I'm Victoria Chase: hall monitor."

"...Max?"

Victoria grins. "Is that a question or is that your actual name?"

"I-It's my actual name," Max stammers.

"Alright Mad Max. You should get to class before the bell rings."

Victoria manages to take Max under her wing and Max feels safe again. Chloe texts again, but Max doesn't answer them. She's too busy hanging out with the coolest and the bitchiest girl in the entire district, and has no time to talk to her old friend. Max gets the star treatment from Victoria all year round, but they bond over their love for art and rock music. Victoria sneaks Max in an art gallery created by a hipster ass photographer named Mark Jefferson. Victoria tells Max about her parents owning a gallery and hopes that one day her art can make it in the Chase Gallery. Max shares her adventures at the Bay and also shares her passion to be an indie photographer, and when Max receives a Polaroid for Christmas, all they do is take pictures and clip them on clothespins around Victoria's room.

Their bond is unbeatable. Victoria is the scorpion that Max needed in her life, knowing how and where to sting, but keeping a cool temperament and never actively trying to hurt Max's feelings.

When they graduate middle school, Victoria shares her big, but heartbreaking news. "I'm going to Arcadia Bay."

Max is extremely sad, and she almost feels for Chloe because she had to leave her fish at the Bay and now her scorpion is leaving her for the Bay. "Why?"

"There's this school that my parents want me to go to...Blackwell Academy. They went when they were kids and now they're sending me there. Apparently some rich family named the Prescotts donated a shitload of money in 1999 so that they can be a boarding school and have dorms and shit. If they didn't have a prestigious arts program, I wouldn't go."

Max almost starts tearing up. She just gained a friend and now she's losing one. Who's gonna be there to save her ass when that bully she never knew the name of starts bullying her again? Who can tell if she actually grew out of that? "Don't worry, Maximillion. I will definitely call you like, everyday."

"I hope." Max stays the night at Victoria's one last time and when she leaves, her father had to tear her away from Victoria.

Max cries in her room, for almost the entire summer. She finally gets the courage to read Chloe's texts.

Chloe: dud i'm so sorry I blew up on you like that. I just...I just lost my dad and losing you too added salt to the wound. It is totes not your fault and I'll do better

Chloe: Max? pls talk to me I need you rn

Chloe: I haven't stopped crying since u left tbh. mom thinks I need to talk to a shrink

Chloe: my mom already got a bf...i'm so pissed off rn...I wish you'd talk to me so I wouldn't have to deal with it alone

Chloe: fuck max I know you're mad but I'd like to hear something

Chloe: hey I was accepted into Blackwell Academy but tbh I haven't cared abt my grades in a min. that's the update on my life

Chloe: sigh...I see you found a new friend so I guess I should give up then lol

Fuck! Max is such a screw up. She should've opened her messages from day one but now she can't actually text Chloe now. What would she say? Would she even...be happy to hear from Max? Probably not - Chloe holds grudges and Max is probably on that shit list.

Max decides not to contact Chloe.