A/N: Thank you for the kind reviews! I promise the first chapter will be the only one that short. Enjoy! :)
A figure, she looked hurt. It was a girl. She was trapped. Was she trapped? She's screaming, but there's nothing happening. There's a crash of sound and flashes. What's going on? I can't reach her. The girl scoots further, her hands become tied and she's crying. She's screaming "stop" but nothing is working. Another figure approaches her. Is it holding something? Another flash and then, a bang.
Max shot up from bed, her shirt stuck to her back from the sweat trickling down. Her head throbbed and she looked around the room. She was in her dorm, her eyes dilating and adjusting to the darkness.
Another bang echoed in the room.
Max quickly turns her head to face the windows between the two desks. Chloe was yanking at the handle, tugging it with both her hands and planting her foot against the wall for support. That explains the sounds in her dream.
"W-what..?" Max uttered, her voice was raspy from her dry throat. Chloe yanked the window open and stepped onto the ledge, looking down below. Their dorm room was on the second floor, but it was still too high to jump down. 'She's not gonna try to jump down is she?' Max thought to herself. Her eyes had fully adjusted and she looked down at her phone beside her.
4:33 A.M.
Chloe sat down on the ledge and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, leaning against the window frame. She turned around and Max quickly plopped her head back down on her pillow, hoping Chloe hadn't noticed her.
Leaning over to her desk, Chloe grabbed a lighter and twisted back to face outside. She flicked on the lighter and brought it to her cigarette, letting the glow of the fire sit before closing her lighter back up. She held the cigarette between her thumb and pointer finger as she breathed in the smoke.
Max knew cigarette smells, and realized that wasn't a cigarette Chloe was smoking. She watched Chloe, the star-lit sky and glow from the moon outlined her body. She was a cloudy silhouette and Max was completely enthralled with the scene. 'This would be such a beautiful photo.' she thought to herself.
Her eyes grew heavy and she began to drift to sleep. She thought she heard Chloe sniffle, and hold back heavy breaths, but she wasn't sure if she was just imagining it again like her dream. 'Who was that girl?' Max thought, but that question faded away like the smoke encompassing Chloe as she fell back to sleep.
The sunshine filling in the room warmed Max's face as she slowly shook off her sleep. She opened her eyes and stared up at the ceiling. It was the first day of class today. She knew it was probably around 7:55 because she always wakes up a few minutes before her alarm went off. Her circadian rhythm helped keep her in check, especially now that summer was officially over.
A shuffling of sounds caused max to quickly turn her head away from the ceiling as she caught sight of Chloe. Her eyes went wide and she froze. Chloe stood in between their beds, her back to Max, as she changed out of her pajamas. She had just finished pulling up her pants and reached to her bed for her bra.
Max knew she was staring, but she couldn't help seeing all the ways her old friend had changed and grown. Chloe took her sleep-shirt off and exposed her bare back, the strap of her bra she grabbed wrapped around her fingers.
Her right shoulder had the beginnings of a tattoo, the rest hidden out of view. Max could tell it went further down the length of her arm. She sat up slightly from her bed to try to see if she could make out what it was.
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
The sounds of Max's alarm belted through the room.
"Fuck!" Max exclaimed as she reached over and slid the snooze button on her alarm. When she looked up, Chloe had already turned around and was staring at her in astonishment.
"Max, were you just...?" She began, a dumbfounded look growing across her face. Her arms were crossed over her chest to cover her exposed skin.
"What? No! No!" Max began, darting her eyes around the room as if she would find an alibi, "I-I just. Your tattoo. I was..." She trailed off, realizing how stupid her excuse was.
Chloe's expression shifted in a way Max didn't expect. A mischievous smirk perked up on the corner of her mouth and she stepped forward.
"W-What're you doing?" Max struggled to utter. She hated how much she stuttered when she was nervous.
"You wanted a peek, right Max?" Chloe's voice had shifted completely to be laced with lust and softness. It made a shiver run down Max's spine and she leaned back on her bed, her hands tugging her back slowly.
Chloe was now leaning over Max's bed and was eye level with her. Her lids were hooded with an avidity that Max couldn't describe. Chloe ran her tongue over her own bottom lip and it made Max's breath catch in her throat.
"Wanna see?" Chloe husked, her voice was so low. Max locked eyes with her and couldn't look away, not knowing what to expect. She stayed quiet and gripped onto her bed sheets, trying to ground herself.
Chloe quickly shifted her body, still holding her arms to her chest so her right arm was facing Max. The sudden movement caused Max to jolt back and make contact with the wall behind her.
"My tattoo. Isn't that what we're talking about? What were you expecting?" Chloe shot a wink and Max felt her cheeks heat up with a flushed embarrassment.
Max shoved Chloe's arm and turned away, "Real funny, Chloe." She sighed and leaned back against the wall. Chloe let out the laugh she had been holding in, "Too easy, Max." She turned her back to Max and finished putting the rest of her clothes on.
Max got up and walked to her closet to pick an outfit. First day of class always made her nervous, and the anxiety began as soon as she woke up and needed to pick what to wear. She finished grabbing everything and headed for the door.
"Aw, you not changing in here Maxie?" Chloe called out to her and Max shook her head as she grabbed the door handle, "No way I'm not, you've got the space to yourself to change." Max retorted and swung the door open, stepping into the hallway.
"But what if you've got a cool tattoo?" Chloe was able to yell before the door closed. Max sighed, "What am I gonna do with her." She mumbled and headed down the hallway towards the bathrooms.
As she turned the corner to the bathroom, Max was too preoccupied in her thoughts that she didn't notice the girl right in front of her. They collided into each other and Max fell back, grabbing the wall before she tumbled down. All of the clothing she was holding scattered on the floor.
"Oh I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking." Max said quickly as she leaned forward and picked up her clothing. She looked up at the girl before her, she was timid and quiet. Her meek persona made Max feel even worse about running into her, and her eyes looked so tired. 'Maybe she was having a rough for day too.' Max thought to herself.
"It's okay don't worry. Are you new here? I haven't seen you before." The girl remarked, looking nervous as if she was worried she had asked too much.
Max adjusted some of the clothing in her grasp and nodded, "Yeah, I just got in yesterday actually. I know most people probably showed up a week ago or so to prepare and adjust. I just got caught up with stuff back home." She kept it vague enough that she didn't have to bore this girl with her own stories, "I'm Max by the way."
"Kate, nice to meet you." Kate stuck her hand out and retracted it immediately, chuckling lightly to herself, "Looks like your hands are too full."
"Yeah, I'm changing and getting ready in here. I've got class in an hour and I could use the extra time to find out where my classes are." She wanted to be sure that she wasn't spending the first day running around Blackwell Academy looking for a room rather than having a presence in class.
Kate nodded and pulled back a few wisps of hair that fell out of her bun, "You don't like changing in your room?"
Max shook her head, "It's just easier in here I guess." She knew it was a weird circumstance, but she had hoped the situation between her and Chloe would get less tense over time.
"Well I won't keep you anymore, have a great first day! Come by my room if you need help finding anything, its room 222." Kate gave Max a quick smile and walked past her to the hallway.
'She was so nice. I'll definitely have to hang with her more.' Max thought to herself excitedly. "Wait." She said quietly to herself, "Did I just make a friend!?" She just registered fully what the conversation entailed and she cheerfully hopped a few times. Max wasn't always the girl who was able to make friends on the first day. She wasn't a loner, but it took her some time before she could warm up to people and consider them a friend.
As Max went inside the bathroom to change, she couldn't wipe off the smile on her face. 'Maybe this won't be so bad after all.' She thought as she went inside the stall to change.
When she was done, she hurried back down the hallway and pulled out her phone.
8:17 A.M.
"Shit, I need to hurry up." Max said to herself, realizing she was going to be cutting it close if she was going to have ample time to traverse and potentially get lost.
When she got back inside the room, Chloe was on her bed scrolling through her phone. Max threw her pajamas on her bed and started shuffling around her room for all the school supplies she had unpacked the night before.
Chloe peered over at Max and sighed, dropping her phone at her side, "Do you have to be stressed about this? You're making me anxious."
Max looked over her shoulder at Chloe while she started stuffing a binder into her book bag, "I just don't want to forget anything. It's the first day you know? Gotta be prepared."
Chloe snorted and let out a quick, sharp laugh, "Jeez, I can't remember the last time I put that much effort into something."
"Well you seemed to have done a number on the window, that seemed like a lot of effort." Max said under her breath, realizing halfway that she probably shouldn't have mentioned that.
"What?" Chloe responded, sitting up from her position.
Max closed up her bag and slung it over her shoulder, adjusting it so that it hung behind her. She turned and looked at Chloe, who had her arms crossed and was waiting for a response.
"I mean last night, when you were sitting on the windowsill like Juliet. You waiting for Romeo to show up and sweep you away?" Max said jokingly.
However, Chloe's reaction was not anywhere near what Max had expected. Chloe gripped the edge of her bed and bit her lips into her mouth. She looked back up at Max, her eyes full of anger, "You always fucking watching me, Max? Why don't you just mind your own fucking business."
Max was taken aback by her sudden blunt reaction. She stood still and waited to see if Chloe was going to elaborate. Max gulped and finally spoke up, "Chloe, what's wrong?"
Chloe stood up suddenly, her eyes piercing right through Max's, "Just go to your stupid class and stop analyzing the shit I do okay!?"
Max looked at the enraged girl before her uneasily. It had been years since they've spent time together, but this was a shock. She realized she must have hit a nerve.
"Fine." Max mumbled and walked out the door to the hallway, not looking back as the door closed behind her.
The walk to campus felt like miles away while Max marched toward the main entrance of campus. There was students across lawn, sitting together and chatting about all the general school nonsense that Max tuned out with her headphones. She scanned across at all the various groups of students and wondered if she would have a group of friends to call her own here.
'I should have stopped by Kate's room.' Max thought as she pulled the front doors opened and stepped inside. The corridors and hallways were easily just as packed as it was outside. Students filtering in and out of room, reuniting with their friends that had been temporarily removed from their life over the summer.
Starting her senior year of high school at a completely new campus had its drawbacks. Max faced the obstacle of feeling completely alone in such a crowded and lively setting. She envied for that feeling of having a friend to come back to.
Well, she does have that.
That friend just currently hates her.
"Here it is." Max said gleefully as she found her chemistry classroom. Navigating her way around was a lot easier than she had anticipated, probably because the school was not as complex and multifaceted as she had imagined.
She walked inside and took a seat near the back of the classroom. Students were entering in slowly, some immediately talking to their classmates and others staring at their phones to kill time.
Max looked up at the clock above the chalk board,
8:45 A.M.
Max leaned over to her bag to grab her journal. As she leaned up, she saw the boy in front of her was also digging into his bag behind him. He looked up at her and smiled, she smiled back at him.
He turned back to face the front and Max sat up straight in her chair while the room filled up. The clatter of books being dropped on desks and conversations roaring up made Max even more aware of herself. It was only the first day but everyone seemed more prepared than she did.
After the teacher came in and class began, Max was relieved to know that people only brought in their books because the school offered the students to leave their books in class instead of lugging them around. 'Sweet save Caulfield, you didn't miss any secret assignments!' She smiled to herself, which she quickly abandoned as she realized the nickname she had given herself. Can't let Chloe influence her already.
The teacher asked the room to pair up with someone around them to introduce your name, where you're from, and what you did over the summer.
'Great, I loathe doing these so much. Why can't she just start the lecture instead?' Max hated the unexplainable anxiety from being forced to befriend someone in the room with you.
The boy in front of her turned around immediately and smiled at her, "Hi!"
Max was taken aback, considering how she figured the student next to her was a more viable option. She didn't question it though, this guy seemed nice.
"Hi, I'm Max." She told him softly. The room was getting loud as everyone began pairing off and moving around for more space.
"Warren, nice to meet you!" He stuck his hand out and Max leaned over the table to shake his. He held her hand as he turned his chair and scooted over to sit across from her desk.
Max was aware of how long he had held her hand and as he let go she looked down to try to remember what she had to say.
"You wanna go first Max?" He asked, he looked eager to talk. She could tell he probably had a much more exciting summer than her. She shook her head and nodded at him, "You go first."
Warren began telling her about his summer, about a summer camp he went to, and about an internship he got because he's such a 'science-junkie' as he worded it. He got really into his stories with details and hand gestures that Max didn't want to interrupt with any questions, he probably doesn't get to talk about himself this often.
Max's eyes caught sight from the front of the room as someone walked in. "Fuck." she mumbled without realizing she had let the thought slip out loud.
Chloe walked into the room, shutting the door behind her. She didn't have anything on her, as expected, and walked past the teacher down the rows of the room.
Max was hoping that Chloe wouldn't notice her, there were tons of seats open in the front. Who was she kidding though, there's no way Chloe would sit up front.
To her dismay, Max met eyes with Chloe as she approached her desk. Chloe shot her a quick smile and knocked her journal onto the floor. She kept walking down and sat in the back of the room.
"Whoa, who was that?" Warren said defensively. He sat up a little from his seat to see where she went.
"It's fine, I know her. It's okay." Max said, bending down to get her journal off the floor.
Warren looked at Max without saying a word, and his skeptical look said it all. He didn't understand and Max had to elaborate, "She's my friend."
"A friend?" Warren reiterated.
Max felt her face getting warm, she knew this made no sense at all. It was just a very strange situation to be in. She nodded and looked down at her journal, "Keep going with your story though."
When class ended, Max turned around to see if Chloe was still there. As expected, Chloe was the first one out of the room. She sighed and leaned back in her chair, 'I hope it won't be weird back in the dorm.'
When Max collected her things and got up, she was stopped by Warren. "Hey, by the way…" He trailed off and instantly looked uncomfortable, "I'd love to see some of your photography sometime. The stuff you talked about sounds really amazing."
Max felt elated for a moment and nodded, "Of course! I'd love to show you." She always got excited when someone asked about her photography. It was something she didn't want to inundate people with her creative interests if they didn't want to hear about it.
Warren smiled and waved her goodbye, "Gotta run to class, see you tomorrow Max!" He turned around and left.
Max pulled out her schedule as she stepped outside the classroom and realized she had quite a sizable gap until her next class. It was her photography class and also the class she was most excited for at this school.
'Maybe I'll go see Kate.' Max thought as she headed back for the dorms. She stepped inside and went over to the room across from her. She lifted her hand and hesitated before knocking.
'She's probably in class.' She thought and looked around the hallway. It was pretty quiet and probably uncommon for people to have gaps between classes so early in the morning.
Max finally shook off her reluctance and knocked on the door. She had her hands behind her back as she waited. There was a shuffling of sounds and the door opened.
"Max?" Kate said, she looked tired and groggy.
"Hey Kate." Max perked up and smiled at her, "Did I wake you?"
Kate nodded, "You did but I actually accidentally fell asleep so it's good you came by." She stepped back and opened the door completely, "Come on in!"
Max stepped inside and looked around her dorm room. It looked a lot more filled than Max's relatively empty dorm room. It still had a sullen feel to it, almost like an atmosphere of sorrow that Max couldn't grasp. For a room so full, it felt a little empty.
"Have a seat Max." Kate said as she closed the door behind her, "How was class?"
"Good!" Max perked up as she sat down on the bed. Kate sat across from her at her desk chair, she turned her chair around and leaned back. Max put her bag down on the floor and looked back at Kate, "I only had chemistry so far and that went well, I think I made a friend. I'm looking more forward to my class in an hour. It's photography with Mark Jefferson."
"Oh that sounds great! I had class but we got let out early because we didn't have much to go over so I came back and just fell asleep. I had trouble sleeping because...because of first day nerves." Her voice softened for the end of her statement, almost like she was ashamed.
Max nodded and stayed quiet for a bit. She scanned around the room again and looked back at Kate, "Well random naps in the day must be easy when you don't have a roommate right?"
Kate tilted her head in confusion, "What?"
Max leaned back on her hands and sighed, "My roommate is such a handful, I can already tell I won't be able to sleep because of our sleep schedules-"
"-Wait Max." Kate interrupted, "You have a roommate?"
Max looked at Kate with a puzzled expression, not knowing what Kate was going on about, "Yeah, why?"
Kate scrunched her eyebrows and crossed her arms, "This is a private academy, you know we have our own rooms."
Max's eyes went wide, processing everything Kate was saying, "W-wait...are you saying that..?"
Kate bit her lip into her mouth and nodded,
"There are no roommates here."