Welcome Home

Song by Coheed and Cambria

Packing up isn't all that hard when most of your life can fit into one suitcase, one backpack, and an old camera bag. Her summer winding down, Max laid back on the bed in her room at the American Hotel Hostel as she vaped. Leaving a post-it note on her apartment with 'For Rachel', Max had packed her clothes, laptop, camera, and other small oddities before she had left her dump of an apartment behind. Won't miss the mildew smell after it rains. Honest to Dog, I will totally not miss that one damn bit. Scratching at her freshly dyed pink hair, Max closed her eyes and waited for the salvia she had been puffing at to kick in. In four hours she'd be on a bus, and in a little under a day she would be…

"'Home' sounds hella weird," Max said to herself as she sat back up and turned her vape off. Pulling her hood on as the ceiling light hit her right in the eyes, Max played with her tongue piercing as she pulled out her cell phone. She had splurged with her new cash flow, ditching her old phone and laptop for newish models. The laptop was a refurb, though a recent model. The phone was the nicest bit, brand spanking new. Having bought it only earlier that very morning, Max had spent the past few hours waiting for the device to charge off her laptop while her music loaded. Scrolling through her full library, Max smirked as a message balloon popped up from Chloe.

Chloe: dude where u at?

Max: ?

Chloe: Just checking. U said u were getting a new phone

Max: very true. Bravo on ur deduction skills

Chloe: smartass

Max: my ass IS pretty smart, thx

Max: imagine how smart my BRAIN is

Chloe: ugh

Chloe: u free up there next weekend?

Max: sry moving today

Max: don't know when I'll be free

Chloe: oh

Max: y'know, getting to talk to u is nice but GIVE ME UR DAMN NUMBER THIS FB CHAT IS BS AND GIVE ME UR DAMN NUMBER ALREADY

Chloe: wehhhhh, she's yelling at me wehhhhhhh

Max: Oh FU U fucker

Max: gotta get shit ready

Max: c u ltr

Switching her phone to call mode, she dialed up a number she had divined through the blessed directory online. Hearing the phone ring a few times, Max smiled when she heard a voice that was both new and familiar.

"Yes? She's still upstairs. Not the best idea, hun, not if you want tomorrow to still be a surprise," Joyce Price said with a small chuckle as Max couldn't help but grin, "Y'know, Chloe gave me a pretty detail description of how you've changed. The lil' brunette girl William and I cooked for on sleepovers still there?"

"Oh, I'm still here…somewhere. I'm coming for you and your killer pancakes." Max snickered as she heard Joyce stifle a laugh as booted feet echoed through their connection, Max hearing a "Mom, I'm headed out to train. Don't do anything I would do!" before the sound of a door closing was heard.

"…Okay, Max, so are we laying out your 'master plan' again?" Max heard Joyce ask.

"You know, I could just be calling to say hello…"

"Uh-huh. Well, I have to get headed to work, Pinky. I will see you at Two Whales tomorrow morning?"

"Yes, and I will come bearing gifts of dollars in exchange for food-like items," Max said only for her stomach to growl at the idea of a Belgian waffle from Two Whales. Wowsers, down girl! You get your nosh soon enough. Savor the wait.

Hearing Joyce hang up, Max switched her phone off and tried to decide between a nap and another exploration of the hostel. Renting a private room, Max had spent the past three days in her pleasantly-clean digs but was antsy to get moving. Receiving an email from her 'sponsor' at Blackwell, Max felt a slight nudge of guilt at how she was ditching the genuinely sweet girl that was supposed to do her orientation. Thankfully, Kate Marsh was understanding and had just rescheduled for the following Sunday. She really does seem nice. I could definitely use a friend when I get there; I just hope she doesn't get turned off by, well, me. Max felt sleep start to slowly ebb its way into the recesses of her brain when someone pounded on her door.

"Max Caulfield! You lemme in now," Rachel Amber said in a terse voice as she thumped her fist against the door, "Time meow!"

"What are you, part bloodhound? Fuck!" Max cried out from the bed as she begrudgingly rose to her feet and walked over to the door. Unlocking it, Max smiled at her irritated friend and pulled the long-haired girl into her room before shutting it. "You just now show up? I've texted you every day I've been here! I actually said that I wished you were here out loud when I was using the communal showers last night. No, Rach, don't give me that look! It's not like I'm moving to Antarctica! You can totally come down and visit!"

"…But who'll be my bud bud?" Rachel asked with a pout as she pulled herself into Max's arms, the girls wrapping each other up in a hug.

"Of course, you're worried about who you can crash with when you're high," Max shook her head as she rolled her eyes, Rachel picking up on the building irritation in the pink-haired girl.

"You know I'm teasing, Maxie, so no giving me shit. Not today. Seriously," Rachel pushed herself out of Max's hug enough so that she could lean her forehead against her sister's, "Imma miss you somethin' fierce, Caulfield."

Cupping Rachel's cheek in her hand, Max kissed the girl on the forehead before she pulled her angel of the past four years into the clean bed with her. Both girls kicking off their boots, the snuggled up against each other with Max setting her phone for three hours.

"You're going to spend your last hours in Seattle sleeping with me?" Rachel asked, choking back a sniffle.

"Of course, Rach. Who else would I spend it with?" Max asked with a grin as she kissed the top of her friend's head.

"…Good point."

Rachel had seen her off hours later, both girls trying to look tough in the crowded bus station only to burst into a fit of punk-infused tears. Seeing that they were becoming the subject of a curious bus driver, Thank Dog he's not mine, Max pulled Rachel in for a kiss while flipping off the driver. Realizing that he had been caught, the driver coughed audibly and shuffled away nervously.

"Whew, lemme breathe!" Rachel said as she pulled away from Max with a laugh, seeing the blush on Max's cheek, "D'awww, Maxie surprise herself?"

"S-Shut the fuck up, Rach. It's literally like kissing my sister. Guy was just a jerkface and I wanted him to kinda lose his shit," Max said, giving Rachel a playful shove, "Besides, you know you liked it."

"Good thing you're not too high on yourself, Max."

"Why should I be high on myself? S'what my vape is for."

"Ugh."

Having been on the road now for hours, Max looked out her window as woods and waterfront crossed by her vision while she sped along in the bus. Looking around quickly to ensure that she wasn't being watched, especially thankful that the back seat had been unoccupied, Max pulled her vape out of her hoodie pocket and took a quick puff. Blowing the vapor down towards her feet, Max waved at the small cloud before securing her vape and letting her mind drift. Thinking of all the fun she'd had with Chloe was nice, but it came with a huge lump of pain for Max. For every great memory she had of Arcadia Bay, a double-whammy of missing her parents and all the things she'd been put through over the past four years hit her twice as hard. The closer I got to today, the more they pop up. Five years later and I still can't decide to love them or hate 'em.

Max knew it was stupid to hate people for dying, but they were her parents. Forgiveness didn't come cheap when it came to Max, not anymore. She had physical and emotional scars to prove that, both as the forgiver and the one seeking to be forgiven. Shit-hole One, the lovely Morgan family. Dude fucking sold half my shit while I was at school. Pretentious assholes, looking all cookie-cutter Americana while they dismembered my life. Asshats paid for it when I smashed their son's face in after he tried to cop a feel. Got sent back into the system, but totally worth it. Max had spent her first six months with that family before she found herself in what she called the 'shithead shuffle'.

Not realizing that she had nodded off, Max looked up and wiped at an eye as she saw a sight that nearly made her jaw drop. The lighthouse on the outskirts of Arcadia Bay was visible in the distance, a pillar of white emanating a soft glow from its pinnacle. Pulling out her Polaroid camera, Max loaded up some film and took a couple shots of the structure. Surrounded from all sides by trees, Max thought it looked like some ancient temple in the midst of an even older forest. Wowsers. I'm actually here. Holy shit! The bus driving through the Arcadia Bay town limits, Max whipped her phone out and called Joyce hurriedly.

"Did ya fall asleep or somethin', Max?" Joyce asked, Max practically hearing the smile in the voice of Chloe's mother.

"As a matter-of-fact…she didn't take off, did she?" Max asked, worry seeping out as she feared her surprise would epically fail before it had even had a chance to start.

"Relax. She's still upstairs. She's giving me a ride to work. David had to head in early to train some of the new additions to Blackwell's security and I offered Chloe a free breakfast at the diner. You still gonna want Belgian waffles?"

"Hella yes!" Max said excitedly, mouthing What? At an elderly man sitting across and a few rows ahead of her, "What's so funny?"

"Chloe says that all the time. 'Hella', heh."

"I'll fight her for it!"

"You'll lose. She told me you've been to every match she's had in Seattle since your ran into each other back in June. Max, I can't tell you how glad I am that you two found each other again. I haven't seen her smile in so long, but she always has one on her face when she comes back from staying the night with you. No funny business, right?"

"I swear I have been up to no good…I mean, I swear I haven't-"

"Alright, smartass. Well, I'm going to get her downstairs. I'll see you soon, lookit this new Max for m'self."

"Heh."

The bus came to a stop outside the Arcadia Bay Tourist Center, dropping off everyone and their luggage across from the train station. Thinking that maybe the train would have been better as she cracked her neck and shoulders, Max swung her arms around in slow circles as she waited for the local bus to come by. Yanking the hood off her head, Max grabbed a beanie out of her camera bag and pulled it on. Stuffing her hair into the hat, Max pulled out her phone to use as a makeshift mirror. Satisfied that her pink locks were adequately hidden, Max swapped her black and pink stripped hoodie for a plain gray one and removed the rings and bracelets from her hands. Such clever, Max. Clearly, I am the spy of all spies. I'm such a nerd, I fucking swear.

Seeing the bus roll towards her, Max gathered her things and was very thankful when a familiar looking girl came down the steps in the bus and helped Max with her luggage.

"Wow. You're just as nice in person as in your emails. Bonus," Max's words earning her a giggle from the cheerful Kate Marsh as the climbed into their seats, "Introductions! Hey, I'm Max."

"Kate, but that's pretty obvious on both accounts, Max," Kate replied, grinning as she shyly took Max's offered hand and shook it, "Wow, you're very…pierced. Are those…are those tattoos coming out of your hoodie sleeve…?"

Seeing Kate's eyes widen, Max snickered and unzipped her disguise hoodie. Pulling it off for a moment, Max flashed her finished sleeve and half sleeve that the innocent-looking Kate only to laugh as Kate's jaw dropped a little more when Max stuck her tongue out to show Kate her newest piercing.

"Dude, you get fazed way too easily!" Max roared as she folded over in laughter before seeing the sheepish look on Kate's face, "Aww, I'm not making fun of you Kate. It's just been a while since I've met someone so, well, sweet. You're being really nice to me and I'm kinda waiting for the other shoe to drop."

"Oh. Well, I'm not going to lie and say that I didn't expect so much body art but they actually look cool. What's on the…is it called a sleeve…?"

"It is, and it's a collection of different images. A winding tree branch that curls around my arm, see? Birds, butterflies, flower blossoms perched in various areas with a wolf and moon up top."

"What about the other arm?"

"It's the bushido code and lines from some poetry I like." Max looked at Kate quizzically as the other girl peered at her half-sleeve. "What?"

"…Bushido code?"

"Ah. The seven virtues of Bushido, the Way of the Samurai," Max said as she pointed at the top of the vertical line of kanji, "Gi, Rei, Yu, Meiyo, Jin, Makoto, and Chu. In English, they're integrity, respect, courage, honor, compassion, honesty, and loyalty."

"Whoa…," Kate said, getting an amused grin from Max as she gave the new girl a stupefied look while Max put her hoodie back on, "That's really cool."

Flashing a smile at Kate, Max wanted to just reach behind her seat and hug the absolute sweetheart that she had just met. Totally going to be friends. A girl is able to tell these things. Seeing Two Whales as they came around the corner, Max told Kate that this was her stop and the other girl nodded with an embarrassed smile. Seriously, stop with your cuteness. Stop. Stahp, Kate.

Waving at Kate from the parking lot as the bus headed towards its next stop, Max pulled at her luggage until she was standing behind Chloe's parked truck. Quietly opening the bed, Max realized how ridiculous she was being as she began to stealthily slide her backpack and suitcase into the truck bed.

"It's not like she'll hear me," Max said as she shook her head at her own ridiculousness, "Also, stealth doesn't work too well in broad daylight."

Closing the tailgate slightly less quietly, Max checked in a side mirror to ensure that she was as disguised as she could be before she approached the diner. Tip-toeing, Max leaned up against the nearest window and put a finger to her lips when a fisherman seated at the booth to which her window was located gawked at her. Seeing him nod with a smirk, Max peered over and managed to flag down Joyce. Joyce pointed over towards the other side of the diner, trying not to smile too brightly at the sight of little Max Caulfield while mouthing Where's the pink hair? Wanting to get a rise out of Joyce, Max yanked her beanie off and twirled her pink hair for a moment before slapping her headgear back on. Trying not to laugh at the sight of Joyce's shocked face, Max left the window and crept around the building until she was next to the door.

Taking a deep breath, Max shook her hand to stop it from shaking. Ugh, quit it! It's not like I…not like I haven't seen Chloe in five years. This is nothing. Nothing! Wowsers, I'm a wreck. Slipping inside, Max peered behind the glass pane that blocked her view of the booths lining the side Chloe was on. Seeing Joyce show her the Belgian waffle out of the corner of her eye, Max nodded and crept on tip-toes until she was in the booth behind Chloe. Hearing the blue-haired girl much away at her own meal, Max quietly pulled out her phone.

Max: dude I'm hungry

Max: feed me, Seymour. Feed me all night long!

Chloe: lol lil shop of Caulfield horrors. Tough my food is MINE

Chloe: get ur own

Max: fine. I will! :P

Chloe: NO EMOJI

Max: wehhhh emoji af wehhhhhh :D :P ;P

Max watched Joyce walk behind the counter in her direction, biting her lip to make sure she didn't give herself away. Seeing Joyce glance at her as she wafted the Belgian waffle around a bit, Max thought Joyce was going to drop her food and mouthed Noooooooo! only to nearly make Chloe's mother actually drop the plate when she had to stop her own laughter.

"Uh, Mom? What's this?" Chloe asked as Joyce set the Belgian waffle across from her.

"Well, Chloe, you know that I'm not the biggest fan of your…therapy. However, I'll be damned if you don't get enough to eat with all that trainin' you do. Finish up what you already got and dig into that before someone else comes for it," Joyce said, signaling Max with her inflection.

Climbing to her knees, Max kept herself as quiet as possible. Her hands slightly shaking, Max bit at her lip and hesitated for a second before clamping her palms across Chloe's eyes.

"What the-?!" Chloe cried out in surprise.

"Guess who, Chlo?" Max whispered into the bluenette's ear, nodding as Joyce hastily took a picture with Max's cell phone. Pulling her hands away, Max grinned ferociously as Chloe spun around in her seat. Face lighting up in a huge smile at the person sitting behind her, Max thought Chloe looked like she might break into song as the bluenette stared at her in utter surprise.

"Max?! Holy shit, Max!" Chloe said, watching as Max slid out of her bench to take the seat across from her, "Wait. This is your…Mom. Mom, you knew?! What the hell?!"

"Should I go back to Seattle?" Max's pout and disappointed tone didn't fool Chloe's sense that her breakfast guest was teasing her.

"Hella no! Your ass is mine, Pinky!" Chloe said, reaching across the booth to clamp her hands on Max's shoulders, "Oh, dude! Dude, this is fucking-"

"I know this is 'hella' exciting, but can you lower your voices now?" Joyce asked as she handed Max her phone back, "You can take that beanie off now, Max. Let me see that pink hair a little better."

Taking the beanie and the hoodie off, Max rolled up the sleeves of her black t-shirt so Joyce could get a look at the tattoos as well as a better view of her pink hair. Seeing Chloe shake her head with a rueful grin, Max snickered before thanking Joyce for keeping their secret so well. Nodding, Joyce told Max that she looked cute. "Different as Chloe does when she thinks about how they were back then, but still very cute," Joyce had told Max before she headed back behind the counter.

Max dug into her waffle, savoring the taste as memories of her meals in Two Whales from years ago flooded her senses with the smells and tastes of all the food she had eaten in the diner. Eyes closed, Max chewed slowly on the bite as she felt Chloe staring at her. Smiling, Max kept her eyes closed as she asked Chloe "What?"

"…Don't get me wrong, Max. I'm hella fucking glad you came down to Arcadia Bay like I told you I wished you would. I'm just totally surprised, is all," Chloe's words decidedly slow as the bluenette restrained her excitement.

"Well…," Max said, opening one eye to peer at Chloe before she set her fork down. Both eyes open, Max reached into one of the back pockets of her torn up blue jeans and pulled a letter out. Unfolding the sheet of paper, Max turned it around so that the lettering was facing Chloe directly. "Guess who's coming to Blackwell?"

"…Shut the fuck up."

"That is not the response I was looking for, Chloe."

"…Shut. The fuck. Up."

Max watched as Chloe just stared at her own plate for a moment. Tilting her head down so that she could try and see if Chloe was okay, Max dropped her fork in shock as Chloe looked up at her with a teary-eyed smile. Sliding over in her bench seat, Chloe patted at the emptied space by her. Feeling her own lip quiver, Max bit at it in defiance as she slid out of her seat and took the spot next to Chloe. Leaning her forehead into Max's Chloe wrapped her arms around the pink-haired girl's shoulders in a warm hug. Both girls shaking from the emotional nature of their new reunion, Max sniffled in an attempt to dissuade her feelings from coming out as wetness on her cheeks. No. I promised myself I would never…never cry...agh, Goddamnit. Goddamnit, Chloe, Max thought as tears spilled down her face. Burying her wet face into Chloe's shoulder, Max clutched at her friend's hoodie with small hands as the other girl shook in equal proportion to Max with her own silent crying.

"Aghh, we're being a couple of babies," Max mumbled only to feel Chloe press her in tighter.

"I hella don't care right now. You're here. You're here, Max," Chloe whispered into Max's ear, the heat of Chloe's breath and her whisper sending a thrill down Max's spine. Whoa, Max. Back the fuck up.

"Eheheh, yes I am here. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to eat mah food before it goes back to Belgium out of boredom," Max said as she tried to pry herself out of Chloe's grip, grinning as Chloe responded by sliding Max's plate over so that they could sit next to each other while eating.

"Dude, you are not even going to try and eat over there. You're not leaving my side today, Maximilian." Chloe's glee was rubbing off on Max, the pink girl's enthusiasm trickling over into nervousness at just how happy Chloe was. Why am I so scared? I've never been this scared in my life. What's wrong with me?

Max picked at her waffle, her appetite beginning to fade away under the weight of each glance Chloe shot her. The bluenette's inability to stop smiling was making Max begin to panic. She wasn't used to happy, or that much smiling. When someone did smile, Max's first thought was that trouble was coming or that she might need to throw down with some creeper.

"You're making me nervous," Max muttered between a quick bite of her breakfast, the pinkette frowning slightly as her waffle started to get cool and soggy from her lack of attention towards the food.

"…I'm making you nervous? You came all the way down from Seattle and the first thing you did was pull a prank on me, you fucking punk! You're nervous, eheh, how do you think I feel right now?" The smile from Chloe flickered as a pained look on her face took its place. "I'm just glad that you're here, Max. Sure, it took you a scholarship to Black-Hell Academy, but still…it's nice."

"Black-Hell? Oh Dog, is it that bad?" Max asked, a worried frown starting to form on her face.

"For you, honestly, it might not be as bad as it was for me. I…I went through some rough shit while you were in Seattle, and I didn't do myself any favors with my behavior. Started fights, vandalized shit. The typical stuff for me."

"Uh, I could be fucked then," Max said, deflating as her hope of trying to make a fresh start at a new school seemed to pull away from her. I don't have to do that shit, but I just know that someone will start something and I won't be able to stop myself.

"You'll be fine. If you got a free ride there, I'm sure you will do Crack-Well proud," Chloe smirked as she looked over at Max, "A pillar of the community, our dear Maxine Caulfield."

"…Nobody's called me Maxine since…"

Both girls turned silent, the last of Max's sentence not needing to be said for there to be an understanding. Dad called me Maxine…he told me "I love you, Maxine" as he was pinned in the driver's seat while I was trapped in back. Feeling her hands begin to shake, Max slid them under the table and clamped them between her legs as the world suddenly felt colder to her.

"Hey," Chloe put a hand on Max's shoulder, taking a moment to register the pink-haired girl's trembling, "…You want to come with me? I'm going to go train. You can totally watch. Hella fun, yeah?"

"…I did push my orientation tour at school till tomorrow so that I could see you. Just…," Max bit her lip before admitting defeat to her feelings, "Please don't leave me alone today, Chlo. I could use the company."

"Sure thing, Max," Chloe told Max as the pinkette slid out of the booth only to collide with another customer.

"Ehh, watch where you're fucking going!" the customer, a teenage boy, barked at Max with a venomous tone, "What the fuck are you looking at? Get lost."

"Excuse me, asshole?" Max snapped back, the boy's head jerking back around to look at Max in mild surprise, "You bumped into me, dick-for-brains."

"…What did you just say?" the boy asked, his look of surprise turning into maliciousness, "C'mon. Tell me what you said."

Is this dude for real? He looks like some paranoid jerk on during the aftermath of a bad acid trip, Max thought as she internally cringed at the manic look on his face, I don't like how he's looking at me. What a creep! Taking a step back, Max's hands clenched into fists before Chloe slid out to stand between them.

"Back off, Asscott. Unless you want a lovely set of raccoon eyes from my fists to your face." Chloe stared the creepy boy down, glaring at him with her body tensed up for a fight.

"Chloe! Chloe Price, you better not fight in here!" Max heard Joyce say from behind the counter. All three of them turning around, they saw Joyce watching them with an agitated look on her face. "Chloe, Max, you should get going."

"He started it!" Max said as she waved a hand towards the disturbed-looking boy.

"I'm finishing it," Joyce said, her lips turning into a thin line as she stared at Max with a small amount of disappointment in her eyes. Max knew that she had just crossed some sort of line and struggled to keep herself in check.

"C'mon, Chloe. Show me your dojo," Max said, having to pull on one of Chloe's arms to get the other girl to pay attention, "Chloe, come on."

Dragging Chloe out of the diner, the bluenette staring down the menacing customer until she was at the door, Max swung the door open and spun the other girl around so that they were facing each other.

"Who the hell was that?" Max put a hand on her hip as she looked at a bewildered Chloe, her friend surprised for a moment at Max's directness.

"Nathan Asscott…well, Prescott. Might as well be Asscott, though. Dick's family pretty much owns half the damn town. Shithead acts like he can just do whatever he wants with the saddest part being people actually letting him." Chloe pulled off her beanie to run her fingers through her hair as she calmed down. "Can't believe Mom sent us packing."

Max and Chloe headed into the bluenette's truck, Max shrugging when Chloe eyed the luggage in the pickup's bed and flashed the pinkette an amused look. Pulling out of the parking spot, Chloe squealed the tires of her old vehicle and shot down the street. Max watched Chloe inquisitively, a pensive look on her face as she wondered what being in Arcadia Bay would mean for her and Chloe's relationship. We've been apart for so long that the awkwardness is palpable. We hug, we get nervous as fuck, and we hug again. It's like angst on spin cycle, making us go round and around at ludicrous speed. Startled, Max was snapped out of her thoughts as her phone vibrated in one of her hip pockets.

Rachel: U there yet?

Max: yesh. Had food, will travel

Rachel: I miss u

Max: u miss cuddles

Rachel: that too

Rachel: call me 2nite, k?

Max: ok :D

"Who's that?" Chloe asked, glancing over at Max in an attempt to snoop.

"I thought I was supposed to be the one who went into everybody's shit," Max chuckled a bit before she pulled up a picture on her phone and showed it to Chloe.

"That Rachel Amber?" Chloe asked. Max couldn't help but notice the sad inflection in her old friend's voice.

"Yeah. She was…," Max paused to look over at Chloe before continuing, worried about the other girl's response, "She was my Angel. With my parents gone and my life pretty much gone to shit, we were there for each other when no one else could be."

"…I could've, Max," Chloe said, her voice soft and tragic, "You could've at least called, let me know what happened."

"You had enough on your plate, Chloe, and I was such a wreck. Chloe…I was in the car when it happened. I watched my dad…I watched him fade away…"

The awkward silence returned, both girls putting up internal walls to prevent further cutting of old wounds. Wounds that never heal, Max thought as she slid against the passenger side door. Leaning her head onto the window, Max wondered once more if she had made a mistake in returning to Arcadia Bay. Everything in this town reminded her of days gone by, an opportunity at a life that was nothing more to Max than a fairy tale. Looking over at Chloe, Max grimaced at the faraway look on her childhood friend's face.

"…Chloe?" Max asked, her voice unusually soft, as her meekness caught the blue-haired girl off-guard.

"Yeah?" Chloe asked, keeping her eyes on the road as she tried to avoid glancing over at her wreck of an old childhood friend.

"I-I…I'm in pain, too. I see us…I see us as kids and it's like everything smashes together. I don't know what makes me happy or broken because it's all the same." Max slumped her shoulders, I didn't want to say any of this, but you won't listen to me if I don't running through Max's head as she absently watched Chloe pull over to the side of the road.

"Max…why did you come back? You had to have thought all these feelings and memories would hella fuck with you," Chloe asked as she put the truck in park before tending to her heartbroken old partner-in-crime, "Hey. I'm serious, Max. Why?"

"I…I saw you at the bar that night, and I hadn't felt that alive in years as I did when you were in the ring. You were…you were amazing and I wanted you for myself. I didn't even know it was you; I just knew that you were one of the most incredible things I'd ever seen," Max mumbled before looking away, her face becoming hot as she blushed.

"Max Caulfield, are you blushing? The hardcore punk is embarrassed? Too fucking cute, nerd." Max shot Chloe an annoyed look as she saw the bluenette's eyes light up from Max's brief moment of opening up.

"Ugh, don't make me feel any more awkward than I already am, Che." Rolling her eyes, Max flipped off Chloe to no effect. Seeing past Max's feeble attempts to bring the situation under her control, Chloe couldn't help but bust up laughing. "Are you laughing at me?"

"I'm laughing at how hella cute you are. Pierced, inked, dyed, and you're still Max Caulfield." Chloe's words came between chuckles, voice straining as her throat started to become raw.

"I give up." Max sighed and laid her head on Chloe's lap. "Be my pillow till we get where we're going, Che?"

"I dunno. Will your pink hair turn my shorts a shade of Pepto-Bismol?"

Cussing under her breath, Max lifted her head up only to feel a strong hand gently press her back down into the lap she had been resting in. Feeling Chloe's fingers run through her hair, Max grinned contentedly as Chloe gently brought the truck back onto the road. She's so warm, Max thought as she laid a hand on Chloe's leg, feeling lean muscle under the pale skin. Maybe I should refrain from pissing her off too much.

Max couldn't help but stare in awe as Chloe practiced her skills on the worn heavy bag in the junkyard. Admitting that it was not the ideal place for her to practice, Chloe let Max in on her secret hideaway. A windowless shed, it was decorated on the inside with party lights, graffiti, posters, and a couple benches. Letting Max select the music, "Being fucking polite, I guess", Chloe smiled as she heard Anti-Flag blare out of the stereo kept in her lair. Nodding her approval, Chloe had pulled the heavy bag out into the middle of the structure and ensured that Max was clear of any swinging limbs.

Starting with a couple of light jabs, Max watched Chloe bounce a couple times on bare feet before she let fly with a sidekick. Leaning her weight in, Chloe shuffled her feet for a second before Max nearly missed the impact. She's so damn fast! Whoa! Max couldn't help but wince as Chloe followed up from the sidekick with a roundhouse kick, the flat of Chloe's foot connecting with the swinging bag with a loud smacking noise. Chloe zoned out, Max seeing her friend in action as the bag became an opponent. Slamming jabs, hooks, and kicks into her target, Chloe's moves almost looked surgical to Max. Wowsers, she's fucking intense. I've seen her fight, but this is some next level shit. Panting and shaking herself off, Chloe looked over to see Max cringe as some sweat hit her in the face.

"Ugh! Chloe!" Max wiped at her face with an exaggerated look of disgust aimed at the bluenette.

"I told you to sit back a little further towards the wall, Max. Not my fault you got sprayed."

"Uh, it's your sweat."

"Crybaby."

"Nasty."

"Whiner."

"Skeeze."

"Nerd."

"A single word cannot express how much disdain I feel towards you right now. Slinging your sweat at me, you mangy fuck," Max said as she looked down to make sure her clothes hadn't been pelted by the aftermath of Chloe's workout.

Throwing a bottle of water from the camping cooler she sat on, Max watched it smack Chloe's butt with a small feeling of triumph. Looking over her shoulder, Chloe gave Max a feigned look of disappointment before reaching down to pick up the cold beverage only to get a towel thrown over her head.

"You're asking for it, right? I mean, you hella want me to kick your ass?" Chloe asked Max, the pink-haired girl only able to see a smile from under the towel before Chloe drank a mouthful of water. "Pretty please? Lemme kick the booty."

"Ugh, perv!" Max stuck her tongue out at Chloe and watched as the other girl returned the gesture before heading over to flop onto a bench.

"When d'you want me to drive you to Black-Hell?" Chloe asked as she sat up and pulled the towel off her head, not noticing the slight flush in Max's cheeks as the pinkette decidedly looked away.

"Well, we could always have some fun before you resign me to my fate," Max said with a Cheshire grin as she pulled her vape out of the hoodie. Taking a quick puff, Max teasingly blew the vapor towards Chloe.

"What type of fun did you have in mind?" Chloe asked as she reached out for the proffered vape and took a puff herself, "Salvia?"

"Yeah. Not as nice as my usual high, but pretty good nonetheless. Takes a bit more for me to feel anything from it," Max shrugged as she watched Chloe puff away. Max liked this, the calm between them. No dead parents, no drama, no "Story of my Lifetime movie" bullshit. Just me and Che. I wish it would last, but I know that it won't. At least, not right away. "Can we just chill?"

"I'd like that." Max felt an odd sensation at the sight of Chloe smiling, something warm in her guts that felt alien to her after so many years. She didn't know it yet, but she was starting to fall for her childhood best friend.

Author's Note –

I'm pacing this story out a little more than my last one. I don't want too much to go down in a single chapter this early in.

Max might be more emotionally scarred than Chloe, but isn't it nice to know everybody's favorite lil camera nerd is still in there somewhere? :D I felt that it was natural to have this version of Max be way more hesitant about letting people get close than other versions. Sure, she opens up some – it's like she's testing the waters, seeing if it is safe.

Things will pick up a bit more next chapter as we'll be going into the start of Max's Blackwell experience.

Read, review and I will see you in Chapter 3! (Just like with my last story, we're learning with Max as the story goes along. Makes for a more interesting read.)

Stay hella, Cinnamon Rolls!