Life is Strange: Burden of Proof
Chapter 2 of my Life is Strange story, enjoy.
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Now onto the story.
Disclaimer: I don't own Life is Strange or its characters.
Episode 1: Shattered
Chapter 2
It was the start of another day, switching her alarm off, Max yawned as she sat up, stretching as she looked around her room.
'Well, another day, today is...the day of the party...' She remembered. 'The day Rachel and Chloe said I should...'
She bit her lip, thinking of Warren as she stood up, dusting down her pyjamas, a pair of grey shorts with a black T-shirt.
Max sighed as she went to grab her toiletries and head for the showers again. 'There is so much on my mind right now I don't know where to start, and not all of it concerns my own problems.'
Even as she thought that she exited the room and saw that her and Kate's concerns from yesterday had come true. For there was Sam up ahead, in tears, sitting down against the wall, Steph knelt by her side, trying to comfort her it seemed. Both were still in their pyjamas, a pair of red shorts with a grey tank-top for Steph while Sam wore pink pyjama pants and a yellow T-shirt. Their attire told Max not only had they not been up long, whatever happened was bad enough they had pretty much rushed out here.
"Guys…?" She began awkwardly as she approached.
Sam just sniffled, Steph however looked up and smiled grimly.
"Hey Max." She greeted before shaking her head. "Sorry we...Sam called her parents this morning, told them about us, it...didn't go well."
Max nodded, it was as she feared, heading for the shower, giving Sam some space and allowing Steph to comfort her, she hoped things would get better for the pair of them, they deserved things to be better after all.
The dim sun seeped through the blinds on the windows. What little light bled through bathed a young man of eighteen in golden rays of light. This young man opened his olive green eyes and groaned. He slowly made his way out of bed and to the bathroom across the hall. It was there that he sluggishly undressed and made his way into the shower.
Once there he lathered his tanned skin and washed his short reddish brown hair. It didn't take long for him to finish. After climbing out of the shower, he distractedly climbed back into his white t shirt and red and black plaid pyjama pants before heading back to his room. There was a reason for the rush. He just wanted to be alone. The best way to do that was clean himself up and lock himself in his room.
In between his room and the bathroom, he could hear the sounds of his step dad barrelling into the house. The young man shut his door and, in one fluid motion, collapsed back onto his bed. He dug into the backpack labelled, Kyle Sherman, on his bedside to retrieve his laptop. Kyle planned to at least attempt to finish his homework in (hopefully) relative peace. His peace did not last long.
Minutes later, through the thin walls he could hear things. Very intimate things. Kyle curled his hands into fists and growled in frustration. He heaved his bag onto his bed and grabbed at his headphones. So much for peace and quiet.
Chloe smiled lightly to herself as she began to get ready.
'Well, today's the day of the party, better get ready…' She thought to herself. 'I'll pick out some clothes for it later, right now...gotta hurry.'
So with that she simply pulled on some jeans, boots and a black Firewalk T-shirt before heading out to meet with Max and Rachel. They had arranged to meet up that very day to discuss their plans for the night, in Chloe and Rachel's case, that of course meant the party, in Max's case, it meant getting her prepared to talk to Warren. It didn't take Chloe long to find the other two girls, hanging out in town where they said they'd be. Both stood out in their outfits, Max in simple denim jeans, with a pale pink T-shirt with a doe image, a grey hoodie and converse, while Rachel wore a black tank-top under a black and blue plaid shirt, denim shorts and sandals.
"Hey, what's up?" She greeted them cheerfully.
Both turned to face her, smiling and Rachel replied. "Hey Chloe."
Joining them on the bench Chloe stretched out before glancing over at the other girls, eyebrow raised.
"Max, you're being quieter than usual?"
Max shifted in her seat before shaking her head. "I don't know about all this, you know. I mean, I'm just supposed to go and tell Warren how I feel. It seems kinda, desperate."
"Hey now, don't get like that." Rachel said. "You're not desperate Max, besides, I'm pretty sure it's obvious Warren feels the same way about you."
Chloe nodded. "Yeah, c'mon, I'm not around Blackwell all the time and even I can see it. One of you has to make the first move."
"Why me?" Max mumbled.
"If you wait for Warren to make the first move, you'll both be in the geriatric ward when he does." Chloe snorted.
Rachel smiled. "C'mon Max, you can do this."
"I...I guess, but I just feel...what if something, goes wrong, and then it becomes awkward and..." Max stammered.
Rachel shook her head. "Hey, don't go overthinking things okay, you've got this."
Chloe nodded in agreement and Max smiled, finally convinced.
"Now..." Chloe began. "About the party..."
Rachel grimaced. "Shit I almost forgot. Sorry Chloe, something's come up, I can't go, but...don't let that stop you."
"Go by myself, I don't know, I was kinda hoping we…" Chloe replied hesitantly.
"Just go, trust me." Rachel said. "Have a blast, there will be another party."
Chloe just smiled, finally agreeing with Rachel's reassurances.
Chloe smirked as she looked around the party venue, things weren't exactly crazy yet but she could be patient, the party had only really begun after all. Running a hand through her blue hair made sure she looked the part, if there was anything she felt like making an effort dressing up for, it was a wild party like this one, especially if the venue was technically off the grid, despite being on the edge of town. She had chosen her favourite white tank-top with an Illuminati symbol on the front, a denim jacket and ripped jeans with her usual boots and a black beanie. Casually shrugging she made her way through the crowd, attempting to get a drink.
It was then she heard a familiar voice. "Price."
She turned and grinned at the scruffy looking man, even his white tank-top, jeans and boots were ragged.
"Yo Frank, what's up?"
Frank Bowers, a man with dark blonde hair and a similar beard, brown eyes and fair skin as well as a somewhat strong build, shook his head.
"I'm surprised to see you here, I..." He began but stopped. "Urgh, look, I've gotta go for a moment, looks like some paying clients have turned up."
Chloe sighed at that. "I'll get your money dude."
"Just do me a favour and get outta here." Was all Frank said before stalking off.
Chloe rolled her eyes, as if that would happen.
Finishing the last of her drink, Chloe smiled as she went for another.
'Leave a wild party like this, no way Frank.' She thought gleefully. 'I'm just getting started.'
She grinned as she got another drink, she was buzzed yes, but not too much. She remained focused enough to know her surroundings. Therefore when she saw someone unexpected, she actually did a double take, wondering if her eyes were tricking her.
She froze. 'No way, what, what is she doing here?'
The woman she saw was tall, with long blonde hair and hazel eyes, her skin was pale and she had a skinny build, but she certainly looked a lot better than the last time Chloe saw her. The white sleeveless top, jeans and boots she wore also gave her a different image. Chloe could scarcely believe what she was seeing.
'Sera...what is Rachel's mom doing here?'
Chloe now couldn't help but wonder, this left her to have to consider a future course of action, but what.
Standing in her dorm room, trying to calm her breathing as she looked in the mirror, Max wondered, for the fifth time, if the outfit she had on was good enough. A pair of simple jeans, a black butterfly T-shirt under her grey hoodie and her usual converse. It wasn't exactly the height of fashion but it was her look.
'Yet I'm trying to make myself look good, I'm trying to look the best I possibly can when I finally tell Warren the truth.' She thought worriedly.
Taking one more deep breath she finally left her dorm room.
'Fuck it.' She thought. 'I've got to stop wasting time, I need to find Warren, around this time he's usually in the dorm courtyard...I just hope this works.'
So, composing herself she made her way along the corridor until she reached the door and, stepping out into the stairwell, she began heading down to exit the dorms. Stepping outside she smiled as the fresh night air hit her, for some reason that made her feel better about her chances. However it did not last long, her hopes came to a grinding halt when she looked around and froze, eyes wide with horror and dismay. She spotted Warren right away, clad in his usual style with a blue T-shirt over a red undershirt with long sleeves, jeans and sneakers, but Warren wasn't alone.
He was talking with another girl, of medium height, slender with Asian features, long dark hair tied up and with a few dyed streaks and brown eyes. She was clad in red pants, a black T-shirt and converse. Max recognized her right away, Brooke Scott.
'Brooke, I...I almost forgot about her. She...she has feelings for Warren too and, urgh, she...' Max reflected, realizing Brooke had beat her to it.
For while Warren seemed oblivious, it was clear Brooke was flirting with him and, seeing this, Max couldn't take it anymore. Losing her nerve she turned and hurried back inside, heading back to her dorm, feeling defeated.
Back at the party, Chloe grinned as she finished yet another drink, she was definitely buzzed now.
'Argh, you know what, fuck it, I'm done wondering what's going on.' She thought to herself. 'I should just go over to Sera and ask her what she's doing here...Huh, don't remember that one...'
She paused, curious as she noted another drink before her, it was definitely hers, she just couldn't remember when she had got it. She shrugged and took a drink from it before looking around, taking a break from getting wild at the party. As she looked around she paused, spotting Sera again.
She shook her head. 'Alright, not gonna get a better opportunity than this, let's get started.'
With another deep drink from her new drink she set it down and stood up and began to make her way towards Sera. That was when it happened, suddenly her vision began to swim, certainly not the sort that was normal with drink.
"What the..." She mumbled.
Then she heard a male voice next to her, one that sounded oddly familiar. "You in trouble, little lady."
She tried to reply, but she felt light-headed and then, she realized what was happening.
'Fuck!' She thought in a panic. 'That drink, it...I've been drugged.'
That was her last clear thought before she blacked out.
With his homework done, Kyle sighed. He ran a hand through his hair before rubbing his sweaty palms on his jeans. He felt antsy for some reason. He adjusted the collar of his grey t shirt, and shoved his feet into some sneakers. Maybe a walk would calm his anxieties. He trudged his way downstairs to the kitchen. He could not care less how much noise he made as he did so. Once he reached the end of the stairs, he was greeted by a familiar presence.
"Mom..." he nodded his head to the woman on his left.
She wore a purple t shirt, denim capris and sandals. He glanced briefly to the man to the right, who wore a dark blue polo shirt, khaki pants and boots.
"You."
"Very funny," the man retorted while crossing his arms. "You could be more respectful, son."
"Don't call me son," Kyle spat back.
"Kyle," his mother, Cindy, warned.
Kyle bit his lip before he let another insult slip through.
'Self control.' He reminded himself.
"What is it?" he asked instead.
His mother frowned. "First of all, I don't like your attitude. Second, we have news."
Upon the declaration, Cindy and the man joined hands. Kyle's eyes scanned their conjoined hands. The word 'we' bounced around his brain.
"Craig and I think it would be a good idea-"
"Oh," Kyle impulsively interrupted. "It's not Mr. Morton now? 'Oh Mr. Morton'" he cried mockingly.
He smirked at their matching shocked faces. "Yeah, I could hear you."
"Nevertheless," Craig continued once he recovered. "Your mother and I believe it's time for me to move in."
Kyle stuttered for a minute while he digested this information. "No way."
"Yes," Craig confirmed as he and Cindy started to hold hands. "We think it would be best. Help all of us become a better family."
"We will never be a family!" Kyle spat. "Not with you here."
He ignored Cindy calling after him as he turned to stalk back up the stairs. He stomped his way to his room and slammed the door behind him. He couldn't think straight. All he could see was red. 'Craig thinks he can just move in and take over, does he? We'll see about that,' He thought.
He wasn't thinking when he started to pack up his stuff. It felt rebellious. It even felt right. He gathered up his stuff in haste. It wasn't enough to sleep with his mom, now the loser wanted to move in to? It was an invasion of his privacy. No one ever considered how Kyle felt. It wasn't until he had gathered his stuff into bags that he realized what he was doing. He stood next to his window, mere inches from the sill. He looked back at his room, perhaps reconsidering his next course of action.
"Kyle!" Craig's booming voice resounded through his door.
That was enough. Kyle frowned before opening his window and escaping to the world outside. Maybe it was time for a walk after all.
End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.