Chapter 3

The girls pulled up at Blackwell with Rachel still glaring at Chloe.

"I still can't believe you've pulled a stunt like this!" Rachel fumed. "Do you have any idea how dangerous a serious withdrawal like this can be?"

"It's just a few hours, Rachel." Chloe assured her. "When I get to rehab, they'll give me a prescription for the substitute anyway. They already assured me of that over the phone. I just want to be able to start strong so that I have a greater likelihood of finishing in the first place." Chloe got out and walked over to Rachel's door before holding it open for her to get out.

"Thanks." Rachel muttered.

"I'm forever at your service, my princess." Chloe said elaborately as she curtsied. Just as they started walking towards the school, two familiar figures ran out to greet them. Principle Wells was hurrying across the path to the school with David Madsen bringing up the rear. The principle practically landed in a heap at their feet. His face was flushed from the overexertion of the short run. David hadn't even broken a sweat. After about two minutes of frantic panting, the principle was able to talk.

"It's good to see you, girls. Is there any news on Miss Caulfield?"

"She's awake now. Other than that, we don't really know much." Rachel told him.

"May I ask what actually happened?" Principle Wells asked. "Is there anything you can tell me that won't breach patient confidentiality that I can put on Max's file regarding the absence?"

"The doctors want to do CT and MRI scans." Chloe said. "I would wait for some results before you go writing anything up. Shouldn't Max be the primary concern instead of her file anyway? What are we doing with regards to her?"

"Miss Price, 'we' aren't doing anything. I intend to have a school photo taken and scanned onto a card for the whole school to sign, write up a report of what needs to happen with regards to her education, deal with the resulting paperwork and still find time to notify her parents what's happened!" For the first time, Chloe saw Principle Wells' expression shift to anger.

"You still haven't told her parents yet? I did that nearly two days ago when it first happened." Chloe knew she should stop, but she just couldn't. Wells wasn't feeling anything towards Max herself, only the paperwork this incident would dump on his desk.

"How am I supposed to talk to them about what's happened? I barely know anything about it myself?" Principle Wells had to stop to take a swig from a hip flask. Something inside Chloe and Rachel cringed. It was one thing for them to drown their troubles with alcohol, but this guy was in charge of a whole school. He had nearly seven-hundred pupils to watch over.

"Chloe, what are you doing here anyway?" David asked.

"I'm allowed to drop my girlfriend back." Chloe said bluntly.

"Actually Miss Price, since you were expelled from this school for drugs usage, I could ban you from campus entirely. Speak to me like that again, and I just might do that." Now Wells was on the offensive. Chloe was about to reply when a yell from behind distracted them.

"This is for the Prescotts!" someone screamed as they smashed Chloe's back window out with a crowbar.

"What the hell are you doing?" Chloe screamed storming over.

"Nathan got sixteen years for selling drugs to students and having a concealed gun because of you!" the boy shouted. Just then, David grabbed the boy from behind and disarmed the boy of the crowbar.

"Get home, Chloe. I don't want you being a target." David said as he frogmarched the boy away.

"Just let me sort this broken window out first." Chloe called over the sound of the boy screaming about how girls like her needed to die and what a stain on humanity she was. David nodded as he disappeared into the building. Chloe and Rachel climbed into the back of the pickup truck and Chloe grabbed a hammer from the toolbox in the back.

"Why do they call this 'safety glass'? It really isn't." Rachel muttered as she helped Chloe push out the glass. Sharp glittery cubes rained all over the back.

"It'll be fine." Chloe said. "All I need is a vacuum cleaner and a new piece of glass.

"Do you mind if I go home with you tonight?" Rachel asked. If you're a target, that means I might become one for being your girlfriend."

"Rachel, I could never mind an opportunity to sleep with you." Chloe replied. "Get in the truck. We'll just have to be careful driving home." Rachel kissed her briefly before jumping into the passenger seat.

"Have a safe journey, girls." Principle Wells said. Chloe could tell he was clearly glad to see them gone. He watched her pull out and disappear down the road; not going back inside until they were well away.

Chloe and Rachel arrived at Chloe's house an hour later. Chloe parked up next to David's old pickup truck which he was just about to finish fixing up.

"I'm tempted to go into the house and see if Joyce is okay." Rachel said. "She's clearly freaked out by what happened to Max."

"I'll be up soon." Chloe said as something caught her eye. Intrigued, she climbed into the back of her pickup truck and grabbed her tape measure from her toolbox.

"So, do you love Max then?" Rachel asked.

"What?" The question caught Chloe totally off guard.

"Chloe, I see the way you look at her. You really love her don't you?" A gloomy expression crossed Rachel's face.

"Rachel, I love Max like the sister I never had." Chloe told her. "When my dad die- left us, she tried her hardest to pick me back up. It wasn't her fault her mum and dad moved away with her to Seattle. I've literally just found her and now she might be snatched away from me again. I'm not just going to stand by and let it happen." As Chloe talked, she held the tape to the edges of her back window. Rachel nodded and left, feeling like an idiot for ever doubting Chloe. Once Chloe was sure she was gone, she sauntered to the other end of the garage before climbing into the back of David's truck and holding the tape to the back window, before giving off a low whistle and nodding slightly to herself.