Chapter 3
Going Back
Beep! Beep! Beep! Max rolled over in bed. It was 7:00 already? After her crazy day all Max wanted to do was sleep in. Oh well. Nothing to be done. She fumbled for the alarm clock beside her bed and tapped the snooze button. An extra five minutes wouldn't hurt anybody. When her alarm beeped once more seemingly five seconds later rather than five minutes, she switched it off, and sat up in bed. She uttered a deep sigh. She put on some soft music on and sat down on her couch. She began to strum her guitar along with the music. After the track ended, she shut it off, and heard her phone buzzing on her dresser. She looked at it. It was Chloe. She had sent two texts, fifteen minutes apart, the first before she had woken up. "Gotta bail! Breakfast is a go." Second one, "u there mad max?" They began texting back and forth, Max beginning, "Like I said," she texted back, "Anything for you :) :) :)" Chloe buzzed, "No Emoji!" Max sent back a sad faced emoji. "Meet me at the Two Whales in 40 min." Max replied, "On my way. c u there." "u r EVIL!" Chloe texted. "40 min or else!" Max smiled and thought to herself, 'It's so cool having Chloe back in my life. Like no time has passed.' After 20 minutes and a shower, she got dressed and walked out into the hallway. She was still trying to figure out what her dreams meant? After all, dreams were sometimes used by God in the Bible to communicate the future. Joseph had received several God-given dreams that correctly predicted the future. Was God doing the same to her? She didn't want to sound presumptuous or anything, but she had a feeling she had never had before. She prayed for God to show her the way as she passed Alyssa in the hallway. Somebody in the restroom cracked open the door and threw a toilet paper roll at her head. Max grabbed it just before it hit Alyssa. "You did it again Max!" said Alyssa. "Thanks again…" Max walked down the hall and passed by Dana's room. She was listening to some music a little louder than some people would've liked. Stella in the room next door could be heard through the thin walls, "Shhh! Turn it down Dana! People sleeping!" Dana walked over to the radio and shut it off. Max passed by, shaking her head. She walked over to Kate's room to say hello. She knocked. No answer. She was about to leave when she noticed Kate's slate. Max's words, "God is love," had been made short work of, and instead somebody had written something so horribly nasty Max's blood boiled. She erased it, and wrote, "Do unto others as you would want done to you." She walked off. While the bathrooms in her dorm had a shower, they didn't have a sink. Max had always wondered why. Max had to go to the dorm restrooms to brush her teeth. She took her toothbrush and walked over. Inside the bathrooms she met Kate. "Oh, hey Kate." Said Max. Kate smiled weakly. "Hi Max. Thanks again for yesterday." Max smiled and said, "It was really no big deal." Max looked at Kate. There were tear tracks on her face. Max was worried about Kate. She hadn't remembered Kate ever being depressed. She was always happy, and Max wondered what horrible thing had happened. "Oh, uh, Max," said Kate, "Do you still have my Bible commentary I gave you?" Max thought for a moment, "Oh yeah, it's been great so far. Do you need it back?" "If you don't mind." Kate said. Max smiled, "Sure. I'll bring it by later this morning." Kate nodded, and Max took to the other sink to brush her teeth. Max finished before Kate, and then left the room. As Max went down the hallway she passed Taylor and Victoria. When she saw them head into the bathrooms she walked over. Cracking open the door, she saw them stand next to Kate. "What's up Kate?" said Victoria, in a tone of voice Max didn't like at all. Kate stared into the mirror. "Homework." She replied. Victoria said, "Well that video of you in that night club sure didn't look like homework." Kate said, "That wasn't me." Taylor rolled her eyes, "Oh gosh, right." "Don't be shy," said Victoria, "Be proud you set the record for biggest idiot on camera." With a tear in her eye, Kate ran out of the bathroom, "You're going to be sorry someday," she said in a cold tone of voice. Max avoided her eyes as she left. Max listened in a bit longer, "I'm sure she had fun," said Victoria, Taylor laughed. "I know Nathan hooked her up," said Victoria, "And you know he has the good junk. By the way, you sure didn't have to take your sweet time bringing me a towel yesterday. I was on that stupid porch forever!" "We ran all the way!" Taylor said defending herself. "Well next time I won't rely on you or Courtney for help. Maybe next time you could hang out with Kate…or Max." Taylor huffed, "She's a weirdo with that dumb camera." Victoria said back, "I hate that 'I'm so quirky' crap! Anyway, let's leave a link to the video on the mirror so everybody can see Kate in action." Taylor laughed, "I love it!" she said. Victoria wrote a web link on the mirror. They began leaving the bathroom, and Max pretended she was walking down the hallway. Luckily, they hadn't noticed her. Max quickly went back in the bathroom and erased the web link. 'If I can keep even one person from watching that,' thought Max, 'it's worth it.' Max walked back to her dorm and looked around for the commentary. Not on her desk. She looked over to the end table beside her couch and looked there. Picking up a piece of math homework, she found it. Picking it up, she put it in her bag and begun for Kate's dorm. A video? Max hadn't remembered hearing anything about a video from Kate. Max had assumed that maybe one of Kate's friends or family members had gotten sick, or died, but then why would Kate still be at Blackwell? On her way to Kate's dorm, her phone buzzed. Expecting it to be Chloe, she took it out of her pocket and looked at it. She felt a sudden scare when the text read, "Private Number." Max was worried, and even more so when she read the text. It read, "You better keep your smart mouth shut about everything! Or I'm coming for you! I know where you sleep!" Max was terrified. She thought, 'Now I'm getting anonymous threats? It never ends! This has to be from Nathan…I'd better be doubly careful around here or I could be in serious trouble. If I'm not already.' Max knew that Nathan, unlike most bullies, had a worse bite than bark. She knew Nathan was capable of murder, he beat up Warren, and was extremely unstable. He had even assaulted Chloe. Max knew she would have to watch her back around the school. She went up to Kate's room and knocked. "Hey Kate?" she asked, "You in there?" Kate's voice came from inside, "Yes. I'm here Max. Come in." She opened the door. The window in the front of her dorm had the curtains drawn, darkening the room. One look around and Max could tell Kate was in more trouble than she had first thought. The mirror beside her door had a cloth over it. She didn't even want to look at herself. The tissue box on the coffee table was nearly empty, with a small pile of used tissues next to it. The violin sitting on the couch was closed up. Kate had played the violin every morning, but stopped only a day or two ago. That's when Max had noticed that she had begun to act depressed. Kate kept a rabbit in her dorm named Snowball. It was white, with a small patch of black on one eye. Max walked over to Kate, but took a quick look at the shelf next to her desk. There was a post-it note stuck right where Max could see it. It was a Bible verse. Matthew 11:28. "Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy burdened, and I will give you rest." Max had always loved that verse. There was a photograph of Kate with her happy looking mother, father, and two younger sisters Lynn and Sarah. She walked over and put a hand on Kate's shoulder. "Hey Kate," Max said gently. "I brought your book." Kate took it and thanked her. Max felt as if Kate seemed hollow. She knew something awful must've happened, and she wanted to help Kate work it out. "What's been going on Kate? If something bad has happened please let me help you through it. We're sisters in Christ right?" Kate managed a weak smile. "What's the story between you and David?" asked Max, assuming that was the root of the problem. "Well," said Kate, "He's a total paranoid. He thinks I'm part of the Vortex Club…yeah right." Max huffed, knowing that neither of them would ever become members of the club. They were both more than OK with it though. Max remembered Victoria saying something about a video. She decided to go there, "So what about this video?" asked Max, "And I swear I haven't watched it." "I can't even watch it Max!" said Kate. "Do you know how humiliating this is for me?" she said. "I know Kate," said Max, "Tell me about the video. Maybe I can help." Kate struggled to get the words out, "Basically I went to some Vortex Club party and…the video shows me doing drugs and flirting with a bunch of guys. I have no memory of any of it." Max didn't believe a word of it. There was no way Kate would even show her face at a Vortex Club party. Much less do drugs or flirt. "That doesn't sound like you at all!" said Max, "I can't see you partying with Victoria. Why did you go? Who invited you?" Kate said back, "Well, I had gotten an invite from somebody. It was unmarked, and I just wanted to see what it was all about. I felt so strange inside there. Like a fish out of water…Everybody there was acting like I was a total freak. The invite said that I was allowed into the VIP section. The gatekeeper let me in, and then I met up with Victoria…she was being really nice actually…not like she normally is." "What was the last thing you remember?" asked Max. Kate replied, "I had a small glass of red wine, and then I drank water." Max shook her head, "Not enough to get wasted." "I never get wasted!" Kate said, "Ever! I take a sip at church and don't end up on a viral video OK?" Max thought for a moment… "Did somebody drug you?" Kate paused, and then said, "I remember getting sick and dizzy, then Nathan Prescott said he'd take me to the hospital." Max suddenly felt a huge knot in her stomach. "Nathan Prescott?" she said, "Oh no…" Kate replied, "He was being nice for a change when he offered to help me." Max frowned, her eyes narrowed, "He is the opposite of nice! What happened next?" Kate replied, "I remember driving a long time than I woke up in a room. I thought it was the hospital since it was so white…and bright." "Go on." Said Max. "I heard somebody talking in a soft voice. I thought it was a doctor until I heard Nathan and felt a sharp sting in my neck…and…and…" "And?" Max pressed. "That's all I remember!" said Kate. "I woke up outside my dorm room the next day." "Who took the video of you at the party?" asked Max, "I don't know…" Kate said, "Probably Victoria being her mean self." "Oh Kate," said Max, "I'm so sorry. This is serious." "How do I get a viral video taken down?" Kate asked, "I know it's already spreading. What if my church sees that…or my parents?" Max had dabbled in videos with her small channel on YouTube she had made. She knew that only the person who put the video up had the ability to take it down, and a video of a girl at a party wouldn't be seen as abusive. Max knew that it was already too late. Viral videos were just that: viral. Infections that could sometimes be used to help, but sometimes be used to hurt. "I'll find out what to do Kate," said Max, "I'll check back later alright?" Kate nodded weakly. "Thanks Max," she said, "You can put my book here, near my bag." Max walked over and put the book against her bag. She was about to leave when Kate turned and called Max back over, "Max?" she asked. Max walked over, "Can I ask you a question," Kate asked. "Absolutely Kate," Max said, "Anything." Kate said, "I need to find out if Nathan helped me, or hurt me after that party. Should I go to the police?" Max thought for a moment. Normally she would say yes. The police would usually know what to do, but Arcadia Bay's police had a huge problem. It was notoriously corrupt. The city was virtually owned by the Prescott's and there had been more than one corrupt policeman who had been tried for taking bribes from the Prescott's and Max knew it. She also knew they didn't have enough proof. "I don't think that's a good idea right now," said Max, "They'll use that video against you…Bad." "But I know I was drugged!" Kate protested, "That's what you have to prove," said Max, "Not them. I'm just telling you how the cops and the school will look at this. The video doesn't exactly back you up." "You make me feel so hopeless," Kate said. Max replied, "No. No, Kate. I just don't want you to get hurt anymore." Kate huffed, "That seems impossible at this point. Is that your answer?" Max replied shaking her head, "I think we should wait. There are other things going on that might help you." Kate looked back at the ground, "But not right now. So I have to walk down the halls with people calling me names and laughing behind my back. Thanks Max." Kate looked back at the desk, putting a hand on one eye. Max decided to leave. On the way out, she sighed, 'Great job Dr. Max,' thought Max, 'She didn't like what I had to say…But we need more proof of what happened. I have to start gathering proof. Nathan will answer for what he did later.' On the way down the hallway, Max's phone buzzed four times. Chloe had sent four separate texts, "Max." "Food." "Two Whales." "Hurry." Max shook her head and texted back, "Don't hurt your fingers texting. c u there." She exited the dormitories and walked out into Blackwell Commons. On her way towards the parking lot she saw Warren come out of the boy's dorms. She walked over. "Oh," said Warren, "Hey Max." "Hi Warren," said Max, "You're up early." Max said, "By the way, thanks so much for stepping in yesterday with Nathan. I owe you." Warren smiled, "No problem Max. Even though you left me with that bully and ran off with that girl. Pretty punk rock. How do you know her?" "Chloe Price," said Max, "An old friend. Haven't seen her in a long time." Warren chuckled, "I'm sure you were glad to see her bust into there like a rock star." Max wasn't, and was still trying to get over how much Chloe had changed. "Well," said Warren, "What I'd like to know is why is Nathan getting all psycho on you?" Max replied, "He's a psycho alright. Just stay out of it. Nathan's going to get his just deserves soon." "Weird week," said Warren, "like that freak snowfall yesterday." There was a pause. "Well," said Warren, "you said you owe me one. Owe me enough to go to the movies next week?" Max thought over it. Warren did take a black eye for her, the least she could do was spend an hour and a half in the theater. "Sure." Said Max, "I owe you enough." Warren laughed, "Well consider your debt settled. I'll text you the info soon." Max nodded, "Alright, well I'll see you around Warren, I have to meet somebody for breakfast." Warren nodded, "OK. See you around Max."
Walking down the steps to the parking lot, Max saw an intimidating sight. It was David Madsen and Nathan Prescott having a loud and heated argument right in front of the school. Everybody had fled. 'That can't be good.' Thought Max, 'This has something to do with Kate…' She stepped down to the main street in front of Blackwell. The bus showed up. The driver, George smiled at Max, "Where to?" he asked, "Two Whales Diner." Max replied. After a few minutes, she was dropped off, and she walked over to the diner. As she walked over, she heard a man talking on his cell phone looking at the newspaper headlines. "Can you believe this town!" said the man, "The world is on fire and our headlines say, 'snow!' I can't wait to see the next big story, 'Clouds!' Seems the paper can only talk about that, or missing girls!" A pause. When Max heard him talk about the missing girl, she lingered around for a little longer. "What?" said the man as the person on the other end talked, "Rachel you said her name was? Whatever. She probably ran away 'cause she was bored! Who wouldn't be here?" Another pause. "Well crap the whole family is dirty! Prescott's did good for Arcadia Bay before. Now nothing gets in their way not even the law!" Pause. "What do you mean?! There's been another scumbag of a cop arrested for taking bribes from the Prescott's last month!" She left, and went inside the diner. As if there hadn't already been enough of it, a wave of nostalgia came over Max. The diner looked exactly the same. The Two Whales was an old diner that had been there since 1947. It was a classic trailer car style with an old jukebox and the smell of coffee and bacon swirling all around. It was enough to make anybody salivate. Max looked over to see Joyce, Chloe's mother frying bacon in front of the bar seats. She turned, saw Max, smiled broadly, and held up her finger telling her to wait a minute. Max smiled back, nodded, and took a booth. She waited just a moment before Joyce came over, smiling. "And there she is, a lovely young woman, how are you doing Max?" Max smiled, feeling happy to hear Joyce's warm Southern voice. "Good Joyce, it's so nice to see you again. You look the same." Joyce raised an eyebrow, "Like I'm still a waitress at the Two Whales after all these years?" Max thought fast, "No," she said, "You still look pretty." Joyce shook her head and smiled, "Nice save kid. You're still smart…But not that smart." Max was confused, "I heard from David you were doing drugs in the school bathroom yesterday." Max couldn't believe it. David Madsen had absolutely no proof that's what she was doing. All because she was a little late to get outside after she set off the fire alarm. "What?" said Max, "I was…" she didn't finish, knowing it really didn't matter what she said at this point. "Well I hope you weren't Max," she said, "I know David has a tendency to jump to conclusions. He's a good man at heart, no matter what Chloe says." Max huffed inside herself, pretty set that Mr. Madsen was a huge jerk. "I haven't seen you in forever," said Joyce, "Where've you been all these years?" "Me and my folks moved to Seattle. I…I feel bad about not calling, Joyce. Really. Now I'm all alone at Blackwell and my folks are in Seattle. I'm getting what I deserve." Joyce shook her head, "You did the right thing," said Joyce, "You moved forward with your life. I did when William passed. Chloe…Chloe chose to stay angry. Anyway, I'm glad you're back. Chloe needs an old friend again." Max said, "Joyce, I'm still sorry about William. I have great memories of him." Joyce smiled, "That was his gift to us Max: wonderful memories. Even if Chloe doesn't understand yet." Max looked down, "Chloe has sure changed a lot since then," she said. Joyce sighed, "Oh she hit all the phases. Expulsion, running away, bad friends, drugs, tattoos, blue hair. Now she's got to rebel against her stepfather. She pushes David and it's not fair. He paid his dues in war. He does care about her, and about all the other students at Blackwell. 'That's why he smacked her in the face…' thought Max. "He cares about Kate Marsh?" asked Max. "Well he mentioned her," said Joyce, "But I stay out of his business. I won't patrol Blackwell and he won't cook at the diner, you know." Max said, "Yesterday I saw him hassling Kate. I wondered if you would know why." "Nice try Nancy Drew," said Joyce, "But right now there's only one student I'm worried about, and she's not even in school anymore…Well, let's get down to the nitty gritty. What do you want to eat missy?" Max smiled, but didn't even have to look at the menu. "The last really good Belgian waffle I ever had was here when I was thirteen. Bring it on!" "You got it Max," said Joyce, "Now go ahead and finish your coffee. I'll have it up in a minute." Joyce walked back behind the counter and yelled into the kitchen, "One Belgian waffle for the hungry girl, pronto!" The cook behind said cheerfully, "One Belgian waffle coming up!" Max sighed happily and sipped her coffee. She loved breakfast, the food, the anticipation, but nothing compared to breakfast at the Two Whales, which had always been her all-time favorite restaurant. She looked all around. There was the trophy seabass up on the wall, with several trophies won from old fishing tournaments. There was a neon Two Whales sign on the wall, and a ceiling fan spinning lazily above her head. She looked over at the lighthouse in the distance. She shivered thinking about her dream the day before. 'The lighthouse looks to mysterious from here.' She thought to herself. She took a sip of coffee and sat back in contentment, 'I wish I could stay in this moment forever,' she thought, 'but then it wouldn't be a moment.' After fifteen minutes she saw Joyce coming over with her waffle. Smiling Joyce said, "I can hear your stomach growling from over here Max! Here, you'll love this." She put the plate on the table and Max rubbed her hands together. The waffle was a steaming, fluffy, and perfectly shaped. It was covered in powdered sugar, with fresh strawberries and a dollop of whipped cream. Max said, "Oh Joyce that looks amazing! Thank you." "You're welcome." Said Joyce. "Oh Max I can't believe you just turned into an 18 year old woman. When I look at picture of Chloe…" The door opened and as if on cue Chloe walked in. "Well speak of the devil," said Joyce. Chloe swaggered over and sat down. "Well if it isn't Mom and Max together again," said Chloe. "And here's Chloe looking for a free meal," said Joyce, "You can put your entire college fund on your tab." Max interrupted, "I'm treating Chloe for breakfast." Joyce looked and said "Is this way of apologizing for yesterday?" Chloe rolled her eyes, "Oh gosh mom don't give her any more crap for that. She didn't even do anything. She's too old to be getting lectures from you or the Buck Sargent." "Call him David if you don't want to get lectured." Joyce said Joyce went off to the kitchen and Chloe sat down. Max chuckled and said, "You guys are still the same." She said. Chloe huffed, "Another reason to blow this town," said Chloe. Chloe hopped into the booth and leaned over. Joyce didn't have to order, Chloe would always order French toast and bacon. Max said, "Hey Chloe, it's great to be back. I'm still so sorry about not calling for so long." Chloe shook her head, "No Max, I'm just constantly being let down by everything. I'm so glad you're back. I don't want you to feel bad, I've really missed you." Max said, "I've missed you too. I miss Rachel too…" Max said, "You can't remember anything about her disappearance?" Chloe shook her head, "She just went up in smoke! I'm just so worried about her." Max looked down. She wanted to know more about Rachel, "What did you guys do together?" Max asked. Chloe smiled a bit and said, "Well we'd just hang out together. We met about a year after my dad died. She was just such a nice person. Now she's gone. I wonder if I'll ever see her again." Chloe closed her eyes and then shook her head, as if shooing the thought away. Max said, "Well maybe we could find out what happened to her." Chloe said, "How? Nobody remembers where she was, and I can't scrounge up anything." Max thought for a moment. She had always loved Sherlock Holmes and other mystery novels, and she wanted to be able to solve a case herself. She said, "Well did she have a boyfriend or something? Any other close friends?" Chloe said, "Like I said, one of the last things she ever said to me was that she had met somebody who changed her life. I still don't know who it is. Definitely nobody from Blackwell. There's nobody else I can think of." Max couldn't think of anybody either, and just then Joyce came over with Chloe's breakfast of French toast and bacon. "How's the breakfast Max?" asked Joyce, "Better than I remember." Said Max. Joyce smiled and said, "Very good save Max," before she went back to the kitchen. Chloe tucked in to her food. "Man I'm hungry like a wolf," she said in-between a bite of bacon. Max wanted to help Chloe. She felt that the best way to make up to her was to find her best friend, wherever she was. It didn't take long before Chloe had devoured every last bite of her French toast. They sat there, talking away, just as they had years before. Max felt as if she was back at the Two Whales she had remembered. The only person missing was William. Max had loved William like he was in her own family. He was kind, loving, and joyful. He was the kind of person that could turn a bad day into one of the best days of your life. Whether through his good nature, or his great sense of humor, he would readily accept anybody to his table, and Chloe had always had a special bond with him. Whenever he died, Chloe nearly died with him. Although not physically, she wasn't the same person. Her happiness and joy had certainly died when he did. Chloe said, "Well what about your tornado dream or whatever. Do you really think that's going to happen?" Max shook her head, "I don't know Chloe. I don't like saying yes, but I have this nagging feeling. I know God communicates through dreams sometimes but does he still do it?" Chloe shifted in her seat awkwardly, "I don't know what God does," said Chloe, "He certainly doesn't talk to me." Max looked at Chloe and said, "What do you mean?" Chloe said, "I just…I don't know Max. You can believe in God that's all well and good. I just don't think he cares about me." Max replied, "Chloe! He does! He cares about you more than anybody else on earth!" Chloe shook her head, "Well, that's great. Let's talk about something else please." Max sighed. She had a feeling Chloe would think like this. She wanted to heal Chloe. She couldn't stand the joyful girl she once knew become the bitter girl in front of her now. It pained her heart to see it. "Well let's go to one of my secret lairs." Chloe said suddenly, "We can be alone and talk there." Max finished off her waffle and said "Alright then, show me the way to Chloe's Cave." With that, they left the booth. Max left the tip and then met Chloe at the door. "Let's go to one of my secret places!" said Chloe. Max was just about to leave when her phone rang. She looked at it. The call was from Kate Marsh. "Don't even answer!" said Chloe, "We have places to go and things to do! Come on before mom starts some more crap. Let's bail!" Max said, "It's Kate Marsh. From Blackwell." "Big whoop." Chloe replied, "You don't call me in five years and now you just have to answer your phone? I see how you roll. So go ahead. Chat up with Kate Marsh from Blackwell. I've got other people to hang out with too." Max knew Kate would feel betrayed if she answered, but then Chloe would feel betrayed if she did. "Just hang on five seconds," said Max. Chloe threw up her hands and Max answered. "Hey Kate." She said. "You OK?" Pause. "I promise Kate I won't forget. Just do your homework and don't stress…I really don't think we should go into this right now. I'll call you later OK? Alright, I promise I'll call…Sure I can come see you later if that's better. Alright, bye." With that, she hung up. "Thanks Max," said Chloe with a frown. "If you'd rather chill with Kate, please go ahead." "You are ridiculous." Said Max, "I'm chilling with you right now OK?" "For now," said Chloe, "Let's get out of here!"
"Is this a race?" Max called from behind. They had come to a large junkyard, with the empty skeletal remains of cars littered everywhere. "How many times are you going to be mad at me this week?" Max asked. "That depends on you." Said Chloe with a beer bottle in her hand. "And how well you do in this phase of the test." Chloe stretched out her arms and looked over the huge junkyard. "Welcome to American Rust," she said, "My home away from Hell." "Raw and rough," said Max, "It suits you." Chloe said, "Alright, let's have some fun." She took out her pistol and looked at Max. "Target practice!" Chloe said excitedly. Max just hoped Chloe would be a bit more responsible with it, but she didn't mind shooting at targets. Max shook her head and Chloe walked over to a small shooting range. Only there were no targets. Chloe said, "Alright Max could you find a few bottles around here while I set up the shooting range?" Max reluctantly agreed, and set off. She found two, and then her phone buzzed. It was Kate. It read, "Hello Max. Sorry about bothering you this morning to ask for advice. I guess I shouldn't do anything but let people enjoy my video all over the world." Max shook her head and texted back, "Kate that is not what I meant. I just want you to be careful." After a few moments Kate texted, "Too late I guess. But thank you for answering my call. I really needed a friend and you delivered." Max smiled, no longer regretting her decision. "I'm on your side Kate," Max said. Kate texted back, "XO. Talk to you later." Max smiled even more. Chloe didn't seem too banged up about her answering anyway. She gathered a few more bottles before walking back over to Chloe. She set up the bottles. "You're serious about this?" asked Max. Chloe agreed and said, "We're going to shoot all of these bottles without wasting a single bullet." Max nodded, "Whatever you say." Chloe took aim and shot. The bottle shattered. "Yes!" she said, "Now for number two…" After a few seconds, she fired, and the bottle blew up. Chloe laughed and said, "Hmm…I'm going to go for a trick-shot here…" Max looked around. There was a stack of old cars behind the range. She looked at Chloe and said, "Why not use that junker there as a target?" Chloe nodded and shot the right tire. The air in the tire hissed out, and it began to crawl forward, before slipping and toppling over, flipping, and crushing the range and bottles. Max and Chloe did a high-five. Chloe said, "That was awesome! Here," she handed Max the gun, "You try something." Max took the gun carefully, and looked. She thought she saw movement, and yes she did. There was a man coming over to them, and he didn't look happy.
