Jimmy Eat World - Polaris

Chapter 4 Life is Complicated

Max had woken up in the morning, she found herself in the living room couch with the TV turned on low volume. She fell asleep to a music channel, various different songs were playing. Still half asleep Max stays there on the couch, contemplating about everything and anything. The music filled the silent emptiness that surrounded the room, providing her mental monologue cushion. "I feel like death, and I wasn't even the one that got drunk last night." Max huffed out a laugh as she sat up slowly on the couch, "No dreams last night, wonder if me being here has anything to do with that. Still, it would have been great to have another dream with Chloe in it... So lame."

Max let's out a longing breath, she moved on to a different topic in mind, "Today marks the second day of madness, just what will be my game plan?"

"Well, we figured you'd want some clothes to change into first."

Max snapped her head to the side at the sound of another's voice, her heart jumping with fright.

Kyra had been leaning against a wall near the window, she may have been standing there for some time. She tossed a duffel bag over by Max's feet on the floor, "We brought some back from your room in the 'future', hope you don't mind."

Max eyed the bag and then looked back to Kyra with confusion, she wondered why the red eyed Fate was being nice to her. Well, nice for Kyra's usual cold attitude. She rummaged through the bag, there were plenty of clothes in it, even other necessities that Max didn't have at the time. "She just saved me the pain of going out to a convenience store, that was pretty thoughtful…"

Max gave Kyra a half smile, "Thanks, you didn't really have to go through the trouble. I'm sure using your powers for simple things like that isn't something you do."

"It was Lane's idea, I just decided to do it." She pointed out, not wanting to give Max the wrong idea. She was still annoyed with her, but Kyra didn't want to stress her out more than she already has been given where the mortal was currently.

"Think of it as my way of apologizing, it really was harsh putting you through all of this without any warning." Kyra said with sincerity, "It was better just ripping off the band-aid in one go, rather than peeling it slowly. If that makes any sense."

At this Max arched an eyebrow at her, "It sort of does, I get it… I think" She had not expected that at all. Maybe she could get along with Kyra like she does with Lane.

"Apology accepted." She finally said after a moment of pause, she couldn't help smiling wider when Kyra looked less tense around the shoulders.

Clearing her throat, the Fate pushed herself off the wall and sat on a seat across from Max. "You've been doing well so far, I saw you get close to Rachel."

There was a flashback behind Max's eyes, she remembered how friendly her new friend was. Coughing in her fist, Max answered back to Kyra. "Yeah, it was an interesting experience to say the least."

Kyra gave her input, she advised Max that she needed to text the girl and meet with her again as soon as possible. She warned Max that today Mark Jefferson would begin advancing on Rachel, today would be a perfect opportunity to put a dent into the psychopath's urges.

"I remember reading a letter from Rachel before, it was a pretty guilty one talking about hooking up with someone outside of Blackwell. You think that might happen today?" Max asked Kyra with great worry, standing up from the couch as if she was ready to run out.

"It might as well, they've been dancing around the prospect of it for weeks now. Given the pure admiration for his work, Rachel can't resist it for long. She is just as big of a fan as you were, though I'm sure you didn't have that groupie complex."

Max cringed, she hated how much she admired Jefferson in the past. His work was genius, it still is and she could not deny it. She wasn't certain how she would react if she saw his twisted face again, the idea of it churned her stomach. Though what made her feel even more sick was him laying a hand on Rachel, when the poor girl was clueless to his true intentions. How shocked must Rachel have been, when she came to realize the person that supposedly changed her life—Someone she fell for, was going to be responsible for taking it all away? Max couldn't imagine the regret and anguish she was going through when it happened. "It won't happen. I won't let it happen."

Max pulled out her phone and sent a quick text, nodding to herself she grabs the duffel bag and disappears into the bathroom. Kyra stayed there for a few moments, patiently waiting for Max to be done. When she came back she had changed into a new, clean outfit.

Smoothing out the wrinkles of her black button up shirt, she rolls up its sleeves to expose her tattoo and wristbands, "I haven't gotten a reply yet, but I'm crashing into Blackwell regardless."

Kyra smiled faintly at Max's resolve, "Just remember—"

"Don't be reckless, I know. Lane covered that a lot yesterday." She adjusted her pale blue jeans as she stated with determination. "I just can't afford messing all of this up, it's two lives on the line now."

"The gravity of the situation is certainly heavy, your awareness is much needed." Kyra commented standing up, she took the keys off the coffee table and gestured towards the door. "I'll be driving this time."

Max was taken aback, "Whoa—Wait, you're coming with?"

"I won't get in your way, don't worry. Let's go." Kyra had already left the apartment, with a very baffled Max jogging after her.

March 5th, 2013

Oregon, Arcadia Bay

Blackwell Academy, 12:00 PM

Max was staring out the window, she's seen a few familiar faces walk around. Students that have been attending Blackwell at earlier grades. It was such an odd sensation, feeling so old when she hadn't even hit her thirties yet. "Yeah, going back through time into the past does that."

"This is so freaky, you have no idea." Max expressed to Kyra, the two of them have been parked across the street from the school.

"Don't dwell on it, focus on the task at hand. Has Rachel replied back yet?" Kyra asked, her own eyes watching students roam about the school grounds.

Max sighed, her answer was full of worry. "No, I haven't gotten anything at all. You think we might be too late?"

"We won't know unless you get out of the car." Kyra deadpanned, her face stoic as she glanced at Max.

"You seriously think they're going to allow some stranger walk around the school like it's nothing?"

"No offense, but no matter what you think, you really don't look like your age." Kyra pointed out, making it known that Max can easily blend in as a student.

Max's jaw dropped halfway before closing back up, a frown now on her face. "I'll have you know, that's an actual struggle." Kyra rolled her eyes as the young adult stepped out of the car.

It was odd how natural it felt walking up the steps to the school, she did her best to avoid any eye contact with the students that were outside. Max probably looked like a nervous new exchange student, she was sure that would help in preventing anyone from trying to chat her up. She entered the building, when she did, a lot of her memories here came rushing to her head. She had no idea if she truly liked being here or not anymore. After all that's happened, it was tough for her to decide. She briskly walked along the hallway, her eyes glancing around attentively. She was sure if she ran into the paranoid security guard he would suspect her right away, she wouldn't put it past David Madsen for his photographic memory of every student that comes in and out of here.

Before she knew it, she was already in front of Jefferson's classroom door. Max felt her anxiety levels rising up, she forced herself to calm down and peeked into the glass window. She could see Mark Jefferson sitting at his desk there, grading some papers while he was chatting with Rachel, who was casually leaning against the wood frame. From anyone else's perspective it would seem like a student-teacher conversation was going on, but Max knew all too well that wasn't the case at all.

"Okay, Max, you're here. What the hell are you going to do now?" There's no way she could just walk in there and grab Rachel, could she?

Max opened the door by impulse, she allowed herself to go with it as she entered with a confident smirk. "There you are! Been looking all over for you."

Rachel's expression was amusing to say the least, the girl was in utter shock but it was a pleasant shock to her. Her hazel eyes were wide and a smile grew large on her lips, "Jack? What the—"

"Can I help you?" Jefferson cut in, eyebrows arching up over the bold frames of his glasses.

Max answered back in a flat tone, without making any glances at him. "You can't, but she can. Come on, Rach, we're gonna be late." She strode over to the still shell-shocked girl, grabbing her by the hand gently, she walked out of the classroom. Leaving a dumbfounded Jefferson behind.

Much to Max's relief, Rachel willingly played along and allowed herself to be taken away. Though all the while they were walking out of the school, Rachel was very teasing. "When you promised we'd hang out again soon, I didn't think you'd be sneaking into my school just to see me." She chuckled when Max tripped in her steps at her remark.

"L-Look, we need to talk. It's kind of important and it can't wait…" Max tried to explain evenly, hoping to not freak out the girl. She let go of her hand when they were outside, now near the water fountain. Max took a glance around, making sure no one could hear their conversation.

Rachel gave her a knowing look, which then turned into a sympathetic smile. "Aww, Jack… Please tell me you aren't here to ask me on a date."

Max felt her face flare up, "What?! No!" She denied, a bit louder than intended, "So not what's going on here." She ran a hand down her heated face, an amused snort escaped her at the idea. "Just how often does Rachel get asked out? For her to automatically assume that I was... The number must be exponential."

"Are you alright? You look real red…" Rachel placed a hand on Max's shoulder, concerned eyes peering into Max's own nervous gaze.

"Is it possible if we could talk in your dorm?" Max asked, hoping this wasn't sounding all too weird for Rachel.

To her surprise Rachel guided her over to the girl's dormitory without a thought, though Rachel kept on voicing out her worries to her new friend as they walked. "Not gonna lie, Jack, you're kinda freaking me out here."

"Trust me, I know this is weird but I'll explain everything."

As the two of them made for the dorm entrance, they had the misfortune of running into a second year student Max did not have the patience to deal with. They were sitting on the steps to the dorm's entrance, with their phone in hand outstretched.

"Back so soon from kissing Jefferson's ass?" They said, after finishing their selfie. The student now stood up in the way, arms crossed with narrowed eyes. That stance was all too familiar, from the blonde pixie haircut and the expensive clothing, there was no doubt about it.

"Are you for real? Victoria Chase... Of all the luck." Max inwardly groaned out, she couldn't help but visibly roll her eyes when Victoria sent a judgmental glare over to her.

"I see that you're sneaking in another punk." Victoria stated with some distaste in her tone, her nose upturned slightly. "I'm hoping this one has better manners than the last one."

"Oooh, so moody today, Vick." Rachel smirked defiantly at Victoria, not at all phased by her snide comment. "I'm sure standing guard of the entrance like a troll can be off putting sometimes. How's Nathan by the way?"

Max thinned her lips to prevent herself from bursting out in uncontrolled laughter, "The look on Victoria's face is beyond hysterical, ha!"

Victoria recovered from the insult, she was now sneering at Rachel, "You think you've got everyone fooled into thinking you're hot-shit, but you don't fool me, Rachel Amber. Stay away from Nathan, and go die."

"Your voice is annoying as I remember it.." Max mumbled lowly to herself, Victoria caught it though and aimed her glare onto her new target.

"Come again?" She dared Max to repeat herself, her voice holding a deadly threat. A poor attempt in scaring Max.

Max answered back flippantly, giving the rich girl an uncaring stare. "I said: Go fuck your-selfie, kid."

Rachel did an 'ouch' expression with her lips, fanning herself with a hand. "Uff, I even felt that burn."

Victoria stood there appalled, she wanted to retaliate but the two of them walked by her like she wasn't there. "How dare you—This isn't over, Amber!" She declared loud enough for them to hear beyond closed doors. Victoria was now by herself, letting out a frustrated yell.

Max was wincing as she followed Rachel, who was howling with laughter. "That felt so good, I've always wanted to say that to her stupid face. I just hope it doesn't come back to haunt me later."

Rachel was holding her sides as she allowed herself and her friend into her dorm. "Jack—That was—Haha! Oh, fuck!" She tried to express between laughter, words couldn't possibly describe the epicness that whole scene was.

Now calming her intense mirth down, Rachel wipes her tears and grins wildly at Max, "You're not only cool, but you're also hilarious. Maybe I should say yes to that date."

"Hm, with that joke just now that would make both of us comedians." Max pushed back with a disapproving look.

"And she does it again! Ouch, Jack, the rejection!" Rachel hooted, clutching her chest in mock heartbreak.

The two of them laughed together for a few moments. Seeing that they were now alone in private, Max switched her serious mode on. She needed to somehow get through to Rachel about staying away from that sleazeball, Jefferson. Max took a moment to collect her thoughts, while she did so she looked around the small dorm. It was your typical teen living here, one could obviously tell by the way it was decorated. It screamed 'Riot!' but it was also giving off the modern hipster style. One thing was for sure, it was cleaner and much more organized than Chloe's room.

"You got a nice place here, Rachel." Max said honestly, eyeing the little neon lights hanging above the couch area where Rachel was now sitting comfortably at.

"Thanks, but I'm sure you got more in that head of yours than my feng shui." Rachel said with a bright smile, she waited patiently for Jack to speak her mind.

"I really was worried about you, after the conversation we had." Max began to talk, already feeling how long winded this speech was about to be. "Rachel, I've seen so many girls your age fall into the wrong crowds. Most of those girls were, well, stupid."

Rachel chuckled, "Geez, tell me how you really feel, Jack."

Max shook her head and smiled sheepishly back, "You're not though, you're very different. I can tell that you're the type of person that see's the good in everything and everyone." The student leaned back on the couch, her expression softened as eyes watched Max go on with her talk. "That's an insanely rare trait that not everyone has the big enough heart for, but like any heart that can feel… it can be taken advantage of." Max went on, pushing her limits more to see where things turned.

"...I know about you and the drug dealer, Rachel."

At this Rachel widened her eyes in shock, before she would protest, Max had then added that she was in Arcadia for longer before and had seen their interaction at the Two Whales diner one day. This effectively shut Rachel up and could only now allow 'Jack' to continue.

"I'm sure he's a nice guy when he wants to be, but why get yourself involved with someone like him?" She asked with confusion.

"Remember how I mentioned my best friend last night?" Rachel brought up Chloe, explaining to her how the blue-haired punk borrowed a large sum of money from Frank. Rachel went on about their shared dreams of leaving Arcadia Bay, to go out to L.A. and start a new life there. For that to happen they needed a lot of money, and given the issue where Chloe got kicked out of school and finding jobs in a small town like Arcadia was not the most easiest thing in the world currently—Chloe got desperate and took the loan from him, despite Rachel's disapproval.

"Like you said, Frank is nice when he wants to be, but when it comes to money… He doesn't beat around the bush. Him and Chloe started to butt heads, and Frank began to get violent. The threats were empty to her, but I knew better… So yeah, you can guess where this is going. I started sleeping with him, hoping that he'd give Chloe some space. At least, until she manages to pay him back. Since she is my best friend, Frank would want to keep me happy and allowed her some room to breathe."

Max gaped slightly at Rachel, "Whoa… She was sleeping with Frank to get him to lay off Chloe? Wowsers, talk about taking one for the team."

"Things started to change though…" Rachel sighed out, she began to wonder why she was spilling so much to a stranger. A friend she had only just met the other night.

"You fell in love with him." Max smiled sadly at her, feeling for the girl but at the same time for Chloe. Remembering how devastated she was when they found out about Rachel and Frank being together.

"Ha, love?" She huffed out a laugh while shaking her head. "I don't even know if that's what this is. I learned to care about him, that's for sure. He's not at all a bad person. Sure, he's not the greatest person either but…" Rachel admitted with a thoughtful look in her eyes. "It's all sort of confusing right now, me and Frankie might not last for long anyways…"

Max sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. "Got Jefferson on the brain already, Rach?" Perhaps she should lay off of Rachel, for now. "Look, all I am asking is… Be careful. Don't trust people so easily."

"Even people like you?" Rachel interrogated sharply, though she only meant it as a light tease. In a way, she was still making it clear to Jack that although they were now friends, she was still a stranger to her.

"Even people like me… And sleazy teachers." Max laid it out openly, not at all regretting the comment.

"Not sure what you're talking about." Rachel seemed unphased, but Max knew the younger girl was processing her words rapidly behind the calm facade.

"Right… I'm gonna head out, I said all I wanted to." Max made for the door but stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning around she faces Rachel, who seemed too excited for Max's comfort.

"There's a party later tonight, at the beach near the big lighthouse. I think you should come, it would be so much fun if you did." She invited her, a charming smile taking over her face. It was hard for Max to say no, though she found it odd that the party was in the middle of a school week. She didn't see any harm in it, since it wasn't an official Vortex Club party and it would mean another chance to talk to Rachel again.

"I'll think about it." Max left with those parting words.

The car door opened and in came Max.

Kyra was giving Max a blank look when she stepped inside the car, "A party, really?"

Max was about to ask her how she knew that, but then realized that her and Lane can watch her from wherever they were. She explained to Kyra that it wasn't going to be for fun, but to observe and to be sure Rachel wasn't up to anything major that could potentially lead her to the path of her own death. The Fate hummed in thought, she couldn't tell Max it was a bad idea, but it wasn't exactly the best one either. She would not interfere though, this was something the mortal had to experience on her own, behind her own permanent choices.

When they got back to the apartment Lane had been waiting in the kitchen, she was keeping herself busy making lunch. She wore an apron to cover her tight fitted clothing, keeping her black shirt clean.

A big grin was on her face as she assembled together a perfectly made sub, "Oh! Lucy you're home!" She chimed jokingly as Max walked in with an arched eyebrow.

"You made us food?" Max asked in pleasant surprise, she hadn't realized how hungry she was until now. She was in so much of a rush that she had skipped breakfast.

"Technically I made lunch for you, figured you'd be starving after today. We sure know you'll need the strength for later tonight." Lane slid the plate over to Max on the countertop as the girl sat down, the Fate had explained that food was already stocked up in the fridge.

Max took a bite out of her sub, "Whoa, just how talented is Lane? A tattoo artist and a sandwich artisan too?! Like it wasn't enough she's an immortal cosmic being… This is so good!" Max thought with satisfaction as she began to eat the sub with more gusto.

Kyra eyed Lane for a moment, she was leaning a hip against the kitchen countertop next to the silver eyed Fate. She could see they were practically twinkling, Kyra knew that look all too well. "What's got you so excited?"

"Whatever do you mean, Kyra?" Lane giggled as she removed the apron, she tossed it over her shoulder and ran slender fingers through her midnight hair coyly.

The Fates were discussing among themselves as Max munched on her sub, she would stare between the two women. They were talking lowly, so Max couldn't quite catch what they were saying. All she could hear was something about Lane being pumped about tonight. Kyra seemed stoic, though there was a glimmer of brief amusement in her eyes when she placed her hand over Lane's mouth to silence her excited rambling.

"You've still got a few hours before the beach party, what will you be doing until then?" Kyra asked casually, ignoring Lane's muffled protests behind her hand.

Max shrugged, she had a thought about sneaking a peek at Chloe again but that would be an even bigger risk still of being caught. For Max it was too soon to confront the blue-haired punk, "You can't keep avoiding her forever..." She mentally chided herself.

Lane finally removed Kyra's hand away from her mouth after threatening to bite it, "You're so rude…" She whined to Kyra before turning her attention to Max with still excited eyes, "I have an idea! Let's work on your attire for that late night bash."

Max couldn't fight off the smile on her face, "I can almost see an invisible tail wagging behind Lane, she's being awfully cheerful." Not able to resist it anymore, Max nodded her head in approval.

Kyra grimaced, fearing for the poor Photographer now. "You're going to regret that—"

"Oh yeah! Score!" Lane was already plotting, a big toothy grin evident on her face as she ran into the other room. "I'll get the black nail polish!"

Max's eyes widened at the announcement. "Wait, what?!"

A couple of hours passed by, Kyra was lazily reading a book as she sat in bed. Even though she appeared bored, she was internally enjoying Max's struggle with Lane's spontaneous outfit montage. After countless outfits put on, Max finally received a thumbs up from Lane. Kyra had also approved of the choice, without glancing away from her book.

They settled with Max wearing a tight fitted, red tank top. The design of a sugar skull printed on it popped in bold, black lines. Lane had somehow convinced Max to wear a checkerboard pattern belt, keeping her black skinny jeans snug around her hips. The jeans were ripped open at her knees, exposing some of her skin there. Completing the outfit, Lane had lent her a pair of black combat boots. Max had finished tying up the laces, the boots reached just below her leg calves. She wasn't use to wearing boots like these, though Lane was insistent she wear them.

Lane whistled with a smirk, she inspected her handy work. She had made sure the eyeliner was applied properly on Max, no smudges on sight. "You're going to turn some heads tonight."

"You do know I'm going to the beach, right? Not a concert?" Max teased her, smiling shyly at Lane's compliments.

Lane checked Max's nails, the black polish had dried. "Can't a reincarnation of destiny have some fun? I don't get to do this often."

Kyra rolled her eyes and put her book down, she brought it to Max's attention that it was time for her to leave. Grabbing her phone and keys, Max turns to the Fates with a suspicious look. "You wouldn't happen to know something about this party that I don't, would you?"

"We can't tell you anything in detail, remember? We're only allowed to tell you what's necessary." Kyra explained neutrally.

"Sorry, kiddo. You gotta go with the flow." Lane said with an apologetic smile, "Though you're gonna thank me for the makeover, just know that."

Max furrowed her eyebrows at Lane, completely confused at what she meant. Putting her suspicions aside, Max left the apartment and made her way on the road towards her destination.

The night air was still warm, around this time this place would normally be empty but the faint sound of music boomed loud enough to rebel against the effect of waves crashing. Along the sand there were multiple bonfires, plenty of teens from the ages of seventeen to nineteen were around. More than likely drinking and doing drugs, it was only Max's guess. She had parked near the boardwalk, she sat there for a few minutes in deep thought when her eyes landed over towards the cliff in the distance. The tall lighthouse stood there, in the dark. It's light had long ago went out, no longer guiding ships at night.

"I can't tell if seeing it makes me happy or sad." Max sighed out to herself, she stepped out of the car and texted Rachel.

She walked down to the sand and did well enough to look calm as she walked through the dancing crowd. With that loud techno playing on the beach, Max couldn't help feeling like she was back at the Vortex Club party. Though there wasn't any expensive DJ's the Prescotts bought playing the songs, an old beat up stereo set was propped up on a table doing a well enough job pumping adrenaline into the already high and drunk party goers. There were other tables set up for drinks, while another was being used for what seemed to be a sloppy beer pong game.

Max could smell the weed mingling with the sea salt air, "Typical party, even now smoking is not my thing still."

"You actually came!"

Max finally ran into Rachel, the girl was disheveled and skin damp with sweat. Her clothes were sticking to her form, "She must have been dancing all night, despite being a mess she still looks naturally pretty. She really can be a model without even trying… What the fuck?" Max smiled awkwardly at her friend who caught her in an unsuspecting hug.

Rachel was either high already or she was genuinely happy to see Max here, she gave her a tight squeeze before pulling back to reveal her beaming face. "Come on! Let's get some drinks in you!" She hollered over the music.

They got to the tables and Rachel had served Max a drink in a red plastic cup, "You look damn good, in case you didn't know." She smirked at her, hazel eyes giving a once over with Max's choice of outfit, "I stand by what I said, you and Chloe have got to meet. Wonder where she went..."

Max almost did a spit take while sipping her drink, "What?! She's h-here?" Her voice was panicked, she glanced around the beach in search of a blue head.

Without noticing Max's reaction, Rachel swayed her hips. Her body vibrating with the beat of the music, "Hmm, you know? I have no fucking idea! She probably was and then bailed, not really sure. Chloe prefers diving into mosh pits than mingling at these types of parties."

Max was relieved to find that there wasn't any signs of Chloe, perhaps Rachel was right and the punk-girl did leave. She stood there next to a dancing Rachel, she allowed herself to laugh when the younger girl tried to get Max to dance too.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Rachel Amber. The Party Fiend."

Max felt her skin crawl when she recognized the voice, she looked over her shoulder to find that it was Nathan Prescott shoving people out of his way to get to Rachel. Max immediately looked away, not wanting to make too much eye contact with the rich kid.

"Oh, Nate! What're you doing here? This isn't a Vortex party." Rachel hooked an arm over Max's shoulders, keeping the girl close as she addressed him. She had a cocky smile on her face when Nathan eyed the two of them, clearly confused as to who the other girl was. He ignored her and kept his sights on Rachel, he had been watching her dancing around all night and felt the need to talk with her.

"I am the Vortex party." He gloated, remarking that wherever he goes the Vortex club would go as well.

"I'm cool enough to hangout at other parties not being endorsed by my father, besides… You're here." His intentions were obvious when he handed Rachel a fresh drink, his arm outstretched with the red cup in hand waiting for her to take it.

Rachel chuckled at Nathan's flirty comment, she had to hand it to him, he was persistent. This boy has been trying to get her to talk and hangout for months, if Victoria was around she'd be livid. Max was glancing at the drink in Nathan's hand, and then back to Rachel with concerned blue eyes that went unnoticed by her. "Crap! I don't like the look of this… This isn't the Vortex party Rachel ended up being drugged at, but he could still attempt it ahead of time. What should I do? Think, Maxine!" She panicked in her mind when Rachel reached out for the drink.

Right as fingers grazed the cup, Max pulled her back and smacked the drink roughly into Nathan's shirt. The teenagers surrounding them stopped what they were doing, everyone looked startled at the fact that someone had dared to mess with Nathan Prescott. Some were amused and others pitied the poor soul that was about to experience hell. After a long pause of silence—save for the music laying in the background—Nathan exploded.

"...What the actual fuck?!" He roared in mix shock and rage. Nathan's angry eyes looked down at his now soaked shirt, it was clearly ruined now.

Rachel was laughing hysterically, not at all bothered by Jack's actions. It was about time someone knocked Nathan's ego down a few pegs. She was holding onto Jack's shoulder with a hand, as she held her own side with the other. She kept herself in balance by doing this, she was doubling over at this point, her laughter was too much to handle. The look on Nathan's face was too much to handle.

Max stood there with wide eyes, "I am on a streak today pissing off these rich kid assholes." Though insulting Victoria seemed safer than messing with Nathan, who she knows has a twitchy trigger finger.

Nathan was aiming a deadly stare at the girl who had just humiliated him in front of so many, his face was bright red from the bobbling rage that was about to be unleashed on her. By instinct Max grabbed Rachel's hand, she mustered up the guts to smirk back confidently at him.

"Sorry, Rachel doesn't take drinks from creepy little fuck boys." Max said mockingly in a sweet tone, she pushed by him with Rachel in tow.

Nathan sputtered, completely stunned at what just happened. He wanted to stop her and show her exactly why no one fucked with Nathan Prescott, but there were too many people around. All he could do was stand there seething as the girl and Rachel disappeared into the still dancing crowd.

The onlookers that were near the scene gaped dramatically at what they've just witnessed, all of them plus Nathan had one common thought. Who the hell was that chick?

Rachel was showering Jack with honest praising, still giggling with amusement. She was jumping around her to the beat of the music, "Another one bites the dust! You're on fire, Jack! Woo!"

While Rachel celebrated, Max was having a mental freak out. A thousand mile stare was on her face, "Holy fuck, I can't believe I said that to Nathan in front everyone! I may have just added to his psychotic tendencies with that, so much for not being reckless. Wish I still had my rewind powers. That's two people I've pissed off today…"

The night could not possibly get any worse than this.

"Yo! Chloe!" Rachel yelled over the music with excitement, a hand waving down the blue-haired girl that was walking along the boardwalk.

Max involuntarily turned around to hide her face, her hair curtained over the side of it. She hissed under breath to herself, "Are you fucking kidding me?!"

"Calm down, Max. Maybe it wasn't Chloe and Rachel is just seeing things—Yes, that's right! Alcohol and weed does that! You're going to look back and see that Chloe isn't really there." Max had momentarily glanced over her shoulder, she immediately regretted the movement. Chloe was in fact there walking towards them, and Max couldn't look away.

The punk was exactly how Max remembered her, not only was the object of her unfulfilled romance alive—She was just beautiful. Her navy blue beanie adorned the top of her head, the short blue hair that framed her pale and slender face. Max noticed the punker wasn't wearing her usual black jacket, she was only wearing a dark blue sleeveless shirt with white designs on the front. Her legs were covered by faded ripped jeans, with suspenders hanging loosely around her hips and down her thighs. Black combat boots lightly kicked the sand under her feet as she walked off the boardwalk and into the beach.

Chloe spotted them, she grinned widely at Rachel as she sauntered across the sand. She was getting closer and closer, and Max was growing nervous with every step. She wasn't ready for this, she can't do this now. Just as Chloe entered through the wall of dancing people, Max was already gone.

Rachel was confused and she was looking around for her friend, she turned to Chloe who was eyeing her questionably. The blonde began her excited rants when the punk-girl held her by the shoulder, "Chloe! Where have you been?! You should have seen it—Holy shit! It was—Ugh! Where were you?!"

"Chillax, chica. I needed some cigs, couldn't smoke the shitty brand peeps were carrying around here." Chloe explained, shaking the small box of cigarettes as evidence. "What's up with you? You're all hyped up." She looked at Rachel, an amused smirk growing on her lips. "I think you're done getting blasted and blazed for the night..."

"As if! I'm fine, really. But you missed it—Jack was here! She was such a badass, Chloe! Man, you bailed on me for cigarettes?" She pouted, disappointed that her best friend had lost the chance to meet her new friend from the bar.

Rachel was upset that Jack had ditched her just as Chloe showed up, she wanted to say that Jack was being shy but it was still so weird for her to up and leave without saying goodbye. Rachel had told Chloe the night they met about her, her best friend really wanted to meet this Jack girl after Rachel was done gushing over the mysterious older chick.

"So it was her then, the girl that was next to you? Some badass, she ran off like she saw a ghost or some shit." Chloe commented coolly, she was peeved slightly that Rachel's mood turned when the supposed 'new friend' had just ditched them.

"Don't judge, maybe she went to go get cigarettes too." Rachel teased back and at the same time defending Jack.

"Ya don't say? Well, it would be extremely rude of me to not offer some of mine. Wouldn't it?" Chloe said decidedly, letting Rachel know she would be right back while she trekked through the crowd of drunkards.

Meanwhile, Max had walked off hurriedly down the shore away from the party. She was far enough away that she could barely hear the music, not once did she look back. She slowed down her steps, but her mind and even more so her heart, was going at a rapid pace.

Max laid a hand over her chest, she could feel the fast beating there. "Chloe, I'm sorry… I'm such a coward." She was mad with herself, she realized she was doing the same exact thing she had done when she first came back to Arcadia Bay.

She avoided the idea of finding her best friend, she kept on putting it off. Now she looks at herself, doing it yet again. Had she not grown up at all? Being back here, seeing Chloe—Even from afar—It made Max feel like she was still the seventeen year old girl. The awkward, shy and non-confrontational girl. She can take down Victoria Chase with witty insults, and purposely shove beer all over Nathan Prescott while smiling, but when it came to facing Chloe? She turns into a mess of emotions.

Max had stopped in her steps, she stood there near the shoreline. The water would brush the tips of her boots as it brushed over the sand, she stared ahead to the ocean. A question burning in her throat, she groaned out in frustration as she held the sides of her head with both hands.

Max asked herself out loud, as if the crashing waves would have an answer for her. "Just what the fuck am I doing?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

Max froze where she was, she knew for a fact waves didn't talk back. Slowly she turned her head towards the sound of the familiar voice. There Chloe was, arms crossed with stern blue eyes staring straight at the girl. Chloe wasn't sure, she only saw the girl for a few seconds from far away, but she could tell there was something familiar about the girl hanging around Rachel. Chloe was only a few feet away from her, but she took a slow step forward as the words spilled out.

"Fuck, I knew it. I wasn't having a weird trip out." Chloe tilted her head to the side as she got closer, causing Max to take a few steps back away.

Her eyes narrowed, there was a hint of surprise in Chloe's voice. "Is that… Is that really you?"

There was no answer, Max just stood there with a still rapidly beating heart. She barely heard Chloe's voice due to the sound of it thumping in her eardrums. Though Max was more focused on Chloe's face and body language rather than the tone of her voice. "Shit! Shit! Shit! She's in front of me, she looks so shocked… Oh man, she also looks angry."

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" Chloe yelled, annoyed that the girl before her has yet said a single word to her.

"Don't yell at me, Chloe!" Max hollered back, causing the punk to flinch in reaction.

Chloe stared wide eyed, arms dropping at her sides. "It is you… Max?" She dared to say the name again, with more assurance. "Max Caulfield."

"Y-Yeah, it's me…" Max finally admitted in defeat, eyes staring down at the sand beneath her boots. The sound of her own name coming from Chloe almost stopped Max's breathing, her mouth had even gone dry.

Chloe's shock was settling down, a bitter amusement was taking place in her voice. "Heh, I guess Seattle sucked hard, huh?"

"You could say that…" Max rubbed the back of her neck as she fidgeted, she finally glanced up to see Chloe as they continued to exchange words.

"And coming back to Arcadia Bay is any better?" Chloe asked incredulously.

"With you still here? Yeah, it is better." Max thought to herself, she squashed the urge to express it vocally.

Chloe went on, her questions stacking up high like a tower. "How long have you been here? Why are you even back? I can only imagine that you came for Blackwell, right? Tsk, figures..." She scoffed, shaking her head.

"That's not true, I wouldn't be caught dead in that school." Max blurted out without thinking.

Chloe was taken aback by the statement. She knew just how much Max loved Photography, Blackwell had the best scholarships in pursuit of Photography careers. She had known that Max would return to Arcadia Bay for that school, someday anyways. Though that was not the case, Max had just told her she wouldn't ever attend the academy.

"I mean—" Max stammered for words, "I did have an interest before, but not anymore. I'm not here for Blackwell." She explained to Chloe with as much honesty she could force out.

"So what's your deal then?" Chloe questioned, she was getting frustrated with her. She then gave Max a warning, "I swear if you say you came here for—"

"I came here for you, Chloe." Max finished her friend's sentence, she gulped thickly in apprehension at what she just admitted.

Chloe's mouth fell open, a laugh escaped her. She turned around, as if she was addressing an audience with arms stretched out.

"Got any hidden cameras? 'Cause this has got to be some kind of a joke." Pacing a few times, she turned back again to face Max. She looked at her long and hard, "Five years, Max. Without a text or a call. Sorry if I find this hard to believe."

"Merciless as ever." Max inwardly winced, the words from her best friend stinging. "Give me a break! You didn't exactly attempt any form of communication back either, I don't blame you though. We were both going through changes."

"I guess those changes included dumping me from your life." Chloe replied back casually, though there was an edge to her words. She wasn't letting up, she wanted to make her point across to Max that she was deeply hurt by the abandonment all those years ago.

This was déjà vu all over for Max, but she wasn't going to allow Chloe to guilt trip her like last time when they first had their reunion. Because this time, everything is going to be different. She was here for her friend, not for Blackwell, not for a scholarship nor for a teacher she use to admire. She was here for Chloe, and she was going to stop at nothing to prove it to her.

"That's not true, Chloe." Max defended.

Chloe continued to lash out, "Bullshit. You thought you'd hook up with all these art pricks in Seattle. Didn't happen, though."

"That's it, Chloe! Just—just shut up!" She snapped back. Man, it hurt hearing that the first time but the second time still hurt Max just as much.

"God, you don't know anything!" Max was losing her cool, "She legit doesn't know anything, idiot! None of this has happened yet, it never did and it never will. Don't get frustrated with her, it's not her fault." She tried to rationalize in her mind, she didn't want their conversation to turn into an argument. Especially since Chloe literally had no idea of what Max had been through.

Though the more Chloe was pushing her the more it was starting to piss Max off. Maybe before, the old Max would have bowed down and taken every lash Chloe whipped out with her words, but this Max isn't rolling over and taking any of it. She kept on her emotional rant, all Chloe could do was stand back with eyebrows raised upwards.

"I fucked up, I'll admit it. I should have called, texted—Sent you letters even!"

"Then why didn't you?" Chloe asked, this time with a softer tone.

"To be honest, I was scared to. The day I left, you didn't exactly make things clear if you hated me for life or not. I couldn't blame you though, a lot happened during that time and it was just all too much." Max expressed a bit of how she felt, she wanted to say more beyond that. To tell Chloe just how much she was hurting when she left Arcadia… The suffering she went through when Chloe died.

"Don't get me wrong, you can't really blame it all on me." Max corrected, "But you're allowed to be mad at me, hate me even for all those years without reaching out to you. I just don't want you to think that I purposely left you to fuck you over. I didn't abandon you, Chloe. I never stopped thinking about you. Not once."

Max bit her lip, she braved herself to step up closer to Chloe. She was now only a few steps away, any closer and Max would be able to feel the other girl's breath on her. "I want to make things right. I just wanted to see you again, y-you have no clue…" She struggled with her words when she felt a tightness grow in her throat. "You have no clue how badly I want to hug you right now."

Chloe was staring at Max unblinkingly, not certain of what to make of all this emotional revelation. She could tell Max was truly torn up, the girl looked like she was on the verge of tears. Now that she was looking at her with less rage and hurt. Chloe noticed something was off with Max, she knew it had been five years since she last saw her childhood best friend. Hell, Chloe knew she herself did not look the same at all. She was breaking her head over Max, she couldn't tell but there was something not quite right about her.

She then remembered Rachel had told her about this 'Jacqueline' woman at the bar, who somehow legally bought drinks for the both of them. Nothing was making any sense to Chloe, all she did was shake her head at Max.

"You wanna make things right?" Chloe asked back, "How about you start explaining yourself… Why the hell were you passing off as someone else while getting involved with my friends?" She called out Max, she wanted to know why she had tricked Rachel.

Max cursed out mentally, she knew Chloe wasn't stupid. She just wasn't ready to answer all these questions on the fly.

"I didn't know Rachel was your friend. At least, not at first." She lied, in her best calmed tone. "As for the fake name, really… I just didn't want anyone to know I was back in town, I wanted to be careful. Maybe I was being too paranoid, I didn't mean to lie to anyone. Especially Rachel, who's been nothing but nice to me." Max smoothed out, before adding, "But if anyone was going to find out I was back, you were always going to be the first to know about it, Chloe."

Chloe took a moment to process everything that was being said to her, she stared at Max and then over to the sand on the ground. To the waters rushing into the shore and further out towards the ocean. She wanted to look at anything else but Max.

She looked like a lost child, unsure of what to do or say now. She shouldn't even be giving Max the time of day, she should hate her and tell her to fuck off. She had always pictured herself giving Max the worst treatment if they were ever going to meet again. Though none of that was what she felt towards her childhood best friend. Sure, she was frustrated with Max and she's still hurt from the time the girl left town. Though that's different, things have changed.

Max was back in Arcadia Bay, she was standing right in front of her. In the flesh. Not only was she here, but she was apologizing to her. She came back for Chloe, how could she continue to be an asshole to her?

"You're making it hella hard for me to stay mad at you." Chloe joked while stuffing her hands in her pockets, finally looking back at Max with a small smirk on her face.

Max took three quick steps forward, she practically ran into Chloe as she wrapped up arms around the taller girl by the waist. Chloe stumbled back slightly from the impact, she blinked a few times in surprise. She had not expected the sudden affection, Max was normally so shy when it came to physical contact. Though here she was, arms hugging Chloe tightly while burying her face into her shoulder.

At first she hesitated but Chloe soon held Max back, her own arms wrapping over the shorter girl's shoulders.

Max was mentally thanking whatever force of nature allowed her to have this moment, "Chloe's really here, alive and breathing. This… This feels nothing like my dreams." She sighed out contently when she felt her best friend hug her back. "This is better beyond anything I've dreamt. This is real."

Chloe was feeling slightly awkward at the prolonged embrace that Max didn't seem to be stepping out of any time soon. Clearing her throat Chloe gingerly grabbed Max's arms off her waist and brought her back at arm's length away from her torso.

"You just got here and you're already groping me." She teased, making Max blush easily.

Max scolded in a deadpan tone. "Please don't ruin the moment."

The two of them shared light laughter, then found themselves standing in silence when their laughter died down. Neither girls knew what more to say, they looked at each other for a few seconds. They both realized that they were seeing each other for the first time ever, though under different circumstances. Max is seeing Chloe for the first time after their adventure together, after their shared kiss. After her death and Max's grief for almost four years long. While Chloe hadn't seen her since their childhood, after her father's death and after Max was forced to move away and leave her behind. For the both of them, things were extremely complicated for two dissimilar reasons.

"Max, I can't promise that things will be the same." Chloe finally said to break the silence, careful in not making her words sound too harsh.

Max nodded in agreement, in her mind though, she didn't like hearing it out loud. "Of course things won't be the same, what have I been thinking this whole time? That Chloe would throw herself at me and we'd ride off into the sunset? Good grief, Max..."

"It's been too many years and we're not kids anymore. I'm different now and… You're hella different for sure. Dude, seriously—What happened to you?" She asked in awe, looking at Max from head to toe.

"What do you mean?" Max hugged her arms around herself, a self conscious reaction to Chloe's scrutiny.

"You look like the cover of Hipster-Punk-Girl-Dot-Com."

"That's supposed to be my line." Max remarked back with a laugh, she reached up and lightly pulled on Chloe's short fringes that framed her face. "You're the one with blue anime hair."

Chloe scoffed while playfully swatting Max's hand away from her hair. She pointed out that Max's hair looked great in it's current length, and her choice of style really did suit her. Chloe liked seeing that her friend had grown out of her shell, Max seemed a bit more expressive and stronger to her.

"Was this what Lane meant by thanking her for the makeover? I knew those two were up to something... " Max realized that the Fates were aware of her encounter with Chloe tonight, they must have also sensed her hesitation in meeting the punk girl again. Maybe she should thank Lane after all.

They went on about each other's appearances. Chloe could tell Max was way more different as she had suspected, she was unsure of how to explain it still.

Though Max appeared not just different, but she seemed older somehow. Older than what a seventeen year old should look like. Maybe she didn't exactly look old, but the way she would stand, her mannerisms and the way she spoke with honesty. It all felt odd to Chloe.

She knew the other girl had always been the more mature one out of the two, despite Chloe being one year older than her. Why does it feel like Max has more years over Chloe than she should? This is going to bother her for a long time, she knew there were more questions needing answers but for now, she was willing to let the interrogations rest. She had her best friend back and a lot of catching up was in order.

A/N: Sup peeps, sorry for the delayed update. Really, I don't have a set time for any of my updates. Only do them when I can if I'm not too busy. This one is slightly longer than the last one, I'm doing more dialogues as I write the story so please let me know if I need to ease up on dialogue or to stick with the style as it is. Thanks for the positive feedback thus far, it really helps with motivation! Drop any reviews, all are welcomed and appreciated!

Please check out Jimmy Eat World - Polaris it's a great song by them, and it inspired a lot of the emotions I wrote up for Max during her talk with Chloe. I dunno, thought it fit in certain parts of lyrics lol anywho!

Special thanks to my Beta, you know who you are :)