Max always finds herself sitting by the window in silence, watching the world go by her in what seemed like a matter of minutes. It's like nothing has changed, except she isn't waiting for anyone to come home.
It's kind of nice, actually, even if it does get a bit lonely sometimes. She hears Nathan in the back of her mind occasionally; his drunken slurs, his stumbling footsteps. It makes Max want to run far, far away, even if she realizes it's her mind playing tricks on her.
Sometimes she wants to call Chloe to keep her company, but she knows the police officer has a city to protect. It had been a few days since the whole ordeal, so she felt as if maybe it wouldn't be a bad time to talk to her once more.
No, no.. Max thinks to herself. But she doesn't really know who else she wants to see. All of her old friends are long gone. Something's tugging in the back of her mind, and she remembers Kate. She's always been there for me, sometimes I wonder where I would be if she hadn't had been there for me.
The brunette's skinny finger draws shapes into the wood lazily, contemplating whether or not she should go see the sweet Christian girl. There's nobody to tell me that I can't anymore…
She draws her leather jacket from the rusty coat hanger, finding it peculiar that Nathan's red varsity jacket wasn't on the same hook that it usually was. Max shakes the thought out of her head as she realizes yet again that he wasn't there anymore, and then steps out of the room into the chilly air.
It was busy, as always. Traffic always seemed to end up right in front of the motel, and it was always loud and overbearing. But after so long, Max had gotten used to the sounds of horns and loud trucks until late at night. Max holds her hand out so she could somehow catch a cab amidst the craziness.
Eventually she finds herself standing in front of Kate's apartment, and there's a twinge of nervousness even though she's been here before. She enjoyed visiting Kate though; her house always seemed so quiet and cozy, her living conditions weren't much better than her own but it was nice to have somewhere to feel safe. Max raised her hand to knock on the door.
The door opened a few moments later, revealing a sweet face that Max has always known and trusted. "Max?! Oh my gosh," Kate gasps, wrapping her arms around the small girl. "Come in, come in." Kate says, motioning for Max to step in.
The apartment hasn't changed; everything looking the same as it did a few months ago. "Hey Kate," Max smiles. "How have you been?"
"I'm great now that you've come to see me," The Christian girl speaks with a sweet tone, as she always has. She plops down onto her couch, patting the spot next to her for Max.
"It's been months since I've seen you," Kate states, crossing one leg over the other. "What brings you here? Is everything okay?" She asks, genuine concern coloring her voice.
"I just figured it's been awhile since I've seen you." Max speaks, taking a seat beside of Kate, but also keeping a bit of a distance. "How has, uh, work, been going?"
Kate glances away, as if she felt ashamed. Her eyes are dreary and out-of-focus; unlike a few years ago when they were so full of life and light. Max knew that look all too well; it reminded her of herself.
"Just… gotta to do it to make a living, you know?" Kate says softly. Max knows how much of a pure soul Kate has; helping anyone and everyone in need. She's always there, especially when Max and Nathan were on the brink of homelessness.
"You deserve the world, Kate." Max says sincerely. She knows Kate absolutely hates what she has to do for money; you would never think she was the type to sell her body. But, ever since her family disowned her for the video that leaked a few years back, she had struggled to get back on her feet.
"Thank you… you don't have to feel sorry for me, though." Kate speaks, tucking loose hair behind her ear. "This is the life God has chosen for me, and I just have to be strong."
Max was never religious; maybe she was when she was younger, but she admired Kate's passion and resilience. It's definitely something Max wishes she had.
"Hey, Max." Kate speaks after a few seconds of silence, looking at Max from the corner of her eye. "What's been bothering you?"
The brunette begins to feel a bit self-conscious, noticing that Kate had been eyeing the bruises on her knuckles and her legs. She pulls the sleeves of her leather jacket over her small hands. "Um, what do you mean?"
"Has everything been okay lately?" The Christian asks calmly, careful to not overstep any boundaries. Of course, Kate was always gentle that way. She never pressures you to do anything that you wouldn't want to do.
Kate deserves to know, Max thinks to herself after a moment. Afterall, she has been there for me through everything. But, it's not exactly something Max wanted to confront. It's something she wanted to push back, but she knew she would have to come to terms with eventually.
The brunette balls the sleeves of her jacket in her fists, attempting to ignore the lump in her throat. Kate can tell almost immediately, and then reaches to rest her hands on Max's sleeved ones.
"Max…" Kate says softly. The two girls have always gone to each other for everything; they laugh together, they cry together. The Christian girl knew when Max needed to get something off of her chest.
Max drew a deep breath before losing her composure, knowing she couldn't keep the act up for too much longer. Tears filled her eyes and began to roll down her cheeks, and Kate gently pulled her Max into her arms.
"Please tell me what's been going on," Kate rests her head on Max's shoulder as a comforting gesture, "I'm worried about you."
Max loses control of her senses, beginning to sob into Kate's shoulder, even if she may feel guilty for showing her feelings like this for some reason. Max was at her lowest point and it's something she felt as if she was to blame for.
"I've been so scared," Max cries, as Kate gently pats her back. After a few minutes, the Brunette seemed to calm down and was ready to give an explanation.
"Is it… Nathan?" Kate asks with hesitance. Max almost winces at the name. Max sits up and looks at Kate with blood-shot eyes.
"Nathan was arrested just the other night."
Kate gives her a confused expression. Right, Kate has no idea what Nathan has done or who he really is.
So as much as Max wants to run away from the past, she know she can't bring herself to lie to Kate. The brunette begins to explain every detail, from the very beginning. Kate listens, sympathy filling her features.
By the end, Max is a shaking, crying mess. Going back to that part in her life, it was overbearing; too much for her to handle at once, now she's dealing with the aftermath of it. Max hopes that Kate can only begin to understand the pain she feels, but it's a type of pain that she would never wish upon others.
"I… I feel like such a bad friend for not knowing that this was happening to you." Kate speaks in a weak voice. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Max shakes her head, not really having a reason for it other than the fact that she was scared of everything around her.
"I'm sorry Kate.. I just.." Max says, drawing a heavy breath. "I'm just so glad you're here."
"Of course, Max. I'm here for you; I'll fight for you, and I'll be praying for you." Kate says. The Christian girl knows exactly how this must feel for Max, how it feels to be made out as if everything is your fault. The emotional mess in front of her was herself back in college.
"I met a nice police officer," Max speaks, somehow her mind always winds back to Chloe. "She saved my life, and helped me get through that rough night."
"God bless her," Kate says, sounding relieved. "I'm glad that there's someone else helping you out as well. You deserve all the help you can get."
Max smiles without even realizing it, fiddling with her thumbs. "I don't know where I would be right now without her, you know?"
I wonder what she's up to…
"Chloe!" The Punk is snatched out of her sleep, opening her heavy eyes to see her bare, bland office before her. I must've passed out at my desk again, I really need to get some solid sleep. In a bed. That's actually comfortable. She rubs her eyes for a second, before peering at the door to see who shouted her name.
She knows it's the chief, since he's the only one who calls her that at the office. "Yeah? What is it?" The officer's body cracks as her arms stretch out, standing up to meet her dad at the door. "Come talk with me in my office." He starts to saunter off, before turning and adding, "It's important."
Chloe's eyes roll, dragging her polished boots behind his; settling in the uncomfortable chair that resides in the front of his cluttered desk. She shifts her hips, hoping to get in some kind of comfortable position before he sits in his own seat. "Now," his gruff voice catches The Punk off guard, he only stares at her this way when he knows the conversation won't end well.
"I'm going to tell you this straightforward, okay? I want you to listen very carefully." The chief's hands rub together very slowly, nervously avoiding his daughter's eyes.
"We're going to cut Nathan Prescott a deal-" David couldn't even finish his sentence before Chloe's on her feet, letting the chair topple over. "What?! Are you fucking serious?"
"Goddamnit Chloe, you will sit down and show me respect!" David was sure this side of her died with her rebellion, now disappointed to find out it's only alive and raging more than ever.
"No. I caught him red fucking handed, he's guilty! You can't just do that!" The man's thick fingers rubs the bridge of his nose, knowing this is how she would've reacted.
"Then you're going to have to do some private work." Chloe's rage seemed to simmer at this statement, private work is only for detectives.
"What do you mean?" The chief shifts in his seat till he's comfortable, throwing his daughter a warning glance. Chloe shifted uncomfortably, knowing that this wouldn't be an easy task. There was always some kind of catch.
"You're going to have to convince the victim to testify against Nathan." The sentence hit Chloe like a stack of bricks, crushing her chest so she can't get back up.
"What? My word isn't good enough?" Her head shakes, running a nervous hand through her blue hair. I can't just let him go free… but I can't do that to Max. Hasn't she already been through enough?
"How long do I have?" The officer's voice turns into weak matter, knowing this is her duty; even if it is harsh.
"A month. Nathan's father is away on business, and won't be back until then. So… if you can convince the victim before then, I'll cancel the deal." By the time David finishes his information, he's standing with his back facing Chloe; knowing this is the only way. "Understand that Nathan will walk free if the girl doesn't testify."
Chloe can't believe the words she's hearing, but now all she begins to hear is her heart pounding from the rage filling her every sense.
"I can't believe this. I thought this job was about justice and helping people." The girl's eyes start to feel watery, rushing the palms of her hands in hopes to prevent the tears from coming.
"That's the whole reason I got this fucking job. You convinced me, dad. You told me I'd be helping people, doing good things. Things that could do so much more for people who need it."
"You were the best officer on the force. And I… I actually looked up to you, now you're letting this… this punk ass rich kid run free?" Chloe's voice cracks, unable to keep up her tough girl facade.
Her emotions always get the best of her, right now she can't decipher whether it's anger or sadness. Anger's the first to boil to the surface, somehow making her feel like someone else deserves it other than herself. "Thought you were fucking better than that, Madsen."
Chloe's lanky arms swat the folders full of heavily stapled papers into the air, letting them fly and rain around the room. Her chest heaves, not daring to look back as she stomps away from his office, not caring if the people saw her little meltdown. She rushed to her bike sitting outside, and didn't even look back as she left burn marks onto the road from her speed.
When she reaches the cemetery, she knows the exact path to walk on. Even with her blurry vision, it's a weekly routine that's mimicked in her bones.
The headstone is simple, as a police officer she couldn't afford more. Chloe's bloodshot eyes read the name, over and over, always needing the confirmation that her best friend's body lies six feet under.
The sadness in her bones finally win over, and her legs buckle. "Fucking hell, Rachel!" Chloe wasn't sure what to do with her hands, clasping the green grass between her fingers. "I'm sorry I come around so often," The Punk's raspy laugh shakes out; using her tie to wipe the tears spilling out of her eyes. "I guess some things don't change."
"I uh, saved someone like a week ago. A girl. Max. Yeah," Chloe smiles when she thinks about the sweet girl, clearing her throat before continuing.
"Anyways, I saved Max from her asshole boyfriend. This guy, Nathan, he's with the Prescott family. Those stupid rich fucks." She leans back onto her butt to stretch out her legs, rubbing her eyes again to make sure there would be no more tears.
"I think they're bribing dad, he wants to make a deal with them instead of putting 'em through court. And the girl, Max, she's like fucking terrified of people. I don't know what that guy did to her but she would barely even look at me. I can't touch her without her flinching away." Her fist smacks the hard, fleshy ground.
"You know my dad, he always fucking fights for what's right. Now a little money comes along and he immediately gives into it. God, what the fuck Rachel!"
Chloe buries her face into her hands, peeping up from between them to stare at the headstone. Her hands slide away again, using them to grip the sides of her legs and lock them against her chest.
"Jesus what do I do? I wish you could be here to guide me like you always did. We fought for this, Rachel. We always did what was right. We were unstoppable, you and me."
Rocking back and forth, The Punk's face reddens from the stream of hot water being held back; letting the dam finally break after so long. "You and me… and now…"
Chloe's bloodshot eyes lift up again, searching the sky as if desperately searching for an answer.
"It's just me."