Firstly, I'm honestly surprised I managed to finish this chapter in such a short amount of time. Secondly, WHO ELSE HAS PLAYED EPISODE 5 OF THE GAME AND ARE STILL GRIEVING OVER ITS ENDING! I won't spoil for those who haven't (I'm hoping most of you have by now :p) but wow. Just wow. Speaking of wow, most of you should be excited to know there's a bit of a *scene* (you know what I mean) in this chapter - its not much, but it's definitely the most action Max has had so far in this fanfic :p tee hee. Anyway, without further ado, enjoy the new chapter! (P.S I am seriously considering bumping the rating up to M JUST IN CASE, please let me know what you guys think I should do!)
_
She called in sick for work the next day.
"Well you're lucky that new girl is available to cover for you," her boss carped over the phone, unaware of the fact that Max had been crying just minutes earlier, of the shake in her voice as she responded.
"Y-yeah…thanks again, ma'am. It won't happen again."
"Hmph."
Taking that as her cue to hang up, Max let her phone drop from her fingers and on to the bed, her body following its descent as she lay back down, curling in upon herself. Her eyes were achy from crying, worn from lack of peaceful respite.
She stayed in this position for much of the rest of the morning, only getting up to the sound of faint knocking and Kate's familiar voice echoing in from the other side of her door come early afternoon. The girl had brought her lunch, which she thanked her for though did not eat. Kate understood Max's need for space, and did not hover nor hesitate in taking leave as soon as she done what she had come to do.
Warren texted a little while later—it was a few moments before Max even registered its buzzing in her ears as she sat up to search for it.
'Yo Max. Thought I'd text and see how you were doing. Need company?'
She'd declined him as politely as she could, attempting to remedy his undeniable disappointment with a promise that she would settle down and watch movies off the hard drive he'd given her for the rest of the afternoon. It had worked, the brunette's phone having fallen silent after the short (and slightly forced) back-and-forth conversation with Warren ended.
By the time 3pm rolled around, Max decided she was in the need of a shower, still able to feel the grit of sand pressed in to her scalp, the salty dryness of beach air tangled in her short hair.
Figuring no one would be hanging about the dorms at this hour with the weather looking so bright and sunny outside, Max risked sneaking her way across to the showers, not a being in sight as she closed the bathroom door behind her.
The water was cool despite the warmth of the weather, though it was for this reason that Max didn't mind all that much as she rinsed the soapy shampoo from her hair, pushing wet bangs away from her forehead.
Leaving the showers feeling much cleaner and less weary than before, Max stopped dead in her tracks as she turned in to the corridor and spied Nathan leaving her dorm room. Draping the small towel she'd been using to dry still wet hair round her shoulders, Max walked quickly to his side, her sudden presence catching him off guard as he jumped back a little.
"Max!" he said with a gasp, working hastily to compose himself lest she notice the reddening hue of his cheeks as he turned away to hide it. She noticed.
"Do you want to tell me why you were in my room?" she questioned, not particularly annoyed (she was still far too worn-out for such a level of an emotional spike as of yet), merely puzzled by his actions and curious of his reactions.
His mouth moved as though to speak, brows curving downward in obvious frustration as he seemingly thought over how to respond to her question.
"If you're asking me whether I went snooping or something, I didn't. You left your door open."
"Nathan, that still doesn't answer why you were in there in the first place."
"Yeah," he sighed, shifting his weight from foot to foot in an agitated matter. What was the matter? "I was just…I mean, what I'm trying to say is…what the hell were you doing busting down my door this morning, huh?" His tone rose angrily as it became a question, and Max raised her brows at the sudden spike in negative sentiment when he'd been so placid just mere seconds ago.
As she opened her mouth to speak, thoughts of that morning came rushing back to her, and her head began to throb painfully. The pain must have been there in her expression, because as she looked up she was surprised to see Nathan now watching her with worry in his eyes.
"Your head still hurts, huh?"
"We'll I'd completely forgotten about it until now," Max shrugged, laughing the question off with a slight wince.
Her laughter subsided at the notice of his rising hand, cold fingers pressing lightly to her forehead before the brunette had a chance to say or do anything in protest. The look he gave her was almost painful, so sad she had to wonder what exactly it could mean. This visit wasn't just about wanting answers for her banging at his door earlier that morning, was it..? It was almost as though—
"What's going on here?"
The sound of Victoria's voice snapped her out of her inner musings, and within the next moment Max had stepped back and out of Nathan's reach smoothly, looking up to face the blonde girl's rather irate glare.
"Nothing," Nathan responded with hardly a moments hesitation, moving swiftly to Victoria's side, hands thrust in his pockets. The familiar look of distaste was back on his expression, and Max was almost saddened by obvious need to prove himself in the presence of the other blonde.
With a final stare between the duo, Victoria seemingly gave up, taking off down the hallway without a second glance. Nathan shot the brunette a look akin to an apology, although it lasted all of a split second before he too was gone, rushing after Victoria as she left the dorm.
Alone once more within the dorm, Max went back to her room to put away her toiletries and towel, though felt the sudden need to leave as the two blonde teenagers had before her.
She needed air.
The air around the lighthouse was cool, calming, and Max lingered near the spot she remembered so clearly standing in the day before. To think it had all just been a dream…
Slumping down in to the nearby bench, Max stared out over the bay, not really looking at anything in particular as her mind drifted between thoughts sluggishly, comfortably.
Had she really made all of yesterday up in her head? The volleyball match? The talk with Nathan both at the beach and at the lighthouse?
Remembering the flash of a silver weapon Max shuddered, bringing her knees up under her chin in fear of the memory. Why would she have thought of something like that? It didn't make any sense. To even dream that Mr. Jefferson could do such a thing…
"Max."
Speak of the devil.
Glancing up over her shoulder, the girl was unsure of whether to be surprised or not to see her bespectacled teacher staring down at her, the smile he wore soft and inviting. As she moved to stand he motioned against the action, coming round to sit at her side overlooking the vast expanse of ocean mapped out below and beyond their line of sight.
"Where have you been hiding?"
"What?"
"You haven't been at the café in a few days," he elaborated. "Did something happen?"
Max noted the way he sat, the way his body was draped in such a casual manner over the other half of the bench, his left arm hooked over the back hovering almost too close to her shoulder, ankle resting upon his right knee. He had sat closer to her than need be, closer than he should, though she couldn't find it within herself to complain or tell him otherwise. Not when he sat like that, looked at her like that, leaned in to her like that and—
"Oh," Max jerked back in an instant, hands flying to her lap as she gripped at her shirt, cheeks growing unbelievably hot all too quickly for her liking. "I-I'm sorry."
What was she sorry for? Staring? Reacting so drastically to the sudden shortening of proximity between then?
"Relax, Max." There was something of a mocking tone to his otherwise soothing voice, though for all she was Max could not put a finger to why. "I wasn't going to do anything sketchy."
When she refused to respond, he expounded upon his own remark with a question she realised he already knew that she knew the answer to.
"Did you think I was going to try something?"
Gritting her teeth, the brunette turned away stubbornly, knuckles bone white under the force of clenched fists in her lap.
Fingers danced up the nap of her neck, sending a shiver down her spine as she froze, muscles locking up the moment he touched her.
She didn't expect the voice that whispered against the shell of her ear, and when he spoke—the way he spoke—she could hardly withhold the whimper that came up strangled within her tightening throat.
"You never had a problem with me touching you before."
Hot breath fanned out along her cheekbone, and slowly, hesitantly, she turned very slightly—only just—to look at him from the very corner of her eye.
Fingers that had continued to brush lightly along her neck glided up from her collarbone to trace along her jawline, catching the girl's chin between forefinger and thumb as he lifted her face up to his own. His head tilted as he leaned in to press warm lips to her own quivering pair, breath warmer still against her skin as he himself seemed to gasp at the contact, similarly to her own sudden response, her surprise quickly melting under the heat of his touch and in to something else completely, something Max wasn't sure she understood nor was entirely prepared for.
Or so she thought, as warm fingers became a hot hand splayed across her collarbone, thumb brushing lower across the very slight curve of the beginnings of her breast, and the noise he made—the noise he made as he touched her, just how could she resist?
She kissed him back, and though hesitance gave away her clear inexperience within the given field, this did not seem to hinder the man at all as his other arm snaked its way around her waist to pull the girl to his chest, tips of his fingers digging and rubbing in to the terse muscles of her lower back, the motion rewarded by the breathy sound Max made, half a moan and half-oh godwhateverthatwaspleasedoitagain.
His lips were bruising, kisses rough and very much without control, as though the caged lion that was his need, having spent long days pacing, lying in wait, had just been set free, the key long forgotten in its wake.
His hands were hot, too hot, his mouth like fire trailing blazing kisses along her jaw, peppering her throat as he bit down to suck possessively at the spot between her neck and collarbone. The sensation this brought her was so intense, so much, too much for her to rationally handle, that she had to pull away, had to push the hungry man back down in to his cage as she struggled to gain a coherent thought, to pluck one from the spiraling mess that was her mind as of this moment.
"I-I…um…"
Coherency was not on the table as of yet, it seemed.
The brunette squirmed in place, thighs rubbing warm friction as she worked through the blur of her conscience to find something within herself to say to him. Something, anything, anything but the silence that had enveloped the widening space between them.
The man appeared to be coming to his senses, his gaze no longer predatory, the heat emanating from his skin cooling substantially, enough to be noticeable as his fingers lost their grip on her waist, hand retreating back to curl at his side.
As she opened her mouth to speak, he stood from the bench, and with the quell of fear making itself known from within the pit of her belly, Max somehow managed to find it in her to say what her mind still stumbled over.
"Why?"
His back was facing her, and as seconds of silence turned to minutes, she began to think he would not answer her. Finally he did, turning halfway to stare at her heatedly.
"Need I really say it?"
Air whooshing out of her lungs as though she'd been slapped across the back, Max averted her eyes embarrassedly.
"What you did…what we did…" Max struggled in getting the words to leave her mouth, rubbing at her upper arm as she swallowed, trying again. "It was…it's just—"
"Illegal?"
The word sent a sickening shudder down her spine, though she nodded timidly as he looked down at her for confirmation.
"If anyone saw us," she continued, noting the way his brow rose, mouth twitching as though fighting off a smile. "We would be in big trouble."
The smile prevailed, a low chuckle escaping upturned lips as he shook his head at her.
"Oh, Maxine…"
Turning back away from her, he began to walk off back toward the pathway, though not before finishing his sentence in a voice much deeper than what it had been just moments ago, so deep it made the girl gasp, body turning to stone at the weight of his words, the meaning behind them.
"It's only illegal if you get caught."
Something about his words from the day before bugged her.
Like that feeling you get when there's something itching at the back of your mind, scraping at the deepest depth of your consciousness, like a memory but not at the same time. That was what she felt.
"It's only illegal if you get caught."
xxxxx
Groaning around the pen tip she had bit between her teeth, Max rolled over on to her side, the beanbag beneath her shaping a little too much to her body. Not enough beans in the bag, it seemed. Hm.
"You know, if you wanted something to moan and tear your hair out over, you could have just asked to help me with my next experiment."
Hearing Warren's voice, Max turned her head to look up, a little taken aback to see him leaning over so close to her.
"I'll remember that for next time," she replied dryly as he moved to flop down in the bean bag beside her, body shifting and wiggling about as he made attempts to get comfortable. "What are you doing here?"
"I was actually looking for you," he grinned enthusiastically, and Max couldn't help the warmth enveloping her body as it did every time he smiled like that at her. Happiness was contagious, and Warren was drowning in it. "Kate said you were in here, so I thought I'd come check up on you and, you know…chill out?"
Max laughed lightly, closing the textbook she'd had open. She had meant to come to the library to take her mind off things, distract herself with some well-needed study, though with yesterday still fresh on the brain, well…
Things don't always go to plan, do they? And besides, spending some time with Warren wasn't the worst thing she could be doing at this point. It certainly worked as a means of distraction, so there really was no point in arguing.
"So how are you feeling?"
The question was expected, and Max sighed, only just a little exasperated.
"Well, I've been better. It could be worse though, so yeah I'm okay."
At the absentminded nod he gave her response, Max bit the inside of her cheek. A sudden question dawned upon her mind, and the brunette couldn't stop her mouth from running as she blurted it out—regretting the decision the minute she'd made it.
"What do you think of Victoria?"
"Victoria?" he laughed, raising a brow at her incredulously. "Why? You in to her?"
"What?" she let the grimace happen this time. "No, of course not."
Warren smiled, though his expression was thoughtful as he mulled her question over a few moments.
"Well…she's pretty enough," he began, and as Max was about to cut him off he stopped her with a lifted hand. "But. She's too busy looking to prove she's the best to really be considered attractive."
"Then what about Victoria and Mr. Jefferson?"
Dammit brain.
"Well, that's an even weirder question."
At the pleading look she shot him though, he was quick to relent, his expression shifting back in to one of thoughtfulness.
"Honestly, I think that guy gets off on the power he has over so many of the girls in this school. It's too much—he needs to learn to share the love around, you know? I mean, I guess I can see why girls go for that 'older guy teacher archetype', have you ever seen how situations like that play out in—"
"No, no I have not." Knowing very well where this question was going, the brunette was swift to cut him off, much to his poorly hidden amusement.
"Anyway, I can see the appeal in it, for sure—but I still think it's wrong. Especially since the guy is, what, fifty?"
"Forty-six."
Realising that was something she probably shouldn't have been able to answer straight off the bat like that, Max caught the twist of confusion on Warren's face as he stared at her.
"Right…anyways, why did you want to know all this in the first place?"
Max simply shrugged, quite honestly having no better way of responding without giving away the truth.
"I…overheard people talking about Victoria's relationship with Mr. Jefferson, and I guess it just got me thinking. I wanted your opinion, that's all."
He laughed at this, and the girl relaxed a little, hoping he hadn't seen through her lie.
"Ah, good old Max Caulfield, always just dying to find out what the latest and greatest is with everyone. It's a gift, really, I don't know how you manage it."
"I'm sorry," she felt her cheeks warm at the joking accusation, pushing brown hair from her face as she averted her gaze embarrassedly. "Is that a bad thing?"
"Hmm, I don't think so. It's actually kind of cute."
Her pen became very interesting all of a sudden, and she laughed awkwardly as she clicked at its cap rapidly, trying to find a way to distract herself (and Warren) away from what had just been said.
Thankfully, Warren's laughter soon fell silent, and Max began to settle once more as they both sat quietly, now simply just enjoying the presence of one another within the hushed library.
Noticing the boy shuffle from the corner of her eye, Max looked up—
And noticed the spatters of blood across the windows, the motionless corpses of dozens upon dozens of birds lying motionless across the expanse of grass outside, and the single whale curved over the edge of the road.
