Maxine: Tori, can you come to my dorm room? Please?

Victoria: No. I can't actually. I'm a little busy rn.

Maxine: Doing what? This is important!

Victoria: Wouldn't you like to know? I'm sure it is but idc. Whatever it is, your bitch Warren can help.

Maxine: Actually I wouldn't. Warren isn't my bitch. He's not my anything. Stop being a brat, Tor. I need you. Now.

Kate read the texts over my shoulder and sighed. "Victoria stop messing with Max and just go. She clearly needs you. Max wouldn't bug anyone like that if it wasn't really important. I'll still be here when you get back."

I pouted and replied in a tone that was almost whiny. "But I want to stay here with you."

"Victoria Chase, Max is your friend and she needs you. Now go."

"She's not my-"

"Go." Kate said with finality. God damn it, why is it always the quiet ones? I knew it was no use arguing with her, and besides, if Maxine really did need me I actually wanted to go. Despite my protests, I do see her as a friend. Just an annoying clingy friend.

"Fine. I'll go, but don't bother waiting for me." I tossed my phone down onto my desk. "Maxine clearly has the hots for me. Perhaps she's finally going to act upon it." I reached behind me, and grabbed the denim skirt that was draped over my chair and pulled it on, before slipping my feet into the knee high boots Kate had picked out for me on our earlier shopping trip. She even chose something with a heel. I have to admit, despite dressing like an ageing school librarian herself, she does actually have good tastes.

"Victoria, you think everyone fancies you. Unfortunately, most people here actually still hate you. They just don't show it because they're terrified of you. Me and Max are the only people in the school that actually know you have a better side. That's why we put up with your nonsense. Because when you do decide to show your nice side, it's beautiful. It's a shame you don't see it." She shook her head slowly and sighed. "But the mean, snide comments need to stop. Can't you see they hurt people?"

I got up and stalked towards the door, arms folded. To be honest, Kate's way of pointing out my faults in such a calm and rational manner pissed me off, because she was right. I didn't look at her as I walked past her to get to the door, and I was going to ignore her criticisms, but I just knew she would be starting at me with her ridiculously cute eyes, and that they would be full of hurt, and the little thing I have called a conscience stopped me. "Of course I can fucking see that, Kate. I'm not blind. It's a habit, okay? I am who I am and I can't change that in five minutes, not even for you." I said with disappointment. I wish I could change myself for her, but it's not as easy as clicking a switch. I hated admitting that I was wrong, and I felt like I was going to choke on my words as they came out. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. Of course I want you to wait for me. You better be here when I get back.

Kate had stepped across the room while I was speaking, and had gently taken hold of my hand. "I know you didn't mean it. I know Victoria Chase well enough now to know her mouth works before her brain, but that doesn't mean it doesn't still smart a little."

I wanted to continue being just a little mad at Kate, but her simply caressing my hand sent so many tingles through my body that my heart just had to melt. And her eyes. Always with those fucking eyes. "I'm sorry, Katie. I'll work on it, okay?"

"Okay." She dropped my hand. "I'll work on being less whiny."

"What? I never said that you ... your whining is kind of adorable, okay? Now, I'm going to go see Maxine, before she explodes. In more ways than one."

Kate looked horrified. "Victoria! I - I" Kate's cheeks started to turn red. "You're awful."

"You love it." I said with a smirk before I headed out of my room, and along the corridor to Maxine's.

I knocked on her door and let myself in when I received no answer. Maxine was pacing up and down her room, clearly deep in thought. I cleared my throat to get her attention. As soon as Maxine saw me, she burst into tears. "Whoa, Maxine. I - what's wrong?" I had never seen Maxine upset about anything. She always seemed so bright and optimistic, even when it had been my soul mission to make her life a living hell. Before I had a chance to realise what was happening, Maxine had launched herself at me. Her arms were around my waist, and she was crying onto my shoulder. Maxine seems to have a habit of ruining my cashmere. She actually admitted to causing that paint to spill on me. So brutal, but effective. I swear, a few different life choices and Maxine could practically be me. Or I could practically be her. God, that's a depressing thought.

I don't do hugs. They feel so awkward, and I never really know quite how to respond. But seeing Maxine in such a state caused some kind of natural empathetic response to take over my body and I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close, forgetting about the cashmere. "Maxine, It'll be okay. I promise, whatever it is, I can help you fix it." I tried to sound as soothing as I could, but it didn't feel right.

"No you can't." Maxine forced out between sobs. "No one can."

"I'm Victoria fucking Chase. And you're fucking Super Max. We can do anything."

"Everything is so fucked up, Tori. I don't know what to do."

I pushed Maxine away from me, placed me hands upon her shoulders, looked her directly in her eyes gave her a shake. "Maxine, get your shit together. Sit down, calm down and tell me what the hell is wrong. Is it Warren? Nathan's been waiting for a reason to kick his ass."

After a few shuddering breaths, Maxine managed to gain control of herself. She shook her head before sitting down on her unmade bed. "No, it's not Warren."

I smoothed her duvet down and sat next to her, making sure to leave a couple of inches of space. I had been subjected to quite enough hugging for one day. "Then what is it? Just spit it out, Maxine."

"I can't Tori. It's long and complicated."

"Of course it is. Everything that Super Maxine is involved in is complicated." I said with a hint of sarcasm. "Just start at the beginning."

"Okay. So, a few days ago I had this weird vision in Jefferson's class. I was up by the light house and there was a Tornado. It was headed straight for Arcadia Bay. It threw a ship up into the lighthouse. It would have killed me, but then I woke up." Maxine's voice was a bit hoarse from crying, but at least I no longer had any trouble understanding what she was saying.

"So, you're getting all upset over a dream?"

"Just listen, please. After Jefferson's class, I went to the bathroom. Nathan came in and started talking crazy shit to himself. Then Chloe - well I didn't know it was Chloe at the time - came in. She seemed to be trying to blackmail Nathan, but he shot her."

"Maxine, stop making things up." I said slowly, accentuating every word. "Nathan did not shoot anyone. I know he's messed up, but he wouldn't do that. Seriously, you're going to get yourself into trouble with accusations like that."

"Tori. Would you just listen?" Maxine snapped. I could tell she was being deadly serious and decided to shut the hell up. "I held my hand out. It was a gut reaction like I was trying to stop the bullet. The next thing I knew, I was in Jefferson's class again. That's how I knew the answer about Louis Daguerre."

"Are you saying, correct me if I'm wrong, that you like rewound time or something?" My scepticism was very apparent in my tone.

Maxine nodded. "That's exactly what I'm saying."

"Let's pretend this is true for a moment. Why the hell are you telling me this?"

"Because soon I'm going to have to rewind time again, to fix a mistake I made. I want you to write everything I tell you in the journal I know you've been keeping. I'm going to take that journal back with me because otherwise you won't ever believe me."

"Maxine, I don't believe you right now. Do you really think a journal you could easily have forged will make me believe this bull?"

"Yes, I do."

"What exactly do you have to go back to fix?"

"I saved Chloe."

"And now you have to back in time and not save her? Why?" I raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess. She made a move on Warren."

"Fuck. Tori. This isn't a joke. I do not like Warren. I have to not save Chloe because my saving her is what will cause the tornado. I've been messing with time, and the universe doesn't like that. If I don't let Nathan kill Chloe then the whole of Arcadia Bay will be wiped out. I think it's natures way of fixing the balance."

"But won't me writing in the journal fuck up the balance too?"

"I guess. But I figure something small like that will just cause a storm, rather than a tornado. I hope."

"And if you're wrong about that, and you let Chloe die for nothing and the tornado still happens?"

"It would be so selfish for me not to try though, wouldn't it?"

I decided not to answer that question. I think Maxine wanted me to tell her that it wasn't selfish. That she could keep Chloe. Even if I did believe what she was saying I couldn't tell her that. Chloe isn't important to anyone apart from Maxine and her own family. She's a complete waste of space. Arcadia Bay can't sacrifice itself for her, and not anyone else either. No one is worth that, not even me. I pretend like I'm hot stuff. But when I think about it I don't add anything to the world. I'm dispensable. If I'm dispensable, then Chloe Price definitely is.

"Save your best friend, or save a whole town? Very maudlin. So much melodrama. So much Maxine Caulfield. And so much crazy. I don't believe a word of this, even if you clearly do."

"You remember the day with the paint and the cashmere?" Maxine asked, doing a complete one-eighty.

"Of course I fucking do. Do you realise how much cashmere costs?"

"That was the day I found out you're not as bad as you seemed."

"Really? Because I remember being a total bitch to you, before posting about it all over the social medias." I glared at Maxine. "Then, I remember you being a complete and utter asshole about it. I still haven't forgiven you for that, you know.

"That's all you remember because I rewound and chose to take a shot of you. The first time, I apologised about the cashmere. You were actually kind of cool about it, and we had a chat about your work. I told you I thought your work is Richard Avedon-esque. You told me that he was one of your heroes. And that's okay if you don't forgive me. I don't know why I rewound when things were good. I was a ... derp."

"I've never told anyone about Richard Avedon. But you could have guessed that."

Maxine was silent for a while, I think trying to make up more crap to get me to believe her crazy.

"Kate jumped. But I was able to rewind and freeze time long enough to be able to get to her before she jumped."

"Maxine, you had better not be fucking with me."

"This is for cer - This is serious Tori. The storm is coming today. I have to do this today. I know I have to do this. I lost my powers after I saved Kate, but they came back today. That has to mean something"

"Maxine, I don't believe you for one minute, but I'm going to humour you. I'll write everything you've told me. I'll give you my journal. Then I'll see you in the psych ward tomorrow."

"This is not a joke. But to be honest Tori, it doesn't even matter if you believe me or not as long as you have written everything that has happened recently."

That's it. I've written everything important in here that's happened, and I'm now handing this over to Maxine. I don't know why I'm even going along with this. I think it was the tears. It's always the tears.

I'm going back to Kate now, to continue where we left off. Tomorrow morning I will wake up and everything will be the same, and I will know that Super Maxine has finally fucking lost it. I'm starting to think she never had it.