Author's Note: sorry! Been super busy with real life stuff lately. I hope you love the new chapter as much as I do!


Max woke up to the sun shining in on her. She blinked a few times, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. As she glanced over at the couch, she was surprised to see Warren still laying there. Part of her had hoped that the events of the night before had been a dream. No such luck. No, both him and Chloe were still there... it had happened, they had killed Jefferson. A soft sigh escaped her lips.

As her phone went off, she reached over and picked it up to see a text from Kate. She opened the message, surprised to see news had already gotten around. The text read, "OMG! Jefferson's house caught fire last night! He is dead!" Of course this was news that she already knew, but she had to act surprised. After a moment, she text her friend back. "OMG what?! Are you for serial?!" It was hard to pretend to care and be sad, but she had to. She couldn't let it be known that she had been there, that she had been the reason that he was dead.

Sitting on her bed, Max let out a sigh. That was when she saw Warren's eyes flutter open. She knew she had to turn on the water works now, and pretend to be upset. All she had to do was think about what Jefferson had done to Chloe. That made the tears sting her eyes. Looking up at Warren sadly, her voice cracked. "Mr J...Jefferson...is d...dead," she whispered, the tears cascading down her cheeks as she spoke.

Warren jumped to his feet, rushing over to Max. He pulled her up so that she was standing then he threw his arms around her. He had known that Jefferson was her favorite teacher. "Oh god...Max. I am sorry...are you alright?" he asked, his voice full of concern as he held her close.

It was hard for Max to keep pretending that she cared. Especially since she hated the thought of lying to Warren. But again, this was something that she had to do. Choking, she looked at him sadly. "Kate text me this morning...his house burned down...he was inside..." was all she said, ignoring the question on if she was okay. Part of her was happy that he was dead. Another part of her thought that it was a stupid thing she'd done, especially since she still wanted to save Rachel. That would undo it all...and she would just have to kill him again. Was she prepared to do that? She wasn't sure.

"That is awful..." he whispered, pulling her even closer. Her face was buried in his chest. This was a place that she felt warm and happy... a place that she was not ready to leave. She held him close.

Hearing her friend crying, Chloe sat up in bed. "What's wrong with you?" she asked, although seeing Warren she understood her friend's fake tears. Chloe knew how Max felt about Warren, even if Max hadn't told her. Hell, had Max even admit it to herself? She wasn't sure. But she bit her lip. "Sorry... that was rude, I just...are you okay?" she coughed, trying to act like she had no idea what was going on.

Max moved her head from Warren's chest. She peaked over at Chloe. "Mr. Jefferson..." she spoke, her voice wavering. It was hard to keep up the act, but she had to. She hoped that Chloe could too. "He is dead...they found him this morning..." Max spoke, glad that Warren's back was to Chloe, as she grinned for half a second before acting shocked.

"Oh...that is hella bad. I'm sorry Max. I know he was like your idol," she said with a slight hint of sarcasm in her voice, which caused Max to glare at her. "I just...yeah, that is shitty. Poor guy," her voice a bit more convincing that time. Thankfully Warren didn't seem to notice how fake Chloe had been.

As Chloe's phone rang, a sigh escaped her lips. "Shit...mom is calling. I gotta go. See you lovebirds later. I will come by in a few hours, kay Max?" Chloe said as she jumped up, answering her phone as she left the door. "Yes mom... I am with Max..." was the last thing Max heard as her door swung shut. Turning to Warren, her cheeks turned red.

"Lovebirds? What did Chloe mean by that?" Warren asked, trying to be coy. He reached a hand up to run through his hair as he grinned down at Max. His cheeks were a slight shade of red too.

Max shook her head, the surprise showing on her face. "I...I don't know to be honest," she spoke. Reaching up, she wiped away the last few tears from her eyes. "Actually..." she took a deep breath, looking up at her friend. "There is something I should tell you... but I am afraid that right now might not be the best time..." she sighed. She wanted so badly to tell him. She was just afraid of starting things with him, only to lose him when she went back in time to save Rachel. There was a tough decision for her, and she was not exactly sure how to make it. It wasn't fair. Should she be selfish and keep the boy? Or help Chloe get her friend back?

Warren looked down into her eyes. "What's up, Mad Max?" he grinned at her. It was obvious what he was hoping for her to say. Even part of Max knew how he felt about her...he made it obvious. At first she hadn't noticed, until other people had pointed it out to her, now it truly was obvious. And to be honest? She felt the same. She wanted so badly to tell him, but was afraid.

After a moment, she took a deep breath. "Do it, Max! You know that you want to...and you know he wants you to!" she told herself, looking up into his eyes. Part of her wanted to just lean forward and kiss him there and get it over with. She refrained from doing that, but she bit her lip. "Warren...I like you. And, I don't just mean as a friend. I mean I actually really like you...a lot," she blurted out, her cheeks turning pink as she spoke. But she never broke eye contact.

A large grin slid across Warren's face as he heard her words. He pulled her closer, his eyes staring deep into hers. "Max...I like you too," he whispered, leaning in closer to her. His eyes slowly shut as his lips pressed against hers; catching her slightly off guard. He pulled away after a moment and grinned.

"I don't think so!" she giggled, a hand snaking up into his hair and tangling in his locks. She pulled him down, close to her lips again. She leaned in and let her lips touch his first this time.