"Come oonn... Please Max?" Chloe pleaded, grasping Max's hands. "It won't be that bad, I swear."
"What, you mean Joyce pampering me because I look sick, or David interrogating me because I look guilty?" Max retorted.
"We can just go at night, hopefully Step-douche will be asleep by then, but I can't stay here forever Max, Joyce is probably really worried considering she's been calling me almost everyday to see if I'm okay.."
"Why.. Do you call your mother Joyce, Chloe..? It's just kind of odd.."
Chloe just shrugged her shoulders and hung her legs off of Max's bed.
"Alright, we'll go tonight, but even though I've gotten better with handling.. This whole thing.. If I seem a little.. 'out of it' just.. Hold me, okay?" Max uttered.
"H-Hold you..? I mean.. Max, I haven't even told mom about uh.. Us yet.. I don't know.."
"Are.. You embarrassed of me Chloe..?"
Chloe looked up at Max concerned, hearing those words made her heart shatter.
"Max, no, never, I just.." Chloe rubbed her temple. "Look, I've had boyfriends in the past, and to me, they meant nothing, but I don't know how it is with my mom and I'm just scared okay? I'm sorry, I'm not embarrassed of you Max, never, I'm just.. Embarrassed of myself I guess.."
Max giggled and wrapped her arms around Chloe, pulling her back onto the bed.
"You're such an emotional dork sometimes, and I thought I was the twee hipster trash." Max aired with a chuckle.
"Oh shut up." Chloe responded, lightly hitting Max's side.
Chloe lifted Max up off the bed and placed her on the ground.
"Alright, lets go, it'll be good to see my mom again." Chloe muttered, pulling Max out of the room.
When the two arrived at Chloe's house, the blue haired girl stepped out of her car and paused hesitantly.
Max stepped over to Chloe's side and grasped her hand.
"Hey, you have nothing to be afraid of Chloe, Joyce loves you very much, and she wouldn't treat you any different knowing that you have a girlfriend."
Chloe took a deep breath. "Okay.. Yeah, you're right."
When the pair stepped inside, they were greeted by a lonely Joyce, who immediately made her way to the door and wrapped her arms around Chloe.
"Oh my sweet baby, you're okay, I was so worried.." Joyce cooed.
Chloe blushed, embarrassed, she wrapped her arms around her mother. "Y-Yeah mom, I'm fine, and Max is here too."
Joyce directed her gaze towards Max as she let go of Chloe. "Max..?" She muttered, placing two hands on her face. "Sweetie, you're not looking so well."
Max place a hand over Joyce's hand. "N-No, I'm fine really, just cold.."
Joyce grabbed Max's arm and started pulling her towards the living room. "That's alright sweetie, I've got a fire going, come on."
Chloe stared at the two holding back a laugh, she followed them.
Max curled up on the floor with a blanket around her.
"I'll get some hot chocolate goin' honey." Joyce said.
"Thank you so much Joyce, I really appreciate it." Max uttered.
Chloe walked over to the kitchen and leaned on the counter.
"H-Hey mom? I've got something to tell you.." Chloe muttered hesitantly.
"What is it sweetiepie?"
Che gulped. "Uh.. Max... Max and I are uh... Dating."
"Oh well isn't that nice." Joyce said sweetly.
Chloe was taken aghast. "I.. T-That's it? You... Don't have a problem with it?"
"Of course not honey! You're my daughter, and I've known Max ever since she was a little pea, I had a feeling for a while you two might've been dating, and I say, if you're happy, then I'm happy too, why would you ever think otherwise?" Joyce said.
.."That... Was not as scary as I thought it'd be.." Chloe muttered, curling up next to Max by the fire.
Max chuckled laying her head on Chloe's shoulder. "I told you so."
"Oh shut up I hate you." Che muttered.
"You shut up, you don't hate me." Max retorted, placing a kiss on Chloe's shoulder.
The two chuckled and snuggled close to the fire, when Joyce came over and handed Max a mug filled with hot chocolate.
"Ah, thank you so much Joyce, this looks lovely." Max said taking a sip.
Suddenly, a grumpy voice made it's way down the stairs, David.
Max buried her face in Chloe's shoulder, confronting David was the last thing she'd wanted to do this evening.
"What are you still doin' up honey?" Joyce called out to David.
"I'm going to bed shortly, but I wanted to check to perimeter to be sure everything is secure." David muttered.
"So you wanna make sure the doors are locked?"
David grunted. "Yes, I want to make sure the doors are locked."
He began marching around the house securing the door's locks when we walked into the living room and saw the two near the fireplace.
He paused. "..Chloe. What is this?" He said rather agitated.
"Girlfriend is cold, warming by the fire, it's not a complicated thing."
"Girlfriend.." David was appalled. "Joyce, you're okay with this?!" He growled.
"If Chloe is happy with her decision to be with Max, and if Max is happy with her, then who am I to intrude?" Joyce said reluctant to David's disgust.
"This just isn't right! How could you think it is?"
"David, I don't need none of that in my house, Chloe is your step-daughter too and you shouldn't let your close-mindedness get in the way of her happiness." Joyce uttered.
David stomped over to Chloe and Max, pulling the blanket off from around them. "You two! Outta my house!" David growled again.
"David! You can't kick them outta here! This is MY house!" Joyce raised her voice.
Chloe stood up clasping Max's hand. "Fucking fine then! I knew you didn't give a shit about me anyway! Come on Max, let's fucking bounce." Chloe snapped, pulling Max out of the house.
Max clung to her girlfriend up until they were in Chlo's truck.
"C-Chloe.. You okay?" Max inquired.
"I don't fucking know what she sees in him, what the hell? I never wanna go back there." Chloe muttered pulling her truck out of the driveway.
"Now don't say that.. Joyce accepted you just the same! She loves you."
"But step-douche doesn't."
"Well.. He's not important, you're important Chloe, I know that and so does your mom, you have to make an effort, for her."
Chloe groaned. "I just can't think right now Max, can we just.. Can we just drive for now? I don't want to talk."
"Alright, that's fine, I understand Che." Max smiled and turned the knob on the radio, raising the volume.
The two sat in silence for the remainder of the ride, when they arrived on campus Max stepped out of the truck and looked up at Chloe.
"C-Che.. You think you could sneak back into my dorm..? I need to..." Max motioned her head to face another direction.
"You alright?" Chloe asked, lighting a cigarette.
"Yeah yeah I just... Need to feed.."
"Ah, gotcha, no problem, I'll head back, but be safe." Chloe placed a kiss on Max's forehead before Max ran off.
Chloe sighed. "I hope you know what you're doing Caulfield." She headed back to the dorms.
She was nearly in Max's dorm when a firm hand grabbed the back of her leather jacket.
"What the fuck?" Chloe uttered before turning around to face Victoria.
Victoria looked at her, confused. "Price."
"The fuck do you want Vic?" Chloe snapped.
"Whoah, somebody woke up on the wrong side of the dumpster." She joked.
"I don't have fucking time for this." Chloe tried to slam the door, but Vic placed her foot in the door.
"Wow Chloe, that's pretty rude, what's gotten into you?" Vic inquired.
"Why the fuck do you care?"
"Contrary to popular belief I actually care about people Chloe. So if you don't want to tell me why you have a stick up your ass, then fine, but you could at least let me talk to Max."
"Not here." Chloe mumbled.
"Where is she?"
"Feeding."
"Why do you have to say it like that?"
"Oh sorry princess, she's out to fucking eat, come back later."
"Listen Price, it's okay to be in a bad mood sometimes, but you don't have to be such a bitch about it, so you can stop keeping everything to yourself and letting it ruin your mood, or you could continue to bottle up how you feel and drive away all the people who care about you, so if you want me gone that bad then fine, I'm gone." Victoria sneered and began walking off.
Chloe paused. "Hey Vic.."
Victoria stopped and looked over her shoulder.
"David forced Max and I out of my own house because we're dating, that's why I feel so shit." Chloe muttered.
Vic turned around to face the blue haired girl, a smirk on her face.
"Now, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Victoria said, walking over to Chloe. "And how do you feel about that?"
"Angry." Chloe mumbled.
"Just angry?"
Chloe took a deep breath. "I feel beyond angry, I'm feeling so many things I can't explain, I feel so compressed that I might burst, but I never know how to explain how I'm feeling, so I don't."
"I know the feeling, my parents aren't even proud of me, they want me to go do great things, and unless I do that, they don't want me around. But the thing is Chloe.. Sometimes your family will treat you like shit, and make you feel like shit, but you have to realize that, that isn't who you are, and that their words don't define you."
Chloe shrugged turning to walk towards Max's door again.
"Are you happy?" Victoria uttered sharply.
Chloe paused. "..What was that?"
"I said are you happy?" She repeated with a huff.
"...Happy? I mean.. Yeah I guess.."
"Then who gives a fuck what your ignorant step-father thinks?"
Victoria stamped her heel and waltzed into her dorm room slamming the door.
Chloe stared at the closed door for a moment before walking into Max's room, kicking off her shoes and tossing her beanie to the floor. She laid down of Max's bed, staring at the ceiling. She clutched Max's stuffed bear and began to sob, she turned to face the wall, weeping until Max walked in the room.
"Hey Chloe I'm ba-" She cut off her sentence assuming Chloe was asleep. Max approached Chloe and poked her shoulder gently "Hey.. You asleep?"
Chloe just shook her head, clutching the bear tighter.
"Hey, Chlo, what's up? What's wrong?" Max climbed into her bed with Che, rubbing her back."Is there something you want to talk about?"
Chloe turned around to face Max, her eyes still red and puffy, she gently wrapped her arms around the brunette, hugging her tightly, and quietly weeping into her shoulder.
"I'm all for just laying here if it makes you feel better, but if there's something bothering you, please tell me, I want to help you Chloe.."
The two remained silent for a while before Chloe abruptly uttered; "I'm just so sick of of... of DAVID, I don't know what my mom see's in that fuckhead, he's just so unbearable Max! I.. I can't believe he kicked us out I..." her words trailed off.
Max ran a hand through Chloe's hair and tried to think of an appropriate response.
"This week has been crazy, really, and I'm not even sure I have a good way to respond to this because.. Well, it just sucks Chloe, and I get that.. But no matter what you have me and I care about you, more than anything, I promise." Max muttered meekly.
Chloe sighed. "I just don't see what the big deal is.. I mean come on now it's nearly 2015, what's the big deal anymore?!"
"There really isn't a big deal anymore but some people just don't see that.. And I'm sorry David had to be one of them."
"Can we... Can we just sleep? I'm done talking.. But.. th.. thhan.."
"Mm? What was that Chloe?"
"..Thank you." Chloe grumbled.
Max smiled "You're welcome you grumpy-butt." She reached for the light switch and flipped it off.
Chloe groaned burying her nose deeper into Max's shoulder. "Love you." She muttered.
"I love you too Che."
Author's note: Wow hi i'm not dead I promise, for those of you that have stuck around, well good on you, you're incredible and the reason I still write, so thank you. c:
And I am so sorry that this took FOREVER to update, depression was kicking my ass,and then when I was just getting back to it, my depression got worse and I went to a hospital for a week. But I got some help there, got some meds and I'm ready to write again, so that's fun.
So yeah, thanks so much for reading my stuff, and if you read other stories of mine, look forward to some updates cause I'm gonna write like a madman.
Stay safe everyone, love ya. -Riley
