"Kids Will Be Skeletons" by Mogwai

Chloe exited the counselor's office, eyes moist from crying, and smiled at Max as she stuffed the handful of Kleenex she had been given into the back pocket of her jeans. Her girlfriend smiling back at her, Max wearing Chloe's signature leather jacket, Chloe walked straight towards the brunette and gave her the longest hug she could imagine giving her. Giving voice to all her fears, to all her depressive thoughts and feelings, had actually been beneficial; the last time she had seen a counselor was years ago and had only made Chloe angry. She was still raw in her anger and pain back then; this time, with time having passed and having Max to lean on, Chloe felt a little better than she had when she had entered the therapist's office. Pulling back from the hug, Chloe ruffled Max's hair a little bit and kissed the brunette on the forehead before bumping her nose against the other girl's.

"Hey," Chloe said, her tone soft and a little sad, "Hope you weren't just sitting here with nothing to do…"

"It was cool," Max replied shaking her head, "I texted Rachel and Kate some, worked a little on my math assignment-"

"Math? You? Are you sure I'm the one who needs therapy?" Chloe interjected, her old smartass, crooked grin back on her face.

"Ha ha, jerk," Max shot back, playfully slapping at Chloe's chest before her facial expression and tone became more serious, "You okay?"

"No. I'm not. And that is okay," Chloe admitted with a sigh and shrug of her shoulders, "It's gonna be a process, evidently, but I'm hella ready. I need to do this. I have to, for me and for us."

"You're allowed to be selfish, Chloe. Don't do this for me. Do it for you," Max said, poking Chloe's chest for emphasis, "I'll be here for you, either way. I love you."

"Love you too, babe," Chloe said before she wrapped an arm around Max's shoulders, "Ready to get outta here? I'm starving!"

"Two Whales?"

"'Course! Where else?"

Climbing into her pickup truck, Max closing the passenger side door behind her, Chloe fished her keys out of her pocket and turned the ignition over. She felt refreshed after letting everything out. The therap-y appointment was only the first, but she hoped that the improvement she felt continued throughout the treatment. Chloe was not overly optimistic, however; she knew the appointments would be arduous and that sometimes she would not come out feeling better than she had when she walked in. What made them worth it for Chloe was the all-encompassing nature of them, the final product. I don't wanna feel like shit nearly every day anymore. I want to be able to smile and not feel like it's somewhat forced, Chloe thought as she felt Max's hand touch her own, fingers intertwining. I want to feel Max's love without the hesitation or my guard coming up.

Driving to Two Whales was a relatively brief affair, the therapist's office being in the business section of town, in a strip mall only a couple blocks away. Barely enough time to engage in any kind of conversation, Chloe instead turned on the radio and the girls bobbed their heads along to some folk punk that Max had found and ripped onto a CD. Pulling into the parking lot, Chloe switched off the ignition once they were parked and leaned over to kiss Max gently on the lips. The kiss was warm and a little salty, the remnants of their breakfast at the school cafeteria lingering along with a hint of maple syrup. Max had been excused from Ms. Grant's class along with Chloe, granted special permission to "support a fellow student during her trying times". Chloe had scoffed and chuckled a little bit at that, but it was also a fact. Max was supportive beyond belief, electing to drive Chloe there in Chloe's truck when she had seen how anxious the punk was. Max had even offered a tab of her hydroxyzine; Chloe had politely turned the offer down. The only drugs I want on this trip are booze, nicotine, and weed, Chloe thought with a small grin.

"What's got you all smiles?" Max asked as she pulled back to see the smirk on Chloe's face.

"Oh, nothing. I mean, aside from your bony ass and warm kisses," Chloe teased in reply before sliding out of the driver's side, patting the seat for Max to exit out her way instead of the passenger side, "C'mon, don't be shy."

"Oh God, will you ever stop with the 'bony ass' shtick?" Max asked, rolling her eyes before she too giggled a bit at the teasing.

"Nope. I'm all 'bout dat ass, bony or otherwise. Get some food into you, some cushion on that booty," Chloe further teased, yelping a little when Max responded by smacking Chloe's ass in reply, "How dare, Caulfield? How fucking dare?"

Linking their elbows together, the girls strolled across the small parking lot and headed into Two Whales. With lunch nicely coinciding with the time Chloe's appointment was over with, they had an hour to themselves before they had to return for Mr. Jefferson's art class. Personally, Chloe was over art class. She had enjoyed the previous year's work on illustration and design; the instruction had helped her create the sleeve tattoo that now adorned her arm. Photography just was not her thing, though she had no problem encouraging Max's work. Max was a prodigy, though Chloe knew the girl would never admit to such a claim. Giving her mom a brief wave in greeting before she headed over to their usual booth with Max in tow, Chloe plopped into her seat as Max took the opposing spot so that they were sitting across from one another. Taking note that someone had added to her graffiti on the tabletop, Chloe pulled out small pocket knife and corrected some of the formulae that had been added before looking up at her girlfriend. Seeing the wide grin on Max's face, Chloe quirked an eyebrow in response.

"Now who's smiling funny, hippie?" Chloe inquired, reclining back on the seat with an arm across the back rest.

"Just enjoying seeing my girlfriend hard at work on her masterpiece," Max joked, leaning onto the table as Joyce arrived with two coffees and her notepad ready for their orders, "Hey, Joyce. Bacon cheeseburger and fries for me."

"Make that two, and can I have extra bacon?" Chloe asked, a little smile on her face as Joyce just shook her head and scribbled everything down.

"How'd your therapy go, Chloe?" Joyce asked.

"It went. Feel a lil better, but it's evidently a goddamn process," Chloe replied, her wit not winning over her mother. Sighing, Chloe took off her beanie and laid it on the empty spot beside her, "I'm kidding, Mom. I know it's going to take time. I'm willing to do said time, however, so it's cool."

"I'm just glad you're actually seeking out help this time," Joyce replied, "It's nothin' to be ashamed of. I saw a grief counselor after your father passed away."

"You did?" Max asked, sipping at her coffee.

"Did me a world of good. Helped get me through how much I missed William. Oh, I still miss him to this day. Part of me always will, but we'll always have our wonderful memories of him to get us through the rough days," Joyce replied before smiling at the girls and taking her leave to get their orders filled.

Chloe continued working on the formulae scratched onto the table while Max texted friends and family, the punk noting the looks her girlfriend would sometimes give. Pausing in her handiwork when she saw a look of disdain on Max's face, Chloe sat up and cocked her head to one side.

"S'up, Max?"

"Oh, my mom's carrying on about how I have to be more studious when it comes to my classwork. The suspension the week before and skipping out with you last week did me no favors. They're…"

"Yeah?"

"…They're worried you're becoming a bad influence on me," Max said, the hesitation in her voice and the words that came out causing Chloe to frown a little.

"Well, um, what'd you say back?" Chloe asked, trying not to sound overeager to hear what Max's reply was.

"I told her that…that she should mind her own business and that I am taking our relationship seriously. I… I may have mentioned that I'm in love with you…"

The bashful look on Max's face nearly had Chloe stunned, the redness on the brunette's face nearly making Chloe blush herself.

"You shitting me?! You told her that? What'd she say? C'mon, babe, spill the deets!"

"I think I texted her into submission. She hasn't replied," Max said, sounding somewhat embarrassed, before she showed her phone's screen to point out that Vanessa had indeed not replied to Max's last text."

"Holy shit, dude! I've never gotten a reaction like that from my Mom! Not ever! Way to go, Caulfield!" Chloe said in admiration, leaning across the table to clap Max on the shoulder. "Nice!"


Mr. Jefferson's class was in silence as he spoke at length about classical portraiture, brought on by catching Max in the midst of taking a selfie with Chloe while Rachel just rolled her eyes and giggled in response. Aside from that single moment of distraction, Max's attention was focused solely on the day's lesson; occasionally, Max would glance over at Chloe to see how the other girl was doing but she knew that she had to really start paying better attention in class. Fuck, I need to start paying better attention in all of my classes, Max thought with a slight grimace as she jotted down notes and listened to the replies of other students when Mr. Jefferson would pause his lecture to inquire what a classmate of Max's might think. In typical fashion, much to Max's disgust, Victoria would constantly raise her hand and gain most of the attention. She did not understand Victoria; clearly knowing that the blonde girl had knowledge and skills when it came to photography, Max could not fathom why she was so insecure as to belittle other people. At least there aren't anymore notes being thrown at my face, Max surmised before the bell rang. Collecting her things, Max headed over to Mr. Jefferson's desk while Chloe and Rachel waited at the doorway.

"Um, Mr. Jefferson?" Max asked, the photo she had taken of herself with the photo memorial wall in her hands, "Here's my submission for the Everyday Heroes contest."

"Right on time, Max! I was actually about to bring the subject up with you," Mr. Jefferson said, taking the photo and giving it a once-over look of appraisal, "Interesting idea, a selfie of yourself facing other pictures. Photography within photography. Self-reflection. Excellent!"

"I…I don't think it's that great-"

"Max, you're too modest with regards to your work. You have a gift, the urge and necessity to take pictures. Always remember what I said on the first day of class – 'Always take the shot'. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to speak with Rachel. Ms. Amber, could you come here for a moment, please?"

Max passed Rachel in the front of the classroom, seeing the slight look of anxiety on her friend's face before she reached Chloe. Tugging on Chloe's tank-top to stop her girlfriend from heading out into the hallway, Max made a point of waiting for Rachel. She knew that Rachel was growing more and more concerned about Mr. Jefferson's request for a more risqué type of photo shoot, as he evidently did not seem to be letting up on requesting such a session to take place. Seeing that Mr. Jefferson had noticed that she and Chloe were waiting for Rachel, Max watched Mr. Jefferson dismiss Rachel rather than open up any topics of discussion. With Rachel mouthing "Thank you" to Max while Chloe seemed oblivious to what had just gone down, Max headed out the doorway with her girlfriend and Rachel behind her.

"Thanks, Max. I just know he was going to fucking ask me again," Rachel said, catching Max when Chloe was out of earshot from walking over to talk with Justin and Trevor, "You're a lifesaver."

"I still can't believe he's asking you for that type of a shoot. That's crazy!" Max exclaimed in a hushed whisper, leaning close to Rachel so as to try and keep their conversation private.

"He's nearly to the point of goddamn obsessing over it, I swear," Rachel stated, nodding in agreement with what Max had said, "To be honest, it's making me a little paranoid. What if he won't take no for an answer?"

"What's he going to do, ambush you and do the shoot when you least expect it? C'mon, like that'd happen. He's a teacher, not some creepy stalker," Max said, though in truth she was a little rattled as well by Mr. Jefferson's tenacity for Rachel, "At least, I hope he isn't entering creepy stalker territory-"

"What're you two talking about? No, wait, lemme guess. Max's selfie that she entered into the Everyday Heroes contest," Victoria said, rolling her eyes as she and her posse walked up to Max's locker, "As if you have any shred of legit talent. Mark… Mr. Jefferson is clearly just trying to put you down gently."

"What's your problem, Victoria?" Max snapped back, slamming her locker shut just as Chloe started heading back towards Max and Rachel. "You're that insecure that you have to make people feel miserable? I've seen your work – you have talent. You don't need to go stepping on other people's feelings just to butter yourself up."

Surprising everyone within earshot by stunning Victoria into silence, Max turned on her heel and strode down the hallway arm-in-arm with Chloe as Rachel leaned against her own locker and smiled after the two of them. Taking Chloe out of the building, Max waited until they were at the water fountain before coming to a halt. Without a word, she let go of Chloe's arm and sat down on the edge of the fountain's pool, head in her hands. Feeling Chloe rummage through her bag, Max peeked out between her fingers to find Chloe holding out her bottle of anti-anxiety medication.

"…Thanks," Max shyly replied to the unspoken support, dry-swallowing a pill before replacing the bottle back into her bag, "God, Victoria… She just makes me want to go off, sometimes!"

"The girl clearly has some confidence issues, dude," Chloe said, sitting down next to Max as she leaned her shoulder against the other girl's, "But I love how you keep standing up to her. Don't take her bullshit, Max."

"I won't. Not anymore. Now I know she's just threats and bitterness," Max said, her facial expression turning dark, "…Except for Nathan. That guy is just flat-out messed up. I hope he doesn't try to start shit again."

"Punk ass better not try anything," Chloe spat, her own face contorted into an expression of anger and disgust. For a moment the girls just sat there in silence; Chloe got up first, offering a hand to Max, "Let's get outta here, babe."

"Where do you want to go this time?" Max asked, taking the offered hand as she was pulled to her feet with ease by the taller girl. "No junkyard, please."

"Nah, I was more thinkin' along the lines of your room. Just some hella chill vibes and music, y'know?"


Chloe laid back in Max's bed as the hipster turned on her laptop's iTunes account and started to play some obscure indie band the punk had never heard of. Closing her eyes, the mellow rhythm of the music winding its way into her, Chloe let out a small exhale of air and felt the tension ebb out of her body. Today had been a challenge for her, what with her first session with the new therapist; still, she knew there was progress that needed to be made and having Max alongside her made the need to improve her life all the more a necessity. I feel sometimes like I'm spinning in place, driving on a road that always heads downhill, Chloe thought, remembering her own words from the therapy session, Sometimes the decline won't be so rough, but other times it feels like I'm fucking plummeting. Will it ever get easier? God, I hope so. Opening her eyes at the sound of crinkling, Chloe looked over to see Max opening up a bag of cheap potato chips and she sat up. Seeing her girlfriend situated on the futon, the brunette's sneakers and hoodie discarded, Chloe took the sight of Max relaxing in. Wearing one of Chloe's older tank-tops and a pair of cut-off jean shorts, Max exuded a tranquility that drew Chloe to her. Getting up from the bed, Chloe moved over to the futon and sat next to Max.

"Yo."

"I thought you were sleeping," Max said quietly, chip in hand. Offering the chip to Chloe, Max giggled a bit when Chloe opened her mouth for Max to feed her, "Oh, sure, allow me. Dork."

"Like you're not loving it, doting on me like some love-drunk sap," Chloe replied with a roll of her eyes before she accepted the chip as the food was brought to her lips, "Mmm, though there's something else I could go for…"

"Oh?" Max asked, an eyebrow arched with a sly expression on the girl's face.

The kiss felt instantaneous to Chloe as Max pressed forward and their lips collided. The saltiness of their lips, of their breath, met in conjunction with their tongues as Chloe felt herself being pushed back so that she was lying on the futon couch. With Max's body pressed against her own, Chloe slid a hand up the back of Max's shirt and drew small circles with her fingers around the small of her girlfriend's back. Feeling Max let out a little giggle, realizing Max was ticklish there, Chloe laid her hand flat on the same spot she had been circling around and was rewarded with a deep kiss that nearly caused her to gag from how far Max pressed her tongue into Chloe's mouth. Girl's pretty inexperienced, but can't deny the "A" for effort, Chloe thought as she brought her other hand up and into Max's auburn waves. Feeling a hand slide up her side, Chloe purred a little mischievously and smiled before their lips parted so they could breathe.

"That was unexpected. Hella sweet, but did not see it coming," Chloe noted, smiling ruefully as she cocked her head to one side and looked into Max's blue eyes, "Goddamn, I could fall so easily into those eyes."

"Haven't you already?" Max teased back, letting out a little shriek of laughter when Chloe responded by tracing her fingertips along the small of her back. "Okay, okay. No teasing right now. Gotcha. Wowser, you can be so mean sometimes…"

"Mean? Fuck you, I'm a lovable commodity."

"Well, duh. Knew that already."

"Asshole."

"Tease."

Both girls laughed as Chloe sat herself up, Max backing away to resume her snacking. Swiping the bag from her girlfriend's hands, Chloe put the bag of chips between them and leaned her head against Max's. Despite their height difference, Chloe made the leverage work so that her neck was not contorted in an uncomfortable way. She yearned for moments like this, when they were both at ease and there was a lack of caring about anything else in the whole wide world. With Max popping another chip into Chloe's mouth, the punk munched and watched Max's face take on a peculiar expression.

"You okay?" Chloe asked, swallowing down the chip. "Max?"

"Just thinking about today, with your therapy. I know that you came out of there teary-eyed and needing a hug, but I'm just hoping that things will get…easier for you, I guess," Max replied, her tone one of contemplation and optimism.

"I think there'll be good days and bad ones, just like my life. But the point is that I'll hella be working my shit out. Maybe, uh, maybe you should try therapy. I mean, for your anxiety or whatever."

"Maybe. I've already been to so many doctors, it's ridiculous."

That statement gave Chloe pause. She had talked about her time in Arcadia Bay while Max was away before; the train of discussions were what had led to her admitting that she needed help. I've never really heard how Seattle was for her, though, Chloe thought as she put a hand on Max's thigh.

"Talk to me, Max. Did Seattle suck that hard?" Chloe asked. "We kinda glossed over any rough times you might've had…"

Chloe watched Max pause, hand in the chip bag for a moment before she retracted it and placed her hand over Chloe's on her thigh. Feeling a gentle squeeze on her hand, Chloe reciprocated the soft expression of affection with her own squeeze and waited for Max to speak up.

"It…It wasn't easy. Sure, Seattle was cool at times, but I felt lonely. Out of my league. Didn't help that I was basically ripped away from you a-and had no one there that I knew," Max said, her voice sounding distant to Chloe as the punk listened on, "I tried to make friends, connect with people. I had a couple of other kids that I grew somewhat close with, Kristen and Fernando. We'd go exploring the city, the two of them getting drunk on occasion while I would watch. A lot of the time, though, I felt like I was a third wheel. It wasn't awful, being up there, but it wasn't great either. Not until you and I reconnected, anyway. I kinda came out of my shell a bit after that, got more into the new music you introduced me to. Went to a few shows, let my guard down a little bit."

"You're still kinda a hipster, y'know. Some type of hipster-punk chic, so far as your style. Soft grunge," Chloe half-teased, bumping her nose against Max's when the brunette cringed a little at the remark, "That's not a bad thing. You're finding your own space, dude. It's cool. I like seeing you be more expressive."

"I…I thought it would be different here. I just didn't want to be the shy, cliché geek," Max said with a sigh, getting up from the couch so suddenly that Chloe nearly fell over, "Instead, it's the same bullshit drama like every other high school."

"Max, babe, you seriously need to get over that. It's a school – shit's bound to go south sometimes. Fuck, I hate it here and yet somehow I'm still managing to find things I like about the place," Chloe replied before leaning in to purr into Max's ear, "Like you."

"That…was so cheesy it even surpasses my standards," Max said with a giggle before she turned her head to give Chloe a quick smooch, "But it's appreciated, nonetheless."

Laughing a little at Max's somewhat backhanded compliment, Chloe pulled back and resumed her reclining on the futon couch, snatching a few chips every now and then while Max pulled her broken Polaroid camera out of a box under the seating and fiddled with the broken device. Seeing her father's old camera partially tucked away inside of Max's camera bag, Chloe thought back to earlier times when William was alive and she and Max were tweens. So much simpler back then, but then again it also feels like a totally different life. I can't imagine what it would be like if Dad hadn't died, or Max hadn't left, Chloe thought before feeling her mood begin to sour. Taking a few deep breaths like her therapist had recommended, Chloe forced herself to think about all the positive changes in her life.

I'm still in school, making hella good grades.

I've got friends and Mom to back me up.

Max is here, and we're together.

Letting out the last deep breath slowly, trying to not catch Max's attention, the punk gained a new appreciation and understanding of her girlfriend's anxiety problems. Chloe figured that Max must get this way a lot if she doesn't take her medication like she is supposed to. Getting up from the futon, Chloe stretched a bit before she attempted to dance to the mellow beats Max's tunes were blasting out. Swaying her hips a little while she tried awkwardly to move the rest of her body along, Chloe grinned when Max started to giggle at the sight of her. Sauntering over with her usual strut, Chloe pulled Max to her feet by grabbing the other girl's hands and she followed Max's lead when it came to dancing along with the music that was definitely not her taste. Getting the hang of Max's dancing, Chloe followed along with her for a little while before a knock at the door cut their private moment together short.

"Ugh," Max said with a groan before she headed for the door, Chloe rolling her eyes at the second series of knocking, "What the hell now?"

Standing in the hallway, about to knock for a third time, was David Madsen with a reproachful look on his face. Chloe saw the look and it took nearly all her willpower to not thrust both her middle fingers in the older man's face. No way is this asshole coming to talk shit to us about anything! Chloe thought as she walked straight up to where Max was, making a point of taking the other girl's hand in her own. You're the one who fucked up, step-prick, so don't come down on me or Max. Eyes narrowed into slits, Chloe regarded the chief security officer of Blackwell Academy with open hostility.

"I didn't come here to fight, Chloe," David said, his shoulders slumping a little, "I don't want to fight with anyone anymore. I just…"

"You just what? You want to try and make things all better after you spied on me and Mom in our own house? The fuck is wrong with you," Chloe spat back, pulling Max to the side so that she was behind Chloe rather than between her and David.

"Chloe, I care about your mother and you. Can't you see I was just trying to protect you? You don't know what this town is like-"

"Uh, I've lived here my entire life, asshole. I think I know how shitty Arcadia Bay can be."

"No, Chloe, you really don't," David shot back, swiping off his ball cap in frustration, "Goddammit, why does everything have to be a fight with you?"

"…Maybe you two shouldn't do this here…," Max said quietly, ushering the both of them into her room and swiftly closing the door behind her.

"Sure, I'm the one with a problem!" Chloe nearly shouted at David, jabbing a finger into her own chest. "I'm the fuck-up! No, I'm not. I get good grades, hella good, and so yeah I also smoke pot on occasion. I also am a fucking high schooler, asshole! I'm allowed to be a mess sometimes! But you… You just waltz into my life and my mom's life and treat me like I'm supposed to step in line with your ex-military crap. I'm not your little soldier to be mustered about like some fucking idiot-"

"Chloe, I never meant to imply-"

"The hell you didn't," Chloe snapped, folding her arms across her chest, "You've hit me, and more than once. You always talked Mom down from raging on you over it, but you can't bail your ass out this time. I hope she drops you for good."

Chloe looked away from David, away from Max, and stared out the window. She felt trapped, cornered by David trying to talk to her in one of the few safe spaces Chloe felt she had. Trying to slow her breathing down, attempting to regain her calm, Chloe looked over her shoulder and quirked an eyebrow at the mute expression of regret on David's face. Seeing Max caught in the middle of their altercation only made Chloe angrier, but she also knew that her anger was habitual. Especially when it comes to David, Chloe thought. Her temper was instantaneous, though she tried to maintain her cool as much as she could. Friends, her mom, good tunes, and decent weed: They were how she managed to get through each day. Even Blackwell afforded her some momentum in getting her diploma so she could leave the town once and, quite possibly, for all.

"Just go," Chloe said, her voice hollowed out as she turned to look David in the eye, "You came here to apologize, right, to try and make things good between you and me? Not accepted."

"Chloe…," Max softly uttered, though she looked away when Chloe stared her down.

"…I'm sorry," was all David could manage to come up with before he turned around and headed out the door, back into the hallway. Pausing before he closed the door, he looked over his shoulder at the two girls. "You two just look out for each other, alright? Be safe."


Max sat in the awkward silence that followed David's absence from her room, Chloe still seething as she refused to look at the brunette. Not knowing what to say or how to try and comfort the blue-haired girl, Max just sat at her desk and watched Chloe pace back and forth in the small room. Every time things seemed to go their way, something always happened; Max felt that it was as though some insurmountable force was against them. It's like Destiny or Fate is just continuously fucking with us, Max thought as she got to her feet. Knowing that Chloe might unleash some wrath on her, Max mentally braced herself before getting into Chloe's way. The punk came to a halt, her head snapping up, and for a second Max did see some fire in the other girl's eyes as she looked like she might blow up; the fire subsided, however, and Max led Chloe to the bed where they both crashed onto it.

"That was so fucking lame," Chloe groaned, arm across her eyes as though to shield herself.

"Chloe, maybe he was trying to make amends-" Max started, cutting herself off when she caught Chloe look at her from the corner of her eyes, "…I'm just saying. He had to have known you'd rail on him."

"Damn right. Asshole has done enough to my family. Don't try and stick up for him, Max. He's not worth it."

"Relax, Chlobear. I'm on your side, no matter what," Max assured her girlfriend, "I just think that it's sad that he's trying about things the wrong way. The surveillance, coming to my room… There are other ways to keep people safe, to make amends. What happened in here should've been something that Joyce was present for, too."

"…Maybe so. My mom does love him, in spite of all of it," Chloe said, her tone far off and contemplative as she pulled back her arm, "They'll probably work things out, and he'll end up right back in the house. It's the first time Mom got mad enough that she threw him out, though, so that counts for something. They're probably going to do marriage counseling or whatever."

Max sat up, ran her hands through her auburn hair, and rested her elbows on her knees. Her hands holding her chin up, she stared at the wall while Chloe kept quiet. David's presence in her room had felt like a violation of her space, an unwanted intrusion. Chloe's outburst and David's simple receiving of the harsh words said left Max a little perplexed as far as what to do next; did Chloe need consoling, or was she in need of relief? Looking over at Chloe, the punk looking back at her with a neutral expression on her face, Max was wiped out and figured Chloe felt the same. Getting to her feet slowly, Max walked over to the window her box fan was in and opened it up a little more before setting the fan down on the floor.

"S'up? Fresh air?" Chloe asked, sitting up at the foot of the bed from where she had been lying down.

"Yeah. My brain is so fried right now I feel like the words coming out are just brain vomit," Max said, moving over to the futon. Sitting in the recovery position, hands on her chin with knees propping up her elbows, Max let out a little groan, "Could that maybe not happen again in my room?"

"Sorry, but you did usher the both of us in here," Chloe said, her tone part apologetic and part sarcastic, "I wouldn't have blown up so hella bad if it weren't for him coming here, of all places. This is your room, for fuck's sake. What was he thinking?"

"He was…is probably desperate to be heard, to be understood," Max said as she leaned back against the futon and looked across the room at Chloe, "I bet he still thinks that he did nothing wrong, or at least he knows it was wrong but had good intentions."

"…Goddamn, I just want to bake right now and space out for a bit. Could we head out somewhere?" Chloe asked, grabbing her jacket.

"Definitely. I won't partake this time, but I'll definitely welcome the chance to get out of here for a bit," Max answered, slinging her camera bag over her shoulder, "How about the lighthouse? Nice and spacious?"

"Wherever so long as I can bake and we can chill."

Heading out of the dormitory, avoiding the looks from some of the girls in the hallway, Max walked behind Chloe as they exited the building as quickly as they could without actually running. Her private space violated, Max needed some time away in the hopes that when she returned her room might feel like hers again. With Chloe seemingly focused on simply getting away from the school immediately, there was no usual chit-chat or hand-holding; instead, the girls just walked in a two-person line with Max ducking looks or glances in her direction while Chloe was oblivious to them all. God, how many people know about David showing up at my room? The level of gossip at this school is crazy, Max thought as she headed into Chloe's truck through the passenger side door. Letting out her breath in a single burst of exhaled air, she hastily grabbed her pill bottle of anti-anxiety medication and swallowed down a pill. She was tempted to take another, to really "chill out" as Chloe might put it, but instead Max stowed the bottle away in her bag and leaned back in the bench seat of the cab while Chloe put the gas pedal onto the floor as they peeled out of Blackwell's parking lot with tires screeching.


"It's so much more peaceful here. I wish we never had to leave," Chloe said as Max walked up the lighthouse path behind her, "C'mon, speedy. You can do it!"

"Not my fault you're so goddamn tall. Those legs are practically a cheat. So unfair," Max countered back, a grin on her face as she jogged to close the distance between them. Linking her arm into Chloe's, waving the pot smoke away from her face, Max sighed and leaned her head against her girlfriend's arm as they slowly made their way up the trail, "You're totally right, though. There's a serenity to this place, the sunlight piercing through the foliage like gentle fingers caressing wherever they touch."

"I just wish we could come here sometime when shit wasn't going downhill for us," Chloe said with a grunt as she flicked the roach of her spent joint into a nearby trash can, "It's like everywhere we hang has to be some secluded area or I feel trapped. Like, with your room, there's this sense of safety but also confinement…"

Pulling Chloe over to a nearby picnic table that was about halfway up the trail, Max sat on the table with Chloe next to her. Nudging the punk with her shoulder, Max grinned warmly when she got a smirk out of her girlfriend.

"Go on, Chloe. I'm listening," Max said, knowing that the other girl likely needed to get some things off her chest.

"…It's like the places we usually hang, my room or yours, are their own little safe spaces but outside of them there's just shit waiting to happen," Chloe said after a moment, scratching at her beanie before taking it off, "Does that even make sense?"

"It does," Max replied, "But that's not always the case. A lot of the time we can come and go as we like, y'know?"

"I get that, yeah, but it seems like there's always hella trouble brewing in some fashion or another. A look, a fucking glare, some whispers – sometimes I feel like so many people are out to fuck with us."

"You're the one who says that it's typical high school bullshit."

"Yeah, but you know what I mean. It's… It's like we can't escape it, the drama. Like it is fucking all-encompassing," Chloe said, drained as she slumped over into the recovery position where she was sitting, "I just want to finish school so we can get the fuck out of here. That's it. But even that seems like it's a goddamn challenge."

"You've been through a lot today," Max said, running a hand through Chloe's azure waves of hair, "Your first session of therapy and David basically taking a crap on your day… If only the school had let you off the whole day, the whole thing with your stepdad would've never happened."

"Yeah, I've had a lot of 'If only…' in my life," Chloe dourly intoned, "If only Dad hadn't died…If only you hadn't left…If only my mom hadn't been so hella desperate she hooked up with step-prick… Fuck, I'm sick of 'If only'."

Max was at a loss for words, Chloe seemed so forlorn and drained. She had been there for Chloe's therapy, had been witness to David's tactless attempt at reconciliation; while Max did not know concretely what Chloe was feeling she did understand that the day had been sorely lacking in any type of legitimate reprieve from the seemingly endless barrage of daily life. Hugging Chloe, holding her girlfriend close to her, Max felt Chloe lean into her and braced herself for possible tears. Not feeling any wetness on her face or clothes, Max just paid attention to the rise and fall of Chloe's chest as the other girl took deep breaths. She's likely too tired to even cry at this point, Max thought as she continued to hold the punk while they sat in silence with the sunlight kissing their skin as it pierced the foliage near them.

Author's Note –

*spoilers if you haven't actually played the game*

Yes, Chloe is in therapy. I did that. I want to explore the idea of Chloe making positive strides towards improving her well-being. In the game, we see her as this tortured soul who has become embittered by years of feeling isolated and abandoned; she goes so far as to take a gun to school, for fuck's sake! At the same time, if you play the scene in episode four with Frank and she winds up killing him it is clear by her reaction back at her room that she was not truly prepared for the consequences of her actions. So, I kinda wanted to turn Chloe away from that and explore the notion of her seeking help.

I've been sitting on this chapter for a while. I'm burned out on fanfiction at the moment, having written over 4,000 pages in only a couple years. I'm taking a break, but when I do come back I'll be sure to finish this before I call it quits. I want to write original stories, poetry, and lyrics like I used to. Writing is cathartic for me, and I need multiple avenues to alleviate the stress I've been going through as of late.

Take care *hearts*

Stay hella, Cinnamon Rolls!