Content Warning - There's a scene where people are drugged.
"Doing The Right Thing" by Daughter
Max checked herself out in the mirror, sighed, and began to strip. She hated parties – loathed them, in fact. The Vortex Club's party later this evening was an exception only in that she and Chloe had both agreed to crash it and show up despite their mutual standing with Victoria and Nathan. Selecting a zebra-print pair of jeans before rolling her eyes and tossing them back into the closet, Max grabbed a pair of jean shorts and her pink Jane shirt. I don't need to be a fashionista for those jerks, Max thought as she slipped on her sneakers and ran a hand through her hair in an attempt to do something with it, Besides, Rachel and Dana will be there to back me and Chloe up should things go shitty. Even Kate said she'd be there, which alone all but commands my presence. Looking herself over in the mirror again, Max slumped her shoulders in resignation and accepted her fashion choice. Throwing a plaid hoodie on over her shirt, the blue and black of the pattern consuming the pink of her shirt as she zipped the light jacket up, Max took off her sneakers and replaced them with a pair of ankle boots she had found at the local Goodwill. Grabbing her camera bag, Max was almost out the door when her phone pinged with the arrival of another message.
"That's my Chloe," Max said, grinning as she discerned the sender of the message before she even retrieved her phone from the bedside table.
Chloe: Max. Yo. You ready yet?
Max: En route now. Don't be so impatient
Chloe: Dude, it's me. I'm always impatient…'cept for you.
Max: :*
Chloe: …I'll allow that emoji, but only because smooches.
Laughing a little to herself, Max opened her door and headed down the hallway, locking her room up behind her. The rest of her floor likely already at the party, either hanging around the gym or helping the party get underway, Max looked at the time on her phone and nearly lost her shit as she realized how much time she had taken getting ready. The party's likely already started! No wonder Chloe messaged me – ugh, I'm the worst. I keep spacing out, Max thought as she picked up the pace and quickly made her way down the stairs and out the door to the dormitory's courtyard. Spotting Chloe hanging around the gate, Max ran across the otherwise empty yard and tackle-hugged her girlfriend to the ground, chuckling when Chloe yelped in surprise as Max had caught her from behind.
"You little fucker!" Chloe cried out, laughing, as she spun around in Max's feeble grasp to lift her head up for a kiss. Their lips connected only momentarily, however, before Chloe pulled back and gave Max a light thump on the shoulder. "That type of shit is usually something I pull, asshole!"
"All the more reason for me to do it, if only to see your reaction. Priceless. Pun intended," Max said, her smile unfazed by Chloe's pout before she leaned down to kiss Chloe again, their lips meeting a little longer between slips of tongue and nibbling each other's bottom lips. Sitting up, straddling Chloe as the punk was still lying on the ground, Max looked at her prey appraisingly before getting upended when Chloe shoved her off to sit up, "Hey, I was sitting there!"
"But whatever would our fellow Blackhell classmates think if they saw you atop me in such a suggestive manner…?" Chloe teased, letting out a bark of laughter when Max thumped her back on the shoulder. "Relax, Maxaroni. Pretty sure we're along out here. At least, for the moment. You look…cute."
"I look like someone who couldn't figure out what to wear, you mean," Max grumbled as she took in Chloe's usual tank-top and jeans, her leather jacket lying on the ground beside her girlfriend, "You always look sexy, though."
"Oh? I always look sexy to you?" Chloe inquired, waggling her eyebrows suggestively, chuckling when Max rolled her eyes. "Hey, you said it. Not me. Ready to crash a par-tay?"
"I still dunno about this. I'm not big on parties."
"Relax, sistah. I'm here, Rachel's already there, and you've got your buds there, too. You've got this," Chloe said, helping Max up before pulling her in for a side hug as she draped an arm across Max's shoulders and began leading the brunette down the breezeway, "You're not such a chickenshit anymore. You've stood up to Victoria before, numerous times, so don't let her prevent you from enjoying this."
Letting Chloe continue to take the lead, bringing her hand up to latch onto the hand that was across her left shoulder, Max wove her fingers into Chloe's as they strolled through the main quad with the gym just across the way. Seeing that the main entrance to the gym had been curtained off from the inside, the girls walked down the sidewalk towards the parking lot and hooked a right towards the side entrance where the other partygoers seemed to be waiting. Seeing a friendly face waiting in line, Max let go of Chloe's hand and approached the student as he turned around, all smiles upon the sight of Max.
"Hey, Warren," Max said, waving at the boy and completely oblivious at his abbreviated attempt to hug her. Seeing him pull back his hand to scratch his head, Max realized he had been going in for said hug and tried not to feel awkward, "Didn't know you were into parties."
"I could say the same about you," Warren intoned, a lightness to his voice as Chloe caught up with them and wrapped an arm around Max's waist, "S'up, Chloe?"
"Not much, not much," Chloe said, the neutral tone in her voice giving away the fact that she had seen what Warren had tried, "Looking a little peaked, Warren. Still puzzling over the formulae you keep trying at back at the diner?"
"Hey, I'm getting there. Not my fault for something you started," Warren said in jest, trying to lighten the mood as he forced a smile before looking at Max, "I'm really surprised to see you here, Max. With your anxiety and everything, I figured you and Chloe would be holed up in either her place or your room tonight…"
"Chloe convinced me that I need to crash this party along with her, to not let Victoria's bullshit attitude not get the better of me," Max confessed, a weak smirk on her face, "Though in fairness I don't actually care for parties all that much. A small show at a club? Fine. A gallery exhibit? Okay. A party full of teenagers? Hard pass, usually."
"Max is stronger than she admits, and she's hella set on crashing this yuppie bullshit scene with me," Chloe intoned, tightening her arm around Max's waist, "These Vortex fuckers need to learn that they can't just treat all of us like we're their little bitches."
"They don't treat you that way…," Warren countered, all three of them moving up in the line as people were being gradually admitted into the party.
"They fucking know better than to try that shit on me," Chloe replied with a sly grin, "Victoria and her bitches, Nathan… They can call me all the fucking names they want and it won't make hella much of a difference. Now, Graham, if you don't mind, me and my 'gal pal' are going to con-fab about tonight's festivities. Later."
Chloe relinquished her hold on Max's waist only to nearly yank the other girl's arm of when she took her girlfriend by the hand and proceeded to weave her way through the line with Max in tow. A few students genuinely looked pissed at her and she would flip them off; the majority, however, knew not to mess with Chloe Price when she had such a look of determination on her face. These fuckers have messed with me and Max for the last goddamn time. No more bullshit after tonight, I fucking swear it, Chloe thought as she pulled the door open with as much force as she could, leading Max along the entire way. Seeing the startled look on the coat girl's face as they passed, Chloe winked at her mischievously and let out a chuckle when Max waved at the nervous girl before they both weaved through the curtains to the actual party itself.
"Wowser…," Chloe heard Max say behind her, and Chloe let go of Max's hand so that the brunette could stand by her side as they took the sight in.
People were splashing around in the pool, playing with beach balls and other pool toys while other students hung around at poolside or were dispersed around the rest of the swimming pool area. A small bar with soft drinks and bottled water was directly across the path they had came in, whereas a curtained-off section was set up on the far side of the pool to their right. Chloe had half a mind to storm right over there immediately and spoil the Vortex Club's fun right then; feeling Max slip a hand into her own, however, momentarily broke Chloe's angsty resolve. Remember, Chloe. You're not here on your own. Max is with you. I don't want to drag her into any shit she might not be prepared to handle, Chloe thought as she looked over to her girlfriend and smiled crookedly.
"Lame-ass techno music and strobe lights, just like every party they have. Like a weak-sauce rave. Fucking tools," Chloe grumbled, giving Max's hand a light squeeze, "You okay?"
"I think my arm's gonna be sore for a couple days with the way you pulled me along, but yeah. I'm alright, or rather will be," Max said as she reached into the camera bag slung across her shoulder and pulled out a single pill after a moment. Popping the hydroxyzine into her mouth, Max dry-swallowed the anti-anxiety medicine and took a deep breath, "Just need to let it kick in, get cool with…with all this… I can't believe we're here, but I more so can't believe that you've been to other Vortex parties."
"Oh, I usually get dragged along by Rachel or crash them on my own," Chloe replied, searching the crowd before she found a familiar face by the drink area, "Speaking of… Let's go say hi to Rach. She's looking a little done already, if I'm guessing right."
Making a point of matching Max's pace so that she was not dragging the brunette behind her again, Chloe and her made short work of weaving through the scattered crowd of students and unfamiliar faces before finding themselves at the drink stand. Putting her free hand on Rachel's shoulder, Chloe nearly took a step back when Rachel gave her a dark look before the blonde realized who was trying to get her attention. Visibly brightening up a little, Rachel gave Chloe and Max a small grin before pulling them both in for a hug.
"Oh, I'm so glad you both came!" Rachel exclaimed, squeezing them both as tightly as Chloe figured the girl could. She was Max's size, after all. "Ugh, this party is just a shitshow all around."
"What else is new?" Chloe teased, the smile on her face diminishing a little when she saw the fairly morose look Rachel gave her in reply. "Okay, what happened?"
"I was hanging out with Frank before the party, y'know, as he's always parked outside to try and attract customers whenever the Vortex throws a bash," Rachel said, looking over at Max as if to explain, "See, um, Nathan gets the cops to avoid the school whenever they throw a party like this. Whenever they throw a party in general, really. Sometimes it's fun, but today has just totally sucked."
"Why?" Max simply inquired, tilting her head slightly to one side out of curiosity. What a snoop, Chloe thought with an amused look on her face. She does have a point in asking, though.
"Frank and I got into it right before the party. He was sampling some of his own product and had, like, a miniature freak-out. Started asking me about how much I hang out with Nathan, with other boys at the school. It's like I told him – I care about him, but I'm a Leo and we don't look back. He can't flip out on me like that and it just be okay. Also, Nathan asked him for a fuck-ton of drugs tonight, so something is going down…"
Chloe gave her friend a puzzled look at the idea of what that 'something' might be. Aside from her and Max barging into the party, Chloe did not really know what else might be happening aside from Nathan Prescott's usual ass-ness and Victoria's consistent bitch attitude. Shrugging, Chloe wrapped her free arm around Rachel's shoulders and pulled the blonde in for a light squeeze of a hug. Hearing Rachel chuckle a little bit, Chloe eased up on her hold so that Rachel could wiggle out of it on her own. They had been tight for years; at one point, Chloe herself had pined for Rachel. Nothing much had come of it, however, as she could not stop thinking about Max. Gotta be honest with myself, at least, Chloe thought as she looked over to her girlfriend and saw the genuine smile on Max's face, Goddamn, I could just stare at that smile for-fucking-ever. Fucking Max Caulfield…
"So, uh, we all three down to crash the VIP or what?" Chloe asked, not noticing Max looking around the party as if she was searching for someone. "I'm itchin' to show Victoria and Nathan up, if ya know what I mean. Dirtbags deserve some payback for all their bullshit."
"I'm not so sure that getting in Nathan's face is the best idea, Chloe," Rachel said, lightly patting her friend on the shoulder in spite of how serious her expression was, "Dude is on a massive trip and only God knows what he has planned for tonight. Besides, Mr. Jefferson is back there as a chaperone so I don't think the three of us tearing into other students will help. I would like to actually graduate from this school, y'know? Not end up stuck in Arcadia Bay."
"Touché," Chloe said before looking over at Max, finally noticing the distant look on her partner-in-crime's face, "Yo, Max. Uh, what're you doing? Spaced out again?"
"No, I'm looking for Kate, but I can't see her anywhere. She said she was going to be here tonight, so I wanted to keep an eye on her, make sure nobody messed with her," Max replied, grimacing when she could not spy her friend anywhere among the crowd, "…Maybe she is in the VIP. We should go and see if she's back there."
"So we are crashing the VIP section, then?" Chloe said with a crooked grin on her face, eyebrow arched when she looked at Rachel with a mischievous gleam in her eyes, "Coming with, Rach?"
"Someone has to keep an eye on you two," Rachel replied as the three of them began to weave their way through the crowd of students towards the curtained area.
Max let go of Chloe's hand out of instinct as she parted the curtain with both of her hands, Rachel distracting the "gatekeeper" at the entrance to the VIP section by bitching her out over not being included in the VIP list. Hearing Chloe behind her as Rachel continued to go off, Max could not help but smirk a little at how fun crashing the exclusive area actually was. I didn't think it would really be that big of a deal, but I'd be full of shit if I didn't say that I'm not getting something of a rush out from this, Max thought as she felt Chloe's fingers intertwine into her own. Closing her hand around Chloe's, it was Max's turn to lead her girlfriend through the dimly lit area.
There were a lot less students in the back, for obvious reasons. The Vortex Club did not let just anybody into their private little escape. Seeing both familiar and unfamiliar faces, Max questioned whether or not she should wave or say hi, lest she give away the fact that she and her girlfriend should not be in the VIP section. Her cautious pace froze, however, when she saw what was happening directly in front of her and Chloe.
"Holy shit…," Max heard Chloe mumble, taking the words right out of Max's own mouth as her jaw just dropped in response.
On a couch, among a group of boys and girls, Kate was holding a glass of wine in one hand while randomly kissing anyone who wanted a kiss as Nathan Prescott recorded everything on his phone, a wicked smile on his face as Victoria and her posse stood beside him with looks of amusement on their faces as they also recorded what was going down. Letting go of Chloe's hand in an instant, Max ran over to where Kate was and quickly hauled her off of a girl, bringing a groggy Kate to her feet.
"Max!" Kate said with a sloppy grin on her face as she leaned in for a kiss only to scowl when Max shook her a little in response to the attempted smooch. "Hey! What're you doing?"
"You're ruining the show, Caulfield!" one student in the dim area cried out.
"Fuck off, nerd!" Nathan Prescott said, lowering his phone. "Let Kate do whatever she wants!"
"Yeah!" Kate said, an ultra-rare moment of agreement with Nathan seeming to sober her up a little. "Wait, what? What was I…?"
"Kate. Are you okay? How much have you had to drink?" Max asked, both hands on Kate's shoulders as she looked her friend in the eye, the crowd around them dispersing as everyone realized the show was over. The dispersement was also accelerated a little by the glares Chloe gave everyone who was still recording Kate while Rachel tried to scoop up people's phones to delete the footage.
"Uh…I, um… Just this glass, I-I think…," Kate said, her face now a crimson hue as what she had been up to dawned on her, "Oh my G-"
"No, don't think about it right now. Just… Let's go outside and get you some air," Max said, looking over at Chloe and Rachel, "Can you two give us a minute? We'll be right back."
"Gotcha," Rachel said with a nod as she erased the video from Victoria's phone, Victoria fuming as Chloe held her off.
"Do what ya gotta do, babe," Chloe said as she pushed Victoria back into Taylor and Courtney when the girls made feeble attempts at regaining Victoria's phone.
Max led Kate out through the girls' locker room, the area thankfully devoid of partygoers as they weaved through the sinks, stalls, and lockers themselves until they were out in the small breezeway between the entrance to the gym and the exit outside. The faint glow of the vending machines from inside coupling with the moonlight, both girls were illuminated in a mixture of pale light and electric shades of yellow and red. Max, a hand on Kate's shoulder, paused in her movement towards the exit when Kate stopped walking first.
"Uh, Kate?" Max asked, concern lining her face as her friend looked up at her in obvious embarrassment, "Hey, you're not that kind of a person. There's no way that someone did not spike your drink…roofie you…"
"Max…?" Kate asked, still seeming a little out of it, "W-Where are you going with this-?"
"Someone did something to your drink; that's my point," Max said firmly before smirking a little, "Unless you suddenly decided to join the cast of Girls Gone Wild…"
"Ew! Gross!" Kate exclaimed, though the faint grin on her face reassured Max that her friend had caught the joke as it was intended, "No, I-I don't know what came over me. I… I was handed a glass of wine by…by… I can't remember. I drank some of it…and the next thing I really know is you were suddenly there, talking to me. Everything in between is hazy…and gross…"
Slipping out of Max's grasp, Kate moved to stand in front of the brunette and clasped her hands over Max's with a look of relief on her face.
"Bless you, Max! Who knows what would've happened if you had not stepped in," Kate said, her eyes wide and full of a light that had not been there a moment ago. The sight was good for Max, as it told her all she needed to know. She's still Kate Marsh, Max thought as Kate went on, "I just… I wish I could remember who had handed me that drink…"
"We'll figure that out later. For now-"
"You two alright? I saw some of the commotion and thought I'd come to check on you," Mark Jefferson said, worry lining his forehead as he took in the sight of Max and Kate in the small breezeway, "Kate, are you okay?"
"I-I will be, thanks to Max," Kate said, a faint blush on her cheeks as she quickly withdrew her hands from their hold on Max's, "U-Uh, sorry for bothering you with something so stupid, Mr. Jefferson."
"Oh, Kate, of course I'm always concerned when it comes to the well-being of my students," Jefferson said, placing a hand on Kate's shoulder after she had moved to stand by Max, "And bravo to you Max, standing up for a friend in such a powerful manner."
"Uh, thanks…?" Max said, a little concerned as to the attention Mr. Jefferson was giving the two of them. Alone, the three of them stood in the breezeway and Max found herself disliking the way the lights did not seem to penetrate the lenses of Mr. Jefferson's glasses. Turning around to lead Kate out of the gym and towards the dorms, Max winced when she felt a prickling sensation on the side of her neck and began to feel dizzy. Her vision blurring, Max could somewhat make out Kate passing out quickly as she crumpled to the floor. Bracing herself against the wall, feeling her consciousness begin to escape her bit by bit, Max pushed past an unknown figure and began to make a run for it.
Running out the door in a haphazard fashion, stumbling over her own feet with nearly every step, Max made it halfway across the campus quad before she crumpled from the lack of strength. Her vision beginning to fade to black, her head on the ground, Max could make out two pairs of feet as the darkness began to envelope her vision…and her mind.
Chloe shoved Taylor off of her one more time for good measure as Rachel finished up with the last of the phones that had recorded Kate's drunken behavior and looked over her shoulder to see if her friend was done. Most of the people who had recorded Kate gave up their phones to Rachel willingly, Chloe had noticed. Must be nice to grow a conscience when the most popular girl in school is pretty much demanding you to do so, Chloe thought with a grimace as a hand pushed into her face.
"Back the fuck off, you goddamn tool!" Chloe barked, Taylor stepping away quickly under the ferocity of Chloe's tone. The Vortex Club may have numbers, but most of them just wanted to chill and get drunk; nobody felt like actually fighting, let alone with Chloe Price.
"That's the last one!" Rachel said, tossing the phone back to Taylor with a wink and a smile, "Nice one too, dickhead. Putting the video on a cloud drive, thinking I wouldn't go looking there. Such sad, very bad."
"T-This is some kinda harassment!" Victoria cried out, looking to other people aside from Courtney and Taylor for support. Her head on a swivel in an attempt to find sympathy, but seeing that everyone had distanced themselves from her, Victoria fumed. "Ugh! Enough of this bullshit! This party got lame hella fast. Must be the crowd."
Taking note of Victoria's choice of words and pointed look in her direction, Chloe gave the blonde her best middle-finger presentation, making it look as though she were applying lipstick while giving her the bird, and snorted a little when Victoria huffed and stormed out of the VIP section with her entourage.
"So, uh, did you see which way Max went?" Chloe asked Rachel as her friend wrapped an arm around her shoulder, the platform boots Rachel was wearing with her an old punk outfit managing to balance out their height difference.
"Uh, nah. I didn't. T'was busy erasing Kate's shenanigans from near everybody's phones. What was that, by the way? Didn't know Kate had it in her…," Rachel said, her expression turning from one of amusement to puzzlement and contemplation.
"Shit," Chloe said in reply, trying to look through the dim lighting for signs of her girlfriend. Seeing Justin hanging near an exit leading to the girls' locker room, she disengaged herself from Rachel and instead led her friend by the hand as they headed over to their mutual friend, "Yo, Justin! You seen Max and Kate? They were just here, right?"
"Uh, what?" Justin said, clearly high out of his mind as he blinked a few times before realizing he was being spoken to. "Oh, uh, hey Chloe. Rachel. Why don't you two party with me and the other guys anymore? You two too cool for that sorta shit now?"
Rolling her eyes at Justin's stoner drawl, Chloe tapped him on the forehead with a finger to try and snap the skater boy out of it.
"Dude, for real. Where's Max?" Chloe asked, her irritability on the rise as she began to fidget from losing her patience.
"Um, Max headed off with Kate, like, just a few minutes ago. You might still catch 'em. Went through here," Justin said, motioning to the girls' locker room with a sheepish expression on his face, "Sorry. Kinda baked."
"Nah, dude, it's cool," Rachel said, brokering peace between the other two as Chloe looked ready to bite Justin's head off while the boy remained blissfully clueless that he was in the blue-haired girl's crosshairs, "C'mon, Chlo. Let's go looking for Max and Kate."
Heading out the girls' locker room and into the small space before the breezeway leading outside, Chloe looked around for any signs of her girlfriend or the Marsh girl. Where the fuck did you go, Max? Chloe asked herself as she looked worriedly at Rachel. Seeing sympathy in her friends' eyes, Chloe tried to smile but failed as there were no signs whatsoever of Max or Kate.
"Maybe they headed back to the dorms. Kinda seems logical," Rachel commented as they went through the gym doors leading outside, walking in the direction of the girls' dormitory, "Where else would Max take her? I mean, really, where?"
"I just want to find my girlfriend and call this night a wash," Chloe blurted out in a frustrated exhalation of air, "You don't… You don't think-"
"Chloe, stop. You're freaking yourself out," Rachel said, hand on Chloe's shoulder as they continued walking, "Wait, hold up. Isn't that-?"
"The camera! Max's camera, th-the one I gave her!" Chloe cried out as she ran the short distance to where it laid on the ground, discarded, "The fuck? She'd never leave her camera just lying here. This is hella wrong, Rachel."
"Then where in the fuck are they?" Rachel asked as Chloe knelt next to her, both girls looking at the ground where the camera had been before Chloe had picked it up.
Before Rachel could even say a word, Chloe went at a dead sprint towards the girls' dormitory. Not bothering to wait for Rachel to catch up, Chloe wound her way up the stairs two at a time and all but tore the door to Max's floor down as she barreled right through it. The slam echoing through the empty hallway, Chloe stood alone at the threshold, panting from the run, and walked briskly towards Kate's door first. Ignoring the fact that it was unlocked, Chloe swung it open and immediately noted that it was dark and devoid of people before shutting it and heading to Max's.
"Please…Please be there…," Chloe said under her breath, voice thick with worry as she grabbed the doorknob and grumbled when the locked door refused her entry, "Goddamn door! Max! Max, you in there?! Max?!"
"Chloe…," a voice said from the other end of the hallway and Chloe's head snapped over to see Rachel, her moment of relief that it might be Max drained immediately as her friend slowly approached, looking as though she was nursing a sprained ankle, "Knew I couldn't run in these boots…but…I had to catch up… Fuck. They're not here, right?"
"Where. The fuck. Is. Max?" Chloe growled, slamming her clenched fist against Max's door.
Max could feel warmth radiate across her body as she began to regain consciousness, before pain and a heaviness rode along with the surge of waking up. Eyelids opening slowly, almost against her demand they open, Max found herself behind the girls' dormitory with Kate lying down in a similar state. Her clothes a mess, disheveled along with her hair and what felt like her entire being, Max tried to remember what had happened the night before but could only get as far as her and Kate heading out of the girls' locker room after she had taken Kate away from the VIP section of the Vortex Club party. Tasting an odd flavor in the back of her dry throat, Max opened and closed her mouth in a vain attempt to get rid of the sour taste while Kate carefully sat up. Still lying on the ground, Max looked over at Kate and noticed red lines on the girl's ankles and wrists before she sluggishly lifted her own arms up and saw the same on her own wrists.
"The fuck…?" Max grumbled in a low voice as she too sat up, "K-Kate? Are you okay?"
"…How did we get around to the back of the dorm? Last thing I remember… something about getting out of the party… Max, did you lead me around the back?" Kate asked, her eyes wide open and ablaze with quiet fury.
"Kate, calm down. I dunno what happened; last thing I remember was leading you through the girls' locker room," Max said, wincing as a massive headache made itself known, "I'm as in the dark as you."
Instinctively, almost an afterthought, Max rubbed the side of her neck and felt a small twinge of soreness near the back. Were we…Were we drugged? By who? …Oh shit…, Max thought as the lingering incoherence faded away. Looking over at Kate, Max knelt by the teary-eyed blonde and saw the small dot on the side of the girl's neck. Holy fucking shit. We were drugged. But for what reason? Helping Kate up in spite of the girl seeming to want nothing to do with her, Max frowned when Kate tossed her helping hand aside after they were both standing.
"Kate-"
"No! This… Whatever happened, it has to be your fault!" Kate said, her voice unusually raised to the point that Max looked around to ensure no one was watching from any vantage point. "Last thing I remember is being led away by you, Max! I… I thought you were my friend…"
"I am your friend, Kate," Max said, placing a hand tentatively on Kate's shoulder, "I got you out of the party after you were drugged. You don't remember that, me asking about your drink after you were…uh…getting into stuff?"
"…What stuff? Oh, the whole night is like one big blur…," Kate said, hand to her forehead as she squeezed her eyes shut, "I'm…sorry, Max. I blew up on you, but you look as confused as I feel."
"How about we just head upstairs into the dorm and get cleaned up?" Max asked, wrapping an arm around her friend as they walked around to the front of the building and headed inside.
Leading Kate along, arm wrapped around her friend's shoulders, Max took her time in getting them into the dorm once they had sorted themselves out. Her head pounding from whatever she had been knocked out with, Max could not precisely remember being drugged, nor by who, but she did somehow know that was what had happened. A deep scowl plastered across her face as they arrived thankfully at their floor, Max led Kate into the other girl's room before she walked into her own to find Rachel and Chloe passed out; Chloe was asleep in Max's bed while Rachel was sprawled on the futon couch. In spite of the situation, Max could not help but snicker a little at the display before closing the door. Seeing Chloe stir, Max walked over and took a seat next to where Chloe was laying down, stroking her girlfriend's blue hair after discarding the beanie.
"M-Max…?" Chloe asked, half asleep as she opened her eyes and blinked a few times. "…Dude, w-where'd you go?"
"Chloe, um, we need to talk," Max said, gulping as the severity in her voice caught the other girl's attention. Suddenly very awake and very alert, Chloe sat up and slid off the bed, taking in Max's slightly disheveled state…and the marks on her. Watching Chloe wake up Rachel, Max tried to cover up the marks on her wrists with her hoodie; when Chloe tried to show them to Rachel, Max flinched and pulled away, eliciting a pained look on her girlfriend's face.
"Max, lemme see? Please?" Rachel asked, kneeling down in front of the seated brunette. With a sullen nod from her, Max pulled her sleeves up just enough to give a peek of the marks on her wrists before quickly dragging her sleeves down so that the tips of her fingers were barely showing. "Shit. What the fuck happened to you and Kate? I-Is she okay?"
At that, Max finally broke down and began to cry. She wanted nothing more than to be alone, to wail and scream and rage at what might have been done to her; however, she was not alone and could not just up and kick her girlfriend and close friend out without an explanation of some sort. It'd tear both of them apart if I just threw them out right now. Besides, I need to know what happened to me and Kate…and I don't think I can do it alone..., Max thought as she sighed and put a hand to her head, shaking the last cobwebs out before wiping the tears off her face.
"I-I think that Kate and I were drugged," Max stated morosely, her voice breaking as another bout of crying threatened to erupt, "I-I had gotten Kate out of the main gym, a-and we were leaving the building. I… I don't remember the rest, save that I was scared and there was someone else with us. Oh God, Chloe, I was drugged…"
"Hey," Chloe said, quickly taking Rachel's spot in front of Max as she knelt down while Rachel sat in Max's office chair with a dumbstruck look on her face. A hand pressed to her cheek, Max opened her reddening eyes to see Chloe looking at her with such great affection and care that the brunette could not help but smile a little. Just a hint, though, "I'm right here, a-and Rachel's here too. Rach, can you go grab Kate and bring her here, see if she's okay?"
"Yeah. I'm hella ready to find the fucker that would do something like this," Rachel said, her teeth gritted as she swung the door to Max's room open and left it open as she stormed off to Kate's room.
The young couple left alone, Max let her head lean into Chloe's shoulder and sighed despairingly when Chloe wrapped an arm around her. She tried to formulate in her head what happened, but everything was such a blur to her that nothing made sense. There was someone with us, in the gym. We…we made it as far as the vending machines and… I can't remember. Why can't I remember? What was I drugged with? Feeling the small spot on her neck that still generated the tiniest amount of soreness, Max started to cry again as Chloe held onto her as though their lives depended on it.
Chloe knew rage; the emotion was an old friend to her after her father had died and Max had left for Seattle shortly after, so when the feeling came she did not shun it. Holding onto Max with one arm, her cheek pressed against her girlfriend's as she drew the smaller girl in, Chloe's free hand was balled into a shaky fist. She wanted to punch something, smash something. Anything was better than being there at that moment, but Max needed her so Chloe stayed for her girlfriend's sake. This is so fucking unfair, Chloe thought as her vision threatened to turn into a red haze, she was so furious, Max is, like, one of the gentlest people I know. She's sweet and kind to everyone, or at least she tries to be. Who the fuck would do something like this? Pressing Max even more tightly against her, Chloe let out a choked sob of her own as a scream threatened to emerge from her throat. Only halfway picking up on Max tapping at her shoulder, Chloe blinked a few times before she released the smaller girl so that Max could breathe.
"Shit, I'm sorry, babe," Chloe said, a hand on Max's shoulder. She tried to ignore the flinch Max gave when Chloe reached out to touch her, "I'm… I'm just hella pissed off about this whole fucking thing. You seriously have no clue as to who would do this?"
"No, Chloe, I don't!" Max spat, immediately putting a hand to her mouth afterwards before she leaned her forehead against her girlfriend's. "I… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to blow up at you. I-I just don't know what to do."
"We obviously need to find out who did this and make the motherfucker pay," Chloe said in a cold voice before she numbly kissed Max on the forehead while Rachel and Kate arrived, the quiet blonde girl a mess of tears and her traditional bun taken down with Rachel putting an arm around her, "Uh, Kate, I don't suppose you-"
"She doesn't remember anything, either," Rachel said, her tone of voice underlying the dark thoughts Chloe figured were running through her friend's head, "Chloe, the fuck are we going to do about this?"
"Find some goddamn answers, and make whoever the hell did this motherfucking pay…"
The four girls were left alone in the opened room as dawn began to break, the sun thinly showing itself with Max and Kate in tears while Rachel and Chloe fumed.
Author's Note -
Yes, I went there. Partly. I refused to write the actual scene, leaving it up to future installments that will reveal what happened in the time between Max slipping into unconsciousness and waking up the next morning with Kate. Suffice it to say, you might be in for a surprise..and a bit of relief... Like I said in previous author's notes for this story, the further I've been brainstorming it and the more I've written the less I've wanted to do a full-blown slice-of-life story and more something akin to what I did with the Teenage Dirtbag series. Deal with real issues, i.e. mental health, substance abuse, etc. Besides, I already did a long-ass slice-of-life story and would like to change the tone and pace.
See you in the next installment!
Stay Hella, Cinnamon Rolls!