A/N: I don't want to make promises, but hopefully I'll be updating the story weekly, or at least biweekly.
We Apologize for the Interruption
"Last week a video of me came out, I'm sure you've heard of it," Kate continued to speak, pausing for the laugh she knew was going to happen. "For a while I was really sad about it, but then I realized, if I'm really like that why not embrace it?"
Nathan suddenly punched Chloe.
The blue-haired girl stumbled backwards before falling on her back. Nathan took off running, but didn't get far before Warren tripped and threw himself on top of him. He started punching him over and over.
"S-Stop it!" the Vortex Club boy cried.
"It's not that funny anymore, right?" Warren yelled as he kept going. "It's not fun when you're the one getting hurt, right?! Motherfucker!"
"P-Please... stop..." Nathan begged weakly. "The... basement... below... they're there..."
"Warren, that's enough," Maximilian put a hand on his friend's shoulder. He shook it off. "We need to save Kate."
With a clear effort he stopped. He shook his head and. "You're right."
"Sorry, Nathan," Maximilian told the boy, who was curled into a ball and crying. "We'll talk about this later.
"Let's go, every- where's Max?" he looked around, but the girl was gone.
"All right, then, here we go."
Kate smiled again and took off her jacket as three boys, covering their faces with ski masks, joined her on the screen. Her smile grew bigger, but he noticed it didn't reach her eyes. In fact...
"H-Hey, man, she's crying..."
"This isn't fun anymore..."
The group suddenly looked around. Without their noticing the laughter had died down; in its place was a nervous energy, bordering on fear.
"Somebody stop it!"
As if that person had willed it, a banging started somewhere off-screen. The boys with Kate briefly glanced at the source before going back to the girl. There was screaming, but the words were muffled beyond recognition. But the voice...
"That's Max!" Chloe exclaimed.
They ran to the basement accompanied by everyone at the party booing the video.
"...having a breakdown?"
"Maybe we took it too far..."
"I'm gonna throw up..."
Maximilian managed a small smile as they reached the stairs. They finally feel bad about it. He took out his phone and texted David, gym basment. They stumbled down the stairs, barely keeping their balance in their rush.
"Here!" Max called when they reached the floor. She was next to a door with a light under it.
The three ran at full speed and slammed against it one after the other, but nobody could make it budge.
"Fuck!" Chloe screamed.
"At the same time!" Warren ordered. "One! Two! Three!"
The three slammed against the door together, and with a loud bang it finally gave in. It fell on the floor along with them.
Kate had unbuttoned her shirt, the garment hanging loose on her shoulders. She was on her knees, reaching for one of the boys, who were only on their shorts. When they crashed into the room she looked at them, and a small spark of hope flashed in her eyes before she looked away.
"What the fuck?!" one of the boys, Logan by his voice, cried in shock a second before Maximilian tackled him to the ground. The other two started helping their friend when Chloe and Warren threw themselves against them.
"What are you...?" Kate started asking before Max embraced her.
"It's okay, Kate," she pulled away and started buttoning the girl's shirt. "Everything's okay now."
Meanwhile the fight continued. The football players were faster and stronger, but by sheer will and adrenaline Maximilian and the others kept them on the ground.
"Let go!" Logan, his mask long gone, punched him on the ribs, knocking the air out of him, and pushed him off. He tried to get up and run, but the boy grabbed the football player's leg and pulled, sending them back to the floor. "Fuck!"
"That's enough!" someone shouted, his voice commanding. Maximilian smiled in relief and rolled over, trying to catch his breath.
David had arrived.
"None of you move a muscle," he ordered the Vortex Club members before looking at the rescuers. "Everyone okay? Chloe?"
"We're fine... David," the blue-haired girl said, resting with her back against the wall. "Thanks for coming."
"Yeah, thanks big time," Warren said on the floor.
Maximilian struggled to get on his feet and staggered to where Max and Kate were standing. "Hey."
"Hi..." Kate started looking down, then met his gaze expectantly.
The second they held each others' eyes stretched for an eternity. His mind raced, looking for the right to thing to say. But what words could make her feel better? What words could wash away everything that happened? There weren't any. There was no erasing it. The only thing to do was to move forward.
He gave her a small smile. "These philistines bothering you?"
Kate blinked. "That's not the right..." she burst out laughing. She hugged him, still guffawing loudly, and joined her, putting his arms around her.
He heard a click but didn't bother with it. The only thing that mattered at the moment was that Kate was safe, and that her laughter was like a rainbow at the end of a storm.
