Chapter Twelve
Four Twenty

The phone was ringing in Clayton Bradshaw's office. Possibly the only rotary phone left in existence, its strident trill was loud and unmistakable. It had to be, in order to stand apart from the cacophony of pneumatic tools and heavy thuds of engine parts that pounded out a discordant rhythm further back in the garage.

Giving one final jerk on a breaker bar that he was currently using to argue off a stubborn lug nut, Clayton lumbered over to the office with a staggered limp, not quite incapacitating but definitely enough to slow him down after the hard living of his younger years. He had broad shoulders and thick, meaty arms that had thrown footballs and punches in equal measure. Nowadays they served him well whenever power tools were unavailable.

He finished pushing open the door with a bump from his shoulder and plopped down in an old black pleather chair that had been picked at enough to expose the cushioning, and never scabbed over. Wiping his hands off using an already soiled rag, he clutched the phone in one greasy paw and held it up to his ear.

"Discount Auto Repair, Clayton Bradshaw speaking. How may I help you?"

"What do you have for me Mr. Bradshaw?"

He recognized the voice on the other end of the line immediately, shifting into a more formal posture even though the other party had no means of seeing him.

"Just what you need," he said, retrieving a key from underneath the forest of documents that covered his desk, swiveling around in his chair and unlocking a small metal filing cabinet, from which he produced a thin manila folder. He moved back to his desk and opened it, reviewing its contents before continuing. "Tight-lipped, no priors, and best of all she's the kind of kid no one suspects. They'll never see her coming."

"Do you trust her?"

"I trust that she's interested in the carrot I dangled in front of her. You know how scholarship kids are. Anything for a buck. Doesn't ask for much, either."

"Money is no object."

He laughed out loud. "Isn't this all about money?"

There was a long silence, during which Clayton's smirk faded.

"Don't push me, Mr. Bradshaw, or I'll have your entire operation shut down within twenty four hours, and the next time we speak it will be through the two-way glass in the visiting room of a federal prison."

Clayton knew that the person on the other end of the line could, and would. "Alright, don't get your panties in a wad. Should I set it up?"

Another long pause.

"Hello?"

"Set it up."

"You got it. I'll send you the bill once it's done."

There was a click, then a dial tone. Clayton reached out with one curled finger and began to rotate the dial, occasionally referring back to the number written in the file.

Neither the impending conversation, nor the one preceding it, had anything to do with auto repair.

A song flowed out of the alarm clock like a soft breeze, filling the entire room and waking the two young women who lay atop the covers, clad in remnants of their clothing from the night before. Chloe had removed her shirt and pants entirely, while Rachel's tank top barely touched her thighs as she lay face down, somehow still angelic even with her ass hanging out. Chloe propped a pillow against the wall and sat up, admiring the view.

"Mmmmmm…." Rachel moaned, arching her back as she stretched out, rising to her hands and knees before crawling over to Chloe. "Good morning."

"Good morning." They leaned towards each other, sharing a brief wake-up kiss, followed immediately by a much longer, sloppier one. "So that wasn't a dream."

"Nope." Rachel tumbled backwards, sitting cross-legged across from her. "Did you sleep well?"

"Honestly? I don't think I've ever slept better. I could get used to this."

"So could I. We still need to tell Max before we go any further, though. She'll have a lot of catching up to do as it is."

Chloe sighed and relaxed, melding further with the wall. "I still can't wrap my head around how that's gonna work. People will either think we're all cheating on each other, or they'll think we're a bunch of freaks like those cults where some dude has like thirty wives. It's enough of a headache just explaining the gay thing. Which I still haven't told my mom, by the way."

Regarding her with a charming, effervescent grin, Rachel laughed. "Since when do you give a fuck what Arcadia assholes think of you?"

"It's not me I'm worried about. I don't know if I could handle people saying mean shit about you or Max. I'd want to fight all of them, and I don't think that's physically possible."

"Then it's a good thing you're dating two girls with superpowers," she replied, tugging on the bottom of her shirt and exposing the valley between her breasts just enough for Chloe's spine to tingle. "Besides, people talk shit about us anyway. They're just jealous."

"If you say so. I can't wait to wrap up this whole mystery so we can finally leave this hellhole."

"Me too."

She swung her legs up in a wide arc, depositing both of them on the floor and bending over in a very impractical but also very alluring way that she wouldn't have done if they were still just friends. Chloe smirked wryly and rolled out of bed herself, smacking Rachel on the ass as she did so. The other girl let out a small yelp, but was still smiling when she rose, and gave Chloe a wink.

"Yeah," said Chloe, fishing her clothes off the floor and throwing a shirt over her head. "I could definitely get used to this."

"I need to take a shower before school," she said as she rose with a fresh pair of jeans clutched in her hands. "Care to join me?"

Her mind went entirely blank for a second, and Chloe stared at her with eyes wide as dinner plates. "Are you serious?"

She only smirked, brushing past her on her way to the door.

"Holy shit, you're serious."

From the hallway, Rachel leaned back into the room. "You coming or what?"

Resisting the urge to crack the stupid joke that immediately popped into her head, Chloe nodded vigorously and started after her. "Hell yeah."

Meanwhile in a different bedroom, a different pair of teenage girls were waking up on a couch, leaning against each other. Kate had nestled her head into Max's shoulder, and Max had rested her own head on top of hers. Blinking awake, she saw the sharp early morning sunlight had already intruded upon them. She sat idle for a minute, until she felt Kate begin to stir, and the two of them gradually drew apart.

"Hey," she said blearily, sending an innocent smile the other girl's way.

"Hey," replied Kate, returning the smile. "Are you feeling better?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Thanks for staying with me all night. I thought I wanted to be alone after everything I went through yesterday, but you showed up just when I needed you."

"I was just returning the favor," she insisted, leaning back and wrapping her hands around one knee. "You and Rachel showed me there are people who still care about me. It gave me the strength to keep going even when things got… overwhelming."

Max's hand went instinctively to her upper back. "What happened to you was messed up, Kate. I'm glad you found the strength to carry on."

"It's getting easier now that Victoria took the video down," she said. "We even talked for a while yesterday. I feel like I understand her better now. She's under so much pressure to live up to her parents, and she feels like she has to hurt other people before they get the chance to hurt her. But I'm glad she realized she'd gone too far. It means there's hope for her."

"I don't know if I'd be able to forgive someone who did that to me."

She nodded solemnly, staring at the floor. "Forgiving her was actually the easy part. My entire faith is centered around forgiveness, and I've always preferred to look for the best in people. Even when things got dark, I never stopped believing that the world is full of good people. Everyday heroes. I just didn't think I belonged in that world after what happened to me."

"I definitely wouldn't want to live in a world without Kate Marsh," she insisted, and the corners of her mouth tugged upward. "Seriously. Thanks for being there for me."

"You're welcome, Max. Did you want to hang out some more today? Victoria mentioned getting lunch together at a little café in town."

"You know what? That actually sounds great. There's something I need to tell both of you, but I never got a chance yesterday."

"Then I'll see you later today." She stood. "If you'll excuse me, I have to go put some actual clothes on."

"And I still have to change out of mine," said Max, briefly grasping her hoodie and stretching it out, giving it a brief sniff. "I'll see you later."

With a parting smile, Kate opened the door and disappeared into the hallway.

Max entered the showers a few minutes later, finding them mercifully empty. Without a word, she made her way into the middle stall, drew the curtains and stripped, letting the warm water cascade down her body.

As she scrubbed herself clean, Rachel's words from yesterday continued to nag at her, but had found new context. She had never thought of herself as exceptionally pessimistic, but everything she'd experienced since discovering her powers had caused her to develop a bit of a nihilistic streak. No matter what she did with them, eventually something went wrong.

But as Chloe reminded her, she needed to remember the good things her powers had done as well. And when she couldn't do that herself, Kate had shown up just when she least expected it. There may not be any larger plan, and it may be impossible to save everybody, but Kate Marsh was living proof that it was absolutely worth it to help others when she had the power to do so. Even if she didn't have superpowers.

Her powers weren't even what saved Kate; thanks to her photo rewind, she had sleepwalked through that entire week in this timeline, and still managed to rescue her by having basic human empathy. By giving a damn.

She had just finished washing her hair when the door opened, and she heard footsteps clacking against the tile as someone walked to the far wall. A quick peek through the curtain showed her it was Brooke, clutching her cell phone tight against her ear. Max did her best not to listen, but with the acoustics in this bathroom it was unavoidable. Or maybe she really was that nosy.

"Yeah." Brooke nodded, listening to the person on the other end of the line. "I took care of it already. She won't see it coming."

From this distance she heard only an indistinct murmur from the phone. Brooke performed a cursory scan around the bathroom, and Max ducked quickly back behind the curtain. "Okay, I'll talk to you later. When can you meet up? Uh-huh. Alright. See ya."

She hung up the phone, and Max held her breath, waiting for her to leave. But she didn't hear any footsteps.

"Is that you in there, Max?"

'Fuck!' Using her powers to escape was no use, since the shower had been running long before Brooke entered, and she hadn't heard anything too weird anyway. For all she knew it could have just been Warren on the other line.

"Uh… yeah."

"Just checking. Are you okay? You ran out of Mr. Jefferson's class in a real hurry yesterday."

'Don't remind me.' At least people cared about her. "I'm fine. It was just a bloody nose."

"If you say so."

Sighing, Max shut off the water and got dressed. Brooke was still standing there with her arms crossed when she exited. "Was there something else you wanted to ask me, Brooke?"

"What kind of bloody nose leads you to ditch school and get back at eleven o'clock? We all heard you last night."

"So much for being a Blackwell ninja," she muttered, chuckling. "I've been under a lot of stress lately. But I'm doing better. Kate checked in on me last night and helped me process some stuff."

"Yeah, people saw her leaving your room earlier."

Max raised an eyebrow. "Are there any secrets at this school?"

"No such luck. Speaking of which, word is Victoria had a meltdown at her improv group on Saturday, then yesterday she took down that viral video of Kate."

She nodded. "I was there. Both times. Kate says they got to talking, and I'm having lunch with both of them later today."

"You're really gonna get lunch with the biggest bully in school?" She stared at her skeptically. "I never would have expected that from you."

"I think Victoria's trying to make a change," said Max, shrugging. "And Kate's forgiven her. Why shouldn't I?"

Brooke frowned. "Leopards don't change their spots, Max. Once a bitch, always a bitch. Victoria's good at manipulating people, but underneath all that she's just plastic. It's funny. Warren actually said you were smart."

"Oh god, not this again." She turned her eyes to the ceiling, groaning in exasperation. Brooke stared at her, confused.

"Huh?"

"Brooke, I have absolutely no romantic interest in Warren," she said very plainly. "We're just friends. You want him? He's all yours."

"But… I didn't say anything about…"

"You didn't have to. I don't know why you feel like you need to have beef with me just because Warren likes me, but I love someone else. You don't need to worry about us getting together. Now can you cut the bullshit? Please?"

She processed that, gradually reassembling her features. "I… I guess so. I'm sorry, Max. I didn't mean to get so jealous. It's just he's always looking at you the way I wish he'd look at me."

"I can't do anything about that," she replied. "But you should tell him how you feel. The worst he can do is say no."

"Do you have any idea how humiliating that would be?"

Max rolled her eyes. "it's just high school, Brooke. None of this matters as much as you think it does."

"I wish I could be as mature as you, Max. You always seem like you know exactly what you're doing."

"Then I've gotten good at hiding how lost I feel all the time," she replied. "Can't we just be friends? Without all the drama?"

Brooke smiled, and they began walking towards the door. "Okay. You actually are pretty cool."

"Thanks. You are too. That drone is awesome."

"Oh, I know. You wanna fly her sometime?"

She smirked. "Hell yes."

Rose Amber was facing the stove when Chloe and Rachel finally found their way downstairs, preparing what looked to be some sort of fancy omelet. Rachel's father was nowhere in sight, and had most likely already gone to work. They were almost out the door when Rose turned around.

"And where do you two think you're going without breakfast?"

"Um, school?" Rachel whirled around, nervously tucking a bit of hair behind her ear. "I have two classes today."

"I'm well aware of your schedule," she said, bringing a pair of plates over to the table. "Which is why I know it doesn't start for another two hours. These are just make-up courses. You don't have to handle a full semester load."

Chloe rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Sorry for trying to duck out early, Mrs. A. We just wanted to hang out before school."

"Which you can do on a full stomach," she insisted. "Come on; it'll all end up in the trash otherwise."

Exchanging a glance, the two of them slumped their shoulders and marched obediently to the dining room, sitting down at the table. Rose joined them after retrieving a plate of her own.

"So tell me ladies: what have the two of you been up to lately? It feels like I hardly ever see you."

"Just school, mostly," Rachel answered, poking awkwardly at her omelet. "Getting ready for college."

"Oh, that reminds me: we still need to send out those applications for next year. Have you narrowed down what you want to major in at least?"

"Theatre, with a minor in fashion modeling," she answered, clearly prepared for such a question despite everything else going on in her life. She'd always been adept at living up to her parents' expectations. "Those programs have a higher acceptance rate, and they'd be willing to overlook the fact that I missed the last semester of senior year."

Rose waved a hand. "Any school admissions office worth its salt will realize that wasn't your fault anyway. You've always been able to accomplish anything you set your mind to, and your father and I believe in you. We're always here for support if you need us."

"Thanks mom."

Even though Rose wasn't the woman who gave birth to her, that didn't make nineteen years of old habits go away. Rachel took a bite of her meal, while Chloe had already cleared half her plate.

"I've been thinking about getting my GED," she revealed after taking a large gulp of orange juice. "Maybe going to one of those vocational schools. I think I'd be pretty good at auto repair."

Rose nodded, turning her attention to her. "I'm sure you would. Rachel tells me you managed to restore that truck of yours after finding it in a junkyard. If you need a letter of recommendation, I'm sure James could put something together."

"Thanks Mrs. A, but I want to get in on my own. I'm either good enough or I'm not."

"An interesting way of looking at it. Would you be staying here in Arcadia Bay?"

Chloe shrugged. "That depends. You know any good auto shops around here? 'Cause I haven't come across even one."

That scored a reaction from Rachel, who snorted a bit.

"Well, I'm sure there are plenty of vocational schools wherever Rachel ends up going. Plenty of opportunities to shower together there too."

Both of them dropped their forks, staring at her in horror as their faces turned beet red.

"Mom!"

"What? Sound travels in this house. I went upstairs to wake you both, and neither of you were in the bedroom. So when I heard laughter from the bathroom…"

Chloe stared at her bug-eyed, fighting to keep her breakfast down. "Please tell me you didn't open the door."

She smirked. "Don't be so embarrassed. You're both nineteen, and I couldn't stop you from fooling around even if I tried. At least this way I don't have to worry about becoming a grandmother before I'm fifty."

"We weren't… fooling around," insisted Rachel. "We haven't gone that far."

"I'm sensing an unspoken 'yet' at the end of that sentence," she replied, still smiling while the two of them sat there feeling like their heads were about to explode. "Like I said, it's not a big deal. I've sensed the relationship between you two was changing for a while now."

"Can we please not talk about this anymore?"

She raised her hands and shrugged. "Just be careful, you two. You don't have to tell your father about this if you don't want to. But like I said, Rachel: we support you, and we're here for you. Both of you."

"Sure, mom. Whatever you say."

"Finish your breakfast, girls. And have fun today."

They devoured the rest of the meal in mortified silence, but for some reason, Chloe couldn't help smiling.

"I have never been more jealous of time travel powers in my life," said Rachel once they were finally outside.

A wry smirk formed on Chloe's face, and she elbowed the other girl's shoulder. "What are you talking about? You've got the coolest mom in the world. I doubt mine would've been that laid back about it."

"As always, I can do no wrong," she said, glowering at her car before unlocking it. They clambered inside, and she turned the keys in the ignition, bringing it to life. "Just once I wish they'd treat me like a real person and not the perfect made-for-tv daughter they think I am. Did you hear her in there? 'We're always here for you if you need us.' Like hell."

"Wait, hold up." Chloe tapped her hands together in a 'time out' motion Rachel finished backing out of the driveway. "You'd rather she not be cool with it?"

"I'd rather she not think of it as a way to make herself look more progressive. In an hour she'll be on Facebook going, 'My daughter is gay! Look how supportive I am!' It's all for show."

"You really think she'd out you like that?"

She scowled, narrowing her eyes at the road in front of her as they travelled towards where Chloe had parked her truck. "Maybe not. But my mom's only a liberal because it gives her a way to have people pat her on the back for doing good, not because she actually gives a shit about any of the causes she supports."

"I dunno. You might not be able to see it, but she does love you."

"As long as I live up to her expectations. Same with my dad."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Oh, give me a fucking break, Rachel. Try having a dead man for a father, a fascist douchebag for a stepdad, and a mom who cares more about forgetting the past than honoring it. I get it; living up to expectations can be tough. But at least your parents actually give a shit."

"No they don't!" The car began to accelerate a little faster. "I've had to lie to them my whole life just so they think I'm someone they can actually be proud of! They have no idea who I am or what I want!"

"Then fucking tell them already. I've got your back."

"Thanks." Her temper abated, and by this time they had come across the truck. "I'll see you later, Chloe."

"Are you mad?"

"I am," she admitted. "But not at you. I think I'll just go to school early and hang out. Do you want to meet me there? We need to talk with Max anyway."

"Sure thing. I'll see you there."

Leaning over, Rachel planted a kiss on her. "See you, hot stuff."

After picking up a few things from her room, Max returned to the hallway at the exact same time as Victoria. They stood there awkwardly for a moment, before the other girl smiled.

"Hello there, Max. Looking fashionable this morning."

"Is that a serious compliment, or are we back to the old ways already?"

She chuckled. "I'm just giving you a hard time. That actually is a pretty good ensemble. You know how to work with what you have."

"And you look ready to walk a runway."

"Well, it's important to maintain appearances." She placed a hand on one hip and fixed her with a concerned look. "Speaking of which, are you doing okay? You ran out of Jefferson's class like you'd rather be anywhere else."

"I wish people would stop asking me that. I just got a bloody nose. It's nothing to worry about."

Victoria shrugged. "I won't pry. It's not like I'm one to talk about dramatic exits."

"Are you doing okay? You looked pretty upset after Jefferson threw shade at you. I didn't mean for that to happen."

"It's fine," she insisted, waving a hand in front of her. "I deserved it. Kinda fucked up that it took getting publicly humiliated myself to make me realize I'd done a really shitty thing to someone who didn't deserve it. Did Kate invite you to lunch?"

Max nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, I don't see any reason to hang around here all morning. None of us have class until the afternoon. Let's go get Kate and I'll show you two how to spend a proper day in this town."

"Sounds like fun."

Victoria grinned. "You have no idea."

Chloe sped down the highway, listening to whatever passed for music on the radio these days. The sky was completely clear, and the sun was shining high, having risen several hours ago. The ghost of a smile lingered on her face, despite having already lost sight of Rachel. She had to stop at home and change before showing her face at Blackwell, even though she wasn't looking to impress anyone but Max.

This whole idea was absolute lunacy; something only Rachel could have come up with. She had to admit, though: given the choice between her childhood best friend and the girl who came along and set her whole world on fire, Chloe wouldn't have been able to pick one over the other. This way she didn't have to.

She was so lost in thought that she didn't register the red and blue lights behind her until the siren finally reached her ears.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck…" Smashing her hands against the steering wheel, Chloe pulled over to the side of the highway, quietly seething as the pursuing vehicle slowed behind her, and eventually they both came to a stop. "Not now, you fucking dingleberries…"

The first thing she noticed about the vehicle behind her was that it wasn't a regular police cruiser. It wasn't even a Crown Victoria, but rather some sort of Lexus painted jet black, with red and blue lights built into the top of the windshield and each of the mirrors. Both doors swung open, and from them emerged a man and a woman wearing generic black and white suits straight out of a bargain bin conspiracy thriller.

The woman was dark-skinned, with naturally curly hair tied up in a raised ponytail. The man next to her was even darker, and wore a pair of mirrored shades that matched the shape of his bald head. Like if Morpheus and Agent Smith had a baby.

They walked to either side of the car, with the woman appearing on the driver's side. She rapped her knuckles against the window, and Chloe sighed, rolling both of them down.

"Is there a problem with my driving?"

The woman shook her head, retrieving a small black wallet and flashing it open, revealing a badge. The man on the other side did the same.

"Special Agent Maria Acevedo, FBI. This here's Special Agent Jerome Bryant. And no, this isn't about the fact that you were speeding, or your numerous unpaid parking tickets. Though that did give us enough of a pretense."

"Then why pull me over?"

"We have reason to believe you've been in contact with a man named Joseph Black Elk," said Agent Bryant, resting his arms against the windowsill on the passenger's side. "I'm afraid we have to ask you to come with us."

She glanced between them, narrowing her eyes. "And what if I don't?"

"Then we'll bring in your friends Maxine Caulfield and Rachel Amber instead," Agent Acevedo replied. "You were the easiest to take into custody due to your existing criminal record, but make no mistake: we will find a reason to drag them in for questioning as well, unless you cooperate."

Now Chloe was the one who wished she had time travel powers.

"Fine. But I know my rights. I'm not telling you shit unless I get a lawyer."

"You're not under arrest, Miss Price. Once you answer our questions, you'll be free to go."

"Yeah, I'm just being strong-armed. Let's just get this over with."

Agent Acevedo nodded. "Please remove the keys from the ignition and exit the vehicle. Agent Bryant will drive it to the destination."

Chloe obeyed, hurling the keys at her from close range. To her credit, the FBI agent snatched them out of the air with no effort, then tossed them through both windows, where the other one caught them.

"You're not getting a tip," she remarked as she was led to the car. "And I'm still not telling you shit."

"That's what you think," said Agent Acevedo, stuffing her into the backseat. The car started a few moments later, and then they were on the move. Chloe glared at the back of her head.

'Fuck.'

Rachel steered her car neatly into the parking spot, with equal clearance on either line. Gathering her things, she exited the vehicle and made her way along the central courtyard, towards the main school building. There was no sense texting Max this early, and she wanted to wait for Chloe to arrive anyway. In the meantime, she had roughly an hour to kill before she was due in class.

Halfway to the main building, she brushed past Stella, who fixed her with a quick smile and a wave, which she returned. She saw Hayden kicking back under a tree, most likely high already. Justin and Trevor were doing their typical skating tricks, but this time Dana was standing nearby and cheering them on. She smiled, as this confirmed that Dana had finally moved on from Logan.

Brooke was in the middle of the courtyard flying her drone, as usual. Ms. Grant stood by the main double doors, and Samuel was busy raking leaves. Zack and Logan were throwing a football back and forth, which went wide and travelled towards her at alarming speed. Her hands flew up and she caught it effortlessly, then threw it back. It sailed through the air, landing in Zack's hands. He gave her a fist pump and a yell, which she returned with her most coquettish smile.

Returning her gaze to the path in front of her, she skidded to a halt just shy of bumping into the last person she wanted to see.

"Ah," said Mr. Jefferson, still clutching his morning coffee. "What a wonderful surprise. Rachel Amber once again graces us with her presence. It's nice to see you."

'Okay, here's the part where all those acting classes pay off.' She didn't let the panic make its way to her face, smiling as naturally as she could. "It's… nice to see you too."

"Something tells me you're a bit distracted this morning."

She nodded. "Oh. Yeah. I just had a long day yesterday. Got a lot on my mind."

"Well, I'm sure it's important, whatever it is. You know I'm always here, if you want to talk about it."

'Please god no.' She ran her hand down the back of her hair. "It's fine, Mr. Jefferson. I've got it under control"

"I've always admired your ability to juggle so many things at once," he said. "But you shouldn't be afraid of sharing that burden with others. If not me, then with someone you feel like you can rely on. You're destined for great things, Rachel. Just don't burn up on your way there."

"I'll take that under advisement," she said, unsure of how much longer she could hide the fact that her skin was crawling. How the fuck could he act this calmly when just knowing what he almost did to her made her want to curl up into a ball and never stop crying? And how could she not have seen it earlier?

More than ever, Rachel wished she could be the one to go back in time.

"By the way, you're close with Max Caulfield, right?"

"Uh…" There was no use denying it. "Yeah. Yeah I am. She's a good friend."

"If you see her, can you ask if she's doing okay? I'm concerned about her after she suddenly left my class yesterday, then disappeared from campus. Has she been acting unusual lately?"

Rachel narrowed her eyes, staring up at him and his disgustingly pretentious glasses. "Maybe. But her secrets aren't mine to tell."

"I understand. I only ask because she's one of my brightest students, and I can't help but worry about all of you. You are the future, after all."

It was getting harder and harder to maintain her composure. Something about the way he was looking at her made her feel unsafe, and she did her best not to look like an animal waiting for an opportunity to flee. She glanced over to Ms. Grant, wondering how subtly she could attract her attention to save herself from having to spend one more second standing here.

"Well, I won't take up any more of your time," said Jefferson. "I'm sure you have better things to do than listen to an old man try and be hip with the kids. I hope I'll see you later."

'I hope you burn in hell.'

She didn't say anything in parting, just nodded and waved. As soon as he was an appropriate distance away, she ran to the main doors, and made a beeline for the bathroom. The door exploded open, and after quickly confirming that no one was there to see it, she dove towards the nearest toilet and threw up her breakfast.

After rinsing out her mouth, washing her face, and taking several deep breaths, Rachel emerged from the bathroom looking no worse for wear. She moved through the main foyer area and into the hall, with only a few minutes before she had to get to class. Max and Chloe would have to wait.

She avoided the glances of Evan, Alyssa, Brooke, Warren, and everybody else in the hall, marching forward with a single-minded determination. The general din of the hall became muted as she shut it out, like she was buried underground.

Rachel had thought she was ready to face Jefferson, even after knowing what he'd done to all those girls, and almost done to her. Hell, she'd stood two feet away from Nathan without a problem. Why was Jefferson different?

'You know why.'

Grimacing, she silenced her inner voice and kept walking. She heard sounds but not words next to her ear, and only once he stepped in front of her did she realize David Madsen had been trying to get her attention.

"I said, are you listening to me, young lady?"

She blinked. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Get out of your head for a minute and pay attention. I need you to bring me to your locker."

"What? Why?"

Planting his hands on his hips, David towered over her and glared. "The security hotline received an anonymous tip that you were hiding something in there that's against school policy. Now you can either open it for me, or I can do it."

"I don't know what you expect to find," she said. "I barely even use that thing."

"Just show me where it is."

She threw her arms out to the side. "Fine." She led him over to it. "It's right here."

"Open it."

Maybe it was the way he said it. Maybe it was her issues with her parents. Maybe it was the fact that she just had to spend twenty minutes in the bathroom after only a brief encounter with Mr. Jefferson. Or maybe she just didn't feel like putting up with the world's bullshit anymore.

For whatever reason, Rachel crossed her arms and glared defiantly up at him. "No."

David reared back as if struck. "No?"

"No. I don't have to comply with unlawful search and seizure. Fourth amendment."

Pinching the bridge of his nose, David sighed long and loud. "First off, this is a private institution, not a government one. Students don't have any expectation of privacy when it comes to lockers they don't even own. Second, I don't need your help to open it."

He pulled out his phone, and began to scroll through it. "I'm not nearly as old-fashioned as you kids think. The combinations to all these lockers are stored on a secure database, which I have access to. There's even an app for it."

"Well, congratulations on making it to the twenty-first century."

"Aha," he said a few seconds later, staring at the phone screen. "There it is."

"David, what the hell?" Rachel snapped as he rotated the dial on the lock. "There's nothing in my locker. This is a serious invasion of privacy. I ought to call my dad and—"

The lock clicked open, and he pulled open the locker, fishing around inside.

By this time a small crowd had gathered, watching the head of security rummage through the locker of the most popular girl in school. Hushed murmurs scurried through the group like mice, just barely loud enough for her to catch the gist of it. As if she didn't already know what they were saying. A few of them had pulled out phones and begun documenting the event.

A small chuckle escaped him, and he pulled out a large ziploc bag containing roughly two pounds of a green, plant-like substance. He held it to his nose and sniffed.

"That's marijuana alright."

Rachel's expression had turned from anger to genuine fear. "That's not mine."

"Then maybe you'd like to explain to Principal Wells how it got there," he said, grabbing her roughly by the arm. "Let's go, missy."

"Hey, let go of me!" she protested as David dragged her down the hall. "What the fuck are you all looking at?"

They disappeared down the hall, turning the corner to the principal's office. Staring after them, Brooke elbowed Warren in the stomach. "Holy shit. We need to tell Max. Now."

"Why?"

"Just trust me on this," she replied, and they headed towards the dorms.