The few weeks that followed were mostly uneventful for the girls. They'd found since the day of their big 'announcement' that not much had really changed. Max was perhaps more confident about kissing her friend and prone to doing it more often, but beyond that they were still just Max and Chloe, partners in crime and time. Chloe had her bad days when Nick was at work, but coming home with her Max always made those days easier to ignore.
The blue-haired girl was tidying up the empty store, mopping and sterilising. Hoss had gone to run an errand, confident now that she could handle whomever came in. The person who did come in was Nick, bursting through the back door of the shop, completely wasted. He staggered a little when he walked and his eyes darted around wildly. "Where the fuck's Hoss?" he slurred angrily.
"Had to go and do something. He said he wouldn't be long." Chloe said, trying to avoid him and keep to herself. She could tell he wasn't exactly stable at the moment.
"So he leaves you alone here? In my shop?" Nick snapped. "Some young bitch running my fucking shop?" Chloe started to feel nerves in the pit of her stomach. Nick was always an ass, but today he was a mess. She kept her head down and went on wiping the bench without saying anything. "I'm fucking talking to you, bitch," he yelled, grabbing Chloe's arm and turning her roughly to face him.
"Nick! Chill man. It's cool," she said maintaining an even voice. She knew the anger she was feeling probably wouldn't help her situation and tried instead to calm the man down.
"Chill? Yeah I bet you wanna chill." In an instant, Nick's mood had gone from aggressive to something even worse. "You need to chill with a real man, don't you? Fuck yeah! You all do," he leaned closer to the young punk, leering menacingly. Chloe felt the bench behind her, preventing her from adding some much wanted distance.
"No, I don't. Not at all, Nick. Please, just stop ok?" Chloe tried again to calm the man.
"Bullshit! Look at you. You need a man to get you off...not some little girl," he said moving closer so he was almost against her.
"Back off dude, please. Seriously. Just back the fuck off," Chloe implored as her left hand slipped gently down into her back pocket.
"Don't ever tell me what to do, slut!" anger mixed again with the junkie's words. "You know what? I don't think I wanna let your pretty ass go to waste like that," he said, reaching out his hand and grabbing Chloe's belt, pulling her towards him.
The fingers in her pocket clasped cold steel. Her old flick-knife, one she used to carry with her everywhere until about six months ago. Since she first met Nick however, she'd brought it with her to work every day. Her faithful old 'back-up plan'. In the same moment that she was pulled towards him, Chloe drew the knife and pressed the release button in one easy, practiced motion. Allowing herself to be dragged forward, she leant in to her would-be assailant until the blade of her knife was pressed with foreboding force beneath Nick's sternum, stretching the skin under his ribcage. "I fucking warned you." she hissed.
"Are you...fucking serious?" Nick stumbled angrily, caught off guard.
"Come on and find out then, you little fucking bitch!" Chloe now had nothing to restrain her fury and she spat the words at the older man. "Come on! I've cut up much worse mother fuckers than your sorry trashed ass. Come on!" Her mind went to Jefferson and his dark room. The similarities. She remembered Rachel and it only further added to her vitriol. Chloe pressed the knife even more firmly into Nick's stomach forcing him to back away. Instead of letting him go however, she followed, continuing to push him on the point of her blade. "Not such a man now, are you? Come at me, bro. No? Thought not," she sneered as she reached out her right arm, shoving the wiry man's chest. "Fucking little bitch!" she snarled as Nick lost his already unstable footing and fell to the floor.
Chloe backed towards the front entrance of the shop, glaring at Nick the whole time. "Fuck you...psycho cunt!" Nick yelled angrily, struggling to his feet.
"You're welcome to come and fucking try again. Please. Give me a fucking excuse!" Chloe screamed back, deliberately stopping in her tracks and taking a couple of steps towards the now obviously fearful man. She stared threateningly, her eyes ablaze with unbridled malice. "No?...Fine! You're so fucking pathetic...little man." she said, storming from the shop and out to her truck. She folded the blade away, forcing it back into her pocket before getting in and driving off angrily.
~oOo~
Chloe pulled up outside the camera store and sat, shaking and crying. She was furious. She felt violated. She'd lost the job she loved and almost stabbed someone in the process. It was only 3 o'clock and Max wasn't due to finish for a couple of hours. She allowed herself to sit there and cry for a while. And to slowly regain her composure. Her frustration and the desire to see her partner meant she didn't wait long. Smoking half a cigarette before throwing the rest away, she got out of the truck and wiped her eyes.
Max had been enjoying a happily routine day of weird and interesting conversations and her usual musings at the stock. The door to the shop opened and Max looked up to see her friend looking dishevelled and shaken. Whilst she wasn't crying, her red, puffy eyes showed that she had been recently.
"Chloe!" Max ran to her friend and held her close.
Walter, also noticing the girl's state offered helpfully, "Oh my dear girl. Are you ok? Would you like a cup of tea? ...mescaline?"
"Walter!" Peter interrupted incredulously.
"Um...maybe?" A faint smile crossed Chloe's lips, "I'm ok, thank you."
"Chloe, are you ok? What happened?" Max asked, her voice filled with concern.
"It's alright. We'll talk later. I just...needed to see you," Chloe said, thankful just to be holding her friend.
Peter interrupted the two from across the room. "Hey Max, why don't you take the afternoon off. Walter and I will be fine," he called out.
"Are you sure?" Max asked graciously.
"Of course dear," Walter agreed, "You two run along."
"Thank you so much, guys. I'll see you in the morning." Max smiled, taking the opportunity to drag her friend from the shop.
"Thanks," Chloe said appreciatively to the two men.
~oOo~
"Are you alright?" Max asked again as soon as they were outside.
"Not really," her friend answered despondently, "I lost my job."
"What? How? It was going so well," a shocked Max enquired.
"Nick. The little piece of shit." Chloe snarled.
"He fired you?" the younger girl asked, surprised.
"Well not exactly. I just assume since I pulled my knife on him, that I won't be going back."
Max was stunned, "What the hell happened?"
"He was wasted on some shit or other. Hoss was out and I was stuck there with him on my own. He started fucking creeping on me," the older girl's voice was growing emotional. "He backed me into a corner and I thought...he was...so I stuck my fucking blade in his chest. Well, not in. I fucking wish."
Max grabbed her friend and held her tight. Mostly to comfort her partner, but partly to ease her own fears. The thought of something, anything, happening to Chloe was unbearable. "I'm so sorry, Chloe. But you're ok now, and I'm here. We'll be alright." After a while just holding her friend, she added, "I love you." She felt the older girl relax in her arms.
"Oh Max. You're sweet as hell, you know that? I love you too," she said with a tiny smile and kissed her best friend.
~oOo~
They arrived home later and Chloe went about rolling a joint. "Want some?" she asked when she was done.
"Sure," Max replied sitting down next to her friend. Shortly after they were finished, Chloe's phone rang.
"Yeah?" she answered unenthusiastically.
"Chloe, what the fuck happened when I was out? Nick told me you lost it and tried to stab him!" Hoss' voice boomed through the phone.
"If I tried to stab him he wouldn't be around to tell you. But yeah, I pulled my knife on him. You don't need to tell me I'm fired," Chloe said impertinently.
"Shit Chloe. I was just calling to see if you were ok," the big man said with genuine concern. "Nick's a piece of garbage. Tell me what happened with you two."
"Let's just say he...wasn't going to take no for an answer. So I had to convince him another way," Chloe said, her voice still angry.
"That piece of shit. I'm sorry, Chloe. I'm gonna find some way to make it up to you," Hoss promised.
"It's cool. You helped me heaps just giving me the job. I appreciate it, man," the blue-haired girl said sincerely.
"You're cool, 'C'. Good artist too. I'll be in touch," the big man said before hanging up the phone.
Max put her arms around the taller girl's shoulders. Chloe threw her phone onto the coffee table, turning to face her partner and placing a hand on her thigh. "Why are people so fucked?" she asked gloomily. Max struggled for an answer. Between the smoke and Chloe's slender hand touching her leg, she was having trouble concentrating.
"I hope that was another one of your rhetorical questions," she said with a grin.
"You're baked again, Max! Just look at you," the older girl teased. The girls ate an early dinner went to bed as the sun was still setting. Chloe wanted nothing more than to feel the closeness of her best friend. It was the best way she had to rid herself of the feeling of that sleazy bastard, Nick. It worked. They held each other, talking and kissing until they fell asleep.