"MAX!"
Max was startled awake. An incessantly loud and repetitive knock banged on her bedroom door, accompanied by an equally incessantly loud voice.
"MAX CAULFIELD OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW!"
It was Victoria's voice.
Max groggily opened her eyes. While it was still light out, Max could tell she'd been asleep for several hours. She was starving. She ambled over to her bedroom door and opened it.
"MAX-" Victoria stopped. "Were you... asleep?" She asked slowly.
"Yes. Don't judge. What's so urgent that you almost knocked my door down?"
Victoria, unexpectedly, grabbed Max's collar and tugged her towards her.
"Urk-!" Max cried.
"What the hell did you do to Nathan!?" Victoria cried.
"What are you talking about?" Max's voice was strained. "Put me down!"
Victoria dropped her. She hurried into Max's bedroom and slammed the door shut.
"Jesus Christ what did the door ever do to you?"
"This is no time for funny hahas, Maxine."
"Don't call me that." Max said through gritted teeth.
"You don't get to tell me what to do, bitch!" Victoria pressed her finger on Max's upper chest. "I make the rules around here, you got that? Now, I'll ask again: What the fuck did you to Nathan Prescott?" Victoria snarled.
"Nothing- I don't know what you're on about-" Max stammered.
"THEN WHY IS NATHAN RANTING ON ABOUT YOU HAVING TIME POWERS!? AND THAT YOU THREATENED HIM WITH A GUN!?" Victoria screamed.
"CALM DOWN!" Max cried. "Don't tell the whole dorm about it!"
"So it's true!?" Victoria's mouth dropped.
"What? No!" Max replied. "The fuck kinda drugs are you on? Of course that's not true! This is just another one of Nathan's delusions!"
"Well obviously you've done something to trigger it!" Victoria said. "All of Nathan's delusions are based around traumatic events that he's had, and until today, they were all about his father!"
"Well I-"
"Isn't so coincidental that you immediately rushed to his aid yesterday and just snapped him out of his episode immediately the day you arrive, and then the next day he invites you to his room and fucking loses all sense of reality!" Victoria interrupted before Max could explain. "Oh, and wanna know the best part?"
Max grimaced. "What's the best part?"
"He thinks it's real. All of his delusions, once he's calmed down, he realises they weren't real. Now? He's convinced you're some sort of time magician, and that you threatened him with a gun!"
Max was panicking. "I don't know... Maybe one of our conversations scared him and that manifested. I can barely remember any of it! The whole entire time I just wanted to leave. He creeps me out."
"Oh why because he's weird? Deranged? Mentally unstable?" Victoria plucked words out of the air, each one pricking Max's heart like an acupunture procedure. "Yes, Nathan can be difficult, but you know that's not his fault!" Victoria shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Look, I don't know if you actually did anything to him, I'm just worried about my friend. Sorry for yelling at you."
"No, I should be sorry. Maybe I said something or did something, or maybe it was one of my photographs, I don't know. But this does mean he's getting worse, so we really have to help him."
"I don't see what we could do." Victoria sighed. "It's us against Sean fucking Prescott."
"There have been stranger upsets." Max shrugged.
"Yes but not only are our lives at stake, but the lives of everyone we love, too." Victoria looked Max in eyes. "He could shut down Two Whales with a snap of his fingers, and believe me, I love it there. Oddly." Victoria broke eye contact. "As much as I don't like Chloe Price, her family has suffered enough."
Max considered Victoria for a moment. "Then perhaps we should work together. All of us."
Victoria looked at her. "What do you mean?"
"Well, we don't have to face Sean Prescott directly, and I'm pretty good at snooping, so I could find some official documentation or letters that proof Nathan needs help and give it Principal Wells."
"Wells won't do anything." Victoria dismissed her with a wave of her hand. "Idiot drunk only cares about money from the Prescott foundation. Best give it to the school nurse, if she is even still here."
"He helped Chloe." Max smiled.
"Yeah because the D.A. threatened to take him to court if he didn't." Victoria said. When Max raised an eyebrow, Victoria said. "Oh come on, even the faculty secrets spread quickly. Besides, how do you expect to get this information? Where do you start?"
"Well... what if I told you Mark Jefferson was secretely a predator who kidnaps and drugs young women to photograph them in his secret bunker paid for and in Nathan Prescott's name, using help of said boy that he's been grooming since he first came to Blackwell?"
Victoria raised both her eyebrows and her voice. "I'd say you're about as delusional as Nathan Prescott is. Mr. Jefferson has done so much for the school and the Arcadia Bay community as a whole and if you don't-"
Max cut her off with a wave of her right hand. She quickly rewound Victoria's speech.
"Where do you start?" Victoria's image quickly reverted back to normal.
Max shrugged. "I don't know. How about you just keep a close eye on Nathan for now. Really hit the pretend 'boyfriend and girlfriend' thing home."
"Now you're just making me sad, Caulfield." Victoria sighed. "But if you think it'll help. You, on the other hand, should stay away from him."
"Agreed." Max breathed a sigh of relief at the suggestion. "I'll make sure of that, Victoria."
"Good. Glad we're cool." Victoria said. She opened the door. "Oh, and call me Vicky."
"Sure thing, Vicky."
Vicky frowned. "On second thoughts, don't call me Vicky."
"Sure thing, V."
Victoria shrugged, and left, closing the door behind her. "See you later, Max."
Max stepped away from the door, her head spinning. "I can't believe I just let Victoria in on my plan." She considered her options. "This could go both ways, and considering Nathan's reaction to all this and Victoria's reaction to Nathan, it'll most likely head South." Max breathed. "I'm... sure it will be fine." For whatever reason, Max felt like panicking, like the weight of her choices was finally beginning to weigh on her again. "I tried to play God once, I know I'm not invincible."
"She's not invincible, you know." Her mother's voice rang through her head, and she immediately thought about Chloe.
"Chloe..." Max sighed out loud. Her week was almost over, and she hadn't been giving her best friend much thought these past two days. She didn't know Chloe's exact work schedule, but she knew she wasn't studying anymore, so she figured it would be quite full. She shook her head. "I'll just ask Rachel." She walked down the hallway to Rachel's room and was about to knock when she stopped. "I can't just ask Rachel when Chloe's off work. What will she think?" Max thought to herself. "The last thing I want is for Rachel to think I'm trying to get between them." She remembered the kiss Chloe gave her in her truck the other night. "But... what does Chloe want?" She slumped down the door and sat down. "She's with Rachel but she's in love with me? I don't get it." She thought about Rachel, and started speaking out loud."And Rachel's amazing." She smiled. "She's as gorgeous as Chloe said she was. Photos don't capture her beauty. She's funny, she's smart, she's a brilliant actress, she's- WOAH!" She cried as the door opened behind her and she fell over.
"I thought I heard voices outside my door." Rachel laughed.
Max looked up at Rachel from the bedroom floor. "H... Hi Rachel..." She giggled nervously.
"Oh my God, Max, listen to yourself. You sound like a 14-year-old obsessed with a boy." She offered a hand, which Max took. "Come on, get up."
"Hi Rachel, I was about to go somewhere, but..."
"You were about to ask me when Chloe finishes work." Rachel interrupted, smiling slyly.
"I... um..."
"Oh my God how the hell you managed to infiltrate Nathan Prescott's bunker with this, I wouldn't know."
"Hey! That's a hell of a lot easier than-"
"Than what?" Rachel smirked. "Talking to a pretty girl?" She sat down on her bed, stretching out her legs, which were smooth from a recent shave. She was wearing only a loose-fitting t-shirt and denim short shorts. Max started sweating.
"No it's uh..." Max forced herself to turn away and take a deep breath. "God. It's obvious now. I love Chloe, and she loves me." She exhaled after she said it.
"I know. Chloe told me." Rachel replied, then sighed. "She told me the day you arrived at Blackwell. She realised how much she missed you. Why she was so distraught once you left. Why she needed someone so badly."
Max became utterly fixated on the carpet, but said nothing.
"So yes, sometimes I feel like a temporary replacement for the person she truly loves, but I look at her, and the way she looks at me, the way she always got flustered whenever I gave her something, the way she kisses me..." Rachel smiled. "I just know. She loves me."
Max felt awkward. "She... she kissed me."
"She kissed you?" Rachel replied.
"You didn't know?"
Rachel blinked. "I mean... Chloe said she might, and probably would, but I didn't think she actually would do it."
"Please don't be mad at her for it."
"God Max, it's not that big of a deal, you can breathe."
Max breathed in and out.
"And to answer your question, she has afternoons off on Thursdays. She'll finish around 1 tomorrow."
"Cool." Max sat up on the bed next to Rachel, closing the distance. Rachel backed up slightly, acting on instinct, then slowly moved back towards her. "And how are you doing?"
"Oh onto me now, are we?" Rachel laughed. "Nah. I'm alright. Same shit as always here."
"Boring?"
"Immensely boring." Rachel laughed again. "We should chill more often."
"I've been hella busy when I'm not napping."
"Did you just say 'Hella?'" Rachel asked, and Max blushed. "God you will always be Chloe's best friend." She shuffled along so she was leaning against the wall, a pillow propped up behind her. "Did you know it was me that introduced that to Chloe?"
"Really?"
"Yeah. First time we properly hung out. When we ditched school together." Rachel smiled. "I remember that fondly. Got Chloe was so nervous, it would have been pathetic if it weren't so cute."
Max giggled. "I know that feeling. But I thought you met at the concert?"
"The only thing I remember from that night was me hitting a bulls-eye on some douchebag's forehead and a night of sick music." Rachel grinned. "Twas a good night. We were both drunk by the end of it."
"I'll bet." It was Max's turn to look smug. "Chloe told me you crashed at her place. In her bed."
"Oh please." Rachel rolled her eyes. "Just cause I got in before you did. Hope you like sloppy seconds."
"Ew! Don't wanna hear about it!" Max held her hands at arm's length and pulled a face.
Rachel crawled towards Max. "Oh you wanna hear all of the grisly details don't you?"
Max backed up, sweating. Her heart started pounding. For whatever reason, Rachel had an incredibly alluring effect on Max, something that only Chloe could rival with great effort. For Rachel, it seemed effortless. "Yes. Of course I do." Max replied sarcastically.
Rachel inched closer, until she was right in Max's face. "If you insist." She smiled. "Well the first time we had sex, we-"
Max kissed her.
Rachel recoiled backwards. "Max!"
Max was stunned. She hadn't meant to, her mind just worked on its own. "I'm sorry Rachel…" she put her hands over face. "Oh my God I'm such an idiot."
"Max, wait!" Rachel said, stopping Max before she could raise her right hand. "Don't erase it. Please."
Max lowered her hand. "Hardly fair when I still remember it, huh?"
"Y… yes, but I meant I didn't… dislike it… I was just surprised. That's all."
"I'm sorry. I still shouldn't have done it." Max slumped on the bed slightly.
"Hey, Max. It's okay." Rachel reached out her hand grabbed Max's hand, squeezing it. "I'm glad you apologised. Yes, it was dumb, but you, alongside Chloe, are my best friend. You haven't done anything wrong."
Max looked up briefly and smiled, before looking down again.
"What say you, me, and Chloe all go somewhere together tomorrow? After she's finished work?"
Max smiled and looked at Rachel. "I know exactly where to go."
"We'll have to shift things around so you'll fit, assuming no-one else has taken our special spot." Rachel smiled. "God I haven't been there in ages."
"It's probably gonna be way different to how I remember it."
"Consider that a good thing. You know, since I'm not buried right in the middle, haha." Rachel laughed awkwardly.
Max sucked air through her teeth. "Yeah that was traumatic. Best to not think about it."
"But yeah. So tomorrow, at 1, we have lunch at the Two Whales and then go straight to the junkyard?"
"Hell yeah. Sounds awesome."
"Then it's a date." Rachel said, booping Max's nose with her finger. "Now." Rachel said, grabbing her phone. "Let's have pizza."
"Oh- okay." Max faltered, before smiling. "That would be nice."
"I've got money to burn and friends to hang out with." Rachel said. She gave her phone to Max. "Just select what you want."
"Me?"
"Yes, dingus. I'll got two pizzas, and of course we need garlic bread."
"It would be a crime to not have garlic bread." Max nodded.
"Punishable by death."
Max giggled. She punched in her order and handed the phone back to Rachel.
"Ew." Rachel pulled a face when she saw the order.
"Excuse me?" Max said.
"Oh my God Max, your face! I'm only kidding." Rachel laughed. "I can hardly talk, since I'm getting pineapple on pizza."
"EW!" Max cried. "I don't know if I wanna be friends with you anymore."
"Well in that case you won't be wanting any pizza." Rachel sighed. "How sad."
Max giggled. She liked this playful side of Rachel.
"Boom. Order sent." Rachel said. "Wanna watch a movie?"
"Why the fuck not?" Max smiled. "Ooo! Do you have Blade Runner?"
"Blade Runner? That's an odd choice… wait… isn't that Chloe's favourite movie?"
"We watched it a lot when we were kids."
"Ah. I see. You're lucky I have it. You sure you want to watch it without her?"
Max shrugged and smiled. "New memories."
"Fair enough." Rachel grinned. She grabbed her laptop and put it on the bed. After a few minutes of searching she found the disc and inserted it. A few minutes later and the pizza arrived, which Rachel quickly ran down the stairs to pay for before racing back up to her room. "God I'm starving."
Max frowned. "How late is it?" She asked, noticing how hungry she was as well.
"Like 8? We have been talking for a while."
"Jesus. God I'm starving."
"Well dig in!"
Max took a bit of her pizza and sighed deeply. She took a brief moment to revel in her satisfaction before turning her attention to Rachel's laptop, which was starting to play the movie. Max briefly lamented on her night with Chloe when she was a quadriplegic.
"Hey Rachel…?"
"Yeah Max?"
Max swallowed. "Promise me you won't fall asleep?"
"Weird thing to promise, but okay."
"Thanks Rachel." Max smiled and turned her attention back to the movie. She remembered resting her arm on Chloe's leg, and considered doing the same to Rachel. Rachel was lying down on her stomach, watching the movie, so Max moved her pizza box and lay down next to her, leaning her head on Rachel's shoulder.
"I'll allow it just this once, Caulfield." Rachel smiled.
"Only once? You sure?" Max said smugly, nuzzling her head into the shoulder.
Surprisingly, Rachel actually blushed. "Well… if you give me some time…"
Max remembered Chloe saying how Rachel needed time to figure out her own feelings. "Of course."
The rest of the movie was watched in complete silence. Every so often Max would look over at Rachel, and Rachel would smile back, indicating that she hadn't fallen asleep. Max giggled when Rachel looked like her brain had completely shut off near the end. By the end of the movie Rachel was struggling to stay awake.
"Wow. Miss Early Bird here." Max laughed.
"Shut up. I always get tired during movies." Rachel sat up and yawned. "You can take your pizza with you, but the garlic bread is mine."
Max rolled her eyes. "If you insist, madam."
"Hey I paid for it!"
"And I thank you for it." Max said, getting off the bed and picking up her pizza. She turned around to see Rachel taking her shirt off. "Oh my God Rachel! What the fuck!"
"Huh? What?" Rachel said sleepily. "Oh yeah. I'm just so used to undressing in front of Chloe." She shrugged. "I'm wearing a bra, you can look."
Max slowly lowered her hand. Rachel was indeed, wearing a bra. Max struggled to maintain eye contact. Rachel regarded her.
"You're not as bad as Chloe, but you still look pathetic."
Max frowned.
"It's like that scene from Scrubs - 'quickly look before your neck snaps.'" Rachel laughed.
Max kept her head rigid.
Rachel shrugged. She got off the bed. "You better leave so I can get undressed."
"You sleep naked?" Max asked.
"Yeah, who doesn't?"
"Uh… normal people?"
"Max you're a lot of things, but you're not normal." Rachel replied.
"Well I-"
"And that's a good thing." Rachel interrupted. "You just need more self-confidence."
Max looked down at her body and said nothing.
"Anyway, I had fun tonight, and we'll all have fun tomorrow." Rachel smiled. She leaned over and kissed Max's cheek. "Goodnight, Max."
Max lightly touched the spot where Rachel kissed her. She smiled. "Yeah. Sounds good. Goodnight, Rachel."
When Max got back to her room, she undressed and picked up her pajama shirt. "What the hell." She said, tossing it on the floor and climbed into bed. After an hour of thinking back and forth about Rachel and the kisses, she fell asleep.