Max awoke slightly later than usual and discovered that the bedsheets had been rudely thrown off her body, strewn about on the large mattress. "Ugh." Max breathed. She shivered. It wasn't cold, but the sheer shock of seeing her bare legs exposed to the open made her shiver instinctively. Max sat up. She turned towards the bedroom door. She could hear music playing from the living room. "Heh." She stood up and walked out the door. Rachel and Chloe were dancing on the couch.
"Morning, Max!" Rachel giggled. She hopped off the couch and hugged Max.
"You guys are up early." Max rubbed her eyes and sleepily returned the hug.
"No, you just slept in." Chloe chimed in, hopping off the couch and joining them. "Got my paycheck, and a morning off." She smirked. "Breakfast at Two Whales?"
"Ah- sure." Max smiled. "Of course."
"You don't sound sure." Rachel replied.
"Oh God, is this where you tell me this happened in the 'original' timeline?" Chloe made inverted commas with her fingers. "You stayed up all night trying to figure out the implications of whatever happened yesterday."
"Chloe, I-" Max started to say.
"Don't be so harsh, Chloe!" Rachel admonished, cutting Max off. Chloe rolled her eyes. "Yesterday was stressful, I understand that. But that could be nothing. Yeah the freak snowfall was a little weird but it might not mean anything. For all we know that was predetermined."
"Which could mean the tornado is predetermined too!" Max cried.
"You've heard of the Slippery Slope Fallacy, right?" Rachel placed her hands on Max's shoulder. "Come on. Let's just forget about yesterday and enjoy today."
Max smiled. "You know what? You're right." She took Rachel's hand in hers and squeezed it. "I haven't had breakfast at the Two Whales in so long. I miss it."
"Well prepare for the meal of your life, sistah." Chloe smirked. "Now go on. Go get dressed."
"Alright, fine." Max rolled her eyes and turned around. She felt a pinch on her behind and jumped. "HEY!" She cried, turning around. Chloe was staring at the wall to her left and whistling. "I'll get you for that." Max giggled.
"Get me for what?" Chloe feigned innocence. Max shook her head. She walked into the bedroom and grabbed her phone and her clothes, before heading to the bathroom and running the shower. She stripped and waited for the water to heat up. She unlocked her phone and started to scroll through her social media. She didn't have many mutual followings, but she followed quite a few people she liked from Blackwell. A string of posts all from one person popped up, most of them dated from quite late in the previous night to very early that morning. They were all very distressing.
"I don't wanna look at this right now." Max said, closing the application and turning on her music. "I'm sure whoever they are, they'll be fine." Max told herself, but deep down she felt uneasy. She stepped into the shower and felt the hot water soothe her skin. She let out a long sigh of relief as the world around her faded away.
20 minutes later, Max was dressed and they were out on the road. The sun was warm, but Chloe insisted on wearing her beanie.
"I don't get it." Rachel said as she got out of the truck. "You wear all these clothes when it's 80 out and barely anything when it's 50. Are you even human?"
"No, I'm a lesbian." Chloe smirked, walking past her and towards the diner.
Rachel threw an arm up in mild frustration. "That girl… total enigma."
"You're telling me. I grew up with her." Max said, gently grasping Rachel's hand as they walked to the diner.
"Just like how I remember it." Rachel breathed in. "That sweet smell."
"Dude, it hasn't been that long." Chloe said, walking over to a faraway booth and sitting down.
"I know. Just feeling nostalgic." Rachel smiled. "I've never been here with Max before. It's refreshing."
Max smiled. "It certainly is very nice." She and Rachel joined Chloe at the booth. Rachel and Max sat down together, and Chloe sat opposite.
Max breathed in deeply. "So many memories. Didn't get a chance to properly appreciate it last time I was here."
"And now here we are." Chloe beamed. "All together." She picked up a menu and then immediately put it back down. "I already know what I'm getting. And no you can't have any."
Max and Rachel looked at each other. "Who are you talking to?" Rachel asked.
"Both of you." Chloe said back.
"Alright, Miss Greedy."
"Excuse you at least I know how big my stomach is. And I know it can handle a giant plate of bacon and eggs, without any 'help' from jealous girlfriends." Chloe said.
"Pity you're outnumbered." Rachel leaned forward.
"Oh, am I?" Chloe replied, also leaning forward.
Rachel bent up and kissed Chloe. Chloe quickly snapped back into her chair, blushing. Rachel giggled.
"Unfair! You caught me off guard." Chloe protested.
"Are you pouting?" Max laughed.
"No. This is my 'caught-off-guard' face."
Rachel clicked her tongue. "Can't say it suits you." Rachel leaned back and grabbed a menu. "Anyway… if we wanna save our wonderful moneybags girlfriend some money…" She looked up at Chloe. "...and bacon, we should share the giant pancakes."
"Oh God, that sounds amazing." Max said. "Eugh, I'm drooling."
"Baby Max strikes again." Chloe smirked.
"Blow me." Max fired back.
Several minutes later, they had received their food and procedurally scoffed it down.
Rachel burped loudly. "Oh excuse me."
"I'm surprised you two beanpoles got through that." Chloe said. "Also, that was pathetic. Watch this." Chloe leant back and let out a loud belch. Various heads turned towards her.
"Jesus Christ, Chloe!" Max whispered harshly, hiding her face with her hand. Rachel laughed.
"Gooooood morning, Vietnam!" Chloe said eagerly, patting her stomach. "Alright. Let's get this show on the road. I have a new toy to play with." She winked.
Max and Rachel stood up and followed Chloe out the door. "Don't tell me you actually kept Nathan's gun, did you?"
Chloe shrugged. "Okay fine. I won't tell you." She opened the door.
Rachel's phone started to ring. "Ah, sorry. I better take this. Just give me a minute."
"Chloe for God's sake-"
"What, Max?" Chloe fumed. "Gonna tell me I'm not capable? That it's 'dangerous?' I can handle myself pretty well actually."
"Chloe-" Max said, reaching for Chloe as she walked out the door and towards the parking lot. Max stomped her foot in frustration.
"It'll be fine, Sam. Just do your homework and don't stress, okay? Thank you for calling me. It means a lot. I'll see you at school." Rachel hung up and pocketed her phone. She sighed.
"Everything alright?" Max asked.
"I could ask you the same question." Rachel huffed. "It's just a friend of mine. From drama."
"Samantha, right?"
"You know her?"
"Ah- can't say I've met her." Max said hurriedly. "Not this time around anyway. But I've seen her around. She seems nice. Quiet girl."
"Yeah. She is nice. And frankly a little too quiet, as of late." Rachel sighed.
"What do you mean?"
"It's her business so I really shouldn't say, but she's become a lot more reserved lately. I'm worried about her."
"It's like you said. She could just be fine. She'll get through it. Especially with you by her side."
"Thanks, Max. What were you and Chloe fighting about?"
"Ugh, she wants to go to the junkyard to shoot bottles with Nathan's gun."
"That's not what I heard." Rachel frowned. "She's right though. She can handle herself."
"Yeah, but- it's still a gun. I don't like Chloe and guns. Bad combo."
"It'll be fine. Yes she shouldn't be toying with death so much, but she's also a lot more prepared now, you know? I mean you told her her future. That's bound to have some effect."
Max shuffled her feet. "I suppose."
"Come on. Best not to leave her waiting." Rachel smiled and walked out the door.
"Christ." Max muttered to herself and followed Rachel out of the diner.
Ten minutes later, Chloe made her grand return to the junkyard, parking the truck just outside the entrance. The girls all got out one by one, with Max being the reluctant last one. She breathed in the surprisingly clean air and exhaled. Birds chirped and cawed somewhere out of Max's line of sight. It was warm, but there was a cool breeze settling in as the morning drifted, just like it had been the last time. Chloe was drinking a bottle of beer - God knows where she got it from.
"Same shitty green bottle as last time." Max mumbled aloud.
"Hmm? What?" Chloe asked, tilting her chin upwards at Max.
"Nothing!" Max cried.
"Well, after yesterday, I think I need a little target practice." Chloe smirked. "Max, could you find some bottles while I prep the shooting range. Pretty please?" Chloe gripped her hands together and stood on her tiptoes, smiling sweetly at Max.
Max rolled her eyes. "How can I resist those sweet puppy dog eyes." Max mumbled sarcastically. "You look like Pompidou."
"Oh buzz off." Chloe replied. "God poor thing…"
Max grimaced. She had completely forgotten what had happened to Pompidou. Frank's lack of communication was beginning to worry Max. Max looked around. She immediately spied a green bottle high on top of an old fridge right next to the run-down school bus. Exactly where it was last time. She repeated her method of grabbing the wooden crate and using it as a stool to reach her prize. "One down, five to go." As she walked around the junkyard, she reminisced on her memories of being in the junkyard for the first time, as well as some older memories of her and Chloe, running through the Oregon forests. She could still hear Chloe's childish laughter in her mind. She looked to the old tree stump and remembered something. "The deer…" she breathed aloud. She looked over to where she remembered first seeing the ghostly doe, but it wasn't there. "Where'd you go?" She thought. She blinked. "Where did it even come from?" She shook her head. "Bygone timeline." She reminded herself. She kept wandering around, wading through old junk. She stopped to admire Chloe and Rachel's secret cabin. It had remained untouched for quite some time - like any outsiders that came through dared not disturb it. Max smiled. She walked up the small incline towards the homesick barge where Rachel was sitting on a chair, reading a stack of magazines.
"Last bottle." Rachel said. "I did my bit." She winked.
"What the hell are you reading?" Max asked, picking up a magazine from the top of the stack.
"I'm admiring some finely-aged vintage artwork." Rachel replied, ooh-ing at whatever was in her magazine.
"Sexy pin-up girls and men wearing speedos?"
"I live a life of balance, Miss Caulfield."
"Don't call me that. Wells calls me that."
"Fine, suit yourself Mrs. Caulfield-Price-Amber."
"Ew. Not a fan of that." Max sat down on the planks of the barge, setting the bottles down next to her. "If we ever do get married, I swear I refuse to merge our last names."
"I don't think you should lose a last name as cool as Caulfield." Rachel said.
"Who said I was?" Max smirked at Rachel.
Rachel laughed. "Fair enough. Call me old-fashioned, but I'd rather take my partner's name."
"Well in that case, you're gonna have to choose pretty wisely." Max replied.
"Definitely gonna be Price. Sorry Max. Your last name is too gaudy and pretentious."
"You just said it was cool!" Max cried, defending her pride.
"Yeah, for you. It suits you - you're a literary nerd. It doesn't suit me and it would hella not suit Chloe."
"Oh my God. Chloe Caulfield." Max spluttered in laughter. "I'm pissing myself just thinking about it."
"Chloe has the best parents anyway. It makes the most sense to take their last name."
"Continue William's legacy." Max said sadly. Max looked around, trying to see if she could find William's car. " Must be long gone by now." She thought.
"I think Chloe's getting impatient." Rachel whispered. She stood up, reluctantly putting down the porn magazine. She picked up a couple of bottles and walked down towards Chloe, who was jumping up and down desperately. Max shrugged, slowly doing the same. She felt several bones creak and crack as she stood up.
"Oof that was not a comfortable place to sit. Ow." She muttered to herself.
"Finally. Took you long enough. Now." Chloe quickly stopped to chug the rest of her beer, before handing the bottle to Rachel.
"Beer and guns? Nice combo." Rachel quipped.
"We can handle it." Chloe replied.
"Who the hell is we?" Rachel asked, shaking her head. She placed her bottles on a little rack Chloe had set up, and Max did the same, so that 6 green bottles were all lined up a row. "You're the madwoman with a gun."
"I'm an assassin, not a crazed gunman." Chloe smiled, winking at Max. Max giggled at the reference.
"Whatever, nerds." Rachel rolled her eyes and sat down.
"Call me a nerd again and I might just become a madwoman with a gun."
Max shuddered. "Don't even joke about that."
"Sorry." Chloe muttered. "Now. I know you've been honing your timey-wimey skills," She said, beaming. "So, you have to help me aim."
"Oh I have to, do I?" Max raised an eyebrow.
"Pretty please, Max?"
Max laughed. "Oh my god, fine!" Max walked until she was a safe distance from Chloe's targets. "Take aim, babe".
"Alrighty. And… BAM!" Chloe shouted as she fired the gun. It sounded a lot different to the pop gun Chloe had previously. It was quieter, but more powerful. The bottle shattered immediately, causing the others to wobble slightly. The bottle next to it fell over, and Max quickly ran to pick it up before it smashed onto the ground. "Wow. This gun feels amazing. Way better than the ones David let me use."
Max did a double take, rapidly remembering that David had taught her how to shoot in this timeline. "Don't get too trigger-happy, Lucky Lucy."
"Call me Sarah Connor, cause I'm about to kill some junk." Chloe smirked, and fired. "Goddamnit." She muttered, watching the bullet sail over the bottle and into the distance. She looked at Max. "Well?"
Max rolled her eyes and rewound her shooting. "Don't get too trigger-happy, Lucky Lucy. Aim a little lower."
"Right on…" Chloe adjusted her aim. "Call me Sarah Connor, cause I'm about to-" She fired, cutting herself off. She blinked as the bottle shattered, glass forming a powder underneath. "Wow. That motherfucker disintegrated."
"You fired on accident, didn't you?" Max smirked.
"Nope. Not at all. That was… totally deliberate."
Rachel snorted.
"Shut up and read your porn!" Chloe yelled.
"I'm really not digging this background music. I might switch stations." Rachel yelled back.
"In your dreams, sweetcheeks." She turned back to the shooting range. "Alright, Max. Am I good?"
"I have to see you shoot first." Max replied.
"Here goes-" Chloe said, pulling the trigger.
Out of nowhere, a raven swooped down in front of the bottles, accidentally taking the bullet.
"Oh no!" Max cried, running over to the raven. Rachel looked up from the barge to see the commotion. Chloe backed up, head in her hands.
"Holy fuck." Chloe cried, hyperventilating. "Max, can you fix this?"
"S-sure, hold on." Max looked down at the bird, who was bleeding on the ground, long dead. "Oh God…" She stood up and backed away, rewinding.
"Here goes-"
"WAIT!" Max cried, putting her hand in front of Chloe.
Chloe jumped. "Jesus Christ you almost made me miss." She scowled at Max.
"Look." Max pointed at a raven swooping down in front of them.
"A raven? I haven't seen one of those in years."
"Aren't they a bad omen?" Max asked nervously.
"No, not unless you kill it." Chloe said matter-of-factly. Max shuddered. "I used to dream about them. All the time." She watched as the raven ascended back up, vanishing into the forest. "They'd be there. With my dad. It was pretty surreal. Makes sense I'd see one again now." She coughed. "Anyway." Chloe quickly aimed and fired at the bottle, smiling as it shattered into small pieces.
Max jumped. "Jesus Christ, Chloe."
"What?" Chloe shrugged. She looked up at the small car resting on top of the trash pile. "Ooh! I'm gonna use this old junker to take out the rest of the bottles."
"Go for the tyre." Max said immediately.
"Huh?" Chloe asked.
"Go for the tyre."
"Why do you sound so sure about this?" Chloe looked at Max. "Have we- did we do this? The other time?"
Max shrugged. "Doesn't matter now. I'm pretty sure it doesn't mean a thing. Shoot the tyre."
Chloe looked awkwardly at Max but obliged. She watched with glee as the car rumbled forward, crushing the bottles on its way down as it fell with a thump on its front bumper before collapsing forward in front of Chloe and Max, wheels up. "Oh fuck yeah!" Chloe cried, hi-fiving Max and admiring her handiwork.
"What are you jackasses up to?" Rachel called, not looking up.
"Singular jackass actually." Max called back. "It's just her."
"Hey!" Chloe cried. "That's true." She shrugged. "Anyway, we're done. Let's go for a walk."
"Sounds good." Max smiled, skipping along ahead towards the train tracks. She waited for Rachel and Chloe to catch up, then waited some more, staring out over the junkyard, secretly hoping Frank would make his grand re-entry, hopefully providing them, especially Rachel, with much needed closure. He did not. Max shrugged. Trying to focus on the positives, she thought how it could mean the timeline wasn't repeating as much as she thought it was. One thing was for sure - Kate was safe and happy - for the most part anyway. Max felt absolute in not having to stop one of her best friends from committing suicide that afternoon. She idly began to amble her way along the far side of the train tracks, keeping her feet on the metal. She looked up and saw Chloe smiling at her. Chloe immediately hopped onto the opposite bar and follower suit. Rachel jumped into the middle of the train tracks, grabbing Max and Chloe's hands.
"Heehee, we're like a human chain." Max giggled.
"A chain on a train track." Chloe chuckled.
They all continued to walk up the tracks until they reached a fork. A large water tower stood off to their left.
"Can we stop?" Chloe asked. She slowly let go of Rachel's hand and proceeded to lie down on the tracks. Rachel lay down next to her, their shoulders touching. Max lay down on the opposite side.
"Man. I love train tracks." Chloe smiled, looking up at the sky. "They just… make me feel better. I don't know how to describe it."
"Kerouac knew." Max replied instantly. "It's the romance of travel and movement, the sound of the train whistle at night…"
"Look at the beat poet here." Chloe replied, grinning at Max.
"I had no idea you were so well-read, Max." Rachel smiled and slowly sat up. "The more I learn about you the more impressed I am."
Max blushed. "I just wanna be a good photographer."
"You are." Chloe said, sitting up as well. "You just have to stop being afraid. You're a tough girl, you've gone through a lot. You can easily become the greatest photographer ever."
Max smiled. She turned and grabbed her camera from her bag. "Hold on. Lie back down again, I have an idea." Max lay down on the tracks facing Chloe and Rachel.
"I think I know where you're going with this." Rachel lay back down, resting her head on Chloe's shoulder as she did the same. Rachel pointed up at the clouds.
"Ah, put your hand down. I can't get a good shot of Chloe."
"Sorry." Rachel mumbled.
"No no, it's a good idea though. Chloe, point up at something in the sky." Max looked up from her camera. "Oh, and watch that your shoes don't get caught in the tracks."
Chloe sat up slightly and adjusted herself. She obeyed Max, pointing up at a random cloud in the sky and making a whimsical expression. Max beamed as she took the shot.
"Do you feel that?" Rachel asked.
"Shit. Train's coming." Chloe muttered, quickly helping Rachel onto her feet and jumping off the tracks.
Max quickly followed. She checked her phone. "Shit. Better get back for my photography class. We're going over chiaroscuro today."
"Sounds tedious." Chloe replied.
"Oh crap my audition's tonight too." Rachel sighed. "Gotta got some last minute rehearsing in."
"Ooh good luck for that." Chloe beamed. "Or rather, break a leg."
"I see you've finally learned." Rachel replied.
"Come on, let's get your two star artists back to school."
The afternoon was a lot cooler than the morning. The clouds were coming in, and a chill breeze blew over Blackwell, beating at Max's hair.
"Arrgh, I get it!" Max sighed, exasperated. She parted her hair off her face and walked into the blackwell building. "Phew." She exhaled as she entered the main hallway. She looked around. The banner dictating the upcoming Vortex Club Party. "Ugh." She moaned. She knew she had to go, but she wasn't happy about it. She suddenly regretted handing in her photo for the "Everyday Heroes" Contest. She spied Courtney sitting at a desk handing out posters for the party and taking Vortex Club members' names for the guest list. Several people came by and signed their names. Max never realised how large the Vortex Club was.
"Hey, Courtney." Max smiled as she walked up to her.
"Hey, Maxie!" Courtney beamed eagerly. "Finally a face I actually wanted to see. How are you?"
Max was taken aback at Courtney's words. She had no idea her actions affected Courtney of all people so greatly. Still, she smiled. "Good. And you?"
"Tired as fuck, but someone's gotta man this stall." Courtney smiled. "I take it you wanna put your name down?"
Max considered for a moment. Now that she no longer had to warn Victoria about the dark room, she had no urgent reason to be there. On the other hand, the space was much nicer, and Rachel was most likely gonna spend most of her time there anyway. Plus, there'd be more people to talk to. "Sure. But you gotta put Chloe's name down too."
"Chloe? Uh…" Courtney looked unsure. She looked like she was considering a very difficult decision. "I mean, she's not really even a student here anymore…"
"That doesn't stop most of you." Max said matter-of-factly.
Courtney started sweating. "Yeah. True. Ok… Chloe Price…" She scribbled a couple lines down. "There. Victoria might not be too happy about this."
"Really? They seemed to be getting along alright." Max smiled. "Thank you, Courtney. I'll see you on Thursday."
"Ah- yeah. See ya."
Max continued down the hallway towards class, but was stopped by David Madsen.
"Hey Max. Just wanted to say, things got a little heavy yesterday when you were at our home. I just wanted to apologise for that."
"No, it wasn't your fault. We got ourselves mixed up in some dangerous shit. We didn't mean to worry you."
"Okay." David exhaled. "Good. Just- stay safe, okay Max?"
"We will. Don't worry about us, David." Max looked at him. "Believe me when I say we can take care of ourselves."
David looked Max up and down. "I'm sure you can. Take care, Max." He tilted his cap.
"See you later, David." Max turned and made her way to class. She spotted Kate looking at Jefferson tentatively before heading into the classroom. He seemed to be waiting for someone. Max assumed it was her, so she kept her head low as she approached.
But it wasn't.
"Ah, there you are! I wanted to talk to-" Jefferson said, but was cut off as the girl whose attention he was trying to get walked right past him without even acknowledging him. Max looked at her.
"Samantha?" She thought to herself. She watched Samantha hastily walk off with her arms folded. She briefly recalled Rachel's phone call to her earlier. Max considered chasing after her, but she figured Samantha wouldn't appreciate, considering she didn't know Max. Max decided to just leave it, and proceeded to walk into class. She walked past Dana, doing some mock modeling for Taylor and Hayden. Daniel watched eagerly, sketching Dana on his sketchpad. She walked over to her desk, and discovered Victoria sitting on it.
"Max, god. Took you long enough." Victoria sighed.
"Were you waiting for me?"
"Yes, actually. Otherwise there'd be no reason for me to be sitting on your desk."
"Other than the obvious." Max muttered.
"Other than being a total bitch, you mean?" Victoria giggled. "Don't worry, I won't take it personally."
Max frowned. "I'm… glad. Did you wanna talk about something?"
"Yeah. What the hell, Max?" Victoria glowered at her.
"If this is about Nathan, I swear I didn't know anything." Max said defensively. "I was just as shocked as you are."
Victoria relaxed slightly. "I don't know what the fuck your little girlfriends were playing at, but they shouldn't be messing with Nathan like that. Not just for his sake, but for their own. I have no idea how Nathan managed to get another gun, but he did." She sighed. "I know he's dangerous, but he's also unwell, and those two qualities don't mix well together."
"At least he's safe now." Max said, trying her hardest to reassure Victoria.
"Yeah. He is." Victoria looked down. "At least Mr. Madsen was kind enough to tell me what happened." She looked back up at Max. "He told me you tried to stop it."
Max nodded. "I heard Chloe cry about the gun from outside the bathroom so I rushed in."
"Thank you, Max." Victoria sniffed. "Anyway, I'd better let you sit down. Thanks for letting me talk."
"Hey, no problem. I just signed up earlier for the VIP list for the party, so we'll be able to hang out then."
Victoria smiled. "That sounds good." She got up and walked back to her seat. A few seconds later, Warren walked in, grabbing a chair from the table next to Max and sitting on it backwards, such that his arms were resting on the back of the chair. Max couldn't help but remember the times when she sat in that chair, zoning out and worrying about the smallest of things. She looked at Warren, who was patiently waiting for her to acknowledge him.
"Hey, Warren."
"Hey, Max." Warren looked nervous. "You okay? I heard about what happened yesterday."
"From who?"
"Quite a few people saw it happen, and every time Nathan disappears, people start talking, you know?"
Max looked down.
"Just… thank god you were there." Warren said.
"I don't really wanna talk about it." Max said.
"That's fair. I'm sorry." Warren hesitated. "Hey, I was wondering, I bought two tickets for the drive-in theatre, but Kate said she didn't wanna go. Would you wanna come with?"
Max grimaced and looked at Kate.
Kate smiled. "It's okay. I told him to ask you."
"Uh…" Max thought. "Sorry, I know you're trying to be nice, but right now I just don't have the energy to commit to something like that. I hope you understand."
Warren nodded sadly. "Yeah. I understand."
Max felt bad, but for most part she didn't want to lead Warren on considering what happened the other week. She found the fact that he asked her right in front of Kate very insulting. She did like Warren, but she had to admit the way he treated her sometimes was… weird. Max cleared her throat.
"Why don't you ask Brooke? I'm sure she'd be happy to go with you." She looked at Kate, who nodded.
"Yeah, Brooke's nice." Kate confirmed. "And she likes you. Ah- well, not in that way, obviously, but in that you two are quite similar, and she likes being around like-minded people."
Warren nodded. "Yeah. Yeah she does. I'll ask her. Thanks guys." He looked back up at Max. "Hey Max, I also just wanted to ask if-"
"I know you love me, but if you're not in my class, BEAT IT." Jefferson announced as he walked into class.
Warren frowned. "I'll see you later, Max." He said as he walked out. Kate and Max waved him out.
"Right." Jefferson sighed, taking some files out of a drawer and placing them on his desk. "We have a lot to go over today, and I'm really tired, so I would really appreciate it if you were patient and gave me your full attention today." He walked over and sat at his usual spot on Daniel's desk. Daniel fidgeted slightly. "Ok. I'm sure you all read the syllabus like it was a Harry Potter book, so you should all know that today we're studying... chiaroscuro. That wonderful contrast between light and dark."
"A Harry Potter book would have more reread value than this." Max thought to herself.
Zachary burst into the classroom, and said the one thing Max was dreading the most. "Yo! Something crazy's going on at the pool!"
Max's heart sunk. "What?" She whispered to herself. "There's no way. Not-" She turned towards Kate, who looked back at Max with a confused expression.
"Zachary, do NOT come into my classroom like that again!" Jefferson cried, but the damage was done. Everyone was already bustling out the door. Max could only watch in horror. Kate gestured to Max to follow. Max looked at Jefferson, who just sighed. "Dismissed." Max shook her head and ran out the classroom door.
Max ran down the hallway, bustling past the crowd of confused and unenthused individuals that weren't already bustling to leave. She felt a hand grip onto her own, and turned to see Kate desperately trying to catch up with Max. Max shoved open the school doors and confirmed her worst fears. She looked up at the roof of the pool and saw-
"SAM!" A voice cried from outside the pool main doors. It was Rachel, desperately trying to console a very desperate Samantha Myers, teetering on the edge of the building.
"Oh no." Max said aloud.
"That poor girl…" Kate whispered sadly. Max let go of Kate's hand and raced towards the building. "Max!" Kate cried, but Max didn't stop. She kept running. She felt the rain pelt at her hair and soaking her skin through her clothes. She had to do something. She had to.
"Please, please work!" Max screamed in her head. She held out her right hand and continued running. Gradually, she felt her head start to burn as the movements of her surroundings slowed down. She slowed down, focussing her energy more into rewinding time. She slowly walked around the building, looking for a door or a ladder to get the roof. On the other side of the building near the parking lot, she found a door. She opened up and began climbing the metal stairs towards the roof. As Max approached Samantha, the pain began too much for her to handle, and she collapsed on the ground behind Samantha.
Samantha turned around. "W-Who are you?" She cried timidly.
"My name is Max." Max puffed. She wiped blood from her nose and stepped towards Samantha. "I'm a friend of Rachel's. I'm here to help."
"Rachel?" Samantha asked, her face briefly lighting up. "Where is she?"
"She's down there. She wants to help you, as do I."
"Why do you wanna help me?" Samantha's eyes flashed angrily, and she backed up towards the edge.
Max thought back to her conversation with Samantha back when she first got to Blackwell, when the dorms were still around. "I know someone hurt you." She said calmly.
"W- How?" Samantha asked.
"Rachel and I are here to help. Same with Chloe. We all care about you."
"Chloe?" Samantha thought briefly. She shook her head. "You don't even know me!"
"I know..." Max walked forward slowly, trying to keep her voice steady. "I know someone took advantage of you. Abused your trust. He hurt you in an unimaginable way. But he's gone now. He can't touch you anymore."
"You don't know that!" Samantha shook her head. "Everyone makes fun of me. I just want to forget! I want the pain to stop." She turned around and faced the edge of the building. "And this is how to do it."
Max ran forward slightly. "No! There are other ways! There are people, in this school, in this town, who care about you! You have to live and fight this! If not for yourself, do it for them!"
Samantha's stance wobbled.
Max pushed forward. "I want to help you. Rachel wants to help you. Chloe wants to help you. We can, all together, get through this. We can find whoever did this to you and take him down!" She stepped forward again. She lowered her voice. "But we have to do it together."
Samantha looked back at Max.
"Samantha, we need your help."
Samantha turned back around, but did not step closer to the edge of the building. She was shaking. Nobody moved for the longest time. Even the crowd at the bottom seemed to quiet down. Slowly, Samantha turned around and stepped back onto the roof, falling into Max's arms.
"I'm so sorry." Samantha sobbed.
"It's okay. It's not your fault. It's not your fault." Max said repeatedly. She whispered to Samantha, gently hugging and rocking her, over and over again until David and Rachel found them on the roof.
"Now I know today was difficult for everybody, but I'm so proud of the way Blackwell pulled together to save a young girl's life." Principal Wells said, turning away from the window and facing Max, who was sitting in a chair opposite Principal Wells' desk. "Of course, you're quite the hero for getting Samantha to come down from the roof, Max."
Max blinked. It seemed like a second ago she was up on the roof, drenched in rain water. Now it was a good few hours later, and the sun was bathing the school in a warm yellow glow, indicating the first semblance of sunset. "I… thank you." She said slowly. She looked around. Principal Wells was beaming at her, and David stood off to the side, appearing like a soldier at ease. Surprisingly, neither Jefferson nor Nathan made an appearance. Instead, Mr. Keaton, the drama teacher, stood solemnly next to Max, a very worried expression on his face.
As if Principal Wells noticed Max's observations, he said, "Now Mr. Prescott would have been here, if he hadn't been already admitted to the hospital for yesterday's incident. Coincidentally, I believe that was an incident you helped to deescalate, Miss Caulfield."
Max looked at Principal Well's fearfully. "I mean, I was just-"
"It's quite alright, Max. Mr. Madsen here vouched for you on that part."
Max looked at David, who nodded at her, giving a very small smile.
Principal Wells sat down. "Now. I'm just going to have to ask you three some questions."
They all nodded.
"Mr. Madsen." Wells said sternly. "The doors to the roof of any school building should always be locked. They were not. That is your responsibility."
"Yes, sir." David said, looking down slightly.
"Mr. Keaton, I cannot expect you to always be aware of everything your students are going through, but drama and theatre involves strong confidence and the right attitude to perform. When Samantha was performing up to scratch in class, you should have been able to observe something about her mental state. Anything."
"Yes, Mr. Wells." Mr. Keaton looked down sadly. "I should have acted a little sooner." He sighed. "Oh, hindsight is a fickle mistress."
Principal Wells cleared his throat. "Indeed. Now, Miss Caulfield."
Max was immediately alert.
"Why exactly were you on the roof with Miss Myers? Did she tell you her plan? Please, tell us everything."
Max considered for a moment. With Jefferson not present, it wasn't going to be as easy to pin the blame on him to get the investigation going. However, with what she observed in the hallway before class, she felt it was enough to get the ball rolling. Max cleared her throat. "No, I barely knew her. She was a friend of a friend."
"Miss Amber, is that correct?" Wells asked.
Max looked surprised.
Wells chuckled. "I'm not as unobservant as I seem, Miss Caulfield. I often saw Rachel and Miss Myers talking together, and the nature of your relationship with Miss Amber is no secret."
David looked uncomfortable.
"Right." Max said, gritting her teeth.
"So, did Rachel tell you what was going on?"
"No, we were both as shocked as everyone else. I just was the first to turn my shock into action."
"Well, Max, I applaud you then. But I still must ask, do you have any reason to believe why she tried to commit suicide?"
Max hesitated. "I knew she had a close relationship with Nathan Prescott a few years ago, and that he betrayed her. Quite badly." She said.
Wells sat back. "I hardly believe that's a reason to commit suicide alone."
Max took this opportunity. "I saw her at the Vortex Club Party last weekend." She lied. She hadn't seen her, but she had heard rumours of her whereabouts at the party, not all of them good. "She looked like she'd been drugged."
David's eyes widened. Mr. Keaton placed a hand over his heart and gasped. Wells leaned forward, keeping his expression stern and intimidating. "Are you sure?" He asked very slowly.
Max leaned forward, staring him down. "Yes." Wells leaned back, and Max followed, feeling satisfied. "Another thing too: I don't know if this is entirely relevant, but…" She looked at Wells, his expression indicated she could continue. " This might be my only chance to put Jefferson in Wells' crosshairs!" She thought. "Right before class started, right before… it happened, I saw Je-" She coughed. "Mr. Jefferson trying to talk to Samantha, and she just walked past him."
"Mr. Jefferson?" Wells asked. "Why do you think he's related?"
"I don't know, it was something about the way he addressed her." Max said off-handedly. "Sorry, it's stupid. I just thought, because Samantha isn't a student of his, and he seemed very desperate to talk to her… It was just odd. That's all."
Wells and David looked at each other, which took Max by surprise. Wells looked back at Max as he spoke. "I don't think it's related to the incident, but I'm still glad you brought this up. Miss Myers is an enigma, so anything that could suggest evidence as to what happened is appreciated. However, we will look into Mr. Prescott more thoroughly. Thank you for your time, Max." He passed Max a sheet of paper that looked like a contract to Max. "Please sign here to confirm what you've told us."
Max felt her head start to hurt slightly, as she picked up the pen and signed her name.
"We will be consulting the police for further inquiries. For now, I suggest you head home. It's been a tough day, and we all appreciate how much you've done for Blackwell."
Max looked down and said nothing. David came over and placed his hand on her shoulder. "I'll take you home. If my timing's right, Rachel will be picking up Chloe from the Two Whales." David smiled.
"Thank you, David." Max said. As she opened the door to the Principal's office, she saw Warren sitting on a chair outside, waiting for her.
"Max!" He cried, getting up and giving her a hug. "God, that was scary. Good on you."
"Warren, have you been here this whole time?"
"No," He admitted. "But I was worried about you, so I came back here to see if you were alright."
"I'm… I've been better Warren. I was just on my way out."
"I'll walk with you." Warren said. Warren followed Max outside the main doors into the sunshine.
Max breathed in the cool evening air, relaxing as the sun warmed her face. "God, I'm exhausted."
"You saved a girl's life today, Max." Warren walked in front of her and looked at her. "Give yourself some grace."
"Yeah, I-" Max stopped. "What the hell!?" She cried, stepping backwards. She pointed up at the sky. "Look!"
"What?" Warren turned around and saw what Max was pointing at."
"Jesus Christ…" David breathed.
The sky darkened as the moon started it's path in front of the sun.
"Max, there was no eclipse scheduled today. I would know. I would." He said, an edge of panic in his voice. "You don't think it's tied to-"
"I… I don't know. The snow yesterday, and now this?" Max felt her lip tremble. "It's all happening again, the same as before."
"I…" Warren trailed off. He breathed in and out. "I believe you, Max. I'll believe anything after today."