Pricefield - Time Warriors

Chapter 5: A Hipster, Punk, Angel And Queen Walk Into A Bar

Once Chloe had managed to drag me back to my dorm, I had finally managed to recover enough of my senses to feel able to talk again. So when Chloe flopped down onto my couch and put her feet up, I decided to get some payback. Turning to face her, I crossed my arms. Chloe noticed and raised an eyebrow before asking, "What?"

As nonchalantly as possible I replied, "So... I'm your girlfriend, huh?"

Chloe just laid there on my couch and stared at me with her mouth opening and closing like a fish, while her ears burned red.

I took a step forward, smirking slightly. "You only got one kiss back in the old timeline, and from a dare might I add, yet I'm suddenly yours? I didn't think you were so easy, Chloe."

She sputtered a few incomprehensible words at that, still unable to form a proper sentence.

Grinning at the sight of her face gradually turning pink, I perched myself on the arm of the couch where her head was and leaned over until she was looking at me from upside down.

A part of my brain was screaming at me to stop. The very same part that kept me from contacting Chloe for five years. Frowning on the inside, careful not to let Chloe see the turmoil within, I mentally banished my anxiety with such force that I could've sworn I heard a door slam shut in my head. After everything that I've been through – we've been through – there is no way I'm letting my anxiety convince me to back down. Not this time. Chloe made the first move. The first several moves actually, if you count the kiss dare. The thing with Warren was most likely just her jealousy flaring up but either way, now it's my move. Do or die, Max.

"Since you seem incapable of speaking, Chloe, I'll let you off the hook. On one condition."

Chloe licked her lips in an effort to reply. All she could manage was to push out a very quiet "Okay?"

I smiled mischievously and had to hold back a giggle when I heard her audibly swallow. Lowering my voice to a whisper, I went for it before anything else could try to stop me. "If you want me so badly then kiss me for real."

I watched as Chloe's eyes went so wide that I thought they'd literally fall out of her head while her face somehow managed to turn an even darker shade of pink. She just needed one more push.

"Don't make me triple dog dare you, Chloe Elizabeth Price."

That certainly put a stop to whatever weak protest she was about to make. Her brows furrowed slightly and she started flicking her gaze back and forth between my eyes and mouth. She shifted a little on the couch to get a better position before ever so slowly starting to lean in.

The instant our lips brushed together, all her hesitation vanished, along with any lingering traces of my anxiety. She clearly wanted this just as much as me. Not bothering to hide how eager I was any-more, I practically melted into her face. "Checkmate." was the last thought I had before my brain exploded in ecstasy.

Sadly, our sudden flare of passion was cut short right as it began to heat up due to the fact that we'd forgotten how precarious our position was. One movement too far and my leg accidentally slipped off the arm of the couch, causing us both to fall onto the floor with a combined "Oof." before awkwardly rolling off each other and giggling.

When the laughing fit had stopped, we simply laid there in silence for a few minutes, reflecting on what had just happened. Chloe had a really goofy smile plastered on her face. I imagined I did, too.

Eventually, I shifted onto my side to face Chloe and asked the one question I couldn't get out of my head. "What are we now?"

Chloe glanced at me and shrugged. "Relax, Max. We can worry about all the complicated shit some other time. All you need to know for now is that I won't let whatever this is ruin our friendship. We are always going to be best friends and pirates first, mushy crap second. Is that okay with you?"

I thought it over for a few seconds before agreeing. "I suppose so, yeah. Does this mean you'll leave Warren alone now?

Chloe smirked. "Sure. So long as I get to kiss you like we just did every time he walks into the same room."

I tried to casually roll my eyes at her but no doubt the blush on my face gave me away so instead I opted for saying, "That's probably not a good idea, I think he would spontaneously combust if you actually did that."

Chloe laughed and I heard her mutter under her breath, "That sounds like a good thing to me."

I rolled over so I could get close enough to swat her on the arm. "Man, you are relentless. Bad Chloe. I'd rather you didn't want my friends to explode, since I only have a very limited number of them. Three, to be precise. You, Warren and Kate."

Chloe's expression softened considerably. "Fuck, sorry Max. I'm only messing around-" She rubbed the back of her neck before continuing, "He's not really that bad, I just get a little overprotective and... well, jealous. Obviously."

I smirked. "Well you are my Captain, and bodyguard, after-all. It's part of your job description, even if it gets annoying sometimes." I stuck my tongue out at her.

Chloe exaggeratedly rolled her eyes. "Yeah well... Anyway, speaking of Kate, do you think it's time for your fancy little tea-date?"

I stood up and stretched, then checked the time on my phone. It was almost 6pm. I nodded and Chloe stood too. "I guess so. We've been in here for little longer than I expected but I'm sure Kate won't mind." I narrowed my eyes at her and continued, "No funny business, Chloe. I mean it."

Chloe mock-gasped. "With sweet Kate? I wouldn't dream of it! You on the other hand..." Then she put her hands out to defend herself, expecting another jab on the arm.

Instead I just sighed and rolled my eyes. "You have no idea how much I'd love to-" I felt another blush creeping up my neck from the unexpected admission and cleared my throat before continuing. "But we have enough to deal with right now, without you outing me to the rest of Blackwell. I'm not ready to run through the rumour mill just yet, this place is brutal."

Chloe stepped forward and threw an arm over my shoulder. "Oh I know just how insane BlackHell can be. I wouldn't do that to you until you're okay with it, I promise."

I smirked at her. "Well in that case, we better get going. Some Chamomile tea would probably help stop you from bouncing off the walls so much. Yes, it really is that obvious."

Chloe groaned and pulled her beanie down in an attempt to hide her blush.

Once Chloe had forced herself to relax enough to be seen in public, we headed across the hall and knocked on Kate's door. Quickly glancing at her room slate, I grinned as I noticed she'd added something to my previous artwork. There was now angel wings attached to my Polaroid-Security-Camera, for lack of a better name, which was also pointing towards the new addition of a rabbit, hopping around in the bottom corner.

After a few seconds, Kate opened the door and greeted us both with her signature smile that could light up any room in an instant. However, her smile didn't quite reach her eyes, which isn't really a surprise, knowing what I know now. "Hi Max. Hi Chloe. Come in! The water's already boiling so it won't take too long."

We ducked inside and closed the door. Looking around, I saw that she had at-least cleaned up the room a little compared to the last time I saw it, though the mirror was still covered up and the window blinds were shut tight. I decided to take a seat on the couch while Chloe sat on the floor at my feet.

Kate turned to us and asked, "So, what would you like?"

Glancing down at Chloe, I giggled slightly. "Well, Chloe here isn't very proficient when it comes to this sort of thing, so I think we'll both go for some Chamomile tea."

Kate nodded and opened a cabinet. "Good idea. I think I'll take some of that too, actually." Then went back to preparing the tea.

A minute later, all three of us were clutching and sipping steaming mugs of tea. "So Kate, how's Alice doing today?"

Kate raised an eyebrow. "She's good, why do you ask?"

I smirked. "Oh, well Lisa misses her friend, that's all."

Chloe spoke up. "I feel like I'm missing something here. Who's Alice? Or Lisa?"

Kate spotted the smirk on my face and grinned herself before turning to Chloe. "Well, Alice is my pet rabbit, and Lisa is-"

Chloe interrupted her with a high-pitched squeal unbecoming of someone with her punk status. "You have a rabbit? Max why didn't you tell me she had a rabbit? Dude! Please, please, please, please can I pet her?"

Kate glanced at me again and we both simultaneously burst out laughing.

Once she'd calmed down slightly, Kate got up to let Alice out of her cage while I was struggling to stop myself from giggling at the expression on Chloe's face. Which only got worse when Kate plopped Alice into Chloe's lap.

Eventually my giggles came to a stop. Chloe was still completely focused on petting Alice, so when Kate went to grab a few tissues, I leaned down and whispered, "Since you're enjoying yourself so much, you can pet me if you want."

Chloe almost jumped out of her skin at the sound of my voice right next to her ear. Then she blushed heavily once her brain registered what I'd said. She mock-glared at me and muttered under her breath, "I thought you said no funny business."

I snorted. "Sorry, I couldn't help myself. You looked so happy and content. I don't think your punk image will survive this one, you big pile of mush."

Chloe glared at me but didn't try to protest it, to my surprise. I may have found an actual weakness.

Kate returned and handed me a tissue, which I used to wipe away a couple of stray tears. "Now where was I, before I got so rudely interrupted? Oh right, Lisa. That's the name of Max's plant."

Chloe groaned. "I should've seen that one coming. Of-course it is. You never could resist giving a name to every plant in my house when we were younger."

Rolling my eyes at her, I turned to Kate. "That's enough about Alice and Lisa. So... How are you doing, Kate?"

Kate silently stared down into her tea, nursing it for a while. I could feel the tension in the room rise. Finally, she whispered so quietly I almost missed it. "Not good."

Trading looks with Chloe, I pressed on. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Kate quickly glanced over at Chloe before turning back to me. "I'm not sure, Max."

Realizing she was being reluctant because of Chloe's presence, I decided to reassure her. "Chloe isn't so scary when you get used to her, as you saw with her reaction to Alice. She's actually a surprisingly good listener when it comes to serious things. We had our own difficult conversation earlier so believe me, I know."

Chloe smiled at her. "We're here for you and we ain't going anywhere. Whatever you say stays in this room."

Kate looked between us, then nodded. "I... Thank you guys, it means so much that you are willing to listen to my problems-" Her eyes started watering as she tried to push forward. "I just... don't know how to talk about this. I... Oh darn it-" Tears began to fall down her cheeks.

Scooting forward, I put a hand on her knee. "Shh, just let it out, Kate. Don't hold them back, we can keep going when you're ready."

Upon hearing that, Kate practically broke down sobbing right there on the floor. Instead of letting her curl up into a ball, I reacted on instinct and pulled her into a hug so that she could cry on my shoulder. Chloe shifted forward so that she could rub a hand on her back. Neither of us spoke while Kate's sobbing got progressively louder and messier. Even with all the crying she's no doubt been doing recently – if the already existing pile of tissues in her trash were anything to go by – she's probably been trying to hide it until now. The dorm walls are terribly thin, too, so there's no way I wouldn't have heard her crying like this. I'm pretty sure the entire dorm can hear her now, but screw them. Kate needs this.

We simply sat there while Kate's golden heart relentlessly streamed from her eyes, occasionally muttering comforting words to her.

After several minutes of non-stop sobbing, there was a quiet, almost reluctant, knock on Kate's door. The sound of Victoria's voice followed, causing all three of us to immediately freeze up.

"Max, Kar-" She coughed slightly to cover up her misstep. "Chloe, I know you're both in there with her. Open the door already."

The expression on Chloe's face was furious, to say the least. In-fact it was so far above that, there were no words to describe it. I motioned for Kate to stay where she was, then I grabbed Chloe's hand and pulled her over to the door, cautiously opening it. The sight before me caused me to reflexively freeze time, which made Chloe gasp in surprise.

"Crap, sorry Chloe, didn't have time to warn you."

Chloe took a breath, then once she'd recovered from the weirdness of seeing everything frozen, she saw what had caused me to stop time.

The expression on Victoria's face was a mixed bag on full display. She appeared hesitant, worried but ultimately conflicted.

I took a step out out into the hall, past Victoria, careful to keep a tight hold on Chloe's hand. Looking left and right, I saw a few heads peeking around doors, with Taylor and Courtney standing guard at each end. Presumably keeping everyone else away while Victoria knocked on Kate's door.

Chloe cleared her throat to get my attention. "So uh, how the fuck are we getting out of this one, Max?"

I hummed in thought. After a moment, I replied, "Maybe this is a good thing. I mean, look at Victoria. Have you ever seen her look so... I dunno, human?"

Chloe snorted. "Not really, no. But I don't see how this is a good thing. She has some serious balls to come here now knowing full well she's one cause of Kate's pain."

I nodded. "That's the point, Chloe. For probably the first time in her life, she's feeling worried over something she's caused. I think I must've had more of an effect than I expected, when I was nice to her earlier."

Chloe sighed. "Okay, let's say that's true. How do we handle this?"

I turned to face her properly, then shrugged. "You do realize that before Kate broke down crying, she was most likely about to tell us all about the video Victoria took of her at the party. Which, I assume, would lead into her telling us about what she thinks happened to her afterwards-" I fixed her with a pointed look. "Where she ended up. Him-" I forced down the shiver that was creeping up my spine then continued. "As awkward as this will be, I figure we can kill two birds with one stone, so to speak. I want to tell Kate what really happened to her, she deserves to know. If Victoria decided to come here herself, then perhaps the whole truth will make her understand that her actions have consequences. Plus it saves me having to do this twice, visiting her at midnight."

Chloe blinked, absorbing everything I just said. Then she slowly nodded. "If that's how you want to play it, sure. But if Victoria steps one pretty little fingernail out of line, I will do more than break her nose this time. Got it?"

I smirked. "Fine by me, Chloe. Now let's go back to where we were standing before. I don't want to scare the shit out of Victoria by teleporting in her face, as hilarious as that'd be."

Once we were back in the right places, I let go of the freeze.

Chloe immediately crossed her arms and glared at Victoria. "Man, you must have some ridiculous lady-balls to come here right now."

Instead of frowning like one would expect, Victoria's shoulders slumped in defeat and she muttered, "I know."

Chloe arched an eyebrow at that. "Do you have a death wish or something?"

Victoria gulped and looked at her feet. "It certainly feels like it. Now can I come in or not?"

Deciding Chloe's had enough fun torturing her, I grabbed hold of Victoria's arm and carefully dragged her inside, then shut the door behind her. Chloe moved to lean against the door, effectively blocking Victoria from escaping, while I deliberately placed myself in-front of Kate to protect her.

Victoria took one step into the room before spotting Kate curled up on the floor, still crying. Her eyes went wide and she opened her mouth to say something but Kate hiccuped a few times before looking up from the floor, right into Victoria's eyes. Whatever she was about to say died in her throat and she froze up, like a deer caught in headlights.

What Kate said next was like a slap in Victoria's face. "Have you come to make fun of the fake religious girl who goes around kissing people at parties? Do you want to take another video of me now, while I cry my eyes out? Maybe show everyone that I'm not even the happy girl they all think I am? Is that what you want?"

Victoria's jaw dropped to the floor. Chloe glared at Victoria so harshly I expected her hair to burst into flames. While I, knowing the truth, clenched my fists in anger and disgust.

Eventually, Victoria managed to push out a meek, "No, Kate."

I glared at her. "Then sit down and shut up. Don't say a word, Victoria." I grinned on the inside when she practically collapsed to the floor on command in the most un-Victoria-like way imaginable.

Turning back to Kate, I crouched down in-front of her and whispered, "I know she has no right to be here, and I'm not even sure why she is here to be honest. However, if what you just said to her is anything like what you was going to tell us before, then don't stop now. Victoria being forced to listen and see exactly what she's caused should be a fitting punishment, don't you think? So pretend she isn't here and tell us everything, okay?"

Kate blinked a few times, then reluctantly nodded. "Okay. Yes. Uh, here goes-" I sat down cross-legged in-front of her and held her hand for support. "Well, last week I finally wanted to try out one of the Vortex Club parties. I'd never been to one before and with how... eh, sheltered, my life was before coming here, I decided it was time to see what everyone else got up to. It wasn't too bad at first. It took me a while to get used to it but eventually I had a little fun dancing to the music even if it wasn't my type-" She turned her head to fix Victoria with a stern stare. "After that, I thought I'd try some red wine on offer, courtesy of the Vortex Club. I only had a couple of sips before figuring out that I didn't like it. I mean, I drink wine at church, but this stuff was way more alcoholic than I am used to, so I switched back to drinking water instead. A little while later and I, um... Started feeling sick and dizzy. Everything is kind of a blur beyond that. Just little bits and pieces-" At this point both Chloe and Victoria had wandered over to sit with us. "I don't remember kissing anyone, but if that video is real then I must have. What I do remember though, was Nathan talking to me. He said I didn't look well and that he'd take me to the hospital. The next thing I remember is being in the back of a car, I assume Nathan's, before blacking out and waking back up in this... really bright room. I thought it was a hospital at first, though I couldn't really see since everything was so white. Someone was talking to me in a soft voice, again I thought it was a doctor, until I felt a sharp sting in my neck and... and... That's it. I woke up outside my room the next morning with no idea how I got there, or what even happened to me."

I was only vaguely aware that Kate had finished speaking, and that Victoria was sitting in silence with tears running down her face. I thought I could hold it together but as soon as Kate mentioned feeling a sting in her neck, my own memories came flooding back for the second time today. I felt Chloe grab my hands and squeeze. I struggled to tune out everything else and tried to focus solely on her. Slowly, very slowly, it was working. As the seconds went by, I could feel myself trickling back into the present. Back to Chloe.

Finally, I blinked back to the here-and-now. That's when my brain fully registered the fact that, not only was Chloe death-gripping my hands, Kate had a hand on my knee and even Victoria had a hand hovering near my back. The latter two staring at me with worry and confusion. I groaned, and mumbled out a "Fuck." before my brain could catch up with my mouth. Kate winced slightly.

I was about to apologize when she covered a hand over my mouth and giggled. "I don't know what just happened but I think I'll let that one slide. It's okay, Max."

Victoria still hadn't said a word, though neither had she moved her hand away from my back. I glanced at Chloe and saw her nod questioningly towards my rewind hand, as if to say, "We can go back, if you want?"

I shook my head at her. "It doesn't matter, Chloe. There's no point trying to hide this now."

Chloe frowned slightly. "Are you sure, Max? You don't have to do this if you're not ready."

I sighed. "You know I do."

That shut her up.

Annoyingly, Victoria chose this moment to finally speak. "Do what, Max? What the he-" She swiftly corrected herself. "Heck is going on?"

I traded another meaningful glance with Chloe before taking a deep breath and turning back to look at Kate. "I know what happened to you at the party. You were drugged, Kate."

I saw her eyes go wide and heard Victoria gasp, so I turned to her next. "And you, Victoria, thought it was a funny idea to take a video of Kate while she kissed a bunch of people, which is something we both know she'd never do and you seriously didn't think anything was wrong? Shame on you."

Victoria looked like she'd just been sucker-punched in the gut. She probably actually would've been if Chloe wasn't still clinging to my arm.

Refocusing my attention on Kate, she whispered, "How do you know that, Max?"

I smiled sadly at her. "That, my dear Kate, is a very long, very crazy and very complicated story. Let's just say, it's the same way I know that you were probably planning to do a certain something tomorrow, correct?"

Kate flinched and turned white in an instant. Staring at me with wide eyes, it took her a few seconds to get her voice to work. "How did you... No, that's not possible... Nobody was supposed to know I was going to-" She trailed off and audibly gulped as her eyes started frantically darting around the room, looking for a way out. "Shit, you fucking dumb-ass, that was way too blunt. Sorry Kate." I mentally berated myself.

I was just about to try calming Kate down when Victoria, of all people, sprang into action without even realizing what we were talking about. I watched as she pushed aside her own self-loathing and hesitation, took a firm hold on Kate's hands and attempted to get her to take deep breaths with her. Victoria's technique was quite similar to how Chloe was with me, just a little more refined. Eventually, Kate calmed down enough for Victoria to stop and realize exactly what she'd done. I simply smiled at her as she glanced awkwardly around the room, not even flinching at the piercing glare she shot my way.

Holding Victoria's glare, I spoke with a soft voice, "You can put the claws away, Vic. If what you just did is anything to go by, clearly all four of us have at-least one thing in common. We all have to deal with anxiety in some way or other and the panic attacks that come with it."

Her shoulders relaxed slightly and her glare dropped, though she narrowed her eyes further once the new name registered. "Only my friends get to call me Vic."

I crossed my arms in defiance. "Well, since you finally dropped your Queen Bee persona long enough to help Kate here despite knowing just how much you screwed up..." I raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm willing to forgive you for the way you've treated me and I'd be honoured if you let me call you Vic."

Olive branch officially offered. I watched as she hesitantly chewed on her lower lip, considering it. One by one, her guarded walls dropped, exposing the vulnerable and insecure photography student I knew was trapped inside. She smiled for a second, before it turned into a smirk. "Fine. Only if I get to call you Maxine."

Thankfully the groan that escaped my lips was overshadowed by Chloe's barking laughter. Once Chloe had finally stopped, I saw that she was frowning at her.

Catching her attention, I threw her a smirk of my own. "I'll allow it. Only if you address Chloe by her real name from now on. No more Kari Price."

She rolled her eyes and huffed dramatically, causing Kate to giggle. "Good, she's feeling better after you royally fucked up, Max." I thought to myself.

I offered her my hand. "So, are we friends now, Vic?"

After careful consideration, she nodded and extended her own well-manicured hand. "If you insist, Maxine."

We shook hands and despite attempting to keep it hidden, the giant grin on her face betrayed her true feelings. Vic was actually really glad to be friends with me and if I'm being honest, so was I.

Before we could get too comfortable in the ensuing silence, Kate spoke up. "I don't want to ruin the moment but, um... You still need to tell me how you know I was going to..." She finished the rest of her sentence by flailing her hands in the air, not wanting to say it out loud.

I glanced over at Chloe and had a silent conversation with just our eyes. Eventually, she nodded at me. "Well, here goes nothing." I thought to myself.

I took a deep breath before turning to stare Kate in the eyes. "Short answer: I have the ability to rewind and travel backwards through time."