The Foster
Miss Magillicuddy
Chapter 8: Snapshots
AN: This chapter is a group of snapshots to show the passage of time. Some of them are shorter than the others.
July 17, 2008
Chloe was laid on her stomach on her bed, slowly flipping through pages of a random book she had pulled from the bookshelves downstairs. Every few minutes her eyes would roam to her alarm clock, releasing a low huff as she realized that only five minutes had passed. She had already finished the extra chores she had been given for the day, and had run out of things to do to keep her occupied. This is torture… I'm never doing anything to get grounded again. The last 13 days had been horribly boring for the young teenager. She had been desperately missing her friends for the past almost two weeks.
She had briefly crossed paths with Max one day when she had taken the dogs for a walk. She shared a commiserating look with the smaller girl, as they made eye contact over the pile of weeds the smaller girl had been helping her mom to pull. She had heard Max ask her mom if she could go talk to her, but Vanessa had been stern that she wouldn't have contact with her friends until the weeks were up. Chloe sent a brief smile and wave her way as she came back around the cul-de-sac with the panting dogs. Max had looked at her mom's turned back before looking back to the other girl and returning the gesture. The freckled girl looked back at her mom for a moment before looking back at Chloe and rolling her eyes.
I wonder what Max is doing right now. I wonder if she's also bored out of her mind. She must be… Chloe glanced at the clock again. She saw it was only 8:32, just three minutes after the last time she checked it. She released a deep sigh and threw the book off to the side. Fuck it. I'm going to bed, then tomorrow I'll finally be done with the grounding.
Chloe slowly got up from her bed, walking to her dresser and pulling out a pajama set. She hurriedly changed before running into the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. She walked down the stairs and saw her parents sitting on the sofa.
"Going to bed already," Sheri asked, raising an eyebrow in amusement while eying her pajamas.
"Yeah," the girl responded, sending a weak smile her way. "I'm so bored, so I decided to sleep early. I'm still ungrounded tomorrow, right?"
"Have you done something else to be grounded for," Dean teased, winking at her.
"No! I promise," Chloe said, sending a pout his way. "I just wanted to make sure."
"Yes, you're ungrounded tomorrow," Sheri said, lightly nudging Dean in the ribs and sending a light glare to her husband. He raised his hands in surrender, chuckling lightly.
"I just came down to say goodnight," Chloe said, as she walked closer, bending down to hug her parents. Each of them hugged her tightly and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
"Goodnight sweetie girl," Sheri said, brushing the hair from Chloe's face.
"Sweet dreams," Dean wished her, "then tomorrow… FREEDOM!"
"You're a dork," Chloe laughed as she pulled back from her parents and headed up the stairs to climb into her bed for the night.
"I'm glad her punishment is done tomorrow," Sheri told Dean when the girl had retired to her bedroom. "I hate seeing her down."
"We had to stick to our guns," Dean told her, "but… I have missed her little friends running around all the time. It has been way to quiet."
"I miss the noise, too," Sheri laughed. She glanced over at her phone and moved it to her lap. She opened her messaging and sent a message out to the parents group, asking if they wanted to come over for a pool party the next day to celebrate the ending of all of their kids punishments. She sent a separate one to Max's, Kate's and Rachel's parents to ask if the girls could stay over with Chloe the following night. She had received affirmative responses in minutes. She smiled as she mentally prepared a list of stuff to pick up at the store in the morning.
Chloe woke up the next morning around 6am, unsure what had woken her up. She blearily looked around her, spotting Maverick eyeing her from the bottom of the bed. He released a low 'aroooo' whine, and jumped from her bed to stand by the door, pawing at it lightly. When did he get in here? She wondered, deciding that her parents must have let him in when she was already asleep. She stretched her back, feeling her muscles relax a little before standing up and walking towards the door. She made a quick stop in the bathroom, hurriedly taking care of her own needs before she made her way to her parents door, lightly calling for Wilson. She could hear nails clicking across the floor of her parents bedroom as the golden retriever came skittering into the hallway.
The two dogs followed her downstairs, yipping excitedly as she asked them if they wanted to go for a walk. The two of them obediently sat while she put their leashes on and were still sitting pretty while she put her tennis shoes on. She hurriedly wrote a note letting her parents know she was taking the dogs out. She didn't want them to worry if they woke up before she got back. She grabbed some dog poop disposal bags and made her way out of the house. After a few minutes of walking and marking their territory, the dogs started tugging at their leashes, urging her to go faster. Chloe weighed her options, deciding to start jogging.
This isn't so bad. At least it isn't too hot yet. The three of them stopped at a dog park and she made her way into the fenced area for the dogs to run around and play. She panted as she bent over a water fountain, taking mouthfuls of water to hydrate her dry throat. She took a seat on a bench as she unhooked the leashes on her dogs and watched them take off after each other playing. She let them run around for about half an hour. Keeping her eyes on them to make sure she knew when she needed to clean up after them.
She was sweating when she made it home half an hour later. They had jogged back for the last 10 minutes of the walk and she was out of breath as she let herself back into the air conditioning. She sighed in relief, even as she gently unhooked their leashes. The two dogs ran off into the kitchen and started lapping up water. She could still hear Dean's loud snoring from up the stairs, realizing that her parents were still sleeping. She made her way up her stairs and into the bathroom for a long shower. She felt disgusting after the exercise she had done that morning. By the time she made it back to her room, got dressed for the day and headed down for breakfast her parents were already down there. Dean was making breakfast burritos and waved at her cheerily with the spatula as she entered the kitchen.
"Morning, pop," Chloe said, as she hurried her way over to the coffee pot, pouring herself a large mug and putting in mocha creamer. She stirred it a few times before taking a large gulp and turning around to head to the kitchen table. She took a seat next to Sheri and leaned her head against the woman's shoulder as she wrapped an arm over her shoulder. "Morning, ma."
"Morning sweetie," Sheri said, pressing a kiss to her temple. " Did you have a good night?"
"Yeah," Chloe said, "I think I slept straight through the night. I woke up when Maverick was begging to be let out."
"Yeah, we saw your note on the counter," Dean said from the stove. "How long were you gone?"
"About an hour and a half," Chloe said, while Dean shouted that breakfast was ready. She was already heading towards the stove as she grabbed one of the tortillas that Pop had been heating on the stove. She started filling her tortilla with the chorizo sausage, egg, potato, cheese and chili pepper mixture as she continued, "we jogged a bit and they ran around the dog park for a while."
Chloe added some salsa and jalapenos to the top of her burrito, before folding it up and making her way back to the table. She felt absolutely famished and took two large bites before seeing Sheri holding something out to her from the side. She glanced up mid chew and made a sound of excitement as she grabbed her phone. She chewed a few more times before swallowing.
"My phone," She cheered, as she pulled it in front of her and powered it back on. "Thank you!"
"You're welcome," Sheri said, beaming at her happily. "You're not grounded anymore, so you get it back."
"Can I invite my friends over today," She asked with a puppy dog look, even as she took another large bite of her spicy breakfast burrito. She hummed in pleasure. So yummy.
"We actually already did," Sheri told her, smiling as she ruffled her hair. Sheri took a dainty bite of her own burrito. "We invited everyone over for a pool party. Kate, Max and Rachel are staying the night tonight."
"Sweet," Chloe cheered as she hurriedly finished her burrito, eying the stove to decide if she wanted to get another. After patting her stomach a few times, she decided in favor of a second one and got up to hurriedly make a second one. "I'm so excited."
"We are too," Dean grinned at her across the table. "We didn't like having to punish you, and we missed the noise of you and your friends storming through the house."
"I know," Chloe said, looking down guiltily as she sat back next to Sheri. "I still feel bad that I made you worry, but I don't regret what I did. Those little girls could have been put into human trafficking. Do you know if they caught the guys we told them about?"
"They're still looking for those monsters… but if anything like that ever happens again, I expect you to come to us Chloe Elizabeth," Dean said, a stern look on his face. "I don't know if we could have survived losing you. We really love you and would be broken without you."
"You're the light of our lives," Sheri said, grabbing her hand tightly and rubbing a thumb over her knuckles. "We longed for a child like you for years, yet I can hardly remember what life was like before you."
"I love you, too," Chloe said, swallowing past a lump in her throat as her eyes brimmed with tears, "I can't imagine life without you, either. Life was awesome when my parents were alive. Then they were gone and I was lost and hurt. The Hampden's broke me and the only thing that kept me going there was protecting my little sisters. Life was pretty awful until I got away from them, and moved to the Marsh's. It was pretty great there, barring Karen. She was pretty awful. Then I came to live with you, and life is awesome again. I promise, I will come to you if I ever get another vision like this one."
Later that day the family of three was running around the house getting their home ready for the pool party. They had bought a bunch of chicken and ribs, corn on the cob, and ingredients to make home made baked beans, coleslaw and cornbread. Dean was just igniting the grill when the first of the guests arrived. Chloe opened the door to the Caulfield's standing on their porch. Ryan was holding a variety pack of Indie beer, and wearing a wide grin on his face.
"Chloe," Max squealed as she threw herself into her best friend's arms and hugged her tightly. "I missed you so much!"
"I missed you too," Chloe responded, returning the tight hug and swaying slightly side to side. "It's nice to be free, yeah?"
"It is," Max agreed, finally releasing her and taking a step back. She had a slight flush on her cheeks and Chloe felt her stomach flip as she saw her. So pretty. "Sorry I couldn't talk to you that day we saw you walking the dogs. Someone was being a tyrant."
"Well, someone was grounded and wasn't allowed to speak to her friends," Vanessa said, as she stepped over the threshold and pulled Chloe into a tight hug. "We missed you, too. It was way to quiet in the house without you and Max stomping around together."
"That's what I said," Sheri chirped as she stepped up to hug her friend. "I swear, it's like you and I could be twins."
"Great minds think alike," Vanessa said, holding up a bottle of a sweet red wine she had purchased. "I brought a couple of bottles of wine for us to share. It's a new one they have down at the winery, called Nookeenay. I tried some at a murder mystery dinner there with Ryan last week and it was delicious!"
"Oooh, a murder mystery! That sounds so fun," Sheri gushed, as she looped her arm through Vanessa's and headed towards the back yard. The duo stopped to grab wine glasses for themselves and the rest of the guests that were heading over. As they stepped out onto the pergola covered patio they saw that Ryan was already standing next to Dean, the two of them clinking their beer bottles together as they discussed the cooking technique for the ribs.
Chloe and Max stayed in the living room, waiting for the rest of the guests to appear. The Amber family showed up next. Rose was carrying a cake container that she said was holding a strawberry jello cake. Chloe motioned them to the back patio where the rest of the adults were, and the three teenagers hung out together in the living room.
"I was so bored," Rachel whined, as they sat together on the sofa, "I swear, there are only so many times you can dust the same bookcase."
"I hear ya," Max said as she settled down into the cushions on the couch, "mom had me weeding the yard last week. It was fucking miserable."
"Ugh, I hate yard work," Rachel said as she studied her nails. "Mom had me helping her to put a gard-"
She was interrupted by the doorbell ringing, so the friends once again made their way to the door. Chloe pulled it open and saw that Kate and Trevor had arrived with their families at the same time. Chloe happily received hugs from her former foster family and was still pulling back from Lynn as she saw Justin's family making his way up the driveway. She waved him over, leading the rest of the group out to the backyard. The adults were all standing on the patio drinking wine or beer while the kids got ready to get in the pool.
While the kids were playing a nice game of marco polo, Gabriel made his way over to where Sheri and Dean were standing.
"Thanks for having us over," He said, sending a gentle smile their way. Theresa came and stood next to him, sending them a greeting as well. "I was actually wanting to ask you something."
"Sure," Sheri said, sending a worried look at him, "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah. Great, actually," Gabriel said, sending a smile to try and calm her. "I was just wondering if you would mind having the girls and Trevor stay over next Friday. I know you have a guest room where he could sleep separately. It's just that Theresa and I are wanting to go out on a date, and we don't want to leave the kids home alone late."
"Of course we will," Sheri said, bouncing slightly, "You two would be such a cute couple."
"Thank you so much," Theresa gushed, even while a light blush dusted both hers and Gabriel's cheeks. "I didn't think I would meet someone I was interested in after Trevor's father left, but then I met Gabriel and we had a lot in common. We've been talking a lot over the last month… since the first party."
"That's just so cute," Sheri cooed, giving the couple a wide grin.
The large group of friends had a great time that night with a lot of laughter and a lot of delicious food.
August 17, 2009
"Bye, ma! See you after school," Chloe shouted as she and Max climbed out of Sheri's SUV. The pair of them slowly made their way to the cafeteria where they had planned to meet their friends. The two of them realized they were the first ones there and decided to make their way through the breakfast line. They had already started digging into their biscuits and gravy when Kate, Trevor and Justin showed up.
"Heya, sista," Kate said, as she took a seat across from her and shared a fist bump with both her and Max.
"How the hell is summer already over," Trevor asked with a frown as he sat next to Kate.
"Eh, time flies when you're having fun," Chloe said, taking a large bite of her breakfast.
"Are you all gonna eat anything," Max asked to the trio across from her.
"Nah, dad made breakfast this morning," Kate said, nonchalantly, "Trevor, Theresa and Justin joined us since we're carpooling together."
"How are things going with your parents," Chloe asked, as she finished the last bit of her meal.
"They're going pretty well, we think," Trevor stated, sharing a smile with Kate. "I don't think I've ever seen mom as happy as she is right now."
"Dad's been really happy, too," Kate stated, "They go on several dates a week. I'm really glad dad isn't miserable anymore."
"Well, Theresa is definitely an upgrade from Karen," Chloe sneered the woman's name. "Speaking of, have you heard anything from her since she informed you she was pregnant?"
"Well, I haven't… but dad did," the blond girl intoned, swiping a lock of hair behind her ear, "I guess she said that Skip doesn't want to have to help with child support. The two of them decided it would be a good idea to call dad and ask if Karen were to sign over her rights to us, would dad be willing to not ask for child support."
"Oh shit," Max said, shifting awkwardly, "how do you feel about that?"
"Honestly," Kate questioned, shifting to look at the freckled girl, "I'm glad for it. I never planned to ever speak with her again. Lynn didn't take it so well. She was crying all day yesterday, asking why her mommy didn't love her anymore. Yet another thing to hate Karen over. I love my sisters. They don't deserve to be discarded like trash. Dad agreed to do it, because then she can't come back in a year and try to take back custody of us. As if I'd ever want to move to bumfuck North Dakota."
"Welcome to the club of people who's parents didn't want them," Trevor stated, looking slightly sad, "My dad signed away his rights right after he ditched us. I think he and Karen would get along famously. Though, he's a crackhead, so maybe not. The only thing I have in common with him is his last name. Bastard."
The five of them pulled out their schedules again to compare them, even though they had instantly called one another when they came out the week previously. Max had been very excited when she realized that she was with at least one of her friends for every class period. Justin was the only one that was unlucky. He only had 2 classes out of 7 with any of them. They all had lunch together, since the lunches were split up by grade.
The first day of classes had gone by pretty quickly, consisting mostly of getting their seats assigned and introducing themselves in each class. Several of the teachers had discussed the syllabus for the year and they were thankful that they hadn't yet been assigned homework. In PE they had to pick up their PE uniforms and stash them in their gym lockers.
Chloe was hopeful that homework would be light for the first week, as there was the annual county fair over the weekend. She wanted to have plenty of time to enjoy it with her friends. She had noticed throughout the day that she and her group of friends were getting strange looks. It wasn't until she was making her way out to her mom's car after the final bell rang that she realized why. She was walking by a small group of girls and heard them whisper as she went by.
"My dad's a cop, Taylor" she heard the girl with a short black bob whisper, "He said that it was them that saved those little girls over the summer."
"Wow," one of the other girls muttered back, "they, like, totally could have died. That's, like, totally crazy."
"Right," the other girl responded, before they saw them looking and hurried off.
October 31, 2008
Chloe, Kate, Max, and Rachel stood huddled together next to a ginormous bonfire. They were having some smores while they waited for the rest of their friends to meet up with them. The girls were waiting for Trevor and Justin to get back from the restroom while they waited for Steph, Mikey and Drew to get there. Kate had just taken a large bite of her smore when two people wearing masks jumped out from behind a tree. She screamed bloody murder while Trevor and Justin removed their masks and bent over in laughter.
"You should have seen your face," Justin got out between peals of laughter, wiping at the merry tears streaming from the corners of his eyes.
"You fucking dickholes," Kate cried out, still clutching at her chest as she caught her breath. She sent a weak glare at them before punching them in the arm. "You nearly gave me a heart attack."
"Ow," Trevor whined, rubbing at his arm, "Sorry Katie. We were just being funny."
"Sorry," Justin apologized, also rubbing the spot in his arm she had punched, "I, uh, brought something with me. I don't know if you guys would be interested in."
"What might that be," Chloe asked, giving him a speculative look. Justin nodded off to the side by the trees behind the concession stand. Chloe sighed and checked her phone to see if she had gotten the text from Steph yet to let them know they were on their way. She hadn't, so they all followed Justin behind the building. He looked around to make sure that there was no one else around him before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small baggie with something green inside, a lighter, and a small glass item that he called a chillum.
"Do you guys want to try this," He asked, as he held the bag up triumphantly.
"Uh, is that pot," Max asked, eyeing it warily and sharing a glance with Chloe.
"Yeah," He responded, nodding eagerly, "I got it today in the skatepark. Do you guys want to try it?"
"but… won't our parents smell it on us when they pick us up," Kate asked him while looking around the group.
"We can go stand by the bonfire after, and the smoke from that should cover us," Justin told them, "besides, we still have the haunted house to go through."
"I'll try it," Trevor said moving to stand closer to the other boy.
"Ladies," Justin asked, giving them a raised brow in question.
"Count me in," Rachel said, brushing long blond locks behind her shoulder and tying it back.
"I'd like to try," Kate said, causing Chloe to look at her in surprise. Really? I'm surprised at that.
The last two girls decided to join in as Justin got everything set up. Justin lit it up first, inhaling and coughing a little as the pungent smoke filled his lungs. The friends started passing it around, each of them coughing as they took their first inhales. Max was still coughing slightly as she passed it off to Chloe. The taller girl felt exhilaration as she lifted the chillum to her lips and placed them where Max's had just been. Chloe took the lighter and switched it, moving it to the opening where the drug was. As she took her first inhale, she felt it tickle in her lungs and immediately started coughing. They passed it around 3 more times before Chloe feeling different. The six of them were giggling as they made their way back to the bonfire to wait for the other three to get there. They had texted Chloe right before they left the woods that they were on their way.
After the rest of the friends got there, they made their way to the ticket window to purchase some tickets for the haunted house. They hadn't been standing in line very long when Steph asked them why they were all so giggly.
"What," Steph cried out scandalized, "Why didn't you wait for us to get here to do it?"
"Sorry," Chloe laughed, "We were just wasting time for you to get here. Next time we'll wait for you."
"You better," The girl groused, sending an exaggerated pout.
Later, while Max and Chloe waited for Dean to pick them up, Chloe felt nervous. They had stood next to the bonfire for another 20 minutes while they waited for him to get there, but what if he could still smell it? She shuffled nervously towards his car as she saw him pull up, and climbed into the backseat with Max.
"Hey girls," Dean smiled, shifting around in his seat to look at them. "did you have a good time?"
"Yeah," Chloe said softly, "it was really fun, and the bonfire was nice."
"Yeah, you smell like the bonfire," he responded before turning back around in his seat. "Maybe we'll have one next weekend and invite everyone over for it!"
"Sounds like a plan, stan," Chloe said, while Max dissolved into silent giggles next to her. Chloe felt the tension in her shoulders leave, as she realized that he couldn't smell it on them.
November 26, 2008
"Happy Thanksgiving," Chloe shouted, as she opened the door for her grandparents. "I've missed you guys! How was the cruise?"
"My Chlo bug," Joyce shouted, as she drew her into a tight hug. "I missed you too, sweetheart. The cruise was great. We'll have to see if your Ma and Pop will let you come with us sometime!"
"That would be awesome," She chanted as she took their coats and hung them in the closet. "I've never been on a cruise before."
"We come bearing souvenirs," Clarence said, as moved past his wife to pull Chloe into a tight hug. "I think you've grown another inch since we last saw you. Before I know it, you'll tower over me."
"I'm not quite that tall, Poppie," Chloe joked, nudging his arm. The three of them made their way into the living room where her Aunt Becci and cousins were sitting.
"Nonnie and Poppie brought us souvenirs," Chloe exclaimed as she sat between her cousins.
The elderly couple sat down in a pair of comfy armchairs the Tilton's had recently purchased and started passing out their gifts. Chloe was very pleased to receive a beautiful ice blue scarf that her grandparents said was from Punta Cana. Each of the girls also received a pretty silver locket with a ring of gemstones around the rim.
Later, as they were all seated around the dining table getting ready to eat, they went around each of them saying what they were thankful for. When it got to Chloe, she cleared her throat before opening her mouth to speak.
"I'm thankful for my family," Chloe said softly, "When my biological parents died, I never thought I would feel like I had a family ever again. I felt broken and alone, and I'm just so thankful that Sheri was there in the hospital when I was hurt. I have two loving parents, awesome grandparents, amazing Aunts, Uncles and Cousins, and I couldn't be happier about that. You've all accepted me into your family like I was always part of it, and that means more to me than you could ever know. I love you all so much."
"Sweetie," Sheri said, as she dabbed at her eyes, "we love you more than you could ever know, too. It doesn't matter if you aren't of my blood. You're of my soul, and I will be there for you for anything."
"Well, said babe," Poppie said, sending a smile to his daughter. "We love you too, Chlo bug."
Chloe noticed when everyone left that night that it seemed like they were holding her tighter and for longer, as if affirming her opinion that she was part of them. As she made her way up to bed, Sheri stopped her and held her for a long time before pressing a kiss to her temple and reminding her to set an alarm for early in the morning so that they could go Black Friday shopping together.
As she laid in her bed, she heard her phone buzz next to her. She turned her head to look at it and saw Kate's name flashing across her screen. She grabbed her phone and brought up her messaging, eyes widening in surprise as she saw Kate's message.
Kate 10:15pm : U still up? I have sum news. Dad asked the girls and I how we would feel if he asked Theresa 2 marry him.
Chloe 10:15pm: Srsly? Wow! What did you say?
Kate 10:15pm: I told him I was happy about it. I really like her and she makes him happy. I think they're good for each other.
Chloe 10:16pm: Wow, that's great. I wonder if he'll talk 2 Trevor about it.
Kate 10:16pm: He already talked 2 him about it earlier today, while Theresa was in the kitchen basting the turkey. His grandparents came over today, too. They seemed really nice.
Chloe 10:17pm: That's really cool. Did he say when he wanted to propose?
Kate 10:18pm: Christmas, I think. I spent the last 2 hours helping him look at houses on Zillow. This is only a 3 bedroom house and we would need at least 4. Theresa and Trevor's house is only a two bedroom.
Chloe 10:19pm: Tell him I said I'm happy for him! I need to get to bed. I'm waking up early to go shopping with Ma. Night Katie! Luv you!
Kate: Night Chlo! Luv you too!
Chloe set her phone back down on her bedside table and turned onto her side to try and get comfortable, accidentally bumping the sleeping dog at the end of her bed. The husky's head popped up blearily and gave a soft bark, moving further up and laying his head on top of her hip.
"Sorry, Mav," Chloe said, as she scratched his ears. He licked her hands a couple of times before settling back down.
December 25, 2008
Kate was practically vibrating in her seat as she eyed her dad across the room, who was sitting next to the tree and passing out presents. She was sharing excited looks with Trevor who was sat next to her on the couch. Come on, dad! When are you going to pop the question? She was a little frustrated when she realized that he was going to have them all open their gifts before his last one. There was Christmas music playing gently in the background as everyone unwrapped their presents. When the last of their gifts were done, she saw her dad walk over to the tree, and pull out a small wrapped box that she hadn't even noticed.
"Looks like we missed one," He said, smiling as he walked on his knees towards Theresa. "It's for you."
"Gabriel," Theresa said in a shocked voice, "you've already gotten me so much. You better not have spent a ton of money on me!"
"Open it… Please," he said the last word, his pitch going up on the please.
"Okay," she said, sending a sweet smile to her boyfriend. Kate and Trevor shared a look while she slowly unwrapped the paper, smile still on her face. As she pulled the lid off the top of the wrapped box, she released a soft gasp, hand going up over her mouth in shock. "Gabe?"
"I know we've only been together for a short time," The blond stated, shifting to a more comfortable position on his knees. ",but I fell for you quickly. I knew felt like you were the one for me from the moments our hands touched when I met you. Before you, I didn't think that I would ever love again. I was brokenhearted and hurt, a victim of constant belittling. I didn't think I would ever deserve somebody as wonderful as you. I love you, and am hoping that you and Trevor, would do me the honor of joining my family."
Gabriel lifted his hand and brushed away a stray tear from the corner of her eyes, still staring into them intently. He saw her eyes fly up to someone behind him, knowing that she was looking to her son for confirmation that he wouldn't be hurt if she said yes. If he would have turned, he would have seen Trevor send a large smile and nod at her, instead he watched as her hand slowly lowered from her mouth and it spread into a beautiful smile.
"Yes, we will join the family," She stated, as she softly began crying. She held her left hand out to him as he slid the ring onto her finger. "We're gonna need a bigger house!"
"I know," Gabriel chortled, as he leaned in and pressed a kiss to her lips, "I've been keeping my eyes open for a while. I figured if you said yes I would get in contact with a realtor this week."
"That sounds like a plan," She said, while Gabriel stood and extended his hand to her to help her stand. The kids all rushed over to them, giving them hugs and telling them how excited they were.
January 4, 2009
"Good morning, Class," Mr. Schermerhorn said from the front of the classroom, "we have a new student today, and I hope you will all give him a warm welcome! This is Eliot Hampden."
Chloe could feel her face pale as she looked up at the boy glaring at her from the front of the classroom. She heard Max gasp from beside her and turned to look at her best friend. The girl was staring between the two of them in horror. Her mind had instantly connected the dots to the boy that Chloe had told her helped his parents to harass her. Max had been horrified when she was told that he would tease her for her parents being dead, and about the time she was locked outside until she couldn't hold her urine anymore. An angry look passed over Max's face as her gaze finally zeroed in on the other boy.
"Eliot, why don't you take a seat behind Mr. Prescott over there," The history teacher said, placing a gentle pat between the boys shoulder blades. The teenager headed towards the last empty seat which was in the back corner of the classroom. All during the lecture he had glared at Chloe, who could feel his gaze burning into the back of her head. The last 5 minutes of class, the teacher had allowed them to spend quietly talking. Chloe turned to Max and started packing up her books, the smaller girl following her lead. It was as if the two were communicating silently. As soon as the bell rings we are running out of here.
Max could see that Nathan had turned around in his seat to introduce himself to the new student. They were smiling and laughing together, as Eliot shot continuous glares in their direction. Max felt her eyes narrow, daring him to make a move toward her Chloe. Don't fuck with my friend. For once Max was thankful they were near to the front of the classroom. As soon as the bell rang, she and Chloe darted from their seats, hurrying off to the bathroom. Chloe took a shuttering breath before tears started filling her eyes. Max immediately pulled her into a tight hug, shushing her as she rubbed at her back.
"Why is he here," Chloe breathed out, sobs shaking her body. "Even if he was still living in the area, he should be a grade ahead of me."
"I don't know," Max told her, as she continued to rub her back, "I won't let him do anything to you. I promise."
Chloe shuddered again as she hugged tighter to Max. The two girls heard the door open and heels clacking against the tile as another person entered the restroom. Chloe peeked her head up to see her English teacher, Ms. Dohring, standing there staring at them in surprise.
"Chloe, Max? Is everything okay," The petite blond woman asked as she walked up to them, placing a hand gently on Chloe's back, as the girl slowly peeled herself away from Max.
"I saw one of my foster siblings from the home I was hurt in," Chloe cried gently, "it just took me back to how powerless I felt there. He and his parents did terrible things to me."
"Oh, honey," the woman said, pulling her gently into a hug, while the tardy bell rang in the background. "I'm pretty sure I know what you're talking about and I understand. Do you want me to call your parents and have them come pick you up?"
"No, I'm gonna try to make it through the day," Chloe said, after considering it for a minute. "it just surprised me, is all."
"Let me escort you to class, okay. I don't want you getting in trouble for being tardy."
"Thanks," The two girls said together.
"What classes are you supposed to be in right now," The kindly woman asked them.
"We have math together with Mr. Moore," Max told her, as the teacher led them out of the bathroom and down the hallway, knocking softly on the door before opening it and ushering the girls in. She motioned Mr. Moore over to her, and the two of them walked out into the hallway for a couple of minutes. When he returned, he sent a sad look to Chloe. She was one of his favorite students, and he felt terribly for her. He saw that Max and Chloe had taken their seats, Max whispering to Kate Marsh, who sat in front of her. He heard the small blond gasp, and turn a worried look to the other girl. All of the teachers in the school knew that the three of them were very close. That poor girl.
Later in the lunchroom the small group of friends sat down together. Max had pointed the boy out to Kate before sitting across from her and next to Chloe. Justin and Trevor appeared a couple of minutes later, sitting on either side of the smaller girl. The group filled them in on what had occurred earlier in the day, both boys growing agitated looks on their faces as they learned of their new classmate. Kate watched with narrowed eyes as Eliot joined Nathan at his table. She could tell when the conversation had moved to Chloe as the boy began pointing in their direction with a scowl upon his face. He was gesticulating wildly and glaring, while Nathan nodded along with him. As the friends passed his table to put away their lunch trays, he could be heard telling the table that he was going to confront the bitch.
As they were nearing the tray return, Max looked around to see where the teachers that were supervising the lunchroom for the day were located. She could see Mr. Moore and Mr. Schermerhorn stood together in the middle of the lunchroom, laughing together. Kate and Max shared a look and started leading Chloe the opposite way through the lunchroom. Trevor and Justin were following behind them. It was as they were nearing the exit that they heard fast footsteps approaching.
"Hey slut," a sneering voice said from behind them, "you don't have anything to say to me after ruining my life?"
Chloe and her friends turned slowly around, all of them with glares upon their face as they stared at the boy standing now in front of them. He had brought Nathan and some of the other kids from the table with him.
"How did I ruin your life," Chloe asked in shock, as she crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the boy. "and don't call me a slut."
"My parents are in prison because of you," Eliot continued, his glare intensifying. "I got moved into fucking foster care because you couldn't keep your goddamn legs shut. I fell behind in classes and had to repeat the 7th grade."
Chloe felt her eyes fill with tears as she remembered her horrific time in that home. I tried to keep him off of me, and he wouldn't stop. Kate was glaring at the boy with loathing as she wrapped her arms around her sister.
"Price, did you really piss your pants when you lived with him," Nathan asked in a mocking tone. "what a loser!"
"She did, and afterward she went and spread her legs for my father like a good little whore. I bet she loved luring him away from my mother."
"Shut the fuck up," Max growled in his face as she stepped up to him.
"Back the fuck off, tweaker," He growled and backhanded her before shoving her into Kate, who tripped and landed sprawled on the floor. "That whore deserved everything she got and more. She should have died in the hospital! She should be dead like her pathetic parents."
Fucking piece of SHIT. Max felt herself snap and take a step forward. Before she could realize what she was doing she had grabbed a fistful of his shirt with her left hand and pulled back her right fist and punched him in the face twice.
"Shut your fucking mouth, you piece of fucking garbage," Max shouted, as the boy knelt down holding his nose that was dripping blood all over the floor. Max felt two pairs of arms pulling her back, and twisted her head to see Justin and Trevor trying to pull her away, as they glanced at the teachers hurrying over to them who were being blocked by students trying to see the fight. "Your parents are in prison because of themselves, NOT CHLOE. Your mom is a murderous meth addicted psychopath, and your father is a disgusting rapist who gets off by raping little girls. If you feel that what they did is okay, then you are just as much of a piece of trash as they are. One of his victims was only 4 years old. Did you tell that to your new friends when you were badmouthing my best friend? You'll probably wind up in prison because you are just as disgusting as both of your parents. Your parents are going to die in prison where they belong, you spineless heap of shit."
"You fucking bitch," Eliot growled, as he stared up at her with blood still streaming from his nose, "you broke my fucking nose!"
Max spit in his face, as the teachers finally made their way through the students. She could feel a large hand grab her arm as she was turned face to face with her math teacher. She struggled against his hold as she tried to raise her hand to hit the boy again.
"Maxine Caulfield," Mr. Moore shouted loudly, while she continued shouting at Eliot. "you stop that this instant. We're going to the principal's office. You all need to come with me."
He pointed to the rest of the group who had been involved in the confrontation. Her friends and Eliot's were following behind them. As she was practically dragged out of the room, she could see Mr. Schermerhorn leading Eliot towards the nurses office while the boy had his head tilted back with a big wad of napkins held up to his nose. Mr. Moore pushed open the door, still leading Max by her arm. He told her sternly to take a seat while he passed the receptionist and into the principal's office.
Max sat down stiffly and put her elbows on her knees, lifting her hands to her face and resting her head in her palms. Fuck… I am in so much trouble. She felt someone sit in the chair directly to her side, and pull her hands from her face. She looked up into Chloe's azure eyes, which were looking at her in awe. The girl pulled her into a tight hug, rubbing her back gently as Max finally calmed her breathing. They were all sitting there in silence for about a minute before Justin broke it.
"Dude," He said, voice full of wonder, "That was so badass! You're hardcore. Marry me!"
"I just… snapped," Max said, pulling back a bit from Chloe's hug and looking at him. He winced a bit as he noticed the bruise starting to form on her cheek, "The things he was saying were horrible and I couldn't take seeing Chloe treated like that, so I hit him. Sorry, Justin. I can't marry you. Not only would my parents never agree to let me marry this young, I like someone else."
Justin noticed the girls eyes flicker to Chloe, and his widened slightly before going back to normal. That makes so much sense. Damn.
"Ah, fooey," He joked, sending a smile her way.
Inside the office the discussion was quite different. Principal Hayes was sat behind her desk, watching as one of her math teachers paced back and forth in front of her.
"I suppose I should call Ms. Caulfield in to talk with us," The blond woman told him. She lifted her receiver and pressed the autodial, waiting for her receptionist to answer. "Judy, can you please send in Ms. Caulfield?"
She placed the phone back on the cradle and listened for the light knock before the door opened and the smaller girl was lead in. She's so tiny, and she took on a boy bigger than her. She made sure to adopt a stern look, as she was met with the top of the girls head. She was looking down and holding her right elbow with her left hand. The woman cleared her throat lightly.
"Take a seat Ms. Caulfield," She said, motioning the girl to the seat in front of her desk. "and please look at me when I'm talking to you."
The girl's head whipped up and she slowly made her way to the chair and sat down stiffly, wrapping her arms around her chest to help her self-sooth.
"Would you like to tell me what happened," She asked, glaring sternly over the top of her glasses.
"He was saying horrible things," Max muttered, rubbing awkwardly at her elbow. "My best friend was his foster sister a couple of years ago, and he and his parents basically tortured her. The father sexually abused her and the mom tried to murder her. He was saying that she was a slut and a whore who couldn't keep her legs shut and ruined his family. He told her that she liked what happened to her and that she lured his father away from her mother. I told him to shut up, and he hit me, then shoved me and told her she deserved everything that happened to her and should have died when his mom tried to kill her. I snapped and punched him."
"Why didn't you just walk away, or go get one of the teachers," the principal questioned.
"I don't know," Max snarked, then glared a bit at the woman, "Maybe he should have shut his fucking mouth."
"and maybe you should watch yours," Mrs. Hayes stated back firmly, "You are already in enough trouble. Yes, he shouldn't have said what he did. That doesn't mean that what you did was right either."
"He hit me first," Max shouted before standing up in anger, and raising her hand to her cheek which was feeling tender, "this is such bullshit!"
"Maxine Caulfield," she reprimanded, "sit back down right now. You do not speak to me that way."
Max winced and slowly lowered herself back into the chair, looking at the tops of her shoes as her ears turned red with embarrassment. She hated being yelled at. This is so unfair. He started it! Max could hear her principal release a huff of air and begin typing on her computer. Max peeked up at her through her lashes as she saw the woman grab her phone and begin dialing. She made eye contact with the angry administrator and quickly averted her gaze, only for her eyes to widen in horror when the woman began speaking.
"Hi, is this Vanessa Caulfield," The woman asked as she eyed the young girl across from her, "This is Alicia Hayes, the principal at Arcadia Bay Junior High. I have your daughter here in my office and was needing for either yourself or your husband to come down to the school. She has been involved in an altercation… Yes, I'm sure. She admitted it while sitting across from me. See you soon."
Max bit her lip as the woman placed the phone back down.
"I want you to go back to the waiting room until your parents get here," Mrs. Hayes stated firmly.
"Yes, ma'am," Max said, moving slowly to the door and crossing through to the waiting area. Her eyes narrowed as she saw that Mr. Schermerhorn had brought Eliot in while she had been in with the principal. She glared at him darkly as she took her former seat next to Chloe. Her eyes followed him as the history teacher led him into the principals office.
"What happened," Chloe asked, as she threw an arm over her shoulder. "we could hear you yelling a couple of times."
"I got mad because she said that I should have walked away instead of escalating things," Max told them. "She called my mom. I'm in so much trouble. It was nice knowing you all. I hope you say nice things at my funeral because my parents are going to murder me."
They were all quiet after that, until raised voices started coming from the office.
"so some bitch ruins my family and I'm not supposed to say anything." Eliot's voice shouted out. "I smacked her because she got up in my face!"
"Quiet," a female voice shouted out and the office became quiet again. Eliot was escorted out less than a minute later, while they started calling in the witnesses one by one. Mr. Schermerhorn led him over to a seat and sat next to him, while Mr. Moore walked over and sat by Max. As her and Eliot's friends left the office, each of them was sent back to class. Chloe was the last one called into the office, and the girl gave her another hug before heading back. Max was staring blankly at a spot on the wall when she realized that her hand was starting to ache. She glanced down at it and saw that her knuckles were starting to bruise, and spent a couple of minutes flexing her fingers to try and determine if she had broken her hand.
While Max had been staring off into space, the door had opened to admit a middle aged woman, carrying a toddler. She had checked with the receptionist and Max heard her mention that she was Eliot's foster mother and apologize for not being able to find a babysitter. Judy pointed to a couple of empty chairs next to where Eliot was sitting. She sat next to him and gave him an angry look. Max glanced up as she heard the door open again, eyes widening as she saw both of her parents walk into the office. Shit. The two of them walked up to the receptionist and told them that they were there to speak with the principal about their daughter. They were pointed to the seats on the other side of Max and she didn't dare look at them as they made their way over and sat next to her. She could feel them looking at her, but refused to look up.
"Your mother is on her way to pick you up for the day," Max heard Principal Hayes say as the door to her office opened. "go ahead and have a seat, and when she gets here she can sign you out for the day. I'm sorry that you were treated so terribly today."
Max looked to the door and saw Chloe nod in thanks to the woman before making her way towards where they were sitting. She could see that the girl's eyes were red and puffy again. She was crying… poor Chloe. I should have hit him harder. Mrs. Hayes looked over to the seats and saw the rest of them sitting there. She walked over and introduced herself, asking for everyone but the teachers to follow her. They were sent to the gym to get their students who were being supervised by other staff members.
Max felt like she was marching towards her death as she headed to the office again. There were only two chairs, so she and Eliot were each put in one of them with their parents behind them. Max stared at the top of her shoes while Principal Hayes went over what had happened.
"This is so stupid," Eliot interrupted from the seat next to her. Max's gaze flew to him as he glared around the room. "I shouldn't even be in here. All I did was confront a stupid bitch who ruined my life and this girl attacked me!"
"Mr. Hamp-" The irate blond started to say, before being cut off by Max.
"Shut the fuck up about Chloe," Max shouted jumping out of her seat to stand over him. "She isn't the reason your life sucks."
"Yes she is," Eliot shouted back, standing from his seat to try and intimidate her. The adults in the room were scrambling to grab their charges and get them back in their seats. Max could hear her parents sternly telling her to sit down, but she wasn't paying it any attention. "if the whore would have died like she was supposed to none of this would have happened."
"It still would have happened," Max screamed, as he fought against her father's iron grasp. "but instead of two children murdered, there would have been three. Both of your piece of shit parents would still be rotting in prison until they died!"
"Fuck you," He snarled, trying to break out of his foster mother's grasp to hit her. "You don't know anything!"
"Eat shit and die," Max groused back as she was finally forced back into her seat. She saw her father's angry face come into view as he leaned over to look into her eyes.
"That is enough," He whispered harshly, "you will sit there quietly unless asked a question or told to speak. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes," Max practically whispered, feeling tears clinging to her eyelashes. She lowered her gaze back to the tops of her shoes as Ryan walked back behind her and put a firm grasp on her shoulders. Putting down pressure to try and keep her in the seat.
"As you can see, this situation has gotten out of control," Mrs. Hayes stated from her desk. "I think we should move on to the punishments. Both of you will be suspended for 5 days for fighting. You are not able to do the homework for your classes. You can return on the 11th at midday, since you will be leaving at midday today. If anything like this happens again you will be suspended for 10 days."
Half an hour later Max was sat at home on her couch while her parents sat across from her. The car ride home had been tense, and she knew that her parents were extremely upset with her. Max picked at a loose thread on the afghan on the sofa. She didn't dare look up at her parents.
"What were you thinking," Vanessa finally chastised across from her. Max stayed silent and gave a light shrug of her shoulders, still keeping her eyes on the thread. "Maxine Marie Caulfield, you will look at me and answer me when I speak to you. A shrug is not an acceptable answer."
"I'm sorry," Max pled, as she finally moved her gaze up to rest on her parents. She internally winced when she saw their disappointed eyes resting on her. She felt a tear slide out of her left eye and make its way down her cheek. "He was harassing Chloe and I had promised her I wouldn't let him do anything to her. She was horrified when she saw him in history. Then at lunch he started in on her, saying that she was a whore and that she had enjoyed what his father had done to her. After he hit me and shoved me, he told her that she should be dead like her parents. I guess I just snapped."
"While I'm glad you stood up for your friend," Ryan said, giving her a sad smile, "there were different things you could have done. You should have never escalated the situation. Two wrongs don't make a right, and you know better."
"I said I was sorry," Max complained, brushing her hand against her face to clear her tears.
"I am so disappointed in you. Not only did you fight with that boy," Vanessa stated, refusing to use the other child's name, "you talked back to your principal. It is never acceptable for you to speak with an adult that way. You also know better than to use the language you were using while in there. When have Ryan or I ever allowed you to use such derogatory words. Do you know what grandma and grandpa would have done to me if I had used the language you did? I would have been tasting soap for a week. You should be glad dad and I don't do that."
"M'sorry," Max mumbled, hiding her face in her hands, as her shoulders shook lightly with silent sobs. "I didn't mean to disappoint you. I just wanted to help Chloe."
"I know you did," Ryan said, moving to sit next to her on the couch, "but you have to realize that the way you went about it was wrong. I want you to go to your room so mom and I can discuss your punishment."
"…but I was already suspended," Max stated after a brief pause. "isn't that enough?"
"It absolutely isn't," Vanessa told her, "now go to your room so we can talk."
"Fine," Max acquiesced, pulling her phone from her bag before standing up.
"Leave your phone," Vanessa told her before she could step away.
"No," Max said, shaking her head defiantly and walking towards the door, "I need to text my friends and tell them what happened. I won't be able to tell them at school, and I don't want them to worry."
"Maxine Marie, you will put your phone on the table and go up to your room," Ryan argued, looking at her back, "if I have to come and get it from you, you're only going to make your punishment worse."
Max froze in place before turning around and glaring at her parents as she stormed over to the coffee table and slammed her phone down. She hurried from the room, stomped up the stairs and slammed her door. This sucks… he hit me first. She continued to her bed and laid down, burying her head in her pillows.
Later her parents came up to her room, informing her that they had decided she would be grounded for two weeks. She had been very upset that they wouldn't let her message her friends, but had been told they had texted their parents and asked them to let them know.
The next week when she returned back to school, Max found out that Eliot had been transferred out of any shared classes with her or Chloe. She was grateful for that, but worried a bit about what would happen during the lunch hour. She had been grateful when her teachers had pulled her aside and told her they were going to let her turn in the assignments from the week that she was on suspension. When she went in for lunch, she saw that not only were the teachers in there supervising, but they had called in the school's resource officer as well. Eliot was glaring at her from across the tables, but then he would see the teachers and look away.
June 1, 2009
"Did you guys get your applications to Blackwell in time," Chloe asked her friends as she headed to her kitchen table with a bowl full of Doritos. They had decided to get together to study for their finals that were going to be later that week. "We should hear from them sometime in July."
"Yep," Max said, popping the p on the word, as she reached her hand into the bowl and grabbed a handful of the chips, immediately popping a full one in her mouth.
"Yeah, we did," Kate said, referring to herself and Trevor. "It's been a little hectic at the house, what with planning the wedding and packing stuff to move."
"If you need help packing let me know," Max said before popping another chip in her mouth, "remember how quickly we got things done when Rachel was unpacking?"
"I'll help, too," Chloe said, sharing a smile with her friends. "what are friends for?"
"Thanks," Kate said, sending a beaming smile to them. "You're great friends."
"How is the wedding planning going, by the way," Chloe asked her as she bit the corners off of the dorito she was holding.
"Great, actually," Kate told her, "We had our dress fitting over the weekend to make sure they're tailored properly. I think I'm going to ask Theresa to adopt me. She's really great, and she fits in so well with the family. Trevor wants dad to adopt him, too. We're thinking about asking them together."
"That would be awesome," Max told her, giving her a sincere smile. "I'm glad everyone is getting along so well."
June 15, 2009
Sheri 10:00 am: How would you feel about me taking the girls on a trip to Disney this fall? They did very well in school this year, and I think it would be fun to take them.
Vanessa 10:10am: That would be a lot of Money.
Gabriel 10:10am: Theresa and I will think about it, but I'm not sure we'd be able to swing it since we just had the wedding and are buying a new house.
Rose 10:12am: We would be okay with that. Let us know how much it will be.
Sheri 10:30am: What I meant by taking the girls to Disney, I meant that we would pay for their tickets. We love the kids, and want for Chloe to have a fun time. It would please us greatly if you would let us do this for them.
Gabriel 10:30am: That is very generous of you to offer. :) When were you thinking you were wanting to take them?
Sheri 10:31am: End of October. They have a Halloween party in October and the weather is usually very mild. The kids would be able to go trick or treating in the Magic Kingdom.
Vanessa 10:35am: I'll let you know after I talk to Ryan about it.
Sheri set her phone down while she planned for a possible vacation. She hoped that the parents would all agree to let her do it.
July 1, 2009
"Did you get a letter in the mail," Kate shouted as soon as Chloe answered the call.
"Uhhh, I don't know," Chloe told her, sharing a confused look with Max as they listened to Kate's excited voice. "I haven't checked the mail yet."
"I got my Blackwell letter today," She cheered, "I got in and want to know if you did, too! You should check your mail!"
The two of them eyed each other before hurrying from their seats and out the front door. They stopped at Chloe's first, pulling the mail out and looking through. She saw the envelope with Blackwell stamped across the top, and cheered. Then the two of them headed to Max's mailbox. When they opened it they saw that it was already empty. Max groaned and hurried up the driveway to her front door, throwing it open and running into the house.
"Max," Vanessa shouted out, "why are you running like the hounds of hell are on your heels?"
"Did you get the mail?"
"Yeah," Vanessa stated, looking at her like she had two heads, then pointing to the table in front of her. "What's going on?"
"Blackwell letters were sent out," Max stated as she hurried over to the table and started flipping through the mail. She paused as she saw the envelope with her name on it. "It's here."
"Are you going to open them," Kate's voice chimed in from the phone in Chloe's hand.
"Open it," Vanessa said, sitting up straight with a smile on her face.
The two girls looked at each other nervously and took a seat on the couch next to Vanessa. Chloe set her phone down while sharing a look with Max. They each tore into their envelopes and pulled out the letters, each reading them silently.
"I got in," each of them chimed at the same time. They looked at each other and hugged.
"We're going to Blackwell," Kate cheered on the phone. "This is so exciting!"
August 26, 2009
"Owww, ow, ow, ow, ow," Max cried out as she held onto her left forearm with her right hand as she was sprawled on her back on the ground, her skateboard lay next to her, wheels up and still spinning. She could hear the footfalls running towards her at the from the top of the stairs.
"Holy shit, Max," Chloe's concerned voice came getting louder the closer she got. "Are you okay?"
"It hurts," Max whimpered as Chloe reached her and went to her knees next to her. She heard Chloe sucking in air through her teeth.
"Shit," Chloe muttered, looking up as the rest of their friends reached them, all of them slightly out of breath, "I think its broken."
"It'll be okay, Max," Rachel said, brushing the hair from her forehead. "try not to move it too much."
"Max, you are a boss," Justin stated loudly. "I know you didn't make it all the way down, but you would have been the queen skater if you had. You've got balls of steel, man!"
Chloe cursed lightly as Vanessa's phone went straight to voicemail, hanging up the call and dialing her mom instead. She answered on the first ring.
"Chloe, you ready for pick up already," Sheri's cheery voice came through the phone, she could hear a light giggle of another woman in the background.
"Is that Vanessa with you," Chloe asked hopefully.
"Yeah, why? What's wrong," Sheri said, voice sounded worried now.
"Max fell down some stairs, and I think her arms broken," Chloe said hurriedly.
"We're on our way," Sheri told her, and Chloe could hear her grabbing her keys. "We'll be there in a couple of minutes."
Later that night Max was leaning against Chloe's headboard pouting at her lime green cast and her wrapped ankle. Thankfully the x-rays showed that the arm had been a clean break and that her ankle was just sprained and not broken. Her friends had all signed her cast, and Chloe had spent a lot of time drawing cool designs all over it. Her favorite had been a doe that she had drawn with Jane written over it.
August 31, 2009
"Have a good day," Vanessa chimed to the girls as they climbed from her car, eyeing Max's skateboard with distrust. "and honey, try to stay away from stairs with your board. I don't want you to break your other arm."
"Mom," Max groaned embarrassed. "I'm not going to fall down the stairs again."
"You told her you fell down the stairs," Chloe chuckled as they walked towards the school together.
"I mean, technically she did fall down the stairs," Rachel said with a laugh, as she pulled her hair up into a high ponytail.
"I just left out the part that it was while I was trying to slide down the rail. She would probably ban me from ever skating again if she knew I tried something so dangerous," Max said, using air quotes around dangerous.
The trio spotted Kate, Trevor and Justin skating around near the top of the stairs, just in time to see Trevor attempting a tre flip and getting hit right in the groin. He fell to the ground holding himself, as Justin winced. Kate skated over and held out a hand to him.
"You okay, Trev," she asked as she helped haul him up.
"My nuts," He whined out, "it hurts so bad I think I could puke."
The rest of the group skated around for around 15 minutes while Trevor waited for the throbbing pain to go away, playing a sort of follow the leader type of game. One by one they did nose slides across the bench, and were doing different tricks like heelflips and pop shove its. The group decided to head in to put their stuff in their lockers. Chloe's locker was straight across the hall from Max, who had a locker 4 down from Justin. She could see Rachel and Trevor at the very end of the hallway, Rachel already working on her combination. Kate was across the hall and down 6 or so lockers from the blond and was currently trying to work her board into her locker. Max had finally gotten her locker open and was bending down to grab her board when she felt the hair raise on the back of her neck. She grabbed the board and stood up straight, turning her head slightly to try and catch a glimpse of who had come up behind her.
"Well, well, well," a sneering voice said from behind her. Max felt her stomach drop and her blood freeze in her veins. Noooo. No fucking way. "If it isn't Max Bawlfield, the wittle cwy baby of Seattle Junior high. What are you doing here, loser?"
"Victoria," Max mumbled as she slowly turned around, eyes narrowing as she saw her junior high tormenter standing in front of her. She saw Victoria's gaze zero in on her face, and travel up and down her body taking in the change in her style and the fact that she was holding a skateboard in her right hand.
"What's with this new look," Victoria asked, sending a smirk at her, "Have you tried to trick people into thinking you're anything other than a loser. Carrying a skateboard and wearing new clothes doesn't make you actually cool, it just means you're a poser. Once a loser, always a loser, after all."
"Actually, she's not a poser," Chloe's voice stated loudly, as the girl came around the girl and circled her before stopping next to Max and glaring darkly at the other girl. "She's my best friend, and we skate together all the time."
"You wouldn't like her if you knew anything about her," Victoria said, laughing lightly, "She was a loser with no friends, and she'll be alone again in no time. After all, it looks like she only has one to lose."
"I don't think you know the Maxter as well as you think you do," Justin said, turning from his locker and coming to stand next to the shorter girl. "She's hardcore, and she has more than one friend."
"Trust me, she's not hardcore," Victoria said, sending an evil smile to the other girl, "one day she cried in a bathroom stall through lunch."
"And what did you do to cause that reaction from her," Rachel asked as she, Trevor and Kate appeared next to them.
"We've heard ALL about you, Bitchtoria," Kate snapped, glaring at the girl. "You need to leave our friend alone."
"Besides," Trevor stated, "I don't feel like trying to hold her back from attacking you. She may be small, but she is scrappy."
"She can't even speak for herself," Victoria huffed, sending an annoyed glare at the people surrounding the smaller girl.
"Oh, I can speak for myself," Max said, "I just don't really feel like speaking to the dregs of society like you. Get a life Victoria. You don't scare me. I know the friends I've made here wont worry about your bullshit either. You may as well not even exist to me."
With that, Max turned her back on the other girl and jammed her skateboard into her locker. She bent down and grabbed her bookbag, slinging it over her right shoulder as she headed off to the auditorium for Freshman orientation.