Pricefield - Time Warriors

Chapter 8: The Breakfast Club

After an intense journey filled with potential speeding and traffic violations, potholes, and the truck almost stalling a few times, we eventually made it to the Two Whales diner in one piece, to Victoria's complete and utter surprise. Chloe pulled into the nearest parking spot and cut the engine, exaggeratedly rolling her eyes at the collective sigh of relief from the rest of us. We all scrambled out of the truck and immediately began stretching our legs because fitting four people in the front seat turned out to be a lot more cramped than we expected.

With our limps popped, we began making our way towards to diner when I noticed Chloe frowning heavily in the direction of Frank's RV, who I assume was lounging on the other side with Pompidou like before.

In an attempt to distract her, I got her attention and asked, "So Chloe, what happened when you got home last night? Did David heed your warning or is your house now a smoking crater?"

Chloe blinked, then smirked. "Well, when I got home, he was sitting at the dining table with Mom. Apparently he wanted to wait for me before saying anything to her which was surprising but whatever. Basically he confessed to the cameras, insisting they were only for protection but he did acknowledge his paranoia probably caused him to go overboard and disregard our privacy for which he apologized before promising to take them down. Thankfully he did that first thing this morning. Then he did something I didn't expect. He told Mom that my claims of him hitting me were all true and he never meant to do it, blaming it on his PTSD from the war and fact that I always provoke him. He's not really wrong on that last part, I guess. Though Mom was always insisting that I was lying so when she realized I was actually telling the truth... it almost broke her. She threatened to kick him out and never look back but because of what he did for you, I figured I'd give him a real chance to make up for everything. I suggested he could stay on the condition that he goes to therapy for himself and family counselling for us, to which he almost immediately agreed. So only time will tell if anything improves. Now can we hurry up and order before I starve?"

I blinked, digesting all the information. Too speechless to respond, I simply nodded and pushed open the door to the diner, leading the way towards our usual table at the end where one by one we filed in. I decided to sit facing the entrance, just in-case anything should happen, while Kate took the window seat next to me. Victoria sat opposite her and Chloe sat opposite me. Once we were all sat down, I glanced around while everyone else browsed the menu. The diner appeared the same as before with one slight difference. Joyce, who was already heading towards us, had a bigger spring in her step than usual and appeared to be... happier? She had a smile on her face at-least, so I guess that's a good sign.

Joyce reached our table and put on her waitress voice, greeting us warmly before turning to Chloe. "I see you're making friends for a change, huh Chloe?"

Chloe simply rolled her eyes and pointed across the table at me.

Joyce turned to me and gasped, only now realizing who I was. "Max! Oh my. It's about time you showed your face here. I'm glad you're back, it's so good to see you."

I grinned at her. "Hey Joyce. Me too. It's been way too long."

She nodded at that, then turned to Kate next to me. "Oh, nice to see you here, Kate."

Kate beamed back at her. "Good morning, Joyce."

Then Joyce turned to Victoria and blinked a few times before recognition dawned on her face causing her to frown. "Miss Chase, I do believe you were banned from this establishment after you insulted me and the diner, if I recall correctly."

Victoria practically shrank into the corner of her seat and muttered a quiet, "Sorry." without making eye contact.

Joyce's eyebrows raised in surprise. "I suppose that's a start. Still, what makes you think I'll serve you now?"

Victoria opened her mouth to say something but Kate got there first. "I'll vouch for her, Joyce."

Joyce hummed at that while Victoria glanced up and shot Kate a small smile. "I'll just take some toast and orange juice, please. I don't want to cause any trouble."

Joyce glanced once more around the table and sighed. "Don't be silly. Pick whatever just this once and maybe in the future I'll reconsider allowing you to eat here again-" She cleared her throat and continued with her waitress voice, "Now, what can I get you, girls?"

Chloe snorted. "The usual, Eggs and Bacon with extra Bacon for me."

I rolled my eyes. "You know me, Joyce. Belgian Waffles all the way."

Kate hummed in thought. "I think I'll go for some Full Starfish Pancakes and Tea instead of Coffee, please."

Victoria huffed. "Fine. I guess I'll have a Breakfast Cheeseburger, then. Still having the OJ, though."

Joyce nodded, wrote everything down, then headed back behind the counter.

I looked over at Victoria and raised an eyebrow. "A Breakfast Cheeseburger? Really, Vic? And here I thought Chloe was the one with bad eating habits."

Victoria shrugged. "Well I already look like shit and feel like shit. Why not go all the way and eat greasy burgers too?"

Chloe snorted. "Thanks for reminding me – What's with the new outfits, guys?"

I fixed her with a blank stare. "Chloe, knowing you were or would've been drugged by a psychopath teacher who we still have to face in a couple of hours changes you."

The instant rise in tension around the table was broken by the sound of Chloe repeatedly facepalming herself in anger. "Sorry. That was stupid of me. I wish I could be there to bash his fucking face in-" Then she abruptly stopped, blinked, then took off her beanie to reveal her fading blue hair before offering it to me. "Here, since I can't be there in person, I'll be there in spirit. I think this would be a nice addition to your new look."

Hesitating slightly, I reached across and took it, then I put it on and grinned at her. "Ready for the Mo-" Sadly the rest of my sentence was cut short by Chloe covering her hand over my mouth. To which I responded by licking said hand.

I smirked at the high-pitched yelp she emitted as she leapt back into her seat and stared at the wet spot on her hand in shock, which elicited giggles from the rest of us.

It was at this point when our breakfast arrived, stifling the laughter as we all started eating and making occasional small-talk between bites.

Once the food was consumed, or in Chloe's case, practically inhaled, the conversation turned serious again when Victoria spoke up. "So, Maxine... I don't suppose we could get a demonstration of your powers?"

I huffed. "I wondered how long it'd take for one of you to ask that. If you insist."

Chloe snorted. "Oh this should be fun."

I hummed in thought. "Hmm. Okay. I'll start with you, Vic. Do the first thing that pops into your head, then I'll rewind and stop you... Go!"

Victoria blinked, then yanked her t-shirt over her head and threw it across the diner... To the utter bewilderment of our entire table. Mainly because, apparently, she wasn't wearing a bra... And in her moment of action, she must've forgotten that fact, since she almost screamed and rushed to cover herself when she happened to glance downwards, her face instantly beet-red. There's no denying it, all of us noticed. I mean, we couldn't not notice because we were all looking right at her when she did it. Me and Chloe swiftly turned away though and locked eyes with each other instead. However, in my peripheral vision, I saw that Kate was still staring. Her face appeared quite red too and her eyes were wide in... shock? Awe? Both? It was hard to tell without turning my head in her direction, which meant passing my gaze over Victoria.

Chloe was the first to get her voice working again. "Well, that happened."

I groaned. "It certainly did. How the fuck do I explain this once I rewind?"

Victoria spoke up, her voice unnaturally high. "Maybe just stop me before I flash you all next time-" She huffed. "Kate, you've seen enough, snap out of it!"

Kate squeaked and swivelled her head to look out the window, realizing she'd been caught red-handed, or in this case, red-faced.

Still refusing to look anywhere other than Chloe's eyes, I asked, "So, why was that the first thing that came to mind?"

Victoria mumbled her answer, "I just hate that t-shirt already. The yellow is so obnoxious."

I sighed. "Noted. I'm going back now to save all of us from embarrassment."

Then I raised my hand, about to rewind when Chloe reached across the table to grab my other hand and whispered, "I'm coming with you, Max. There's no way I'm forgetting this."

I just rolled my eyes and nodded, then activated my power and rewound us back to the moment right before Victoria lifted her t-shirt.

I dropped my hand, turned to Victoria and said, "I wouldn't do that if I was you."

Victoria let go of her t-shirt and raised an eyebrow at me. "Why not?"

I shot her a mischievous smirk. "Because you're not wearing a bra."

She blinked. Then put her head in her hands and groaned. "Please tell me I didn't."

Chloe barked a laugh at that. "You sure did, Chase. We all got an eyeful."

Victoria frowned. "How would you know?"

Chloe gave her a sinister grin. "You think I'd let Max rewind something like that without me tagging along? Like fuck am I going to miss the opportunity to never let you live that one down."

Kate giggled at that, causing Victoria to roll her eyes. "Ugh okay change of subject please, now it's Kate's turn."

I snorted and turned to face Kate. "Hmm. Kate, I want you to write down three things that you're okay with me knowing on this napkin, then I'll rewind and write a response to each."

Kate nodded and pulled a pen out of her bag, then pulled the napkin towards her. She thought for a moment before writing something down. Once she was finished, she folded the napkin and hesitantly handed it to me.

I unfolded the napkin and blinked at the contents.

I have a bottle of wine stashed in my room behind my drawer.

I'd like it if we could play music together with my violin and your guitar at some point.

I think I might have a crush on the new Victoria. Am I gay? Is that okay? I don't know what to do.

I smiled at the last one and glanced up to see Kate staring at her shoes. Clearing my throat, I said, "I'll be right back." Then threw out my hand and rewind to just before Kate picked up the napkin.

Letting go of time, I grabbed the napkin myself and said, "Okay, this is me writing a response to three things you wrote down. Hold on." Then chewed my lip in contemplation before writing.

You have a bottle of wine hidden behind your drawer. So what? There's nothing wrong with that.

You want to play music with me. I'd love to! I'm not very good at it but I'm down for a jam session.

You have a crush on Victoria? I'm not really surprised since you couldn't stop staring at her when she took her t-shirt off in-front of all of us. I won't presume to say you're gay because of it, that's for you to figure out. Though I'm almost certain everyone else at this table is gay too, at-least Victoria's probably Bi. So if you want to try your luck, I'd say go for it. Welcome to the club, Kate. Your secret is safe with me. :)

Once finished, I put the pen down, folded the napkin and handed it over to Kate with a knowing grin on my face.

I watched as she took a deep breath before unfolding the napkin. Her eyes gradually widened the more she read, then she blushed heavily upon reaching the last part and quickly put it in her pocket, out of sight.

Kate slowly exhaled and looked up. "Okay. I already believed you completely but now I definitely do."

Victoria spoke up. "Me too. So, you have powers. But even with those, how are we-" She waved a hand around the table, "Supposed to take down Jefferson? What's the plan, Maxine?"

I sat up straight and frowned before turning to Chloe. "I hope I'm right in assuming you're still packing David's gun?"

She raised an eyebrow at me. "Of-course. It's in the truck. Why?"

I gave her a blank stare. "Because if it comes down to it, I'll put a bullet in the fucker myself and see how he likes being buried in a Junkyard-" Noticing the look on Kate's face, I added, "Last resort, I promise. Though there's only two outcomes to this. Either he's in jail or dead. No way am I letting him get away with what he did to me. To all of us. To Rachel."

Chloe sucked in a breath at that and Victoria swore under hers before muttering, "Oh god, she's actually... dead, isn't she? Like, right now."

Chloe nodded stiffly, her voice cracking as she replied, "Yeah. She's still in the Junkyard. We'll... have to deal with that, at some point. Hopefully soon."

I reached across the table and grabbed her hand. "We will, Chloe. We will."

Kate cleared her throat. "Okay so we have your last resort covered. What's the plan for putting him in jail, then?"

I turned to look at her and shrugged. "Easiest way I suppose would be to just tell David, like we did last time. But there's no rush-" I smirked. "As long as I'm around, Jefferson won't be drugging anyone else, so we have plenty of time to fuck with him first. We could make him think he's going insane with my powers, or just beat the shit out of him then rewind? I don't know. The options are kinda limitless. Though I gotta admit I'm leaning towards wanting to lock him in his own Dark Room and see how he likes being the victim for a change."

Kate hummed at that. "I was going to say no to that last one but on second thought... After what he did to me, and you, Max... I like the sound of him getting a taste of his own medicine."

Victoria thought for a moment then nodded in agreement. "Me too."

Chloe smirked. "Wow, look at you guys, going all hardcore. On behalf of Rachel, I'm totally down for that. She'd love the poetic justice."

I nodded. "Alright then. So we have a long-term goal to work on besides just getting him thrown in jail. Good."

Victoria coughed. "What do we do about... Nathan?"

I looked up in thought before saying, "Well since I'm still not sure who really killed Rachel – Jefferson could've been the one to kill her and forced Nathan to pose with her body so he could use him as a scapegoat or something – Or Nathan really did accidentally overdose her himself. Either way we'll need to figure out the truth, easiest way would be to approach Nathan directly and pressure him into telling us. Hopefully if he realizes we're going to bring Jefferson down, he'll jump at the chance to get out from under his thumb before he ends up getting killed for being a liability like in the last timeline." I turned to face Victoria and sighed. "Since you probably knew Nathan better than anyone, I'll let you decide what his fate should be."

Victoria blinked, then slowly exhaled before mumbling, "I thought I knew him." Then she cleared her throat and continued. "He's always been... unstable at best. His parents never gave him the help he needed and there was only so much I could do to stop him from spiralling completely out of control. I think... He should be sent to a mental health facility so he can at-least have the chance to get the help he's needed this whole time. But if he really did kill Rachel, accidentally or otherwise, then I want nothing to do with him and he should be locked in a psych ward for the rest of his life-" Then she glanced in Kate's direction and added, "Uh, If that's okay with you, Kate?"

Kate simply shrugged in response. "I've always believed in forgiving people and giving second chances. Like you for example-" She smiled at Victoria before continuing. "So I think I'm fine with Nathan getting the help he obviously needs. Jefferson on the other hand? He's the real monster puppet master and can rot in Hell for the rest of his fucking life, for all I care."

Chloe whooped and reached over the table to give her a high five.

I chuckled. "Then it's settled. We try to help Nathan, if he's redeemable. Meanwhile, to use his own words against him, we frame Jefferson in a dark corner and capture him in a moment of desperation." I groaned. "Man, how the fuck did I not see him as a creep with a phrase like that?"

Victoria sighed. "Don't beat yourself up, Maxine. None of us saw it coming. I certainly didn't. I was blinded by my desperation to get into his pants just to win the fucking Everyday Heroes contest. Ugh."

I rolled my eyes at her. "Now who's beating themselves up, Vic?"

Chloe snorted and pulled out her phone to check the time, then swore. "Guys, as much as I'd love to sit here all day, we'll have to get back to Blackwell soon so that you have enough time to prepare yourselves for his class."

The rest of us collectively sucked in a breath and paled at that.

After some stalling, I approached Joyce who promptly refused my attempts at paying for breakfast, insisting it was on her as a welcome back present, so then we reluctantly left the diner with a whopping $30.50 kept in my wallet. I was secretly glad I didn't have to pay for all of that food.

On our way back to the truck, Chloe glanced over at Frank's RV again and stopped walking. She huffed and muttered, "He deserves to know." before stomping towards it with the rest of us rushing to keep up.

Pompidou was the first one to notice us approaching, and promptly started barking his head off, ignoring Frank's command to stop. Which eventually caused him to grumble enough into removing his hat from over his eyes so he could see what was going on. The sight of us four towering over him was enough to make him stand up defensively.

Frank glanced between the four of us and settled on Chloe with a frown. "Not cool sneaking up on me like that, Price."

Chloe crossed her arms. "It's hardly sneaking when your guard dog was trying to alert your lazy ass that we were coming over here, man."

Frank rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever. I hope you're here with my money otherwise I'm gonna be real pissed that you woke me up."

Hearing that, I protectively stepped up next to Chloe, with Victoria and Kate flanking us both.

Frank eyed up our display of power with a snort. "The fuck is this, Price. You so scared of me that you need bodyguards?"

I interjected before Chloe could speak. "She doesn't need a bodyguard. Actually, we're here to make sure she doesn't rip your balls off, Frank."

Frank sneered at that. "Oh really? Whatever could I have done to make the legendary Chloe Price want to rip my balls off when I'm the one standing here waiting for the three grand she still owes me?"

Chloe stepped right into his face and glared at him. "Rachel."

Frank blinked. Then proceeded to deflate and collapse back into his chair. "How the f-"

I interrupted him. "How we know doesn't matter. You just need to hear what we have to say."

Frank nodded.

Chloe took a deep breath to reign in her lingering anger and replaced it with a neutral expression. "Me and you, Frank. We're the only two who can really claim to know the real Rachel Amber. So as much as I hate your guts for going behind my back like you did, you still deserve to know the truth."

Frank raised an eyebrow at that. "Which is what, exactly?"

Chloe closed her eyes, slowly exhaled, then reopened them. "She's dead, Frank. She's been dead this entire fucking time right under our feet in the god damn Junkyard."

Frank blinked as the words set in. Then he paled. "No. She can't be. You're lying, please tell me you're lying, Price."

Chloe sniffed, then shook her head. "I wish I was, Frank. I wouldn't lie about something like this. She's gone. But we know who did it and we're gonna make them fucking pay."

Frank leapt to his feet and snarled. "Tell me who, Price. I'll kill them myself."

Chloe simply shoved him back into his chair. "No, Frank. We got this, trust me for once, okay dude? After-all, I still owe you for that shit with Damon, and I know how much that fucked you up, I mean look at you, man. You used to be a chill guy and now you act like a fucking mob boss. I prefer the old you, and I know Rachel did too. So for her sake, go back to that. Leave the ass kicking to us, we have our own reasons for doing this. I'm sure you'll find out soon enough anyway."

Frank sank even further into his chair. "Fine, Price. Have it your way." He hesitated slightly, then dug his hand into a back pocket and pulled out a hefty bag of weed. "Here, Chloe. I'm pretty sure you'll be needing this. And you can forget your debt. Fuck if I care at this point." He stared morosely at Rachel's bracelet on his wrist and sighed before carefully untying it. "I wasn't the kind of guy Rachel needed in her life, I know that. I expected her to leave me, just not like this. Not like this." He growled in frustration, then held the bracelet out to Chloe. "Take it. You meant more to here than me. Just don't let them get away with it."

Chloe nodded and gingerly took the bracelet from him. "We won't. I promise. You were a good man, once. You can be again. Until next time, Frank."

Then we slowly backed away and headed back to the truck, when Chloe suddenly offered me Rachel's bracelet. "Here, Max. To complete your new set of armour. I know the three of us would've become best friends and I'd like to think Rachel will be there with you in spirit when you kick Jefferson's ass." She glanced at her beanie on my head and smiled. "We both will."

Thinking back to the ghost-doe, my guardian spirit animal from the last timeline, I hoped she would be there. I'd need all the help I can get. So I nodded and with Chloe's help, slipped the bracelet on my wrist and tightened it so that it wouldn't fall off. Realizing that it didn't remind me of my wrists being tied up in the Dark Room, I made a mental note of it. "Thanks Rachel." I thought to myself.

Then we all climbed back into the truck, still too speechless from the conversation with Frank to make small-talk. Chloe wordlessly turned the ignition, it coming to life with a roar that sounded like the truck wanted revenge too, and we set off towards Blackwell, no doubt all of us dreading what was about to come next.