Chapter fourteen:-It's still Raining

Victoria's room was humid after the events that had occurred between her and Aaron. She lay cuddled under his left arm on her bad as he looked up at the ceiling. The atmosphere was less awkward than what you'd expect it to be between the two so at least that was something. Aaron was so upset at how things had played out between him and Kate during their last encounter that all he really felt was fatigue.

He hated himself but still didn't think Kate should have reacted the way she did. True, she had every right to be upset but he was expecting her to at least message him once she'd calmed down but his phone had received texts from everyone other than her. Aaron hated this but there was nothing he could do to change it right now. He had worked so hard to build their relationship up to what it had been and in one evening, he had set it back to further than when they had first met.

Victoria clung to Aaron as she traced along his toned torso with her right index finger. Her red painted nail glistened as the light hit it, causing it to have a shiny aesthetic. Her appearance didn't matter to Aaron, he only wanted the affection of one person.

"This doesn't mean anything, you know. I was just mad and I needed to vent" Aaron spoke, breaking the silence that hung in the air.

"Relax Aaron, I'm fully aware of that. You made it clear the last time you spoke to me" Victoria replied as she looked up at him.

"If you know that, why did you let me use you for sex just now?" Aaron asked, only now looking at Victoria instead of her ceiling.

"Honestly, you're really good at what you do" Her response caused Aaron to squint in confusion. He didn't think he was that good. "I also have…you know…needs and I figured I've already been with you so it's not exactly like I'm fucking anyone different. I'm just not ready to give myself to someone like that so soon"

Victoria was showing a side that Aaron never thought he would see. She was so vulnerable as she laid next to him with nothing to hide-as if her insecurities that plagued her didn't exist anymore. She wasn't the Queen Bitch of Blackwell, she was Victoria Chase, Photography student. Aaron was surprised that she felt comfortable enough around him to drop her shield, if anything, it made him feel bad for unintentionally giving her false hope.

Aaron rubbed her arm with his left hand, almost as if he was consoling her. Her skin wasn't as soft as people would have expected, it felt as if she had Goosebumps as Aaron traced his hand back and forth. He felt as if he should make her feel as safe as she thought she was.

"Could you at least stay here for the night? If this is the last time I get to have you, can you at least make it…memorable?" Victoria asked as she tuned over on her left side.

Aaron didn't know how to feel. He had no romantic feelings to her but figured he owed her this much. She saw him as something he wasn't and after using her for sex, it was the least he could do. Aaron followed Victoria's movements and placed his arms around her before pulling the blanket up to his chest. She felt so small and Vulnerable in his arms and that just made him feel worse. She needed someone who would not only love and appreciate her, but someone who would look after her.

It was in that moment that Aaron realised where her insecurities manifested from. She felt vulnerable, weak, and alone and decided to make herself feel strong, she would make others feel weak. To make herself not lonely, she would force others into submission or embarrass them, destroying their social life. She was such a bitch because she wanted someone to care about her. It was sad and filled Aaron's heart with remorse for her, he wished he could do something to help.

As the two fell asleep, Sunday Night shifted to Monday Morning.


Across the Hall, Max and Chloe sat cuddled up, watching the director's cut of Blade Runner. Chloe had taken it upon herself to stay the night and Max had no say in the matter. It didn't bother her as she loved spending as much time with her bluenette as possible. They two sat in darkness with only Max's laptop screen to illuminate the room and they wouldn't have it any other way.

Chloe cuddled Max and Max was cuddled by Chloe. Chloe liked to hold onto Max like this as she wanted to make sure she wasn't going to leave her again. It gave Chloe piece of mind that her girl would remain by her side until the end of time. Max liked the warm fuzzy feeling of appreciation she got whenever Chloe hugged her. She felt safe and protected; like she would never be hurt by anyone or anything. Their relationship was still in its infancy but they could tell that they were meant to be.

Chloe would often drop little kisses on Max's head, causing her to smile bigger and bigger every time. She loved how Chloe couldn't leave her alone, it really was love.

As the film ended, Max stood up to turn everything off.

"You plan on going home tonight or are you gonna take all the space in my bed again?" Max called over from her desk.

"Hey, you're the one who steals all the sheets. I'm left freezing my ass off over here" Chloe defended as she looked at her phone.

"Well I guess I might need to cuddle you instead. You get to be the little spoon tonight" Max said with a smile as she walked back over to the bed.

"Yes, little spoon rocks!" Chloe cheered as she took her jacket off.

"You wanna borrow anything to sleep in?" Max asked as she stood next to the bed.

"Nah, my shirt and underwear are good enough. Although, I might have to if you steal the sheets again" Chloe said as she took her socks off.

"You're such a dweeb" Max giggled as she leaned in and kissed Chloe.

"But I'm you dweeb" Chloe's words made Max melt. As Chloe wrapped her arms around her, they kissed again.

This time, the kiss was a lot more passionate and hotter. Max found herself on top of Chloe, who's hands were working there was all up and down Max's back. Chloe's right hand found its way to Max's hip and she started to grab it, causing Max to wriggle in excitement while her left hand grabbed the back of Max's head and played with her hair. All Max could do was kiss her girlfriend back as she has no experience in any form of bedroom skills.

Chloe's hands eventually found their way up to Max's bra strap and just before Chloe could undo it. Max went stiff and pulled herself off of Chloe. The two stared at each other for a second before Chloe said:

"You're not ready?"

Max couldn't help but feel embarrassed as she looked down at the blue haired beauty in front of her.

"Well, I've never done, well anything before and I…wanna take it slow…" She trailed off, causing Chloe to pull her in for a cuddle and kiss her forehead.

"If you're not ready then neither am I" Max couldn't help but smile at her response to the whole situation. She was so glad she was understanding.

Max had always been shy and Chloe knew this; she was willing to wait however long it took for Max to feel totally comfortable around her. They may be best friends but this was a new part of their relationship and Chloe didn't wanna fuck it up. Sex didn't matter to Chloe, as long as Max was happy, she would be happy.

Chloe just pulled Max into a cuddle before turning the lights out. Even though they had discussed it, Chloe found herself being the big spoon again tonight. Not that she minded in the slightest.


Monday morning rolled around sooner than anyone would have liked but another week at Blackwell had started. Max and Aaron met up just before Mr Jefferson's class and made their way there together. The portfolio projects had taken up a lot of their discussions as Max was curious to find out what Aaron would do. She liked his work and it was almost like she had seen it somewhere before but more than anything, she loved his ideas and how he was able to turn anything he shot into a work of art.

Aaron had realised Max had been reluctant to share any of her details with him on her project. All he knew is that it was going to involve animals in some way. He respected her privacy and didn't want to pry but he couldn't help but wonder what it could look like. Whenever the two would have banterous encounters, Aaron always tried to find a way to get more out of her than she wanted to share.

"Come on Max, tell me!" Aaron said as the two sat down at their desks. "I really wanna know" the laughter between the two was quiet but conveyed that they were having a good time.

"Aaron, no; you know I wanna keep it a secret, just like you do. I've left you alone so please stop asking" Aaron pouted in a playful manor as he looked back at Max before smiling. He had realised he had been defeated and decided to just leave it for now. He'd get it out of her in the end, he just had to say the right thing.

Their laughter died down as Kate entered the room and mate her way to her seat. She promptly ignored everyone as she hastily hurried across the room. Max expected her to have said something considering her and Aaron were her friends but there was nothing. Max figured she should probably strike up a conversation between them instead.

"Hey Kate, how are you doing?" She asked

"Fine, thanks Max" Kate replied without even turning around. Her tone was blunt and she sounded annoyed but also sad. Kate sounded like this at the start of the year when the bullying started but that had all stopped when she met Aaron. Her tone changed to that of someone who was happy and enjoying. Now she was just like she was before and it was unsettling.

Max shot a look at Aaron who held his arms up in a defensive manor. Max gestured to Kate with her head and Aaron promptly shrugged his shoulders and shook his head with a confused look on his face. Max had to believe that he had no idea why Kate was behaving the way she was and it was something that she wanted to figure out and put a stop to.

Mr Jefferson began the lesson as Aaron and Max sat there in silence; they didn't know what to say and the Kate situation wasn't making everything easier. They wanted to include her in group conversations but they didn't want to set her off. Aaron hated seeing her like this but there was nothing he could do about it. He was just as annoyed at her for being mad at him over the whole situation with the Vortex boys but that didn't mean he wanted a wall to be placed between them.

The lesson went on and Aaron and Max prayed everything would go on ok and that no one would sense Kate in her vulnerable state. But they were wrong. It seems that her friendship with Aaron had prevented her from receiving any form of abuse directly to her face but over the weekend, people were able to see that they were not on good terms and used this as an opportunity to be unnecessarily cruel.

"Now here we see a piece by The Masque; the anonymous photographer that has only ever been seen with a black ski mask over their face. No one can be sure that it is even the same person as before but their work speaks for itself" Mr Jefferson began as he showed the class a slide on the projector. "This singular red dot takes the centre of the canvas as all these black dots encircle it, getting closer. See how each dot has its own shadow and depth, all except for the red one. One singular dot surrounded by hundreds more"

"Kind of like Kate being surrounded by all the boys she can't keep her hands off" Victoria called out causing Aaron to shoot her a look that could crush a black hole as the entire class erupted in laughter.

Aaron could see out of the corner of his eye just how Kate had reacted to what was said. Her head had crashed down into her hands as her elbows rested on the table. A solemn tear drop hit the table but Aaron could tell there were more running down her face, trapped behind her hands. He was shocked at how Victoria had reacted to the whole situation even after they had discussed it only hours ago.

He had to correct his mistake and sort this; his heart ached at the sight of Kate like this and he wanted to do everything he could to make her feel better again. They were finally moving forward in their friendship and now it was in jeopardy. Aaron felt bad for upsetting Kate but at the same time couldn't understand what he did wrong. He spent time with people she didn't like, what was so wrong with that?! It was clear to everyone that he didn't want to hurt her, proof of this came from the lack of remarks and snide comments she had received since hanging out with Aaron. People respected him so much, they eased off her simply because she was friends with him.

Max just shot him a glare filled with daggers; she had seen how well the two were together and now for some reason, Kate wasn't talking to anyone and everything was going back to how it was almost a month ago. Kate was a lovely girl and the way she was around Aaron showed a different side of her that Max would rather see. It was healthier for her and Kate certainly seemed like a different person.

Aaron was visibly disturbed by the stick Kate had been receiving; Max had noticed it as he sat across from her in class. Aaron Heartfield was the one person nobody could read, the enigma no one could crack, but he was still human. Every now and then, he would slip up and let his guard down, especially with matters involving Kate. Max knew why, it was obvious; the way he felt about her could be seen from anyone who knew anything about people yet they both played it off like it was nothing.

Max wanted him to do something instead of just sitting there. It was obvious he wanted to and it was annoying her how he refused to move. Aaron just kept playing dumb, like he had no idea what she was on about. He didn't know what he could do in the middle of class, there was nothing to be done so he'd have to wait until it was over.

That's what Aaron did; he waited patiently for the lesson to end so he could do something about the situation he had found himself in. He was still worried about what Kate would say or how she'd react if he spoke to her so Aaron decided to tackle the source. As Victoria walked out of Mr Jefferson's class, Aaron pulled her to the side, behind the door.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" he asked in a stern tone that was quiet enough to stop anyone from listening to their conversation.

"What do you mean?! You're the one who pulled me aside" Victoria responded as she brushed a stray piece of hair out of her eye.

"The way you were speaking to Kate, why the fuck are you still going on about shit that happened ages ago?"

"Oh lighten up you long haired wuss" Victoria replied with a coy smile. "I'm just having a little bit of fun"

"Yeah, at the expense of someone else!" Aaron's voice was louder now, his face's emotions were shifting to those of anger "You know, after last night, I thought you were different; goes to show I can be wrong sometimes. You're just a spoilt child, desperate for people's attention" as Aaron concluded, he walked away and decided to distract himself from women and the vast range of emotions they were causing him right now.

He looked at the time and realised he had a drama audition to get to. It had slipped his mind due to everything that had been going on so he wasn't really prepared. Aaron had read Hamlet a few rimes in his life so he was no stranger to the play or the context as well as one very specific monologue that related to him now more that he thought it would. He made his way down to the drama class and waited outside the door.

Dana was inside getting on with her audition and there was no one else around yet so Aaron assumed he'd be next. He wasn't worried; acting was something he had to do his whole life so why should now be any different. True, it was theatre so he'd have to sell himself but there was so many aspects of emotion he felt on a daily basis, it would be nice to get them out in the open.

Dana left the room smiling, Aaron figured she'd done well.

"Hey Dana, how'd it go?" he asked as he flicked his hair out of his eye.

"Hey Aaron!" She replied in a very bubbly tone. "I think I did really well, Mr Keaton loved it so I have a good feeling about this"

"Cool, who'd you go for?" Aaron asked.

"Ophelia; there's not many women in Hamlet so I wanna play the one who most likely everyone will go for" Dana replied, still with a big smile on her face.

"Awesome, well I hope you get it! Any idea when we'll find out?"

"Most likely on Friday's lesson, that's when we'll see Mr Keaton next and he'll have plenty of time to consider everyone's auditions by then" Dana said as she looked at her phone. "I gotta go meet Trevor, good luck Aaron, see ya later" Dana called back as she hurried away.

Aaron breathed hard and stepped inside the drama class. Mr Keaton was sitting behind his desk, scribbling away on some paper before looking up.

"Ah, Mr Heartfield, good to see you" He began. "What have you got for me today?"

"I'll be auditioning for the roll of Hamlet, quoting Act 5, scene 1 of the original text"

"Ah, brilliant; best of luck my boy"

Aaron relaxed himself for the monologue ahead; it was the only thing he could remember from Hamlet so it would have to do. He picked up a stress ball from off of Mr Keaton's desk, took an appropriate stance and began:

"Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio, a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy. He hath borne me on his back a thousand times, and now, how abhorred in my imagination it is! My gorge rises at it. Here hung those lips that I have kissed I know not how oft. —Where be your gibes now? Your gambols? Your songs? Your flashes of merriment that were wont to set the table on a roar? Not one now to mock your own grinning? Quite chapfallen? Now get you to my lady's chamber and tell her, let her paint an inch thick, to this favour she must come. Make her laugh at that"

A solemn tear rolled down Aaron's cheek from his puffy eyes, the shimmer of the tears made them shine under the light as he finished. All the feelings he had for Kate were at the forefront of him in that moment; he would always joke and jest around her as a coping mechanism to hide how shy he was, they had been there to support each other a thousand times in the short weeks they had known each other, her lips, the one thing he desperately wanted to feel and how she wasn't smiling any more, there was no grinning to mock now.

Mr Keaton just stared back as he clapped his hands; he was impressed with Aaron's performance and how it flowed in perfect cadence. Aaron couldn't help but let out a sheepish smile as he rubbed the back of his head. He was just glad to get it over and done with. He figured he had done well, he just said exactly how he was feeling. He needed a chance to release all that was building inside of him.

"Well, it seems you have a hidden talent, Mr Heartfield. I'm surprised to see you're someone of culture. It's nice to see all that football you've been playing hasn't rattled your brain"

"Uh, thanks Mr Keaton, I guess" Aaron replied as he squinted his eyes. He was unsure if that was a compliment or an insult.

"Thank you for that surprise performance, you'll know your roll on Friday, just like everyone else"

Aaron nodded his head in understanding as he left the room. He was so tired, especially since it was Monday but he figured he had enough energy to chill with some of the guys. He pulled his phone out and sent Zack a text to find out what trouble he would be getting in later.


The world is a cruel place; millions of people suffer every day and there's nothing anyone can do. People so blindly follow the word of a god that has done nothing to prove of his existence. They believe that this malevolent being is responsible for creating all of us and loves us all equally but is content enough to sit back and let those millions of people suffer and die in antagonising pain.

Many people believe because there is nothing for them to do apart from hope for salvation. Others have experienced some form of divine intervention and feel that it would be stupid to disbelieve. But more often or not, the concept of religion is passed down through a family. Parents who've had it pushed down on them will push it down on to their children and the circle will continue. People believe because they are forced to by their family.

This is the case for Kate Marsh; she is stuck in between what she wants to believe and is fighting the turmoil of it inside herself. She was brought up believing in a higher power, to her the idea without one would be as stupid as a pedal-powered wheelchair. She feels this way because she has had a life of brainwashing from a strongly religious family. If she was left to grow up without this strong influence, she would probably be a totally different girl than the one she was now.

The only reason her faith wasn't shaken was because the idea of one to consider it would be seen as a heretic amongst her family and that was the last thing she wanted. She didn't want to be hated by the people who were supposed to love her even though half of them did already. She wanted to question why her?! Why was she the one who had to suffer this awful pain when she so clearly didn't deserve it? She asked why was the God who she'd worshiped all her life allowing her to feel so broken and alone, that she didn't want to be here any longer. Why had he given her a ray of light in the darkness, only to take it away again? The one thing she had grown to appreciate and care about, even come to love, was snatched away.

The night had been cold and lonely, just like she was used to. As Monday night turned into Tuesday morning, Kate decided what she would have to do.


Max felt that Tuesday was going to be just as bland and shit as Monday had been. She felt a form of lethargy that gave her the initial feelings of disinterest but there was also something else. Something gnawing at her, making her feel like something was going to happen. She'd been here for a while before most people had turned up, Victoria and Nathan had turned up around ten minutes ago and Max could just feel the crosshairs on her.

Aaron sauntered into class and sat in his seat as he grinned at Max from across the table. Max couldn't help but laugh at his goofy face as he pulled his hood down from off his head.

The class started to fill up with all sorts of people who shouldn't be there but there was no sign of Kate; Max was feeling uneasy as she had no idea as to where her friend could be. Victoria was chatting with Nathan and Hayden was drawing Taylor while Warren walked up to Aaron and started to chat with him. The rain hitting the windows was all Max could make out over all the idle chatter of the people in the classroom. The day was very grey and very depressing; just looking at the outside made Max upset.

Mr Jefferson walked in as the class bell rang.

"Okay, I know you love me, but if you're not in this class, beat it. Everybody else, please sit down" All the other students left as Mr Jefferson turned to face the class. "We have a lot to cover today, and so little time, as usual. I see all the usual suspects here... Anybody seen Kate Marsh?"

"I think everybody has seen Kate Marsh by now" Victoria piped in, getting a small chuckle from the rest of the class while Aaron shot her a death glare.

"Sounds like you're giggling about a video gone viral. Maybe it involves a student or a friend. I wonder how it would feel to have false images of yourself shot out all over the world for people to judge" Mr Jefferson was not amused by what Victoria had said. "Usually people need something to judge so they never take a good look at themselves. We can thank reality TV for some of that. In the end, we can only blame ourselves for participating... Speaking of participation, there are a few souls here who have yet to enter a photo in the contest. Like Max Caulfield, for example. Who I know can't wait to enter, right? I'm sure you read the syllabus like it was a Harry Potter book, so you must know today we're studying chiaroscuro; that beautiful word about the contrast between light and dark, the shadowplay that gives photography such...visual power. It's basic yin and yang. Black and white images are effective precisely because of their contrast. Although we don't technically "see" in monochrome-." He was cut off as Zach burst through the door.

"Yo, some crazy shit is going down at the girls' dorm, check it!" He shouted as he leaned on the door frame.

"Zachery, don't you ever come into my class room like that again!" Mr Jefferson shouted as all the students got up and began to leave their seats. He had lost control of the class and didn't intend to try and retake control of it. "Class dismissed" he muttered as he was left alone in his class room.

Max couldn't help but get a sinking feeling in her stomach as she made her way onto the cold, wet grounds of Blackwell. It had seemed the entire school had heard about what had happened and they were all gathered around the garden area, looking up at the lone figure on the roof of the girls' dormitory. Many of them had phones in hand as they laughed and giggled amongst themselves at what was unfolding. Max couldn't express how disgusted she was at the thought of people actually laughing at this situation.

As she weaved through the crowd with Aaron, she was able to guess who it was when he took off running for the door to the building. Kate was up on that roof. Max let out a gasp as she looked up in horror and when she did, time seemed to stop all around her. Confused, she looked around at everything as all sound was absent from her ears. Even the rain had stopped falling and was hanging stationary in the air.

Max wasn't gonna hang around to question the what's and why's, she was just going to get to the top of that roof and get her friend down. Any cold feeling she had once had from the weather was replaced by adrenaline and the pounding determination to stop all this. As she got to the door, she saw Aaron and David Madsen's frozen bodies running to get there. She hoped they would get there in time to help her.

The climb up the stairs had been one of the longest of her life as she just thought of everything un-freezing before she got there and the gasps of horror everyone would let out as they saw her plummet to the ground. It sent shivers down Max's spine as she ran through the dorms corridors to reach the roof. She panted with each step but she could rest when she knew Kate would be safe and off that roof.

Just as she opened the door, time seemed to start again. She could see Kate getting closer to the edge and she needed to stop her. "Kate!" Max cried out, causing the blonde haired girl to turn around.

Her scared face said it all; you could see the tears behind the rain on her face as well as her red lips shining through the bleak weather. Her eyes were tired and she just couldn't carry on any longer. Max could tell she wanted it all to end.

"Don't come any closer, Max!" Kate called out as she shuffled back, getting closer to the ledge. "Seriously, don't come near me, I will jump"

"OK Kate, I'm right here" Max's heart was in her throat as she stopped moving and just looked at Kate.

"Max, I know you care about me, you're the only person who does" Kate said as she looked down at the floor.

"You know that's not true, what about your family, they love you and don't want their oldest daughter to go out like this"

"Max, my family despise me! My mother would crucify me if she saw me again and my aunt wishes I'd have never been born! My father is so disappointed in me that he never speaks to me anymore and they won't even let my sisters speak to me either! "Kate was almost screaming through her tears. "You have no idea what it's like to be isolated, alone in a place where not even your own family want to speak to you"

Kate was dangerously close to the ledge and Max didn't like it one bit. She didn't realise the trauma Kate's her family had caused her.

"What about Aaron, all he does is talk about you; he spends all of his free time with you-hell, he even takes loads of pictures for you" Max had a horrified look on her face, she really wanted to help her and didn't want this to be the end.

"Aaron" Kate actually let out a meek smile. "He's been so kind to me, actually made people stop with the insults for a while. I love him Max, I always have. He just makes everything so much better and actually makes me feel like a person again"

"See Kate, there is hope this is going to all get better. I know he loves you too, it's obvious" Max replied as she stepped closer to Kate.

"Then why hasn't he said anything!" Kate stepped back in anger. "These last few days, he's discarded me and opened the door for people like Victoria to eat me alive. I was stupid to think things would actually get better"

Kate's words stung as Max stopped dead in her tracks. She thought this would have helped her, not made things worse.

"If you come down, I bet he would tell you how he feels! He's worried about you Kate and does care so much about you"

"You don't get it Max, how can I come back from this?! If I come with you now then everything will just go back to the way it was before! I'm in a nightmare ...unless I put myself to sleep. Then everybody at Blackwell can post pics of my body; I'm already on the internet forever. No wonder they call it a "web"; nothing can ever get out. Like my video... I wish I could go back in time and erase everything"

Kate was dangerously close to the edge, Max didn't know what to say to get her to come down. All the bullying had stopped for a while but now that it had started back up again, Kate must has relapsed, hard and thought this was the only way out of the pain she was feeling.

"Kate, you can't do this to all the people who care about you!" Max protested.

"You don't get it Max…nobody cares about me" her voice was absent of all emotion, like she had already made up her mind. Max couldn't have [repaired herself for what happened next. "Well…they will now" Kate said with a smile as she stepped back and off the ledge.

Max cried out as she reached into thin air, she was too late, Kate was gone. She heard the door crash open behind her as David and Aaron stumbled up onto the roof. Max looked back at Aaron who was down on the floor staring wide eyed back at her. When he saw the look on Max's face and that Kate was nowhere to be seen, he put two and two together and broke down. His cries echoed up on the roof and it was enough to send a shiver down anyone's spine. It was chilling and Max could only imagine how the poor boy felt.

Aaron's face was red as tears streamed down his face; his cries rang out for the whole school to hear. Max hugged him as he hobbled towards her; his long hair had curled up in the rain and was strewn messily across his forehead as he grabbed tightly onto Max. He reached out beyond her but there was no one there for him to hold.

The rain crashed around them as this Tuesday morning took a dreaded turn for the worst. A girl's life was taken from her and everyone was so shaken by it that there was a sombre silence that echoed throughout Blackwell.

#It's not fair, I found love, It made me say that, get back, you'll never see daylight if I'm not strong#


The morning quickly passed into afternoon as Max walked out of the main concourse. She had nothing to say and didn't want to dwell on what had just happened. She had to find Aaron, he was unstable right now and he'd need someone there for him. David had to stop him from punching his locker after he came down off the roof. He blames himself for everything that had happened and Max didn't want him doing something he'd regret.

She found him sitting on the benches under the tree where he'd usually talk with Kate. His right hand was all bandaged up from the locker incident but he seemed calmer now. He was just sitting there, not moving, looking up at the tree leafs. Max just slowly approached him and sat next to him on the plank.

"Aaron, how you holding up?" She asked as he didn't take his view off of the sky.

"Max...hey. You were so brave to go up there and get her down; then again, I put her up there in the first place" Aaron sounded empty, he was hurting and Max could tell.

"Don't you dare think like that; you were always there for Kate, you wanted to help her more than anyone!" Max put her right arm around him and pulled him in for a hug.

"I loved her Max; I loved her and I never got to tell her" Aaron turned to look at her, his eyes were still red-he'd been crying recently. "Do you think if I had just told her instead of being such a fucking pussy, things would have been differently?"

Max knew the answer to that and she smiled as she went to let Aaron know she felt the same way. Max went to speak but no sound came out. She could see Aaron's eyes squinting as he looked at her.

"Max, you ok? Your nose is bleeding" Aaron said as he pointed at her.

Max wiped her nose and sure enough there was blood there. Her vision became clouded and her head started to pound. She could hear Aaron call her name as she placed her hands around her ears. She wanted to scream but no sound could escape her mouth. As everything went black, Max jerked awake as she lifted her head up. She looked around and was in Mr Jefferson's class just as Victoria and Nathan walked in. Max had no idea what was going on but she knew if everything was going to play out the way she thought it would, she'd have to go and save Kate's life.

A/N:-Just a quick one from me; rewind powers are not gonna be introduced, this entire thing was just a one off. Sorry if a lot of you had thought the story was going to end, in fact the next chapter will be the end of Act 1 in a 4 Act story. Yeah...that's how much is left.

I had my first hateful review ever the other day! I can tell you that feedback is valued just as much as everyone else, if not more so because it helps me fix the story and improve it. however, If you are gonna trash a character that I made up and had to do extensive research and thought process to make sure who he was and his back story etc is solid, then maybe don't read a story where an Original Character is the main protagonist. Creating an entire person from scratch is a hard process, especially in a story that is going to be this long. If you have nothing constructive to add, then do everyone a favour and fuck off?

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, it's a little darker than usually but it needed to happen. The hashtag bit is from the start of Kill yourself part 3 by $uicideBoy$, I know it's a bit morbid but I just felt the atmosphere of everything suited the opening of that song. As always, Follow the story, Favourite it and leave a Review on how much you love/hate it. Shit, I said I was gonna keep this short.