The hospital trip was rather uneventful for Ruby and Chloe. They waited in the hall while Maxine visited her friend and ultimately left before hardly twenty minutes had passed. Maxine did pass along that Kate promised to use what connections she had to try and figure out Nathan's room number for them, but other than that whatever discussions the two had would remain between them.

Before long the trio arrived once again at Blackwell Academy, and strode with purpose toward the dorms. As they were entering the yard in front of the dorms, they were stopped by a face new to Ruby, a slender man who managed to pull of looking both casual and professional with his blazer, loose hair, and stubble. "Hey, Max! How are you doing?" The mystery man called out.

"Oh! Hi, Mr. Jefferson," Max greeted. "Um, these are my friends, Chloe and Ruby."

"Huh," Mr. Jefferson examined the pair. "You certainly look like you belong here. Is this some new iterative of artwear I'm unfamiliar with?"

Chloe and Ruby traded confused looks. "Artwear?"

"Your clothing?" Mr. Jefferson clarified. "It's clearly had more thought put into the design than your average department store provides. Or are these characters? What is it called… larping? Cosplay?"

"Right, our clothes!" Chloe struck a pose. "Totes custom made. Why look like the rest when I already look the best?"

Jefferson chuckled. "And why isn't someone as cool as you attending our academy?"

"I was way too cool for this school. It's a long story. That's in some of the files here…"

"I can imagine." Jefferson looked back toward Maxine with concern. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Ruby and Chloe took a step back, tuning out the majority of the ensuing conversation. Ruby could pick up that Maxine apparently failed to turn in a big assignment, some contest submission. She couldn't exactly blame the young photographer, being intimately aware of the week she had been through so far. She still felt her share of the blame for distracting the girl, and a glance to the side revealed Chloe did as well. Ruby could also tell something else bubbling behind the punk girl's eyes as well.

"Just get in the habit of putting your work out there, Max. And don't forget I'll be announcing the winner at the party tonight! I hope you'll still be there to celebrate."

"Thanks, Mr. Jefferson, I'll definitely be there tonight."

"Me too," Chloe suddenly interrupted, slipping her arm over Max's shoulders. "We'll be tearing up the dance floor all night."

"Ah! Better you than me, I suppose. No one wants to see an old hipster trying to keep up with the kids, anyway. I still have some pride. Be seeing you!"

Chloe watched Jefferson's departure with hard eyes. "So… that's the famous Mark Jefferson, huh?"

Max looked to Chloe, confused. "Yeah? So what?"

"There just… something felt off about him. Bad vibes."

"Oh," Max seemed to understand. She stepped away from under Chloe's arm and crossed her own. "Are you jealous, Chloe Price?"

"W-what? Jealous! No!" Chloe took a step back, her face brighter than Ruby's cape. "I mean, do I have a reason to be jealous?"

"I don't know. Do you?" Max challenged.

Chloe realized she had trapped herself and failed to think of a response.

Ruby could see the trainwreck coming and struggled herself to think of a way to help. She stepped in between the two of them, physically separating them. "Uh, h-hey, Max! Did Kate ever message you?"

"What? Uh, let me check?" Max pulled out her phone, one eye still on Chloe. Once she finally looked at the screen, her eyes went wide. "She did, actually! We have Nathan's room number!"

"Great! Let's go do what we came here for, yeah? Yeah!" Ruby stormed ahead, fist in the air.

"Wait, Ruby! Do you even know where you're going?" Max took off after her, sufficiently distracted from Chloe at last.

Chloe stood still for a moment more, before letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding. A loud groan followed her holding her head in her hands. "What is wrong with you today, Price!? Jesus, that girl is going to kill me…"

"Alright, here we are," Max announced, standing in front of Nathan's door.

Ruby unlocked the door with Crescent Rose. "All right, I know your power might help with erasing traces, but try not to use it."

"The heartless, right." Maxine nodded and stepped inside.

Ruby remained outside to keep an eye on the hall and was able to see when Chloe finally caught up with them. Chloe immediately noticed the lack of Maxine. "Max is snooping?"

"And we're on lookout," Ruby confirmed.

"Right. Okay. Good." Chloe leaned up against the opposite wall, clearly lost in thought.

Ruby frowned and approached. "All right, spill it."

"Spill what?"

"How someone as confidant and fearless as Chloe Price is having trouble talking to a girl."

"Is that what you think about me, Rubes?".

"Well, arrogant and bullheaded sound too much like insults."

"Gee, thanks," Chloe chuckled. "I don't know, it's not like picking up a stranger at an underground rave, you know?"

"I have no idea… actually…" Ruby confessed.

"Oh, right. I keep forgetting you're only fifteen," Chloe shook her head.

"Exactly!" Ruby cried. "I'm supposed to still think this stuff is icky, and even I'm hoping that you two would just make out already!"

"Ruby!" Chloe reeled, stunned by the sudden imagery her friends comment put in her head.

"I mean, it would still be gross and annoying, but it would be less gross and annoying that whatever you call what you two are doing now."

Chloe tried to will the blood away from her cheeks. "It's not just about Max."

"…Rachel?" Ruby guessed, though it wasn't hard to.

"I know she hasn't exactly been faithful herself, but that's no excuse for me to do the same thing."

"So… you need some closure first?"

"I guess so."

"And after that?"

"…"

Ruby took a moment to think through things. "I'm no authority on… romance… but if it's anything like friendship, then I think as long as you're honest with both of them, things will go okay. No matter what you choose."

"You really think so?" Chloe asked.

"Yup!" Ruby nodded. "As long as you do things the right way, then even if they don't like it, they have to accept it, right?"

Chloe chuckled, "I think my behavior lately proves humans aren't always reasonable beings… But my own conscience would be clear. Being honest with both of them. That sounds like the best play either way. Once we actually find Rachel, of course."

"Right, that's probably smart."

Chloe smiled. Now that she had a plan of attack and more time to sort her feelings, she felt a lot better about the situation. And just in time, it seemed, as Maxine emerged from Nathan's room mere moments later. "Sup nerds?"

Ruby and Chloe stared at Maxine blankly. "What?"

Maxine suddenly seemed unsure of herself. "S-sorry… I was just… trying it one for size?"

"Yeah, that was a total 'Chloe' thing? Not so much a 'Max' one," Ruby assessed.

"Oh… though I'd try to be a bit… cooler." Max explained.

Chloe shook her head with a soft smile. "You don't have to try so hard, Supermax. Just stick to being you."

"You mean a retro-hipster dork?"

"Yeah! I bet it'll be the 'in' thing in a few years anyway, and then all these posers will be begging to be seen as 'retro-hipster dorks'!"

"Yeah right. Then I could say I was a hipster before it was cool."

"That's the spirit!" Chloe playfully nudged Maxine's arm with a fist. "Don't let anybody change 'ya. Even if you are trying to emulate the coolest person you know…"

"I thought you said 'retro-hipster dork' was cool?"

"I said it will be cool. Today? You're still a dork," Chloe smirked.

"Chloe Price! The betrayal!"

"Blake would have a field day with you two," Ruby muttered, a bit too loudly.

Maxine turned to ask, "Who's Blake?"

Before Ruby could even panic about how to respond, the door to the dorms opened to let in a boy with a thin face, narrow eyes, and unkept hair. Ruby could feel the mood of the room drop like a stone, making her wonder who this was.

"What are you two doing in my dorm?" the boy scowled.

"Cool it, we're just leaving," Chloe insisted, attempting to step past him.

The boy blocked her. "Are you? I still need to pay you back for Monday, don't I?"

"Back off, Nathan," Chloe warned.

"Nathan?" Ruby put the pieces together quickly with that and stepped in front of Maxine, instinctually protecting the non-combatant among them.

It brought Ruby to Nathan's attention. "And who are you, sweetheart? The newest member of the Butch Brigade?"

Only Ruby had been able to track the speed of Chloe's punch, connecting to Nathan's jaw and sending him sprawling on the ground. Nathan scrambled to his hands and knees and caressing his jaw. "What do you think you're doing!?"

"Holding back," Chloe responded. "Trust me, I could have done a lot worse."

"Is that a threat?" Nathan goaded, reaching for his belt. "I will end you, you stupid lesbo!"

Behind Ruby, Maxine quickly raised her hand unnoticed. The two wielders were suddenly hit with the now trademark flash migraines.

Nathan paused, his hand still hovering over his belt. "Woah, what did you two take?"

Ruby had more pressing concerns than Nathan at that moment. She looked down the hallway and, sure enough, little black shadows started crawling out of the ground.

"Monsters!" Maxine screamed dramatically.

"What are you- WHAT THE HELL!?" Nathan stumbled backward, nearly falling over again at the sight of the Heartless.

"Run!" Maxine yelled again, directed at Nathan.

The boy took the advice, tripping over himself to get away and slamming back out of the dorm hall. With one threat taken care of, Ruby turned to face the other. She found herself blocked by Chloe holding out Rebel Soul across her path. "Let me. I need to blow off some steam…" Ruby nodded, letting Chloe step forward. The punk girl screamed as she launched the first Heartless she came to clear down the call where it exploded on the opposite wall.

While Chloe bullied the Shadows, Ruby took the opportunity to speak to Maxine. "You didn't change anything, did you?"

"No," Maxine confirmed.

"Max, did you… summon the Heartless on purpose?"

"I figured they would scare off Nathan, and they did! If he tries talking about it, even his friends will laugh it off and tell him he just took one too many pills."

Ruby frowned. She didn't like it, but she couldn't deny it was effective. "Just… don't make a habit of it, all right?"

"I don't plan to," Maxine promised.

Chloe finished off the last Heartless and quietly took her place next to the others once again.

"Are you feeling better?" Maxine ventured.

"Yeah," Chloe nodded. "Just tell me we didn't endure that d-bag for nothing?"

"Oh! Right," Maxine pulled a phone out of her pocket, "I found this squirreled away."

"Way to go, Supermax!" Chloe smiled and nudged Maxine's chin with her knuckles. "We are on a roll! Where to next?"

"I believe you still need to pay back Frank today," Ruby recalled.

Chloe's brief rise in mood immediately deflated. "I thought playing detective would be a lot more fun…" She pulled out her phone and shot off a text message.

"Is he going to respond that easily?" Maxine questioned.

"If he wants his money, yeah," Chloe affirmed. "There! He wants to meet right away. He's at the beach." Chloe put her phone away and stepped forward, opening the door slowly and peeking carefully to the other side. "Alright, coast is clear. Let's get going before another Arcadia Bay-Hole shows up. I need to mentally prepare for talking to Frank…"

"After you," Ruby gestured to Maxine and Chloe before finally leaving the dorm herself, shutting the door behind her and leaving the boy's dorm poorer by one jerk's spare phone.

They parked within the beach's designated lot, a few yards away from Frank's RV. Maxine was quickly distracted by the sight on the sands. Dozens of beached whales covered the beach, stretching one-by-one across the entire shoreline. She jumped out of the truck and ran to the railing separating the parking area from the sand. "Oh my god… what could have caused this?"

"I don't like saying this, but I can think of one thing…" Ruby confessed, joining Maxine's side.

"You mean… this is my fault?" Maxine lamented.

"No way," Chloe stated firmly from Maxine's other side. "There's no way you could have known this would happen."

"It still happened." Maxine was adamant. "I caused this. If only I had rewound a little less…"

Chloe tried her best to comfort Maxine with an arm over her shoulders. "Well, try not to use it so much going forward. Just a last resort sorta thing, yeah?"

"Obviously," Maxine nodded. She looked up toward the clouds, her mood still somber. "I just hope it's not too late already…"

"We'll figure it out," Chloe promised.

"Will we? As close as we are to solving the conspiracy, we haven't learned anything about my power other than its dangers. Maybe it's not connected to Rachel after all…"

Ruby looked up as well, picturing the time sigil hovering miles above their heads. "We'll have time to puzzle that out later. For now, we should get Frank off your backs."

The trio pulled away from the handrail and began walking towards Frank's RV. "So how are we going to get the client list? A few days ago I would have suggested letting me rewind over and over until the conversation went our way…"

"And a few days ago I would have been behind that," Chloe admitted. "But it's probably best we do this right the first time."

"Okay… but how do we do that?"

The trio stood in silence for a moment. Chloe took a deep breath and strode forward. "Just hang back… I got this." Chloe didn't give them the chance to refute before she boldly approached the RV door and knocked.

Frank was opening it within moments. "Well, look who it is. I'm glad you came alone, or is your entourage just around the corner?"

"Does it matter?" Chloe asked.

"I guess not. So do you actually have my money or what?"

"Right here." Chloe pulled the cash out of her pocket and handed Frank what he was owed.

"You'll forgive me if I count it?" Frank leafed through the bills, and was notably surprised after he finished the count. "Wow, I didn't think you'd actually have it all. Figured you would be trying one of your tricks."

"I'm trying to be better," Chloe told him honestly.

"We'll see if it sticks… I guess our business is concluded."

"Actually, Frank…" Chloe swallowed her nerves. "I have a favor to ask."

"A favor?" Frank laughed. "So what, you finally get out of my debt and you want to jump right back in? Let me do you a favor, ms. 'I wanna be better'. No."

"It's not like that, Frank!"

"Then what it is like?"

Chloe took another deep breath to calm her nerves. Around the RV's blind corner, Ruby could feel Maxine tense her rewind hand.

"I'm sure you've been keeping an eye on me this past week," Chloe opened. "For your money. I'm sure you know that my friends and I have been running ourselves ragged all over town."

"Right, some schoolyard detective work or some crap," Frank nodded. "Why should I care?"

"We're looking for Rachel."

That made Frank freeze.

"And we're so close," Chloe carried on, "we have so much of the puzzle, but we can't start putting the pieces together yet… not without your client list."

And that snapped Frank right back out of it. "You really think I'd just hand over my client list for you."

"But it's not for me," Chloe argued. "We both care about Rachel, and whether we like it or not, Rachel cares about both of us. Maybe she isn't everything we thought, or everything we wanted… but she does care. For her, Frank. For the person we both care about."

Frank didn't know what to say. Was he actually considering this? "And you swear you can find her? You just need my client list?"

"I know I can. One hundred percent. Please, Frank."

"… one of my clients. Did they hurt her?"

"That's what we think," Chloe confessed.

Frank was quiet for a long time. "When Rachel vanished, I pretty much lost everything…" he finally admitted softly, tears stinging his eyes. "I can't stand not knowing where she is... not hearing her voice... or her laugh... anymore… Ah, screw it."

Frank pulled a small sheet of paper out of his pocket and held it out. "Take it, before I change my mind."

"Thank you, Frank," Chloe nodded, taking the list.

"Just find her. That's the last debt you'll ever owe me. Find her."

"I will," Chloe promised. She began to walk away, but stopped when Frank called her out one last time.

"You've changed, Price," he stated. "I don't know how or why, but you have changed. It's… a good look on you. I can see why Rachel cares."

"And I can see why she cares for you," Chloe returned before finally walking away.

Chloe reunited with Ruby and Maxine around the corner, both of them wearing beaming smiles.

"Okay, it's not that big of a deal," Chloe immediately scoffed.

"Look at our Chloe, all grown up," Ruby teased.

"Shuddup!" Chloe stormed passed them.

"Awww, she's trying to be tough," Maxine joined in, "but we know you're a big softie now."

"I will hurt you."

"You can't hurt us."

Chloe groaned as she climbed into her truck. "You're right… I can't hurt you. But I can make you walk."

Maxine and Ruby both scrambled into the truck, all three wearing playful smiles. "All right, jokers, let's get back and start solving this thing!"