Monday, October 7
Max
Max doesn't care how many times she has to rewind to ignore the inevitable. It doesn't matter that her nose is bleeding or there's a headache that's killing her. The only thing that matters is to save Nathan from pulling the trigger.
She can still remember the first time the gun went off.
How his voice grew loud and louder before that. With more aggressive cries or in his own words, how everybody hates him and nobody will care. She doesn't even know what happened to make him pull the trigger. Warren said something about his unique photography and then boom! Her hands were raising to rewind even before the gun dropped from his hands.
The second time, she tried pulling the fire alarm to make them scatter. That ought to make Nathan run out of there, right? To her horror, it only made him accidentally pull the trigger. She could never forget the scream Warren gave right then. His face was smeared with Nathan's blood and if Max wasn't in a hurry to change time, the first thing she would have done was hug him until they both forgot the lifeless eyes of Nathan Prescott on the floor.
So the third time she decided to take things into her own hands. She will be the one to stop Nathan, and make him understand what Warren wasn't able to say in words. The guy might be a whole dickholeabag but he didn't deserve to die in a bathroom for whatever reason.
Max will make sure of that.
"Who! Who is it?" As usual, a paranoid Nathan starts to wave his gun around, making Max raise her hands.
"Calm down, Nathan. We can talk about it. If you are having a problem-"
"Do not analyze me! I pay people for that!" Nathan's voice raises even more. "Talk! Who-wait. You are that hipster Tori always complains about."
Oh great, what a lovely way to introduce yourself to someone new. Max thoughts with a grimace.
"Yeah, Max Caulfield. Nice to meet you." She hesitantly offers him her hand. From the corner of her eyes, she notices Warren staring at her with wide eyes.
"She's a friend of mine." Warren speaks after what feels like years. "If you don't believe me, believe her. She's the best person I have ever known."
Nathan looks at both of them, the gun still raised. There are fresh tears in his eyes and Max has the sudden urge to wipe them off. Nathan will probably bite her hands off like a rabid dog but it's worth a try. As quietly she can, she looks up to him. "Can I-we help you? Please?"
It takes a minute but he's starting to lower it when the door opens again. A blue-haired girl enters the bathroom with a swagger and Max doesn't know if she's having another nightmare sequence like the storm or not cause the girl awfully looks like the best friend she left five years ago.
"You dickhead! First, you stood me up and now you're here with what? Your bitches?"
No. Even the voice...It can't be.
This day can't be this fucking insane.
"You!" Nathan suddenly pushes past Warren to go for Chloe. Max holds her breath as he starts to bicker with the girl and the girl in turn starts blackmailing him about some drugs. There's this feeling of dread inside her that finally makes her call that name out after five years.
"Chloe?"
Chloe throws her a glare so fierce that Max has to stop herself from physically reacting. Surprisingly it's Nathan who shoves Chloe from Max. "Don't you dare go near her! It has nothing to do with her or him. Fuck off!"
"I'm not interested in your sluts-"
"Chloe, it's Max!" She yells out, watching her friend's face going from pure boredom to shock.
"Max?"
She nods, smiling a little. "For real."
Chloe starts to smile too but then her eyes bore into Nathan's who's staring at Max and the smile vanishes. "Oh, you dickhead. You have been waving a gun around my friend? Max? Are you shitting me?"
Oh, no.
Nathan and Chloe both look like about to end each other. Thankfully Warren takes the chance to grab the gun by jumping on Nathan. "Max, Go! I got this!"
Nathan definitely didn't expect anyone to jump him cause his head tilts too quickly and hits Warren's which makes the latter fall to the floor. Max nearly runs to help Warren but Chloe seizes her wrist to pull her away from the bathroom.
"Come on, Max! Hurry!"
"But Warren-"
"We've to go!"
Max's apology barely reaches the fallen boys.
Nathan
Nathan doesn't know what to make of this.
Here he was, about to end his life only to end up worrying about the nerd's head cause he couldn't control his own movement. He's really starting to hate not taking his pills today. Maybe they would have mellowed him out a little bit and he wouldn't be this maniac.
"Are you ok, nerd?" He grits out, his hands sweaty against his own like.
Gayram mumbles something intangible but there's a grin on his face. How the fuck is he grinning with a black eye?
"Did you crack your skull when you fell or something?"
"No." The boy shakes his head, wincing. "But I definitely cracked your hard shell. You are worried about me, aren't you? How cute."
Cute?
The word made Nathan vomit on daily basis. And the nerd thinks he's cute? What the fuck. His worried tone turns to his usual squinty eyes and clenching jaw. "Fuck off! I just don't wanna be in trouble, bruh."
"Whatever you say." He notices the boy sitting with another wince. Shit. It must hurt like a bitch. Despite his whole body saying no, he offers his hands for the nerd to stand up. Gayram looks at his hands once and then his eyes before taking his offer.
"Let's get you to the nurse." Nathan carefully shoves the gun into his pants, avoiding the boy's knowing eyes. He's still worried that Nathan is going to fuck his life up. Fuck! Why do this nerd and the hipster have to be the ones to see him at his worst? Why couldn't it be Victoria or Hayden?
He doesn't even remember reaching the nurse's office until he hears a small voice. "Thanks, Nathan."
"What the fuck ever."
Graham's safety shouldn't be his first priority. He should have made sure to keep that punk quiet about what happened, not almost killing himself with a fucking gun. What if they tell anyone on the campus? Bet this is the only worthy gossip they got in a year. Or God forbid, let Wells know about him waving a stupid gun in the girl's bathroom. Nathan can already imagine his reputation going down the drain before his eyes. As fast as he can, he turns around to escape the boy but he feels one of his wrists grabbed by the other one. He nearly screams at the nerd but the boy is already starting to write something on the back of his hands. Nathan watches silently as finally it's done.
"Now you can have my services anytime you want. I can talk you to sleep. Any theory you want to listen to."
Nathan doesn't realize what he means till he sees what the nerd has written on his hands. Two stars and a number.
"The stars resemble Max and I, so you can think of us when the urge to-" The boy's voice cracks much to Nathan's surprise. "You know what. Just remember you are not alone."
Not alone?
Nathan doesn't even remember cracking a smile.
