"Maximum Power!" Justin exclaimed as he opened the door.
"Hey Justin," Max giggled. "I brought a Chloe with me." She nodded to the punk.
"Sup dude?" She said, performing their handshake.
"Awesome, awesome. Come in!" Justin said, slurring his words in his patented way.
It was an apartment somewhere in a newer complex that had been built since Max left. It apparently belonged to a friend of Justin's who was currently out of town, but allowed the guys to crash and party there at will. Chloe knew the place, so getting there wasn't a problem. Max immediately felt her chest seize when she entered the room, stifling the need to cough. The apartment was coated in smoke and the recently familiar smell of weed filled the air. She glanced at the ceiling.
Are there sprinklers in here or what? This place looks like it's actually on fire.
Justin ushered the girls into another room where a group of people were sitting in a circle. The brunette recognized Trevor, Dana, Juliet and some of the other skater guys that were always with Justin. Upon seeing them, the group cheered, holding their hands in the air.
"Look who I found!" Justin said too late, only speaking after the reaction died down.
Whoops, looks like Justin's latency is in the red. The GM's should restart his server.
"Max!" Dana screamed, springing to her feet and wrapping the girl in a hug. Max smiled, reciprocating.
"Hey Dana." She looked at everyone else. "Hey guys."
"Chloe Price! The Batman of Arcadia!" Trevor shouted from his seat. "How are you doin' man?"
"Uh...I'm alright, I guess." Chloe blushed, scratching at her hair through her reacquired beanie. She ditched the jacket too, now wearing just the tank top.
"Nah but forreall-y, Chloe. How are you doing? We thought we were going to lose you." Justin admitted as he sat down. Chloe pulled her tank top up slightly, revealing the bandage on her ribs.
"Yep, I'm a fucking warrior now, guys. Bow!" She and everyone laughed. Max was pretty sure she heard Justin mutter 'hot,' which she would agree with.
"I can't believe that little Pres-bitch-boy did all this shit, man," A boy whose name Max didn't know said. Dana gently tugged on Max's sleeve to get her to sit next to her. Chloe followed.
"Yeah man," Trevor said. "We were like...gonna fuck him up or something. First Rach and then you? He's fucking with all the cool people. Even Kate, man..." He trailed off, shaking his head. "And then Jefferson? What the fuck dude?"
Trevor, if you had any idea how many times that exact sentence has run through my mind this week...
"Yeah, well..." Chloe said, shifting uncomfortably. "They're both going to fucking rot in a cell."
"Sounds too good for them," Juliet spoke up. Everyone seemed clearly loosened up due to the weed, but she wore a scowl. "I've been sick to my fucking stomach all week. I treated Kate like shit."
"Juliet, we've been over this." Dana rolled her eyes. "We're dumb fucking teenagers. It happens. We didn't know what was really going on!"
"Well, Max didn't make fun of her..." Juliet grunted. All eyes shifted to Max. She stared back, unsure of what to say.
"Max is like an old soul, man," Justin said, waving a hand slowly in Max's direction. "She just gets shit." Max blushed.
Well...at least these guys seem to be my friends in this reality. At least, when they're stoned.
"How are you holding up, Chloe?" Trevor asked, smoke slowly escaping his lips. "I know you and Rach were the tighest. It's all so fucked up." Chloe pursed her lips, clearly holding back more tears.
"I dunno, man. It sucks? It's not something I can put into words, really..." Her eyes focused on the lit joint. "And I got fucking shot, so there's that too. Zero out of ten, wouldn't recommend." Trevor snickered a little before holding the joint out for Chloe. She briefly glanced at Max, who nodded her approval, before grinning like a monster. "This I would recommend!" She chirped happily as she took it from him. Everyone laughed.
"Have you talked to Kate?" Juliet asked Max. "Haven't seen her much since everything went down. I know she's been staying in the dorms but...I don't know what to say to her." Juliet fiddled with the end of her skirt.
"Yeah, we've been in touch. She's going through a lot, obviously. But she needs friends right now!" Max said, smiling at Chloe blowing smoke rings. "I think she'd appreciate if she knew you were there for her." Max thought for a moment. "But don't...interview her, okay? Nothing against you, but she's been getting hammered by reporters trying to turn her into a star."
"I wouldn't dream of it," Juliet said, shaking her head. She clenched her fists. "Dude, if I see someone trying to exploit her for airtime I will lose my shit."
"Yeah man," Justin slurred. "I'll like, fuckin' crack a bitch with my board. No jokes." He held both hands out in a stereotypical karate pose.
"Jesusfuck that's good," Chloe reclined into Max a little, handing the joint to another guy. "I've been taking these painkillers but they just make me sleepy..." She peeked up at the hipster. "And very affectionate," she added sarcastically.
"Nah, you can't be taking government medicine, man!" Justin said, his voice louder than he was probably aware.
"Oh dude, shut the hell up." A boy sitting next to him said, nudging him playfully.
This is fucking hilarious. Wish I had my camera.
"I'm gonna like," Dana started, taking a drag of the joint, "burn down the Vortex Club. It deserves to die!" She clawed the air with one hand repeatedly.
"I knew that shitty club was bad news," Juliet pouted.
"You were in it too, Jul." Trevor smiled in a non-mocking way. "I mean, we all knew it was being run by assholes, but we didn't think a fucking murderer was funding it."
"Oh dude, do you think Papa Prescott knew about any of this shit?" A boy with long hair covering one of his eyes asked.
"Dunno," Chloe said. "But he needs to be held accountable for something." She leaned into Max a little more, her head now on her shoulder.
"Bro, that dude probably carries around a pitchfork," Justin lazily lofted words into the air as he himself began to lie down. "That whole family is a pack of demons."
"Do demons travel in packs?" A boy asked.
"Yeah man, like wolves," Justin retorted.
Max, admittedly, felt slightly out of her comfort zone with the drugs. She of course didn't mind it, but she was always an awkward, clumsy person and usually hated the idea of her mind getting any further away from her than it already was. However, she was pretty sure she was getting a contact high. Chloe had the joint again, which was nearing its end, and she took a small drag before Max clutched her arm.
"Can...I try?" She whispered. It wasn't really necessary, as everyone was involved in their own conversations. Chloe raised her eyebrows.
"Dude, really? You sure?" There was a small spark of excitement in her voice.
"Uh...yeah! Yes. You don't think I'll get paranoid, do you?" Max poked each of Chloe's fingers with her index.
"I mean, it's possible, but it usually makes me hella calm. You could..." She said, looking Max over. "You could use some calm."
"The hell's that supposed to mean?" Max snorted, whipping her hand against Chloe's arm. The punk bared her teeth in a smile. She handed the almost used up joint to another guy as she saw a new one being lit. She cleared her throat.
"Alright fuckers, here's the deal," Chloe announced. Max immediately went red.
Wait, wait, what!? No, don't make this a thing, Chloe. Oh Dog. OH DOG.
"Max here has never smoked before but would like to try it. She's going to attempt it and if she coughs or gags, nobody is going to smirk or laugh. Got it?" She had her finger in the air. Everyone slowly nodded, some with a 'hmm not bad' expression.
"Awww shit yeah, Maxers gon' get baked." Justin cheered from the ground with his eyes closed. Trevor handed Chloe the new joint and she handed it to Max.
"So, you just put your lips on the end, pull on it...like, inhale. Then inhale the smoke. Easy peasy!" She patted Max's knee several times.
This might be a huge mistake. Oh fuck...
Max brought the joint to her mouth and sealed her lips around it. All eyes were on her. Feeling a small panic, she clamped her eyes shut. She inhaled briefly before immediately choking, expelling a small amount of smoke.
"Ugh, what the fuck," she shuddered. True to their word, nobody laughed or did anything mean. Chloe faced Max and got on her knees, taking the joint.
"Max, do you trust me?" She asked the brunette. Feeling nervous, she glanced around the room before looking back at Chloe.
"Uh...of course. You know I do."
"Alright, good," Chloe said before taking a long, deep hit. With puffy cheeks, she handed it to the guy next to her before grabbing Max's head and pressing their lips together. She coerced Max's lips open and exhaled as their tongues met. After a moment, she pulled away, Max's eyes wide open, lips parted. With a look of shock on her face, she slowly breathed out, a giant plume of smoke leaking through her lips. The room watched in absolute silence.
Holy fuck.
"Wooooah..." Max said slowly, eliciting a giant cheer from the group.
"Okay, that was pretty hot," Trevor said, a big grin on his face. Dana shot him a look but shook her head and shrugged.
"Pretty hot," she agreed.
"Wait, what was?" Justin asked as he sat up. The room burst into laughter. Max looked at Chloe with a huge, surprised smile.
"Chloe!" She excitedly whispered. "I can't believe you."
"Rad, right? But I can't momma bird you forever, unfortunately. Next one is all you." The blue haired girl leaned toward Max and kissed her cheek. The brunette saw Dana shaking her head, smiling.
"Ready for the next one?" Trevor asked, holding the joint out for Max. Feeling only slightly fuzzy and warm, she nodded, grinning.
"I shall be telling this with a high!" Max declared. The group sat around her, completely enraptured. "Somewhere ages and ages hence! Two roads diverged in a wood, and I..." She stopped and looked around, giggling. "I simply forget the rest." The room erupted in laughter.
"I always forget how funny it is when someone smokes for the first time," Trevor said, lying with his head in Dana's lap.
"Who's bein' funny?" Max asked, laughing.
"That'd be you, Maximo," Chloe said, snaking her arms around Max's waist. The small girl turned so they were facing each other.
"I like this." She grinned. "You are a goobafluence!"
"Good bad influence?" Chloe asked, the brunette nodding. The punk grinned, rubbing their noses together.
"Man, you two look awfully comfy," Dana said, en eyebrow raised. She absentmindedly stroked Trevor's hair.
"We are in love, thank you very much." Max pointed at Dana. Chloe laughed.
"Yeah, we are," she added quietly, nuzzling the girl's cheek. "Max and me were best friends from...basically birth until thirteen. She had to move away, but now she's back and incredibly hot."
"No you." Max said quickly. The punk giggled.
"She was in the bathroom when Nathan shot me. She went to the hospital with me. Sounds pretty crazy destiny shit, huh?" Max listened to how Chloe tactfully relived the week she didn't actually experience.
Don't talk about time travel, dumby.
"No, that sounds stupid romantic," Dana sighed longingly. She flicked Trevor's nose with a smile. "How come you didn't do some destiny shit for me?"
"Sorry, babe," was all he could muster. Dana turned back to the couple.
"We should like, totally double date all the time." Her eyes widened. "Wait, how long has this been going on? If it's anything more than twenty-five hours, I'll be so mad you didn't text me, Max!"
"Why twenty-five?" Max squinted.
"Because you get a whole day plus one consolation hour! That seems fair to me."
"Been like a week, biiiitch." Max rocked her body back and forth.
"Maxine Caulfield! I trusted you!" Dana held a hand to her chest in feigned disgust. Max made a square with her fingers and pressed an invisible button, making a 'click' sound.
"You are fucking adorable, you little shit," Chloe whispered into Max's ear.
"No you," she said again. "Hey, I know how this is going to sound..." She began, looking sheepish. "But...am I talking too loud? I feel like I'm talking really loud."
"You're fine," the punk said, kissing her cheek. Max muttered an 'okay.'
"We should play some tunes." Justin said, entering the room after his bathroom break. The group had boiled down to just Max, Chloe, Dana and Trevor as everyone else had wandered to different areas of the apartment. He looked around for a moment, then leaned down so the two couples could hear him. "Yo, Juliet and Aiden are totally making out in the other room."
"Huh. I thought he was gay?" Trevor said.
"Right!? Me too! But that's cool, if she's going to start hanging with us, she should date someone cool and not a douche like Zach." Justin responded, hooking up his mp3 player to a speaker. Dana made an audible noise of disgust.
"He's a pig. He totally hit on me right in front of Juliet. She had this weird...Stockholm Syndrome thing going on." She shrugged. Max recalled her brief conversations with Zach and decided he wasn't a bad guy, just...a product of society.
Just another one from the Bro Factory.
"What should I put on?" Justin asked, holding the mp3.
"Man, I don't care. Whatever works for me." Trevor said, not opening his eyes.
"Put on some stuff Rachel liked," Chloe said. Max turned to gauge her expression, smiling when she saw it didn't include tears. "Ooh!" The punk spasmed, hitting her hand on the floor. "Put on Belt!"
"Aw yeah!" Justin exclaimed. He fidgeted with the device for a moment before setting it down. A strange recording started. Max listened intently, closing her eyes. After a moment of goofy introduction, guitars screamed into existence, taking Max by surprise.
Dude!
The song continued on. Justin and Chloe rocked their bodies, Dana moved her head like a pendulum. Trevor didn't do much of anything.
Is he sleeping?!
Max began to rock her head back and forth with the song until it died down, starting into a triumphant climax.
"So what say you..." Chloe began, pointing at Justin.
"And all your friends..." He replied.
"Meet all of my friends in the alley tonight, yeah!" They both continued, repeating the words until the song ended. Feeling ever so slightly tired, Max surveyed the room, replaying the words in her head. In that moment, she loved everything. The blue haired girl with arms wrapped around her. Justin, the stoner. Dana, the high-as-a-kite cheerleader. Trevor the...sleeping(?) skater. She shifted herself more comfortably, fully engulfed in Chloe's arms.
"Can we play it again?" She asked.
"Remember that time I fucking ate it on that rail at Blackwell and Rachel laid down next to me and told people we were making shapes out of clouds?" Justin asked.
"Haha dude, that was hilarious," Chloe responded.
"Or that time Rachel stole that big fucking bag of weed from the Vortex Club and brought it here?" Trevor, finally awake, recalled.
"Jesus, and that time the cops started yelling at us for skateboarding in that parking lot and Rachel fake cried until they felt so bad they left?" Chloe added. The three of them laughed.
"I miss her, man..." Justin said.
"I know, I do too..." Said the punk.
Max and Dana sat on the sofa for a bit while the other three remained on the carpet talking. Dana leaned toward Max.
"It feels weird that I never really knew her, you know?" Her expression was somber. "I saw her around, but never talked to her. I wish I had. I kind of just...would've liked to have memories of her like they do."
"Me too, Dana," Max sighed. "She sounded...sounds, awesome." Max had pretty much completely come down from her very first high, but now she was tired...and a little hungry. Without warning, a big yawn snuck up on her, unleashing itself. Chloe turned to her from the floor.
"Ooh, little Max is getting sleepy. I should probably take her to her dorm." She stood up, dusting off her pants.
"No, no, I'm fine. We can stay." Max argued, embarrassed that she had yawned during such a sad conversation.
"Nice try, but I'm pretty tired myself." She helped Justin to his feet, then Trevor. She gave them each a big hug. "This was awesome, guys. And I got through it without crying!" She patted Trevor's arm. Max and Dana also stood up. Max was somewhat surprised when Dana and the two boys each gave her a hug.
"Good times, Max. Let's do this all the time," Trevor said.
"Maaaax, that was sick! You get high like a true champion." That one was Justin.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Max. We can chat some more about..." Dana winked at Chloe. "You know what." The punk stared, amused, before taking Max's hand. "Oh and you two better be coming to the Halloween Party! It's still on!" Dana called after them.
"Dude, I think they're dating," Max heard Justin say just as the door closed. She stopped and began howling with laughter. Chloe prodded her along.
"You still high, ya little freak?" Chloe asked.
"Nah," Max shook her head. "Just really happy. That was so fun! I barely even thought about time travel the whole time." The blue haired girl smiled at her.
"You handled yourself well. I'm impressed," Chloe said, wrapping Max in a surprise hug from behind.
"Thanks. I hope I wasn't like...stupid or anything." The brunette blushed.
"Oh, you were an idiot. But you're my idiot!"
Max found herself humming the end of the song, which they had listened to several times, to the point of Dana making them play something else.
"I love that song!" Max said.
"It was one of Rachel's favorites," Chloe said, unlocking the truck. "You've got good taste, babe."
"Why don't you see for yourself?" Max asked, leaping across the seat and kissing her girlfriend.
A/N: This was EXCEPTIONALLY fun to write! Max's first time high may or may not be awfully similar to mine.
Also, for those who don't know, the song mentioned throughout the chapter is Belt by Say Anything. It just felt like something Rachel (and Chloe and Skaters) would love, especially the ending.
Next chapter should be SOOOOOOOOON (I hope!) Thanks for reading, as always!
P.S. I ain't apologizing for the Robert Frost pun.