A/N:

Song(s) used in this chapter:

Green Day - Brain Stew

Max kept her promise and attended the next Madhouse gig.

As usual, she wore her black hoodie, grey shirt and torn jeans (again borrowed from Dana). It was probably the most fitting attire she had for these events, all other clothes owned by her were simple tee's and jeans - all of them in light, happy colours that just didn't fit in with the entire scene she was attending regularly now.

She was amongst the first few people that trickled in just to see Madhouse. Dana wasn't with her this time, too busy with homework and cheerleading practice. Though Max didn't really believe the cheerleading practice excuse. Who practiced cheerleading at 10PM on a Saturday?

Then her mind quickly started to put things together. Lately she'd been seeing one of the skaters around the dorms, Trevor, and he was always awfully close to-

"Max!"

Upon hearing her name, Max spun around and looked at the source. She quickly smiled when she spotted Chloe approaching.

"You actually came. Colour me impressed," Chloe said as she playfully punched Max's shoulder.

Max shook her head and retorted with a light shove. "Told you that I wouldn't miss a gig."

"Hmm," Chloe hummed back thoughtfully. Looking over Max's attire, her smirk grew wider. "Are you sure this is you, Max? Black hoodie, torn jeans? Thought you were more into skinny jeans, scarves and whatever else hipsters wear."

"Oh, shut up!" she exclaimed and shook her head again. "You know that I don't dress like that!"

Chloe nodded and threw up her hands in surrender. "You're right. Still… I'd have thought Seattle would have changed your style, guess I was wrong though."

Holding up a goofy smile, Max couldn't help but feel a flutter of butterflies in her stomach as Chloe and her just stared. She opened her mouth to speak-

"Chloe!"

Whirling around in her place, Chloe faced the source of the voice. Max couldn't help but notice a certain degree of… something in her eyes as her smirk dropped. Perhaps fear? Anxiety?

"Rach!" Chloe called back out and stepped away from Max quickly. She noticed it, but didn't think too much into it. "W'sup babe?"

Rachel strolled up between Max and Chloe, completely blanking the fact that the brunette existed. She didn't even give her a sideways glance, nothing, as she simply positioned herself between the two of them.

"Oh," Max murmured to nobody in particular as she stepped back to make space for Rachel. She looked over her shoulder, noticing the blue-feather earring hanging from one ear, though she focused herself on Chloe.

"What are you doing here?" Rachel asked, low and almost demanding. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Chloe's neck, pulling her down slightly.

"Oh, I was just talking to-"

"C'mon, we need to get prepped for the gig," she continued over Chloe, completely ignoring what she was just saying.

Chloe simply opened her mouth a few times, flapping it uselessly like some fish out of the water. Peering over her girlfriend's shoulder, she glanced at Max briefly and then looked back down to Rachel. "R-right," she mumbled out and turned them towards the back room.

Max watched as they walked away. Momentarily, Chloe looked over her shoulder and silently gestured Max that she'll text or call later. When they disappeared into the back room, she spun back around on her stool towards the bar.

"Usual?" Derrick, the bartender, asked as he approached after having finished with another client.

It took her a second to process what he was asking, but Max shook her head. "Uhm. No thanks."

When Madhouse finally took the stage, Max was already in her usual place at the far back of the crowd. She bobbed her head at the first few songs, tried to let herself loose for another couple, but there was this nagging at the back of the head, something scratching her, warning her that what she witnessed was wrong.

Max hadn't ever been in a relationship, therefore she didn't really have any experience in what's to be expected when in one. But she was pretty fucking sure what Rachel did was not okay. It couldn't be, right? Over and over she asked herself the question.

Then eventually, a particular song caught her attention.

It started slow and heavy.

Chloe stepped up to the mic after the first few seconds, pulled her mouth up real close against it and started to mumble out the lyrics.

"I'm having trouble trying to sleep," she murmured, "I'm counting sheep but running out." Bobbing her head, she continued to play her heavy riff. "As time ticks by, and still I try, no rest for crosstops in my mind."

Taking a second for a breather, she pressed her mouth against the mic again as the drums suddenly joined her. "On my own, here we go."

Now with the drums playing a beat in tandem with her own guitar, Chloe stepped back for a few seconds and showed off. She laughed as she looked out over the venue before she was once again right up against her mic.

"My eyes feel like they're gonna bleed, dried up and bulging out of my skull," she growled, smiling at the crowd cheering her on. "My mouth is dry, my face is numb, fucked up and spun out in my room."

"On my own, here we go."

At some point later, Max was finally relaxed. She was letting herself dance along to whatever song Madhouse played, allowed her body to fall in rhythm with the various riffs and beats that she'd heard.

At some point later, she watched as Rachel stepped forward whilst still playing on guitar, she watched as she sang something together with Chloe, she watched as they both laughed and giggled about it afterwards.

At some point later, Max watched as Rachel and Chloe kissed on stage mid-song, drawing cheers and wolf-whistles from the crowd. Her stomach did a flip, a nauseous feeling suddenly crushing her, her heart pounding against her chest.

At some point later, Max left.

Chloe: dude whr r u?

Chloe: i was gonna introduce u to the band

Chloe: dude?

Chloe: helloooooo

Max: sorry i left

Chloe: y tho

Max: felt sick

Max: sry

Chloe: kk

Chloe: get better gurl

Chloe: i dont want u missin next weekend yhear

Max: kk

Every day for the following week, Max woke up feeling angry at herself. Just why did she suddenly chicken out of the concert? She'd seen them plenty of times before already, but just… she couldn't quite stomach what she saw. It wasn't Chloe's fault, nor Rachel's, nor anyone else's but her.

For whatever reason, Max felt jealous when she witnessed what she did. Perhaps because she never had what Chloe had at that moment. Perhaps because her stupid childhood crush was resurfacing again.

No. That'd be idiotic, she got over that nearly… a couple months ago... just a tad bit before she came to Blackwell...

"Ugh," she groaned into her pillow. "Why, why, why, why-"

Her skeleton nearly jumped out of her skin when somebody knocked on her door. It was a Friday afternoon, just minutes after her last lesson - Photography of all subjects - and she didn't expect any visitors. Except maybe Kate, because Kate always visited.

"Max?" she'd heard somebody ask, their voice muffled but quite recognisable. It was Dana.

Max jumped up from her bed, threw her pillow back down and quickly brushed herself up. "Dana?" she said as she opened the door. Indeed it was her and indeed she was looking as perfect as usual.

"Hey there pretend girlfriend," Dana teased and flashed a smirk at Max. "Are you like… hibernating or something? I haven't seen you out of your room for a whole week."

Dana was partially correct. Her and Max didn't share classes so they never really saw each other, and now that Dana had a skater boyfriend she nearly never stuck around the dorms until much later when Max was already wallowing in her own room.

"I've been out of my room," Max pouted quietly and crossed her arms. "Just… we have different schedules and things… I guess."

As the corner of her lip tugged even further, Dana put her own hands on her hips. "Right." Looking down the hallway, she leaned in a bit closer. "You've been going to see Madhouse every weekend."

Max raised an eyebrow. "How do you know that?"

"Max, Max, Max… Juliet is my best friend, remember?"

Max pouted again. Figures that Juliet would spy on her just like she spies on everyone else.

"I'm kidding. Derrick has been messaging me," Dana confessed and gave the hallway another sideways glance. "You've really taken a liking to Madhouse, huh?"

"I guess," Max admitted quietly. It was a half-truth.

"You've really taken a liking to Chloe Price."

"I guess," Max repeated on instinct. In an instant afterwards, she recoiled. "No!"

Dana laughed and crossed her arms, giving Max a knowing look - one that pierced right through her desperate, last second defence (even though it was barely a defence to begin with).

"I guess," Max mumbled out again. Dropping her eyes to the floor, she swore to herself to maybe clean her sneakers once a week or something. They were really, really muddy-

"Me and Trevor are going to see them tomorrow. I've been wondering if you'd like to tag along?" Dana asked and kept her eyes trained on Max.

"Oh." Max shuffled in her place and thought about it. She knew it'd feel awkward to be third wheeling most of the night, but… perhaps she'd be able to avoid Chloe that way? Not that she wanted to, but she kinda wanted to… it was complicated. If anything, she could just ignore Dana and Trevor whilst they were doing… whatever it is they planned on doing. They wouldn't mind.

"We're not like gonna make it awkward or anything for you Max." Dana put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it, maintaining her warm smile. "I promise. Just pleaaase?"

Max pouted again and threw her head up, staring at the ceiling. "...okay."

"Awesome!" Dana exclaimed and pulled Max into a spontaneous hug. Max didn't object, except stood awkwardly like some kinda plank whilst Dana squeezed her tight. "I promise you won't feel like a third wheel!"

"Mhm. Okay."

"Besides," she leaned in after releasing Max and smirked, "you're gonna see Chloe. I doubt you'll even pay attention to us."

"Go!" Max groaned and pushed Dana back over the threshold of her room. "Go back to your room!"

Dana's laugh echoed down the halls after Max shut the door behind her.

Grabbing her pillow, Max stuffed her face into it and screamed.

She was hoping to try and avoid this week's show by faking a sickness or something. Chloe probably wouldn't be that suspicious of it. It'd give Max some time to think things through again, try and get rid of that stupid, nonsensical childhood crush she still held for Chloe. Why would Chloe even want to reciprocate any kind of feelings for Max, especially after what she'd done for the past 5 years?

Max fell back onto her bed and fell asleep after a few minutes.

Doing her best to remain small, Max kept behind Dana and Trevor most of the night out. She danced a bit, even drank about half a bottle of beer before she had to give up - it was making her nauseous when mixed with everything she was still trying to sort out in her head (and chest) at the moment.

Even though she kept small and did her best to be ignored, Chloe somehow spotted her. She must have some sort of internal Max radar or something.

"Max!"

Max immediately sank lower in her place and tried to hide behind Dana. It didn't help though - Chloe simply outsmarted her and walked around them, raising an eyebrow at Max.

"Uh, dude?" Placing her hand on her shoulder, she squeezed it. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Hi." Max smiled and managed to face Chloe. Her heart was pounding but thankfully another band had taken the stage, drowning it out.

Chloe looked at Dana and then at Trevor. "Hey you two," she said and bumped fists with Trevor. "Long time no see, Trev."

"Yeah dude!" Trevor said and chuckled. "You and Rachel should hang with us again," he suggested.

"Uhm. Maybe soon, dunno," Chloe mumbled and rubbed the back of her head. "You must be Dana," she added and smiled towards the cheerleader.

"Yep! We talked maybe like… once or twice in Blackwell," Dana replied and smiled herself.

"We did?" Chloe furrowed her eyebrows in thought. "Huh. Maybe we did. No wonder I kinda recognise you."

Dana giggled at that and took a sip from her beer.

Chloe looked towards the back room briefly and then glanced at Max again. "So, you wanna meet the band?"

Max thought it over. "Uhm. Maybe… maybe not today?" she mumbled and placed her hand on her elbow, comforting herself slightly. "I… I'm still kinda sick and… I'm hanging with Dana and Trevor, and uh…"

Dana shot Max a quizzical look over Chloe's shoulder.

Chloe frowned. "Oh," she simply said and dropped her eyes to the floor. "Right."

"Sorry," Max murmured and looked down to the floor herself.

"Uh. No worries dude!" Chloe said and shook her head. "S'fine, seriously. How about next week?"

Max shuffled on her feet and didn't answer.

Chloe simply stared at her, awaiting an answer.

Dana interjected. "She will."

Max looked up at Dana immediately, her eyes nearly bulging out of her skull. "I will?" she mouthed out in silence, thankful that Chloe was staring at Dana herself.

Giving Dana a silent look herself, Chloe eventually nodded. "Awesome. I, uh… I'll see you next week, Maxaroon," she said and smiled. She took a step closer, getting the urge to lean in and hug her. As quickly as she stepped forward, she stepped back and rubbed the back of her head.

"Mhm. I… I'll see you next week too," Max replied and smiled herself. She noticed Chloe's awkwardness.

Glancing at Dana and Trevor, she exchanged her goodbyes and left.

Dana immediately dragged Max towards her and raised her eyebrows. "Max, what's up?" she asked, voice coated with genuine concern for her friend. "You're not sick," she pointed out before Max could pull up that excuse.

"I… I gotta go," Max mumbled and moved back. "Sorry, just not feeling well right now."

"Max-"

"Later, Dana!" Max said and turned around, power walking away.

Dana: max

Dana: whats up

Max: nothing

Dana: max i had to cover for you back there

Dana: why are you trying to avoid Chloe?

Max: im not

Dana: cmon

Dana: you can talk to me

Max: later

Dana: you better

Dana: my door is always open

Dana: come by 2morrow?

Max: …

Max: okay

A/N:

I TOOK FAR TOO LONG TO UPDATE THIS.

I'M ALSO TAKING FAR TOO LONG UPDATING OTHER STUFF.

I SWEAR I'M GONNA UPDATE STUFF SOON AGAIN DON'T WORRY OKAY.

HOPE YOU ENJOYED!

(MY CAPS IS BROKEN)

(I LIED I'M JUST LAZY AND DON'T WANT TO TURN IT OFF)

- :) WinTTY