A/N:

Song(s) used in this chapter:

PUP - Pine Point

It was the weekend eventually, that is - it was the weekend after a week that lasted for almost a month (in Max's head), because obviously she was looking forward to showing off herself in her new punk gear, courtesy of Chloe. She was looking forward to it ever since she had received Chloe's text just the weekend prior, right after sending over her selfie - she was never one for confidence, but having Chloe say all those things was… nice.

It gave her a bit of a blush too.

So now she had found herself walking down the usual gravel path to the abandoned mill - there were some rundown fences on either side, trees and hills. There were also a few groups of students from Blackwell, giving Max a weird, almost shifty look as she walked by. They had seen her before, but not in an outfit like… that.

Sporting the Black Flag shirt that Chloe wanted to see, she also had a brand new pair of ripped, black jeans and her usual trusty sneakers. Speaking of which, she still hadn't cleaned them - swearing under her breath, she promised herself to do it… eventually. Did people even clean their sneakers though? Probably not.

Oh. Max was also wearing a flannel - one of the few that Chloe had bought her actually, and she had it wrapped around her waist because it was quite warm already. She remembered Chloe laughing about something or other when she bought her the flannels - she was pretty sure she even checked her out once or twice, but Max was more than likely imagining what she would've liked to happen. Probably, anyway.

Walking further down the path, Max awkwardly shuffled past some mean looking bikers - all tattooed up and standing in a group. They all had some sort of… insignia or something on their back, but she did her best to ignore it as she walked right past. Approaching the actual mill, she smiled to herself as she heard the music already booming from inside - along with a host of cheers and woops.

It looked like the party had already started.

Equipped with a beer in hand, Max made her way towards the mosh. It was loud and crowded, she could see the band on the stage but didn't recognise them. Glancing down at her hand, she winced slightly as she was shoved sideways by one of the people dancing - she didn't really mind that much though, she was used to it by now.

Raising the beer to her lips, she took a swig and immediately scrunched up her face in disgust.

"Blegh," she muttered in distaste to herself and immediately put the beer back down - walking over to her usual spot in a quiet corner of the mosh.

How can people drink this stuff? she thought to herself, but looking back at it… she drunk a few beers before. Then again, she didn't enjoy it at all back then either - she just did it to fit in and not look so… dorky.

Standing in the back of the crowd, Max swayed herself gently to the beat and smiled as she listened to the bands come and go. Madhouse was always up last, so she had an hour or so to go before they even took the stage.

That gave her plenty of time to chill and try to work off the nerves she had - she was really looking forward to seeing Chloe, she always was.

"How is everyone doing tonight?"

Max smiled as the familiar voice of her friend boomed out over the crowd. Shifting in her place, she tiptoed slightly and looked over the heads of the many attendants - watching quietly as Chloe smiled at everyone. As usual, she was caked in heavy makeup - still sporting the two stripes on either cheek to boot and her hair swept over to one side; the electric blue shimmering in the dirty light that lit the stage.

"Y'all ready for some reaaaal music?" Chloe asked loudly, laughing as she heard the crowd roar back in reply. "Alright, that's what I like to hear!"

Glancing behind her, she noticed her bandmates still setting up - Rachel was nowhere to be found yet. With a grin, she swept her head over the crowd - scanning for…

"Hey y'all over there - move outta my way," Chloe called out as she pointed towards Max - smiling wide.

Max watched with a blush as the crowd was quick to shuffle out of Chloe's way at her command - revealing her quite clearly and casting a couple dozen eyes onto her. She managed a small smile towards Chloe, holding her beer beside her neck in some sort of failing attempt to cover herself from the attention.

"I'm diggin' the look girl. Looks reaaal hot," Chloe teased out and winked. "Just a word of warning to y'all - if anyone lays a hand on that girl without her permission, you're gonna be finding out what a knuckle sandwich tastes like," she added, looking over the entire crowd.

There was a silence that lasted for a moment before the crowd cheered again, raising their hands and beers in some sort of attempt to tell Chloe they understood. Max saw Chloe smile and give them a nod, seemingly understanding what they'd meant.

Chloe cast a look to the side and saw Rachel getting onto the stage in her punk getup, immediately proceeding towards her own guitar. As she passed by, Chloe leaned in and gave her a quick kiss, earning an 'Aww' from the crowd - the same crowd she promptly flipped off and received a loud wave of laughter in reply.

Max thought it was all weird, but whatever. She tried to ignore the fact that Chloe willingly gave Rachel a kiss too.
Tried to.

"Alright y'all we're gonna start slow today - I got a song that I wrote, kinda inspired by some shit I watched or read once, I dunno," Chloe mumbled into the mic, smiling at the quiet wave of whoops she received.

Gazing over her shoulder, Chloe gave each of her band members a nod before she turned back around. With a smile towards the crowd - she leaned into the mic.

"Oh in Pine Point, where I was born," she sang softly - her guitar starting to play gently along. "The roads are all overgrown, and no one's lived there for years."

Joining her guitar was Rachel's own, then the drums - a slow, steady beat. The crowd responded by slightly swaying, a few stray cheers echoing out.

"The town was never the same, the mine was closed in '88," she continued, eyes closed as she focused herself on the music and the words, "and everyone disappeared…"

Max listened with a soft smile as the guitars came to life harshly, the drums continuing their beat along.

"In Pine Point '86, my older brother died when we were kids, his best friend was wasted at the wheel," Chloe's voice became raspy as she pressed herself against the mic. "Oh in Pine Point, nothin' but memories, the abandoned cemetery, where we buried our family…"

Chloe opened her eyes as the instruments stopped briefly before starting to work up themselves - crescendoing slowly. "...and I hope you know, what you're doing…"

Suddenly Chloe slammed her foot down as the drums followed, both her's and Rachel's guitars bursting into a louder, more aggressive tone. The crowd roared at the sudden change of volume.

"Up in Pine Point, where I kept my eyes on the prize, and it was you, it was you…" Chloe sang loudly, looking over the crowd.

Max blushed.

Chloe focused on her and smiled.

"Oh in Pine Point, where I kept my eyes on the prize, and it was you…" she repeated, her smile turning to a smirk that went unnoticed by Rachel. "...it was you…"

Only an hour later - perhaps two, maybe three - Madhouse was done with their set. Receiving a booming chorus of cheers, whoops, compliments and claps, they had given everyone a bow - thanking them as usual for showing up. Max had even joined into it all in her quiet corner, smiling wide as she clapped and cheered whilst the last few words were said.

Taking her beer, she took a last swig from the bottle - which was almost emptied, surprisingly - and left the mosh for the bar. It was a struggle because like her, many of the people attending the mosh were there just for Madhouse, so now they were probably all heading home.

Finally however, after about 10 minutes worth of pushing and waiting patiently, Max was the last to exit the mosh. Unsurprisingly, most of the mill was empty - there were usual patrons sat at their tables, at some booths and there was a small group gathered near the bar - laughing and drinking. Again, as usual, Max slowly walked towards the bar - sitting herself on the stool.

She waited-

"Hey hippie!"

Max almost jumped out of her seat when Chloe's hand fell onto her shoulder and squeezed, pulling her back to face her. Breathing out in relief, Max chuckled and shook her head as she gave Chloe a once-over. Her makeup was smudged, though that was nothing unusual after their sets, and her clothes were the ones she had worn on stage.

No surprise really-

"Earth to I.S.S. Max - y'read me?" Chloe said loudly and raised an eyebrow, leaning in to stare Max in the eyes. "What is it with you spacing out on me, do I not get your attention enough?" she added, teasing quietly before immediately giggling.

"Oh, shut up!" Max shot back and gave Chloe a playful shove. "I was just thinking."

"Yeah, I realised that. Anyway, how did you enjoy the show?"

With a roll of her eyes, Max smiled. "You know that I always enjoy your show, it was awesome - seriously," she replied and crossed her arms.

Chloe let out the largest smile and rubbed the back of her head. "Glad you enjoyed. Now c'mon, let's go party girl-"

"-what?" Max squeaked out as she felt her hand get yanked forward by the overly-eager Chloe.

"Party girl! Y'know, the after party?" Chloe said over her shoulder as they began walking towards a door near the back of the mill. "C'mon, I got you an exclusive pass because you're like… my friend, so…"

Max was panicking slightly. After parties usually meant a select few people, right? She was already way over her comfortable boundaries by attending a mosh, but now she had to attend an after party with people she didn't know? It set her off into all kinds of thoughts-

"Max, stop spacing out - you haven't even smoked the weed yet!" Chloe shot at her over her shoulder again as they came to a stop outside the door. "Seriously, stop worrying - okay?"

"I'm not worrying-"

"-and I'm the Queen of England," Chloe sarcastically replied with a yawn. "Seriously, this'll be awesome - just chillax sista."

Chloe pushed the door open.

Max immediately scrambled a foot back as she was hit by a stench of weed.

"Ugh, what-"

"Chillax!" Chloe exclaimed and pulled her in, slamming the door behind them.

Giving the room a quick, desperate glance, Max's eyes widened. It wasn't as big as she thought it would be - it was way worse. There was a max of like… 10 people here, all of them already looking directly at Max - or was it Chloe?"

"Ayy, it's the punk rock queen!" shouted one of the dudes sitting on a ratty couch, joint in hand. He was wearing a snapback and had shaggy hair - Max saw him before, but couldn't put a name to the face.

Chloe laughed and gave a bow, receiving a cheer from everyone. "I brought a friend - everyone, this is Max. Max, this is everyone."

Max gave an awkward wave and wilted slightly under their gaze.

Everyone laughed.

"She's a shy wallflower but we're all here to change that! Now get back to enjoyin' yourselves!" she shouted and received another cheer before everyone resumed their previous activities - mainly getting high, drunk, dancing or a combination of all three, somehow.

Max yelped quietly as Chloe began to drag her further into the room, towards a small L-shaped couch - it was unoccupied, though on the table she could see various… beer bottles, bongs, pipes and roughly-rolled joints. She scrunched her nose up at the stench again.

"Sit, sit," Chloe said as she threw herself down onto the couch, immediately leaning towards the table to grab a joint.

Rubbing her elbow, Max stood there.

"Max, c'mon - it's just some weed, it's not going to kill you."

Max just continued rubbing her elbow.

Sure it was weed but… she never got high, nor drunk. She was a total outcast at this afterparty, yet Chloe just seemed so… alive and eager to make her comfortable.

"Ugh, fine," Max said and sat down, though she promised herself she wouldn't smoke - she was just here to enjoy Chloe's company; that's all.

"There you go hippie. Let me just-"

Max watched as Chloe sparked up a lighter, having failed the first few times, and then lit her joint. Immediately she took in a deep inhale and blew the smoke out before turning her head to Max with a smile.

"Hey, what I said on the stage back there?" Chloe murmured and pulled the joint to her lips, "I meant it. Seriously, you look killer in these threads - I knew my fashion sense would stick to you."

"Pfft - your fashion sense?" Max teased and crossed her arms.

Reaching over, Chloe gave Max a playful punch. "Yeah, my fashion sense. Seriously - the mini-hipster punk look y'got goin' on is fucking hot. I wouldn't be surprised if Dana wants to eat you out once you get back to the dorms."

Max sputtered out an array of sounds, none of them flattering.

Chloe cackled and took a drag from her joint, blowing the smoke above her. "Thank me once you've had your v-card punched, nerd."

"I am totally-"

"-not gay for Dana? Please girl," Chloe said with a laugh, "I know when I see eye-sex, alright? Seriously, Dana is all over that and I know you are too."

Max gave her a blank stare - her jaw agape. Chloe coughed out some smoke as she laughed again. Groaning, Max shoved her away.

"You're an asshole!" Max hissed and shook her head. "I totally thought you were being real. Wowsers."

Chloe coughed again, sputtering out wisps of smoke before whacking her chest with her fist a few times. "Wowsers? Holy shit Max, are you still 13?"

"At heart."

"Sheesh girl - y'still play with dolls?"

"I have never played with dolls-"

"-not even after I caught you makin' two barbies make out when we were kids?"

Max went fucking crimson red at the cheeks when she remembered.

Chloe just laughed harder and collapsed back into her seat. "Jeez, you're so gay - you're wearing one of the flannels I bought you two. Looking to score tonight?" she teased, smirking before she took a puff from her joint.

"Oh my- just shut up!" Max shot back and covered her burning face - clawing at it to try and not die from embarrassment. "Shut up." Max shook her head and now began to understand why Chloe had laughed at her a week ago when she bought her some flannels.

With another laugh, Chloe went quiet and busied herself with her joint. She pulled up two beers from below the table, popping the caps on the edge and offering one to Max who denied it in an instant. She just shrugged and chugged her bottle down without her.

"Uhm. So, uh… where's Rachel?" Max eventually asked over the loud music being played.

Chloe narrowed her eyes and looked around before shrugging. "I'unno. If she ain't here then she's probably outside smokin' with a few of our roadies or something. She's real friendly with them and stuff," she mumbled and smoked her joint, taking a sip of her beer too. "Why? You want to meet her?"

Max's blush returned again. "Uh, n-no, no!" she quickly replied and shook her head. "Shit, I mean like- I'd like to m-meet her eventually but- I just thought you two were like… inseparable or something."

They both went silent.

Scoffing quietly, Chloe took another shot of her beverage. "Funny that. We're inseparable when she needs me for sex, gettin' high or drinking, but suddenly when I need her…" she trailed off and glanced at Max. "Whatever. Doesn't matter, we're good."

They both went silent yet again.

Max awkwardly played with her hands, thinking - it seems like her… suspicions about Rachel and Chloe's relationship had some truth in it. It made her feel slightly sad, knowing that Chloe was stuck with such a… manipulative person, but she couldn't really comment without knowing the whole truth - could she?

"Hey, you want a hit?"

"Huh?" Max suddenly looked up, seeing Chloe holding the joint out towards her. "Uhm. N-no thanks - I don't smoke."

Chloe rolled her eyes and pushed the joint closer to Max. "C'mon, don't be such a fucking pussy Max. You're at a party, relax girl - besides, I saw you chugging beer before when we were up on stage, I know you can let loose."

Max glanced down and opened her mouth to speak. She… felt pressured, but she didn't want to disappoint Chloe, not if there was a risk of pissing her off-

"Fuck me, you really need a hit," Chloe said and then shifted closer to Max - reaching down to grab her hand. "You're spacing without the weed, y'need to relax!"

Tongue tied, Max watched as Chloe took her hand and then placed the joint between her fingers. She took a hold of it herself, looking down as it burned away. "I d-don't know, I'm not much like… i-into it."

"Max - stop being such a pussy!" Chloe growled louder. "Just… c'mon. Take a hit, raise it to your lips, pull on it slightly. For me?" she pouted, tilting her head sideways and throwing up her puppy eyes.

Max had nothing.

"Just one, two hits. It won't be enough to get you to Cloud 9, but you'll have an easier time - seriously…" Chloe pleaded again, pushing Max's hand towards her lips. "Maaaaaax."

"Alright, alright! Just… two hits, okay?" Max finally gave up and rolled her head. "Just two. Uhm, how d-do I…?"

"Cute. Here, let me show you how."

Max listened as Chloe explained and showed her before handing the joint back to her, receiving an expecting glare from her friend. She sighed, took a deep breath and followed Chloe's instructions. She placed the joint between her lips, held it as she gave it a slight pull-

-then began coughing as the smoke filled her mouth, throat and lungs. She knew it was going to happen but panicked, yet her panic sent her to start sputtering out everything she inhaled. She felt a few light smacks between her shoulder blades.

"There, there," Chloe said and snickered loudly - rubbing Max's back. "It's your first try, of course you'd fuck it up - everyone does. Try it again in a few seconds, but don't panic when you feel the smoke - it won't kill you."

Giving it a few seconds, Max tried again. It was much more successful this time though still flawed. Chloe giggled as she took the joint from her, taking a drag from it herself and blowing the smoke through her nose. She observed as Max leaned back in her seat, her complexion and body relaxing.

"See? Was it worth being such a pussy over it?" Chloe teased and nudged Max's ribs with her elbow. "Now c'mon - let's talk about shit, we still haven't caught up properly."

Max wasn't sure how long they talked for - all she knew was that she took way more than two hits from the joint. In fact, she was the one to finish it in the end. She was far more giggly than usual, slightly peckish too, but she felt… relaxed.

"Oh man, that was a good time…" Chloe murmured as she finished laughing, having told Max of something she'd done whilst in Blackwell. "Wells was fuckin' furious! Shit was hilarious and nobody ever found out it was me."

"Hmm," Max hummed and smiled, her head lulled to the side as she watched Chloe. "Sounds fun."

Chloe watched Max for a few seconds before snapping her fingers in front of her face - watching as she reacted a second or two late. "Oh dude, you're totally fucking high. Holy shit, I didn't even notice."

"M'not high," Max slurred and shook her head. "M'tired."

"Tired. Sure, let's go with that-"

"Chloe, baby?"

Max fucking sobered up in nanoseconds as she heard the familiar purr of the voice - it was Rachel, here at last. She literally felt as her brain was sent into a panic, despite the cloud that hazed over it, and she was quick to shoot forward and shift a few inches away from Chloe; the two of them were rather close the entire time.

"Oh, R-Rach. You're here," Chloe said and coughed, rubbing the back of her head as she leaned forward herself. "What were you doing all that time?"

"Stuff, y'know. I'll tell you… later."

It didn't take Max long to figure out she was being glared at by Rachel - she could almost feel her eyes burning into her. She simply shifted and leaned forward to grab her completely untouched beer - taking the first sip from it to seem… normal.

"Is this your friend?" Rachel purred as she swung her leg over Chloe's lap - dropping down onto it. She gave Max a once over and giggled. "She looks hot."

Chloe gaped her mouth slightly, unsure how to reply to that.

"I sure hope you didn't fuck her behind my back, did you?" she hissed, low and dangerous as she glared at Chloe - one hand snaking up to wrap behind her neck.

Chloe gaped her mouth more before quickly shaking her head. "No, of course not - why… why would you even say that, you're my girlfriend babe-"

"-mm, good - your girlfriend needs your attention, right meow," Rachel purred into her girlfriend's ear, totally ignoring the small jerk her words got from Max beside them. "Y'know I'm needy…"

Max shifted uncomfortably. Did that mean what she thought it meant?

Cheeks turning a rosy red, Chloe herself was caught off guard by the request - especially with her friend right beside them, yet… it wouldn't be the first time, nor the last probably, that they did something like this. She gulped and nodded. "A-alright."

Rachel giggled again and gave Max a sideways glare, smirking as she was quick to grab Chloe's hand. "Fuck me," she said loudly, enough to tell Max exactly what was about to happen.

Chloe nodded and leaned up to kiss Rachel's throat softly-

"I g-gotta go," Max squeaked out and shot up as she saw the first kisses being applied. "Uhm. It's l-late and I have stuff to do tomorrow," she blurted out hurriedly.

"W-woah, Max - hey!"

"Fuck me," Rachel growled and pushed Chloe right back down into her seat - glaring at her. "Or are you going to go after your new girlfriend?" she hissed, narrowing her eyes.

Chloe was rigid as she saw Max stumbling forward and through the small group still dancing nearby. "I, uh…" she faded away, flapping her mouth about as she didn't know what to do.

"Chloe. Fuck. Me." Rachel glared at her and dug her fingers into her girlfriend's chest, rolling her hips over her lap. "I'm your girlfriend - not her."

That settled that.

What seemed like an eternity later, Max finally got back to the dorms. She stumbled around in the dark, looking for her key as she sniffled - quickly reaching up to wipe her eyes. She didn't know why, but… seeing that, hearing the way Rachel talked and just…

It made her fucking sad, and mad and so many more things she just couldn't comprehend right now.

She walked past Dana's dorm and gave it a sideways glance. It was like… ass o'clock in the morning anyway, so everyone was asleep. She sniffled again and focused ahead.

Only moments later did she manage to somehow unlock her room, close the door and promptly collapse in the bed.

She cried for a few more minutes, her mind still abuzz with everything and the weed certainly didn't help, yet it still had a nice… relaxing effect on her.

Though eventually, she fell asleep - absolutely exhausted.