Dicsclaimer: The Life is Strange franchise and its affiliated characters belong to Square Enix. All original characters and their identities are used with the express permission of their real-life counterparts.

I am so grateful for everyone who has let me know what they think about the story so far, or who has followed or favorited the story. It's very encouraging. Today we are wrapping up the subsections regarding Kate and Alyssa. Next chapter will have more than a huge focus on Max and Chloe. I hope you enjoy! :)

Chapter 7: I'll Always Have Your Back

Max awoke to the sensation of someone holding her hand. Without opening her eyes, she tried to guess who it was. When she remembered what she had done to deserve being in a reverse-bodyguard position, she smiled as she knew who was holding her hand.

"Good morning Chloe," she said softly.

She opened her eyes to her blue-haired best friend smiling down at her, her face soft and full of affection. Max started to realize that it was a look that was only for her; it was a face that she had not shown to anyone else, even when she was injured. Max reveled in the warm feeling it gave her to know that this was a look that only she would ever see.

Chloe gently moved her hand to Max's cheek. Max's eyes widened, but she smiled and relaxed.

"So Super Max, are you ready for me to carry you out of here today?" Chloe grinned.

Max sighed theatrically, "I was hoping you forget about that and let me walk out of here with my dignity intact."

"You lost that privilege when you landed in here in the first place, Max. Besides, it's nice to have another chance to embarrass you."

Max groaned, but inwardly didn't mind. Her grousing was more for form's sake than anything else.

"By the way, both Kate and Principal Wells came by earlier. Kate said that she hoped to see you at her dorm later if you felt alright. I think she mentioned that you two had a tea date to make up for. Principal Wells said that he hoped to see you and Alyssa at his office this afternoon as long as you are feeling up for it. He wants you to get better before rushing over to see him."

Max sat up and did a few small stretches to fully wake up, and then asked Chloe to have Nurse Laura come and check to see if she was clear to leave.

Within a minute, Nurse Laura looked Max over and said that she saw no reason why Max couldn't leave this morning, but strongly cautioned against doing anything strenuous, including swinging ladders to save people. Max noticed how Nurse Laura and Chloe exchanged a smile at this, and Max rolled her eyes, realizing that Chloe was never going to let this go. Chloe did carry her out of the infirmary, but let her down when they reached the Principal's office. She told Max that she wanted her to rest today, and they would hang out the following day.

Principal Wells was not an intimidating man. He was a stern man to be sure, but he was not intimidating unless you got on his bad side. However, he met Max with a fair gaze and asked her to explain the situation to him. After Max had explained what she knew and Alyssa filled in the details, Principal Wells asked the gentlemen to explain themselves, and they tried to weave a convincing lie, but each of them kept correcting the other. Of course, Principal Wells saw right through this. He told Max that he would send her off with a warning not to use excessive force on students unless the situation demanded it (of course, everyone knew that the situation had caused for some form of action), and that all the parties involved had been excused from class for that day, including Kate and Alyssa. He also asked David to escort the two women back to their dorm.

Upon arriving back at the dorm and David wishing the two girls a pleasant rest of their day, Alyssa picked up Max in an absolutely huge, but very gentle hug.

"Max, I still can't believe you stopped them. That was amazing, reckless, and required some guts too. It was also pretty funny watching those jocks just stop in their tracks" she beamed.

"No problem Alyssa; you were in danger and I tried to do what I could to help. I kind of acted on instinct, but I'm glad it worked out for the best," Max replied. Then her face clouded over in confusion, "But what were those jocks taunting you about in the first place? All you were doing was walking by the field; you weren't provoking anyone."

Alyssa's entire face darkened, "My weight. Those jerks were taunting me about my weight. When I started running from them, one of them said, "Heh, maybe us chasing you will get you to lose a couple of pounds.""

"That's terrible!" Max gasped.

"I've gotten used to being made fun of Max," Alyssa replied sorrowfully. "It's bothersome, but I've learned to roll with the punches. It's the first time I've ever been chased for it though."

With that, Alyssa went to go in her room.

"Hold on Alyssa!" Max called.

"What?"

"I just wanted to tell you that I think you are amazing just as you are. I'm happy to be your friend, and whenever we talk you always get me to laugh, no matter how bad my day might be. Your body doesn't change who you are," Max said gently.

"I appreciate you trying to cheer me up Max," Alyssa replied with a bittersweet smile, "I just wished more people were as accepting as you are."

With that, she closed the door to her room, and Max was left standing in the hall. She was just about to head back to Kate's room when she remembered something, and headed back out of the dormitory.

Ten minutes later, she had picked up a book that had been dropped near the field and brought it back to her room. She grabbed a post-it note and wrote a short message to her friend:

"Dear Alyssa,

I wanted you to know that I consider you to be one of the few friends that I have at Blackwell. You rock at video games, you are a genius when it comes to literature, and you always know how to brighten the days of others. However, what I like the most about you is that you aren't afraid to be yourself and it inspires me to be proud of whom I am each day. Thank you for just being you.

Love, your friend, Max.

P.S. If you ever want to talk or chill, you know where my room is! :)"

After she had affixed the note to Alyssa's book, she grabbed another post-it and took it with her to Kate's room.

"Which is what brings me here," Max explained to Kate, now that she was up to speed. "I thought it would be a good idea if you wrote something encouraging to Alyssa as well. Perhaps between the two of us we can cheer her up."

Kate agreed with the idea wholeheartedly, and added her own message to Alyssa, which read:

"To my lovely friend Alyssa,

It's nice to have someone at Blackwell who really cares. I will always admire you for how you stood up to the bullies who considered it fun to pick on me, for being accepting of someone regardless of what they believe in, and for coming up with creative ways to sleep even if the Vortex Party was right above me. Thank you for being a friend of the friendless. I consider you to be a blessing in my life.

With love, Kate."

Both of their notes affixed, Max and Kate decided to leave the book at Alyssa's door. She would find it the next time she left her room.

"I'm really grateful for what you did for me, Max," Kate spoke once she and Max had sat down for tea in her room that evening. Kate had convinced Max to spend the remainder of the day relaxing and studying.

Max smiled at her friend, "I was more than happy to do it Kate. When I saw you in class yesterday, looking as downcast as you were, that was the final straw for me. I knew I had to do something to see that beautiful Kate Marsh smile again."

Kate smiled gently, a gift far greater than any words. "At least now I know that I have something to look forward to whenever I come back to my room and I know that nobody will go after it."

Max shared a cheeky grin with Kate. Putting a white board above the door meant that anyone who wanted to deface it would have to get permission to utilize a ladder and then bring it into the girls' dorm and set it up in front of Kate's room. Not only would that require a lot of effort and a believable explanation for use of the ladder (which Max had procured before using it), but people would likely notice as well, and whoever was doing this to Kate would likely not want to draw attention to him or herself.

"Kate, I just want you to know that I think you are one of the coolest girls here at Blackwell. I like how you have such strong commitments to your beliefs, and yet still have such an open-mind. You have a good thing to say about almost everyone, and your smiles are always genuine. I'm really happy that I have a friend like you here."

Kate looked dumbfounded, but then shot a beaming smile at Max in gratitude, "Thanks Max. It really means a lot to hear you say that." Her expression turned downcast, "I was really thinking of transferring out of Blackwell before yesterday. It was getting too much to bear to have to see the defamation every morning and to be harassed in class all the time. At least now I know that my room will remain a refuge."

Inwardly, Max was very proud of what she had done that Kate didn't know about. She had taken the pellets and post-its and told the teacher what was going on. She told her about what Victoria had done, and the teacher promised to keep a close eye on Victoria during class. If anything else happened, Victoria was going to be in serious trouble. The best part is that Victoria would be caught in the act, not tattled on.

"Kate, I was wondering if I could have your opinion on something," Max asked, sipping her tea (chamomile cinnamon) to soothe her nerves.

"You can ask me anything, Max," Kate said with a smile.

"What do you think of same-sex relationships?" Max asked nervously.

Kate took a sip of her tea as well (peppermint, to help alleviate depression or elevate mood) before replying, "I personally think that since God told us to love each other, any sort of romantic relationship between people is fine as long as it is entered into voluntarily. People cannot control who they are attracted to, so I think that if they find someone who makes them happy, then they should see if the other person feels the same way."

Max's relief was palpable, "I think that's a very mature way of looking at it Kate. A lot of people are divided on that issue nowadays."

Kate sighed, "It's sad really. People who make a religious argument against it are misinterpreting the Bible and not understanding the context that it is in. Plus, it's no one's business but the couple who is involved."

Max took a deep breath before speaking, "I think I may be in love with someone."

Kate's eyes sparkled. She loved to be let in on secrets. "Is that right? Who is the lucky person?"

Max allowed herself a smile, "My best friend Chloe."

Kate let out a rare, mischievous smile, "I thought so."

Good thing Max hadn't been drinking at that moment, or she would have ended up spitting it out in surprise, "Wait, what? Is it that obvious?"

Kate took hold of Max's hand, "When I saw you in the hospital, I could see how devoted Chloe was to you. She always held your hand and she had this look in her eye. It was this gentle look, as if she was looking after someone very special to her. I could tell you meant a lot to Chloe.

"I saw you return that devotion to her when I saw the two of you the other day. You were both on one heck of a mission. You always kept close to her, and I could tell that she was just as important to you as you are to her."

Max's jaw dropped. She didn't think that Kate would have picked up on that kind of thing, but then again, Kate was much more attuned to others emotionally than she was.

Regaining her composure, Max said, "I…I've been thinking about it a lot since yesterday. I kissed Chloe on the cheek when I was in the hospital. It was more of a spur-of-the-moment thing, but it still felt right. Also, I think Chloe kissed my hair when she dropped me off the other day. Whenever I thought about that, it made me really happy and gave me a warm feeling. I started to realize that she is the most important person in my life. I've never been closer to anyone than to her. Even though I was gone for years, all my friendships paled in comparison to the one she and I have. She's also really attractive too, so that's bonus points."

Kate laughed, "I'm sure you two would make an excellent couple Max. You back each other up really well, and you have a history together, which usually makes relationships a lot stronger. Go for it, and tell me all about it afterwards," she ended with a wink. "I will be here for you no matter what happens."

For the rest of the evening, Kate and Max joked, hugged, and just enjoyed themselves, even jamming out together with Kate on her violin and Max on her guitar. They played "A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri and "The One Who Knows" by Dar Williams, as well as some of Kate's favorite hymns, which Max enjoyed the melodies to. When the time came for the two to part, Kate pulled Max into a huge hug.

"Max…before you did this for me, I was really depressed. My anxiety got the better of me every morning and even getting through the day was a struggle. Now I think that I can look to each day with a smile. Thank you for being there for me."

"You're welcome, Kate. I'm always here for you. You can talk to me about anything, whenever you need to. My door is always open for you," Max said gently. "If you ever need anything, you just let me know, okay?"

Kate had a cheeky grin on her face, "In that case, do you happen to have any heating pads? I'm having really bad cramps right now."

The two shared a look that only girls would recognize.

Max laughed, "Yeah, I have some in my room. You just wait here, and I'll get you one."

It was a much more comfortable Kate and a much calmer Max who went to sleep that evening, each of them looking to the following day with more hope in their hearts.