You'll always have my heart
Whether in this world or the next
You are the missing part
And darling please don't fret
Cuz if I love you now then my love will be stronger yet
And time will move so fast like our lives
Just close your eyes and I'll be right back
I'll be right back
The sound of the door opening pulled Chloe from her thoughts, she'd been matching comic book heroes up against each other in her head attempting to figure out which one would win in a Hungry Games type battle, so far Black Canary was kicking epic ass. A middle aged guy walked in. He had brown hair that he brushed forward desperately trying to hide his receding hairline. His eyes were a dull brown, his nose a couple sizes too big for his thin lips underneath, he reminded Chloe of a reptile. Crossing over to the empty chair in front of Chloe he held out his hand before sitting down. "Hello, Ms. Price, I'm Detective Bukowski."
Looking at his hand like it was the last thing she wanted to touch, Chloe kept her hands on the table, palms down. Her eyes trailed back to stare at the mirror next to her, hoping she was staring down any assholes who were watching this bullshit, Prescott produced show.
Clearing his throat uncomfortably, Det. Bukowski set a folder down on the table and took the seat across from the sullen teenager. "I know you already talked to the police about what happened with Mr. Prescott in that bathroom but there are a few things we need to clear up. We just want to get your side of the story, I'm sure we can clear this all up so you can go home."
Chloe rolled her eyes, seriously, he thought she would be that stupid to be all, 'Gee, that's swell, let me tell you everything'? To say she was insulted was putting it mildly. She looked him right in the eyes, her blue ones full of mistrust and thinly concealed anger. She gave him her biggest and brightest smile, "I want to talk to my attorney."
"Technically, we haven't charged you with anything yet..." Det. Bukowski already knew this was a lost cause but The Chief and the Prescott attorneys were on the other side of the glass watching, he couldn't give up so easily. Surely, he could crack this punk.
Chloe felt her blood boiling, almost enough to open her mouth again but bit the inside of her cheek instead until she tasted copper. Had they not come into her home, handcuffed her and told her that she was under arrest? Had they not walked her out of her house in handcuffs, in front of all the neighbors, then forced her to take the worst walk of shame ever, through dozens of reporters, to the police station then kept her locked up in this room for over an hour like a caged animal, the entire time making her believe she was under arrest?
"I want to speak to my lawyer." She spit out with all the venom she felt. It was enough to make Det. Bukowski lean back away from her.
"Listen, we're only trying to clear things up here, that's all, we're just having an informal chat, off the record, about what happened, and then you can go." The detective knew he'd moved from a gray area to full on unethical (and probably illegal) questioning but he was hoping she didn't know that. He couldn't let this aggravating, blue haired, punk make him look bad in front of everyone.
"I would like to converse with my legal representation." Chloe replied, making her face as impassive and bored as possible. One of her special talents, of many, was knowing when she was getting to someone and she could already tell she was getting to the detective. He kept sending anxious glances at the one way mirror, so Chloe knew they had an audience, not that she expected any different.
"Kid, I'm trying to help you here but you're not making it easy for me. We haven't formally charged you with anything yet because I believe this has been a huge misunderstanding. If you tell me what happened, I can help you, then you can leave and this will be cleared up." He held his hands palms up, open, trying to show he was being honest and sincere, opening his eyes wider to convey he was only telling the truth. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't dealing with some dumb scared kid, Chloe had been using that trick since she was 12 to proclaim her innocence when she got caught doing something.
"Je veux parler à mon avocat." Chloe replied, smirking at the detective who seemed at a complete loss as to how to get her to say anything else.
"What? What did you just say?" Det. Bukowski felt the interview, or rather lack thereof, slipping away from him, this fucking little punk was making him look like an asshole. He wasn't paid enough to deal with this shit. He pinched the bridge of his nose, taking a deep breath, he felt a migraine coming on.
Chloe's smirk grew wider, she was starting to enjoy herself maybe a bit too much. "Je dis que je veux parler à mon avocat en français."
There was a knock on the door, a younger woman walked in holding yet another folder. She looked at least ten years younger than Det. Bukowski. She was wearing a white polo with the Arcadia Bay Police Department seal on the top right side, with khaki pants. Her blond hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail that showed off her bright hazel eyes. She reminded Chloe of a blond Sporty Spice. "Sorry, to interrupt but the Chief needs to talk to you, Detective."
He knew he was in the shit, they were pulling him out but he couldn't help but be grateful to get away from the smug kid in front of him. Kids these day didn't have the right amount of fear and respect for law enforcement. They were too use to mommy and daddy bailing their spoiled ass out of anything they go into it. Casting one more frustrated glare in Chloe's direction, he picked up his files and walked out the door, hoping he wasn't being told to clean out his desk.
Chloe silently laughed, that had been all too easy. She curiously eyed Bukowski's replacement wondering what her angle was going to be. Good cop, bad cop, slutty cop, friendly confidant, tough but lovable advisor, wise beyond her years, relatable past? She really hoped it would be slutty cop, that was her favorite.
"While we wait do you want something to drink? It's pretty warm in here, right?"
Ok, so far good cop with a dash of friendly confidant. Chloe shook her head then stared down at her hands, tapping on a rhythm on the metal table with her thumbs.
"You sure you don't want some water at least? These rooms always make my throat so dry, lack of air circulation or something."
Chloe quirked one eyebrow, but didn't look up as she smirked down at the table, her thumbs keeping up the little beat she had going on. She wouldn't have been shocked if the woman undid her top button and started fanning herself, she was laying it on pretty thick. Instead she stood there awkwardly.
"You know what? I'm going to grab you a bottle of water, in case you change your mind and want one later." And with that she walked out of the room, leaving Chloe alone again, with the exception of the pricks watching her through the one way mirror.
While many people viewed Chloe as just a dropout stoner with no future, the truth was Chloe was hella intelligent, a lot more intelligent than most people ever gave her credit for. The main problem Chloe had was that she didn't care to apply herself most the time. Since her life had gone to shit the most repeated phrase Chloe had heard from teachers, counselors, even her own Mom was that she failed to live up to her potential but in her view, wasn't it her choice to decide how much potential she had? Even though school bored her to tears, she loved to learn, only she wanted to learn things that interested her. Something would pop into her head or catch her attention and she had to learn everything she could about it. Right after Rachel had gone missing, Chloe had been obsessed with learning everything she could about interrogation techniques and body language so she could question people, find out if they were lying to her about Rachel's whereabouts.
Sadly, she wasn't able to put her new knowledge into much practice as no one she talked to knew where Rachel had gone off to. No one even gave her a hint that they were lying, so while the skill hadn't helped her, yet, with finding Rachel, it had come in handy for the basic knowledge of reading people. And now, for situations like this. She knew what they were doing, the little psychological games they would play. Make her feel isolated, that they were the only ones who could help her, apply a bit of pressure, a too hot room, unending boredom, try to gain her trust with little things, build up rapport. And it was easy to see how it worked a lot of the time but Chloe knew the game.
Chloe kept tapping away at the table, not sure how much time had passed, not more than half an hour since the woman had left to get her some water she didn't ask for. She knew Max had called Sebastian so it was only a matter of time before he was there. He'd gone back to Portland a few days ago, so it would take a few hours for him to get there which couldn't be longer than an hour at this point assuming he left as soon as Max called. Fuck, she really hoped Max didn't try to come to the station, not with the Media Circus out there, it would definitely give the younger girl a panic attack, it almost gave her one.
And just like that, all roads lead back to thinking about her geeky, slightly socially awkward, wayward best friend. The thought of Max getting questions thrown at her like Chloe had by all those reporters brought out the overprotective side of her. She would shove a microphone down anyone's throat that harassed Max. She glanced down at her hands, they were balled up into fists. She relaxed her hands and rolled her shoulders, taking a deep breath then releasing it as she resumed her tapping on the table, putting on the mask of disaffected youth for the audience behind the glass.
After what felt like an eternity, the woman came back in and placed a bottle of water on the table in front of Chloe. Condensation rolled down the sides in small beads. She was thirsty but she refused to give them any satisfaction of doing something they wanted.
The woman sat in the chair across from Chloe, she took a long, exaggerated drink from the water bottle she was holding. "Detective Bukowski had something else to take care of. I'm Karen, by the way."
Chloe barely glanced up at her as she pointedly ignored her own water. She was singing Sparklehorse in her head, anything to pass the time but talk to these assholes without Sebastian there. If they were going to arrest her, like really arrest her and not just parade her in front of the press like a prized pony, than she wished they get on with it and put her in a cell or something already. At least that should allow for some interesting people watching.
"I understand you're upset, you were brought here in handcuffs then had to deal with all the press out there, I get it, you're pissed off. I would be too. Why don't we just chat and let me see what I can do to get you out of here, alright?"
"I want to speak to my attorney." Chloe said, again, giving Karen a sweet smile. Why the fuck could they not get it through their heads, she wasn't going to say anything else, they could bring her water, they could bring her a blunt with a bottle of Jack to wash it down, she still wasn't going to say anything. I hope Max moved my weed so step-ass doesn't find it.
"Perhaps than we should bring Max down here, see what she has to say about you both attempting to blackmail Nathan?"
At the mention of Max, Chloe's head jerked up so fast she wouldn't have been surprised if she gave herself whiplash. Her blue eyes blazed with fury, never before had she wished more for laser eyes. On reflex she almost shouted at Karen to leave Max out of this but stopped herself at the last possible second. Shaking her head, she chuckled humorlessly. She had completely handed them her kryptonite on a silver platter with a bow on top. Well played, she hadn't seen that one coming. So bad cop it is.
Chloe leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest, sticking her chin out as she glared daggers at the woman in front of her. Her guard was fully up, they wouldn't get a second chance to get a reaction out of her again.
Karen smiled with this new knowledge, "Of course, we can avoid all that, avoid dragging Max past all those reporters, all that scrutiny, because let's be real, the poor girl has already been through enough with being shot, right? Why put her through all of that if she truly had nothing to do with this? Chloe, tell me what was going on between you and Nathan so we don't have to bring Max in as well. Because unless you start talking to us, that's exactly what we're going to be forced to do."
Don't react, don't say a word, they're bluffing, you know they're bluffing, they have nothing on Max, if they did they would have brought her in as well, all the better for the media show they were putting on. Don't say a fucking word, Price, don't blink, they are pressing your buttons, trying to piss you off so you say something. Do. Not. Open. Your. Mouth. Max is going to be fine, they can't do anything to Max. Chloe gritted her teeth, her jaw clenched to the point of hurting but she wouldn't give them one iota of a reaction.
Karen glanced at the watch on her wrist, Chloe noticed her fingernails were short but well-manicured, she wasn't in a uniform, more than likely another detective. She tried to get a look at the time but the glare from the light over head on the watch face made it impossible. "Let's try something a little easier, why were you blackmailing Nathan Prescott? If you can tell me that we might be able to avoid involving Max in this, you don't want her to be involved in something you did on your own, right? That wouldn't be fair to her, especially after everything you've caused her."
Everything I've caused!….Goddammit, Chloe Elizabeth, do not say a fucking word, do not respond. They are playing on your insecurities, your guilt, she's only taking shots in the dark, do not let her know she's hitting bull's-eyes. Please, get here Sebastian, this is such bullshit. Chloe stared at a spot on the wall just past Karen's left shoulder, doing her best to tune everything she said out. Her fingernails were digging into her palms leaving little crescent moon marks. She cracked her neck and rolled her shoulders, again, shaking some of the tension out of them. That was the only movement she made as she resolutely kept her mouth shut, not even trusting it to ask for her attorney one more time.
Like a lion stalking an injured gazelle, Karen was stalking her prey, finding her weakness to take her down for the kill. She would concede, Chloe was good, but she couldn't quite hide the way she would flinch, involuntarily, whenever Max was brought up. All she had to do was apply more pressure, it was clear the girl had a temper, keep pressing down on the pressure points and she'd start talking, they always did. "Ok, if you're not going to talk to me, then I'm going to have to send some officers to pick up Max and bring her here to talk to us. Are you really so selfish as to let Max go through all of that? The humiliation of being forced to walked through all those reporters? Dealing with all those questions being thrown at her. You thought they had questions for you? You should hear some of the speculation going on about Max's role in all of this."
"I. Want. To. Speak. To. My. Attorney." Chloe bit out each word through clenched teeth, tight lips, struggling to not say anything else. Everything Karen said felt like a knife to her heart, even though she knew, logically it was all bullshit. Chloe was not known for being rational where Max was concerned. The thought of Max ever being subjected to anything like this had Chloe going out of her mind, but the logical small voice in her head kept telling her, they couldn't do anything to Max because there was nothing there for them use against her. The only thing they had against Max was Chloe herself, the fact that they were friends before any of this happened. All she had to do was keep it together for a little longer. It was a high stakes game of chicken to see who would flinch first. There were beads of sweat starting to form on the back of Chloe's neck but she refused to acknowledge them anymore than she was acknowledging the crap Karen was spewing at her.
Karen gave Chloe a sympathetic smile, she knew the girl was on the edge of losing it, she was barely controlling herself as it was, just a little more pushing. "Chloe, it's obvious you care about your friend, why would you want to subject Max to any unnecessary questioning?"
"The only unnecessary questioning going on right now is yours with my client." Sebastian said as he walked into the small room. He set his briefcase down on the table and put a reassuring hand on Chloe's shoulder. "And I'm pretty certain, not in the most legal way as well."
Chloe could have cried tears of relief at the sight of Sebastian. As usual, he looked every inch the professional, his suit was unwrinkled, his tie was straight, he didn't look like he'd just spent hours in a car driving. Taking a shaky breath, she allowed herself to relax to the point where she didn't think she was going to break any of her teeth from how hard she was clenching her jaw.
When he had seen Chloe through the window of the interrogation room door, he had felt his blood pressure raise, it was clear they had been putting the girl through an emotional beating. He could see she was shaking with the effort of not responding to whatever they had been saying to her. While they had been checking his credentials, trying to delay him from interrupting the "interview" he had clearly heard Chloe ask for her attorney, well more like growled the words but it was clear that was not the first time she had asked.
"I'm well within the law to ask her questions, we haven't charged her with anything yet. This is merely an interview to see if there is a reason for charges to be filed." Karen replied, eyeing Chloe's attorney up and down. She was shocked to notice right away that this wasn't some public defender or even one of those cheap, just a step above a public defender type of attorneys. The way he casually wore his expensive suit, like it was a second skin and carried himself, she guessed he was Ivy League educated, how the hell had Price been able to afford this guy?
"I'm sorry, but I don't recognize you as one of the Arcadia Bay Detectives, who are you?" Sebastian asked. He'd made it a point to know all the detectives in the ABPD, along with a dossier on each of them to see which ones were on the Prescott payroll and which ones might be clean enough to ensure the evidence in the case against Nathan didn't mysteriously disappear or get tampered with. This woman didn't look like some small town police detective, despite the ABPD polo shirt she was wearing, she was way too polished, her normally high maintenance look purposefully toned down to blend in better but he could spot a $500 haircut from a mile away along with the expensive Jimmy Choo shoes she was wearing.
"I'm Karen Galveston, I'm a special projects consultant for the department. And you are?" Karen held out her hand. Sebastian took it, noticing the way she slightly turned her palm so her hand would be on top, a classic power move.
"Sebastian Sendal, I represent Chloe Price. Since you don't have the authority to arrest my client, being only a special projects consultant, I'm going to have to insist you let her leave or let me talk to an actual detective. Though at this point, it might be best if I talk to Chief Foley, directly, to go over the numerous civil rights violations that have happened today to my client with the use of his police department." Sebastian looked directly at the one way mirror for the last part of his statement, knowing full well the Chief would be in there watching.
Chloe watched the exchange with fascination. She'd never heard of the police using consultants to question suspects before. If Sebastian was surprised at finding a consultant and not an actual police detective questioning her, he didn't show it. He was in full professional mode now, his facial expression was pleasant but that was it, there was nothing more to read into.
"Mr. Sendal, as I'm sure you know there isn't any laws that prohibit me from talking to your client as she had not had any formal charges brought against her, yet." Karen knew she was in a precarious position right now, if he had been some low paid, overworked public defender or low level attorney, it would have been easy enough to talk circles around him, as they tended to not want to create any extra work for themselves, but she knew, Sebastian Sendal was a completely different beast. She'd heard of him and his firm's reputation, they were one of the best on the west coast, second only to her employers. What was he doing representing a high school dropout?
"Right, that's debatable but let's set that aside right now and concentrate on the manner in which she was brought in for questioning. I do believe she was told that there was a warrant for her when they entered her home and yet when I asked there was no warrant."
"They were willing let in by Maxine Caulfield." Karen interjected, feeling her stomach starting to drop.
Sebastian gave her a condescending smile, like a grown up would give a child for interrupting as he continued, ticking each point off on his fingers for emphasis. "She was handcuffed, as witnessed by Max Caulfield, told she was under arrest and then led out of the house in handcuffs. The she was brought here, still under the assumption she was under arrest because that was what she had been told, with a warrant and everything."
Chloe couldn't help the smirk that crossed her face, finally, after making her sweat for hours, Sebastian was returning the favor. She wished she had some popcorn for the show.
"I can't speak to what was said or done at the Price house." Karen replied, barely keeping the defensiveness out of her voice. She shifted in her chair, unnerved at the friendly, calculated tone the attorney used but yet was still able to easily convey his disdain.
"And yet you already have in regards to how they gained entry, interesting." Sebastian said, a hint of fake curiosity in his voice. "Continuing, someone in this department obviously leaked to the press what was happening because they were all here waiting to witness Chloe being lead out of the police SUV, in handcuffs, which correct me if I'm wrong but don't you have a back door where you normally bring in people you pick up in police vehicles? I also find that very interesting, seeing as she hadn't been charged with any crime yet. Then, after repeated request for her attorney to be present, she is continued to be questioned but conveniently the cameras in here are turned off. Oh and not even by anyone with any real authority here, that's a nice touch." The first thing Sebastian had asked for after asking about Chloe's whereabouts was for all copies of any and all questioning they'd tried to engage in with his client. He was hardly surprised to find that they claimed that there wasn't any, as they were only informally talking to Chloe. "Now, Ms. Galveston, I can think of at least 6 different civil right violations against my client just off the top of my head, so either arrest her or she is walking out that door with me right now."
Chloe wanted to jump up and cheer but she contained herself with only smirking at the one way mirror instead. Part of her was still unwilling to believe that they were going to just let her walk out of there, not after everything they had put her through, all this effort.
"Now, Mr. Sendal, I'm sure you understand that you can't leave with your client, there are still a lot of unanswered questions and we do have evidence of Chloe trying to blackmail Nathan Prescott…" Karen was struggling to salvage the complete mess the entire situation had quickly deteriorated into for her and the department.
"Ms. Galveston, if you had enough of anything to charge my client, you wouldn't have had to resort to such underhanded tactics to try and scare her into saying something incriminating, please, don't try to insult mine nor my client's intelligence. I suggest that we stop wasting everyone's time and I'll be leaving with Ms. Price now. If there comes a time when you have actual, solid evidence beyond a few questionable text messages, I welcome you to get in touch with my office at which time I will bring Chloe in to answer any questions she can but until such a time exists, no one will be contacting either of my clients directly or harassing my clients, as I also represent Maxine Caulfield."
"We can still hold her, she has 7 unpaid parking tickets…"
Sebastian laughed, unable to hide his utter disgust and disregard for the Arcadia Bay Police or the Prescott's attorney's whom he was well aware were the ones who were paying for this 'special projects consultant'. "Come on, Chloe, let's go, we'll stop by the front desk and take care of those parking tickets on our way out when we collect your things. Have a good night, Ms. Galveston."
Unable to do anything without causing a bigger PR and legal nightmare, Karen had no choice but to watch Sebastian and Chloe leave the interview room. It pained her, she prided herself at being one of the best in her field but within minutes, that unbearably, pompous, arrogant ass, Sebastian Sendal had made her feel like a complete amateur.
At the door Chloe stopped and turned around, the fakest smile on her face as she leaned over to grab the untouched bottle of water left for her. She took a big gulp, finishing half the bottle.
"Thanks for the water." she said, following her attorney out the door, a bounce in her step.
Kate Marsh brushed the soft fur of her bunny. Things had been strangely quiet around campus since the incident in the bathroom with Max and Nathan. She had been praying for Max everyday along with praying that God would forgive her for the horrible relief Kate had felt when it had stopped people from talking about her and that horrible video. After a few days Kate still felt incredibly guilty. She had come to the realized that sometimes prayer wasn't enough, sometimes God needed you to do something, so that's what Kate was doing.
Kate had spent an hour thanking God when Max woke up. Being able to visit Max in the hospital and to see that her friend really was alive and going to make it filled Kate with such gratitude for her Lord. Still, she had that guilt in her that wouldn't go away, the guilt that in a moment of weakness she had been thankful something bigger than her shameful video had happened, that Max, her friend Max, had been shot. That had sent her on a spiral of worry and guilt that it was partly her fault for praying so hard that people would stop harassing her about the video.
Her Bible hadn't provided her any guidance on what to do if you thought your prayers might have been answered in the form of your friend being shot by someone that you knew was a less than good person. It was then when Kate decided she needed to take a more active role in helping to ease the burden of guilt and shame in her heart. To make herself worthy again of God's grace and Max's friendship.
It started with small things, donating the clothes she wasn't wearing to charity and then getting the other girls in her dorm to do the same. Volunteering at the retirement home to read to the residents there, they truly appreciated that as many of them didn't get any visitors. Even those activities, while good, they didn't feel like Kate was really making progress in getting over her guilt and shame, in purifying her soul.
It wasn't until she had gone to visit Max and they talked that an idea had started burning in the back of her mind. Max had made a couple delicate comments along the lines of maybe Nathan had slipped something in her drink that night at the party, that none of what happened was Kate's fault. Kate had suspected something along those lines but had pushed the thoughts away as unkind towards her fellow classmate. That was until he shot Max. Then her thoughts took a much different path, a bit more Old Testament. If Nathan had drugged her that night, which she was positive he had, if she would have spoken up maybe he wouldn't have been in the bathroom that day, or even in school, and Max would have never been hurt.
After her visit with Max, on her way back to Blackwell, Kate knew what she had to do, she had to prove that Nathan had drugged her. She needed to bring his sins out into the light of day for all to see.
Things had been going surprisingly well for her in that regard in the last few days.
"Holy shit, Sebastian, you were hella bad ass in there!" Chloe exclaimed, bouncing excitedly on the leather seat of Sebastian's car. "I mean, I already knew you were badass but to see you in action, dude, it was a thing of beauty."
They had just left the police department after collecting Chloe's personal things, her cellphone, some change, her keys, then paying her parking tickets. They had walked out the front door to ensure the reporters still hanging around caught Chloe walking out of the police station without handcuffs, her head held high. She still ignored the questions though she really wanted to be able to say no comment, but Sebastian had warned her already to not say a word. Due to all the media surrounding Chloe being marched into the station earlier, Sebastian was calling for a press conference the next day to clear up some of the more colorful stories and rumors making the rounds.
It was an action he had been hoping to avoid until at least the trial for Nathan started but the Prescott's had shown they were willing to do whatever it took to throw as much mud in the girls direction and off of Nathan that it was unavoidable at this point.
"Hey, you did good yourself, I'm proud of you for not saying anything or losing your cool. I know how much pressure they can put on you, so great job, kiddo." Chloe turned a light red under the praise but beamed all the same.
"Thanks, I almost lost it when that bitch kept dragging Max into it, threatening to put her through the same shit they were doing to me." Just thinking about it made Chloe's blood boil, that they would use Max as a weapon against her.
"I wish I could tell you that it won't happen again, that Prescott's lawyers, the police, reporters and tabloids, hell even strangers on the street, won't try to use Max against you, Chloe, but the sad truth is, they will, repeatedly. This is a high profile case, which means there is going to be a lot of interest in everything you and Max do, in everything you say or don't say. This is only the beginning, kid, you need to be strong because we haven't even made it through Nathan's preliminary hearing yet. I won't lie to you, there are going to be days when you want to scream at everyone but you can't. People you thought were your friends are going to sell you out to the tabloids, or Prescott's legal team, or hell, both. Complete strangers are going to think they know you, that they have the right to ask you the most invasive, inappropriate questions you've ever heard, don't ever give them the satisfaction of getting a negative reaction out of you because once they know they can, they'll push for that every time. It makes for a better story, don't give them that story, Chloe. I know you're better than that." Sebastian worried how the girls would hold up under the microscope they were now going to find themselves in.
His words quickly dampened Chloe enthusiasm as she stared out the window, taking them in, trying to imagine how life was yet again dramatically changing for her.
More than likely, Sebastian knew, Max was going to get off a lot easier than Chloe would. Max had that Taylor Swift, awkward, shy, every girl look about her, the type that most the American public would eat up, would want to protect because she could be their daughter, granddaughter, niece or best friend. Her background was so clean Sebastian's team hadn't even been able to find so much as a detention on her record.
Now, Chloe on the other hand was in for a lot harsher treatment with her punk aesthetic and attitude, not to mention she had a much more interesting past, with dropping out of school, various minor run ins with the police, known substance abuse and countless disciplinary issues when she was in school. She was not the type of person most of Middle America would admit to be being able to relate to. He needed to get his PR team working overtime to paint Chloe in the most sympathetic light as possible. If they could turn the story around to get Chloe to look like the underdog, get people to embrace her, then it would make her life much easier in the coming year.
They pulled up in her driveway, there were a few news crews on the sidewalk outside, they all rushed towards the car as soon as it slowed down. A nervous energy engulfed Chloe, there were so many people surrounding the car, shouting questions at her, the flashbulbs seemed to never stop like heat lightning on a summers night. Opening the car door seemed impossible, there were too many people pressed up against it.
"Please step back, you need to get back onto to the sidewalk, this is private property, you are now trespassing." A booming voice called out. A man that Chloe could only describe as looking like a human bear was at the side of the car, pushing the reporters back onto the sidewalk. He was at least 6 and a half feet tall and built like a high paid linebacker.
"That's Tiny, he's going to sticking around to make sure none of you are bothered, that the press respects your personal space, those kinds of things." These types of cases tended to bring out all the crazies. He'd give them all the general safety talk so they were aware but as long as Tiny and his team did their jobs, there shouldn't be any incidents.
"Tiny?" Chloe raised her eyebrows at the colossal man.
Sebastian laughed, opening his door, now that Tiny had gotten the press back on the sidewalk where they belonged. "Yeah, he gets that a lot."
"Yeah, I bet." Chloe muttered staring at the man in awe.
Warren refreshed his Facebook page again, maybe he'd missed a reply from Max on the picture he'd posted on her timeline earlier. He tried not to feel discouraged when he saw there wasn't even a like from her on the image.
Maybe she's busy with homework or sleeping though more than likely she's busy with Chloe.
When the school year started, Warren imagined it would be another boring year at Blackwell. The most interesting person there had disappeared before the end of last year. Not that she even knew Warren was alive but it hadn't stopped him from having the biggest crush ever on Rachel Amber. There were many times when he had told himself he was going to go talk to her, he'd get himself all hyped up and then pussy out at the last minute because she was either hanging out with Nathan and Victoria or worse, Chloe Price. Even after Price had gotten kicked out of Blackwell, she was still always there hanging out with Rachel. It wasn't that he disliked Chloe, actually, she terrified him, it's was more of he was getting tired of her always cockblocking him without even having the decency to remember his name.
When he first saw Max at Senior Orientation he knew that this year was going to better than the last three years. He went right over and introduced himself. It turned out they had a class together, too. Everything had started off so much better. He and Max really got along, they had a lot in common once he got past her shyness. She was the cutest girl at Blackwell, really witty and loved to play video games almost as much as he did. It was like someone had taken his order for the perfect girl and Max Caulfield showed up.
Of course he'd tried to subtly ask her out a few times, he didn't want to come on too strong but Max never seemed to pick up on it. If he didn't make a move soon he was afraid he'd end up in the friendzone. He had planned on asking her to go see Planet of the Apes at the Drive-In but then all that shit with Nathan happened so that plan was out the window. Then when he had gone to visit her in the hospital who should be there, right at Max's side? Chloe 'Cockblock' Price, of course, because he was sure the Virginity Gods were loathed to let him go.
He didn't even know that Max knew Chloe, let alone well enough for the girl to be crying at Max's bedside. He thought it was because everyone was saying that Max saved Chloe's life, so it was like some type of gratitude or something. Max's mom had quickly correctly that theory. Turned out that Max and Chloe had known each other since they were in diapers. It was a strange turn of events but he was seventy-five percent sure there wasn't anything to be worried about, Max was straight as far as he knew. That would have been a higher percentage of certainty if it hadn't been for the way he saw Max looking at Chloe at the hospital and then the way he saw Chloe looking at Max when he'd brought Max's homework the other day to Chloe's house.
After another disappointed refresh of his Facebook page, Warren decide to see if there was anything interesting to read on the Nerdist website. He went to open a new tab when a post caught his attention. 'New Twist in Prescott Case?' Brooke had posted a link from CNN. Warren clicked on it and a video started playing.
"Today, insider sources have confirmed that Chloe Price has been taken into the Arcadia Beach Police Station for questioning. Price is the other student who was in the bathroom at Blackwell Academy when Nathan Prescott, son of Millionaire Developer, Sean Prescott, allegedly shot a fellow classmate. Now, sources close to the case are saying that the altercation came about as self-defense as Nathan Prescott was being blackmailed by another classmate, Chloe Price. We turn to Paula Newmann who is standing outside the Arcadia Bay Police Station for more, Paula."
"Thanks, Evelyn. I'm standing outside the Arcadia Bay Police Station where police have just brought Chloe Price, who you can see in this clip... Police have brought in Price, handcuffed. We're not clear if she has already been arrested or is being brought in for questioning at this time. Sources say that an arrest is imminent against Price, we're just unsure at this time if it has happened. There has been speculation from those close to the Prescott's legal team that Nathan Prescott was the victim of a blackmailing plot and that he feared for his safety which was why he had a gun with him at school. Now it hasn't been confirmed but we're not aware if Chloe Price was supposed to have been the only person involved in that blackmailing plot or if the shooting victim, Maxine Caulfield, was also involved." The clip of Chloe being walked into the police station, hands cuffed behind her kept replaying.
"Paula, are you hearing anything else about the case from local residents who might have known the parties involved? What are their thoughts on what's going on?" Evelyn Huckstadt, the news anchor asked.
"Great question, Evelyn. We have talked to a few of the locals here and the consensus seems to be that Nathan Prescott is an outstanding student, he has an excellent GPA, does volunteer work, is well liked and popular with his classmates. People aren't sure why he would have shot his classmate as it seems completely out of character for the young man but perhaps with the police bringing Chloe Price in, it will shed some more light on this situation."
Warren closed the tab, his stomach not able to handle much more of the complete bovine fecal matter the news was spouting about Prescott. He'd been trying to avoid the news and everything online but that only last about two hours after the shooting. He had read so many different versions, theories, rumors and speculation about what had happened and why, it was ridiculous. In the last few days different types of rumors and speculation had started to show up, ones that were complete lies. They were painting Nathan in a good light while trashing Chloe and Max from supposed anonymous sources or good friends who wished to remain anonymous. He tried to stick up for Max when he read some of the more insane rumors online. There was the one that said a "close source" claimed Max and Chloe had been stalking Nathan since the beginning of the school year, planning on kidnapping him to hold him for ransom and then there was the one that claimed Max and Nathan had a secret relationship and Chloe had confronted them because she wanted either Max or Nathan (versions varied), that the gun was her's and she shot Max, not Nathan. It didn't surprise Warren that people believed all the disinformation out there, there were people who were convinced we didn't go to the Moon.
People were inclined to believe the least likely scenario because it sounded a lot more interesting than a rich, white, boy lost his shit, was going to shoot someone then Max had intervened and gotten shot instead. The only part Warren hadn't been able to put together at the beginning was why Chloe and Nathan had been there together in the first place. He had to go through a lot of trouble to figure that part out but once he did, it all made horrible sense. Warren wasn't a violent guy but he had never wanted to beat the shit out of someone as much as he wanted to beat the shit out of Nathan Prescott, for what he had done, what he had put Max through, what he'd put others through. While he couldn't beat him senseless he could do whatever it took to make sure Nathan stayed in jailed.
Who knew, maybe Max would look at him differently, like a hero and take him out of the friend zone. Maybe the surprise he had for her would change things in his favor. He went back and refreshed his Facebook page, still no reply.
"Oh, Thank God, Chloe!" Max said, wishing she could throw her arms around the taller girl as soon as she walked through the door. Instead she had to settle for throwing her one good arm around Chloe's waist and pulling her tight against her. Max burrowed her face in Chloe's shoulder, relieved to see her. The news had made it sound as if Chloe's chances of being released were slim to none. Of course it was all based on an unnamed insider, close to the case.
Chloe wrapped her arms around Max, careful to avoid her injured shoulder but held her just as tight. Even though Chloe knew that Max was home, safe, seeing her, really seeing her safe at home, made it real for her. She released a breath she hadn't been aware she was holding. See, Max is fine, Max is safe, they can't put her through that bullshit.
"Chloe, sweetie, I was so worried about you, all those awful reporters at the police station, how are you, honey?" Joyce said, her eyes filled with concern. Reluctantly, Max went to step away so Joyce could hug her daughter but Chloe pulled her even tighter against her.
"It was all a bit overwhelming. I'm alright but I really just wanna sleep, it's been a long day. Can we talk about it tomorrow?" Chloe asked, though she was already moving towards the stairs, taking Max with her.
"Sure, hun, you both get some sleep and we can talk about everything tomorrow." Joyce replied, she reached over and ran her hand down Chloe's cheek, "Sweet dreams, girls, love you both."
"Yeah, love you, too, night. Thanks, Sebastian, for everything, I appreciate it." Chloe called over her shoulder, dragging Max up the stairs before they got stopped again.
Max called out her good nights as well. As they went up the stairs Max heard Joyce and Sebastian talking.
"Now, Mr. Sendal, why is there a large, bear of a man hanging out on my front porch?"
The reply was cut off as Chloe closed her bedroom door. She was a lot more twitchy, fidgety in her movements, more so than usual as she lead Max over to the bed and sat her down on it before flopping down next to her.
"Are you alright? I was so worried about you then on the news they were saying that you were arrested for blackmailing Nathan and that they were investigating whether or not you were the one that brought the gun. I was so mad, Chloe." Max was sitting on the bed, leaning up against the older girl, playing with the bracelets on Chloe's wrist that she was staring at. When the news had come on Max wanted to throw something at the TV from all the lies that were being said. Then, it felt like all hell had broken loose as the phone was ringing and reporters suddenly at the door. Max was sure she would have had a panic attack if Joyce hadn't shown up, going through the back yard to avoid the press at the front of the house. Her and Max had made some dinner, even though neither of them felt like eating, it was something to try and distract them while waiting for any update. Then Sebastian had called and Joyce talked to him for a bit while Max peeked outside as the crowd of reporters kept growing. Max had seen David pull up and right away he started shouting at all the reporters to get the hell off his property. At least that had been a distraction, watching David get all flustered and pissed off, yelling at someone besides Chloe for once.
"Max…" Chloe tried to interrupt Max's rambling as cute as it was, there was something she needed to talk to her about, something that she had realized couldn't wait any longer.
"It such complete bullshit. And then there were all these reporters knocking on the door and even the windows, I was freaking out until your mom showed up…"
"Max," Chloe said a bit more forcefully, to gain the other girl's attention.
Max stopped midsentence realizing that Chloe had been trying to get her attention. She looked up at the other girl questioningly, her stomach suddenly felt like there were butterflies in it.
"We need to talk." Chloe stated, looking down at Max, really looking at her, at the freckles that made constellations across her nose and cheeks, at how the shade of blue in Max's eyes were her favorite shade of blue, the color she had tried to capture when she had dyed her hair but it came out a pale imitation.
The butterflies felt like they had multiplied in her stomach as Max knew what she had been rambling to prolong was finally there. She had to tell Chloe about her rewind power, about the week they shared that Chloe would never experience, about the dark room. She had decided to heavily edit the Rachel Amber parts as she knew Chloe would run right to the junk yard and that was not something Max would allow her to experience ever again. With a bit more pushing in the right direction, Max was sure she could get Sebastian to figure it out for her, sparing Chloe that first person horror.
"Yeah, I know. I promised to explain things to you…" Max said, rubbing her nose, not meeting Chloe's eyes, looking everywhere but at the girl sitting so close their legs and shoulders were pressed together.
"Wait, there's something I have to tell you first." Chloe cut in, she needed to get this out before she talked herself out of it again. Tension was radiating off the older girl as her knee started bouncing on the bed. She gently took Max's chin so she could meet her eyes, she needed Max to not just hear the words but feel them, she didn't remove her hand even when their eyes connected. "I'm hella shitty at this kind of stuff, at like, opening up and like sharing my feelings… Max…" Chloe said her name with a sigh that made it sound sacred and fragile. As if those three letters were the scariest three letters ever strung together in any language, which to Chloe they very well could be right at that moment. She was about to cross a line she had only hours before promised herself she wouldn't, couldn't, ever cross but all of that disappeared the moment she saw her geeky, hipster, her Max, waiting at the door looking so goddamn perfect and how could she not want to spend every minute of every day with this girl? You didn't know how many minutes you got in this world, so why should she waste any of them by not being with the only person she had ever completely felt like herself with?
It didn't seem possible for Max to be any more nervous than she had been a few minutes before but that was a lie as now she was convinced she might pass out at any minute with how heavy this moment felt, how heavy and full with unspoken words in the air between them it was. She knew that what Chloe was going to say was going to change everything between them, she didn't know exactly what Chloe was going to say but things would never be the same after it was out there.
Chloe cleared her throat, her hand cradling Max's cheek as she fell into her favorite blue, "I was so lost when you left, no, don't look away, please. Just lemme finish… I didn't realize how lost until I had you back in my life. I think maybe part of me probably always knew like my heart knew before my head ever did, but I can be thick sometimes. I mean, you're my best friend and I can't fuck that up, I couldn't handle it if..." Chloe stopped, taking a shaky breath as she rolled her eyes at how incredibly lame it was all coming out, as if her tongue and brain had forgotten how to work together.
Not breaking eye contact, Max placed a comforting hand on Chloe's knee. She was afraid to move too much, she didn't want to break the spell this moment had put them both under, afraid any sudden movements and Chloe would stop what she was trying to say, what Max hoped she was trying to say.
"Ah, what I'm trying to fumble my way into saying is, I love you, Max, like a fat kid loves chocolate cake but like if that fat kid wanted to kiss and eat….Ah, yeah, actually that works…" Turning bright red, Chloe powered on because there was no way she could stop there. She scratched the back of her neck, feeling so far out of her comfort zone it might as well have been in a different universe by this point. She looked back into Max's eyes, watching as they filled with shock, then understanding and finally, amusement. Chloe subtly licked her lips as she looked down at Max's. "Fuuuuuck, ok, Max, I'm going to kiss you and if you don't want me to then you better move right now."
Chloe was shocked at first when Max had moved but only to capture her lips with her own first, her hand trailing up Chloe's arm, caressing the full arm tattoo, further up to get tangled in her blue hair pulling their faces even closer. Hey, no fair, I was gonna kiss you...oh fuck, I'm kissing Max, like for real, Max is kissing me!
The angle was awkward and Chloe's teeth scraped Max's bottom lip at first in surprise but they quickly settled into a rhythm. Max's lips were, of course, soft, but that felt like too weak of a word to use, they felt like butter melting, all smooth and silky. She tasted like the strawberry lip gloss she applied at least once an hour and maple syrup. Chloe moved her hand up Max's cheek, her fingertips brushing the brunette's hairline as her thumb rubbed along Max's cheekbone.
Her neck was starting to hurt from the weird angle so she gently leaned over Max, pressing her back against the bed not breaking the kiss, their noses bumped as Chloe maneuvered so that the top half of her body was leaning over Max but not on her injured shoulder. It was a much better position as Chloe deepened the kiss, the tip of her tongue sliding over Max's bottom lip, then their tongues slid against each other's, velvety and wet, dancing together. A moan escaped the back of Max's throat as her hand gripped Chloe's hip, fingers sliding under her black tank top. Chloe's skin felt on fire where Max's fingers touched her. Her senses were filled with the taste of Max, the way she smelled like a fresh day, all crisp and clean with a hint of citrus. She lightly bit down on Max's bottom lip, pulling back to take in a huge gulp of much needed air. She was still light headed but that was probably due more to the kiss than the lack of oxygen. She rested her forehead against Max's looking down into the only eyes she wanted to stare into.
Max felt like she was floating, not sure if what had happened really had happen or if she was having a very lucid dream. She rewound a couple times, just to make sure. The way Chloe was looking at her right than, with so much tenderness and love, it felt overwhelming but in a good way, in the best way. They weren't on the edge of a cliff facing death, this wasn't some impulse last minute before she died kind of confession. This was Chloe telling her she loved her before she even knew about her power, before she even knew what Max was capable of. That Chloe loved loved her and wanted to kiss her and touch her and do other things that just friends didn't do, even though Max knew it was possible, had seen it was possible in the other timeline, she still wasn't fully prepared for how it felt without looming death involved. The only thing that was truly keeping her from fully enjoying this moment was that she was worried how Chloe was going to react when Max told her what she'd been keeping from her. There was no way she couldn't tell her, especially now, but Max was terrified that Chloe might take back everything she'd just said, in the most awkward, amazing way anyone had ever professed their love. Max refused to lose that.
"Hey, is this...is this alright?" Chloe asked, doubt starting to cloud her eyes as Max had yet to say anything.
Realizing she was about to ruin the moment and quite possibly Chloe's self-confidence, Max leaned up and kissed the tip of Chloe's nose as she tucked a piece of Chloe's hair back behind her ear. "Much alright."
Max then captured Chloe's lips again, if this might end after she told Chloe about her power and how she'd been hiding it for weeks from her, than she was going to take all the smoochies she could before it all came crashing down around her.
