Max felt a bit different with the heavy, leather jacket laid across her shoulders. It felt even more different, when her arms were through the sleeves; and when she inhaled the scent of that officer. And that's how she found herself sleeping, using the gift as a blanket. The bench wasn't comfortable, but her alluring dreams were.
Chloe needed a smoke break, and found herself walking past the whole crowded area. And that's how she sees Max, practically wrapped up in her jacket. She smiles instinctively, glad that something can make the small girl happy. With that sight engraved into her mind, she felt a new mission become more urgent than the cancer she wanted to fill her lungs.
Chloe tucks the pack of cigarettes back into her pocket and decided to walk to the holding area, where she found the suspect of this case sitting, his face buried into his hands.
"Finally sobered up, huh?" Chloe smirks, leaning against a wall parallel to Nathan. She wanted absolutely nothing more than to punch this fucker's teeth out; to show him exactly what it feels like to be Max right now.
Chloe knows she isn't allowed to be making contact with the suspect, but after her talk with Max, she felt as if it was completely necessary. She knows that if she didn't do it now, it would be another thing lingering in the back of her mind; another thing that she would regret not doing.
He looks up at her with bloodshot eyes; his face showing absolutely no emotion. "You're lucky these bars are protecting your ass right now." The Punk adds, a little bit of her former teenage rebellion attitude coming in.
He doesn't respond; instead, he buries his face back into his hands, trembling slightly.
"Do you not feel any remorse at all? You should see that poor girl right now." Chloe says, anger rising in her voice. "She won't even let anyone near her, and it's because of you!"
"I'm sorry," He begs with a hoarse voice. "Tell her I'm sorry!"
And there it is. It's the same apology that Chloe has heard time and time again from different criminals. She knew it wasn't out of true meaning, it was because Nathan knows he fucked up big time. Petty.
"You can say sorry all you want, but it doesn't change the fact that you ruined her life."
Nathan glances up when the officer says that. He searches for the words to say but he knows that nothing he could say could get him out of this absolute mess that he has caused.
"And it doesn't change the fact that I will make sure that you never cross paths with her again." Chloe speaks in her most intimidating tone. She uncrosses her arms, approaching the bars that separates them. "Do I make myself clear?"
"Officer Price, please step away from the cell." An officer calls from behind her, only adding to her irritability.
"You can think about how sorry you are in prison."
Chloe scoffs, and then turns to exit the holding area. She brushes her fingers through her faded blue hair, and in her mind, she's hoping that she got her point across. Something about tonight made her feel more irritable than she's ever felt before.
Maybe I just need a smoke, she thinks, smirking as she passes by the bench that Max is sound asleep on.
Or a few solid hours of sleep.
—
Chloe isn't sure how long it's been sitting at her desk, filing the endless amount of stacks of papers. She couldn't stand it, she hates the desk part of this job. This isn't how you fucking help people. She sighs heavily when she leans back in her chair, rubbing her temples with her middle and index finger. I need to get out of this stuffy shit-hole.
She stands up so fast her chair topples over. "Shit!" She fails at grabbing it before it crashes, causing the station to quiet for a moment. "Sorry! Just my chair." Back to the loud, overbearing bustle sounds. It always gives her such a headache. Got to get the fuck out of here. Her feet carry her the fast they can, I need to get to her calming place, maybe it's as nice as she said it is.
She was already gone before anyone could even question where she was going.
—
Max had left the station, seeing as she was medically fine and she wasn't up for another session of interrogation. Her shoulders and neck slightly ache, most likely from a few hours of sleeping on the uncomfortable bench. She hasn't even bothered to take off the heavy leather jacket, either, just because it makes her feel safe. Should I have given it back? Max shrugged at her thoughts, not really caring.
The small girl doesn't know how early it is, but the morning chill makes her shiver. She doesn't even want to think about going back to the apartment, where everything down to the smallest mark on the wall will remind her of him. She doesn't want to deal with it, as much as she needs to go home and shower.
She decides to go anyways, swallowing her fears. She takes a cab there, using the money she found in the officer's jacket pockets. She makes a mental note to pay her back, before reaching her home door. It's okay, Max. He's not here. You can do this. Her clammy hands reach out for the doorknob, the only thing she can hear is the pounding of her own heart. He's not in there, he's not in there.
She chants it in her head, as if it'll help her through this. When the door creaks open from the pressure of her shoulder, she sees all the destruction. The nerve wrecking, memory crashing, destruction. The bathroom door barely hanging onto its hinges, Nathan's hand around her neck. The screaming, the pain. Everything. Her eyes begin to sting, her lungs pulsating with hot air.
Her trembling legs drag into the torn apartment, her watery eyes trying to focus. His overbearing smell fills her nostrils, shaking her entire body. "I can't!" Everything's spinning, it's my fault. My fault, my fault, my fault! He was my only anchor, oh god what do I do? Her skinny hands gripping her hair, blood pumping throughout the small body.
Everything's closing in, he's here; he's here he'll always be here! Run! She wasn't sure if she screamed when she slams the door, rushing down the steps. She didn't stop running till she was around the whole block, the building out of sight; out of mind.
While Max catches her breath she notices where she is, seeing the coffee shop where Kate takes her for their outings. Her feet drag through the warm building's door, the strong smell of the bitter liquids filling her nostrils. The booth she usually sits at with Kate is empty, so that's where she goes. The brunette feels much better in a safer environment, her thin body barely taking up any space on the wide, leather seat.
She places her shaky hands on the table, trying to gather her thoughts together and function normally once more. She glances around nervously, hoping that nobody is seeing her breakdown; but a hint of blue catches her eye and she recognizes it almost immediately. No!
It was none other than Officer Price, looking lethargic with her faded blue hair pushed back, her tired eyes and the sleeves of her button-up shirt pushed to her elbows. Max slides down in her seat a bit, hoping that she isn't noticed. I don't want her to see me this way again, Max thought, biting the inside of her cheek and turning to look out the window. I don't want her to think I'm following her!
The brunette's attempts to conceal herself clearly didn't work, because her eyes accidentally met with Chloe's and she is pleasantly greeted with a warm smile; the same warm smile that she was given in the interrogation room, the same warm smile that could brighten anyone's day.
The officer waves and then begins to approach her. "Hey Max," She spoke in that same calming voice that Max has heard before. "It's nice seeing you here. Can I sit with you?" The small girl nervously tucks a lock of loose hair behind her ear, not meeting The Punk's eyes. Her face feels hot all of the sudden, and she hopes it's just the warm atmosphere of the room.
"Ye-yeah, I mean, why not?" Her acting was never that good, and she earns a small grin from the officer. "So, how was home? Are you making progress on cleaning up?"
Max swallows down the fear willing to build back up from before, reminding herself that she's safe. "It's totally great! Actually the manager did it for me, totally great." She nods her head with a fake smile, clasping her hands too tightly together.
"Are you uh, feeling okay and everything?" Chloe raised an eyebrow, cradling her chin in the palm of her hand. Max looked out the window, fiddling with the pen found in her pocket.
"Y-yeah, I guess so," Max nervously shrugs. "I- uh.. It's been hard." Chloe listens carefully, paying attention to every small detail of the brunette's movements. The way she avoids her eyes, how her hands move constantly to keep herself busy; her cracked lips struggling to speak the truth. "Officer Price-"
The Punk shakes her head quickly, "Call me Chloe, yeah?" Max's throat seems to get dry quickly, and she finds that swallowing has become a difficult task.
"You can talk to me about anything, okay?" The officer speaks sympathetically. "Everything's confidential. You can trust me."
She's right. I can trust her. Max taps her fingers on the table, trying to find her voice. You don't have to be scared.
"I couldn't even stand to look at the apartment," Max speaks in a quiet voice. "I.. knew I wouldn't so... I don't even know why I went back." Chloe nods, pursing her lips. The officer figured that would be the case. "Is there anything that I could do?" She proposes. Max shakes her head frantically. "No, no, it's okay! I'm... I'm sure I'll figure things out."
"Seriously, I could help you clean up." Chloe suggests, to which Max turns to look at her with disbelief. "Or, you're always welcome to crash at my place if you want."
Max felt awful. This person barely knows anything about her, except for the fact that Max is a DV victim and is in the process of getting her life together. Yet, this intimidating police officer sitting in front of her has already done so much for her. Does she just feel bad for me?
"Why.. why are you doing all of this for me?" Max asked, feeling truly undeserving of the kindness that Chloe was showing. Max was a stranger to her, yet she's offering to let her come stay at her place? "You've already done so much."
"Hey," Chloe says, putting her calloused hand over Max's smaller one on the table. "This isn't too much for me, promise. Just know the offer is always open."
The small girl let her hand linger for a little longer before pulling her hand away, her face feeling a little hot yet again. "Uh- thank you." Max stuttered, which earned her a smile from Chloe.
"Yep," Chloe replies, sliding from her seat. "Want some coffee? Sorry I didn't offer earlier, but I'm about to get some now." The brunette cracks a tiny smile, trying to meet eyes with the taller girl but couldn't. "Just get me water."
The Punk narrows her eyes slightly at her companion, knowing that she probably just doesn't want Chloe spending a lot of money on her. "If you say so," her shoulders shrug.
Max waits patiently, staring out the window. She didn't even notice it had started to rain, the window's ghost forming around her warm finger against the contrast of cold glass.
Max gets distracted easily, her mind has always liked to wander. Chloe notices as the other girl's thin finger lingers on the solid transparent, she always seems so distant. So far away; I wonder where her mind takes her.
She takes her previous seat across from Max, handing her a cup. "I know you said water, but you need some caffeine; perk you up and stuff." Chloe places the warm cup in the other girl's hand, sitting in her own spot with her own cup afterwards.
"I just got you one of those funny sounding ones, I figure you'd like it no matter what. Since this is kind of a hipster joint." She sips the hot liquid down her throat, enjoying the burn. Max uses the tips of her fingers, focusing on the cup. Her eyes followed The Punk's arm secretly, just now noticing the tattoo that seems to swallow her arm.
The blue-haired girl sees the other's eyes on her, and smirks a bit. "Y'know," the sudden raspy voice startles the young girl; knowing she had been caught. "I haven't always been a cop. I didn't even plan on being one. I was kinda forced, but I also wanted to do good things."
"Man," Chloe laughs, taking a sip of her coffee. "I was such a little shit before I got this job. Running around, always clashing with the law. Step-dad is the police chief so, you know how that worked out for me."
Max grins, enjoying how Chloe is opening up to her like they'd known each other for years instead of a few hours.
"We used to butt heads pretty badly, but, he cared for me. Got into a bad spot in my life a few years ago, dad offered the job," Chloe spoke, settling into her seat and put her hands behind her head. "Now here I am. If you told me that I would be a police officer when I was a teenager, I would've laughed right in your face."
"Enough about me," Chloe speaks as soon as she realizes that she's rambling, which is something she finds herself doing often. "Tell me about yourself. Is there anything you like to do?"
"Oh," Max says in a small voice, "I'm… I'm not that interesting, really."
Chloe bursts into a light-hearted laughter, that the small girl wouldn't mind hearing again. "Come on! There's gotta be something you like doing or you're good at!"
"I went to school for photography, but… it's something I haven't really done in a while." Max explains, with her small hands wrapped around her warm cup of coffee. She remembers how happy she felt whenever she captured a perfect moment. She knew she'd have to go home and pull out the box full of her old memories sometime.
"Maybe I could model for you," Chloe smirks. "Nah, I'm just fuckin' around, I'm not that photogenic."
Even though I'm sure she's joking; with Chloe's faded blue hair, her sharp features, and intimidating expressions, she'd certainly make an interesting subject. "Are you completely immune to the idea?" The blue-haired girl was taken aback by her companion's question, thinking she wouldn't ever take her joke seriously.
"W-well I mean, I'm not really attractive enough." Her hands fumble with the end of her tie, "Besides, I'm a police officer, nothing interesting there." Max had crossed her arms on the table while Chloe spoke, head on the spot where her arms meet.
"Makes you an everyday hero." Her short fingernail drags across the surface of their booth table, the silence stretching out as Chloe stares kind of dumbfoundedly at Max.
"I don't think it's very noble, actually it makes me feel like an asshole a lot." All those people I've hurt or disappointed, their eyes always staring at me. Burning into my brain. "You saved me." The brunette's sentence presses a weight onto The Punk's chest, sure, she's heard that a lot. In a lot of different situations.
But the last time she heard that… fuck, that was when- "Chloe? Are you alright?" The officer tries to swallow the dry lump in throat, so she takes a quick swig of her coffee.
"Yeah, sorry. I just spaced out for a second. Do you wanna get going?" Max ponders and mulls over the idea, enjoying the time away from the harsh reality waiting outside the glass door. "Yeah sure, can you give me a ride back to my place?" In all honesty, the brunette didn't need a ride, she could walk there easily. But something about the officer's company seems so.. comforting.
"Yeah, of course. Not gonna leave a pretty girl just stranded after I paid for her drink." Max thanks that Chloe walks away to trash their drinks; she won't see the deep blush creeping up the other's neck and cheeks.
They step outside into the chilly evening air, the air reeking with humidity. Chloe throws her leg over the bike, slouching as she eyes the smaller girl. "I've never really rode a motorcycle before.." Max rubs her arm; looking down. "It's fine, I've never driven with anyone else on the bike before."
The Punk's calloused hand reaches out, "We can have our firsts together." Max smiles reflexively, taking her hand and climbing on the back of the bike. The officer hands her the bike's only helmet, not that Chloe ever wore it anyways. The brunette slides it on, finding out the helmet is too big for her head.
Which makes Chloe laugh whole-heartedly when her head turns to make sure Max is comfortable; that's the cutest thing I've seen in a long while. She wasn't sure if she heard the brunette giggle too as she cranks the vehicle, revving it slightly. "Hang onto me, it's safer that way!"
The officer feels the other's limber arms wrap around her stomach, deciding then to kick up the kickstand; driving off.
When they make it to the hotel, Chloe stays on the bike; taking the helmet from Max. She switches the bike off, but stays on while Max stands beside it. "I gotta get back to the station, but, uh," the blue-haired checks her pockets until she pulls out a tiny business card; handing it to Max. "Call me, if you need me or anything. I always have my cell on."
Max holds the card carefully, as if it might tear from the slightest movement. "Are you… gonna be okay?" Chloe speaks, clearly hesitant to leave. Max looks up from the card, to see the officer giving her a concerned expression, which Max found to be kind of cute.
"Yeah, I think so." Max nods. After talking with Chloe, she suddenly didn't feel so anxious anymore. She almost wants to beg the officer to stay with her; but she knows that would be irrational of her. Chloe has responsibilities as an officer, she can't just spend all of her time taking care of me.
"I'll cya later, Max." Chloe throws a cheeky grin at the brunette, before revving the engine and zooming off; casting a cool breeze onto Max.
Max turns to the building, swallowing hard. It won't kill you, Max, she thinks to herself.
You're not afraid.
