February 2018
"Oh God. It's...it's still the same. The room still looks the same! Like going back in time. " Max whispered softly, with no small amount of dismay in her voice.
Chloe watched as Max winced at her own choice of words, hovering just past the doorway to what would be her classroom; coming in as a mid-term replacement, they'd shown up on the Sunday before her first class began in order to get reacquainted with the space. Find out what was different, and what wasn't. And work on making it Max's.
"Yeah, this was one of the parts of the school that didn't need rebuilding. Go figure." Chloe reached up, gripping and gently massaging Max's shoulders. "But...but Jeffershit's stuff is all gone, sweetie. For years now. Beyond that it's just a room. A room you can hang your stuff up on instead. Start taking it all back."
Max nodded, tried to put on a brave face, but Chloe could feel her trembling, just slightly, beneath her fingers.
"You...you're right." Max softly replied. "But..." she appeared to all but force her feet to carry her towards the desk, towards that corner, where Jefferson held domain for weeks, all those years earlier.
Max lowered herself down at the desk, looking vaguely ill. She closed her eyes and calmed her breath. "God, it's one thing to expect the emotional charge, another to actually encounter it. I never appreciated how much the memory of this room got twisted up in my mind. For a good couple years, even thinking about this place, what it looked like, the way it smelled, could put me into a panic attack." She relaxed, just a little, and murmured softly. "It was the first set of memories that we ran through an EMDR workup when I started seeing my therapist. Okay...okay, this is getting easier, the longer I sit here. The longer I remind myself it's just a room, and he's gone."
She opened up her eyes and stared straight ahead, repeating. "He's gone. This...space is mine now."
Chloe walked over, offering a hand to Max, who took it gratefully, squeezing it.
"If I can handle this place, Chloe, I think I can handle anywhere else in this school. Christ, this is where it all started, you know? Not the bathroom, but here. I had the first dream of the storm in this room. And I came back here when I first tried to change the past to escape from the Dark Room..."
They walked along, glancing at the desks, sizing up the available equipment.
Max looked down, tilting her head as she traced her fingers over one of the tables, "At least they had the decency to replace these. No more...Rachel Amber graffiti, for one thing."
Chloe swallowed, feeling a sick pull in her stomach.
Speaking of emotionally charged memories.
It didn't hurt as much, not in the raw, sadistic fashion it did when she came face to face with Rachel's corpse. At the same time, she was never so relieved to not have seen this reminder with her own two eyes. It was yet another example of what Max correctly pointed out to her, the night they got back together: she'd never fully worked through all her trauma and hurt, her feelings of victimization and powerlessness from that time. Not that Chloe was in any mood to seek therapy, but she did her best to acknowledge these 'sore spots' when she came across them, tried to be diligent in communicating with Max as needed
The more we talk about what we went through, from our own perspectives, the easier it'll be. The less the pain will be, and the closer it'll bring us together.
The last line caused a smile to form on Chloe's lips, pulling Max into a hug.
"Proud of you, baby. This is weird, to put it lightly. On so many fucking levels. And...and can I just say how screwed up it is? Because the last time we were really here together, you and me, we were committing some heavy duty breaking and entering. Also: grand theft pool. Or, pool joyriding. Joyswimming? Whatever."
Max leaned up, kissing her softly, and murmured. "Second degree larceny." she reminded her.
Chloe rubbed the back of her head and gave a nervous, clipped laugh. "Oh fuck! That's...yeah. Shit. Remind me, seriously remind me when we have money one day to make a five-thousand dollar contribution to this place. Like, an anonymous contribution, but still."
Max giggled lightly, "Che, I think between the insurance and the donations that flooded in from alumni after the storm, that five grand is a forgotten drop in the bucket by now. But..." she reached up, pressing her fingers on Chloe's lips, stifling any protest. "...I understand. It's important to you to settle your past accounts."
Chloe nodded, relieved Max understood. Nibbling her fingertips playfully, before responding. "Yeah. Funny, isn't it? Back then, we were rebels fucking over The Man, acting like we were fighting corruption and that we could cancel out one wrong by committing another." She gave a heavy sigh then looked around. "Baby, when the hell did we grow up? Seriously, sometimes I still look in the mirror and don't recognize myself. Or maybe, I don't recognize who I used to be."
Max pulled her face close, nuzzling at her nose. "I don't know about myself, but I know exactly when you did." She held Chloe's face in her hands, capturing her gaze. "The moment you said, "I'm stopping the truck. We have to look for survivors."
Chloe blinked a few times."Y-yeah. I guess so. Huh. I guess you have a good point. I let any sense of myself go, up on top of that cliff. I really...it's just...I mean it's weird isn't it? We were forced to make this choice, to let me die, and in a real way, the old Chloe Price did just that, at that lighthouse."
"Wow." Max blinked. "Kinda macabre there, don't you think?" She paused, then thought it through. "Actually, no. No, I see your point." She then glanced around. "God. I'm so damn glad we came here. Let myself get used to being here again. Thank you for coming, baby, it really, really helps having you here with me, and there is no way I could have handled this alone for the first time tomorrow."
Chloe smirked, and whispered in against Max's ear. "Gotta stand by my babygirl. Like you even have to ask." She then grabbed Max's hand and said. "Hey! I have an idea. Um...where was your desk? Can you show me?"
Max led her over, a confused expression on her face. Chloe then gently guided her down into a seat, before snagging a chair for herself, pulling it close so the two of them could sit next to each other.
"Chloe? What are you doing, exactly?"
"Uhhh...roleplaying maybe? Call it building up new positive associations and memories and stuff. Like...okay, pretend that we're here. I mean...gah! Shit." Chloe stopped, then tried again. "Of course we're here. But pretend that it's four or five years ago. We're in class together, because this is an awesome alternate timeline where you and I are actually going to school together. Also, we're dating. Also also, we're disgustingly cute about it."
Max gave her a look, like she was totally insane. Then laughed warmly, taking her hand underneath the desk. "Oookay. Huh." She took a breath, and looked out towards the rest of the room. And hey!" she pointed out towards the left side of the room. "There's Victoria, sucking up for credit, and looking at us all weird, acting pissed over how cute we are together, but you know, she's just secretly jealous."
"Of whom?" Chloe asked.
"Both of us, duh!"
Chloe tilted her head and mused. "Oh yeah! Now I see it. And look, there's Kate. Who's playing attention like a good little girl, and not noticing the way that Tori is totally eyebanging her. Always thought there was a universe out there somewhere, where Kate and Victoria are an item."
Max burst out into loud laughter. "Hah! Maybe, but it ain't this one, Che. I'm pretty sure they're both straight. Hella straight."
Chloe leaned back and sighed. "True. Arcadia Bay's only big enough for one lesbian power couple." She winked at Max, and then said, "Oh man. This class...this class just keeps going on and on. I know! Imma send a text!" With that, she slipped out her phone from her blazer pocket, and began to type away one-handed, so she didn't have to let go of Max. It took her a minute or three of effort, but soon, her girlfriend sighed, as she felt her pocket buzz.
"You...just sent me a text? Um...sweetie?" Max leaned in and stage-whispered. "I'm kinda right next to you!" Chloe felt her hand being squeezed for effect.
"Not like we didn't text each other when I was in high school and you were in junior high. Plus, what are we gonna do, pass notes to each other? Even medieval year 2013 wasn't that barbaric."
Max rolled her eyes and glanced at the screen of her phone:
AlderAB-Chloe: OMG this teacher sux. so boring! after class, lets go back to yr room & get high, and we can fingerbang 2!
Max burst out laughing. "Oh my God, Chloe! You have a fricking one track one sometimes!"
Grinning impishly, Chloe whispered, "Yeah, but you know damn well that we'd be like that, if we were dating in high school." She gave a soft sigh."I mean, it's not like we don't do that now. I seem to remember 'Get high and fingerbang' was how we spent most of last weekend."
Max blushed scarlet red down to her chest, bowed her head, and grinned like a loon, muttering, "Y-yeah. That's truuuuuue." She gave another snort-laugh and then leaned in, kissing Chloe quick and firm.
Returning the kiss, Chloe murmured. "There. Now you have at least one new awesome memory in this room. When your crazy horndog girlfriend texted you during class in order to break up the monotony of whatever the hell the teacher was talking about."
Max shook her head. "It sounds stupid, but...but it helps. It really does. You know, maybe there is something to be said about how psychic impressions linger on a place..."
Chloe shrugged, "I think the only impressions are the ones we carry in our heads. Still, look at it this way: every day, bit by bit, whatever negative hold this place has on you, it's going to wash away. And, you know, if I have to come back and play pretend again, and add more memories of our high school romance that never was...then yeah. I'll do that, too."
"Oh my God. Thank you...I love you, Chloe. So much." Max smiled brightly, spirits clearly lifted, as she leaned happily against her side.
"Anything for you, Max. Seriously. Anything. And, you know, maybe later on, in a couple weeks, we can sneak into the room at night and roleplay the new teacher and the hot bad-girl student she seduces and..."
At this, Max gave her arm a light punch. "Oh Jesus, Chloe! Do not even joke about that! That was like the number one craziest seminar I had to attend as part of my teacher orientation. 'Inappropriate student contact.' Uhhhhgg." She hugged herself, shivering.
Chloe blinked. "Fine, I'll be a TA?"
Max just rolled her eyes heavily, and then glanced up, in time to notice...
"...Principal Wells! Good morning." she called out.
"Ah. Max! Getting familiar with the room? I see you've brought some of your work to hang on the walls? Excellent, excellent. Feel free to make this space yours as much as you wish. And please, call me Ray."
Chloe rolled her eyes mentally.
Good lord, he's still such a suck up.
She was about to find out how true that was.
"And I see you've brought Alderman Price with you. How long has it been since we last saw each other?"
The pair of them rose up from the chairs as Chloe answered. "Oh. In the fall, I think? That fundraiser dinner at Exarch, right?"
"Yes, yes. Now I remember. Say, Max, I hope you don't mind if I borrow Chloe...do you mind if I call you Chloe? I was thinking some of the students might like to meet you."
Holy...fucking...seriously? Dude, you couldn't bounce my ass hard or fast enough from this school way back when, like seven - shit has it really been seven years? Okay, clearly this isn't 'Hi kids! You too can be a screw up and fail out of Blackwell, but still become a political player in this town!' kinda thing. Figure ol' Ray just wants to show off that he knows the Alderman-at-Large. Hate to break it to you dog, but the kids here couldn't care less, especially the out-of-towners.
Still...
...Chloe was something of a public figure now. As much as she might detest Wells' toadying, it wouldn't do not to be at least somewhat magnanimous about it all. And on the bright side, it seemed he was sucking up to her because he still wasn't giving Sean Prescott the time of day after all the shit that went down involving Nathan.
Worst part of public service...actually serving the public. Oh well...
Giving her best friendly-neutral smile, she said, "Not at all. Max, you're okay here?"
It was clear that Max was doing her absolute best not to laugh good-naturedly at Chloe's predicament. She leaned in, kissed her cheek and murmured. "Yeah. Go. Tell the kids they're the future. I'm...I'm a lot better than I was when we got here, thanks. I think I'm definitely ready to put my own mark on this classroom. Starting with..."
Trotting over and reaching into her backpack, she removed a limited edition Hawt Dog Man bobblehead figurine, busying herself with trying to figure out how best to place it on the desk.
Chloe glanced over her shoulder as Ray Wells led her out the door and down the hallway. She was doing her best to immediately tune him out, focusing on Max, and how much happier and at ease she now seemed.
Hmmmm...take that Jefferfuck. Your last ghost is getting cast out. Now you've got nothing left, asshole. And Max and I have the whole future in our hands.
She turned back to the Principal and started indulging his desire for small talk as they walked along together.
A/N: So this was supposed to have been just a brief opener to a much larger chapter, but as I started writing, I realized that it was taking on a life of it's own. And what Max says is very true, at least for me. Yesterday, I tried going through and playing a new game of Life is Strange, and it's really something, how that virtual space, the starting classroom, now has this strong 'feeling' and 'charge' in my mind. A creepiness, almost darkness, now that I know what's going to happen. And it defintely got stronger, the closer I got to the teachers desk. And I could kind of feel a lot of that charge really starting to shift and dissipate alongside with Max as I wrote this. So anyhow, here's a chapter I wasn't quite intending to write, but it worked itself out on it's own.
Have a good night!