A/N: Surprise! Didn't expect to see another Partners in Time chapter so soon, did ya? (Though I wouldn't exactly call it soon...)
Hello everyone, and welcome back to Life is Strange: Partners in Time! Here we are, at the final part of Out of Time. About time, am I right?
...
I am so sorry...
But anyway, I hope you're enjoying this story so far! Leave a review if you are, and make sure to follow (and maybe favorite) the story if you want to see a new chapter as soon as possible.
Also... There's something important I needed to talk about.
In case any of you missed it, I posted a chapter on Blaze's Lemon Collection, talking about why my Lust in Every Corner story had to be deleted. Trust me, it was a very rage-fueled rant... But, back on the topic. The reason why I had to delete Lust in Every Corner was because someone posted a violation review. I was faced with the choice to either let it get reported or delete it. So I chose to delete it.
I deleted Blaze's Lemon Collection to keep the same thing from happening. But before I did, I copied the chapters and posted it on another site. Which site? PM me and I'll tell you.
So, with that out of the way, let's finish off Episode 2: Out of Time!
Chloe drove me back to Blackwell. "Great. We're here." I said. "See you later, Chloe."
"Wait. Before you go, I want to talk to you. You know, about your visions." Chloe said.
"What about them? I can't really explain them other than that damn tornado is coming for Arcadia Bay." I said.
"Hmm... Have you ever heard of Chaos Theory?" Chloe asked.
"Um... That means "crazy shit happens," right?"
"No. It means "crazy shit happens, because it can, and will."" Chloe corrected. "Jace, if anything happens to you, mom, or... or Rachel, I wouldn't know what to do..."
"Don't worry. I'll make sure to keep myself and Joyce safe. And when we find Rachel, I'll make sure she's safe, too." I said.
Chloe looked at me and gave me a smile. "Thanks, Jace." She said. "You should probably get to class, though. You know, before you're late."
"Right, right. See ya later, Chloe." Chloe and I fist-bump.
"See ya, Jace." Chloe said as I stepped out of her truck and closed the door. I waved at Chloe as she drove away, Chloe waving back. I smiled as I walked back into Blackwell.
I walked through the hallway and, surprise surprise, I saw that bitch Courtney sitting at the sign-up stand for an upcoming Vortex Club party. Wanting to give her a piece of my mind, I walked towards her.
Courtney saw me and groaned. "What do you-"
"What the fuck is your problem?"
Courtney flinched at the sudden anger in my voice. "What do you mean?"
"You wanna know what Victoria told me earlier? That you called her a pussy. Is that true?" I asked.
"Well, duh! And why do you care about what Victoria tells you? I thought you hated her guts." Courtney said.
"Not anymore. Earlier today, she proved to me that she did have a heart. That she did have feelings, and you just fucking crushed them." I said angrily.
"Whatever..." Courtney rolled her eyes. "Having a heart means you're nothing but a goddamn pansy. She clearly deleted the video and the website to help out Kate."
"And can you blame her? Kate was depressed, possibly even considering suicide! Just what the hell would happen if the video and website weren't deleted? Actually, no. Let's put you in Victoria's situation. Imagine that you were the one who recorded that video. Imagine if you were the one who posted the video and created the website. Imagine if you bullied Kate because of that video. What would you think?"
"..." Courtney was silent. "... She would... probably... try to kill herself..."
"Exactly. Do you really think you, or even Victoria, would be able to hold such a burden? That you would drive someone so far into depression that they would try to commit suicide?"
"... N... No..." Courtney rests her head against her hands in shame. "God damn it... I feel like such a bitch..."
"You really should." I said.
"... I'm... I'm gonna apologize to Victoria later. I feel horrible..."
"Alright. See you later, Courtney."
"See you later, Jace." Courtney said as I started walking to class.
"I heard what you said back there."
I turned around and glared. It was David.
"And I've gotta say... You've earned my respect. But only a small amount. You're going to have to try harder to earn the rest of it." David said.
"... I see. Though I wouldn't exactly consider it an accomplishment. I may have earned some of your respect, David... but you sure as hell haven't earned mine. Chloe told me that you hit her yesterday. No way am I going to let that slide."
"... Very well."
I turned back around and walked to class, ending my conversation with that step-fuck. I walked into class and sat in my seat. I noticed something; Victoria wasn't here. Huh? Where's Victoria? I saw Kate walk up to me. "Hi Kate."
"Hey, Jace..." Kate looked bothered by something.
"Something wrong?" I asked.
"I saw Victoria earlier. She was talking to Mr. Jefferson. She was in tears, begging for him to help her. Mr. Jefferson said there was nothing he could do, which caused Victoria to run away, crying. I tried talking to her, but she told me to leave her alone." Kate explained.
"Damn... This is fucked."
"Definitely." Kate said as she went back to her seat. I looked out the window and saw Victoria walking outside, crying. To my surprise, I also noticed David hiding and taking pictures of her. Now he's taking pictures of Victoria? Ugh, creepy fuck... After I thought this, Mr. Jefferson walked in.
"Everyone, sit down." Everyone did so. "Now, today we have a lot to cover today and so little time, as usual. Has anyone seen Victoria Chase?" Once he got no answer, he continued. "Very well. Before we begin our lesson, there are a few souls here who have yet to enter a photo in the contest. Like Jace Wolfe, for example. Who I know can't wait to enter, right? I'm sure you read the syllabus like it was a Harry Potter book, so you must know today we're studying chiaroscuro; that beautiful word about the contrast between light and dark, the shadowplay that gives photography such...visual power. It's basic yin and yang. Black and white images are effective precisely because of their contrast. Although we don't technically "see" in monochrome-" Suddenly, a student named Zachary bursted into the room.
"Yo! Some crazy shit is going on at the girl's dorms!" Zachary yelled as he left. Mr. Jefferson was less than pleased.
"Zachary, don't ever barge into my room like that ever again!" Intrigued, everyone stood up, me included, and started leaving the room one by one. "Wait, you don't get to leave, you haven't been dismissed!" We all left anyway. I was the last one to leave. However, before I left, I heard Mr. Jefferson utter out one word.
"Dismissed."
I was walking to the girl's dormitories, where every other student was at. I felt the raindrops hitting me as I walked. I saw everyone looking up in horror.
"Oh my god!"
"Bitch flipped out!"
"I didn't know she was this fucked up..."
Kate had a horrified look on her face, covering her mouth with her hand. "Oh no..." I looked and saw Courtney with an equally horrified face. A bad feeling started to grow inside of me. I walked and looked up... and my heart nearly stopped. Victoria... she... she... she was...
She was standing at the rooftop, ready to jump!
No... Noooo! Oh god... This can't be happening... I was about to run up and try to talk her out of it, but as soon as I took a single step, Victoria jumped. "No!" I quickly used my rewinding powers to turn back to where Victoria was on the roof. I coughed up some blood. Damn it... I used my powers too much... It's taking a toll on me... I saw Victoria jump again, and I quickly rewound. Fuck... I can't keep doing this... But she can't die... she can't! For the third time, I saw her jump. Damn it... Damn it all! I used my rewind power again and brought her back up onto the roof... but when I did that... everything stopped. W... What? Did I... stop time? I looked around and realized that I did. Keeping my hand held up, I started my trek to the rooftop. Come... on... Jace... You can... do this... I walked into the building and walked up the steps that led to the rooftop. Soon, I was up on the rooftop. I put my hand down and time resumed. It looked like Victoria was about to jump, so I raised my hand to rewind time, but I let out a groan of pain as a severe pain in my head was triggered when I tried to rewind.
Victoria turned around and saw me. "What are you doing here, Jace!?" I try to come near her. "No! Stay back! I will jump, I swear!" I stopped. "I'm jumping, Jace. You won't stop me!"
"Yes, I will!" I yelled. "Victoria, you don't have to do this. Do you have any idea how your death will affect everybody!?"
"Yes, I do. It won't affect anyone at all. They already hated me before, I know they won't miss me." Victoria said, tears cascading down her cheeks.
"They will miss you, Victoria! You have so much to live for! You're an amazing photographer, better than me, everyone here at Blackwell! I'm not letting my friend die like this!"
Victoria's eyes widen. "You... consider me a friend?"
"Yes, I do! At first, I didn't think so. But now... you showed me that you have a heart. That you have feelings, just like everyone else! I won't let you die!" I tried so hard to convince her.
"Well, that's too bad." Victoria started to move closer to the edge.
Fuck... I was getting desperate now. "Victoria... I spoke with Courtney earlier. I told her that she shouldn't have called you a pussy, and she feels terrible. She wanted to apologize to you later. I'm not the only one supporting you. Courtney supports you too!"
"Really? ... I'm... I'm glad you both support me. It makes me feel truly happy for the first time in my life. But... what about everyone else? They'll still treat me like shit..."
"Kate won't. She went through the same thing. She wants to help you, Victoria! The four of us together, we'll fight back against the bullies!"
"Jace, I... I can't. I'm being blamed for something I didn't even do! I'm sorry, but... that isn't enough. Goodbye..." Victoria started to move closer and closer. And right before she could jump...
"IT WAS ME!" I screamed, tears rolling down my face.
Victoria turned around and looked at me. "Wh-What?"
"It was me, okay? I... I snuck into your room, and... and deleted the video and website!"
"That... That was you!?" Victoria yelled, understandably upset.
"Yes, it was me. And if you do come with me, and you want to tell everyone that I snuck into your dorm and deleted the the website and video and get me expelled, I won't care... because I did something horrible. All I wanted to do was help Kate, that's it. It wasn't for me at all, it was for Kate. I couldn't stand seeing Kate so miserable, that's why I deleted the video and website. And there's no way in hell I'm going to let you die for something I did. Victoria, I'm... I'm sorry..." I apologized. I walked up to her and held out my hand. After about a minute of uncertainty... she grabbed my hand and I pulled her away from the edge. Thank god... Oh, thank god... I thought, extremely relieved. I led Victoria down the stairs and onto the school grounds. Immediately, we were surrounded by everyone from Blackwell.
"Oh my god, Victoria, I'm so happy you're okay!" Courtney hugs Victoria.
"Victoria, I'm so sorry for bullying you. I-I never meant to push you so far..." One of Victoria's friends, Taylor, apologized, a guilty look on her face.
"It's okay. I forgive you. Jace saved me. And... There's something I need to tell you all." Victoria revealed.
"What is it, Ms. Chase?" Principal Wells asked. I looked down, ready for Victoria to rat me out.
"... The one who deleted the video and website was... it was me. You were right. I realized how miserable Kate was, so... so I deleted them." Victoria lied. I looked at her with the most confused face.
What the fuck...? I thought, before I realized; she was covering for me.
"So, if you want to keep bullying me... hit me with your best shot!" Victoria exclaimed.
"After today, we are never bullying you again..." Courtney said. Soon, everyone but me and Victoria had walked back into the school. I looked at her again.
"Victoria... Why? Why didn't you rat me out?" I asked.
"You saved my life, Jace. I owed you one..." Victoria said as I saw a genuine smile on her face for the first time ever. She hugged me."Thank you, Jace... Thank you so much."
I smiled as I hugged back. "No problem, Victoria... You're a good person. You didn't deserve to die..."
Victoria ended the hug and leaned in, giving me a kiss on my cheek, causing me to blush. "You're the real Everyday Hero, Jace... I mean it. Well... See you later, Jace." Victoria walked away, as I stood there with a happy smile on my face.
I saved a life today... This was a day I will never forget.
I lie down on my bed, getting a much-needed rest. Victoria was sent to her therapist to help her recover from almost killing herself and the bullying she endured. I went into the nurse's office and she told me that my head should be fine at this point, so she removed the bandages from my head. My left shoulder was also feeling a bit better, but the nurse told me to keep the bandages on my shoulder, just to be safe. I sigh. This has been one batshit crazy day... I thought to myself. Right after I thought this, I heard my phone go off. I looked at it and saw this it was a call from Chloe. I answered. "Hey, Chloe."
"Hey. I heard about what happened. It must've been fucking terrifying..."
I sigh. "Yeah, it was. And the thing is, I had maxed out my powers or something, because I couldn't use it."
"Aw, shit... That must've been my fault. I'm sorry..."
"Don't worry about it, Chloe. But, anyway, is there anything else you wanna talk about?"
"Well... It's about Rachel. I need to find her, Jace... and I need your help."
Of course... I answered with, "I'll help you, Chloe. I want to find her as well." An idea appeared onto my head. "Hey, while we're on the subject of Rachel... I... want to include someone into our investigation."
I heard a sigh come from the phone. "Fine. Who do you want to join us?"
"Well... it's... Kate Marsh."
"Oh? Her? Why?"
"Because I trust her. And I don't want to keep this a secret from her. She needs to know." I said.
"... Alright. But you're gonna be the one who will explain your powers to her."
"Alright, deal." I said.
"We're gonna sneak into Blackwell tonight, to find any answers about Rachel." Chloe said.
Now that, I was unsure of. "U-Um... Are you sure you wanna do that? I don't want to get in trouble..."
"Yeah, but don't you want to find out where Rachel is, too?"
"..." I sigh. She had a point. "Fine. We'll sneak into Blackwell tonight."
"Awesome. Get some good rest. And make sure to set an alarm at 9AM. You don't want to forget, do you?"
"Right. I'll do that. See you tonight, Chloe."
"See ya." She hung up. After she did that, I set my alarm to set off at 9AM. I sigh softly.
"Tonight... I'm gonna find some answers about Rachel's disappearance. And make sure Kate joins in, as well. I will have to explain my powers, though... That's probably gonna be awkward..." I let out a yawn. "But until then... I deserve a good, long rest..." I slowly close my eyes, drifting off to a deep, peaceful slumber.
A/N: And finally, FINALLY, Out of Time concludes. I apologize for not getting this chapter published as soon as I thought I would. It's just that.. well... I've got nothing to blame but my procrastination. I'm sorry... Oh, by the way, in case you were wondering, no, Victoria will not be a romantic option for Jace. There will be ship tease here and there, but that's it.
But enough about that, now we're getting into the bigger plot of this story. And with Kate included, too. Yeah, in case you didn't figure it out, Kate is pretty much the Warren of this story. Only more likable and more involved with the plot. So, the story will have a romance subplot added in. Who will Jace end up with? You'll see.
But anyway, onto Episode 3: Chaos Theory!