Hey guys, welcome back. Some of these chapters will overlap, aka the same scenes with different perspectives. Hopefully, it'll be clear enough when that happens.

Chapter Four: Coup d'état

Rachel's POV

After the bell rang to signal class was over for the day, I got out pretty quickly. If I hung around too long, Mark Jefferson would find an excuse to stop me leaving. As much as I loved pissing Victoria off by monopolizing his time, I had other things to do. Make the rounds and catch up with people. Everyone knew who I was at Blackwell and most of them were up for a chat. The majority of the Vortex Club members were cool enough, minus Victoria and her minions. Taylor seemed a little more approachable than Courtney. Not much, though. Nathan was… a little trickier. Some days, he would talk my ear off. Other days, he was very quiet and sometimes he was frustrated, easily angered. Best time to talk to him was when he was high, chilled out. Then again, that could apply to most people. In fact, when it came to guys like Hayden, I wasn't even sure if I'd talked to him when he was completely sober. Dana was nice enough, always seemed to have a smile on her face, cheerleading suited her, and she loved to gossip, again a trait that could apply to all students at Blackwell. Then you had Juliet, always looking for her next big story and not above unorthodox ways of getting it. She sure was persistent. The jocks, like Zachary and Logan, seemed focused on only two things, sport and girls. You would be in for some quality grade bro talk hanging with them.

As far as other students went, there were serious photo geeks like Evan. He took himself way too seriously, but he had the talent to back up the pretentious aura. Daniel was sweet enough, always busy drawing. Brooke was… an interesting one. Pretty hostile to everyone, maybe with the exception of one person - Warren Graham, the walking definition of science nerd. There were the quiet ones, like Kate and Alyssa, Stella too. Those three couldn't be much different otherwise if they tried. Kate ran some sort of religious study group, not that I would probably go. Maybe curiosity would get the better of me one day. As for Alyssa, she was pretty anti-social, always had her head stuck in a book. She seemed like the type who wouldn't take shit, though. Stella was a homework machine, taking her studies very seriously.

Once I'd briefly checked in with anyone who needed to be, I made my way back to the dorm room. Maybe I should go and personally introduce myself to our latest dorm mate if she was in when I got back. The sooner we got acquainted, the better. With that thought in mind, I climbed the stairs hearing a familiar voice getting louder. Victoria… sounded like she was chewing someone out. I couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor soul who had crossed her. Not everyone was as skilled at dealing with her as me, take poor Kate Marsh as an example. She'd only just started out and was already on Victoria's radar.

Keen to see who had inspired her wrath this time, I pushed the door and entered the girl's' dorm hallway. Victoria was stood down the other end, blocking my view of who she was intimidating. Given the position in the corridor, probably Max. Time to act the hero.

Confidently sauntering up to and catching the tail end of the conversation, definitely a shakedown, I interrupted. "Already trying to terrorize the new girl? Give her a break, Vicky."

At the sound of my voice, Victoria swiveled around to glare at me. A head poked out from behind the scowling blonde, identical to the pictures I had been browsing on Max's profile the other day. She looked very helpless right now, resigned to her fate.

"I told you not to call me that," Victoria hissed menacingly, her eyes narrowing at my presence. If looks could kill...

Shrugging, I tried to look as disinterested as possible. "Eh, you say a lot of things. You don't really expect me to listen to them all, do you?"

As expected, Victoria did not like that. It was a fifty/fifty chance as to whether she would lash out or storm off. Choosing the latter, not before giving both Max and I her most hate-filled glare, she turned sharply and headed back to her room. "I don't have time to spend with losers like you."

When her door slammed shut, I shook my head with a sigh. "Jeez, she seems especially pissed today. Bet she didn't like Mark even looking at someone else. Experience backs that guess up." Remembering that Max was still here, hard to tell when she was so quiet, I turned to her with my most charming smile. "Anyway, enough about her. I'm Rachel Amber, a pleasure to meet you, Max."

"Same."

I took a moment to really study her, see if the image I had in my head matched up. Confirming that it did, I broke the silence that had been accumulating between us. Seemed like Max wasn't one for starting conversations, duly noted. "I've heard a lot of things about you already, you know. Blackwell does breed gossip. Wanted to check how much of it was actually true."

"I don't think I even want to know what's been said," Max mumbled, looking genuinely disheartened from the prospect of rumors surrounding her.

"Nothing all that bad, I assure you." Knowing a sure-fire way to take her mind off things and test how easy it was to tease her, I allowed myself a slight smirk. "I'm glad you're as cute as they said, though."

Her eyes widened in shock, mouth opening as if she was about to say something, then closing again. The expression was priceless and I only wished I could get my phone out quick enough to snap a picture before it changed back. Although, the confused embarrassment that followed was a good enough substitute.

She cleared her throat, rubbing the back of her neck. "Uh… ha… um… th-thanks, I guess."

Noting that she was easily flustered, I took it down a notch. No need to be too aggressive for a first meeting. A slow build up would probably be the best approach for Max. Not too slow, though. Otherwise, she'd establish a solid comfort zone and take a lot more coaxing to push out of it.

"So, I hear you used to live here," I said, wanting to confirm if the information I'd dug up was true. You could never be too sure at Blackwell.

Seeming relieved for the change of topic, Max replied. "I did, yeah. A long time ago now. Not much has changed."

"Except maybe it's become more of a shithole than before?" I offered, finishing the thought for her.

"I wouldn't say it like that, but…" Max paused for a couple seconds, clearly trying to come up with another way of putting it and failing, "...yeah. Have you ever lived here? Aside from now, of course."

Normally, I wouldn't be so forthcoming with my personal life but a little wouldn't hurt to break the ice. "Nope, although I have spent a lot of time here over the years. I knew someone who lived close by, so I know the area pretty well." Not wanting to mention Chloe yet, I moved on quickly. "Anyway, I look forward to getting to know you better, Max. I'm in 224 if you want to come say hi. My door's always open for you."

"Thanks, uh, same goes for you." She awkwardly returned the offer, not knowing what she was getting herself into.

After we exchanged numbers, I grinned at her again then returned to my room. As far as first meetings went, that had been interesting. It seemed Max was already on Victoria's shit list, something she would probably need help dealing with. Given how socially awkward she appeared, she'd need all the help she could get. Hopefully, I had made enough of an impression on her. Not to brag, but I was a pretty difficult person to forget for several reasons. Just had to make sure to keep it up.

I flopped down on my bed, resting my hands on my stomach. My mind wandered back to earlier in class when Max was first introduced. She had that 'deer caught in the headlights' look, nervous and easily spooked. Once the initial internal freakout had died down, she had scanned the room, like she was trying to search for potential threats. When our eyes met, I could tell she wasn't sure what to make of me. That was the way I preferred it, anyway. There was also a flicker of curiosity, too. That might make things a little easier, to know there might be some initial interest from Max.

Idly checking my phone and seeing a ton of messages across the board, I started scrolling through to see if any were worth paying attention or replying to. That was when I remembered I have a new number to play around with. Best to start early with Max. Putting the rest off for now, I began texting at my usual lightning quick pace.

Rachel: I forgot, let me know if Icky Vicky bothers you again

Rachel: I'm pretty good at fending her off

Rachel: Today was nothing. You haven't even seen my best moves yet ;)

After the initial message spam, I let it sit for a few seconds tending to the others in the meantime. I didn't have to wait too long for a response.

Max: Thanks, Rachel. I appreciate the offer. I would say the same, but… I suck with confrontation

It seemed that my last vaguely suggestive message hadn't put her off, so I decided to push just a little bit more.

Rachel: No worries. Leave her to me

Rachel: I'm sure you're good at other things

Rachel: Can't wait to find out what

Figuring that should be enough for the moment, I finished off checking through all the other messages. It usually took me a while to get through them all, but I'd learned to prioritize. Some people expected quick responses, the Vortex Club crew being such contacts. Others were slow to reply themselves, so I could get away with leaving them longer. Never too long, though. As I was scrolling through I came to a conversation thread I hadn't added to in months… the one between me and Chloe. The last message the bluenette had sent wasn't even all that significant, just the usual. I had tried texting her a few times soon after she had disappeared, trying to find out where she was. Called her, too. I never did receive an answer, though.

Trying not to dwell, I put the phone on the bedside table and let out a soft sigh. It was way too early to sleep and I didn't feel like starting the mountain of work. Instead, I heaved myself off the bed grabbing a jacket on the way out of my room. Maybe a quick walk would help clear my head. There were very few people left hanging around campus, most having returned to their rooms. A few stragglers remained, taking full advantage of the time before curfew. Not surprisingly, the skaters were still out and about. When Justin saw me, he waved for me to come over. Not having anything better to do, I took him up on the offer.

He grinned as I approached. "Didn't think I'd be seeing you out and about now. Guess there are no VC parties going on."

Taking up my usual spot on the low wall, I got comfortable. "There sure isn't. Otherwise, you know I'd be there."

"And that Victoria would be there to make you feel oh so very welcomed," Trevor mentioned, knowing how explosive things could get with us both in the same room. A fight just waiting to happen.

Justin joined me on the wall, moving his skateboard around with his foot. "She needs to get a hobby or something, other than getting pissed at you."

Enjoying the mental image that thought brought, I grinned to myself. "I'm sure that suggestion will go down well."

Trevor too was smiling. "Let me be there when you tell her that, Justin."

"Dude, I'm not suicidal. No way am I going anywhere near her if I can help it. Let alone talking," Justin stated outright, not even giving it a second thought.

Always looking for an opportunity to tease, I nudged his shoulder. "Aw, don't be like that. It could be fun. You don't know until you try. Could be the start of a budding friendship."

Justin gave me a funny look. "Pfft, you must be even higher than me to consider that a possibility."

"I can't see her highness stooping so low as to interact with the commoners," Trevor added sarcastically.

Yet again entertained by the mental image, I grinned. "It'd be treason to even suggest such a ridiculous notion."

"It never ceases to amaze me how everyone just kinda accepts her running that asshole social club. How many people actually like her?" Justin asked, sounding very confused about the whole set up.

"Not nearly as many as she thinks," Trevor replied matter-of-factly. The things people said about Victoria behind her back… it was almost sad. Almost.

Justin turned to me, readjusting his baseball cap. "You'd do a much better job, Rach. People actually like you."

If I wanted to, I could quite easily get the support. Enough people had an ax to grind with Victoria and would be more than happy to see her dethroned. The hard part wasn't support. "Thanks for the vote of confidence. The main problem is Nathan. If he wasn't so close with her, she wouldn't have as much hold. Since the Prescotts basically fund the whole thing…"

"Always comes down to money," Justin mumbled to himself, sounding annoyed.

Not wanting to completely dash his hopes and dreams, I shrugged. "Maybe one day I'll stage a coup. If I ever have an afternoon free and feel bored enough."

Trevor nodded, approving the potential rebellion. "Count me in."

"Hell yeah!" Justin exclaimed. "I might not actually hate the Vortex Club then."

"We'll see what happens." As fun as the idea sounded, there were other smaller projects I had to work on, Max being the main one. If I played my cards right, which I always did, getting her on side might be just as interesting if not more so. The possibilities were endless and I planned to thoroughly explore as many as I could.

Will Rachel ever manage to overthrow Victoria? How will Max feature into her plans, if at all? Keep reading to find out.