Now, for the aftermath of the Victoria showdown. This should be fun *rubs hands together with anticipation*.

Chapter Eight: Trials of Trust

Rachel's POV

As I watched Kate keep a tight grip on Max, I began wondering something. While Max seemed against the confrontation, she had that familiar glint in her eyes. It was one I knew well enough, especially from Chloe. The thrill of risk. That was an addictive a drug as any, a natural high. Some people craved that sensation of invincibility. Maybe Max wasn't a totally lost cause after all. There was potential, all I had to do was gently tease out that wilder side. It wouldn't happen overnight of course, but it was there somewhere just waiting to be unleashed.

Once Kate was calm enough to speak properly, she shot Max an apologetic glance. "I think I need to go lie down for a while, sorry to cut our tea session short."

Max shook her head, waving away the unnecessary apology. "Don't be sorry. I could probably do with a rest too. Things got a little crazy there."

"You think that's crazy you clearly haven't spent enough time around me," I added with a smirk. Over the years, I had gotten involved in some really insane shit. What Max had been through, that was an everyday interaction between me and Victoria.

Turning to me, Max rolled her eyes. "You make it sound so tempting. I'll just drop Kate off, gimme a sec."

I stepped aside, motioning towards the door. "Be my guest."

Nodding, Max grabbed the kettle that had fallen to the floor during the incident and led Kate back to her room. There was a large wet patch on the grimy carpet from the spilled water, nothing too serious. As far as Kate went, the poor girl was shaken but unharmed, always a plus. Max too was fine.

I decided to hang around for a while, leaning against the wall. A few moments later, she exited Kate's room shutting the door softly.

"She okay?" I asked, genuinely concerned for her. Kate wasn't like me, she couldn't handle too much of Victoria at one time. Not many people could.

Max glanced back over her shoulder. "Kate's stronger than she looks. It was just a shock to the system for her."

"Victoria's certainly that. She comes on strong. I'm surprised more of our spats don't turn physical." We had come close several times, but Victoria was much weaker in her fighting game than insults. I was well versed in both areas.

Max looked away guiltily then. "Yeah…"

Sensing something bigger at play here, I crossed my arms. "Alright, I know that look. What's going on?"

"N-nothing…" Max stuttered, making herself sound even more guilty than she already looked.

Not believing that for a second, I took her by the wrist and dragged her back to my room. She didn't resist, letting me guide her back. Once inside, I closed the door and sat her down on the bed. She did her best to look everywhere but at me.

Now we were alone, I pressed harder. "Now, let's try again, shall we? You're hiding something. I know it, you definitely know it. So, 'fess up."

"I'm totally fine," she insisted, weaker than before.

I scoffed at that, knowing for a fact that she wasn't telling me the whole story. "Bullshit. I've been putting up with Chloe's half-assed lies for years, and she's much better at it than you."

After a few moments of silence and a resigned sigh, Max shook her head. "There's no point. You won't believe me. Shit, I don't believe it either. You'll just laugh or something."

Clearly, this was bigger than I had first anticipated. "Try me. Whatever this is seems to be stressing you out. I promise I'll take it seriously, okay? Just trust me on this. Take a chance."

Letting out a deep sigh, Max began wringing her hands. "Fine, okay. One chance."

"Got it. So, come on. Out with it," I pressed firmly, wanting answers.

Considering something in her mind, Max finally gave in. "I'm gonna have to backtrack a bit to explain, back to the car crash I was involved in."

So long as I go to hear the secret, I didn't care how long it would take. "Okay, if you need to."

Still not totally convinced, Max began hesitantly. "Okay, okay. I was on my way to Arcadia with my parents. We were driving down a road and… some jackass tried to overtake on a tight corner. Bad enough, but someone was already driving on the other side. Oncoming collision with jackass, other car and the one I was in. Just when I thought we were all going to smack into one another… I woke up? I guess that's what you might call it. We hadn't had the accident… yet. It took me a second to realize what the hell was going on. Knowing the crash was coming, I warned my dad and we hit a tree instead. I black out, wake up in hospital slowly remembering what happened. Turns out I had more than a vision. The crash happened, but I… rewound it." She frowned, staring at her right hand. "It's not a one-off thing, either. I've tried several times and… same result."

I certainly hadn't been expecting this. It seemed impossible, but I wasn't about to dismiss her. "How does this relate to Victoria?"

"I… shit, the first time I did that whole scene there… I slapped her," Max admitted, hanging her head.

My eyes went wide, both shocked and impressed. "Holy shit! You slapped Victoria, Victoria fucking Chase?"

Max nodded sheepishly, not looking at me. "Not my proudest confession, but yeah. I did."

I nearly had a major freak out right then and there. If only I could remember that, I would never need another gift in my life. "And you rewound? You'd have been a goddamn hero around here, Max."

"An expelled hero, yeah," Max corrected, biting her lip. "So, you believe me?"

That was a complicated question. I tapped my chin with my finger, thinking it over. "Well, I don't see a reason why you'd make something like that up. You don't seem like the type to bullshit for attention. And you don't seem to be totally crazy, either. Still, it's insane."

"Believe me, I know. I can prove it if you want," Max offered, clearly wanting me to believe her, to get some reassurance.

That prospect got my mind whirring. "Oooh, that could be fun."

A flicker of fear entered Max's eyes at my reaction. "Now I'm officially retracting that offer."

I nudged her shoulder coaxingly. "Aw, come on, Max. Please, just one time. I don't think you're lying to me, but it'd be nice to see you in action."

"One thing," Max stated firmly.

"Let me make it a good one. Let's see…" it didn't take long for a brainwave to hit me, a huge grin plastered to my face, "oooh, Max. Have I got a good one for you."

Max gave me a long stare, looking very nervous all of a sudden. "I feel like I should be worried."

"Just hear me out first." Still grinning, I leaned in closer to her ear, whispering my idea.

Her eyes widened, cheeks reddening as I relayed my plan. "No, no way. I can't do that. That's…"

Having expected some resistance, I had sound reasoning to back up my crazy plan. "Don't be such a pussy, Max. Shit, you have a gift that you can use for the greater good. I could do with a good laugh, we all could, and Kate needs something too. If we do this, she'll get the pressure taken of her. Guaranteed."

"What if we get caught?" Max asked anxiously.

There was no way we could get caught if Max was telling the truth. "Puhlease, Max. With your rewind thing, this plan is flawless. If anything, it'll come back to me and trust me, a certain someone won't want this becoming a big deal. I'm on the shit list anyway, doesn't matter. Live a little."

"I cannot believe I am even considering this…" she groaned, rubbing her face with her hands.

Wanting her to be committed to this plan, I continued my persuasion. "Look, you're not even doing the hard part. That's my job, and I'm going to enjoy it. Your part in this isn't even that bad, Max. This is child's play for you. All you gotta do is work your magic. You could do my role if you really want. Wouldn't blame you."

"No thank you," Max quickly interrupted, making a face.

I knew she would say something to that effect. "Well, then there's nothing to complain about. It'll take like five minutes at most."

Her brow furrowed as she looked at me. "Wait, you want to do it now?"

Not wanting to give her chance to back out, I nodded. "No time like the present."

"But… how?"

Desperate to do this now, I reassured her that this would be easy. "Simple, you just need to work on that sneaky ninja rewind and get in place. I'll do my thing and you do yours. We both get out and we're golden. She won't even see it coming."

"Won't it seem… odd?" she sounded particularly worried now.

Admittedly, something might not add up down the line but the plan would still work out fine. "Who cares. Logic and shit don't matter. We'll have something much more valuable. Proof. Nobody can deny cold, hard evidence. Not even our resident bitch, who will be our bitch quite literally after this. It's the perfect plan."

In a last-ditch attempt to dissuade me, Max asked, "Doesn't it seem a bit… over the top?"

Ready to get her fully on board, I played my trump card. "You consider Kate a friend, don't you? You want to help her, keep her happy?"

"Of course I do," she replied without hesitation.

She was falling right into my hands now and I planned to keep her there. "This will solve that. Maybe even permanently. Reputation is everything and this… this is going to be the ultimate humiliation. The perfect blackmail. Don't you see what this could start? This could be the end of the Victatorship. Forever."

Giving me an appreciative look, Max smiled. "For that pun alone, I'm inclined to agree to this whole plan."

"Is that all it takes to get you to do something, Caulfield?" I asked, a hint of flirtation in my voice. "If so, expect more amazing puns on the way."

Doing her best to ignore the not-so-subtle advances, she sighed and stood up. "Right, well, let's just get this over with then."

Without warning, I gave her a tight bear hug nearly lifting her off the ground. "You are literally the most amazing person to have ever existed, Max. I am so tempted to just marry you on the spot."

Once her feet were on solid ground, she shook her head. "Oregon is a bit behind on your proposal."

"I'm not usually one who gives a shit about rules. Besides, it's just a bit of paper. Real marriage is in here." I placed a hand on my heart, trying not to break down into a fit of giggles.

Eyebrows raising suspiciously, Max crossed her arms. "Now try saying that with a semi-serious face."

"I'm totally serious here, as always. Anyway, marriage plans can wait. We have bigger fish to fry." Excited by my newly hatched plan, I grabbed onto Max's wrist again and yanked her out into the hallway.

She tugged back, trying to loosen my grip. "I can walk you know."

"Then do it before I decide to carry you over my shoulder, cavewoman style." I let her go and we continued down the hallway until we reached a specific door, room 221. Rubbing my hands together and grinning so broadly my face was starting to hurt, I turned to Max. "You know how long I've been waiting to do something like this? Basically from the very first week of my time at Blackwell. I cannot wait to see Victoria's face, both during and after."

"You are getting too excited about this," Max noted.

I shook my head, waggling my finger at her. "No, you aren't getting excited enough. So, all you need to do is get in there using you time magic and wait for me to work my magic. It won't take long and since you're the bonafide photographer here, I'll trust your judgment on shots. Make it a good one."

Sighing, she looked at the door before decisively entering inside. When I didn't hear anything, I assumed she was successful. That rewind would come in handy for so many situations. First on the list, getting even with Victoria Chase. Figuring that Max should be in place by now, I confidently knocked on the door. When nobody answered, I bashed on it again.

"Wait a fucking minute…" Victoria grumbled from behind the door, footsteps shuffling inside as the door opened. When she saw me, she scowled. "And what the fuck do you want?"

I held my hands up in defeat. "I had a chat with Max and she went all moral on my ass. Even if you were being a huge bitch, I shouldn't have threatened you." Victoria seemed very confused by my apology, as expected. "So, I came here to apologize and delete the video with you watching."

Since she hadn't slammed the door shut on me, she must be at least a little interested. "You could have made copies."

"Like I had time. I'm trying to be nice here. Don't expect it to last. Take it while you can. There's a few things I want to say, so… can you let me inside?" I could force my way in but that might bring complications.

She stood there, sizing me up before a decisive flicker entered her eyes. "One minute. That's all you get."

I smiled at her, bursting with excitement. If only Victoria knew what was about to happen... "That's all I need."

Reluctantly, Victoria stepped aside to let me in. Not giving her the chance to backtrack, I entered her room and sat down on her bed. She sighed, joining me a second later. "Well, now's you're-"

I didn't give her the chance to finish. Before she even realized it, I had pinned her down on the bed, my face now inches from hers. She was totally stunned, not expecting it in the slightest. I tried hard to remember the expression, take a mental picture in as much detail as possible, before I leaned down and kissed her. I didn't hold back at all.

Victoria was way too stunned to even react, which worked for me. I heard the snap of a photo being taken, knowing that Max had done her job. It only took a moment for the Queen Bee's brain to kickstart and for her to struggle.

I pulled back, grinning at her. "You don't know how long I've been wanting to do that. You might be a fucking cactus personality wise, but you're still hot. At least you have that going for you."

The next part was the best bit, watching her face go from bewilderment to rage. I'd never seen her so angry before. I heard the door shut behind me, Max having left. Now to see if her powers were in fact real. Either way, this next part would be ridiculously fun.

Never a dull moment with Rachel around, huh? Have an awesome day and see you next time.