Chapter Thirteen: Practice Run

Max's POV – Earlier the Same Day, Late Morning

Surprisingly, I managed to get up on time to meet with Kate. I set my alarm for a good hour before I needed to go, and Kate sent me a few reminder texts, too. Getting a quick shower and putting on my daily armor, I stuffed my camera in my bag and headed on out. At least the weather seemed to be holding out, not too cold for this and no rain.

Kate was already there waiting, waving when she spotted me. I noticed she was carrying around a full backpack and another plastic bag for good measure. "Max, glad to see you could make it."

Accepting the hug she offered, I smirked. "Hard not to when you text spam."

"It's a necessary evil with you," she countered with her own smile as we broke apart.

"Touché," I conceded, not really having a valid argument to protest. "So, where are we headed?"

"That's a surprise you'll find out soon enough," Kate added with a cheeky grin.

I managed a smile of my own. "Ah, so cruel keeping me hanging."

Before either of us could speak further, the bus pulled up outside Blackwell. Exchanging smiles, we got on and took one of the sets of seats in the middle. I pulled out my music player, offering an earbud to Kate, who graciously accepted. A gentle guitar strum and haunting voice began to play, belonging to the song 'Crosses'. When a few more people got on, the bus left. We chatted idly, passing the time with ease as we listened to the chilled out playlist.

Soon enough, we reached our destination: the forest. Kate already knew me too well. "I should've known."

"Well, not many other places in Arcadia Bay worth picnicking at," she pointed out. "I'm hoping we can get a few good pictures today. I assume you've brought your camera."

I pulled my old camera out of my bag, showing it off. "What kind of photographer would I be without it?"

"Probably a bad or forgetful one…" a flicker of mischief entered her hazel eyes, "…of which you are the latter."

I gasped melodramatically, feigning offense. "Such a backhanded compliment. Not what I was expecting from someone like you, Ms. Marsh."

"I'm full of surprises," she chuckled as we headed deeper into the trees.

Following her, I shook my head. "As I'm beginning to see."

We pressed ahead, finding a nice quiet spot to set up our birthday tea banquet. I helped Kate put a blanket down and organize everything. Before long, we had it all under control. Pouring some tea from a flask, she passed me a cup.

"Would you care to partake in this humble cup of tea, Madam Caulfield?" Somehow, Kate managed to keep a straight face, putting on a stupidly posh accent.

"Indeed, Madam Marsh, I am quite parched." Unfortunately, my composure didn't last long, bursting into a fit of giggles almost the second the words left my mouth. "Sorry, I can't do that for too long."

"So I can see. Such unbefitting manners of a young lady," Kate replied, sticking out her tongue.

"Say you!" I exclaimed, nudging her shoulder before wiping tears from my eyes. "And stop before I really hurt myself from laughing, okay? My lungs need a break."

Returning back to her normal voice, Kate grinned. "Only for you, Max."

I cupped the mug in my hands, taking in the subtle blend. "Ooh, this one's new."

"So glad you noticed. I thought I'd switch it up a bit since this is a special occasion," Kate explained, pouring herself a cup too.

Taking a sip, I let out a content sigh. "I highly approve."

My eyes wandered hungrily over to the snacks Kate brought along, all kinds of goodies. "I'm so glad one of us was prepared. I skipped breakfast."

Kate watched me examine my food choices. "You always do from what I've seen."

"Only because I can't be bothered to get my ass out of bed more than five minutes before class most days," I revealed, tucking in.

"Good things it's not a school day, then." She too grabbed a few things from the vast display, chomping happily. As she did, she scanned her surroundings. "Alice would love it here. All the greenery and space."

I took a moment to do the same, look at all the nature just right at my feet. "Probably. Then again, who wouldn't? Especially with such good company."

Kate rolled her eyes playfully. "Oh stop it, Max."

"Hey, who said I was talking about you?" I mentioned with a smirk.

"Well, unless you have an invisible friend I don't know about…" She looked at me expectantly, waiting for either confirmation or denial.

"For all you know I could," I protested, crossing my arms.

"Do you?" she asked, eyes fixed on mine.

As hard as I tried, I couldn't keep the oncoming grin at bay. "...no. Who needs invisible friends when I have you?"

Shaking her head, Kate chuckled softly. "Are you trying to make me blush? If you are, it's going to take more than that."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Kate had such a soothing presence. Whatever bullshit I had been through during the day quickly vanished when she was around. Whenever she smiled, I found myself doing the same regardless of how I felt. She was so different from people like Rachel and Chloe – who were always looking for trouble.

"What are you smiling at, Caulfield?" Kate asked, sounding a little suspicious.

I shrugged, giving her an innocent grin. "Just having fun, that's all."

"Well, good, that was the point. I am, too." She returned my grin with a smile of her own. "Speaking of fun… want to tackle gifts?"

"Duh. I'll go first if you want." I fumbled around in my bag, taking out a small paper bag and handing it to her. She took it from me, carefully taking the present out – a white and black rabbit keychain. "I know you were talking about trouble finding your keys and this reminded me of Alice a little so..."

Before I could ramble too much, Kate looked up and smiled. "Thank you, Max, this is perfect. I love it. I'll hold off on the hugs until I give you your present." She searched through her belongings, pulling out a sheet of paper. "Here."

Curious, I took it and turned it over, smiling immediately when I realized what it was. Kate had done me an amazing drawing in her usual adorable cartoony style. There were two characters – who I assumed were supposed to represent us – having a wail of a time. The central and largest drawing had them hugging, the rest full of smiles and fun.

"Kate, this is… I don't think I have the words. Thank you so much." I set the drawing down carefully, giving her a hug. "Best birthday ever."

Kate returned the hug just as firmly. "Hey, quit stealing my lines."

When we both broke apart, we were grinning from ear to ear. I knew spending time with Kate would be awesome, but it still exceeded my expectations.

Blackwell - Later

Still on a high from my amazing afternoon with Kate, I made my way to Rachel's room. I had promised her my evening. When I entered her room – she insisted I just drop the knocking door act and stride in like I owned the place – she was waiting.

"Soooooo… how'd it go with our resident cutie?" she asked with a smug smirk.

"You mean Kate?"

She came over to pat me on the back. "Who else would I mean? Well, there might be one other person deserved of such a title." Maybe I was imagining it but… I had a sneaking suspicion I knew who she meant by that. "In this instance, I am referring to Kate."

I felt the smile return at the memory of today. "It was really great. We had a tea banquet in the forest and exchanged birthday presents. Kate did me an awesome drawing. She's super talented." Certain that Rachel would understand the appeal, I fished the drawing out to show her.

Carefully, she took it from me, examining. "You're right. That is so adorable. I'm kinda jealous. You'd better put it up on display." She handed it back to me.

"I'm going to. Might get a frame for it first…" I muttered to myself as I put it back in my bag.

"Well, I'm glad to hear you had a good time. And the fun don't stop just yet." The way Rachel smiled tipped me off before she even had the chance to move; she had something planned and I might need some convincing.

She moved away for a moment, coming back with two bottles. It didn't take a genius to work out what was inside. "We're… drinking?"

Sighing, scarily similar to the way Chloe used to when I hesitated at one of her childhood harebrained schemes, she waved the bottle in front of my face. "Come on, Max. If you don't try it, how will you ever know if you like it or not? It's your birthday for fuck's sake, the perfect time to cut loose. And I promise, I won't tell anyone if that's what you're worried about. What happens in this room stays right here."

I had to admit, Rachel made a convincing argument… Giving it some thought, I decided to give it a shot. Drinking was nothing compared to what I had done recently. "Fuck it."

"Whoa, slow down there. No rush or anything," Rachel warned, too late.

The cheap beer taste assaulted my senses, face crumpling. "It tastes kinda…"

"Shit?" Rachel suggested. "Yeah sorry, tried to get the best stuff I could. Not great considering my limited budget. You'll get used to it in no time once it starts numbing your taste buds."

"How… reassuring."

Once again, Rachel joined me on the bed. "If anyone needs a drink, Max, it's you. I'm not selling beer as the magical cure to end all problems, but it helps take the edge off." We drank in silence for a few moments. "So how you feeling?"

It was hard to put into words, an unfamiliar feeling. "Weird… kinda fuzzy? Warm, very warm."

Rachel chuckled at that. "I don't start feeling that until like my third beer now. Oh the simple days when getting drunk was cheap."

"You drink a lot?"

She shrugged. "Hmm… not all the time. When I do drink, I really go for it. Now, you should've seen Chloe at it. She was a pretty loud and obnoxious drunk, more so than usual anyhow." A smile crept onto her face, no doubt remembering some drunken escapades.

A memory of my own jumped to the forefront of my mind. "I remember one time we found some of Joyce's wine. Of course, Chloe wanted to try some. We ended up spilling it all over the carpet. Despite our best efforts… it was painfully visible."

Rachel grinned broadly. "Huh, Chloe's neglected to tell me that one. I bet you guys were bricking it."

"I sure was." I could still remember it like yesterday. "Joyce just found it funny, so did William. In fact, he nearly always found a way to bring it back to that and tease me."

"He sounds like fun."

William had been like a second dad to me or a really cool uncle. "He was. Gave Chloe a run for her money, that's for sure. Not many people can do that."

"I've seen that truth many times firsthand," Rachel announced. "They keep trying, though instead of graciously accepting defeat."

Feeling pretty good right now, I took another sip of beer. "You know, I have a feeling she probably met her match in you."

Swirling her drink, Rachel nodded. "You wouldn't be too far wrong there, Max. Some days, I think she appreciated the challenge."

"And other days?"

She sighed, smiling again. "It annoyed the fuck outta her. So competitive…"

That sounded like the Chloe I knew. "Guess that part of her didn't change."

"It probably got worse, and that girl cheated like hell. To be fair, so did I, but still… no such thing as a fair fight with Chloe Price." She seemed to get lost in memory for just a second. "Anyway, enough about that. I think it's present time, don't you?"

"I'm game."

I watched Rachel retrieve a small box. "Now, I put a lot of thought and effort into this so I hope you like it."

Taking the box from her, I opened it up and found a thin woven friendship bracelet, red and blue strands intertwined with a silver 'M' hanging from one alongside a small camera charm. I was honestly surprised, in a good way. "Shit, Rachel, this is awesome. Did you make this?"

Motioning for me to hand it over, she put it on my wrist and did it up for me. "You bet I did. I figured you'd be all over this sentimental shit… and I'm broke as fuck, so benefits both of us."

It looked even better on. "Thank you, Rachel. This is… the best."

After a few seconds, she spoke once more. "On top of that, I'll do what I usually do with Chloe: give you one request you can use as and when you want. Since we both blew our hard stolen dimes on weed and booze, it was much easier that way. If it's something I can do, I will. So, keep that in mind."

I glanced up at her, curious. "What kind of requests?"

"What, that Chloe asked for? Or that you can ask for?"

Honestly, both questions would be useful. "Both."

Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Rachel began her answer. "Chloe asked for all kinds of things with her special birthday requests. One year, she asked for some pictures."

"Pictures?" Seemed like a bit of a waste of a request to me.

"Yeah, 'special' pictures." She was clearly hinting at something. Knowing Rachel, something embarrassing. "Well, maybe if you ask for the same, you'll find out. Or you can try and find out where she stashed them in her room, good luck with that."

Eager to know more about my estranged childhood friend, I pressed for further information. "What else did she ask for?"

My inquisitive nature got Rachel smiling. "My, so curious. I'm not sure how Chloe would feel if I told you the rest. Let's just say, you'd be surprised and leave it at that."

Having exhausted that question, I moved on. "Okay, then what can I ask for?"

"The only limits are your imagination… and my own personal thresholds." It was getting increasingly difficult to decipher whether Rachel was being openly suggestive for a laugh… or if she was being serious. "Big choking point for me is obviously money, don't have much of that. Aside from that… I'm open for and able to do pretty much anything. Just make it worthwhile."

It would be easier to frame the question differently here. "Is there anything you definitely won't do?"

The blonde actually seemed to be thinking about that. "An interesting question… one Chloe certainly didn't ask. I'm all for risks, but if there is over a seventy percent chance that I'll die from it, I'm probably going to decline."

My eyes widened at the number. "Seventy?! That's… still really high."

My shock seemed to amuse her. "I'm not suicidal, but I am willing to leave it up to chance. The higher the risk, the bigger the rush, but there's no point going into something practically knowing it's impossible. No fun in that."

"Okay… anything else?"

Her expression shifted to something much more distant. "Yes, but… we'll worry about those later if they do come up. It might not even apply to you. There was a request Chloe was particularly fixated on, as many times as I denied it."

"Was it really that bad?" I asked, unable to guess what it might be.

Exhaling deeply, Rachel shrugged. "Not bad per se… if I'd have done what she asked, it would've been a lie. I don't think that's the best use of the request for either of us. Not that she saw it like that… I'll let you know when you want to use it, though. I'm curious to see how, honestly. So get creative and all. Oh, and there's one more thing I had in mind, something for luck."

"Yeah?"

She offered me that plotting grin I was starting to get accustomed to. "Want it?"

I narrowed my eyes slightly, skeptical. "What is it?"

"Max… humor me. Please. Eyes closed and don't move," she instructed.

That sounded… ominous. "What happens if I move?"

Growing tired of my constant questions she sighed. "It won't work, that's what happens. Now, stop asking questions and do it."

Only one way to find out. "Okay, so…"

I felt something at my lips, silencing me. Her finger, perhaps. "Max, just… chill out for a sec. Some things don't need words. Whatever question you're about to ask, it'll get answered."

My vision lost, I sat there patiently waiting. When I felt something on my hands, I jumped slightly, earning me a chuckle from Rachel. Before I could ask what she was doing I felt something else at my lips, definitely not a finger this time.

I opened my eyes, finding her so close to me. Did she just…?

"So, feeling luckier now?" she asked in a low voice. I couldn't utter a single word, frozen to the spot. Smiling at my speechlessness, she patted my cheek. "Well, you can get back to me on that."

It took a few seconds for my short-circuited brain to come back online. "W-wait, what…?"

"Hmm…" The sound was curious, almost mockingly so.

"I… why?" I stuttered, brain struggling to catch up. Had I dreamed all this up?

"Why, you ask…" Rachel tilted her head, stroking her chin, "Because I wanted to. Simple as."

"But…" My sentence was cut off before it could even begin.

Rachel took my cheeks in her hands to gently guide my head, hazel eyes boring into my blue ones. "Max, chill out. No need to get all worked up about a kiss, especially one like that. You almost look disappointed."

"Just… confused." I frowned, trying to wrap my head around it. I guess I'd noticed… certain things but surely that was just teasing. Even now could be some big joke to her.

"Aw, Max, come now. I thought I had been making things very clear. You surely can't be that oblivious." She put a hand over mine on the bed, leaning in closer. I could feel her warm breath on my skin, the smell of cheap beer lingering. "What I want must be crystal clear by now. Of course, if you're still not sure… I can show you."

My heart was pounding in my chest, throat going dry as I stared into those mesmerizing hazel eyes. The more I focused on Rachel, the more I noticed how pretty she was, especially this close. No, Max, not the time. Keep focused. This was obviously some… I barely even knew her and yet… damn it.

"So… need another hint?" Rachel prompted, looking very smug right now.

When I didn't say anything, she took that as a sign that I did. I seriously didn't know how to respond right now, my brain mush. She leaned in again, kissing me with more conviction this time, like she actually meant it. It lasted a couple of seconds longer before she pulled back, gauging my reaction.

"You know, some input from your end would be nice, Max. One way or another," she added playfully. "Gawping ain't doing you any favors. Hellooooo earth to Max… nod once if you comprende."

I could hear what she was saying, but my brain didn't want to process it – still stuck at square one. What was even going on right now? "You… huh?"

Waiting patiently for something just about understandable, Rachel brushed her fringe out of her eyes. "Oh, she speaks… sort of. Back from Lalaland?"

"No, I… don't think I am…"

One of her blonde eyebrows raised in wry amusement. "A sentence, such progress."

"What even… was that?" I managed to choke out.

"Pretty sure that's what us humans call a kiss, Max. Well, a tame one." Rachel was having too much fun at my expense. "It's what people do when they think other people are attractive, as a rule."

"That… makes even less sense. Why would… someone like you be…?" My question came out jumbled, lost in translation.

"Oh please, Max, modesty is great and all but… you have your charms, lots of them. Even if you can't see them. I happen to have great taste." She gave me a wink. "Now you've found your words, feedback would be nice."

"Feedback?" I repeated.

Rachel nodded like it was obvious. "Yeah, like, how'd you find it? I'm not gonna chase my own tail, go down a dead end. I got the feeling you didn't hate it, at least. Think I would've experienced that famous Victoria slap you told me about if you did."

"I… guess I didn't hate it, no," I admitted, trying to figure out how I did and should feel about all this.

You'd have to be blind not to notice how stunning Rachel Amber was. She was a celebrity in her own right; talented and smart. Anyone would be lucky to get her attention. I just… couldn't see why it was me. Out of everyone at Blackwell and beyond, why some introverted nerd? Rachel could probably have just about anyone. That was the part that didn't make sense. Add in the weird old as time confused feelings about Chloe… it made for a real tangle of conflicting emotions.

"Well, that's a start. There will be plenty more time to decide which side of the fence you want to pitch your tent in. I'm not going anywhere." Still very close to me, Rachel whispered, "Consider today a… practice run."

And so it begins...