Crimson and Clover
Chloe watched Max sleep as she ate. The carryout from Two Whales smelled delicious to her as she practically inhaled the french fries, her cheeseburger already gone. Dunking a few fries into a small pool of ketchup on the plate she had borrowed from the kitchen, Chloe watched the still form of Max Caulfield as she lay there, covers wrapped around her like a cocoon. After having kissed and held each other for what seemed like hours, Max had surrendered to her growing sleepiness. Chloe grinned at thinking how Max had playfully pulled Chloe into bed with her, only to pout at Chloe as she had climbed back out of the bed.
"Dude, I'm not tired," Chloe had said to the increasingly groggy Max, "Besides, I can't promise shuteye if I climb in there with you."
"Hmm," was all Max had said in return, eyelids drooping as her head started to nod. She's so cute, Chloe had thought, She's trying to stay awake. Maybe, if I grabbed her bottle from the coffee table... Mentally smacking herself upside the head, Chloe had opted to sit alongside the bed. Max had slid herself over so that she was sleeping on the edge that Chloe was leaning against, and ran small hands through Chloe's blue hair. Chloe remembered that she had lost her beanie but couldn't remember where it had gone to.
"Max?" Chloe asked.
"Yeah?" Max asked in return, yawning.
"...This is probably hella rude, but how can you afford this?" Chloe inquired, gesturing to take in the entirety of the apartment. Max had sleepily turned her head so that she took in the whole apartment and looked over at Chloe.
"It's Arcadia Bay, Chlo. Rent's pretty cheap. Besides, the building isn't exactly sparkling and I have money saved up. Grant money from photography projects, prize money from little indie awards here and there. I even have some cash from my parents after I stopped back in Seattle last year. I didn't want them to think I was dead," Max said, rattling things off half-asleep.
"Dude, you talked to your parents? How the fuck did that go?" Chloe asked, her brow furrowed with concern.
"I'm a runaway. How do you think it went? They already assumed I was dead, so when I showed up at their place my mom fainted and my dad just stared at me. I mean, if you take away the paleness...and the...other stuff, I'm...pretty much the...same...," Max said as she drifted off to sleep.
Chloe sat by the bed for another minute or so before moving to sit on the bed. Chloe had watched Max then, too, and how deathly still the sleeping girl was. Wow, she doesn't need to breathe. Of course she doesn't, Chloe thought as she pulled the bedding around Max. Chloe had grinned when Max sheepishly smiled in her slumber and wrapped herself up. Still Max Caulfield, blanket hog extraordinaire.
Chloe sat on the bed next to where Max was still sleeping now, eating her fries and drinking one of the waters Max had in her fridge. Chloe had peeked in the fridge again when she got back from getting food at Two Whales. Chloe had taken note that the freezer was only as cool as the fridge, filled to capacity with large jugs of dark red liquid. Chloe figured that the freezer was where Max stored her blood and had closed the door behind heras she made her way back to the bedroom area of the apartment. Chloe sopped up the last of the ketchup with the remaining soggy fry and placed the plate on a bedside table. Leaning down over the sleeping Max, Chloe softly kissed her on the forehead before pulling out her phone. Texting Max that she had taken off and would see her later, Chloe grabbed her jacket from the coat rack on her way out and made her way to the parking lot across the street.
Looking at the time displayed on the CD player of her truck, Chloe smirked as the display read 6:00PM. Joyce might be off by now, Chloe thought as she started the car, and she'll no doubt want the deets of my second meet-up with Maxaroni. She might flip her shit, when she hears what Max said to me. Then again, it'd be nice if she was just happy for me. Chloe grinned as she remembered Max telling her that she loved her, but the grin faltered for a moment when she also remembered Max saying that she wouldn't leave again. I've heard similar shit before. I want to believe it, I want to so bad!
"Fuck, I'm a mess," Chloe said as she looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were still a little puffy from all the crying, and Max had left a couple hickies. Chloe found her beanie in her jacket pocket and pulled it onto her head as she started the truck. Pulling out of the lot and onto the street, Chloe popped in a mix CD she had made and started up "New Day" from The Bouncing Souls. Chloe sang along as she drove through Arcadia Bay, turning up the truck's stereo while screaming "Changes coming our way, ooohhhh. Just like a new day..."
Chloe made her way to her family's house and sighed in relief as she turned off the stereo first, then the truck. David's car was nowhere to be seen, so she wouldn't have to describe in obsessive detail the comings and goings of her day. Chuckling to herself, Chloe practically leaped out of her truck, then caught herself in embarrassment as Joyce opened the door. Joyce grinned as she saw the bashful look on her daughter's face, Chloe not meeting her mother's eyes.
"Well, you certainly seem better than I remember seeing you this morning," Joyce said as she left the door open for Chloe to head inside, "I'm assuming you and Max made up."
"...and made out," Chloe said, unable to resist. Clamping her hands on her mother's shoulders, Chloe gave her mom a hug and flashed a grin.
"Well, that's...wait, did you say 'made out'?" Joyce asked, her expression one of confusion.
"Hella yes!" Chloe said as she danced along to where her music from the truck left off, nodding her head with a beat only she could hear, "We totally fucking made out, Mom! It was amazeballs!"
Chloe looked at Joyce as her mother began to realize what Chloe was saying. Giving Chloe a hug, Joyce patted her daughter on the back.
"Well. So she told you back, finally. I'm assuming this is where all your energy is coming from?" Joyce asked as she watched Chloe continue to move around the living room to music that was only in her daughter's head.
"Uh, no Mom. The awesome power of french fries and cheeseburgers have freed my soul. Truly, you are a miracle worker on the grill," Chloe said sarcastically, rolling her eyes but unable to stop smiling.
"Right, well, since you've already eaten...and since David said he was going to get-"
"Ugh, you had to bring him up? Dude, you're killing my epic high," Chloe said, abruptly stopping her groove.
"So I can be happy for you, but you can't be happy for me? Real nice, Chloe," Joyce said in frustration, "I know you two don't get along but I really wish you would try. David-"
"David is a fucking Nazi, with his orders and attitude and fucking guns. We all live together, but it doesn't mean I have to like him."
Joyce shook her head in resignation and walked into the kitchen, leaving Chloe to kick at the carpet in irritation before heading up to her room. Closing her door and sticking a magazine from one of her shelves under to block the door shut, Chloe made her way over to her desk band began to search through the drawers. Tossing out random odds and ends that she had forgotten she had, Chloe emptied out nearly every drawer in the desk before finding what she had been searching for. Blowing the dust off the old photo album, Chloe sat on at the foot of her bed and began flipping through the pictures of her and Max.
The beach, Two Whales, Max's backyard, Chloe's backyard - years and years of memories began to flood Chloe's head as she looked at each picture. Snickering, Chloe looked at one photo in particular. Chloe's 13th birthday, both her face and Max's covered in ice cream cake, laughing as they held up their cake-covered hands. I miss this, but I get a chance to have it again. Max is so different. Fuck, I know I'm hella different. What we have now is nice, but it's also new. I can't fuck this up, I won't. I won't let her fuck it up, either. Chloe closed the book, saddened as the memory of Max leaving Chloe's house for what Chloe had come to believe was the last time she would ever see Max returned. Chloe thought about lighting a joint, but opted not to. She didn't have much left and wanted to preserve her small stash. Thinking of the confrontation with Frank at the junkyard, Chloe wondered if he was still even in Arcadia Bay. She also wondered what Max had said to him.
Pulling out her phone, Chloe made the decision to message Frank and see if he was still in town. Slowly tapping on her screen, Chloe felt like shit as she contacted the guy who had nearly gouged out her eye last night.
Chloe: Dude, my stash is almost gone.
Frank: Fuck off. You're no longer my concern.
Chloe: C'mon, I will pay u back I swear.
Frank: Lose my goddamn number. Don't FUCKING contact me again.
"Ugh, goddamnit!" Chloe said as she tossed her phone behind her onto the bed. Pulling a fresh pack of cigarettes from the box under her bed, Chloe lit up and took a drag. Blowing a couple smoke rings as she felt herself wind down, Chloe's mind drifted to her dad. Remembering herself as a little kid, Chloe thought of the two of them blowing bubbles. Chloe remembered feeling so happy, so innocent, and took another drag as her father's face played across her mind. Shit, Dad, I wish you hadn't gone after Mom. I wish you had stayed home with me and Max, making pancakes and just being here.
Chloe opened her eyes with a start as she heard a tapping sound from her window. Realizing how dark it was in her room, she assumed that she had nodded off and stretched, not paying attention to the tapping sound. Standing up, Chloe brushed off the small amount of ash that had collected in the lap of her jeans and looked up at the window as a shadow blocked out what light was present in her room. Max? Chloe thought as she groggily made her way to her window and tapped back on the window, grinning playfully. Max gave her a smirk in response and just sat at the window, watching Chloe. Breathing on the glass, Chloe drew "Nerd" on the window and pointed at Max, chuckling. The chuckling turned into a giggle when she saw Max roll her eyes in reply and exhale onto the window as well. Chloe gave Max her best rendition of puppy eyes as Max finished writing "Let me in, dork" and leaned against the window.
"Booyah!" Chloe said with some energy as she suddenly opened the window the entire way, snickering as Max fell into the room and landed on the floor, "Oh, you should see your face. So fucking priceless."
Chloe held her sides in feigned laughter as Max stood up and brushed her legs off. Looking up at Chloe, Max gave her a sardonic look and pounced on Chloe, forcing the taller girl to catch her. Grinning at Chloe like she had won something, Max bumped her nose against Chloe's and kissed it, then nuzzled her face against Chloe's neck.
"Imma eat you!" Max whispered as Chloe's breath caught in her throat. Chloe nearly dropped Max, but the smaller girl caught her footing lightning quick. She's like a fucking cat, Chloe thought as Max put a hand on her shoulder, "Che, I'm kidding. Sheesh, I wouldn't eat you. Nibble, maybe, but not eat."
"Dude, we've entered a whole new world of fucking anxious humor. I say 'Eat me' and you'd probably say-"
"Good, 'cause I'm hungry," Max interrupted, flashing Chloe a toothy smile.
"Ugh, more puns for you to add to your collection. I feel a facepalm coming on, I swear," Chloe said, resigning herself to the smaller girl's arms as Max held her by the waist, "I just saw you not that long ago, Max. You miss me already?" Chloe grinned as Max shyly turned her face away.
"S-shut up. You missed me too, right? Right?" Max asked, poking Chloe in the sternum at the end of her question.
"I've missed you for a while, Max. I don't think I could ever get enough attention from you."
"Careful. I'm kinda immortal now, so I can technically take you up on that idea," Max said as she broke her hug and moved to the light switch.
Chloe watched as Max flipped the switch and then get frustrated as the ceiling light didn't turn on. Amused, Chloe walked over to the power strip along the wall and flipped it on, her bedroom suddenly awash in the colors of Christmas lighting. Chloe sat on the bed as Max snooped around, pausing every now and then to look at Chloe with a beaming expression as she found something from their childhood. God, she remembers everything, every goddamn thing. Our posters, my shitty old phone, everything. Chloe couldn't help but feel touched at how much she had been present in Max's thoughts during the time they had been apart. She's lucky she's a vampire, otherwise I might eat her up. Chloe blushed at that thought, and Max traipsed over to the bed after noticing the red color in the other girl's cheeks.
"Whatcha thinkin'?" Max asked as she sat next to Chloe and leaned up against her.
"Nothing, nerd. Never fucking mind," Chloe said, her cool tone disguising her nervousness, "So what brings you to 'Home Shit Home'?"
"Chloe, it's not that bad. You're house still looks nice, though your room is all kinds of fucked up," Max said reproachfully with a smirk.
"Hey! My style is fucking tight, Maxine Caulfield. Don't knock the Chloe Cave," Chloe said as she playfully punched Max on the arm.
"Ugh. It's Max, Chlo. Never Maxine," Max said as she stuck out her tongue, "You want to call me by a bunch of nicknames, I'm okay with that. But leave the '-ine' out of 'Max', okay?"
Chloe gave Max a grin in reply, Oh, that makes some great ammunition for later, and bumped her shoulder against Max's.
"Dude, what are you doing here?" Chloe asked, returning to the subject.
"I just wanted to see you, that's all," Max said innocently, "Sorry if it's a bad time."
"It's hella fine. I'm just curious as to why you didn't call me or something," Chloe said as she leaned back to lay on the bed.
"Spur of the moment kinda thing," Max replied, joining Chloe on the bed, "Awake...nothing better to do..."
"Fucking tease," Chloe said as she got up quickly to grab the photo album and lie back down next to Max, "Look what I found."
Chloe watched Max's eyes open wider as she began to flip through the old photo album. Watching as Max's eyes lit up with almost every picture made a little more of the hurt Chloe still felt from the abandonment go away. Just focus on now, Chloe. Max is here, with you, and you're...whatever this is. It's nice, so don't fuck it up! Watching as Max became misty-eyed from the nostalgia, Chloe closed the photo album and placed it back on the floor where it had previously been. Moving over to the stereo, Chloe turned the music on to where it was low enough that it wouldn't bother Joyce or David but loud enough for her and Max to hear.
"You like?" Chloe asked, gesturing to the stereo, "Does my musical taste have the 'Max Caulfield Nod of Approval?"
Chloe watched Max listen for a bit, swaying a little from side to side, then gave Chloe a thumbs-up.
"I'm Max Caulfield and I approve of this music. The Clash?" Max asked as she was suddenly over by the stereo, flipping through the CDs.
"Shit, I forgot that you do that," Chloe said, watching Max examine her music collection, "Can you warn me when you do that?"
"Do what?" Max asked with a puzzled expression.
"I...whatever that is, the moving so fast I can barely fucking register that you moved."
"You want me to let you know when I'm going to move?" Max asked with a smirk on her face, "Chloe, I'm about to stand up."
"Yeah, okay. It sounded better in my head-"
"Chloe, I'm going to look at the booklet in this CD."
"Ha ha, Max. Real-"
"Chloe, I'm going to carry you and we're going to watch the stars outside."
"Fucking Christ, Max, I get that...wait, what was that last one?" Chloe asked as she tried to remember what Max had just said. She didn't get the chance to think long.
Chloe covered her mouth to muffle the surprised noise she made when Max suddenly carried her bridal-style and slid out the open window. In a single jump from just outside Chloe's window, Max leapt up and landed gracefully on the highest point of the Price house's roof. Setting Chloe down, Max pulled out her phone and a set of earbuds. Selecting a song, she placed one of the earbuds in her ear and offered the other to Chloe. Chloe laid down next to the reclined girl on the roof and took the offered earbud. An acoustic guitar rhythm began was playing, the singer's tone soft, which made Chloe feel relaxed.
"What is this?" Chloe asked as she propped herself up with her elbows, thankful she was wearing her jacket on the rough-tiled roof.
"It's 'Crosses', by Jose Gonzales. Nice, right?" Max asked, oblivious to any pain from the roof tiles.
"Uh, not really my scene. But yeah, it's nice."
Chloe laid back again and pulled her beanie down so that the back of her head had some cushioning. Closing her eyes, Chloe let the soft melody clear her mind as her fingers intertwined with Max's.
"How long will you stay?" Chloe asked softly, the question unintentionally sounding like it had a double meaning.
"I'll stay till you fall asleep, and I'll see you tomorrow after that," Max whispered, kissing Chloe lightly on the cheek.
Chloe snuggled up to Max and laid her head against the shoulder of the other girl, sliding herself down a bit so that her height didn't put her at such a disadvantage. She smiled in contentment as she felt Max lay on her side and use her free hand to remove the beanie and run her cool fingers through Chloe's blue hair. Chloe didn't want this to end, the moment felt so perfect to her. Time seemed to stop for Chloe as the song repeated over and over. No Arcadia Bay bullshit. Just me and her, lying together under the stars. You get pretty fucking mushy sometimes, Chloe Price. It's Max, though, so it's okay.
Chloe felt herself drifting off to sleep and closed her eyes. Opening them back up after what felt like only a moment, Chloe found that she was lying in her bed. Looking up, Chloe watched Max tuck her in.
"You were asleep," Max said softly without looking to see if Chloe was awake.
"Mmm, no I wazzn'," Chloe said, half asleep.
"Shhhh, Che. Just close your eyes, and relax," Max said as she smoothed blue hair out from Chloe's face. Chloe grinned sleepily as she nuzzled her face against Max's hand.
"I...I don't...don't...," Chloe tried to say, but fell asleep with the last thing she saw being Max kneeling next to the open window.
"...shit!" Chloe said, sitting up with force as she woke up. Looking out the closed window, Chloe winced as the sunlight hit her right in the face, "Ugh, fuck you, Sun! Fuck you and your fucking fuck..."
Chloe pulled a blanket over her head for a minute before sitting back up again and reaching for her phone. Not feeling the familiar shape of it, Chloe looked at the bedside table to find it wasn't there. Stupid phone, Chloe thought as she reluctantly got out of bed. Stumbling around her room, Chloe searched through her jacket pockets but still came up empty. Stupid jacket, why don't you have my goddamn phone? Walking over to where her jeans were on the floor, Chloe found her phone shoved in one of the pockets. Clasping the phone to her chest in an expression of mock joy, Chloe stopped for a moment and looked at her pants. Wait, I don't remember getting undressed. Did Max undress me? Holy shit! Chloe felt her face redden as she looked down and saw the black boxers she had been wearing yesterday were still on. Oh fuck, she undressed me. Chloe rolled her eyes as she fell onto her bed face first.
"Chloe? You up?" Joyce asked from the other side of the door to Chloe's room, "I thought I heard something? You awake?"
"Ugh, yes, Mom. Despite the unholy hour for yours truly, I am fucking awake. What?" Chloe said, resting her arm over her eyes as Joyce walked in.
"I'm making breakfast, if you want some."
"...Is he down there?" Chloe asked, peeking from under her arm to look at Joyce.
"Yes, he is down there. If you don't want to sit with us, you can bring your plate up here. Just be sure to take it downstairs to the kitchen this time, okay?" Joyce asked, sounding a little annoyed.
Grumbling, Chloe followed Joyce down the stairs with her eyes squinting from the morning light and made her way into the kitchen. Seeing the griddle, Chloe silently cursed her growling stomach, which provoked a grin from her mother. Forking one, two, three pancakes onto a plate, Chloe walked over to the dinner table and grabbed the syrup.
"Good morning to you too, Chloe," David said in frustration as Chloe's arm passed across David's face to reach the syrup, "You could have just asked for the syrup."
David rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose as Chloe just grumbled in response. Setting the syrup down with a thud, Chloe dragged her feet back to the staircase and trudged up to her room. Closing the door behind her, Chloe sat at her desk and began to wolf down the breakfast her mother had made. Feel like a fucking zombie, Chloe thought as her mind began to clear from the sleep-addled fog, Mom hasn't made pancakes in a while. Huh. Stabbing piece after piece of pancake, Chloe chewed absentmindedly until the plate was empty save for a sticky imprint of syrup. Leaving the plate on the desk, Chloe crashed back down onto the bed and grabbed her phone off the bedside table. Whimpering slightly at the lack of new messages from Max, Chloe figured that she was probably asleep this time.
"Fuck. What should I do now?" Chloe asked herself aloud, rubbing her eyes as she finally woke up the rest of the way. It was Sunday, so half the businesses in town were closed. It was 9 in the morning, and she was rarely up this early. S'what I get for letting some cute, nerdy vampire in my room, Chloe thought. Her eyes widened and she slapped her hand against her neck only to sigh in relief at the lack of bite marks. She said she wouldn't eat me. She did say nibble, though. What the fuck is a nibble of a person? Am I going to wake up one morning to find a toe or finger gone? If so, I'd prefer a goddamn toe. Chloe snorted at her accidental rhyme. Sighing, Chloe opened her phone and sent Max a text.
Chloe: Hippie
Max:...
Chloe: Bloody fucking hippie nerd suckface
Max: I was sleeping :P
Chloe: NO EMOJI
Max: I will bite u, I fucking swear...
Chloe: *whimpers*
Max: Bad Chlo, bad!
Chloe: *puppy eyes*
Max: lol, what u want
Chloe: u
Max: I'm sleepin go away
Chloe: wake up
Max: don't make me cranky
Max: u wouldn't like me when I'm cranky
Max: I will text u when I'm more awake, so shhhh
Chloe: Come onnnn
Max: Shhhh I'm shutting my phone off shhhh
Chloe sent Max another text, but after a moment realized that she actually had shut off her phone. Goddamnit, Chloe thought as she tossed her phone toward her jeans on the floor. Taking a deep breath, Chloe sprung out of bed and went to the bathroom to shower and brush her teeth. I need to wash the dead girl off of me.
Chloe spent a while in the shower, long enough that when David went to take one after Chloe had gone to her room she heard David swear as he stepped into a spray of icy water. Snickering, Chloe had dressed in her white skull tank-top and a pair of military surplus cargo pants with her boots and slipped out the window, snatching her beanie off the desk right before David barged into her room. Chuckling as she climbed into her truck, Chloe started the ignition and burst into side-splitting laughter at the sight of a half-naked David sticking out of Chloe's window.
"Goddamnit, Chloe! I have to be at work in an hour!" David shouted from the window.
Rather than respond, Chloe started up her truck and revved the old engine up a bit. Pulling out of the drive, Chloe's throat started to feel sore as she continued laughing at the expression she had seen on David's face when he realized he was hanging out of a window half-naked. That was fucking priceless, emotional scars well worth the look on stepdouche's face. Fucking priceless.
Chloe headed to the old lighthouse that overlooked the coastline that Arcadia Bay was nestled against. Making her way up the trail after parking her truck, Chloe felt an unusual sensation welling up from inside her, a sense of peace. The sky was clear with a cool breeze coming off the ocean, and Chloe closed her eyes as she took in a deep breath. I actually feel good, for a change. Heh, fucking Max Caulfield, Chloe thought as an image of Max's smiling face came to mind. There was still some pain, and some fear, but Chloe mostly felt content when she thought of Max. What a difference a day makes, cliche and all. She swoops in, hella saves my life, and we fucking bond. If only her suckface weren't fast a-fucking-sleep.
Checking her phone for new messages, Chloe pocketed it back up after taking a quick glance at the blank screen. Lighting up a cigarette, Chloe made her way towards the hilltop when she heard voices coming from the direction of the lighthouse.
"-hear that Mr. Jefferson is bringing in some 'guest photographer' tomorrow to talk to us about the Everyday Heroes project. Some fucking cliche bitch, no doubt," a girl's voice said.
"No doubt, Victoria," another girl said, "Hey, don't hog it! We've only got a fifth of that vodka!"
Vodka? Shit, I get drunk all the time but I don't drink fucking hard shit before noon, Chloe thought as she peered behind the treeline right before reaching the clearing on the hilltop. Well, not usually.
"I don't know what her name is, but she's probably just some fucking tool," the rich-looking blonde said, rolling her eyes, "Some amateur shit who got lucky. I have real talent. Mark said so."
"I don't know, Victoria," a third girl said, brushing her bangs out of her face, "Dana went and saw her yesterday to schedule an appointment for a shoot. She told me the photographer looks pretty pro."
"Shut the fuck up, Taylor! What does Dana fucking know? She's still dealing with the mess between Zach and Juliet," Victoria said with a mischievous grin.
"I still can't believe you did that, Vic," Taylor said with a concerned tone, "That wasn't cool. Juliet really liked Zach, and Dana's just fucking naive."
"Shit was funny, so just shut it," Victoria snapped back.
The more Chloe heard the voices, the more she remembered the names and faces. Ugh, Vortexers, Chloe said as she palmed her face. I do not need this, not when today is starting off so well. Sighing out of frustration, Chloe moved out of the treeline and into the open hilltop. Immediately noticing Chloe, Victoria made eye contact in an instant.
"What the fuck do you want, a fucking picture?" Victoria asked as Chloe looked at the three girls leaning against the wall of the old shed, "Wait, I know you. You're Chloe Price, aren't you? Blackwell's most successful failure." Victoria laughed and Chloe gritted her teeth.
"Nice to fuck you, too. Bitch," Chloe said back, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "Why don't you and your den of shit go get wasted someplace else? It's still morning, you have fucking time."
Walking up to Chloe, Victoria laughed in the taller girl's face. Chloe wrinkled her nose at the vodka breath that emanated from Victoria's laughing mouth only to blow smoke rings from the last of her cigarette in Victoria's face. Watching the other girl cough, Chloe smirked as she flicked the cigarette butt into a nearby tree stump.
"Victoria!" one of the girls, Chloe thought her name was Courtney, started to run over to where they were standing. Gesturing for Courtney to stay back, Victoria looked up at Chloe with eyes slightly bloodshot from the smoke getting to her face.
"You're so fucking tough, Price, with your tattoos and blue fucking hair, pffft. You're not so goddamn tough when you're strapped for cash and begging for a fucking hit, though. That's a fact," Victoria said as she pulled a joint out of a pocket from her blouse.
Chloe clenched her fists, remembering when she had tried to bum some pot off of Victoria when she was still attending Blackwell. She had thought it was okay, being Rachel's friend, and Victoria had given her a joint. The pot, however, turned out to be oregano and Chloe had spent a good five minutes hacking behind the gym. Her only attempt at getting weed in Blackwell ending in what Chloe called "a hella epic fail", she never tried again.
"Go fuck yourself, Victoria. Better yet, why don't you three go fuck each other," Chloe said, unable to think of anything better to say.
Victoria sneered, lighting the joint right in Chloe's face before dropping it and stomping it out under her designer shoes. Seeing Chloe look away, Victoria laughed before walking over to rejoin her friends. Chloe was about to go over to the three girls and start talking with her fists when she felt something brush against her shoulder. Looking behind her, Chloe saw a bloodshot-eyed Max looking at her wearily but with her body tensed.
"What the shit is this fuck?" Max asked groggily, Chloe noticing the shyness she usually picked up on seemed to have vanished.
"Max, what are you doing here?" Chloe asked. Dressed in a pink Jane shirt and blue jeans, Max looked like she might pass out at any moment.
"I thought I would come and surprise you. I felt bad that I just wanted to sleep, so I woke up," Max said, her tone making her sound even more tired than she yawned. Chloe bit her lower lip, embarrassed and bashful at the other girl forgoing needed sleep to come see her.
"Dude, I've got this. Go home and go to bed, Max," Chloe said, holding Max by her shoulders.
"Who the fuck is that?" Chloe heard Victoria ask with an audible snark to her voice, "That your new 'gal pal'? Whole fucking school knows you crushed hard on Rachel. Shame she didn't crush back."
"Jesus fuck, Victoria, would you shut up?" Chloe asked before noticing that Max had moved. Looking in the direction of the Vortex Club members, Chloe watched as Max seemed to stalk towards them.
"Uh, what the fuck is her problem?" Courtney asked, looking at her friends nervously as the pink-clad girl slowly moved towards them, not making a sound as she moved.
"Call your attack dog off, Price!" Victoria asked as herself and the other two girls started to backpedal toward the other end of the shed from where they were standing.
"Max! Fucking stop!" Chloe yelled, flinching at the look in Max's eyes. You wouldn't like me when I'm cranky, Chloe thought, She did say that. Oh shit, did she actually mean it? "Max, please. Let's just go home. I'll take you home, let's go."
Chloe watched Max pause mid-step, then turn her head to face Chloe again. Her expression softening slightly, Chloe saw Max grumble and begin to walk over to Chloe. She's not doing her super-fast thing. Fuck, was she going to hunt them?Taking Max by the shoulder, Chloe looked over at the bewildered Vortexers and mouthed "Fuck you" before leading Max down the path towards her truck. Chloe watched Max's bleary-eyed face continue to visibly show signs of calming down, and felt relieved when the tension in the smaller girl's body seemed to ease up.
"Max, you've gotta keep that shit in check," Chloe said as she walked Max over to the passenger side door, the other girl half-asleep.
"...Whatever," Max huffed as she climbed inside, letting Chloe close the door before coming in from the driver's side.
Starting the truck, Chloe quickly pulled out of the parking lot and drove straight to Max's place, not saying a word the entire time. Getting to the building, Chloe helped Max up the stairs and used Max's key to unlock the door. Carrying Max on her shoulders, Chloe made her way over to the bedroom area and began to undress Max. Max's eyes seemed to clear up for a second and she looked at Chloe with a smirk.
"Are you trying to seduce me, Ms. Price?" Max asked, leaning in to sniff Chloe's neck, "Oooh, you smell nice. Like rainbows and fresh grass."
"You sound like you're so fucking high right now, I don't even know," Chloe said, "You fucking appeared at of nowhere. That was hella fucking crazy, Max, and you scared those little shits and me."
"Hella hella hella hella," Max said with a snort, only for her eyes to momentarily regain their clarity, "No no no, Che, I would never do anything to hurt you. I looooove you."
Chloe rolled her eyes at Max as the other girl fell onto her bed, completely out. Dragging Max into bed the rest of the way, Chloe pulled the bedding out from under Max so as to cover her. Watching Max wind the blankets around her with a sleepy grin, Chloe kissed Max on the forehead.
"Sleep, you crazy little shit," Chloe said with a small grin as she made her way out of the apartment, leaving Max's keys on the kitchen counter, "You better believe we're going to fucking talk about this when you wake up."
Author's Note - Thus ends Chapter 3. I actually started on this only a couple of hours after wrapping up Chapter 2, I can't help myself it's getting so fun shhhhhhh.
I'm thinking of switching the perspective out to something more balanced between Chloe and Max like I did with "Rebel Girl" and "The Power is On". If not the next chapter, then in a future installment. I kind-of want to let you all into Max's head a little bit, the characters being more fleshed out in my mind than what I have put out for you to read thus far.
Hope you enjoy!