Howdy there! Welcome to a brief intermission of the scene that I cut from chapter 5. I hope you enjoy :)

NOTE: While I was writing this, I was listening to 'Farewell, Stars' by Message to Bears and I think it makes the scene a lot more beautiful even though it takes place at night and the song is meant for morning. I recommend you listen to it, too.

...

*Rachel is sleeping upstairs with Chloe. Max is wearing borrowed pajamas from Rachel and sleeping on the couch.*

Max was laying back on the couch, holding her phone a few inches away from her face. She's wrapped up in the blanket Chloe gave her and clad in Rachel's extra pajamas underneath. Bored out of her mind and unable to sleep, Max had turned to Facebook. And after Facebook, Twitter. After Twitter came YouTube.

And after YouTube came a desperate need for sleep that wasn't coming. Not even the gentle noises of the crickets or the view of Chloe's backyard could lull her to sleep (but she did take the opportunity for a picture).

The young photographer always had a problem with sleeping in an unfamiliar place, but she didn't want to ruin the fun they were all having. Not to mention she didn't mind sleeping over at Chloe's house. Everything between them seemed to be going good so far and she found herself wishing for more opportunities like this.

Max picked up her phone off the table for the fourth time that night and looked at the time. It was two in the morning on the dot. The brunette sighed. She recalled the last time this had happened back in Seattle. It was when her and her parents first moved there. The whole week Max had issues with falling asleep.

A small groan of the floor boards made Max drop her phone on her face. She yelped and sat up, holding her nose. Her phone fell down to her lap and onto the floor.

"Hard time sleeping?"

It was Chloe. Max looked up at the silhouette that was coming her way, but that wasn't what made her heart race. "Y-yeah." she said, then leaned down and picked up her phone. She turned the flashlight on and the phone face down by her knees.

The light illuminated their part of the room and revealed Chloe coming to a stop at the end of the couch. She had on a black T-shirt and gray boy shorts. Her hair was an adorable mess, but her eyes looked somewhat far away. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Max nodded once. "What are you doing up?"

Chloe shrugged and looked to her backyard. "Whenever I have a hard time sleeping I come downstairs and contemplate shit." A light smile graced her lips. "Want to join me? It might help."

"U-uhm, sure." Max said. It was hard to tell if Chloe's smile got bigger in the shadows casted on her face.

Chloe waited as Max unraveled herself from the blanket and grabbed her phone. Then she went to the sliding door and opened it, gesturing outside. "After you."

"Thank you." Max said with a smile as she stepped outside.

Her feet sunk into the bed of grass, the blades tickling the soles of her feet and toes. The ground was slightly damp from the midnight dew but Max didn't mind. She heard the door shut softly behind her and Chloe walked by in her peripheral vision, heading into the center of the yard and sitting down. She tilted her head back to look at the sky.

This would be an awesome shot. Max thought instinctively. Her hand flinched towards the door and she stopped, reminding herself that she wasn't sure about how Chloe felt when it came to pictures.

"Are you coming, hippie?" Chloe said. There was a laugh evident in her voice that made Max's chest warm.

Max walked out and sat down beside her, also looking up at the night sky. A calm breeze wafted around them, rustling their clothes and hair. It was so silent Max could hear Chloe's even breathing. She was sure the bluenette could hear her heart slamming against her ribcage.

"Crazy day, huh?" Chloe said after a few minutes.

"What do you mean?" Max said.

"Just yesterday morning you crashed into me with your skateboard," Chloe laughed. "And now you're spending the night at my house. We didn't even know each other."

Max looked at Chloe. She felt heart rising in her cheeks. Chloe looked incredible in the light grappling down from the moon. Almost angelic. The shadows were casted perfectly throughout, the color scheme was breathtaking. Max really wanted a picture. She blinked and looked back down to the grass. "Heh, yeah."

Chloe picked at the grass, pulling strand after strand before letting the wind catch them. "Rachel told me you spent five years in Seattle. How was it?"

"It was okay, I guess." Max said. "I only had a few friends, school was alright. I spent a majority of my time reading or taking pictures."

"For five years?" Chloe said.

"I wasn't really outgoing. I'm more of an introvert, y'know?" Max bit her lip.

Chloe reclined on her hands with a sigh. "I wish I could leave here and go to Seattle."

"Really?"

"Well, it doesn't have to be Seattle specifically. I just want to get the hell out of Bigfootville." Chloe's reference to the Blackwell Football Team mascot made Max smile. "I don't even care if it's just Portland. Rachel keeps talking about going to Los Angeles, but..."

Max turned her gaze back to the older girl. "But what?"

"Who has the money? Not to mention she wants to finish Blackwell." Chloe's expression became far away again. Max thought she'd lost her until she spoke up again. "Sorry, I'm probably being hella depressing."

"No, no. I don't mind." Max reassured her.

Chloe looked at her and, just for a second, that lost look in her eyes disappeared. Max could've sworn she saw the stars reflect and dance in them.

Chloe would swear the same about the brunette.

"Is that why you couldn't sleep?" Max finally asked, to which Chloe shook her head.

"Nah, not just that. It's a few things." She admitted. "Part of it was Rachel's incessant snoring." The girls laughed about that for a few seconds. "But seriously, I just have a lot on my mind. What about you?"

"I have trouble adjusting to new locations when I try to sleep somewhere I don't know." Max said with a small shrug.

"Shit, dude, you could've said something-" Chloe began, but Max held up her hand.

"It's fine. Honest. I like being here with you and Rachel." She had to add in Rachel last second when she caught on to what she was saying.

Chloe chuckled. "What's so fun about being around two childish nineteen year olds?"

"You'd be surprised." Max said.

The conversation drifted from there and the two of them sat outside until almost three in the morning. It was when Max finally yawned that Chloe decided it was time to go in. Max found herself wishing that she could stay in the moment forever.

But then it wouldn't be a moment. she told herself.

"You sure you'll be okay when it comes to getting to class?" Chloe asked as she shut the sliding door after her.

Max plopped down on the couch with a tired yawn. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Thanks, Chloe."

"Anytime, BatMax." Chloe said. She thought for a second. "I-uh, hope you don't mind the nicknames by the way."

"Not at all." Max said.

"Good. You never said anything, but I thought I would."

Chloe walked by the couch, throwing a glance at Max over her shoulder in time to see her burrowing under the cover. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Chloe."

...

That's that! It was so cute to write and I wish I could've included it in the finished piece but oh well!

CaptainVampireQueen awaaay!