Heyo! Sorry for taking so long, I have been going through a lot recently and it caused a huge change in my life for me. I have trying to cope with it while maintaining things like this, so the process was really slow. Anyway, the wait is over! Here is chapter 8!
WARNING: Step-dick makes an appearance again. And maybe something much awaited for.
NOTE: Big thanks to Chaotic Reborn for their help on this chapter!
...
~I'll settle on the dust
Settle on the dust...~
Chloe pulled up in the parking lot of the Two Whales Diner and sighed. She was eyeing the sign skeptically and her hands visibly tightened on the wheel. Max noticed and looked at the bluenette's expression. She seemed almost... nervous.
"Chloe?" Max said.
Chloe dragged her eyes from the sign to Max's concerned gaze. The smile she gave didn't quite reach her eyes. "Yeah?"
"Are you okay?" What about this place bothers her?
"Totally chill. Come on," Chloe removed the keys from the ignition and opened her car door, hopping out. She walked around to the passenger side and opened the door for Max. "I think you're gonna like this place. Best damn pancakes on this side of the Bay."
Max smiled and got out of the truck. She waited for Chloe to shut the door and followed her up to the diner. Chloe held the door open for her again. She pointed towards the end of the diner. "Pick a booth, I'll be right back."
Max nodded and started for the booths as Chloe headed for the restroom. She slid into the second to last booth and leaned forward on her arms. Sounds of clinking silverware and plates filled the air, just overpowering the sizzling of the stove behind the order window. Delicious smells infiltrated her nostrils, making her stomach growl. She looked out the window, the lighthouse catching her eye. The sky was painted gray behind it and it grew darker the further back she looked.
Must be a storm coming. she thought.
"Well, it's not often I see a new face around here."
Max's head whipped around at the new voice. A woman with dirty blondish hair stood at the table, giving her a gentle smile. "Oh, um, hi." she said.
"What would you like this afternoon, dear?" the woman said. She pulled out a notepad and picked the pencil from behind her ear.
Max raised her eyebrows in realization. "I haven't looked at the menu yet."
"You don't have to look at the menu."
Max and the woman looked towards the other end of the diner. Max felt instant relief when she saw Chloe approaching them. She could handle being socially awkward when there was someone else she knew around. The woman straightened up and gave Chloe a warm smile. "I take it this is a friend of yours, Chloe?"
Wait, she knows Chloe? Max thought.
Chloe noticed the confused expression on Max's face and smiled. "Max, this is my mom. Joyce. Mom, Max Caulfield."
"This is your mom?" Max looked back to Joyce.
"I know, it's a shocker isn't it?" Joyce chuckled. "Nice to meet you, Max."
"Nice to meet you, too." Max smiled.
Chloe hopped into the booth across from Max and turned to her mother. "I think Max would like to try the latest special."
Joyce scribbled that down on the notepad and Chloe ignored the look Max gave her. "I take it that's what you want as well?" Joyce asked her daughter.
"Yep." Chloe said.
"Alright, I'll bring them out soon. I'll have Luke bring you two some coffee while you wait." With that, Joyce walked away back to the kitchen.
Chloe sighed and reclined back into the chair. Max looked at her with a smile. Chloe caught her looking and raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"Is that why you never brought me here before?" Max asked.
The way Chloe's cheeks turned slightly red told Max was she needed to know. "Please, Caulfield. You're ridiculous."
"You were nervous about me meeting your mother." Max laughed.
"Well," Chloe sat up. She looked out the window. "Not really that. My mom is cool."
"Then..." Max's tilted her head.
"I was kinda worried that my step father was here." Chloe's voice was small and soft. Max didn't like it.
"Your step father?" Max said. "You mean David?"
"How'd you know it was David?" Chloe raised an eyebrow.
Just then, Luke could be seen approaching their booth with a coffee pot in one hand and two cups in the other. He set down a cup in front of each of them, pouring them full of steaming hot coffee. Max looked to him with a grateful smile and watched him walk away before addressing Chloe once more.
"I saw his dogtags lying around in the living room. I still can't believe he was a soldier...well, yeah I can." Max smiled to Chloe, who was listening intently. It wasn't necessarily a lie. Even though Kate had been her informant, she did see his dog tags the last time she was at Chloe's house.
The bluenette rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly, avoiding Max's gaze. "Well, now you know my dear old step-douche. He still treats the house like it's a goddamn military compound." she rolled her eyes, as if the mere thought of him made her want to puke.
Max nodded slightly in agreement. "Yeah, he does the same thing at Blackwell...he's pushing Principal Wells to have surveillance cameras installed in the dorm rooms. The dorm rooms."
"Yep, sounds like him alright." Chloe scoffed, before the conversation was interrupted by Joyce's voice calling to the two girls, "Make way, ladies! The hunger cavalry has arrived."
They both looked over and were greeted by the sight of Joyce carrying two large plates, one in each hand, and approaching the table. The two girls glanced at each other with matching smiles before pushing any table clutter out of the way so Joyce could set their plates down in front of them. The intoxicating aroma of the meals hit them first.
Oh my dog...I could live on just the smell. The brunette thought, eagerly licking her lips. It was a large, fluffy Belgian waffle drizzled with chocolate and maple syrup, topped off by a little whipped cream and a strawberry. It was accompanied by two sunny-side-up eggs and a pile of ketchup- covered home fries on the side.
She could see that Chloe had already shoveled a mouthful of Belgian waffle into her mouth, which made her giggle slightly before turning to Joyce and softly saying "Thank you."
"You're welcome, hun. Lemme know if you need anything else." Joyce smiled back, before turning and walking back to the kitchen.
Max practically snatched up her fork and dug into the home fries, the first mouthful being the best one. The way the ketchup combined with the well- done nature of the home fries seemed to hit just the right spot.
After a few mouthfuls, Chloe glanced up at Max, only to be greeted by what she could only describe as the most adorable thing she had ever seen. The brunette was enveloped in her home fries, so much so that she hadn't noticed the little splotches of ketchup at the edges of her mouth, or the small crumbs littering her chin. Chloe thought it was so damn cute.
"Uh, Chloe? You're staring."
Shitballs.
"Hm? Sorry, thought I saw something." the bluenette lied through her teeth, forking a little bit of egg into her mouth.
"Is there something on my face?" Max tilted her head softly, which practically made Chloe's heart melt.
"Uh, nah. You're fine." Chloe lied a second time, flashing Max a smile as she went back to her Belgian waffle.
Max found herself blushing, and she tried to ignore the skip of her heart. She took another bite of her home fries before finally deciding to give the belgian waffles a try. She used her knife to cut out a piece of the small waffle stack and took the bite. The syrupy flavor spread over her tastebuds and she gave a satisfied hum at the fluffiness of the food. It tasted so good. She chewed slowly as if to savor each bite like it'd be her last.
"You were right, Chlo." she said once she swallowed. "These really are the best damn waffles on this side of the bay. They're hella good."
The word was out before she could catch it. Her eyes widened in surprise and Chloe paused in shoveling a forkfull of fries into her mouth. She raised her eyes to Max and started to smile, much to Max's embarrassment. "Did you just say 'hella?'" she asked.
"I-um…" Max stuttered.
Chloe snorted a laugh. "I think I'm becoming a good bad influence on you."
"Whatever." Max said with a small laugh. "Maybe soon you'll be saying 'wowser.'"
"Please! Like you'd ever catch me saying that." Chloe laughed.
"Don't count your chickens before they've hatched, Price." Max smirked.
"But which came first; the chicken or the egg?" was Chloe's rebuttal.
"That doesn't even make sense, you big dork." the brunette giggled, which in turn caused Chloe to laugh.
"Psh, who makes sense these days? That's such a hipster thing." Chloe joked, grinning.
"Hey, I resent that!" Max pouted jokingly, and couldn't help but giggle once more.
Just then, Joyce approached the two's table with the bill in her hand. "My god, your plates are cleaner than Chloe's room." she joked, earning an eye roll from the bluenette. "I take it you two ladies enjoyed your meal?" she smiled.
"Absolutely, Joyce. It was super good." Max replied with a smile.
"That's what I like to hear." Joyce smiled as she set the bill down on the table. "Take your time, ladies. I'll be just over there." She gestured to the area behind the counter as she walked away from the two.
Chloe watched her mother walk away, presumably waiting until her mother was out of earshot. Afterwards, she looked back over to Max with one of her classic Chloe Price smiles. Max had to keep herself from blushing, for fear that Chloe would notice. "Whaddya say we blow this joint and head over to one of my favorite places in this shithole they call a town?" The bluenette crossed her arms and awaited Max's answer with a smirk.
That could be anywhere from a mosh pit to an old abandoned meat processing plant… Then again, anywhere with Chloe can't be that bad. Max thought inwardly. She found herself smiling and nodding as she rummaged around in her bag and pulled out her wallet. "Sure, let's do it." she accepted the bluenette's offer whilst rifling through the bills in her wallet for enough to cover the check and Joyce's tip.
A hand overlapped hers and Max looked up to find Chloe stretching across the table. Said girl waggled her eyebrow and shook her head. "No way, Maximus. I got this."
"You don't have to-" Max started. Her sentence was cut off by Chloe reaching even further and covering her mouth. Her heart started to pound. She was suddenly brought back to the closet, the last time Chloe had done that.
"Shh. Don't worry about it." Chloe sat back and slipped her hand into her pockets in search of her cash. "Wouldn't be very gentleman like to make a lady pay." She flashed a wink and a cheeky grin at Max.
It took everything in Max not to blush. "So you're a gentleman?" she asked.
"Damn straight, and you're the breakfast date." Chloe said. She laughed to cover up her slip up and slapped the crumpled money down on the table. "Plus, it would be a pleasant surprise to Joyce to see that I actually paid for a meal for once."
Chloe stood up from the table and Max followed suit after putting her wallet away. She started following Chloe and thought for a second. "Wait, Chloe?"
"Yeah?" Chloe looked back at Max.
"We're still in our pajamas." Max said, giving Chloe a 'please let me change' expression.
Chloe sighed and scratched her head. "If I drop you off at your dorm to change clothes, will that make you feel better?"
"Definitely." Max nodded with a smile.
"Fine, come on." Chloe gestured for Max to continue following her. The brunette complied. "I'll drop you off, go to my place and change, the come back for you. Cool?"
"Thank you." Max said.
Chloe shook her head. "You're the only teenage I know that complains about going out in their pajamas on a Saturday. Must a be a hipster thing."
"Still resenting that."
The duo laughed and Chloe held open the door for Max, bowing slightly. "After you, m'lady."
Max giggled. "Thank you, kind sir."
Chloe smiled up at her. Max headed out with Chloe following behind. Back in the diner, Joyce was watching from the serving window. She smiled to herself as she gathered up a customer's order.
"Been a while since she looked that happy." Luke commented from behind her, his eyes also on the diner's exit.
"Sure has been. That Max must be something special." Joyce said fondly.
...
Chloe made it to the school and took a parking space, deciding that she would at least walk Max to her dorm before heading home. She definitely had a problem with bringing Max to her place at that time. If David wasn't at Two Whales with her mother, and she hadn't seen him around the campus yet, he had to be at the house.
Unless he's harassing some random kid at a playground. Chloe grimaced at the thought.
Her and Max climbed the steps out of the parking lot and turned towards the entrance of the dorms. There were a few other students lingering around, a couple boys throwing a football around, a girl arguing on the phone with either her boyfriend or her parents. Max and Chloe ignored them, enjoying the otherwise quite peaceful atmosphere. They were fine just walking in silence.
"Hey Caulfield!"
And the silence was ruined. Chloe looked at Max, her eyebrows knitting together when she saw how tense she suddenly was. Her eyes showed a mix of fear and annoyance. Max looked over her shoulder and she sulked. Chloe followed her gaze and immediately understood. Coming their way was Victoria Chase and her groupies.
"I think you have a mutt following you around, Max." Victoria said without looking at Chloe. Chloe's hand tightened into a fist.
"Good morning to you, too, Victoria." Max grumbled. "What do you want?"
"Wait, what the hell are you wearing?" Courtney Wagner piped up. She was eyeing Max up and down, her expression one of utter disgust.
"Pajamas, ever heard of them?"
All eyes were on Chloe then, and Chloe was staring them down right back, looking quite unamused, and...rather deadly. Max looked like she feared for Chloe's life at the moment. She took a hold of Chloe's arm and tugged gently. Chloe glanced at her and felt her insides melt at the look in Max's eyes. She was pleading with her to stay calm and keep out of it. She felt her body relax and sighed. Max looked back to Victoria.
"Down, girl." Victoria said. She looked at Max. "I think you need to buy her a leash." she sneered. Chloe flinched, Max's hand tightened.
"Don't you have someone else's life to make miserable?" Max said.
Victoria smirked. She completely disregarded the question. "You know, I was just talking to Mark- Mr. Jefferson- about class yesterday."
"I know his name, Victoria." Max said.
"You think you're so smart, huh? That you have all the answers?" Victoria narrowed her eyes. "'The Daguerreian Process, sir!' You could barely even spit the words out. I guess you got your meds refilled."
I swear I'm gonna beat the living shit out of her. Chloe thought.
"It's funny that Mr. Jefferson falls for your waif hipster bullshit." Victoria continued. "A lame gimmick, really."
"Why don't you just shut the fuck up, Chase?" Chloe said. She stepped in front of Max, fists clenched in a white-knuckled grip, and glared down at Victoria.
Victoria didn't seem phased. Without missing a beat she said, "Oh so you're a guard dog, too? That's cute. You have a tendency for protecting all your girlfriends, don't you Price?"
Chloe's teeth grinded together behind her lips. This was exactly what she'd been telling Rachel about. Max told Chloe about almost all the shit Victoria would say to and about her. Which didn't really surprise her since she knew her through Rachel. From what it seemed, Max had it hard enough with this girl. Being around Chloe and being seen with her by Victoria just topped off everything.
"Better than being a lap dog." Chloe spat. The sentence didn't process before it came out, but the brief ghost of anger and surprise on Victoria's face was worth it. Chloe kept going. "You rich, elitist fucks think you can do whatever the fuck you want, and stomp on whoever the fuck you want, then hide behind your pansy fucking minions and your glamorous trust fund. Well, I got four words for you. FUCK. THE HELL. OFF. Or we're gonna have some goddamn problems. And trust me when I say it will not end well for you." the bluenette didn't bother to disguise the blatant threat.
The silence that ensued afterwards was a heavy one. Taylor and Courtney turned their gazes to Victoria, and Max turned hers on Chloe. When Victoria didn't say anything back Chloe tilted her chin up and moved her arm so Max's hand slid down into her own. She held tightly and started to turn away before pausing and looking back at Victoria.
"Oh, and if Max tells me anything else about you messing with her, keep in mind I know where you bitches sleep."
Chloe started walking away with Max stumbling behind for a second. She caught her footing and looked up at Chloe. Chloe saw her staring from the corner of her eye and glanced back, finding it hard to maintain eye contact with her after what just happened.
"Chloe, that was…" Max started. "I-I don't even know what to say."
Chloe rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "I do. I'm sorry. I know you wanted me to stay out of it-"
"No, I'm glad you stepped in. The look on Victoria's face was priceless." Max smiled.
"Haven't heard that one before." Chloe said sarcastically, smiling as well. "How long did it take you to come up with that?"
"Honestly I've been tossing it around in my head for a while." Max replied.
Chloe chuckled. "Seriously, though. I didn't mean to lose my cool like that. But she's so goddamn infuriating. I couldn't stand there and just listen to her bullshit anymore."
"I understand. Thank you." Max gave her hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze and Chloe returned it.
The rest of the walk was uneventful. They made it to the dorms and inside, down the hall to Max's room. Max took her keys from her bag and faced Chloe. "So you'll be coming back for me?" she asked.
"As soon as I get dressed." Chloe promised.
"Alright. I'll see you soon, then."
"Count on it." Chloe smirked.
The bluenette's hand slipped from hers, leaving the warm, comforting imprint on Max's hand for her to miss. Chloe flashed her a smile and turned around on her heel. Max watched her until she was out the door and turned to her dorm, holding key up to the lock.
"Oh, Max!"
This voice was much friendlier. Max looked over in the direction it came from and saw Rachel exiting her room. She returned the smile the blonde was presenting and stood straight. "Morning, Rach. Er- afternoon." It occured to her then that she had said 'morning' to Victoria. Oh, well. Not like I really care anyway.
"You look ready for the mosh pit." Rachel joked, approaching Max. "I'm pretty sure something is backwards here."
Max laughed. "Ah, Chloe and I went for breakfast at Two Whales."
"Her stepdad wasn't there, was he?" Rachel asked.
"Just her mom." Max said.
"That's a relief. Anyway, I tried stopping by earlier to check on you guys but no one answered. I figured you two were still knocked out." Rachel said. "How did you guys sleep?"
"Very well. Thanks for the last second warning, by the way." Max said.
"So she did cuddle with you." Rachel smirked. "I would've killed for a picture."
"Keep dreaming. I gotta go get dressed, though. Chloe's taking me somewhere." Max said.
"She didn't say where?" Rachel asked.
"I think she wants to keep it a surprise." Max said.
Rachel gave a knowing smile and nodded. "Well, don't let me keep you any longer. I'll catch you later." She gave a small wave and started up the hall, pausing when Max called her name.
"You...wouldn't happen to know where she's taking me?" she said.
"Afraid it's some old abandoned meat processing plant?" Rachel questioned.
"Um…" Max said, caught off guard that Rachel somehow knew what she was thinking.
Rachel laughed. "Don't worry. You have nothing to worry about."
The blonde disappeared out the exit and Max sighed, entering her dorm to start getting dressed.
…
Max waited at the front steps for Chloe to arrive. She had her headphones in as she looked up and down the road, listening to Heart Out by The 1975. She was mumbling along to the lyrics with a small smile gracing her lips. She recently discovered the band a few months back and became instantly obsessed with them. To be typical, she had her camera tucked away in her bag in case any good photo opts came about. She recalled that she only had a few more days before the Everyday Heroes contest was over. Mr. Jefferson reminded the class yesterday that most of them hadn't turned their pictures in, Max included.
"Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans." he told her specifically.
But what do I even take a picture of? Max thought. The only option she had was a simple selfie of her in front of her mini gallery in her room. How can I show that to Mr. Jefferson?
Max's thoughts halted when she saw Chloe's familiar truck pull up before her and she smiled wider, standing up and removing her headphones. She saw Chloe lean over, giving Max a full blown grin before yelling, "Get in, loser! We're going driving!"
Max laughed as she walked down the steps and up to the truck. "I didn't know you saw that movie." she said as she opened the door and got in.
"Who hasn't?" Chloe said. "Now close your eyes, I don't want you seeing anything until we get there."
"So I can't stare at you along the way?" Max teased.
Chloe scoffed, laughing. "Nice try, smart ass. Close 'em."
"Okay, okay." Max said, doing as she was told.
She heard the change in the engine as Chloe put the truck in gear and they were off.
…
It seemed like at least a 15-minute drive, with the brunette often getting fidgety from having her eyes closed so long. Finally, Max heard the truck roll to a stop and Chloe's voice saying "Open your eyes, Maxi-pad." with a smile.
Max did indeed, and what she saw...didn't surprise her, actually.
It was an old junkyard. It looked unused and abandoned, and had multiple piles of junk and debris simply laying around. Among the junk was a few stacked up old cars, a gutted school bus, a small ship, and a few other things. Max thought it suited Chloe's personality, and that's exactly what she told her, with a playful little smirk on her face.
"Why, 'cause I'm trashy? Tell me something I don't know, sista." The bluenette teased back with a smile.
Max giggled, putting her hand over her mouth for a second, then responded, "What're we waiting for? Let's go check out the Chloe Cave." she quipped, earning a playful shove from the bluenette. Neither of them could stop laughing until they had gotten out of the car and composed themselves, making their way into the junkyard.
"Welcome to American Rust, my home away from hell." Chloe said, opening her arms wide. "Cozy, isn't it?"
Max laughed a bit. "It'll take a bit of getting used to, but it is cool."
"Trust me, you haven't seen the best parts." Chloe said. She slipped her hand into Max's and continued to pull her along eagerly. "Rachel and I come out here sometimes to blow off steam."
"Literal steam?" Max joked. That earned her a smirk.
"Smoke and steam are two different things, Caulfield. What are they teaching you at that school?" Chloe chuckled and shook her head.
"Obviously not the difference between smoke and steam." Max laughed.
Chloe laughed along with her and came to a stop in front of the land wrecked boat, covering her eyes to look up at it. "She wasn't lying when she said I used to love the whole pirate thing. I would come out here on bad days and pretend to drive this thing all over west hell." She smiled longingly, her gaze seeming distant for a second. "We've been through a lot these past few years."
"It looks like it would be a really nice boat if it wasn't here." Max said. She approached the boat and ran her hand along the side of it, leaving a clean trail in the dust and dirt coating it. She made a face and brushed it off on her jeans.
Chloe, on the other hand, was scaling the small hill beside them and pulling up a board from a pile of junk. She stood it up in front of her and gently pushed it over so it landed on the edge of the boat with a semi-loud thud. Smiling to herself, Chloe crossed the board and hopped into the boat. She looked down at Max. "Ahoy there!"
Max laughed, deciding to play along. "Seems there be signs of life on this ship?" she said. She started up the hill. Chloe's eyes followed her movement.
"Halt, landlubber! What do ye think yer doin' approaching my ship?" Chloe said. She stepped one foot on the board and pointed at Max.
"Permission to come aboard?" Max stopped abruptly at the end of the board. She could feel Chloe's gaze sizing her up again.
Chloe bent down and picked up a pipe, wielding it like a sword. "What be yer business here?" Chloe said.
"I wish you to speak to your capitain." Max said.
"Ye be lookin' at her, Lass." Chloe said. She lowered the pipe and dropped her foot from the board. "Come aboard. And we'll talk."
Max and Chloe gazed at each other for a moment and burst into laughter. Max crossed the board and jumped down beside Chloe. Chloe tossed the rusted pipe to the side and sat down on the bow of the boat. Max took a seat in the chair and looked over her shoulder. I can see almost the whole junkyard from here… She thought. Instinctively, she reached into her bag and pulled out her camera. She re-positioned her body to get a better angle and raised the camera to her eyes. She waited a second before hitting the button. The camera snapped the picture and there was a whirring sound. The camera dispensed the picture and Max withdrew it, shaking it gently before tucking it away.
"It feels nice to bring someone else to my secret hideout." Chloe said thoughtfully, catching Max's attention. Chloe had lit up a cigarette and was resting her arms on her knees, gently breathing out the smoke. She wasn't looking at Max, but rather the floor of the boat.
"It feels nice to be brought to someone's secret hideout." Max said, smiling.
Chloe looked up at Max as she drew the cigarette to her lips again. Max felt a clenching sensation in her chest. Chloe's eyes were dancing with so much emotion. There was happiness, there was amusement, there was love, there was a childish spirit. Max could see all of it. And she could see beneath it.
Loneliness, heartbreak, sadness. Anger. These are what was masked in the flawed beauty of Chloe's stare. This was someone who had been broken one too many times and was forcing themselves to love and trust again. Chloe was picking up the hundreds of shards that once made up her heart. She'd been through too much to only be nineteen years old. Once she had felt all those emotions, she couldn't let them go. Even in her happiest moments, she was angry. Even in her saddest moments, she was trying to smile. Max couldn't take it. Her hand tightened on her camera.
"Chloe, don't move."
Chloe started to sit up. The emotions were changing. "Huh?"
"Don't!" Max said hurriedly. Chloe blinked in surprise but leaned back down. Max lifted her camera. "Put the cigarette back to your lips."
"Uh, like this?" Chloe positioned the cigarette just between her lips.
"Yes, just like that." Max said. She put the camera to her eye. "What were you thinking about?"
"What do you mean?" Chloe asked.
"Exactly what I said. What were you thinking?" Max questioned.
"I-uh…" Chloe stuttered. "I was thinking about everything."
Max shook her head. "Be more specific."
"What are you doing, Caulfield?" Chloe said. A smile was tugging at the corner of her lips.
"My project." Max said. "Now please. Answer the question."
"Okay, um… I was thinking about this morning. How hella good the food was." Chloe smiled fully. "This place and how calming it is to me." Her expression shifted. "Then I kinda thought of last night. I was trying to remember for myself what happened." The emotions were coming back, much to Max's relief." "I, er, thought of you…"
Max was tempted to lower the camera. "What about me?"
There. There it is. She thought. Chloe returned to what she looked like before, and it occurred to Max that she was the cause. She felt her heart flutter in her chest. That semi-forlorn but hopeful light in her eyes. Don't lose this, Max. Take the picture. She pressed the shutter and the picture was snapped. The camera whirred and spit the polaroid out. Max closed her fingers around the picture and pulled it out. She shook it and, instead of putting it away, she held it up to look at it.
"How did it come out?" Chloe got up and walked over to Max, leaning over to look at it. Max was transfixed, caught up in the shot.
"It's...beautiful." she said softly. She looked up at Chloe, who was looking at her.
"You're just saying that." Chloe said, smiling a bit.
"No, Chloe. I'm not." Max handed the picture up to her. "Look for yourself."
Chloe gave Max an incredulous look, but took the polaroid from Max's hand. She turned her gaze to the picture and studied it closely. Her expression had become unreadable. She stared at it for a good few seconds before turning to Max.
"This is hella nice, Max." she said.
Max felt the blush rise in her cheeks and smiled. "Th-Thanks. I'm sorry for not asking, but I just really wanted to take that shot of you and-"
"Calm down, sista. I gave you a compliment." Chloe nudged her gently. "Besides, I was wondering when you were finally gonna take a picture of me."
"I didn't know how you felt about pictures. And I don't always take pictures of people so I thought it would be rude to ask." Max explained herself a little hurriedly, making Chloe laugh.
"You have my permission to take a picture of me anytime." Chloe said.
Max felt the flutter in her chest again. Her body seemed to be getting lighter the longer she looked in Chloe's conflicted eyes. The way Chloe was staring back was drawing her in. She was reliving all the close calls they had gone through. So many almost kisses. Could they...maybe…
"CHLOE!"
The bluenette nearly jumped out of her skin. The picture instantly dropped from her hand and Max saw instant anger and fear cloud over her once soft features. Her eyes were hard in an instant. As Max knelt down to pick up the picture, Chloe turned around and her hands clenched into tight fists. Max made her way to the edge of the boat and peeked over. Her blood ran cold.
David Madsen?! What the hell is he doing here?!
David was dressed up in his security guard uniform and his expression was way more than pissed. He was making his way to the boat, his gaze dead set on Chloe.
"What, did you stalk me here?" Chloe asked sarcastically when David was close enough to hear her.
"Your mother and I have told you over and over again about coming here." David said. He came to a stop below the boat, glaring up at Chloe. Max was still ducked down, trying not to be seen.
"Oh, yeah, like I give a shit what you tell me to do." Chloe said. "Can't you let me live my life?"
"Not if it involves you frolicking around in junkyards!" David yelled. "Come down here, I'm taking you back to the house. I'll call a tow truck-"
"Hella no! You think because your Mr. Ex Soldier Gone Security Guard I'm supposed to do whatever you say?"
David started to say something, but a flash of brown caught his attention. He fixed on it. "Who is up there with you?"
Chloe wavered for a second "None of your damn business." She said.
"Don't give me that bullshit, Chloe." David said. "Stand up!"
Max felt her heart stop in her chest. She couldn't really breathe. She could sense Chloe's eyes boring through her. She had to get up.
"Stand up now, or I'm coming up there!" David demanded.
Max's legs moved on their own accord, albeit like jelly. She clutched the picture of Chloe in her hands. She turned slowly, her head slightly bowed.
"Of course. Max Caulfield." David said. "Figures I would be seeing you around here. I have heard a lot about you." Max lowered her head even more, wanting to turn invisible. "Wouldn't it be something if I told Principal Wells about this? Hanging around in a junkyard with a delinquent? That would ruin your spotless Blackwell record."
"Step off my friend, asshole!" Chloe said angrily. She hopped over the boat and landed with a heavy thud in front of David and stared him down. "Max hasn't done shit. You're just looking for a reason to be a dick to someone."
"You have no friends." David said. "And that jailbait Rachel Amber doesn't count either-"
"Fuck you!" Chloe yelled.
It all happened in record time, as all things do. Chloe raised her hands to shove David away, David's hand was a blur as it struck her across the face. It was deja vu. Chloe felt her chest compress when the air in her lungs escaped much too fast for her to react. Max raised her hands to her mouth and, the next thing she knew, she was scrambling across the board and down the hill to Chloe. Her arms went around Chloe's waist and she pulled her back. She was sure that the look she was giving David was nothing but pure hatred.
Chloe's eyes are burning with hot tears and she looks up at David. David still had his hand up, his face almost in disbelief. Chloe shrugged Max's arms from her and said lowly, "Come on, Max. My secret hideout doesn't feel so secret anymore."
Chloe stepped around David and Max followed close behind. They left David standing there as Chloe trudged to her truck and Max walking like a frightened deer (try imaging that). Reaching her truck, Chloe practically threw the door open and hopped in. She waited as Max shakingly opened up the passenger side door and got in beside her. Chloe started up the truck and hit the gas. The truck lurched forward in response and they passed David's car (with Chloe muttering something about knocking off one of his mirrors). Max sat in silence, watching Chloe from the corner of her eyes. Her expression was seething with unfiltered anger and her knuckles were white on the steering wheel. Max could hear her attempt at taking calm, slow breaths. She wanted to say something.
"Chloe?" she said softly.
"What?" Chloe snapped. Max flinched, but she knew it wasn't anything against her. Chloe paused and exhaled heavily. "I'm sorry… I…"
"No, I get it." Max said. "Don't apologize."
Chloe swallowed thickly. "I'm sorry you had to see that."
"Don't be. I'm sorry you have to go through that." Max said. She felt the impulse to put her hand on Chloe's shoulder, but resisted. After what just happened, she didn't think that physical contact was the best.
"It's nothing new." Chloe said.
Max's frown fell even further if that was possible. She knew for sure that she didn't want Chloe driving while she was upset. Especially if she had no set destination in mind. Max looked out the window at the nature blurring by in flashes of green and brown. "Chloe, maybe you should pull over."
Chloe's hand tightened on the wheel again, but she huffed a sigh and the truck started to slow down. Chloe pulled over on the side of the road. She shut the truck off and sat back against the seat, glaring at the outstretched road before them. Only one car was coming and the person went by without a glance in their direction. Max looked down at her hands and inhaled deeply.
"Does your mom know?" she asked.
Chloe scoffed, dropping her gaze from the street to the floor of the truck. "Like she'd believe me if I told her. The only one that knows is Rachel… and you, now." The last part came out a bit strangled. Max's heart squeezed.
"You should tell her." Max said. "It's not right that he is abusing you like that. And his background gives him no excuse."
"It's not that simple, Max. Do you know what I would be doing if I told Joyce about this and ruin her views on him?" Chloe said. "I mean, she knows how tough he can be, but she loves him. And she's happy. I can't do that to her."
"But what is more important, Chloe?" Max moved closer and gave into taking Chloe's hand. She didn't pull away so Max took that as a good sign. "Your safety or your mom's happiness? She would be happy that you told her."
Chloe's breath shook. Her eyes were tearing up. "But she would hate him. You don't know how long it took her to be happy after my real dad died. I may not like the prick, but he tries to do right by my mom at least."
Max gave Chloe's hand a gentle squeeze and Chloe picked her head up to look at her. "You have a good heart. But this is not okay. You shouldn't have to tolerate his abuse so your mom can be happy. It isn't fair. You deserve so much more than that, Chloe. You know you do."
A few tears slipped from Chloe's eyes and Max reached up and brushed one away with the pad of her thumb. Chloe suddenly seemed older and worn, more tired than Max had ever seen her. The eyes were gateway to the soul and Chloe's looked broken. It made Max want to cry herself. It tied her stomach in knots and made her heart ache. She had a tortured soul.
She couldn't tell you (whether she wanted to or not) who leaned in first, but she knew when Chloe's lips pressed firmly against hers that her heart skipped a beat and she felt a shudder pass down her spine. The kiss was salty due to the tears. Max didn't care. She closed her eyes and leaned into Chloe, returning the gentle caressing sensation. Chloe's hand found her waist and her fingers tightened on Max's gray sweater, tugging her closer. Max complied and found herself nearly in Chloe's lap. Chloe's back hit the car door when she pulled her legs up and pulled Max between her knees. The kiss went from urgent and rough to a slow dance sort of, from full of hurt and anger to passion and need for comfort. Max wanted to give that to her. She wanted Chloe to feel all the happiness she deserved and more. She wanted to be the one to give her that any way she could.
The kiss-turned-makeout-session ceased and Max and Chloe were breathing somewhat heavily, their lips swollen slightly as a result of what had occurred. They stared at each other and Max knew she was starting to blush by the heat rising to her face. Chloe seemed at a loss for words as well, the only indication she was still conscious was her breathing and the way her eyes searched Max's features. Her lips parted after a second and only a single word came out.
"Wowser."
...
BOOM BABY! The chapter is finally complete! I really hope the wait was worth it, I tried to make it my best while also having it out before I lost interest. I thank you guys so much for your patience and I can't wait to see you in the next chapter!
CaptainVampireQueen awaay!