Prologue: Quantum Mechanics states that there are an infinite number of worlds. This is boring, and you have likely heard it before. Something more interesting that you might have not heard is that on one of those worlds, Max Caulfield never met Chloe Price before leaving Arcadia Bay. Let me tell you the story of what happened when she came back.

Chapter 14: Impress Me

Monday, September 23rd, 2013 (9:00 AM)

I walked into class, sitting down between Kate and Dana. It was quite loud, and I was about to put in my earphones when I saw Kate's face. Her eyes looked moist, and the tip of her nose was so red it reminded me of Rudolph. Poking her, I calmly asked her;

"Katie, are you okay? You look like you've been crying…" I trailed off, and waited for her to answer. It was a few minutes later, and she wiped her face on the sleeve of her cardigan before answering.

"It's-it's nothing. I'm fine." I looked at her point-blank.

"You're not fine. You've been crying, and whatever it was, it was sudden enough that you still had to come to class afterwards."

Kate drew in a deep breath, before repeating, more slowly this time.

"It was nothing. I'm-i'm fine, Max." Her voice was still a little shaky, but less so. I looked at her, and took hold of her hand, gripping it tightly.

"Okay Kate. But I want you to know that you are my best friend in the whole world, and I will always be here for you, no matter what. You can tell me anything."

Kate took another deep breath, before speaking again.

"Thank you Max. You're one of the kindest people I know. But I'm fine." She almost sounded a little annoyed now, which was weird for Kate, so I stopped. I just had to trust that she would come to me if something was wrong.

I felt a nudge in my side, and turned around. Dana looked chirpier than usual, and was glancing at me expectantly.

"So how did your date with Chloe go? Come on, give me all the insipid details." She wiggled her eyebrows, and I had to withhold the urge to laugh.

"It was really nice. Thanks for being our waitress. And nothing insipid happened, thank you very much." I poked Dana in the shoulder to accentuate this, trying to put on a stern look. Judging from her reaction, I don't think I succeeded.

"Oh really? Nothing at all? Because rumor has it that Chloe slept over at Blackwell, if you get my drift." I was surprised that she knew that, but not particularly. Someone had probably seen Chloe walking to or from the shower.

"It was nothing. She drove me over here, and it was late, so I didn't want her driving back with it so dark." I lied casually. Dana winked at me, and replied cheekily;

"Sure you didn't, honey. Sure you didn't."

I would have responded to that (I'm not sure how), but at that moment, walked into the classroom. He was immaculate as always, his hair perfectly styled, his demeanor casual, and his suit jacket was a lighter shade of grey today. In his hand he carried a manilla file, but that was hardly unusual. He was always bringing photos to show to us during class.

He walked to the center of the front ot the room, which wasn't unusual per se, it's just that he usually preferred to walk around as he taught, or sit on the edge of his desk, swinging his feet in his black dress shoes. He straightened himself up, and began to speak;

"Today marks the beginning of an opportunity for all of you aspiring professional photographers. In roughly a month's time, the Everyday Heroes contest will be displayed at the DeYoung Museum in San Francisco. Given that we are such a prestigious school, the contest has allowed me to submit one photo. So all of you will submit your photos, one each, to me. I will pick a winner, who will fly to California and be feted by the art world as their photo is displayed to the entire West Coast photographic scene. Several professional photographers and gallery owners will be there, so make sure to submit your very best work."

took a deep breath for air, before continuing his monologue.

"And while it is not mandatory, I expect, and believe it would be in your best interests, for each and every one of you to submit a photo. You have the next two weeks to go out and take what you believe to be a photo worthy of celebration, and then submit it to me." He grinned, as if he was about to deliver a surprise.

"And, as you can't really get inspired or take any breathtaking photos while stuck in here, I am giving you guys several classes off to work on this, including this one. Go on, get out of here."

He made a sweeping motion with his hand towards the door, leaving us with a final few words.

"Impress me!"

And as I stepped out the door of the class, I believed that I would.

AN: Once again, I apologize. This time I'm not apologizing for the lack of chapters though. I said there would be one a week, and here it is. I'm apologizing that it wasn't on Wednesday, when you guys would normally check for a chapter. If you liked this, and you have the time, leave a review!