Disclaimer: Anything familiar to you, I don't own. This is a work of fanfiction for personal amusement, fulfillment and a bit of self-therapy. I make nothing from any of it.
Chapter Forty-Five: Synedrion
January 21st, 2012 10:30 AM
Max's stomach was twisted into a knot, her hands threatening to shake just slightly but all she could do as she paced in front of the picnic table was tell herself that this was nothing compared to the things she had already done and probably compared to what would need doing in the near future. And, at least, I have back up now. Max turned to glance at Rachel. Rachel stood at one end of the table, upon which Chloe was lying on her back, absentmindedly shooting the breeze with Rachel. Chloe was, in comparison, at ease. Though, Rachel playing with her hair probably had a thing or two to do with it. When Hayden came marching out of those doors to tell them it was time, Chloe was going to stay behind while Max and Rachel walked across the lawn to the doors of the school and into the cafeteria to face down the Vortex Club, or at least, the actual members of the club itself.
"Max," Chloe called, "calm down. Between Hayden, your natural charms and your mojo, you've got this in the bag." My 'mojo' can really suck, Max wanted to tell her. Instead she continued to pace, grateful she would not be doing it long enough to wear a rut into the grass that was already rather thin as a result of the number of people who used the table on a daily basis. Her new chucks felt amazing under her, not that they provided a ton of foot support, but it felt great to be back in shoes and out of sandals, and, she needed every ounce of confidence she could gather, whether from Chloe's flippant reassurance or just the comfort of familiar clothes.
"You're sure you won't come with us?" Rachel queried, and Max watched her pull her hands back, earning a frown from the blue haired artist looking up at her. "We're a bigger force to be reckoned with together." Chloe shook her head again and made as if to sit up before deciding better of it.
"Look, I'm all down for the plan. I just don't want to do anything that gets me stuck in a room with Nathan Prescott on a regular basis. And, Max, I know how much you like her and that things have been getting better with her, but Victoria still pisses me off. Just because I don't want to hang out with them doesn't mean I'm not in on it, though. It's a good plan. Why wouldn't it be? It came from you two." Max had already endured Chloe lecturing them on the Vortex Club getting more than they deserved in the two of them, considering Nathan was present. It was Chloe's thinly veiled way of asking Max if she was sure she wanted to expose herself to someone who upset her so much. Max, however, had a plan for that, an intermediary.
"You know," Rachel pondered as she settled down into a seat, "Nathan's still under the impression that Hayden gives some kind of fuck about him. I think he wants us to get a move on and bring some shit down on Nathan."
"I can't blame him," Chloe chimed in. "If it were me, he'd already be in jail somewhere."
"I'd be right with you all if we didn't have to wait for Nathan to make a move of his own, to attract Jefferson or show some sign he and Jefferson hooked up." There was a moment where Max watched a look of revulsion cross Rachel's face and, raising an eyebrow, waited for her to tell Max what was so upsetting.
"Can you find better phrasing? I can't think of anything more shudder-worthy than-"
"For all of our sakes," Chloe said from behind Rachel, "please don't finish that sentence." Rachel turned in her seat and as Max resumed pacing, the girls beside her shared a quick peck. It was pretty cool in the dead of January, probably just under forty degrees. While somehow Chloe had some sort of natural resistance even with such a thin jacket and without her signature beanie, Max suspected Rachel's own fortitude in the face of the cold was not so natural. Max, on the other hand, was just cold. The pacing was only doing so much to mitigate that.
She was, as such, relieved when the doors opened and Hayden stepped just outside of them in his jacket. Whether he was rubbing his hands together to warm them or in anticipation, it was hard to tell. He certainly wasn't grinning for once, even if he didn't look grim. The boy raised an eyebrow and then a hand to signal them and then stepped back inside. Max stopped her pacing and reached out to take Rachel by the shoulder. When the blonde turned bright eyes and red cheeks on her (the cool wind apparently cut through whatever defense against the cold she had) Max nodded toward the door. Before she could turn and lead the way, Chloe sat up and took hold of one of Max's hands, squeezing silently. The brunette made sure that her oldest friend could see that she was determined and wasn't going to give up on this idea. This, it seemed, was all that the artist needed to smile, climb from the table and walk with them toward the doors.
"What?" Chloe asked when Rachel wondered what she was doing. "Did you think I was gonna freeze my ass off waiting for you?"
"I really hope not, you can't spare any," Rachel vollied back.
"Hey!" Max made sure not to turn and look at either of them. Playful or not, she was going to stay neutral on this and that would be hard to do if the grin on her face was visible to anyone, except, perhaps the boy looking through the glass of the front door at her as she quickened her pace. Rachel and Chloe bickered for a moment or two and then fell quiet when Max opened the doors to the school. Hayden took a step back to let them in, hands now in the pockets of his jacket. The school was mercifully warm or, at least, it had more than twenty-five degrees on the temperature outside. That was close enough as far as Max was concerned. She was dressed more for an appearance of someone trying to make an impression than for warmth.
"So," Hayden asked Chloe immediately, "you joining us?"
"No thanks, I'm gonna kick it over there or something," Chloe announced, gesturing to a stretch of wall a few feet away from the door. Hayden nodded.
"No offense, but I'm glad. I told everyone I was bringing two new recruits and no one was super into the idea. Three might be pushing it." Max watched Chloe slide her hands into the pockets of her jeans. If this bothered her, she wasn't showing it. Rachel, on the other hand, shot Max one concerned look. "Oh, and fair warning, there's some weird vibe going on between Victoria and Nathan right now. He's pretty pissy." With that unfortunate (or very fortunate, Max thought) announcement out of the way, Hayden turned away. As Hayden gestured them forward and made for the cafeteria, Max leaned close to Rachel.
"It's okay," Max promised the girl. "I'm going to rewind as many times as it takes to get this right."
"Then, I'll be listening for you," Rachel responded a little flatly, attempting to continue looking fairly laid back as she started after Hayden. Max waved a quick goodbye to Chloe, who immediately made for the aforementioned stretch of wall and sat down, digging something from the backpack slung across her shoulder. Only about four days ago, under cover of a snowstorm, Max and Rachel had snuck into the school to look for evidence of some collusion between the Prescotts and Mark Jefferson. Max did not feel the same kind of nerves in her body as they now followed a few steps behind Hayden, but she did not feel anywhere near as calm as Rachel was behaving. It really sucks freaking out about every little thing.
Hayden raised a hand to slow them as they reached the doors and entered first. Rachel waited for Max and the two of them listened until Hayden made sure everyone was ready for them. Now, Rachel's earlier calm exterior shifted aside for a moment. The blonde locked hazel eyes on Max's blues and made sure to show her that incredible trusting nature. The message was clear: Rachel would do and say whatever Max asked her to in order to get this right. That also means I need to not fuck up. When Hayden called for them to enter, it immediately went almost as Max and Rachel had predicted. The moment they came through the doors together a couple of awkward looks passed around the table from some of their friends, Victoria seemed to sigh as if this whole thing was going to be a hassle and Nathan went from disgusted at their appearance to enraged almost from the beginning. Nathan tensed up at one end of the table. Courtney sat to his right, Taylor beside her, then Victoria. Beyond that, the committee consisted of Sarah, Zachary, Juliet, Dana and her boyfriend, Logan and of course, Hayden.
"Oh fuck no," Nathan declared from where he sat at the end of a lunch table. "No way in hell those nosy dykes are getting in here." Max could definitely feel her hackles going up and her anxiety rising at the same time. It was funny, if she had been able to dispassionately experience anxiety (if such a concept made any sense) she thought she could actually scientifically measure it in that moment. As it was, she just had to force her feet to continue into the room alongside Rachel, who was quite suddenly at the lead. Okay, Dana, Juliet and Hayden are going to be on our side. That's three out of ten. It was enough, at least, that Max held some hope they would be able to at least argue their case. Besides, Rachel's still pretty popular around here. Max figured that Rachel could grab Logan, (who was watching the scene unfold with an unusual mix of amusement and impatience) and was at least liked by Zachary and Sarah as much as either of them were capable of liking anyone over their own egos. No, Rachel was in no problem. The issue would be getting her by them. That was up to Rachel making it clear they were a package deal. If we can swing all six of them, that's all it takes to get in.
"Nathan, dude, just hear them out," Hayden advised him as he walked toward the table. Nathan crossed his arms over his chest, sneering directly at Max. She allowed herself to take the boy in and wonder at the transformation from the person she had tried to help. Nathan had a certain attractive quality about him that something as silly as facial scarring could do nothing to touch. What detracted from that was the constant rage, the scowls. These had not been Nathan's companions when she first came to the school and first tried to befriend and help the boy, now he was never seen without one or both. "They could bring a lot to the club." Max drew her eyes from Nathan's, both the real one and the artificial and to Dana. She looked a little jarred, but smiled encouragingly. A similar attitude could be seen on Juliet's face, but she was a little bit busier trying to pretend not to be listening to the argument unfolding.
"Fuck. That." This declaration was followed by Nathan suddenly standing up. "If you actually try to make us listen to this bullshit, I'll walk out." There had been plenty of adversarial moments between them, but now Nathan was glaring across the room at them and he could not seem to decide who he hated more. He's going to lose his shit. This realization was followed immediately by the one that she might do the same if he did. Turning and running out of the room was not likely to go over very well. Feeling guilty, Max stepped closer to Rachel. She tried not to let either guilt or fear show on her face but when the edge of her arm brushed the leather of Rachel's jacket, she felt the slightest bit safer. If he loses his shit, maybe that works in our favor. "What in the name of fuck were you thinking bringing the feminazi and her slut in here?"
The nerves building in her stomach began to worsen at the raising voice and the language. Rachel's face remained impassive, but when their eyes met, she reached out and took hold of Max's shoulder, whispering for her to calm down. Whatever she might try, Max was sure her feelings were written across her own face in big bold letters. When Hayden tried to calm Nathan down and admonish him for the language, Nathan moved past that to threats, to promises that Nathan ran this school. Far from making Hayden scared of him, the taller of the two boys stayed standing, arms crossed and his face slowly transforming from patronizing to a glare that would make Max uncomfortable were she on the receiving end. When Dana tried to speak and was instantly snapped at to shut up, Logan chimed in.
"You're being fucking ridiculous, man, calm down. What can it hurt to just let them talk and get this bullshit over with?" It wasn't the ringing endorsement Max had been hoping for, but it was more supportive than Sarah was being as she pulled her phone from her pocket. Dana was attempting to recover her image of someone in a perpetual good mood, but it was far from successful. Max didn't blame her. She almost wanted to tell herself that there had to be another way and leave, pulling Rachel along behind her.
"What the hell do you know?" Nathan shot back at the boy. "I could see to it that any hope for scholarships goes right out the fucking window if you don't watch your fucking mouth." Logan did immediately shut his mouth, but the look of anger settling on his face was almost pleasant to see and it did not hurt that Zachary's became a mirror of it. Apparently, if you threatened one Bigfoot, you threatened them all. Max glanced at Rachel to try to see what her read of the situation was, but she remained calm, now folding her hands in front of her in a gesture more reminiscent of Kate than anyone. One of Rachel's 'masks'? Either way, this might be a good thing, I just wish he would shut up. At that moment Rachel stepped forward, coming to stand beside Hayden. Max followed as quickly as she could. Nathan's fit seemed to stall when Logan didn't respond.
"So, why would you want to join, anyway?" This was the first question they had actually received from the table and despite a certain suggestion that it was stupid to want to join when Nathan hated them so much, its overall lack of hostility was surprising. That was mostly down to the source. Victoria looked to be taking a moderate stance. Thinking about it, Max realized that for as much shit as Victoria used to give her and Chloe (it had been some months since the last shot was taken) about being Rachel's 'harem', Victoria had never really said anything to Rachel. Occasionally Max thought she caught the girl shooting looks the thespian's way, but that was not the same. All in all, Victoria had calmed down significantly and if she was actually going to hear them out, complete with eyerolls and sighs as it might be, they had an ally so unexpected that Max was very much thrown off her game.
"Because we want to do something good for Blackwell," Rachel answered, plainly. Nathan's sneer was accompanied by an audible sound not unlike a large cat hissing, but the blunt and simple answer had scored points with Taylor even if she quickly stumbled to cover that fact up. There's something more going on here, Max decided as she glanced at Victoria. Upon meeting her eyes Victoria looked down at her hands. Victoria had her own clique and in the past had worked hard to put down others just for the sake of remaining in control of it. While that had diminished as of late, it didn't suggest such a departure from who Victoria was that Max understood what was going on. Does Victoria want to be Rachel? Why was it that she used to drop so much shit on Max and Chloe when they both did their best to cut in-school drama out of their lives completely? Yes, she's been better since halloween and maybe that's part of why she's hearing us out, but she's still standoffish. It was possible, Max decided, that Victoria both wanted to be Rachel and wanted Rachel. Chloe had made frequent assertions that Victoria struck her as closeted and a lot of very confusing, contradicting feelings could often result from those situations.
The committee as a whole talked to each other for a second, during which Max leaned toward Rachel. The girl wrapped an arm across Max's shoulders and allowed her to lean in close enough to plant a peck on her cheek and then advise her to focus on Zachary and Victoria before going quiet. One by one the rest of the table in front of them did the same. Dana and Juliet looked satisfied about something and Max didn't think it was Rachel's short answer to Victoria's question. We've already got three of them on the hook. Maybe I can grab Taylor, too, but it's everyone else we need to get. It's better to leave it to Rachel. When someone spoke again, it was Hayden.
"So, are you done yelling and ready to listen yet?"
"Fuck no, I'll walk out before I let you morons vote some hipster feminazi bitch and her pet dyke into the club."
"You know what, dude?" Hayden asked, speaking over about four mouths which opened to respond. "Good shit. We've already got precedent in place for that, don't we?" Nathan's face darkened and he lowered his head despite the fact that Hayden was still the taller of the two.
"What do you mean?" he asked, voice low and threatening.
"I mean the last time Zachary walked out on a meeting, what did we do?" Nathan licked his lips and swallowed, but did not look to calm down any. Zachary, on the other hand, crossed his arms across his chest and looked smug, something which didn't go unnoticed by Nathan. "We assumed he voted no and did the rest without him. We can do that here too." Okay, Max thought, there's been some trouble in paradise before we got here. Good to know.
"No, you can't!" Nathan's fists pounded the table, despite the fact that he had to lean down to do so. "You can't do that! Do you know who I am?" This question apparently was what it took to break through Hayden's cool demeanor and when Max looked away from the broad-shouldered boy with discomfort, she took a small solace in the eager, Chloe-like smile that bloomed on Rachel's face like a flower in spring. Chloe's such a bad influence on you.
"Of course I know who you are, asshole." Hayden threw his hands up in the air as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing and then tried and failed to reign in his voice. "I went to elementary with you. I'm only at Blackwell because your parents talked this place up to mine. You remember elementary, don't you Nate? I picked you up off the ground after you got knocked on your ass, like, thirty times for being a snooty brat until your parents pulled you out for the rest of the year and sent you overseas." This didn't endear Hayden to Nathan, it did not calm him down. Instead the Prescott heir's face became a shade of red akin to an apple. Max marked the interesting backstory down for mental perusal later. "I've always picked you up off your ass, Nathan, but you just want to wallow in the dirt this time. That's not my fault, it's not Logan's, it isn't Victoria's and it's damn sure not Rachel or Max's fault. I don't know what happened to you but you've changed and it's not for the better. You're everything you ever told me you hated about your dad and worse." All color drained from Nathan's face and as Hayden turned to the rest of the table, Max knew things were about to escalate. "Now, I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess Nathan's vote registers as no-" Max saw it coming before Hayden did. Even Rachel ducked.
"Hayden watch out!"
The chair Nathan had just been sitting in sailed over the table. Hayden was not the only member of the Vortex Club forced to duck and Rachel pulled Max bodily away from their friend as the chair slammed into a table behind him. Seething, Nathan stalked toward the door, but that wasn't good enough for Hayden, now. Max fought to stay standing as Hayden bumped into the two of them and crossed into Nathan's path. A hundred and one threats about what his father could do to Hayden must have danced on Nathan's tongue as the larger boy grabbed the spoiled Prescott by his shirt and lifted him so that his heels did not touch the floor.
"I wish you had punched your old man in the face when you had the chance," Hayden hissed. Dana and Victoria rose to their feet as if worried for Nathan. Max wasn't worried, per se. She just intended to enjoy what was about to happen as a bit of schadenfreude. "Now you're just his petty little clone." In one fluid motion Hayden released Nathan and pushed him back so that he ended up sitting on the edge of a nearby table. "If you have enough person left in you, go take your fucking meds, drink some water and call me when the guy I grew up with comes back. I'm done with the thing wearing his skin."
Hayden reached out to Rachel and Max each as he passed, as if to silently apologize for the bump. Max swallowed, unable to find words over the realization that Nathan's behavior was hurting more than just her. She shook her head and while Nathan sat, arms over his chest, like a petulant child physically sat in time out, Hayden rejoined the table at large. Victoria and Dana both sat back down and Victoria tried her best to immediately look bored with the proceedings. Taylor hurried to match her and Courtney was too busy visibly enjoying the scene to notice either of them. Max remembered Hayden's declaration that something was going on between Victoria and Nathan. Maybe Nathan's behavior had become more isolating. This was unexpected. The incident with the chair in the first week of school, the fight between Hayden and Nathan, it took on a new light with these revelations. It must have been crushing to have a friend turn on you, she thought at Hayden, whose back was now to her and Rachel. Sarah was now sneering, herself and it was hard to say at who. Max thought that they might have lost their shot with her already. Rachel unwound her arm from Max's shoulders and stepped forward.
"As I was saying before," Rachel continued, in a voice that reminded Max of Rose Amber, "we want to do something to help the school. It's pretty well known Max is always running around helping people out, probably did so for everyone here at one point-"
"Being a nosy bitch, you mean," Nathan shot back.
"-even if they're not grateful for it," Rachel said, as if she had never been interrupted. Max was glad to be behind her in that moment where she could keep an eye on Nathan and make sure he wasn't moving. If you can get Victoria to say yes, that's her, Taylor and Courtney. Pair that with Dana, Hayden and Juliet and we've got a majority. Go get 'em, girl. Victoria notably looked back down at her hands, a bit red in the face at Nathan's outburst. Without her direct input, Taylor and Courtney were unsure how to react. It was almost comical watching them stare at one another as if silently asking whether they were allowed to speak their minds. Max wanted to sigh. Victoria's behavior wasn't exactly friendly, it was more conflicted. Of course it is, after the thing at the party and whatever's going on with Rachel, her pride's probably hurt.
"Last year I sort of tuned out and got wrapped up in things with my parents and bio-mom," Rachel told them. Max wasn't sure why the specificity, but she didn't question it too much. Victoria finally looked up at this, her 'bored shitless' face back in gear. "So I want to do something for the school. Why not this?" This last confused Max, as it sounded as if Rachel was both asking a question and wrapping the discussion up. "How about you let us in for one event. Let us help. If we suck at it, tell us to fuck off. If we're useful, we're in." That's not what I meant, Max thought, a little bit desperate. I might have to rewind. She had expected them to need to make a harder sell than this. Zachary grunted thoughtfully and even Sarah looked as if she didn't loathe the idea, even if she wasn't a fan of looking up from her phone in the moment. Max had to fight very hard not to either smile or look surprised when Dana immediately spoke.
"I'm in," Dana said, raising her hand. Hayden and Juliet did the same in silence. Max rather wondered if Hayden's silence wasn't more brooding. She glanced at Nathan, whose face was beginning to get color again and it did not look good for him keeping his cool. There was a moment where Logan looked between Nathan and Juliet and then, making sure that the first could see him clearly smiling, raised a hand. Four, so quickly. That's almost half. Zachary looked more bored than Victoria.
"I don't really care one way or the other," Zachary said, dismissively. "I abstain. I'm not a big fan of the shit being stirred up today. I'd rather we do it when everyone isn't being pissy." How does he figure that that's our fault? Nathan was pissed the moment we walked in. Then again, he hadn't particularly said he did blame them. Max tried not to hold it against him; he had enough other strikes against him already as a result of being something of a bully and she could hold that against him as long as she so desired.
"Well, I say no," Nathan declared, as if it needed repeating. "They'll fuck things up for all of us."
"Imagine that," Hayden said to no one in particular. That's four yes, one abstain, one no. We actually only need one more vote. Sarah's vote was to shake her head and stay silent. Whatever her reasoning, she was not with them at the moment. That meant that the Victoria voting block was the deciding factor. She's going to give in and vote us down, side with Nathan. That was alright. Max had been committed to rewinding and now she knew a lot more than she expected to learn about the Vortex Club, its members and the politics within it. She would have no problem getting them in next time, she thought. Zachary was the unexpected key and Max figured that if she stressed things out between Logan and Nathan a bit longer he would fall in line just to spite Nathan. It was not the way she wanted to get in, but they needed to get in so that they could keep an eye on Nathan more often. Just let Zachary get pissed off and it's all over.
"I'll abstain too. This turned into a huge waste of time." Victoria leaned back in her seat. Max's brain went quiet, again taken aback by a turn of fate she had not foreseen. What the hell? It didn't fix any of their problems but it certainly didn't bury them. In fact, Max realized, if Taylor and Courtney-who were now shooting panicked, confused looks at one another-voted the same way, it would guarantee them being brought into the Vortex Club, at least on a trial basis. Quietly, Courtney shrugged and informed them that she too abstained. Taylor matched eyes with Max briefly. Max saw the struggle in them. Part of Taylor wanted to flat out say yes, the other part wanted to simply follow the leader. Don't do it, she tried to tell Taylor with her eyes. Max's brain had just caught up to the fact that if Taylor just abstained the majority of votes actually cast would be yeses. They would be in and Taylor would not have to worry about going up against Victoria before she was ready to stand up for herself. The girl attempted to sound nonchalant.
"I'm with Victoria and Courtney on this. I don't care one way or the other." Somehow, even though she was hoping Taylor would not put herself out there, it felt a little bit like a betrayal. On the thunderstruck side, Max turned toward Nathan who had just finished doing the math himself. Hayden let loose a single loud clap, not of celebration but to call attention to him. He stood up. This had been both more stressful and simpler than expected.
"Final votes are four to let them in on a trial basis, two not to and everyone else 'didn't care.'" Hayden sounded cocky as Nathan pushed himself from the table the taller boy had all but sat him down on and stormed out of the room, knocking chairs to the side as he did so as if to make a point. "Welcome to the Vortex Club," Hayden told them, turning in his seat to expose a wide grin. His eyes trailed from their faces to Nathan's retreating form. The smile did not falter. Max didn't blame him. Somehow, this whole thing had just endeared Hayden to her further. Hell, she even felt slightly more kindly toward Logan. If he just stopped being a dick to most non-jocks, it would be easy to like him. Charisma only went so far.
"Alright," Zachary declared as he stood up. "I need to get some reps in before lunch." Hayden turned back to the table, head turning from side to side.
"We're just done, then?" Hayden asked, faux surprise in his voice. He was practically gloating. Rachel no longer held herself formally ahead of Max, and turned back to hug her tight with a grin. Max returned the hug as tightly as she felt she could while she watched Victoria rise to her feet. "Oh, okay. I guess we're done." Rubbing it in a bit, Hayden.
"Don't fuck it up," Victoria shot them as she passed. For Victoria, this salutation was practically friendly. As Rachel released her and turned to watch, looking a little stunned herself, Max answered.
"We won't." Courtney followed Victoria out first, giving her the stink eye. Taylor didn't match her eyes and Max found herself alright with that. Her mixed feelings toward Taylor had been a little more intense than she had expected. She was going to need some time on that front. Max also wanted to figure out this Victoria mystery sooner, rather than later. Cockily, Logan flashed Hayden a thumbs up before turning his attention to Juliet. Max did herself a favor and decided not to wonder what Juliet was whispering into his ear that made the smirk appear on his face, but whatever it was, Dana laughed when he passed it on to her. Hayden and Dana rose together, exchanged something that Max couldn't hear and then the cheerleader waved goodbye to them.
"So, am I crazy or was that too easy?" Rachel asked her in a low voice. "I mean, the bit between Hayden and Nathan was kind of... tense, but you know." Max laughed at what were, frankly, a pair of understatements.
"It was definitely too easy, or I've been stupid and missed something," Max told her.
"If you have so have I," Rachel assured the photographer in a hurry and then quieted as Hayden approached. He stayed quiet and grinning as Juliet, Logan and Sarah passed and when they were the last ones in the room, his eyes widened.
"Ho-oly shit," Hayden declared, wiping his brow in an exaggerated manner. It struck Max that he might be trying to cover up for his earlier genuine frustration and feelings in relation to Nathan. If so, she did not find it to be a great coping mechanism, but it was no worse than her own tendency to use lame humor to shift the focus from something unpleasant. "So, Dana or I will let you know what you two are going to be doing for the Valentine's Day party. That's probably gonna be your test." Max swallowed. That struck her as kind of a big event to test them out on. "It was a good move suggesting a test, but whatever you did to get Victoria's support, I'd keep doing it."
"Support?" Max asked, "she abstained."
"Nah, dude," Hayden replied, laughing genuinely. "Victoria never votes against Nathan and since Taylor and Courtney never vote against her, he's basically a one-man powerblock. Only needs to harass or blackmail one person to his side. I guess today he thought it was going to be Logan, but Victoria basically told him to go fuck himself. Why do you think that is?" Rachel shrugged. Max couldn't help but look at her as if Rachel was a little bit out of touch. Max couldn't be the only one to make the connections she had made today. Maybe this is a discussion best left for later.
"Either way," Max told the boy as Rachel raised an eyebrow at her incredulous expression, "thanks for all your help." Hayden nodded as if it was no big deal and gestured toward the door before he started walking. He clearly wanted to continue talking for a moment. As soon as they crossed from the cafeteria, she saw David watching them from where it let out into the hallway. Is this a coincidence or is he following us again? As soon as they were definitely out of his range of hearing, Max shot a look back at him and then spoke. "So, Hayden, did you get the okay to give me your connection's number?" Rachel looked fairly interested in this and Hayden nodded quickly.
"I'll text you in a few," he promised as he broke away from them when they hit the front hallway. "Good show today," Hayden told them both, patting Rachel on the shoulder before going his own way. At the end of the hall, Steph and Chloe were sat against a wall and unaware of their approach as they talked. It took Max a second to get Rachel's attention and get her to slow down, but Max freed her camera from her bag, earning a grin from the blonde beside her. She lined up a shot of Steph and Chloe in conversation, grinning at one another, and was able to snap the photo before they were discovered. Even Chloe's recent tendency to feel inexplicably tired rather easily seemed not to be bothering her as the two talked. The photo going to come out really nice.
"Hey you," Chloe called. "Get over here, we need to hear the story." She seemed a bit anxious despite the excited words. As they joined Chloe and Steph on the floor, Max checked her phone and understood why. The whole thing might have lasted twenty minutes. Wow, that was way too easy. "So what happened?" Rachel settled down and Max felt her hand snake around behind her to rest on Max's left hip.
"So," Max said, as if trying to find the best way to explain it. "We got in first try, but Nathan flipped out, pissed everyone off, got thrown around like a rag doll, and when it came time to vote-"
"Queen Bee abstained so her drones did, too." Max shared a look with Chloe and saw a familiar thought process running through Chloe's eyes.
"Did you ever think Victoria might be a little sweet on you?" Chloe asked. Rachel, comically, looked a little surprised.
"You're imagining things," she sputtered.
"Maybe," Chloe said. "But I've always thought she had something going on. It's the only thing that explains why she hates Max and I so much while usually not being pissy with you." Rachel only shook her head as if Chloe, and Max by virtue of nodding along, were being absurd.
"Okay, I'm done fucking around on campus for the day, it's getting surreal." Max laughed. Maybe Rachel was giving more thought to their theory than she had let on. Steph, certainly, put a hand to her chin thoughtfully. If Steph was considering it, it was possible that they weren't imagining things. She was a sharp tack.
"Me too," Max agreed. An awkward silence spread across the group. Being the only one there without a ride of her own, Max hated to be the one to make a suggestion, but sometimes the four of them needed a nudge to decide what, if anything to do with their time. "Should we get out of here and go somewhere? It's not even noon yet."
"Sure, but first, not to distract from the 'getting down to business' theme of the day," Chloe said, standing up and stretching her arms high above her head. "What did you think of the session last night?" Eager for a distraction from the moral quandaries involved in this whole plot, Max let conversation unfold around her and simply tried to work out the knot in her stomach left behind by Nathan's rage.