Maxine hadn't look back at Victoria the whole walk to the car. Not when they left the hall, not in the building as they walked, not when they reached the parking lot. Not even when they reached Victoria's car and Maxine clicked the car fob to unlock it.
At first Vic thought it was just Maxine avoiding the looks they were getting. Not to mention when they heard a girl mention 'what the hell is she doing with that bitch?' Victoria assumed herself to be the bitch in mention, but ever still, Her manicured nails went for the door as she watched Maxine.
The door to the car Victoria absolutely hated. Her first car. She couldn't even choose something she wanted. Something safe, something with room, something cute, something used, something with 4 doors. As always her choice was shot down immediately. No, she had to have something that kept up the family image but at the same time didn't show off too much. The Chase family was showy, but only in a way that said 'I wonder how much that was.' Never the standard. Never. Not for a Chase. So for her 16th birthday she was given a fucking Nissan 370z. Sure, every frat guy went nuts about her car, didn't mean she was anymore capable of driving it.
So when she had asked for a Kia Soul she only got one curt look from her father and a No from her mother. That was the beginning and end of her choice. One look, one word. Not a word to her safety, or how she would even manage to drive to a sports car everyday as someone still learning to drive. No. The Image. Always the fucking Image. Maybe now that someone else was driving her vehicle she could complain in unison.
In all of this thinking, Victoria was getting upset, worried she had done something. Maybe she should have given Maxine a straight answer? But no, she found out why Maxine was being quiet.
As Maxine sat down she pulled the silver revolver out from the back of her pants, hidden under a usual "Max" hoodie. As if a casual thing to do, she sat it between her legs before going to start the car.
"What the actual Fuck Maxine?" Vic didn't even humor her by opening the door. She stood outside of it, dumbfound and staring at Maxine in confusion.
Still, Maxine didn't meet her lover's eyes. She just put her finger on the ignition button. "Tori… Just. Get. In." The words were slow, deliberate, a demand. Victoria had never heard that tone from that body before. Someone so small, so fragile couldn't sound that way? Could they? Victoria slowly opened the door, her whole being hesitant. Seeing a gun pop out in her bedroom was one thing. Now, it in public and for anyone to see was another thing entirely.
Vic, slowly opened the door and got in the passenger seat. Maxine began pulling out of the parking spot as Vic reached for her seat-belt. "Fuck! Can I even put on my seat-belt!?"
Max let out a sigh and slammed on the break, the car screeched to a halt. Right away the engine was killed and it died with a rumble.
A short silence filled the space of the car as Victoria put on her seat-belt, and then put on Maxine's after noticing she wasn't going to. "Either you trust me or you don't." Finally Maxine looked at Victoria. Her eyes said she was pissed. Angrier than she had ever seen that body be.
"What the fuck Maxine. I trust you, but this is ridiculous."
"I'm Ridiculous!" Maxine threw her arms down from the steering wheel in exasperation. "Time travel and superpowers are fucking ridiculous!" Shaky, desperate hands grabbed at Victoria's. "Do you not fucking get it!? My existence is an insanity!… I don't even know who was first…" Those pearly blues left the sight of their emeralds. "You can't trust me half way Tori. I can't. I just can't deal with that right now."
"I trust you. I promise." Vic grabbed back at the hands that grabbed for her. Only for them to be wrenched away and slammed against the steering wheel. The car horn rang out through the parking lot.
"No You Don't!" Maxine screamed out. "If you really do. Stop fucking asking questions!"
"FINE!" With that Victoria looked away, out toward the road they needed to go down. This wasn't over though, not by a long shot. Victoria would let Maxine or Max get away with a lot, but this was extremely out of line. For the first time she noticed herself missing Max.
"I…" The apology never came though. Maxine started the car and recklessly got them onto the highway that bordered the school. With a quick drift of the back end, Maxine had started down the road, the engine roaring to life under the pressure of her foot. True to her word, the world around them was frozen. Maxine weaved through the streets, not caring to follow any laws of the road. At several points even driving down the oncoming side of the road.
Neither had said a single word the entire drive. Victoria hadn't been able to do her makeup with the way Maxine was expertly speeding and drifting through the town.
Maxine finally let time flow as they went around a corner, where no-one would be able to see a car popping into existence. They were close to the hospital, it was just up the road. Victoria's car pulled into the lot of the hospital with a deafening roar. An older couple glared at them as they drove by, trying to find a parking space. Maxine rolled her eyes.
Victoria looked away from the couple, embarrassed with how Maxine was pushing the car to it's limits. Even within a hospital parking lot. She looked to Maxine for the first time since they left the school. Her eyes were hard and her jaw was clenched. Something obviously had her mind busy.
Maxine let her eyes close when they had finally parked in an open spot. She turned off the car and rested back into the driver's seat. Her left hand went to rest on the gun in her lap and used the other one to to rub her face. Vic tensed as she watched this. Something was wrong. Maxine let out a long sigh and opened her eyes. She looked over at Victoria and all the anger from before was gone. Her eyes were gentle and beginning to well up. Her smile was small and sad.
"Victoria… I love you… I'm sorry, but I won't let that storm happen."
Victoria furrowed her brow. "What st-...orm?" Her question was cut short. Maxine had vanished from the car. Along with the revolver.