Chapter 1: Anger Management

Max

It's Monday afternoon. Max Caulfield sits in 'The Language of Photography' class. All students listen eagerly to the lecture that is held by the famous photographer Mark Jefferson, one of Max's great idols. Well, at least he was her idol, until she found out that he can't stop talking and likes to listen to himself. 'Arrogant bastard' she thought. 'When does he finally shut up?'

During the first lessons, Max admired his knowledge, his easygoing style and even his appearance. But since Jefferson lectured her, about 'zoning out' the whole time, she disliked him. 'Why does everybody think that I'm always zoning out? I'm just meditating. Try to stay calm, try to focus. But nobody understands. Nobody wants to understand!' Max feels anger dwelling inside of her, boiling under her skin. Clenching her fists, she tries to control it. 'Okay, Max. Remember your teachings, focus!' She closes her eyes. 'Take deep breaths, in and out. Focus on your breathing and your heartbeat. Inner peace.' Her fists unclench, it's working, but she still feels an inner unrest. 'Next step: self-reflection.' Max takes out her instant camera and takes a selfie.

The picture is released with a mechanical whirring. Max takes it and waits for its development, still meditating. As the picture is finished, she sees the face of a freckled, young girl with black dyed, short hair with long bangs framing her face, also wearing a black hoodie over a red tank-top. Her expression is stern, but doesn't show her anger. 'It worked! Be gone, oh fowl anger!'

"MAX!" a voice yelled her.

She raises her gaze from the picture towards Mr. Jefferson. "What?" she asked puzzled, like she was woken from slumber.

"Max, I told you a hundred times to pay attention. You may have talent, but if you want to be a professional photographer you have to learn to listen! Now again, I want to know, what's the name of the process, describing the first self-portraiture via photography?" her teacher asks, slightly agitated.

The whole class stares at her, making her feel uncomfortable. 'C'mon, Max! You know this. Damn! Just say something.' "Uh, I knew it, but the name won't come into my mind right now."

Jefferson's hand hits the table, sending a loud bang through the room. "Either you know this or not!" he yells, now really pissed. She moves his view to Victoria. "Yes, Victoria?"

"The Daguerrian-Process." Victoria Chase, the Queen Bee of Blackwell Academy, chimes, giving Jefferson a sweet smile, before turning to Max. "Now you're totally stuck in the Retro-Zone, sad-face." She mocks with a fake sad-face.

The anger boils inside of Max again, making her clenching her fists again. 'I'd like to hit you in your ugly face, breaking your fake nose, driving it into your fucking brain, bitch!' She grits her teeth. 'Fuck, I start to lose it. I can't let this happen! Not again.' The black-haired girl tries to meditate again, but hearing the voice of Jefferson distracts her. 'Just shut up, motherfucker!'

Finally the bell rings and marks the end of class and the end of this shitty day. 'Fuck, I need to find a quiet place to calm down or else I'm gonna lose it.' Max stuffs her materials quickly into her bag and rushes towards the door.

"Max, can I please have a word with you." Jefferson says to her, before she could leave the room. 'Dammit!' "Max, you seem out of focus for some time now. Is everything alright?" he asks in an analytical voice. Victoria stands beside him and musters her.

Max summons all her concentration to answer calmly. "Y-yes, everything's alright. It's just the big load of homework and the stress."

"Well Max, you're not the only one on this school who has a lot of homework. I know it is hard to follow my jibber jabber in the late afternoon, but just try. It would be a waste of your talent, if you won't make it through this class, just because you choose to visit your little daydream world. Okay?" The small girl just nods and Victoria musters her again, with something that could be described as disgust. "Okay, then we'll see us tomorrow. And don't forget to submit a photo for the Everyday Hero Contest; I have high expectations of you!"

Max just nods again, turns around and walks towards the door. 'Damn, that was close. One more word and I would've punched him in his hipster-face, right before kicking Victoria's fat ass through the window. Now, keep it together, Caulfield!' She rushes through the hallway, ignoring everyone, and finally reaches her destination, the women's restroom.

The door slams shut behind her and she takes a look around. 'Good, nobody's here.' The black-haired girl starts her meditation again and looks into one of the mirrors. 'Self-Reflection' Other people might not see it, but she sees anger, hate, and aggression. 'Okay, I should do some exercises to calm down some more. But not in the middle of the room. It would only cause some questions, if someone comes in.' She looks around and sees some space behind the stalls. 'Perfect.'

She puts the cleaning stuff that stands there away, puts her bag on the floor and starts her moves. 'Let it flow like a river. Focus on your breath.' Max closes her eyes, her mind on standby and let her body take over. She feels the anger leaving her body, flowing into nothingness. Inner peace takes over. 'My body is one with nature and my surroundings. Inner peace.' Something tickles on her finger. She opens her eyes slightly and sees a blue winged butterfly siting there. 'Hello, little friend! Here to help me?' The corners of her lips move upwards, forming a light smile as she closes her eyes again.

Suddenly the door is opened loudly and some asshole storms into the restroom, raging and talking to himself. The butterfly takes off and flies out of the open window. 'Fuck! So much for inner peace.' Max stops her movements and peeks around the stalls, seeing a brunette guy, slightly nervous. 'I should kick his ass alone for being in the girl's room.' Before the thought is finished, if she should actually kick ass or not, the door opens again and a blue haired, tall girl with a punk-rock look enters the room. Max hides behind the stalls again, just wishing for them to leave. 'Great, another one. Never seen her at Blackwell. And what now? Are they gonna make out here or what?' A bit of anger dwells again, but it's not much, controllable.

Before Max could catch another thought the creepy guy and the punk-chick have an argument about drugs and money. The small girl tries to ignore the conversation, as suddenly the voice of the tall girl is dripping with fear. Max looks around the corner again and sees that the guy's holding a gun in his hand, threatening the bluenette. 'Okay, fuck inner peace, this is serious!'

Max leaves her cover and dashes towards the slender guy with a loud "Hey!" The creep turns around, trying to aim at the new target. The world slows down into slow motion, as Max analyzes the situation. 'The gun: 9 mm semi-auto pistol, common model. Creepy guy: slender, not much muscles, seems psychological unstable, unpredictable. Needs to be neutralized.' The small girl reaches the guy, who still tries to get the gun up into her direction. 'Step one: disarm your opponent, even the odds.' She grabs the gun by its upper receiver, so it wouldn't repeat, if a shot is fired, minimizing the threat. Then she moves the sled a bit back, preventing the gun from being fired. As she turns the pistol and rips it from the guy's hand, she can hear his trigger finger break, leading to a loud scream of agony from his side. 'Ooops! Sorry, but not sorry. Step two: neutralize the opponent as fast as possible, ending the fight before it even started.' After ripping the gun out of his hands, Max swings her left elbow into his face with a loud and controlled cry to minimize the pain. Again, a bone breaks. This time his nose. Blood splatters around the room, his scream dies and he hits the floor, whining, holding his nose. 'Flawless victory!'

This all happened in a few seconds. Max stands over her opponent, steady, ready to give him some more hell, if necessary. Gun still in her hand. She releases the magazine, unloads and disassembles it. The single components are hitting the ground one by one. 'Awwww, did I break your little toy?'

The black-haired girl looks at the punk-girl from the corner of her eyes, recognizing that she stares at her. 'Whatcha looking at, blue?' But instead the expected fear or shock, she only sees surprise, paired with unbelief.

"Max?" the bluenette suddenly asks.

Raising her head to take a closer look at the blue-haired girl, Max starts to recognize something. Deep blue, almond-shaped eyes. Lips, which are ready to form a mischievously smile. Her eyebrows, strawberry-blond, like her original hair-color. And suddenly Max recognizes who stands in front of her. "Chloe?"

With a loud thud the door to the restroom opens again and the head of the Blackwell-Security, David Madsen, enters, yelling. "What the hell is going on here?" He looks at the creepy guy on the floor, laying in a puddle of his own blood, the gunparts, Max and finally at Chloe. "What are you doing here?"

Chloe doesn't waste any time and leaves the restroom without any word. 'What the fuck?! Oh, hi Max, long time no see. Let me just bail on you and leave you with all this shit alone. Asshole!'

"Hey, missy!" David yells at her. "I asked you something!"

'Great, another asshole. As if this school hasn't already enough of them.' Max tries to stay calm again. "This fucker here…" She gives the guy on the floor a slight little kick in the back. "…waved a gun around and I took care of him."

David sighs. "Okay, I take over. You, go to your dorm. Wait for further orders."

Max rolls her eyes. 'Ex-military, figures.' And walks out of the restroom and heads towards the dormitories. 'I need some privacy, ASAP.'

Halfway at the dormitories a voice stops Max in her movement.

"Nice moves back there, Caulfield!"

She turns around and looks into these catching blue eyes again.

Chloe

Chloe opens her eyes and looks at her phone to read the time. 'Fuck, slept in. Damn weed. This shit just makes me sleepy, not high. Need to rage on Frank next time. The fucker should give me some discount for that.' She sits up, holding her head with two hands. "Ugh!" 'And makes headaches, too. I should stop taking this shit. Drugs are bad. But on the other hand, I'm a baaaaad girl.'

The bluenette stands up and stretches. 'Okay, let's go through my imaginary to-do-list. Sleeping till 10? Check! Hear some kickass tunes? Check! Watch some porn and jerk off? Tried it, but wasn't in the mood. Getting high? Nah, more like smoking bad pot. But check! Passing out? Not planed, but check! Blackmail Nathan Prescott? Did it yesterday, check! Up next: drive to Blackhell and demand some shitload of money from this little creep.' She checks the time again. '15:30 pm, time to grab some grub and head to Blackhell.'

A sandwich in one hand, the punk-girl gets into her truck and drives off to Blackwell Academy. She parks the car in the parking lot, occupying two handicapped spaces. 'As if there are any handicapped people here. This shithole doesn't even have any ramps for wheelchairs. Fucking, pretentious Nazifuckers!'

She heads towards the main building, giving Justin, a skater-dude, a quick fist bump. Inside the building she makes a short break before entering the girl's restroom. 'Okay, Price. This is it. You practiced your words and now go in there, be a badass, and get some dough!'

Entering the bathroom she sees Nathan Prescott, leaning with both hands over the sink. 'He seems to be high or at least fucked up. The odds are in your favor, girl.' Everything goes according to her plan, until Nathan suddenly draws a gun and holds it in her face. 'Shit, a gun! A fucking gun! Okay Chloe, don't stress. Don't stress?! This fucker holds a gun up your nose! FUCKFUCKFUCK! Stall him! Try to calm him down!'

Suddenly a shadow moves behind Nathan. "Hey!" a girl's voice yells and seconds later, before Chloe even processes what just happened, Nathan lies on the floor, bleeding from his nose. The gun just a pile of parts besides him. 'What the fuck just happened?' Her gaze falls on a black-haired, small girl, standing in front of her. Wearing a black hoodie over a red tank-top, black army pants and sneakers. 'Nice style!' And she wonders herself, who just saved her sorry ass and stares at her face, gasping as she recognizes it. Cutie face, blue doe eyes, her hair black instead of auburn. 'No way, no fucking way. It can't be her. She looks like the lovechild of Bruce Lee and Bambi.' And before she's even able control herself a name comes over her lips. "Max?"

"Chloe?" she replies with surprise.

Chloe tries to make a step forwards, but suddenly another person enters the restroom. 'Oh shit, not step-fucker.'

He looks at her. "What are you doing here?"

'Fuck! Sorry Max, need to get the hell out of here, before this fucker raises hell on me and blames me for this shit.' The punk-girl doesn't say a word, just leaves the main building in a fast pace. 'Shit, I need to talk to her. Sorry for leaving you alone with my step-ass, but I don't need this shit right now. Not after what just happened. Class is over; she'll probably head for the dorms later, so I'll just wait for her on the way.'

After some minutes, Chloe, leaning against a wall, sees the black-haired girl passing her and grins. "Nice moves back there, Caulfield!" she says to her. Max turns around and eyes lock onto each other.

Chloe & Max

Max walks with angry steps towards the bluenette. "Thanks for bailing on me back there, asshole!"

The blue-haired punk gets into defensive position, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "At least it didn't take me five years to show up again."

Anger rises inside of Max even more, hearing the accusing words. Her furious voice trembles. "Y-you know, I-I don't have to t-take this. Y-you have no idea what's going on. J-just stay the fuck away from me, you…you…FUCK!"

The black-haired girl turns around and storms away with fast steps. Chloe sighs and rubs her temple. 'Well done, Price. Shove another person away from you. You have so much more friends in the world. Sarcasm-Mode off.' "Max, wait!"

Running to catch up with the smaller girl, Chloe touches Max on her shoulder in order to turn her around. Instead, the black-haired girl grabs the punk's wrist, spins her arm clockwise. Chloe has to turn her body to prevent her wrist from breaking. Arm on her back, Chloe hisses in pain as her sinews are far more stretched than usual.

"Don't touch me!" Max whispers in her ear with gritted teeth.

It takes the bluenette some time to catch her voice. "I-I'm sorry, okay? Ouch! I didn't mean to piss you off, but I had to leave, 'cause actually I'm forbidden to walk around the campus and I don't need more shit in my life. Max, I'm happy to see you, okay?"

The freckled girl releases her grip. Chloe sighs in relief and rubs her arm as the pain fades. "Wow, you're pretty hardcore!" At first the punk-girl thought that Max would turn around and walk away again, but she stays. Chloe looks at her feet and starts kicking little pebbles with her boots. "Um, by the way, thanks for saving my butt."

Max's anger dissipates as she realizes that Chloe apologized. She recons that no matter how much she wants to be angry at the blue-haired punk, she just can't. 'That's a new one. Normally my anger stays until I meditate.' "You're welcome." Max says to her with a quiet voice, avoiding her gaze.

An awkward silence hangs over the both girls, until Chloe tries to break the ice with a faint smirk. "You gave little Prescott a pretty nice beat-up. Bet his father won't be pleased about this."

Max's eyes widen in shock. 'Fuck!' "Prescott? As in Nathan Prescott?" 'I knew that the son of the Prescotts is a student at Blackwell, but never imagined him to be such a psycho.'

Chloe smirk grows. "Yep, as in Nathan 'Don't-fuck-with-me-'cause-my-family-owns-Arcadia-Bay-and-sues-you for-the-next-thousand-years' Prescott." With a high kick, Max hits the nearby lamppost, leaving a dent in it. "Whoa, calm down, sister!" the punk says with a calming voice.

Max looks at her with an ashamed look, her cheeks blushing. "Sorry, I just mentally kissed my scholarship good bye."

Chloe lays her hand on the black-haired's shoulder, but withdraws it quickly as she looks at it. "Don't worry, he had the gun and you unarmed him. No worries! C'mon, you need to chill a bit."

Max sighs. 'She's right, I just defended her. The law's on my side this time. I should go to my room now and calm down, reflecting what happened.' "Yeah, you're right. Bye, Chloe! It was nice seeing you."

The smaller girl turns around and walks towards the dormitories, leaving Chloe standing on the spot with a puzzled expression as she tries to figure out what just happened. But she snaps out a moment later. "Max, wait up!"

The black-haired girl stops again. 'What now? Chloe, I'm a ticking time-bomb. Please, don't make me hurt you!'

"Wanna…" Chloe coughs in search for words. "…wanna hang out with me?"

Max turns around, her eyes widen in surprise. 'Did she just ask me to hang out with her? It's been awhile since someone did that. And that out of good reason, Caulfield. You know what happens, if someone pisses you off. But on the other hand, she calms you down and I could use someone to talk to…No, you need some meditation!' She sighs, her shoulders sinking. "Chloe, look. Thanks for the offer, but I need to do some meditation. Get some chill, y'know?"

Chloe shrugs. "That's cool and I know the perfect spot for meditation and after the gun-in-your-face-incident I could need some hella meditation, too. C'mon Maximus, don't make me beg you."

A faint smile rushes over Max's face as she remembers her old times with Chloe. The times they were inseparable. She felt warmth growing inside her belly as she looks into the bluenette's blinking eyes. 'Maybe I need some time-out from the daily routine and Blackwell.' "Let's go." She says which brings a big smile on Chloe's face.

Chloe & Max

Half an hour later, Max and Chloe reach the lighthouse on the top of the cliffs. Max used the occasion and made a lot of pictures on her way through the woods between the beach on the bottom of the hill and the lighthouse on top. Sometimes Chloe grew impatient and called her slowpoke, earning a smirk, a stuck out tongue and finally a middle finger.

Reaching the lighthouse, Chloe let herself fall onto the bench and inhales the fresh air. "Yeah, now that's the fucking ticket! What do ya say, Max? Brings back old memories, huh?" She takes a look at her old friend as she takes off her black hoodie, putting it on the ground to use it as a blanked to sit on. Her jaw drops as she sees Max's muscular arms and a tattoo on her left arm. It pictures a Chinese dragon, wriggling its way from her elbow towards her shoulder blade, where the head ends. The colorful dragon is surrounded by green vines, violet lotus blossoms and blue butterflies.

Max turns her head towards her and smirks. "Y'know, if you keep eyeballing me like this, you have to take me out on a date." She says, followed by a wink.

The punk closes her mouth and gulps, while her heart skips a beat. 'Did she just flirt with me?' "N-nice tat." Chloe stutters, her cheeks burning.

"Thanks! Did it on my 18th birthday. Dad's birthday present for me."

"Your dad gave it to you? Amazeballs!" Chloe says in awe, before changing the topic. "So, how are your folks?"

Max just shrugs, a melancholic expression on her face. "Divorced."

Chloe nearly falls off the bench as she gasps. "What?! How…I mean, why?" Chloe knew Max's parents very well, even liked them like her own. Back in the days, they were a happy family and now?

Sitting down on her black hoodie, legs crossed, Max tries to position herself for her meditation, face towards the ocean. She takes a deep breath in and closes her eyes, before continuing. "Well, while my dad had a well-paid job, mom failed with her business. Frustration grew between them. The first fights were about the money, after that about the whole situation and finally about me. I was in the middle of everything as shit hit the fan."

"Shit! Max, I'm sorry…"

Max just raises her hand to cut Chloe off, without turning her head. "Don't be. It's all in the past now. Dad has a new woman in his life and is happy. Mom probably knows every cock in Seattle by now and is partying the shit out of herself. I'll be happy if I don't see this bitch ever again! And now I'm here, away from all this crap." Her voice is calm and she shows no bitterness at all.

"And what about you? What happened to this shy, little hipster girl? What turned her into this badass fighting machine?" the bluenette asks with a light, teasing smile on her face.

Max just glances over her shoulder and her eyes piercing at Chloe with pure anger, but it dissipated as fast as it had occurred. Focusing on her meditation again, the smaller girl pets the ground beside her, signaling Chloe to sit by her side. The punk obeys, trying to find a comfortable position to sit.

"Okay, now close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Take deep drafts in and out. Try to feel your body, don't think." Chloe does as her friend told her and both girls are sitting side by side as the sun dips down into the ocean.

Suddenly the click of zippo and a deep draft disturbs Max's concentration. She looks at her punk friend with a raised eyebrow and sees that she smokes a joint. Chloe looks at her and shrugs. "What? You meditate, I medicate. Both things help relaxing, but this works better for me."

Max just shakes her head with a smile and continues her meditation.

"You haven't answered my question, though." Chloe bites her lower lip as recons that she may push it too far. 'Don't push her, Price. You know, she can rip your arm out and beat the shit out of you with it.'

But instead of a rage, Max just keeps smiling. "And I don't intend to do so. At least, not right away." She let out a long and deep sigh. "Chloe, five years have been a long time and we didn't part as friends. Don't get me wrong, I'm actually enjoying this; I enjoy your company. But I need to know you some more, before talking about the worst time of my life, 'kay?" 'Sorry Chlo, I need to know, if there are any feelings and trust left or if this is just a platonic kinda-friend thing.'

Chloe nods in acceptance and looks at the sun, diving into the ocean. Caught in deep thoughts. 'Worst time of her life? I know that my past five years were hell and hella changed me in a way, also my character stayed the same, but Max? She was always so happy, so nerdy and so different. What could happen to a cute, shy and peaceful girl like her to turn her into an angry streetfighter? Maybe she's right. Maybe I'm not privileged enough to know it yet, but I swear, I'll do everything to be a good friend again. No! To be her best friend again!'

Sean Prescott

Sitting at his mahogany-desk, Sean Prescott reads and signs some contracts. He loved signing things, because his signature contains power. Power to build or destroy houses; to plant trees or cut down whole forests; to make someone happy or to make someone's life a living hell. He enjoyed it, that a set of thin, bluish lines can have so much influence.

The phone on his desk chimes and he pushes the button for the speakers. "Yes?"

"Mr. Prescott? Principal Wells from Blackwell Academy is on line one." Says his secretary.

He sighs, rubbing his eyes in annoyance. 'What the hell does this drunken bastard wants now?' "I'll take it from here, thanks Marge." He pushes the button for line one. "Sean Prescott speaking…Hello Mr. Wells…WHAT?" he yells and his fist hits the desk, sending his pen flying through the air. "When did this happen?...Were there any witnesses?...Who?...Hold on!...I said, hold on!" Sean Prescott puts the Principal on hold and pushes another button. "Nathan? It's me…What the fuck happened today?...Calm the fuck down!...You idiot! I gave you that gun to protect yourself and not to wave it around in school!...I don't give a damn, it's your loss, when you put yourself in such a position…Why didn't you come to me in the first place?...Dammit! What's her name?...Price? Yeah, her mother works at the Two Whales. She'll be no problem. And the other girl?...Don't worry, I'll find out her name…No, you stay in your room and won't leave it until this is over…I don't care. Watch a movie or try to stay out of trouble for at least one day…Yes, I'll also take care of the gun…Yeah, bye." He sighs again. 'Why am I punished with such an incompetent son? He can't do anything right, this idiot!' After a short period of time he puts the Principal on speaker, again. "Mr. Wells, I want all the documents and reports regarding this case…I don't give a damn that these files are confidential…Listen you shmuck, do you want the new computers and projectors for your media-room or not?...Then it's settled…When will she give her report?...Tomorrow morning?...Yes, I want to attend the interview…No, that's too late…Make it 8…Yeah, have a nice day, too."

Sean Prescott leans back into his comfy chair, smiling devilish. He loves to ruin other people's life or at least threaten them with it. Tomorrow morning, Maxine Caulfield will experience what happens, if you mess with the Prescott family.

Authors Notes:

Okay, here it is, my second fanfic. You may have noticed that it is written in another style than "The Third Option", because this time I wanted to write it from the POV of different characters.
Max is definitely OOC and this is what this story is all about, although I tried to preserve some of her nerdy side. The other characters are still the same as in the original Life is Strange story.

This story is rated M, because there will be definitely some more violence and sexual content as well as depressing topics.

I'm writing this story on-the-fly, so I don't know exactly how many chapters it may contain or when it will be finished. The ideas are all in my head, but I need some time to write them down, revisit them and so on. So, please don't be mad, if it takes some time to publish a new chapter.

I also apologize for any grammar and spelling mistakes, but hey, nobody's perfect. ;-)
Reviews and some input are very much appreciated!