Two (336:00:00) weeks after Chloe's funeral:
With the initial shock of Chloe's death having worn off, Max fell into a heavy soreness that spread throughout her body. She could barely feel the pinpricks of her skin, the air tickling her. She wanted to go about business as usual, but try as she might, she could hardly bring herself to move. But around her, despite her own melancholy, life continued. 'As bad as it sounds, life goes on,' Mark Jefferson had once said. She couldn't believe she was recounting something from him and applying it to her current situation.
"There you are, Max-stallion! Why haven't I seen you around campus lately? Hooo-" Warren caught up to her, out of breath and breathing heavily as if he had just sprinted across campus, which was precisely what he'd just done.
Max mustered a small smile, readjusting her bag on her shoulder. She had hoped she wouldn't be spotted as she made her way across campus. She had been skipping class, not quite in the mood to be amongst her peers, especially in her state of being. If they had to deal with her when she was moody like this, they might never want to talk to her again. Avoidance seemed like the only option.
Photography class was especially weird. With the true identity of Mark Jefferson revealed, it made returning to the same classroom an uncomfortable reminder of what once was. Although there was a new teacher: the shy and friendly, Mr. Callaghan. His presence lessened the pressure of the classroom, but Jefferson's aura remained. Max disliked attending that class the most and her peers had long since noticed her absence.
"I've just been busy, pretty distracted. How are you?" Max said after a moment.
"You'll never guess who was looking for you!"
"Who?"
"Victoria! She actually came up to me and asked how've you been. I couldn't answer since I hadn't heard from you either... But jeez, I felt that was a little out of the blue. I had to hold back from saying anything I really wanted to."
"I see..." Max couldn't really bring herself to say anything more. And even Warren's chipper attitude was beginning to sap what remaining energy she had out of her. She suddenly just wanted to be alone.
He continued, "she might try to find you later. And… by the way, are you—"
"Look, Warren, I'm actually pretty tired. You mind if we catch up a little later? Sorry."
"Oh…" he looked to the floor for a split second, the appearance of his scuffed shoes suddenly appealing. "Yeah! No, you get your rest. Text me later." He walked away, hand-outstretched in farewell.
"I promise I will."
…
Max dragged her feet through the door to her dormitories. The heaviness of her shoulder bag pressing into her skin. All she had in there was her journal and her instant camera, and not even the one that Chloe had passed along to her.
She passed by Trevor in the hallway, who waved politely. Dana was smiling from her dorm room door, flashing her grin at Max who passed. Stella sprinted across her pathway, holding a bundle of papers, Alyssa barely missing being crashed into. Max pushed past Taylor and Courtney engaged in a not-very-quiet discussion, as she made her way into the girl's bathroom. All things were hustle and bustle in the dorms as always.
Victoria was inside, reapplying her lipstick. Catching Max's eyes in the mirror, she spun around as gracefully as a swan. Even her movements felt rich.
"Max! There you are. Gayram—I mean…Warren… didn't even know where you've been."
"I've been around."
"Well he seemed more than frantic being out of the know."
"He told me you were looking for me." Max pulled her gaze up, looking at Victoria. With her hands on her hips, she tapped her expensive shoes on the tile, stumbling with words she was trying to say.
"Yeah. Mr. Callaghan asked me to give you this week's assignment. Come by my room later and I'll give it to you."
"Alright, Victoria, thanks." Max nodded and turned to the sink. She just wanted to splash water on her face, not liking feeling so tired in the middle of the day.
"Look…"
Max turned off the faucet, reaching for a nearby paper towel. Victoria handed her one. Max looked at her strangely as she dabbed her face.
"I know… I know things have been tough since your friend… and I just never got the chance to say I'm sorry, okay? It's been tough for me too ever since Nathan… well you get it." Victoria turned her head away, hands folded tightly against her side.
Max always knew this side of Victoria existed, she just didn't know she would witness it so soon and so clearly. Had Nathan been that much of a bad influence on her? Did death sober up her attitude? She had attended the funeral, after all.
This train of thought gave strength to her voice. "Why were you at Chloe's funeral? I didn't think you even knew her."
"Well, I did. She was always hanging out around Rachel Amber, back in the day, and the Vortex Club was constantly trying to recruit her. And… I didn't talk to them much, in fact, I don't even think Chloe liked any of us."
Max raised an eyebrow.
"But… I could relate with what it feels like to lose a friend. And maybe I had a quick lapse in judgment, about both of them. And I wish I got to know her more," Victoria huffed, the strain of honesty taking a bit of a toll on her pride.
"Victoria…"
"Stop right there," the former Vortex Club member raised her palm, "I need to get out of this dank mold before I keep talking. Just come by my room later, alright? I'll be waiting."
With that, she stepped across the bathroom and exited before Max could get another word out.
'Huh, I guess Victoria is capable of some maturity.' Max finished up her business and went to her dorm, feeling both surprised and yet not nearly as shocked as she might have expected herself to feel. Things must be hard for her. Ever since Nathan Prescott had been arrested, Victoria seemed a little more withdrawn, the truth of his actions regarding Rachel and Kate now come to light. Victoria didn't dare to harass Kate after what happened to her in the Dark Room became common knowledge along campus. She must have wondered if he ever considered her a potential next victim and what she actually meant to him. The two of them were very close, and now even Courtney and Taylor couldn't really fill the void that the shock of the truth had left.
Inside her room looked about the same as it did two weeks ago. Her bed was unmade and boxes of photographs still littered the floor. Her laundry lay unfolded in a pile on her desk. She shoved it all aside to sit at her computer. Booting it up, she opened up her email, checking it automatically.
There was a mass email from Dana, detailing the information about the Halloween party that was going down the following week. She seemed just as excited about it as always, asking that people please respond with any last minute suggestions for food, music, or decorations. It seemed like all the initial preparations were already set to go.
Max sighed, remembering how excited she was for the Halloween party just a few weeks ago. Now that it was upon her, she felt less than eager to prepare a costume and actually show up. She knew she should show her support to Dana anyway and contemplated asking if Dana could lend her an extra outfit if she had one. But knowing Dana, she figured the options offered might be less than preferable.
She typed up a quick response anyway: 'Hey Dana, super stoked about the party! I bet it's going to be as amazing as it sounds. By the way, do you have any extra costumes I could borrow? I'm afraid I haven't had the time to find one myself. Thanks in advance.'
Max clicked over to the next email, this one from Warren, it was a couple days old and Max wondered briefly if she had just missed it.
'Max—
I don't want to beat around the bush or nothin so just wanted to ask you how you're feeling. I haven't seen you and I'm starting to get worried. You're okay, right? Just a response here and there would calm my nerves.
Remember, you aren't alone.
That's all I wanted to say actually. Text me if you need ANYTHING.
Peace
-Warren G'
Max mentally scolded herself for the way she handled her meeting with Warren just thirty minutes ago. He was just concerned for her and she completely blew him off. She'd have to make it up to him the next opportunity she got. She didn't know why she neglected any sort of response. What had she once said? That she wanted to help everyone? Everyday the prospect and possibility of success seemed further and further away.
Opening her phone, Max saw a number of unread messages from her parents, Warren, and various classmates. The accumulation of messages made her feel antsy and suddenly she didn't feel like answering any of them.
Her parents texted her general check-in messages, asking how school was going. Different classmates asked about homework and where she has been. At the bottom of them all, there was Warren, texting about his antics in the science lab and if her offer of being a science lab-rat assistant was still open.
Max grinned, recalling the conversation they had in this very room. At the time, she was still in shock from the funeral, not having yet fully absorbed the reality of the consequences of her actions. She could still smile with Kate and Warren and make plans to be herself without her powers. But all of that now just seemed pointless. Her classmates didn't need her help anymore. And she no longer needed to prove herself. She just needed to get through the school year as pain-free as possible.
But Warren was still a friend in need. And she certainly ought to check up on Kate like she promised she would. She still had a duty as a friend. School could wait, on the other hand.
She texted her parents first, trying to sound as chipper and relaxed as possible, not wanting to worry them. She responded to her classmates, offering simple solutions to their inquiries. Lastly, she opened up a new message and texted Kate, wondering what she has been up to these days.
Contemplating her next words, she opened up a new response and started out a lengthy text to Warren.
'Hey Dr. Frankenstein-
Sorry I've been so absent-minded lately. Things have just been crazy and I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around everything I ought to be doing. Didn't mean to ditch you so hard today, what were you going to say?
And I just read your email. Thanks a lot for your concern but you really don't need to worry about me. I'm honestly doing fine.
Also, if you still needed an assistant, I will proudly don my lab coat for you.'
She pressed send, satisfied that her correspondence with her parents and peers would keep them at bay for now.
Max took a look around her room, observing the sorry state that it had become in such a short amount of time. Her plant, Lisa, had long since shriveled up into a brown heap. She frowned, kneeled in front of it, and cradled the leaves in guilt. She watered it with the nearby water bottle, wondering if that would make some sort of difference.
She stood back up, kicking some trash out of the way and under her bed, clearing a slight path. As she made sorry attempts at cleaning, her phone buzzed. Unexpectedly, it was from Dana.
'Max! I am so glad you asked about costumes, I have about a hundred I'm not using. Come by my room later and I will be your personal designer! Love it!'
Speaking of later tonight, Max recalled she was meant to visit Victoria at her room. The thought of seeing the blonde beauty barely fazed her. In fact, the impasse that their relationship had reached seemed more mutual respectful than anything. She had the feeling that Victoria wouldn't be pulling any cruel stunts any time soon.
'No time like the present,' Max thought, realizing all the time she had really only was the present anymore. She smirked at the wordplay, collected herself, and exited her room.
…
"Come in," Victoria called from her seated position on the floor of her dorm room. It looked about the same as Max could remember it, with impressive items and clothing dotting the shelves. She glanced at the collage of photographs that she recalled rearranging into a middle finger, now set straight again. Victoria's illuminated selfies still graced the area above her bed. The only sign of her humility sat on her shelf, a blue figurine from some geeky show or other that Max had never heard of.
Victoria was shifting through some old papers, looking at each one carefully before tossing them into the nearby trashcan. Max glimpsed a name scrawled on a nearby flyer. It read: 'Nathan'
'Looks like she's purging her room of Nathan memorabilia. I don't know whether to feel proud or sad for her.'
"Hi Victoria," Max began simply.
"You can have a seat. Just a second." Victoria stood, digging through her backpack. Max sat in a nearby chair, waiting diligently. She spotted an expensive camera across the room, recalling that she had once read up on it on Victoria's tablet, in this very room. She must have took the plunge, thousands of dollars worth of equipment just sitting on her desk. Max tried to stifle her jealously.
"Is that the GRLT-64?" Max asked.
"Huh?" Victoria swiveled around, her eyes landing on the camera in question. She turned back to the task at hand, flipping through her folders. "Oh, yeah. It is. I bought it on kind of a whim. Sort of regret it now."
"Why's that? It must be a really good camera."
Victoria sighed, producing the booklet of papers that Mr. Callaghan had put together for Max's assignment. "Here," she handed it to Max. "And it's great and all… but I'm starting to realize that tech doesn't make the photographer."
Max nodded. "That's part of why I prefer my insta. When I take a picture, there's no going back. And half the time, that first shot is the best one I'm capable of." Max inwardly grimaced. She could easily apply that line of thought to her time rewind ability.
"Makes sense."
The pair sat in a weird silence for a moment, Max just coming to realize she was engaging Victoria in a very normal conversation about cameras. 'Are we… discussing mutual interests? Feels like just yesterday Victoria was threatening my life.' Max couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her lips at the ridiculousness of it all. How times have changed.
"What's so funny?" Victoria stood, a cautious expression replacing her previous composed one.
Max waved it off, standing to leave. "Nothing, I just never thought I'd be sitting in here discussing the benefits of different cameras with you."
Victoria popped a smirk, "I guess that is a little weird…" Max smiled in response, thanking her again for the homework. Victoria stopped her, "Oh—and hey before you leave..."
Max paused at the doorway, watching Victoria expectantly.
"Before the big Halloween gym party next Thurs, the Vortex Club- if you can even still call it that- is throwing a bit of a pre-Halloween party party since we never had our End of the World one. You're welcome to come if you like. It's not even exclusive or anything." Victoria sat back on the floor, folding her legs neatly under her.
"Thanks Victoria, I'll definitely look into it." Max nodded and exited, Victoria turning back to the pictures on the floor.
The Vortex Club had since fallen from grace since Nathan's shooting of Chloe and his subsequent arrest. His name being so closely tied to the club and Blackwell Academy didn't bear so well with superiors and so Vortex Club was temporarily "disbanded." The group still remained but under a new guise: a much more open and welcoming club now jokingly known as the "Suck'd Club." Victoria didn't care much for the new moniker.
Now back in the hallway, Max checked her phone to see she had another new message from Kate. She glanced at Kate's bedroom door, just a few feet away and walked towards it.
"Yes!" Kate called from within. Once she saw Max's thin frame enter, she jumped to her feet and clutched at Max's arms, pulling her inside and shutting the door.
"Thank goodness, I've been meaning to talk to you!" Kate spoke breathlessly.
Max took a quick look around her room. It was a lot brighter than her last visit; no disturbing drawings littered the floor and a prominent photo of Kate's sisters stood proudly on her desk. Kate seemed to be getting by well with the support of her father and sisters. 'Maybe Kate doesn't need my help after-all. She's stronger than I give her credit for.'
"What's the matter, Kate? Is everything okay?" Max tried to take in Kate's frantic appearance, but she looked less crazed and more excited.
"I don't know what to do! I've never been in this type of situation before. Please help!" Kate stifled a worried smile, "But wait how are you?" She added on nervously, guiding Max to a chair.
"I'm fine Kate, really. Now can you please tell me what's going on?" Max watched Kate amusedly, never having seen her this animated before. 'She must be happy about something.'
"Sorry! Okay, here it goes. Basically… do you know a Luke Parker?"
"Luke Parker?" It came to Max in a flash. She had only briefly been acquainted with the boy. He always kept to himself, preferring the company of his music over others while enduring the bullying of the Vortex Club. "What about him?" Max asked hesitantly.
"Well he…" Kate paced around, jittery with barely contained excitement. She seemed like a little bug, bouncing all over her room. "He asked me out on a date! I didn't know what to say so I told him I'd get back to him and ran off. I feel so bad."
Max immediately stood and grabbed Kate's clammy hands. "That's so great, Kate! What are you going to say? As far as I know, Luke seems like a sweet guy. He just needs the right girl to pull him out of his cage."
"He is sweet. I talk to him sometimes in class. I just never knew he- or anyone really- could see me that way. I'm a little nervous. I feel like I can't even tell my sisters about it. My parents most likely would not approve. What should I do?" Kate plopped herself back at her desk, suddenly remorseful after her stream of concerns came tumbling from her mouth.
It was obvious Kate wanted to hang out with Luke, but a number of obstacles prevented her from pursuing what she clearly desired. Max placed a hand on Kate's shoulder and squeezed. Kate looked up at her friend's reassuring smile.
"Kate you should…" Max paused, a heavy pressure pulsing through her skull. Pictures flashed through mind like a flip-book, every once in a while pausing to zoom up on a particular image. She could see it. Kate up on the roof. Kate falling. Kate in the hospital. Kate crying. Kate smiling with all her might. The dizziness that ensued knocked Max back a few steps as she clutched at her head.
"Max…? Are you okay?"
And just like that, the pain subsided. Max stood back up, her hand falling limply to her side. "I…" Max looked at her self in a nearby mirror. There was nothing off about her appearance except for a few stray hairs out of place. 'What was that all about? I half expected to see my nose bleeding again.'
"Max?" Kate's concerned voice broke her from her thoughts.
"I'm… fine." Max mustered an encouraging smile. "I might just be dehydrated or something."
Seeing her smile caused Kate's concerned face to brighten. "You really ought to get your eight glasses a day!"
"I try my best. Now, what was I saying?"
"You were about to tell me what I should do about Luke!" Kate sat down and waited anxiously for her response.
It was apparent that Kate really trusted Max's opinion. But now, as Max formulated her thoughts, the images of her past mistakes regarding Kate intruded on every solution. It was because of her involvement in other peoples' affairs that lead to either Kate's misery or joy. She couldn't be responsible again. She didn't want to be the one that pushed Kate up on that roof. She didn't want Kate to hurt again. If for some reason, Max's advice lead to some severe repercussions, Max would be damned with the consequences with no way of backing out and trying again.
Max took a hesitant step backwards, feeling a sickness in her throat. "You…"
"Max?" Kate's concerned expression returned. "Are you sure you're okay? I have some extra water bottles if you need some for your room."
"No…" Max's breathing became strained. "It's fine. What I was going to say was… you should- do whatever you think is the right thing to do," Max forced out. It was the simplest of answers. She trusted that Kate would make the right decisions anyway. She didn't need Max's opinion on the issue. After all, who knew themselves better than themselves?
Kate smiled. "What they don't know won't hurt them right? That's how the saying goes. I'm going to tell him 'yes.'"
Max returned her smile, her previous headache now seeming like a faraway incident, one not in the least bit related to the conversation she was having right this second. But still, the images she saw disturbed her, and Max hoped that such an occurrence would never happen again. She was past the whole rewinding bullshit powers of yesterday.
She really was happy for Kate though, and she would be there for her, whatever may come. Max told her as much.
"Thank you, Max! I really appreciate you coming by when I needed it. Um, but, there's just one other thing…" Kate glanced down to rub her cross necklace between her fingers.
The photographer looked up, not liking the shift in tone of Kate's voice. "…What's that?"
"I know I'm probably a little old to be asking this… but a date is really a first for someone like me. So I was wondering if…" Kate looked up at Max and smiled innocently, "you would do a double date with me?"
"A… double date?" Max couldn't help the grimace that passed over her face. Even she wasn't much for dates, let alone a double one.
"It wouldn't have to be a big deal or anything! You can just bring Warren or someone. As a friend!" She added quickly. "It'll be just like a hangout."
"I don't know, Kate… I'll have to think about it." Max rubbed at her neck, feeling a little guilty for nearly turning down Kate's innocent request. It's not that she didn't want to go and support her… but the whole situation felt a bit more troublesome than it was possibly worth. She just felt so tired.
"That's fine!" Kate stood, clutching at Max's hand again. "Take all the time you need. I don't even know what Luke had in store. I'll have to tell him my decision!" At that, Kate spun around, grabbing her nearby cell-phone. "Thanks again, Max. If you do decide to come…" Kate grinned coyly at Max, "I know Warren would just be thrilled to join you."
"You think?" Max offered, picturing Warren's beaming face. She knew he would volunteer in a heartbeat, but seeing Brooke's scowl caused the vision to disappear. "Let me know what Luke says, alright?" Max made for the doorway. "I'm glad to see you doing so well."
"It's all thanks to you, Max!" Kate called out as she closed the door. Max slumped against the wall. She wished Kate didn't put so much stock in her opinion sometimes. Although she wanted to help, Max could never know where her help would lead anymore.
'Considering where my choices have led others before…'
Max reached into her pocket, feeling the tell-tale vibration of brand new text messages. This time there were three from Warren.
'It's totally cool. I understand things have been rough. But you can't stop me from feeling concerned!'
'I was just gonna ask if you could help me tomorrow after school on an experiment. It's a two person job and I need my partner in crime.'
'Brooke ignoring me again :/'
Max chuckled. It was nothing new that Brooke gave Warren a hard time out of the blue every now and then. Max wondered if it had to do with her, as it sometimes did, but had to doubt it since Warren and Max haven't even seen each other in days. She sighed lightly once she re-read the second text, mulling over the use of the phrase, "partner in crime." 'Chloe used partner in time…'
Max really did appreciate his concern though, but she would prefer if he just went about his business and didn't exert any extra effort on her by being worried. She texted back:
'Just name the time and the place, I'm at your service. And really, no concern necessary, I'll prove it next time we meet.'
He responded in a heartbeat.
'Say tomorrow after your last class in the lab? I'll be stuck there all afternoon. Catch me snoozin in the chemicals.'
'And… can meet tonight actually? I have some prelim lab stuff I could use your big brain on. And photography hw. Callaghan is a cool dude and all but he assigns way too much book work for a photog class.'
Max looked up from her phone, thinking about what she had wanted to do that night. She planned to stop by Dana's room first before the party came and went right under her nose without a proper costume. She could easily go without, but where's the proper spirit without a Halloween costume? Max didn't want to let Dana down, even with something as simple as dressing up.
And regarding Warren… Max reread his messages. She did feel she ought to see him. She was always promising a response but never following through on her words. This was an opportunity for them to get any weirdness out of the way and to just hang out as friends again. It's been two weeks since the funeral and Max had yet to fall back into any sort of real normalcy.
But what did people expect of her? Did everyone really think she'd feel normal about Chloe's death only after a couple weeks? There was a lot that she knew people could never understand- what they'll never know she had been through. What she had to sacrifice.
She really couldn't blame them for their ignorance.
'No time like the present,' Max repeated as she texted Warren back swiftly.
AN: Not a lot to say about this one. I really wanted to capture the spirit of the game with the whole communication through emails and texts and just randomly running into classmates. That was honestly my favorite part of playing... just discovering things in Max's world.
With this chapter I explored a little bit more of Max's emotions after the death of her friend. When I was in high school, I experienced a death in the family and going back to school was insane to me. One day you can feel one way and the next, completely different. Expressing yourself was hard and no one fully understood. But I'll let you all do your own analyzing! Hope you enjoyed this one and Pleeease review! Thank you!