'No time like the present,' Max repeated as she texted Warren back swiftly.
'Alright Brainiac, I'll be there in a bit. But don't wait up, get started without me! And tomorrow works fine. See you.'
'Max you are seriously a savior from heaven!'
'kek :P'
She clicked shut her messages and made her way towards Dana's room, knowing she wouldn't have to go far before being spotted by someone else who needed her attention. After two weeks of being basically disappeared, there had to be some people with a bone to pick with her. As predicted, Courtney stopped her, stepping in front and crossing her arms. Max had only minimal discussions with Courtney before, none reaching further than the subject of "proper dress code."
"Can I help you, Courtney?" Max asked, crossing her own arms in mimicked response. She was prepared for hostility but Courtney's expression immediately softened.
"I saw you go into Victoria's room earlier. Is she okay?" Courtney looked sheepish, fingering a ring on her hand while awaiting Max's response.
"Oh…" Max's arms dropped to her side. "She seems to be doing alright. I was just in there to get my homework from class."
"I see…" Courtney trailed off. "Just wanted to know."
"Have you not talked to her?" Max asked, curious.
Courtney shook her head. "I've barely even seen her since the whole incident with Nathan. Whenever Taylor and I approach her, she just sort of walks away. I guess I should be used to that kind of thing but I'm more used to her yelling, not this silence."
"I think she's just going through a lot, you know? She'll come around. It probably has nothing to do with you."
"If you say so, Max. Sorry to bother you."
Max offered up a light smile. "It's no problem. You're just being a concerned friend."
Courtney returned it but her face drooped back down into a frown. "Also… I know Kate's your friend. I'm sorry with what happened with the video and all. I don't think I ever got a chance to say anything when it was first going around."
Max tried to recall Courtney's involvement. In this timeline, Kate wasn't even pushed up onto the roof, thankfully. The video's popularity immediately died down after Chloe's shooting. One drama to replace another, she supposed. The attention of the masses easily swayed.
Max expected Courtney to finish with that but she kept going, her eyes falling even more downcast. "And… I know this is a little late, but I just heard about how that Chloe Price girl was your good friend. I'm really, really sorry."
Max regarded her coolly, realizing her admissions were nothing but genuine. Of all people to approach her like this, Courtney was the last one she expected. Though Max knew she was smart, remembering the paper she wrote that earned Victoria an 'A+,' she always saw Courtney as the type that sort of behaved on the sidelines, never really becoming passionately involved in anything unless it had something to do with the Vortex Club. But the Vortex Club no longer existed, so where was Courtney now?
Not knowing what else to say, Max settled with a "thank you." Feeling oddly pleased that Jefferson's and Nathan's arrest, as well as the disbandment of the Vortex Club, could bring about such positive changes at Blackwell Academy. 'If only that didn't also mean that Chloe had to die,' Max thought darkly. What was destiny at the end of all this? What was fate? How were things really supposed to go if how things ended up was the wrong outcome? Max couldn't answer all of these questions right now, face to face with Courtney who watched her with a peculiar expression. Max's thought process must have manifested itself on her face.
"Max? I hope you come to the pre-party next week. There's no list, of course. But if there was one, you'd definitely be on it. Thanks for listening." Courtney turned to go, waving as she went. Courtney locked eyes with Taylor across the hallway but both of them quickly averted their gaze from one another.
'Trouble in paradise?' Max wondered what the two of them were in a tiff about. She figured the obvious answer was probably Victoria.
Brushing off the previous encounter, Max readjusted the strap on her bag and inhaled deeply. She stepped up to Dana's door and knocked placidly. It immediately swung open, Dana grinning from ear to ear in the doorway.
"Max! I was waiting for you. Long time no see. Come in, come in!" Dana ushered her inside.
"You seem to be in a good mood, Dana." Max observed.
"How could you tell? I'm just really buzzed about this party. I've been working on it for weeks. Here! I laid out a bunch of options for you. I'm not too worried about fit. We're about the same size, right?" Dana looked at Max up and down and Max shifted uncomfortably. The extra scrutiny made her feel uneasy.
Max looked down at herself and then at Dana. She was definitely taller and bigger in other… places.
Max let out a breath of air, slightly regretting her decision to approach Dana for help. But she was in too deep at this point, Dana already holding up outfits against Max's torso.
"Hmm, maybe not the Alice in Wonderland, it's a little short on you. Unless that's not an issue...?" Dana winked in her direction.
"Err, what else do you have?"
"Let's see…" Dana rummaged through the pile on her bed. Max took this opportunity to peek around her room. It was covered in different Halloween supplies, possibly some rejects from the decoration committee. Amongst the piles, along the dresser, and draped over her table, evidence of Trevor's presence was obvious. Max briefly worried that the chances of them getting caught have increased tenfold since the last time she discovered Trevor's lone jacket left out in the open for all to see.
'They seem to be going really strong,' Max mused in wonderment, curious to know if it was her original influence regarding Juliet's accusations of infidelity that caused them to finally get together. 'Even without my rewind power, some things are just set in stone. I'm happy for them.'
"Tell me if you hear something you like. I have: Fire fighter, pirate, Wonder Woman, skeleton. This one is cute, actually." Dana held it up to her svelte body.
"What about that one?" Max pointed to a pair of flimsy wings sticking out in the corner. Dana reached over to pull it out. The wings sparkled in the pale light of the dorm room, veins of silver spread out like grains on a leaf. Max smiled at it, bits of glitter sticking to her fingers.
"You like these? I made them myself in Sophomore year, trying so hard to be like Danielle from 'Ever After,'" Dana sighed wistfully, "such a romantic movie. You might need a dress to go along with it."
"I love them," Max said, not taking her eyes off of the butterfly wings. They could use some dressing up, but nothing a little hot glue couldn't fix.
"Are you sure?" Dana asked. "I have a sexy cat outfit with your name on it!"
Max laughed. "No, these are great, Dana. Thanks for your help."
"Hmph," Dana placed her hands on her hips, "well if you won't wear it, why not get your bitch, Warren, to? I know how much he likes cats."
Max snorted, trying to picture Warren wearing cat ears and a tail. It was rather fitting actually. "You know, that doesn't sound too bad of an idea. But I have no clue what he's doing for the party."
"Really?" Dana raised an eyebrow as she put the cat costume and butterfly wings into a nearby plastic bag. "I figured you two were going together... though he'd probably just follow you there anyway," Dana laughed.
Max scratched the back of neck in lieu of a response, accepting the bag of costumes with a grateful smile.
As she made her way to the doorway, Dana stopped her. The cheerleader's previous happy glow subdued now and Max eyed her with concern. She remembered this look. After Kate's suicide attempt, Dana was profoundly upset and needed comforting words in order to get back into the swing of things.
"Max… you are a much stronger person than me," Dana started, placing a hand onto Max's shoulder. "If something like that happened to me, I wouldn't even be able to stand, let alone continue to function normally and go to school. I hope you're doing okay. My door is always open."
Max gave a slight nod, finding a verbal response wasn't necessary. She knew what Dana was referring to and she appreciated the kind words. The role was shifted this time around, with Dana now being the one offering comfort.
'Everything is different and yet also the same.'
…
In the hallway again with a bag full of costumes and a head swimming with now non-existent memories, Max exited the girl's dorm and made her way to the next stop on her list. She was feeling a little better than she did this morning, upon reflection. The tiredness of earlier had steadily faded away into an unmistakable calm that spread throughout her body. The relationships with her peers weren't nearly as damaged as she expected them to be and the thought gave her peace. In fact, her roommates were flourishing as they dealt with their various issues, even without Max's help. She couldn't help feeling a little envious but fought to quell the negative emotions that threatened to bubble back onto the surface. She knew Chloe wouldn't want her to feel sad or angry, but every time she became happier about one thing or another, a sick guilt put her back into place.
Guilt about being happy. Guilt about being alive when Chloe wasn't. Guilt that she wasn't still in mourning as she thought she ought to be.
Shaking her head of the distressing ideas, Max quickly made her way to her upcoming destination.
…
The boy's dormitory was a different monster entirely from the girl's. She could hear rock music coming from a faraway room, someone pounding and yelling to "shut that shit off!" Offensive and graphic graffiti decorated the walls making fun of various locations and people around school. 'Okay, maybe not so different after all.'
A distinctly strong odor made its way into Max's nose as she rounded the corner. 'Justin and Trevor must be nearby. My spidey senses are tingling.'
She could hear her name being whispered from a distance. "Maaax, Maaax come'ere." She followed the voice, spotting the current occupier of her thoughts lounging comfortably in a bean-bag chair in the open doorway of his room.
"Justin, hey." Max hadn't seen the blond skater since his intoxicated stint in the bathroom at the End of the World party. But that was no longer an event in which the pair shared a memory. She was a little hesitant about approaching him, since the last time they spoke casually, Justin had accused her of being a poser. She still knew very little about skateboarding, even in this timeline, and even after rewinding to gather information.
He drawled out in a lazy speech, one obviously influenced by some illegal substance. She could spot Trevor bobbing his head to music behind him, totally lost in his own world.
"Sneaking around the boy's lair, you little minx," he smirked at her, raising an eyebrow. His eyes looked especially glassy behind his square frames. "Who you here to see? It's me, isn't it?"
"Sadly no," Max coughed, "I'm here to help Warren with some work."
Justin guffawed upon hearing Warren's name. ""Some work" she says! I think we both know what that really means." He continued to laugh as if it was the funniest thing ever said. Once his laughter died down, Justin spat under his breath, turning towards Trevor, completely oblivious to Max still standing there listening to him. "I can't believe that beta nerd has chicks visiting him like this!"
Max cleared her throat, "Well it was cool to see you guys again. I'll talk to you later?"
Justin turned back to her, seeming surprised that she was still around. "Oh, Max, sorry, yeah, you're always welcome here, okay? In fact," he stood up with difficulty from his chair, "why not stop by again after your "visit" with lil' Warren? I'd really like to talk to you." He supported himself by leaning his arm against the doorframe. His eyes boring into Max's as he attempted to appear casual.
The girl in question rubbed at the back of her neck and offered a simpering smile. Somehow the idea didn't actually sound too unappealing. She's been meaning to get back into Justin's good graces. They always did get along pretty well once she revealed herself as a non-poser. Maybe this was an opportunity to do the same, except one not involving any skateboards.
"Sure, Justin. This probably won't take too long," Max said as she waved farewell.
As she walked away, Max heard the loud "Ooooh"ing of Justin and Trevor after the implication of her words set in. An innuendo wasn't her intention, but she began to chuckle anyway. The two friends were a couple of characters, and she was still glad to see that Trevor's relationship with Dana didn't drive a wedge between the pair.
Making her way towards Warren's dorm room, she couldn't help but eye the now abandoned and empty room of one Nathan Prescott. Even without its previous occupant, the room held a sort of sinister aura to it, as if a pale cloud of pain and sadness surrounded it. Max merely frowned at it, her emotions toward Nathan too jumbled to properly interpret.
Turning her back on the dreary room, she reached out to knock on Warren's door. The poster calling him a 'beta phag' still displayed in all its glory.
'Why doesn't he just take that down?' Max wondered. Her eyes trailed over to his slate. It contained a science pun that seemed typical of him. It read: "I'm reading a book about anti-gravity. It's impossible to put down."
'Never change, Warren.' She knocked again and the door opened at once. A broad faced Warren hung in the doorway, already smiling as if he knew exactly who was going to be on the other side.
"Max!" He held the door open as she ventured inside. His room was relatively neat with piles of books taking up various spots on the floor. She eyed the covers; they were all hefty science texts. Max could see how Warren kept his grades up so well, he definitely worked his ass off for that 4.0. Besides his academic items, his room was covered in various paraphernalia that referenced several pop-culture shows and icons. Max ran her hand along his 'X-Files' bedspread and took a seat.
"Really Warren, what could I possibly help you with? Your grades are already leagues above mine."
Warren's bright smile slowly weakened once he realized Max was already jumping straight to business. His mouth set in a grim line, he began rummaging through his desk papers, his back turned to her. "I was able to get the lab stuff out of the way before you came, actually. Did you finish Callaghan's work already?"
Max reached into her bag, the clipped together packet of homework she received from Victoria still bundled together, completely unfinished. "Not even close," she said, waving it around.
Warren rotated in place and saw the thick packet clutched in Max's small hand. His smile returned and he moved to plop cross-legged on the floor right across from her. "Guess it can't be helped. A couple of geniuses like us can figure this out, right?"
…
About thirty minutes into their make-shift study session, Warren finally spotted the glittery mess poking out of Max's Halloween goody bag, courtesy of Dana Ward. He asked about it.
"Hmm? Oh, that's just a costume I got from one of my roommates." Max absentmindedly began to dig through it.
"Costume?" Warren leaned back on his palms, his homework easily cast aside and out of mind. "Are you going to the Halloween party?"
"I suppose I ought to. Were you going to go?"
Warren looked off to the side, scratching his cheek. "I wasn't sure yet. I don't have a costume. But I'm glad to hear you're going." He paused to watch Max shift through the bag with an amused expression. "What are you going as?" He inquired.
"This." She pulled the hand-made butterfly wings from the plastic bag, effectively spilling glitter everywhere. "Oh gosh! Sorry, Warren," she chortled at the mess.
"You don't sound very sorry," he joined her in laughter, her merriment infectious. "It's a cute costume… What else do you have in there?"
Max suddenly turned bashful, stuffing the wings back in and closing up the bag, hiding it behind her back. "You don't want to know."
Warren stood up, reaching his hand out. "Come on, you can't leave me hanging like that. Now I gotta know." Max pulled the plastic bag farther away from his reach.
"Sorry pally," she teased, sticking her tongue out. "I'll show you after you finish your work."
Warren eyed the homework on the floor disdainfully. He had already forgot it existed.
"We're practically done! Thanks to your photographic mind. But I'm still unsure on how to operate a camera." He tried reaching for the bag again, his hands now on either side of Max on the bed. She seemed unaware of her position and continued trying to keep the bag away, her body twisted towards the wall.
"Maybe it's about time you learned a thing or two," Max joked.
Warren's mind was abuzz, barely registering what she had said as he slowly inched forward towards Max. He moved without thinking, his knee suddenly propped up next to her thigh. His body leaned above hers, and a devilish smile began to grace his lips.
"Are you going to teach me?" He asked slowly and quietly, looking down on her through low lashes.
The room froze around her as Max's mind finally caught up with her current situation and positioning. The joking atmosphere had since melted into a vastly heavier one. Warren was looking at her with a half-lidded expression she had never seen on him before. It reminded her briefly of the time when she stopped Warren from beating Nathan into a whimpering pulp. She'd never seen him look so serious.
Not knowing how else to react, Max loudly cleared her throat and Warren stumbled away from her, rubbing at the back of his head and laughing awkwardly. "U-Uhm, yeah! Just show me after." He fell back to the floor, sitting at a considerably farther distance than before. Grabbing his pen and paper, he got back to work, his attention glued to the worksheet.
'…What was that?' Max watched him, feeling weird about whatever had just transpired. She figured she'd do better to not dwell on it, or rather, forced herself not to, not wanting any long-lasting awkwardness to prop up between them. If things became weird with Warren, she wasn't sure who she could turn to after that. He was her steady rock.
The muscles in her body tightened then released like an exhale, and the pair resumed their paperwork.
AN: Things are getting a little more interesting. I love seeing Max interact with her colleagues. I wanted to show how life around the dorms continued on... how Max affected them, how she didn't affect them. I wanted to show that her peers weren't all that we were shown and that there was a little more about them than we've seen. I wish Justin was explored waaaay more! Him and Max always had an interesting little camaraderie. Death affects people very differently, and to those who don't understand, it's hard to express it in any one way or react 'appropriately.' Max always wanted to help other people but she's in a place now where she needs help.
As for Warren, even with everything that's happened, even he can't look past his feelings and sometimes forgets what he's doing. I really wanted to explore that "darker" side of Warren that was only briefly touched upon in the game. It makes him a vastly more interesting character. How can everyone expect him to be a perfect kind amazing guy? He's a human being with flaws. In the same way Max and everyone else is flawed. Stay tuned!
Thanks for reading and please review!