A/N: Apologies for this going up a week after I said it would. Got completely consumed by Before the Storm which threw me off track, plus this chapter got a little out of control and is now my longest so far! Hope it's worth the wait :)

As I stepped into Blackwell Academy's main building I felt just like I did on my first day. I hadn't set foot in here in well over a week and it felt strange seeing the interior again. I took a right into the administrative assistant's office. The assistant was shutting a filing cabinet and turned around after she heard my footsteps. She smiled when she saw me.

"Hi," I said. "Is Principal Wells in his office?"

"He is, but I'm afraid he's in the middle of something important," she replied.

"It's pretty urgent, can you tell him Max Caulfield is here?" The assistant's expression changed when I said my name. She moved to the door.

"I'll see what I can do for you." She knocked on the door before opening it and poking her head in.

"Principal Wells? Max Caulfield is here to see you." I heard some stuff being moved around by Wells.

"Send her right in," came his voice. The secretary looked over her shoulder and smiled.

"Go right in," she said as she sat down at her desk. I walked through the door and closed it behind me. Principal Wells was sat at his desk.

"Miss Caulfield, what a pleasant surprise. Why don't you take a seat?" He said gesturing to the chair in front of his desk. I sat down and faced him.

"Thank you, Principal Wells."

"How have you been doing?" he asked.

"Look, I just want to explain what happened. I'm sure Victoria's already given you her side," I started. Wells furrowed his brow.

"Her side?"

"Yeah…" I looked at Wells' expression and realised I had just made a big mistake.

"Oh, er…it's nothing. It doesn't matter," I said as I quickly got to my feet.

"I'm sorry I bothered you, you must be very busy-"

"Now, Max," Wells interrupted. "Clearly something has happened or you wouldn't be here to see me. If there's something I'm going to be hearing about, would it not be better coming from you?"

I sighed and sat back down.

What's the difference, Max? Just tell him the truth. It's what you came here to do anyway.

"I've been pretty bad since Chloe's funeral…" I started. Wells nodded.

"I've spent a lot of time just holed up in my room. Then yesterday I spoke to Kate Marsh and she…helped me put certain things in perspective."

Wells nodded again.

"So today I've been trying to get back out there and it started great. My parents came down to see me and Chloe's mom, Joyce, told me some stuff that really helped."

"Well that's good. I'm pleased to hear you've been starting to deal with recent events."

"Yeah, things seemed okay. And then it all went to…hell, earlier today. Basically things got on top of me. Just some other people who made me feel bad but I've made up with them now. Anyway, I was so angry and upset that when I got back to Blackwell I yelled at Logan for being mean to Daniel. Then I screamed at Victoria Chase. I blamed her for not making Nathan get help for his problems and said she was a bully who enjoyed making other people feel bad. She's just been so…awful to people since I started at Blackwell and with the other stuff that happened I just snapped. I'm going to go find her and apologise though. I just thought she would have told you everything, so I came to you first," I said.

"I appreciate you coming to me, Max. Miss Chase has not been to see me about anything. Obviously if she wishes to put in a complaint I will no choice but to take it into consideration," he explained.

"Like I say, I'm going to apologise to her."

"Good. I'm sorry that you've been having trouble. You know you're still free to take whatever time off from classes you feel you need," Wells assured me.

"I know. Like I said, the other stuff…the other people, I've made up with them now. Just Victoria left. And I guess maybe Logan, but I doubt he really cares…"

"It's easy to have a bad day with everything you've gone through. I admire you for trying to move on. It's never easy when you lose someone," he said.

I just nodded. The Wells I knew during "that week" didn't seem anywhere near as understanding...or even just nice to me.

Guess the Prescotts had him under their thumb too much…

"Wait, Principal Wells?" I asked.

"Yes, Max?"

"With everything that happened with Nathan…"

"Yes?" He said looking a little nervous.

"What's going to happen to the school? It's funded mostly by his family isn't it?"

"It is. I don't know how much you've been keeping up with the news recently…"

"Not at all really. Been so wrapped up in myself…"

"Mark Jefferson is awaiting trial and will likely face a long sentence if he is found guilty. Nathan has been sent to the Oregon State Hospital. He was considered mentally unfit for trial and is receiving treatment. His father, Sean Prescott is currently under an on going investigation regarding his ownership of the barn and the room underneath where… It is looking likely the investigation won't be ending any time soon. I believe that Sean Prescott is wanting to withdraw the funding to the school, saying it "corrupted his son."

"That's bullshit!" I said without thinking. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

Wells smiled.

"You're not wrong, Max," he said simply.

"So what will happen to the school?"

"Sean Prescott is in fact currently pledging to increase his funding to Blackwell. I suspect it's all purely for his public image. If he is cleared of any charges then who knows if he will keep his promise. If he is charged then it's likely his funds will be frozen and thus Blackwell will receive nothing. Between you and me, Miss Caulfield, it does not look good for Sean Prescott."

"If that happens then what will happen to the school?" I asked.

"The most likely course of action would be applying for state funding to keep the school going."

"I mean, is that really such a bad thing?"

"True, I am confident the state will see the value in this school. Plus, whoever is in charge will hopefully do great things," he said.

"Wait, what do you mean?" I asked.

Wells looked at me with a heavy heart.

"The rest of the school will be finding out tomorrow. For now, I ask that we keep this strictly between us, Max."

"Okay…" I said, nervous what I was about to hear.

"I intend to announce my resignation as Principal of this school," said Wells.

"What, why?"

Wells sighed and stood up. He turned around and looked out of the window, putting his hands behind his back.

"What was happening to students in this school because of Mark Jefferson was going on right under my nose. To Rachel Amber, Kate Marsh and all those other poor girls. I liked to believe I was in charge but really, Sean Prescott was. Everything I did had to be run by him. He insisted. Most things he didn't concern himself with and just gave the go ahead, but anything to do with Nathan was strictly controlled. I've always known how troubled Nathan was but all Sean Prescott had to push some cash my way and Nathan's misdemeanours were dismissed. His record changed just like that. I was a damn lap dog."

Wells turned back around to face me.

"Since I was young I always wanted to be in charge of a school. I wanted to be a leader. My excuse for taking bribes from the Prescotts was to use the money to give the students of this school the best chance they could have. But what sort of leader am I to so easily allow myself to be bribed and controlled? What sort of leader am I to let a young woman be killed in the very school I'm supposed to guide? I am no leader, Miss Caulfield. It took a young woman losing her life for me to see that. If I had the balls to stand up to his Sean Prescott then things would be different now," he finished.

He sat back down at his desk as I sat there speechless.

"Forgive me if this sounds like I'm changing the topic but when I was in my thirties I had a big argument with my best friend, Michael. We'd been friends since our school days. Every single week we would go for a drink in a bar to talk about whatever we talked about. At some point, we had a dumb argument that lead to us not being in contact for three years. I ended up learning he had died about two years after we stopped speaking. I never got to say goodbye to him. From what I've been told, regarding Miss Price, you hadn't seen her since you were thirteen?"

I shook my head.

"Now, I am not for a second implying your circumstances were similar to mine, but you too were denied the chance to say goodbye. You were denied that chance because of decisions I made. There is no place for a person like me to be in charge of anything. So I shall resign and allow this school to have the leader it deserves, whoever they may be. So that all of you get the best possible chance at the futures I know you deserve. Now, if you have nothing else to talk to me about Miss Caulfield I must get back to finalising my letter of resignation. Do you have anything else you wish to say?"

I just shook my head slowly.

"Then I wish you the best of luck with everything you're going through and in your future. Apply yourself and I have no doubt you'll succeed in your goals, Miss Caulfield. Goodbye."

I nodded slowly and stood up. As I walked towards the office door a thousand conflicting thoughts were going through my head.

He's right. He doesn't deserve to be in charge after rolling over for the Prescots.

But he feels terrible about it all…

He's an alcoholic ass. Too little too late.

What about David and Warren? It wasn't too late for them.

One outburst from them doesn't equate to years of being a part of a crooked system, allowing Nathan Prescot to do what he wanted.

Is Wells really the only person the Prescot family controlled? Why does he deserve this? He showed compassion to you. You were surprised he let you have so much time off and now you know why. He's trying to make up for what he's done. The big mistake he's making is thinking he has to stop there…

I stopped walking away and turned to face Principal Wells. He looked up from his desk.

"Principal Wells, do you know the reason why I've been holed up in my dorm room for the past week?" I asked.

"I presume you were struggling with what happened to your friend. Which is understandable," he said.

"Call it regret over not trying to contact Chloe or whatever you want, I thought I didn't deserve anyone. Then Kate Marsh spoke to me and helped me to see things more clearly. My parents came down this morning. They came down to try and convince me to go back to Seattle with them. For a little while I was convinced that's what I needed to do. To run away from here where so much bad stuff has happened. Then Joyce made me realise that's the last thing I should do. That I have to face things head on to get past them. It is not your fault I didn't get in contact with Chloe, Principal Wells. I've accepted that was my fault and I refuse to make the same mistake again. To let myself be consumed by guilt over something I can't...can't change. So now I'm staying here and… I'm planning on starting classes back up next week. I had a bad day today but I refuse to let it stop me from moving forward. I refuse to run away from everything. You said you understand what I'm going through. I understand you too. So please, don't run away from this. Stay and make things right for me and all the other students here. It isn't too late to make up for the mistakes you've admitted to."

I exhaled after finishing my impromptu speech. Principal Wells had sat in silence while I spoke. Finally, he cleared his throat.

"I appreciate how well you're doing, Max. I hope you continue to progress. Regardless, I firmly believe my resignation is the best thing for this school. Sometimes as a leader, you have to make tough calls."

"What sort of leader runs away from their responsibilities?"

"My resignation is me taking responsibility, Miss Caulfield," he said, a little agitated.

"That's what you're telling yourself but you know that isn't true. You're just leaving someone else to clean up your mess."

"I am not…" Wells trailed off.

"I understand, Principal Wells. I really do. You feel you've caused so much damage that you can't repair it. I know exactly what that's like. But you can't give up. Please stay. This school needs you more than ever. If you really want to atone for whatever guilt you're feeling then stay and make this the school you've always wanted to lead. Fight the Prescotts, and be free from whatever hold they had on you. Move forward and make sure nothing that happened to Chloe and the other girls ever happens again," I said with unflinching conviction.

Wells sat staring at me for a moment. Then a smile appeared on his face.

"I er…" He cleared his throat. "I thought it was my job to be supporting you."

I smiled.

"It still can be if that's what you want. So are you staying?" I asked.

Wells reached to the side of his desk and pulled a piece of paper, a draft of his resignation I presumed. He then tore it to pieces.

"Yes. I'll stay make this school exactly what it should have been all along. Thank you, Miss Caulfield."

"I'm just glad I could help. I really need to get back to my dorm, Principal Wells. Thank you for staying."

"Thank you, Miss Caulfield. I believe you've earned some respite. Have a great weekend."

"You too. Bye, Principal Wells."

I turned round and headed for the door. Before I could open it I heard one last thing.

"And good luck with your classes too. I shall inform your teachers so they are prepared."

Crap, Max. Why did you say you were coming back? You're not ready yet. You're only just getting back out there. Studying on top of everything right now does not sound good. Just tell him you didn't mean it and just said it too-

"Sounds good, thanks," I said opening the door and leaving. I shut the door behind me and smiled at the secretary as I walked past her. I checked around to see no-one in the hall. I immediately leaned back against the wall and put my hands over my face.

Why, Max? Why didn't you just correct him? God, I really need to go somewhere to be alone.

I looked across the hall to see the girls' bathroom door.

No, not there.

I left the building and walked across the campus. A few people were hanging around but I just ignored them and headed straight for the dorm.

I made it upstairs and walked down the hallway to my room. As I reached my door I heard another open to my left. Alyssa stepped out from the other wing of the dorm building. She stopped when she saw me.

"Max!" She said in surprise.

"Hey, Alyssa. You okay?"

"Wait right here," she said. Before I could open my mouth she charged back through the door and presumably back to her room. I stood awkwardly for a minute until she came back out with a small stack of paper.

"Warren told me to give this to you. He told me what happened. Please don't be mad at him. He knows he was wrong…"

"Alyssa-"

"He isn't a bad guy. He just-"

"Alyssa! We talked, we're okay."

Alyssa's mouth immediately shut.

"Oh," she said. "Good." She took a step back.

"Sorry, I should have…" she said.

"It's fine," I said. "Me and Warren are okay."

"I'm glad. Sorry, how have you been? I should have asked that first really…" Alyssa stuttered.

"I'm starting to get there. Today's been a bit crazy."

"It's cool to see you around again. Here's the stuff Warren wanted you to have."

I took the sheets from Alyssa and looked them over. Right on the front was a note that said "Sorry, for being an asshole." I took the note off and realised these were the copies of the classes I had missed the past couple of weeks which Warren and I shared.

"Thanks, Alyssa. This'll help, especially as I just told Principal Wells I'm starting classes back up again next week."

"Wow, really? That's cool."

"Yeah," I just said. "Sorry, Alyssa I really don't wanna be rude but…"

"That's cool, Max. Warren's papers have been delivered. I'll see you around."

I smiled at Alyssa as she walked past me.

"Oh, Max!" I heard her say. I looked to my right to see her move close and talk in a hushed tone.

"I saw Victoria go into your room earlier. I heard you two had a bit of a showdown so perhaps you should be careful?"

That does not sound good…

"Thanks, Alyssa. I will be," I said. Alyssa nodded and walked away as I entered my room.

Great, I knew things were turning around too quickly. Alright, let's go see what Victoria's vandalised.

I opened my door and stepped into my room, shutting the door behind me. I first looked to my photo wall, which seemed untouched. I glanced around and everything seemed okay. I put my bag on my bed and took out my camera and polaroid of Warren. I went over to my desk and the good feelings I had earned this afternoon came crashing down. My journal was gone and a note was in its place.

"If you want it back you'd better grovel hard. Would be such a shame if the whole school saw it."

Oh no. Oh shit. I knew Victoria must have stayed quiet for a reason. Of course she'd deal with this her own way. I left it open on my stupid motivation page too…

I left my room and approached Victoria's door. I had no idea how to go about this. What could I possibly say to Victoria to get her to show mercy? Before I knocked I thought through what I learned about Victoria during "that week." Mainly, she isn't the evil biatch I always thought was was. Well, she wasn't evil at least… She was actually like me, someone who struggled with confidence and had doubts about their own talents. We just decided to deal with it differently. Or, in other words, she decided to make other people's lives hell so she can feel better about hers.

Max, getting worked up before you go in there won't do you any favours.

I took a moment to level out before raising my fist to Victoria's door. After letting it hang, I knocked. The door opened and I was greeted by Victoria's glare. It felt like she was trying to burn a hole right through to my skull. She then stood to the side and crossed her arms. I took this as a sign she was "inviting" me into her room. I stepped inside and almost lept out of my skin as Victoria slammed the door behind me. I noticed my journal was on her desk, open on my motivation page. The butterfly picture wasn't there though. I turned back to face Victoria.

"I'm sure you won't mind," she started. "But I had a look through and most of it was, suprise, surprise, 'woe is me' type crap. Nothing I wouldn't have expected from you. That page however, blew even my mind," she said with a sneer.

"Where's the photo, Victoria?" I demanded.

"I don't know what you mean, Max," she said folding her arms.

"Yes, you do," I said through gritted teeth. Victoria reached into her pocket and pulled out the photo.

"Oh, you mean this?" she said.

"Give that to me right now, Victoria."

"Why should I?"

"Because I took that photo moments before Chloe was shot. If you have a shred of compassion then you will give me that back to me." The smile on Victoria's face faded a little. She looked down at the photograph and then at me.

"Fine…" she said reluctantly. As she held it out I snatched from her hand. I went over to my journal and put the photo in the middle of the page before slamming it shut.

"That's your one free pass. You are not getting another one," Victoria said.

"What is it you want, Victoria?"

"An apology. The most grovelling apology you'll ever give for all the shit that you said to me. If I don't judge it to be worthy enough of my forgiveness…" Victoria took out her phone and swiped through a series of photos, all of my motivation page. "…the whole school will see what a weirdo you are," she threatened. I failed to hide the panic on my face.

"Thought you wouldn't want that," Victoria said as she looked through the photos herself. "What is this shit anyway? 'You are a hero?' Could you be any more full of yourself?" She sneered.

I clenched my fist and looked at the ground.

"I made that page because I'm struggling, Victoria. I am struggling with so much shit alongside losing Chloe," I confessed.

"So are a lot of people, Max," Victoria retorted.

"Not like me, Victoria. I look at that page and it gives me the strength to think I can actually do anything. That I'm not completely hopeless. It actually stopped me from almost making a terrible decision earlier," I said. Victoria's eyes widened.

"You don't mean…" she trailed off. I realised how she might have interpreted what I said.

"No, not suicide. Surprised you'd even care though."

"This isn't sounding much like an apology, Max."

"Okay," I said looking her in the eye. "I'm sorry for saying you should have made Nathan get help. That was out of your hands." Victoria's expression softened as she folded her arms.

I continued: "I'm sorry for saying you only care about things that happen to you. I know you were there for Taylor when her mom was sick. But…" Victoria frowned before I finished.

"I will not apologise for pointing out that your insecurities are no excuse to treat people like crap. Not me, Kate or anyone else deserves your cruelty just so you can feel better about yourself," I finished. Victoria started tapping on her phone.

"Well you almost passed but fucked up on the final hurdle. Guess the whole of Blackwell will be receiving these pictures in just a moment. You want to make one final statement to turn things around?" I clenched my fist and looked down at the ground.

Just the thought of everyone seeing this makes me want to hide away in my room for the rest of my life. Fuck, Victoria. Why do I even care what you think? Why do I care what anyone thinks? I've been called a weirdo with my polaroid camera but I still use it because I enjoy it. I took a photo I was proud of that I was too chicken-shit to enter into the Everyday Heroes contest. I was so afraid of people laughing at me. But when I did enter I won. The biggest thing that has held me back even before I made it to Blackwell is being scared about what people think of me. Victoria has the same problem. She's scared, just like me...So I know what I need to do.

"Yes, Victoria," I said before looking her in the eye. "There is."

"Better be good, for your sake," she said waving her phone in front of me.

"I'm sorry for saying that you treat other people the way you do because you enjoy it. I don't think you really do. I think you get a brief moment where you feel that your better than the other person, but then it vanishes. So you have to keep doing it just to get those moments. I'm sorry for saying you enjoy it, but no way in hell am I apologising for pointing out that the way you deal with your own insecurities is bullshit," I said.

"You asked for this, Max," Victoria said as she tapped furiously on her phone.

"Whatever, Victoria," I turned around and grabbed my journal off her desk.

"Do you think I'm bluffing, Max? I'm sending these to everyone at Blackwell. Even the teachers," she threatened.

"I believe you, Victoria. I just don't care." I went to approach the door but Victoria blocked me.

"Can you move out of the way please? I'd like to get back to my room," I said calmly. Victoria was looking at me in disbelief.

"Seriously? You don't care about everyone seeing this?" She spluttered.

"Nope," I said.

"Why the hell not?" Victoria demanded.

"Because what's the point, Victoria? So I can feel shitty about what helps me cope because other people think it's weird? I told you I don't care so just post the damn pictures already," I said defiantly.

Victoria just stared at me, studying me.

"What is wrong with you? How can you not care?" Victoria asked. I just shrugged.

"Victoria, I'd really like to get going. Please move." Victoria slowly stepped to the side as I went for the door. As I reached for the door handle…

"Wait," Victoria said. I stopped and looked at her. "I wasn't really going to post this shit," she said. She stomped over to her bed and sat down.

"Why not?" I asked.

"Because…Because...Shit. How do you do it, Max? How can you just…not give a shit what people think? How can it be so easy?" She said as she hastily wiped a tear from her eye. I sat down next to her and put my journal to the side.

"It's not easy, Victoria. Believe me. I've spent a lot of my life scared of what people may say or think of me. It's done nothing but give me stress and anxiety I never needed. With everything that's happened recently...I'm done with that, Victoria. I'm living how I want to live. I owe that to…to Chloe. When I got back to Arcadia, I never contacted her because I was scared of what she would say." I could feel myself wanting to cry again but I steeled myself up as Victoria looked over at me. Her scowl was long gone as she gave me a look of sympathy.

"I heard you hadn't really talked in years," she said.

"Chloe tried to talk to me," I said. "But I was just so fucking scared of not knowing what to say, of saying the wrong thing that I tried to avoid it completely. I should have just been there for her. That's all I had to do." I took a sharp breath to fight back tears again. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Victoria's hand hovering near my shoulder. Eventually she placed it on my shoulder.

"That's rough," she said. "I mean, I guess I'm not exactly better with my friends. The few real friends I have, I mean," she said.

"That's not true, Victoria. I heard…about Taylor's mom. That you went with Taylor to the hospital. You were there for her," I said. Victoria took her hand off my shoulder and gave a quick shrug.

"She really didn't want to go alone. I offered to go with her, no big deal."

"Not just Taylor. Nathan too…" I started. "You were one of the only people who really cared about him. Weren't you?" I asked. Victoria gave a small nod.

"His dad treated him like a freak. So did everyone else. The fact his name was 'Prescott' sealed how people saw him before getting to know him. I saw the side no-one saw. Not that it matters now. With what he did…" she said as an angry look crossed her face.

"Jefferson was the-" I started.

"Don't. Say. His name," Victoria spat. I went silent as Victoria suddenly stood up and started pacing with her arms crossed. She started talking out loud, not even to me, just out loud.

"The things I was thinking of doing just to get ahead. Just to win the fucking contest…I'm such a-" she suddenly looked at me, maybe having just remembered I was there. She suddenly stopped.

"He fooled us all, Victoria," I said to try and bring her back down.

"Other people didn't practically make out with him every fucking class, Max!" She screamed. She covered her face as tears started to stream down her cheeks. I got up and hugged her. She tried to resist but I just held her tight. She put her arms around my sides as she cried onto my shoulder. She cried for a couple of minutes until she stepped back and wiped her eyes.

"Whatever you've done before now is in the past. What matters is what you do now. I know you aren't the evil bitch you like to front," I said. Victoria nodded. "At least, I don't believe you are," I added.

"I'm not," Victoria insisted. "You were right. I'm just so fucking afraid I'm not as talented as I think I am."

"I know the feeling, but that doesn't make it okay to bully others."

"I know, Max. I already feel like shit, okay?"

"You know I'm not trying to make you feel bad, Victoria. You know you were wrong. Whatever you want to do now…that's up to you," I said.

Victoria nodded. She suddenly looked at her phone on her bed. She walked over and picked it up. She scrolled through and tapped on the screen. She looked back up at me.

"The photos are deleted. You can check if you want," she said holding out her phone.

"Thank you. I don't need to check though," I said. Victoria put her phone back in the bed before looking at my journal.

"I'm sorry for looking through your journal. It's pretty cool actually, daring to put what you really feel and think about down on paper where you can't escape it. I just shove all my shit to the back of my brain and hope it goes away," she said shaking her head. I immediately thought of my nightmare. Where all my fears and anxiety attacked me where I couldn't escape.

"That never works. They're always there. You can just try and deal with them," I advised.

"Right," Victoria said. "So what should I expect from you now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Whenever you come back to classes, you still going to sit at the back keeping your head down?" She said. I looked away awkwardly.

"I don't know. I still need to try and get my photos out there and not just keep them in my room."

"Yes, you do. You won't achieve anything otherwise. You have to put your stuff out there," Victoria advised. "I sent some stuff to Kroft Gallery a few weeks ago. They thought it sucked. Oh well, try again."

"I'm sure they didn't think it sucked, Victoria. You're talented, just keep trying. And I guess I'll try too."

"Good. Maybe work on adding something other than selfies to your portfolio though," she said. I laughed.

"I'm trying to. Baby steps I guess."

We both stood there for a moment, unsure what to say.

"I should get back to my room. Been a crazy day," I said.

"Sure," Victoria replied.

"I'm glad we talked, Victoria. We don't have to be best friends but there's no reason we can't be on the same side," I said. Victoria nodded.

"I'm glad we talked too. I'll see you around, Max," she said. I grabbed my journal and opened the door. I gave Victoria one last smile, which she returned briefly before going sitting down at her desk. I closed the door behind me and went over to mine. I stepped into my room and closed the door behind me. I sat down at my desk and put my journal down. I'd barely had a chance to stop and process anything this afternoon.

In two days I had gone from thinking I didn't deserve to see a single person to reconnecting with people I'd shut out. From feeling so guilty for wanting Chloe back to accepting that's it's just normal. From feeling guilty about even looking at Joyce to feeling we could depend on each other for help. From wondering if I should really stay here in Arcadia to knowing that I had to. From have huge fallouts with David, Warren and Victoria to making up with them the same afternoon. It felt so good to be on good terms with everyone again. For them to have my forgiveness and for me to have theirs. All of a sudden, a thought crossed my mind…

That's why people say sorry, Max. They want forgiveness.

I remembered one more person who had said sorry to me. Not in this timeline but…

Without skipping a beat I grabbed a pen and some paper from a draw on my desk. I put the pen to paper and wrote.

"Nathan, you killed someone I cared about more than anyone else. You took her away from me. You also killed Rachel Amber and helped Jefferson in his sick crimes. There's one thing I want you to know regarding all the things you have done.

I forgive you.

Nothing you did was right. You made really bad decisions. But I know you felt like you had no choice, no-one else to turn to but Jefferson. He manipulated you into thinking he cared about you. I know that's all you wanted, someone who cared. Victoria was the closest thing you had but I know she couldn't have helped.

You'll be given the help you've always needed. Then one day, when you are released, you'll have another choice. You can continue the legacy your father and those before him have been hellbent on inflicitng on Arcadia Bay. Or you can break the cycle your family has endured and be a force for good. I believe you can do it. I forgive you for everything you've done and believe you can, and will, make the right choices from now on. You can make everyone else believe it too if you want that badly enough.

Good luck,

Max Caulfield.

I read through my letter again and stopped to question if I really meant all of it.

Yes. I do. Nathan did things I thought were unforgivable…until I found out the reasons why he was doing them. Everything he did came from a place of hurt. It's like Joyce said. I have to see past all that and believe there's good in him. I have to.

I had no idea when or how I would get this to Nathan. Whether it would be in person of I would just send it at some point. I just knew Nathan needed to see it. That there was someone who forgave him. I had no idea if it would make a difference to him but I had to try.

It's one of my patented Max Motivation mottos after all…

I grabbed a spare envelope I had in one of my drawers and wrote Nathan's name on the front. I folded up my note and put it inside the envelope before sealing it. I put it safetly back in the drawer for when it's time would come. I got up and laid down on my bed.

I let out a small laugh. A mixture of exhaustion and amazement at how crazy the day had been. I felt a lump in my throat as I remembered I had told Principal Wells I would be back in classes on Monday. If I had gained a shred of confidence I would have just told him I hadn't meant it and needed more time.

You also thought you might never leave your room. That you didn't deserve to see anyone, Max. You were pretty wrong on that. That was just yesterday.

Today, you managed get the courage to stay here in Arcadia Bay and to move forward. You got the courage to bring up all that stuff up to Warren. I know it was awkward as fuck but you got through and now still have him as a friend. You worked things out with David too. And Victoria. You even convinced Principal Wells to stay at the school. You've made amazing progress in just a day and half. You've got the weekend to prepare and…probably stress the hell out but you can do it. You have to. That week can't have been for nothing. You have to use what you gained to go forward and actually live your fucking life. Like you said, for Chloe and for yourself.

I looked up at the ceiling and smiled at my own self encouragement. I was finally starting to feel comfortable saying I had done something good. That it didn't mean I was some egomaniac or whatever. I got up and took William's camera out of my bag. Whenever I looked at I couldn't help but think of Chloe. Even if she never got the chance to it really did feel like this camera was still from her. I was determined to use it right. I went over to my drawer and took out the pictures of people I had taken today and yesterday. I didn't want to put them amongst my other wall of photos. These were special, they deserved a special place.

Where that is? I have no idea right now…Back in the drawer. For now. I'll think of something tomorrow.

I put the pictures back in my drawer and closed it. I needed some time to just not think about stuff. So I turned on my CD player for the first time in over a week and laid down on my bed.

Hours later and it was time for bed. I had spent the rest of the day listening to music and having another attempt at that song I was trying to write. Still no real joy. I was probably still not putting everything into it but that was okay. It wasn't like I was looking to become the next Taylor Swift or anything. I needed the bathroom before bed so I left my room. As I walked down the hallway I saw Kate come out of the bathroom in her night clothes. She smiled when she saw me.

"Max!" she said as she approached me.

"Hey Kate, you getting to bed too?"

"Yeah, ready for the weekend to be honest."

"Me too. I mean, I guess the past week's been like a weekend for me really..." I said.

"It's okay, Max. Sorry, I never asked how did everything go with your parents this morning?"

"It was good. I thought about going back home for a while but I realised staying here was the best thing for me."

"That's great, Max."

"I'm actually starting classes again next week," I said. Kate's eyes widened.

"Oh, wow. I mean are you sure? Sorry, Max. That was rude. I'm not saying...I'll just stop talking," she said going a bit red. I just smiled at her.

"It's okay. To be honest, I'm not really sure if I am ready. But I know I'll have to come back eventually. The longer I put it off the worse it will be probably so..."

"I'm here for you, Max. I'll help you with whatever you need," Kate said.

"You've already done so much. I wouldn't even be out of my room if you hadn't come to talk to me. I can't thank you enough," I said. Kate blushed.

"I didn't do much. It's just what any good Christian would do. Help someone in need," she said. We both hugged.

"Oh and I need to thank you too," Kate said as we separated.

"Why?"

"Well, I got this note slipped under my door earlier.

"Kate, I'm leaving you this note because I'm too chicken shit to say this to your face. I feel like such a bitch for posting that video of you. I already deleted it but never said sorry to you. So...sorry. I had no idea what Nathan had done to you and all the messed up shit you went through. Even if that hadn't happened I still shouldn't have posted the video. You probably hate my guts and you should. VC."

"Wowser," I said. "It's cool she said sorry and all, Kate but why are you thanking me?" I asked. Kate just smiled.

"Max, I heard about your er...confrontation with Victoria today. I know you mentioned me. I don't think it's a coincidence she gave me this after that happened," she said. "So, thank you."

I just blushed. "It's no big deal, at least my meltdown was good for something I guess. Victoria and I actually made up earlier. I think. I guess I never really know with her," I said.

"I know what you mean, Max."

"So what are you going to do, regarding Victoria I mean?" I asked.

"She sounds sincere. Sometimes it takes awful things to happen for someone to understand what they have done is wrong. I forgive her."

"That's really awesome of you, Kate. If er...anything else does happen with her then let me know and I'll try talking to her," I promised.

"Thanks, Max. Hopefully it won't come to that but I'm glad to know you're here. I'd better get to bed. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night, Kate," I said.

"Night, Max," she replied as she walked back to her room. As I approached the bathroom door I realised Dana's door was ajar. She was sat on her sofa reading. She spotted me and beckoned me to come in. I approached her room and opened the door to step in.

"Hey, Max. You calling it a night?" she asked.

"Yeah, pretty much," I said.

"I'm not surprised. You deserve a good night's sleep after laying the smack down on Victoria," she laughed.

"Yeah...I don't really feel good about it to be honest," I said.

"I don't like being mean to people, but Victoria totally deserved it."

"I...can't disagree, Dana. But I also talked to her in a more civil manner earlier today and she's really okay. Promise me you won't go after her."

"Not my style, Max. But I'm glad to hear she's not just the queen bitch of Blackwell."

"Trust me, Dana, there's a lot more to her. I'm hoping she'll start showing it now after...everything that's happened," I said. Dana's expression softened a little.

"I hope you're right, Max. At least then something good will have come out of this crap," she said. She put on a smile as she changed the subject. "So what are you doing for the weekend?"

"Er...not really made any plans. I guess maybe I'll go out and take some pictures. Kinda fallen behind on my usual quota," I said.

"Surely you can take more than enough selfie's to make up for it?" Dana giggled. I laughed too.

"I'm trying to branch out. Expand my portfolio more," I said.

"That's cool. Still er...no news on a replacement yet for your class," Dana said tentatively.

"I heard. Honestly I need all the time I can get so I can catch up with the stuff I missed."

"You'll be okay, Max. That's a cute shirt by the way," she said looking at my night shirt. Just a simple shirt with little chicks on it.

"Aw thanks, Dana. I've had it a while really. Before I came to Blackwell I promised myself I'd get a whole new wardrobe but it's basically just the stuff I've always bought. Not exactly a fashion connoisseur I guess."

"Hey, I have an idea. There's a little store in town that sells clothes. Some are new and some are second hand. I actually bought a few second hand from there. Don't tell anyone I told you that," she said with a wink. "Anyway, how about we take a little trip tomorrow and I can help you get that sweet new wardrobe!"

"Oh, wow. Um... I don't want to stop you from doing something more fun," I said.

"Don't be silly, Max. It's worked out perfectly actually. I was going to be with Trevor but he's decided to hang with his friends. No biggie though, I kinda did the same to him a couple of weeks back so we're even. He can probably give us a ride as he's meeting his friends in town too."

"I um..." I stuttered.

"You don't have to come away with anything. We can still have a girls' day out trying on clothes, like I ever need an excuse for that. So what do ya say, Max?"

Dana's being nice, Max. You're never really hung out together but she's easily one of the nicest people you've met at Blackwell...especially for a cheerleader. Wow, catty much, Max?

"Sure, Dana. Sounds good. Maybe you can help me pick out some stuff to mark the beginning of er...Max 2.0," I said.

"Max 2.0. I like it. Just you wait, one shopping trip with me and I'll make you the fashion queen of Arcadia Bay," she laughed. I laughed too.

"I don't think anyone can make me a fashion queen, Dana, but you're sure welcome to try," I laughed. I looked over at her desk and spotted Warren's flashdrive.

"Oh, Dana. Sorry, but could I have that flash drive back?"

"Of course, Max," she said as she got up to retrieve it for me. "Sorry I just took it, I really should have asked..."

I waved away her concern. "It's okay. Bigger things to worry about etcetera. I just need to give it back to Warren," I said as I took it from her.

"Sure thing. You noticed Warren had a little folder just for you, wonder what that might mean?" She said with a smirk.

"I know what it means, Dana. But I kinda told him I don't feel the same. We're still going to be friends though, so it's cool," I explained sheepishly.

"Aw, that's a shame. You would have been cute together," she said.

"Night, Dana," I said as I quickly exited. I heard Dana laugh. "See you tomorrow, Max," she said as I shut the door.

I returned to my room after my bathroom trip and realised just how awesome it felt to be hanging out with Dana tomorrow. We'd never exactly spent a lot of time together outside of classes so there was still a lot I didn't know about her.

Guess tomorrow will change that.

I put Warren's flash drive on my desk. I had barely even used it even before everything had happened. Maybe a few movies were what I needed to see me through the weekend. I grabbed my phone and sent Warren a quick text.

Got your flash drive in front of me. Sorry I forgot to give it back today.

A minute later I received a reply:

No problem. You can give it back on Monday. Make sure you watch anything you need to!

I typed back the reply:

I will! Thanks, Warren! And thank you for the class notes too!

I put my phone to the side and yawned. I was really ready for sleep. Before I got to bed I decided to have a look at my facebook. I hadn't looked at it since Chloe died, at least "this Max" hadn't. I loaded up my page on my laptop. I scrolled through and saw messages from a lot of people: Warren, Kate, Dana, Daniel, Justin...I had "liked" all the comments but never replied.

That definitely sounds like me...

I noticed Warren had sent me several funny videos to try and cheer me up in the days after the funeral. I scrolled through to the top and saw I had been tagged in a picture earlier today. It was Daniel. He had put a drawing up of me with the caption: Everyday Hero. Seeing that put a beaming smile on my face. I immediately commented under it: Thank you so much Daniel, I love it x.

That's so awesome he put the picture back up. And it's really good. All I did was tell him to not listen to Logan. That's all it took. Just like when I posed for his picture and told him to go the Vortex Club. All it took was for someone to tell him he could do it and he could have ended up at an exhibition with Brooke. Guess, I've undone that now...but that doesn't mean you can't still help him. It doesn't mean anything you did in that week can't be done again, Max. You just have to try.

I yawned again before looking at my journal. No matter how tired I was, there was one thing long overdue. I grabbed my pen, opened my journal to todays' date, October 18th and started writing.

"Dear Journal, today was a pretty crazy day..."

A/N: Expect a bigger gap before the next chapter and sorry again for the longer than expected delay between the last two parts. If you're still continuing to read this you are amazing. Thank you.