Everything felt fuzzy for a second, and my head throbbed a bit. But then I realized we were in Chloe's actual room. In front of us was a mural that Chloe, Max, Jodie, and I had painted when we were kids, and now it looked like an investigation board.
I glanced at Max, who was wearing her usual grey jacket and a black shirt with a moth design. I was back in my leather jacket with a white shirt underneath, and my wolf tattoo was still on my arm, unlike in the other timeline. We exchanged looks and then turned to Chloe, who had her short blue hair and tattooed sleeve visible. She wasn't wearing her usual jacket or beanie and was focused on her laptop, facing away from us.
Max and I couldn't help but smile at seeing her back to her old self. "Chloe!" we shouted, rushing over to hug her, making her jump. "Whoa, whoa, calm down! What's going on with you two?" Chloe asked, turning to us.
"Sorry, Chloe... we're just really happy to see you," I replied, stepping back a little. She looked puzzled for a moment. "You sound a bit out of it, but thanks for the morning grope. I was just trying to piece everything together after our all-nighter playing CSI: Arcadia Bay," she said, turning back to her laptop.
Max and I plopped down on Chloe's bed to collect our thoughts. "Did you forget we talked about this? I hope you weren't messing with time while I was asleep," she said, glancing back at us.
I felt a wave of relief because everything seemed right again. Max rested her head on my shoulder and held my hand. "Never again," I whispered, kissing the top of her head. After a few minutes of collecting ourselves, it was back to continuing our mission in finding Rachel.
I stood up from the bed and said, "Let's figure this out." Max and I headed to our investigation board. "We're really close, but we still need three things," Max mentioned. Chloe, leaning back in her chair, glanced at us and asked, "What three things do we need?" Max replied, "First, we need to decode Frank's logbook." I added, "Next, we should grab Prescott's phone to find out where he was during the last Vortex Club parties with Rachel and Kate."
Chloe then said with a grin, "And third, we should beat up step-douche until he spills the beans about Frank and The Dark Room. I have a gun now." Max quickly shot back, "Keep that to yourself. We need to handle this ourselves," which made me smile. Chloe raised her hands in surrender, saying, "Fine, but let me at least kick his ass and then rewind- Fine, whatevs. Its your power." I reminded her, "We can't waste our powers on shit like that. Blackwell would be in big trouble."
Chloe mentioned, "Well, we have the money to pay Frank off now." Max rubbed her neck, looking uneasy about the money, and I felt the same way, but we needed to settle things with Frank. Max said, "Just don't remind me. I want him off our backs."
Chloe suggested, holding her hands up, "Why don't you two check the garage for clues? I'll do some online digging. And watch out for step-crack; he's not going to be happy with you two after what happened the other day and Moms giving him the boot."
"We got it," I replied, leading Max out of Chloe's room. As we went downstairs, we spotted David looking at the picture board with a suitcase. While Max chatted with him, I slipped into the garage, hoping to uncover whatever he was hiding.
I discovered a note on the workbench next to David's computer. Curious, I picked it up and read, "Mr. Madsen. Thank you for your help with Nathan. It is appreciated. Your Best, Sean Prescott."
This puzzled me, and I set the note down, wondering what Sean Prescott needed from David. Just then, I heard footsteps and turned to see Max entering the garage. She hugged me tightly, resting her head on my chest, and I wrapped my arms around her, gently rubbing her back.
"Are you okay, Mad Max?" I asked, noticing she seemed a bit tense. "Yeah, I'm okay," she replied. I then asked, "What did David want?"
She said, "Nothing really. He sounded sad though." I reassured her, "Max, he brought this on himself. It was time we stood up to him." She looked at me and asked, "Why are you okay with all of this? Rachel is missing, and Chloe has been upset... it's fucked up."
I leaned against the work table and said, "I'm not okay with it, Max. Rachel and I are done, but I still care about her well-being, especially for Chloe. I can see Chloe still loves her." I smiled at Max, and she returned a cute smile that made me blush.
"Yeah, she really does," she said. I asked, "We'll get her back, right?" and she confirmed, "Yeah, we will. For Rachel and for Chloe." I then suggested, "Alright, let's play detective," and we began searching the garage.
We stumbled upon some padlocked lockers. "Whoa, check this out," Max exclaimed after managing to open one. Inside was a file filled with coordinates, pictures of license plates, and even a photo of me fighting Nathan, along with a picture of Max and Kate.
"Holy shit, this is huge! Chloe will be thrilled. Let's get the hell out of here," I said, tucking the folder under my arm as Max and I prepared to leave.
"Hey, Chloe, are you ready? We need to head back to our dorms!" Max called out. A few moments later, Chloe appeared at the bottom of the stairs.
"Are we feeling good?" she asked as she joined us. "Very good. We found files on Kate, Nathan, and Rachel in the garage, plus some coordinates. David is like a one-man spy team. Let's get out of here before we get caught," I replied, stepping outside.
Max and Chloe hopped into my truck, and we drove off to Blackwell Academy.
Once we arrived, we headed toward the boys' dormitory, where Mr. Jefferson was waiting at the entrance. He smiled and greeted us, "Hey, Max, Aiden! How are you two?"
"I'm good. This is my cousin, Chloe, and Max's friend," I introduced, placing a hand on Chloe's shoulder. "Yo," Chloe said, giving a quick wave. "Chloe, why aren't you at Blackwell? You seem too cool for this place," Jefferson asked.
"I'm just too cool for school. It's a long story," Chloe replied, crossing her arms. "I figured as much. Max, Aiden, you both doing okay?" Jefferson asked, looking concerned.
"I'm fine for now. No need to worry about me," I said, also crossing my arms. "It feels strange being here like everything is normal," Max added. "I know, but life goes on, even if it sounds boring," Jefferson responded.
"I feel like there's too much happening in my life," Max admitted modestly. "Speaking of which, I have to announce the winner of the 'Everyday Heroes' contest tonight. I hope you both come to the party, even if you didn't enter. Artists can't be forced to create," Jefferson said.
"I'm not really a photographer," I shrugged. "I feel a bit like a loser, but it's been a tough week."
"Well, I'm proud of you two for caring so much for a troubled friend. I hope you take the fact that you have plenty of time of putting your way no matter the art. Just get in the habit of putting your work out there," Jefferson said to us.
"It's not a problem, Mr. Jefferson. We're going to be there tonight. I'll be Max's date since I'm forcing her to go with me," I said, looking down at Max, making her smile at me. "I'm in need of a date too. You better dance with us at least once," Chloe said, giving Max and I a playful nudge.
"Nobody should have to see me dance. Plus, you don't want to watch the old hipster trying to keep up with the kids. I have some pride. Be seeing you," he said as he walked away from us.
"Yes, you will," Chloe said in a playful way as he continued to walk away. "That's gross, Chloe," I said to my cousin, shoving her a bit. "What? I can't help that he's hot for a teacher," she said with a cheeky grin.
"Okay, we're seriously ignoring you," Max said, walking further into the dorm yard. "You're out of control, Chloe," I added, laughing a little. "Well, not until we go to that rager tonight," Chloe said. Max and I rolled our eyes at her. "Fine. Since I'm here, I'll see if I can get some dirt from Justin. I haven't talked to him in a while," Chloe said, walking over to the skater boy.
"Alright, let's see if Nathan is here. Chances are, he may not be," I said to Max, facing her. "Alright, this shouldn't be too hard," Max said, walking over to Mrs. Grant, who was sitting on a bench not that far from us.
After a bit, the three of us met regrouped and we went inside the dorms. "So lame they don't have co-ed dorms here," Chloe said when we walked inside. "Yes, because I want Nathan Prescott in the room next door," Max sarcastically said. "Good point," Chloe replied.
"Okay, I'm gonna go to Nathan's room and see what he's hiding in there," I whispered to them. As I started to walk away, I felt Max grab my forearm. "Let me go with you," she offered. If Nathan was here, last thing I wanted was for him to touch Max and Chloe, especially if he's as dangerous as Chloe says he is.
"Stay here with Chloe. Keep your eyes open for Nathan and give me the signal if he shows up," I told her, wanting to protect her. And I know Chloe could protect her too, so I could rely on her.
"Alright, be careful," she told me. "Always, BatMax," I said, walking towards Nathan's room. I knew where his room was because we live on the same floor, which sucked. I made my way into his room, which was unlocked.
It was so dark in here and everything was black, even the furniture. The pictures that he had on the wall looked way too grim and emo. Sounds like Prescott. I looked through his dresser drawer and found a note that was written by Chloe.
It said: Hey asshole. We need to talk or I'm going to tell everybody what you did. You're going to pay, motherfucker. That sounds like Chloe. I then found a picture of Chloe when he drugged her. 'I'm going to break his fucking neck if I see him again,' I thought grimly. I put the note and picture back in the drawer and closed it.
I looked around and found really creepy things such as a booklet of a handgun, prescription pills, and so much more that I don't want to say. Nathan Prescott is truly dangerous if he has all of this shit.
When I turned back around, I saw scratch marks engraved in the floor, where the couch was. I knelt down and rubbed my hand on the carpet, narrowing my brows in confusion. "What the hell is this…?" I muttered to myself.
There had to be something here, so I pulled the couch forward and saw a phone taped to the back of it in a plastic bag. "Score… now back to Chloe and Max," I said to myself, pushing the couch back before leaving the room.
I made my way back to Max and Chloe, who were still by the door. "Guys," I said to them. They looked over at me and walked over to me. "Oh, Aiden, you're back. We got worried. Now what'd you find?" Max asked me.
"Well, his room is as creepy and dark as I expected. But I did find something behind his couch. Check this out," I said, showing them the phone in the plastic bag. Chloe took it out of my hands and looked at it closely. "Boom, Nathan! We got you by the balls, fucker," she said, just as the door opened.
We all looked up and saw Nathan walk through the door. "Speaking of the devil," I whispered. Nathan glared at us from the open doorway. "What are you doing in my dorm?" Nathan exclaimed in his whiner voice. "I sleep here, dickbag," I hissed at them.
"What about these two?" he said, then looking at Max. He started to walk towards her. "You're such a nosy bitch, Max!" he shouted at her. She started to back away in fear. I got in front of her and pushed him away. "Don't you dare fucking touch her, Prescott," I scowled at him. He wasn't going to touch Max or Chloe while I'm here.
He glared at me and scowled out, "Get the fuck out of my face," I couldn't help it anymore. He had pushed me too far and now he was going to pay the price for what he did. I reached out to him, grabbed him by his jacket with both hands and I headbutted him as hard as I could, leaving me dizzy. I held my head as it throbbed.
I heard Max gasp aloud from behind me. I had managed to knock Nathan to the ground when I did that. "You are so fucking dead!" he shouted, going for his gun. But I managed to disarm him by kicking it away. The gun went to the side of the hall.
All I saw was red. He was going to pay for everybody he ever hurt. "You like to hurt people huh? Like Chloe?! Like Max?! Like Kate?! Feel this, motherfucker!" I shouted at him, starting to beat the shit out of him.
I had grabbed him by his jacket collar and I relentlessly punched him over and over again until his face bruised up. With each punch, it made my fist hurt even more. I could hear Nathan starting to cry from how many times I was hitting him.
"Aiden! Aiden, stop! He's down! Come on!" Max shouted, pulling me off of him. My nerves were still shaking from how hard I was beating him. Chloe had grabbed his gun and hissed at him, "Who's the bitch now?" "Chloe, let's go!" Max shouted to her.
We all left the dorms after that. My nerves were starting to calm down a bit. I was in shock that I actually beat the shit out of Nathan Prescott. If Max hadn't stopped me… I could've killed him.
"Jesus… I can't believe you did that, Aiden…" Max said to me as she inspected my bruised hand. "Yeah… I didn't think that I would stop if you hadn't stopped me," I said, my voice shaking a bit. "That was crazy. But, I'm glad you did it," Chloe told me. She never had seen me do that to anyone before, not even when we were younger.
I still had a shocked look on my face and I felt my chest tighten a bit. Max saw this and looked at me in my eyes. Then, she kissed me in front of god and everybody. The only time we did kiss was when we're alone, but it felt nice.
"I love you, Aiden," she said to me, making me blush. "I love you too, Mad Max," I replied, smiling at her. "Hey, sorry to break up your moment, but Frank texted me. He needs to see me," Chloe said, clearing her throat.
"Oh, right, sorry," I said, blushing madly. "We're coming," Max said as we made our way over to my truck. It was about time that we paid Frank off. Maybe he could give us information on some of his clients.