Chapter Text
Max
Was this the worst idea ever?
Max was wondering that as she took the cable car up to Nathan Prescott's ample house in the woods.
Was messing with anything Prescott-related a good idea? Under normal circumstances, hell no. The Prescotts were always bad news. They stank of dirty money and brought conflict pretty much everywhere they went. Referred to as “pillars of Arcadia Bay” on the regular. Which might have been true, but they were also a family of assholes and thieves who'd woven their twisted legacy into an otherwise sleepy Oregon town. Max was perfectly justified in steering clear of the Prescotts' messed up only son.
So why the hell had she taken a bus all the way from Arcadia Bay and into the mountains just to spend time at a Prescott estate? Why was she willingly putting herself in a position that demanded she go within twenty feet of Nathan?
For one thing, Max wasn't the only one going. Sitting next to her was Warren Graham, her willing partner in crime. Neither were exactly thrilled about what they were doing, but at least they were doing it together. Warren had only tagged along because he found out Max was going. And if the texts were to be believed, it wasn't just them braving the cold to hang out with a Prescott. So it wasn't just them, alone in the mountains with a Prescott. One piece of good news.
But even with that, Max wasn't sure what compelled her to accept the invitation. Up until a few weeks ago, she'd been doing her best to stay out of Nathan's way. And she'd actually been succeeding, despite having classes with Victoria Chase. Then Nathan texted her out of the blue. How the fuck had he even gotten her number? Victoria? Definitely wasn't Warren. In any case, Nathan had invited her to this little shindig and Max had said yes. Same for Warren.
Why would the Prescotts even build a house up there? Probably just because they could. Max couldn't think of anything even approaching a good reason. This place was way too isolated for her taste.
Max sighed, leaning her head against Warren's shoulder. It was way too cold out. And this place was far too isolated for her taste. She'd expected some place a little ways out of town, somewhere in a densely populated area surrounded by tons of other houses. But the Prescotts loved their solitude. No shacking up anywhere near a bunch of peasants. Max regretted not doing her research. But there wasn't much she could do about it now. Bus had already left.
“Cold?” said Warren.
Despite feeling under-dressed, Max shook her head. Yeah, she was cold, but she didn't want Warren to worry. Max felt like she owed him peace of mind, if that was even possible when Nathan Prescott was around. She'd told him over and over again that he didn't need to go, but of course Warren insisted.
“I'm fine,” she said. “You?”
Warren shot her that goofy grin of his.
“I'm great, Mad Max,” he said. “Partying with a Prescott. Why wouldn't I be awesome?”
Max laughed. It sounded so ridiculous the way Warren said it. But that was what they were there to do, right? Party with Nathan Prescott. In a house. In basically the middle of nowhere. That sounded like the opposite of a good time. But at least it was only for the weekend. Once Monday rolled around, Max could hopefully go back to pretending Nathan didn't exist.
The cable car was going at an agonizingly slow pace, giving Warren and Max plenty of time to think about where they were going. Not that it mattered now. No going back.
Max looked around. Other than Warren, she hadn't seen a single other person since getting off the bus. Were they the last ones there?
She shuddered. Max was getting major flashbacks to every teen horror flick from the nineties she'd watched as a kid. But that was ridiculous, right? Given it was the Prescotts they were talking about, the house was probably fancier than a five star hotel. Nothing creepy about a hot tub and a bunch of flat-screen TVs.
When the cable car reached the top, Max and Warren both leaped off. Having gotten used to sitting down and not feeling the ground under her feet, Max had to steady herself. Almost dropped her duffel bag and backpack. She'd packed a lot of weekend stuff, most of it she probably wasn't going to end up using. Max wasn't sure what she needed, other than a ton of sweaters and jeans. No skis or anything like that.
Warren grabbed Max's arm to keep her upright. He too had a backpack and a duffel bag. They were only staying for the weekend, but they'd texted back and forth about bringing as many clothes as possible. Max was willing to bet Warren had half his closet in that duffel bag.
“Where are we?” said Max.
She squinted. It was snowing pretty hard. Could barely see five feet in front of her. But from what Max could see, there wasn't a house in sight. Just an expanse of woods that didn't seem to end.
“I think we follow the trail?” said Warren.
He dug his phone out of his pocket. Nathan had texted them all the details over the past week, including where to go and what to do when they got there. According to Nathan, someone was supposed to meet them and take their bags. But maybe he thought they weren't coming? After all, Max and Warren were the last ones. Made sense no one else was around.
Max started off without waiting for Warren. She could barely see the trail, but she could sort of feel it under her thick boots. There was no way Max was staying there. The cold was starting to bleed through her heavy coat. Max was terrified of freezing to death out there. She could tell they both were, even though Warren wouldn't say it.
Warren put his phone away, jogging to catch up with Max.
“Hey, wait up,” he said.
Neither of them would admit it, but they were scared of what would happen if the trail ended and there was no house. Would they just go back to the bus station and wait? Could they call for help? Phones didn't seem to work all the way out there. Maybe at the supposed house, but even that was a long shot.
At least her parents knew where she was. But they thought Max was going to be out there for the weekend. Friday to Monday. Three whole days before they would start to get worried. Too much time in between for Max to feel comfortable about the situation.
They just had to pray there actually was a house. Because neither of them wanted to be out in this cold.
Max
When Max saw the outline of what appeared to be a building, she almost laughed in relief.
They'd been walking for about ten minutes, Max struggling against the bracing cold with her duffel bag and backpack. Warren offered to take both, but she pointed out that he'd likely fall behind if he was weighed down too much. They couldn't risk getting separated. Not in this place. Not when the wind was starting to howl and the temperature seemed to be dropping rapidly.
So the house was real. Even several feet away, Max could tell that it was enormous. When Nathan had said “house”, she'd expected something small and intimate. This was a mansion. At least two times bigger than Max's actual house. The Prescott motto: Go big or go home.
Warren reached the door first. He pressed his face against the window, trying to see if there was anyone inside. Even from where she stood, Max could tell he couldn't see anything. The windows were frosted over.
Shrugging, Warren knocked on the door. He had no idea if it was unlocked or not. That just seemed like the polite thing to do.
Max came up beside him. She dropped her duffel bag and wrapped her arms around herself. She felt so exposed, despite them being right in front of the house. The warmth of a fireplace and a hot bath was so close, yet so far.
Were there bears out there? Max had tried to keep thoughts like that out of her head while they were walking, but now they wouldn't stop. She definitely knew there were wild animals, but bears? Or maybe coyotes? Hadn't she heard something big moving through the woods on their way there? A deer maybe? Max was getting a little disoriented just thinking about it. She couldn't be sure what she heard underneath the howling wind. A twig snapping? A branch falling?
She was jerked out of her thoughts by the sound of Warren slamming his fist into the door. Three times in succession. Trying to get the attention of whoever was inside the house. The place obviously wasn't deserted. Lights were on.
“Maybe there's a back door?” said Max.
Or a window they could break? Honestly, she didn't give a shit anymore. Didn't care if Nathan threw a fit. Just wanted to get inside and be warm.
She was seriously considering breaking one of the windows. It didn't look too sturdy. Could have gotten a big rock or something. Could have hurled it straight at the glass and watched it shatter. Or maybe her backpack was heavy enough? It was weighing pretty heavily on her shoulders. One good swing might be enough to break the window and get them inside. Max could worry about being sued for property damage later, when she was warming herself in front of the fire.
While Warren tried the door, Max looked around. She didn't see any big rocks, but that was okay. Maybe a small rock could do it? She really just needed to make a hole in the glass, then wrap a T-shirt or something around her hand and punch out the rest. She'd seen that in a movie. Max wasn't sure glass was that breakable in real life, but she was willing to try anything.
“What the hell?” said Warren.
He was rattling the doorknob, trying to force it open. No luck. It seemed to be locked from the other side. Were they supposed to use the back door? Had any of Nathan's texts mentioned that? Why would anyone need to lock the door if they were in the middle of nowhere?
Max looked back the way they'd come. It was going to be a long trek back to the cable car. And of course no bus to take them home. Now Max was starting to panic a little.
Then they both heard the door rattling, but this time from the other side. Max and Warren took a step back, eying the front door warily. As they both watched, it continued to rattle like someone was trying to open it from the other side. But either the knob was stuck or the person on the other side was extremely bad at opening doors.
Max grabbed her duffel bag and held it like a shield, ready to bolt. She had no idea where she planned to run though. Deeper into the woods? That seemed like an all around shit plan. If some psychopath was out there, they'd be caught in no time. There was really nowhere to go out there. Max felt like she should have been more aware of that before she accepted Nathan's invitation.
The doorknob finally turned and the door swung open. Max and Warren both flinched at the exact same moment, completely on edge.
Victoria Chase was standing in the doorway, hands on her hips. As usual, she was wearing some of the most expensive clothes Max had ever seen. Furry boots that probably cost more than Max's entire wardrobe, designer jeans, and a sweater that looked like something out of a high profile fashion magazine. Classic Victoria.
As soon as the door opened, Max felt a blast of warm air. In contrast to the frosty weather outside, it seemed to be practically spring inside the house.
“Max fucking Caulfield?” said Victoria. “What the hell do you want?”
Max was afraid her lips were frozen shut, but she managed to speak. Of course Victoria had been invited. Her and Nathan were practically brother and sister. Hardly went anywhere without each other. But Nathan wasn't one of Victoria's groupies and she wasn't his. Somehow they were equals, teaming up to rule the school.
“Get out of my way, Victoria,” said Max. “Nathan invited us.”
Victoria rolled her eyes and laughed, like that was the funniest thing she'd heard all day. She was still blocking the door, keeping Max and Warren away from the precious warmth they so desperately needed. Max could feel the heat spilling out past Victoria.
“Oh fuck off,” Victoria said. “I don't know how you found this place, but I suggest you leave.”
Max snorted.
“Wish I could, but the bus already left,” she said. “Either you let us in or we freeze to death.”
Victoria started to turn away, hand on the door.
“See if I care,” she said.
She was about to go back inside, leaving Max and Warren to whatever chilly fate awaited them. Now Max was starting to believe this had all been some elaborate prank. An attempt at getting her and Warren out there just so Victoria could deny them access. But that sounded way too cruel, even for assholes like Nathan and Victoria.
“Victoria, what the hell are you doing?”
It was a voice Max didn't immediately recognize, but was instantly grateful for. She'd been about to argue, to stress that her and Warren were going to literally die if Victoria closed that door in their faces. She doubted Victoria cared, but she had to try.
A girl appeared next to Victoria. It was Stella, a fellow Blackwell student Max knew very little about. It was amazing how few friends she'd made since coming to Blackwell. Other than Warren, she hadn't really connected with anyone. But she did recognize Stella. They'd talked a few times.
“She's on the list,” said Stella. “Didn't you hear what Nathan said?”
Victoria stuttered for a minute. She was clearly furious at being essentially bossed around by someone she considered beneath her, but she couldn't deny what Stella was saying.
To Max's relief, Victoria stepped out of the way to let them pass. Lucky for her. If Max had been forced to wait another minute, she likely would have just pushed past Victoria's dumb ass and barged in. It was too cold for her to deal with Victoria's usual bullshit.
Max and Warren hauled ass into the house, relieved when the door was shut behind them. Warm at last.
As Max had expected, the house was well-heated and almost completely insulated from the cold outside. The second they stepped over the threshold, it was like entering a whole new world. The very walls seemed to emanate heat. Max practically tore off her coat. She'd been genuinely worried about dying out there.
Ignoring Victoria's icy stare, Max dropped her duffel bag and backpack. It was going to be a long ass weekend, but at least she would be warm. She turned to Stella, smiling in appreciation at her hero.
“Thanks,” she said.
Stella shrugged, returning the smile. Her and Max weren't friends. Or at the very least, not good friends. Which was kind of a shame. Max thought that if her and Stella just sat down and talked, they would probably get along great. Another buddy added to Max's extremely short list of trusted colleagues at Blackwell. Maybe this weekend was a chance for Max to finally fire up a friendship with some of the Blackwell students she wanted to get to know better.
“Don't mention it,” said Stella.
Victoria stormed off, apparently too pissed about Max and Warren's “intrusion” to stay. That was fine with all of them. Max would have rather gone the whole weekend without seeing Victoria's face. Max knew the saying: “Kill them with kindness”. That didn't stop Max from smirking as Victoria fucked off somewhere.
“Everyone's in the living room,” said Stella. “Or do you want to go up to your room? There's, like, five bedrooms in this place. It's pretty cool.”
While Warren knocked the snow off his shoes, Max followed Stella to the living room. She left her duffel bag and backpack by the door.
“Who else is here?” said Max.
She didn't remember exactly who else had been invited. She just knew it was mainly students from Blackwell and maybe some of Nathan's personal friends. Max was pretty sure Sean Prescott wasn't going to be there, but she didn't really know. Nathan had made it sound like a wild “teens only” weekend, so probably no parents.
“Oh, lots of people,” said Stella.
Max didn't like that vague answer, but she didn't press the issue. In all honesty, she didn't care who was there. She just hoped this weekend was going to be as fun as Nathan made it sound in his texts. Max still wasn't sure what had even inspired him to invite all of them up there. Maybe Victoria and her cronies, but Stella and Warren? Not to mention Max Caulfield. Weird.
Before Max could think about it too much, her and Stella reached the living room.
Max stopped in the doorway. As Stella had promised, everyone was there. Well, almost everyone. The first thing Max noticed was that Nathan wasn't there. She automatically scanned the room, trying to find his face in the crowd. Nope. No Nathan Prescott. But plenty of people Max instantly recognized from Blackwell.
She saw Dana, looking like a gorgeous cheerleader as usual. Wearing skin-tight jeans and a low-cut top. The ultimate power outfit. Max was never going to have the confidence to pull something like that off. But despite Dana and Max being in totally different social circles, Dana was actually nice to Max. They weren't friends, but they liked each other. Max was surprised to see Dana without Juliet or Logan.
Dana was talking to Hayden, a guy Max knew basically nothing about. She'd talked to him precisely once since coming to Blackwell. Her impression of him? Hayden seemed like a good guy. Friendly. Never gave Max shit for being introverted and geeky. Was high a lot of the time.
Max was surprised to see Daniel sitting on the couch by himself. With Dana and Hayden, it sort of made sense. Neither were part of the Blackwell elite, but they were definitely up there. Of course Nathan would invite them to his house in the woods for a party. But Daniel? Max was surprised Nathan even knew Daniel existed. It was weird seeing him just sitting there, uncomfortable and by himself. Max wondered what had convinced him to come.
Max was even more shocked at the clear absence of Victoria's goons. So Nathan had invited Daniel and Warren, but not Taylor or any of Victoria's other cronies? Weird. Or maybe Victoria had just decided to come without them. Either way, Max wasn't used to seeing Victoria Chase without some kind of back-up.
There was some guy Max didn't know. He looked like the kind of guy Max would have described as “preppy”. He definitely played badminton and had worn a sweater vest at least once in his life. One of Nathan's friends who wasn't from Blackwell? Definitely looked like him and Nathan ran in the same circles.
Kate Marsh was sitting in front of the fire. Max was pleasantly surprised to see someone she both recognized and was actually pretty good friends with. Her, Kate, and Warren had been hanging out together a lot since Max came to Blackwell.
But Max was shocked to see Kate there. This wasn't her scene at all. Booze and partying? Didn't sound like a Kate thing. Then again, Kate seemed like the kind of person who wouldn't turn down a polite invitation. And even though it was Nathan Prescott of all people, the invitation had been polite.
There was one other person in the room. She was standing by the bookcase, her back to everyone else. For a split second, Max thought she knew this girl. Thought she'd seen her somewhere before. But that was impossible. There were tons of students at Blackwell, but Max was pretty sure none of them had blue hair.
Then the girl turned around and Max saw her face for the first time. Their eyes met, a look of surprise passing over the girl's face.
Max took a step into the room. There was no way. It couldn't be. But even from across the room, Max knew it was. She'd seen that face thousands of times when she was a kid. It was burned into her memory. Sure, the hair was much shorter. She was taller and lankier than Max remembered. And there was something in her eyes that Max had never seen before. Some deep sadness that tugged at Max's heart strings. But that made sense. And the more Max studied that face, the more she knew.
“Chloe?” she said.
The girl stepped towards her, her arms crossed.
“Max,” she said.
And Max just knew. That voice, the way she was standing, that look on her face. Because Max was looking past the sadness in the girl's eyes, past the coldness, past those layers of disappointment and aggression carved into her face.
And underneath all of that? Chloe Price, Max Caulfield's best friend.