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Chapter Text

Max's eyes blinked a few times and she looked around in confusion. Where am I? She looked around blearily, taking in the plain walls and the wheelchair. What the fuck?!

Max had been chilling with Victoria Chase, Nathan Prescott and the rest of the Vortex Club out the front of Blackwell Academy, talking about the next Vortex Club party and taking the piss out of the missing girl, Rachel Amber, or at least Victoria had been. Rachel, who Victoria seemed to have a particular hatred of had consistently been the subject of Victoria's scathing remarks. Max had been admiring her closest friend, Victoria when she seemed to black out, dropping the blunt in her fingers.

She didn't know how long she was out of it for but Max had woken up in a room that was completely unfamiliar to her with a girl who looked to be familiar except the tube coming out of her neck, a fact that the photo album on the bed in front of her proved beyond any doubt. “What the fuck?!” Max recoiled slightly at the sight of Chloe Price, her childhood friend in a bed and unmoving. Maybe she's asleep? Max hadn't found that thought particularly comforting considering the fact that her body looked completely immobile. Shit, it looks like she's been through hell. Her brows furrowed in confusion, what the fuck happened to her? Her eye caught sight of the board that she and Chloe painted when they were younger and had been moved so Chloe could see it from her room. Oh, Chloe... Max couldn't contain a few tears that ran down her cheeks at the sight of the board that had held so many good memories

A few moments of taking it all in later, Max had stood up and started nosing her way through Chloe's room, the only noise was the ventilator in the background pumping air into Chloe's lungs through the tubing in her throat. She looks so peaceful asleep... Max moved closer to Chloe's window and gazed out of it at the yard where she had spent the majority of her childhood. “Oh man, William has disassembled the swings” she whispered, trying to hide the tears that were streaming down her face despite the fact that she was totally alone. Chloe’s not gonna get better

Max spent twenty minutes gazing out of the window, she quickly became distracted while gazing out of the window by imagining her childhood memories, running around the yard and playing pirates. Max smiled at the memory, Captain Bluebeard and Long Max Silver... “Chloe?” She turned to her old friend, apologies on her lips but stopped when she observed that Chloe still had her eyes shut. Hmm, she's not normally this quiet. Max found herself pulled to the small snow dome collection and she spent a few moments inspecting each and every single one of them while handling them with the utmost care to give her something to do while Chloe slept. Max hadn't felt like she did for a fair old time, she didn't really have to work too hard to keep up the mask that she wore in front of her Vortex Club friends except Victoria who had seen her get excited about her photography and seen the nerves that so often prevented her from submitting her photographs for competitions and the like but she felt more at ease than she had done in such a long time, she was home. Thinking of Victoria and her other friends made her heart drop, “oh man, I like totally abandoned them!” She pulled out her phone and immediately clicked through to Victoria’s texts.
[SMS, Vicky: 17:05] 'Max? Are you okay, you sorta sprinted off in a panic’
[SMS, Vicky: 17:10] 'You know I'm here for you, right?'
[SMS, Vicky: 09:15] 'Max? Please just let me know you're okay’
[SMS: 10:05] 'I'm fine, Vicky. Seems I'm around Chloe's but I can't remember how I got here or what I did last night'
[SMS, Vicky: 10:16] 'Oh thank fuck! I was just about to call the cops and tell them I couldn't get ahold of you!!'
[SMS: 10:18] 'I'm just gonna spend the day here, I know you and Chloe didn't get along but she's... Still my childhood friend and I've ignored her existence for long enough'

Victoria, seemingly knowing Something was up with Max, called her. Her caller ID appeared on the screen and the cheesy ringtone sounded out. “Hey, Vicky”
“Max, what's wrong? You haven't sent me a heart emoji or anything in our conversation”
“Vicky, it’s Chloe”
“What's wrong?”
“Something horrible happened to her, sheisinawheelchairandcan'tbreathebyherself”
“Can you... say that again?” Victoria couldn't hide her concern nor confusion
Max took a deep breath, “she's in a wheelchair... She can’t breathe by herself”
“Fuck” Victoria sounded distraught herself which was something considering that Chloe and Victoria hadn’t been able to see eye to eye at all in the time they knew each other. “I'm on my way over”
“Vicky...”
“I'm on my way over, no negotiations”
“Okay, Vicky”

Victoria hung up and Max moved back to her friend, shaking her hand slightly. She's so... Cold. “Chloe? Chloe, wake up, please!” The realization dawned on Max's usually open and innocent face and she screamed, she just screamed at the top of her lungs in the horror and despair that had hit her all at once

Chapter Text

She….She can’t be…She isn’t….H-How could this happen? What kind of world would allow this to happen!?

 
Max couldn’t bring herself to look away from what she now realised was the cold, dead body of Chloe Price. Her Captain, her childhood best friend, one of the most important people to have been a part of her life… gone. All their memories, their shared joy, their laughter, their antics, now belonged purely to her. Chloe wouldn’t remember anymore. Chloe wouldn’t laugh anymore. She was gone, and Max couldn’t understand why.


Of course, the problem with having screamed out upon her horrific discovery was that this wasn’t her house, this was the Price family home and said family were currently making their way to the room as quickly as possible. William arrived first since he’d been sitting at the dinner table, trying to work out how they were going to take care of the massive amount of money they owed that had racked up with Chloe’s medical bills.

“Max?! What’s wrong?! Why are you…” The middle-aged man’s words died in his throat as he fully took in the scene. Max, standing there, staring in horror at Chloe… Who no longer seemed to be breathing, at all. “Oh god, no…”

Max barely had time to move out of the way as William rushed over to the bed. He placed a hand on Chloe’s cold one, recoiling at the sensation before the usually cheerful man started to break down. Tears  started to spill out of his eyes as he carefully wrapped his arms around his lifeless daughter, as if scared she would shatter if moved too suddenly.

Poor William… He and Chloe had always been super close. He was always willing to put up with whatever shit Chloe and I pulled, taking part in our pirate adventures as ‘Bloody Bill’, he didn’t even scold us that one time we dug up half the yard looking for ‘buried treasure’.

“W-William… I-I…” What could Max possibly say now? What words could she conjure up, that would help comfort the grieving father in any way, especially when she was struggling to deal with her own shock and grief? This felt like a nightmare… A horrible, heart-crushing nightmare.

“Max… H-How did this happen? Y-You said she was awake earlier, when you went to go get her… m-morphine….” William’s words turned a little broken as he thought about that last comment. Chloe had asked for her morphine. Max had gone to get said morphine. And now, not even half an hour later, Chloe was dead, and Max looked horrified. “Max… Where is the morphine?”


“Morphine?” The brunette asked curiously as if she didn’t know what William was talking about, because… Well, she didn’t.


“Yes, Max. The damn morphine!” The man’s voice grew a little agitated, this wasn’t the time to pull some dumb joke. Letting go of Chloe, William stood up to look at the medical machinery hooked up to the lifeless teen, looking at one dial in particular.


“W-William? What’s wrong? What are you looking at?” Max asked, hesitantly moving just a little bit closer to the end of the bed, looking between the man and Chloe.


“You… You did this… Didn’t you, Maxine?” The grieving father’s words had turned rather cold, especially with him using ‘Maxine’ rather than ‘Max’, something neither Chloe nor Max’s parents usually did unless said girl was in a lot of trouble.


“W-What?! N-No! I…” Max would barely be able to get those words out before William spun around, glaring at the Vortex hipster.


“Then who did it, Max?! The dial on her morphine injector is clicked all the way up to eleven. I didn’t do it! Joyce is upstairs! And Chloe definitely couldn’t have done it! It had to be you! You gave my baby girl an overdose! You killed Chloe!”


The brunette paled as those words sunk in. I… I-I killed Chloe? No way! I couldn’t! I wouldn’t! I would remember doing something like that! But…I don’t even remember how I got here. Did I do it? C-Could I have done it? Why? Why would I ever want to kill Chloe?


As her inner thoughts started to question whether she had actually managed to hurt someone she cared so deeply about, end the life of someone so important to her, Max’s stomach started to rise in her throat and, before William could throw more accusations her way, the hipster sprinted out of the room, running upstairs to the bathroom, nearly knocked Joyce over on her way who had been coming to see what the commotion was all about. Max rushed into the bathroom just in time to empty the contents of her stomach into the toilet bowl, tears rushing down her cheeks thanks to the horrifying revelation, the possibility that William’s words might be true.


I’m a killer…

Chapter Text

Max couldn't think, hell she couldn't even breathe. Not once in her life had she felt like that, she felt like she was dying. The coldness of the floor beneath her knees was absent, as was the pain in her hands from punching the wall. She couldn't really see in the gloom of the dark bathroom and yet she remained where she was, on her knees since neither her mind nor body wanted to move. She couldn't breathe because of the crying that she was barely aware of. I'm a killer. I murdered Chloe

Joyce's heart wrenching agonized screams couldn't be heard through her severed hearing so she remained completely unaware of what was transpiring around her. “CHLOE!! CHLOE, NO!!”
William's croaky voice could be heard from Chloe's downstairs bedroom but Max remained unaware of it. “Yeah, that's right. 44 Cedar Avenue.”
I gotta get outta here!!! After an unknown amount of time, it could've been seconds, or hours, Max found herself slowly standing, turning and running straight down the stairs and out of the house.
“Maxine Caulfield!!!” William's furious yell fell on deaf ears as it had before, as everything had. As far as Max was aware she just had to get away from it, from the house that had pretty much been her childhood home. Her feet pounded on the asphalt unthinkingly, unconsciously heading towards the beach, her eyes barely seeing and her heart barely noticeable in her ears.

The cold water of the ocean lapping gently over her feet brought Max back to her senses. “What the fuck?!” Max looked around wildly with red, puffy eyes but she no longer felt like a passenger in her own body. Was that some kind of dissociative experience? All she knew other than the feel of freezing cold water on her feet and the pain in her hands was that Chloe was dead and William was accusing her of doing it, an accusation that was deeply ingrained in her mind by that time. Max knew she couldn't go back there anymore, William's furious gaze that had settled on her was enough to shatter her confidence and return her to square one of what she had accomplished at Blackwell, not being a shy introvert. “I need...”

“Maxine?” The voice that called her name interrupted Max's trail of thought and left her high and dry regarding what she had been thinking about before she was interrupted. “Maxine?”
On the second time the voice spoke Max jumped about six feet in the air, she hadn't expected to hear any gentle voices at all but that was exactly what she heard. She spun around, immediately taking in Victoria's haggard appearance, it looked like the girl had been up all night. “Vicky?”
Victoria pulled out her phone and sent a text, “Max!! Oh Max, I didn't know where you went!!” Victoria stood in front of Max, a confused expression crossing her face as she stood there and took in Max's bloody knuckles, smelly wet patches on her shirt from the puke, bloodshot eyes and blank expression. “What the fuck happened to you? Come on, let's get you back to Blackwell” You stink, Maxine... Is that... Puke?
Max backed away at that. “No”
“No?” Victoria raised an eyebrow
“I... I don't wanna go back there” She whispered and returned to gazing out over the water at the horizon, still barely with it though her senses seemed to have normalized somewhat
“Maxine, what's wrong?”
“I... I don't know” she whispered then decided to voice her true concerns. “Vicky, I don't remember anything after I was talking to you yesterday”
Victoria only became more worried after that admission, what the fuck? “We’d better get you home. Come on Maxine, I'll stay with you the whole time, okay? We’ll ask Nate to open the fire exit when we get there that way we won't need to see anyone, okay?”

A police car screamed past the beach, causing Max to leap into the air once again. She only didn't run because Victoria’s arms wrapped tightly around her, guiding her gently towards the waiting car that had just arrived and had Taylor and Courtney's worried faces in the front
“No... No...” Max pleaded quietly with her best friend as Victoria opened the back door to help Max into the back seat
“Victoria, what's wrong with Max?” Courtney enquired once both Victoria and Max were safely in the back seats of the warm car. Only Victoria was allowed to call Max by her full name, she didn't really like it but Victoria was her best friend
“Shut it Courtney and drive. Maxine needs a warm shower and a change of clothes” Victoria hadn't meant to snap at Courtney or glare at Taylor but she wasn’t in the mood for a game of twenty questions and just wanted to get Max somewhere warm and safe.
“Not Blackwell... Can... Can we stay somewhere else for awhile?” Max's voice sounded so broken, so vulnerable.
Maybe Lyla's place? Victoria looked over at Taylor and Courtney and it seemed they were sharing the same thoughts. Lyla had been one of Victoria's friends and involved in the Vortex Club before she had graduated the previous year and she lived a small number of miles from Arcadia Bay on the road to Portland.
“Lyla’s?” Courtney enquired and Victoria nodded.
Oh I must've dropped my phone in the water... Max looked over at the beach but made no effort to get out and go get it, Courtney's car was pulling away from the beach and starting to drive away from the beach anyway. Wonder who Lyla is...? Vicky's mentioned her on occasion

Chapter Text

What the actual fuck happened to you, Maxine?

Victoria would muse that question over and over again in her head as she held the trembling girl. Courtney had been driving them for close to twenty minutes now, and yet, Max had so far shown no signs whatsoever of calming down. Still trembling, still softly sobbing to herself, still clinging to Victoria as if letting go would kill her. In a way, it was adorable. A pathetic kind of adorable but having someone she cared for so much, desperately holding onto her, trusting her enough for her to be the one they leaned on, it felt… nice.

Of course, she couldn’t let herself get too caught up in how ‘nice’ it felt. For however relaxing it might have made her feel, being trusted this way, she knew the primary cause of this situation was Max’s heart crushing pain and soul-gripping fear. What could the poor girl have been so afraid of? So scared that she had been sick in the ocean, and all over herself?

Note to self: Get Maxine’s clothes dry cleaned….Mine too.

While Victoria allowed herself a small smile at the internal comment, that smile almost instantly vanished when the music coming from the car’s radio shut off, and a ‘Breaking News’ bulletin started to play through it, spoken out by the voice of a probably middle-aged man.

“A local manhunt is occurring tonight in the small seaside town of Arcadia Bay. An eighteen-year-old girl by the name of Maxine Caulfield is wanted by the local police for questioning in regards to the murder of nineteen-year-old Chloe Price, that occurred just recently in the victim’s home. If you have any information regarding the event in question or the location of Miss Caulfield, please either ring this station’s hotline number, or head into your local police station. We now return you to your normal musical programming.”

And with that, the broadcast shut off and the music slowly came back on, towards the end of the song that had been playing prior to the broadcast. However, Taylor would reach over and turn off the music, leaving the car in a deathly silence. Not one of the four girls dared to say a word. Not even Max in an attempt to defend herself, she just started trembling worse as her face paled a little, feeling as if she was going to be sick. Why wouldn’t she? That broadcast had confirmed it, hadn’t it? She was a killer.

Eventually, Victoria was the first one to speak up, seemingly the first to gather her thoughts about what she had just heard.

“Maxine… Are you okay? Are you cold still? Need any water?” Victoria’s line of questioning was not at all what Max was expecting. She was expecting them to throw her out of the car, to call her a killer, to insult her. Or worse, restrain her and deliver her to the police themselves.

“I-I… D-Didn’t you hear that!? I-I’m a wanted girl… T-They think I killed my childhood best friend… A-And you’re asking if I want water?! Are you insane?!” The brunette would ask as she pulled away from Victoria. Not a lot, but enough that she could look at her best friend, tears spilling from her eyes as she failed to try and blink them back.

“I heard it fine. We all did. That doesn’t change anything. Just look at the state of you, Maxine… You look like you’re in the middle of an emotional breakdown. A murderer wouldn’t be reacting the way you are. Whatever happened… If you did kill her… I’m sure it was an accident, or maybe you didn’t do it and just happened to witness it? Either way, the plan doesn’t change. We go to Lyla’s, get you cleaned up, get you a hot meal and let you rest. We can…’discuss’ all of this in the morning.”

Max genuinely didn’t know what to say. What was there that she could say? Victoria, Taylor and Courtney were all putting themselves at a major risk here. For her. Someone that they had just heard, could be a possible killer. And still, they were treating her as if nothing had changed. Sure, Taylor and Courtney were probably only acting that way because of Victoria’s words. But Vic was showing a sense of loyalty that no one could ever have possibly expected towards Max. One Max didn’t feel she deserved.

She wasn’t exactly in a place to argue the matter, however…So, she simply nodded silently, and leaned back against Victoria, cuddling into her best friend in a search for comfort. Something she got when Victoria’s arms wrapped around her, holding her gently, and coaxing the brunette to sleep.

When Max next opened her eyes, she found herself staring up at the roof of an unfamiliar room, the only light coming from a small lamp on the bedside table nearby. Oh, she was in a bedroom. But whose? It definitely wasn’t hers, or Victoria’s. She knew what those looked like. And… Was she wearing new clothes? Sitting up, she looked down to see herself in the pants she’d been wearing earlier but a completely different top. Seemed like someone’s old nightshirt. Someone had changed her? Probably because of the puke.

Sighing softly, the brunette flopped back down on the bed, letting her head hit the comfy pillow as she thought about how wrong that day had gone. It all been going awesomely earlier. Hanging out with her friends, enjoying the afternoon off. Huh… omee to think of it, that was probably yesterday, right? Why couldn’t she remember anything after that, nothing at all of the previous night until just appearing in Chloe’s bedroom that morning? Oh, right. Chloe….

Thankfully, before she worked herself up again with thoughts and memories of her now deceased ex-best friend, she was distracted by the sound of two loud but muffled voices that were clearly arguing with each other. One sounded like Victoria and the other… was unfamiliar. Getting up from the bed, Max carefully and quietly made her way over to the closed door, leaning her ear against it to try and hear what was being said.

“She’s a fucking killer Vic! You brought a murderer to my house, with only a text as a warning! Saying ‘We’re gonna pop in, need your shower’, isn’t a good preface for bringing a wanted criminal over!!” There was the unfamiliar voice. But judging from what their destination had been, Max could only assume that voice belonged to Lyla. Of course, she couldn’t blame her for being pissed. Max would be pissed if someone just brought a murderer to her house.

“She isn’t a killer Lyla! And if she did have a part in Chloe’s death… She probably had a damn good reason! You don’t know Max like I do, that girl required a month of begging from me and Nath before she even held a blunt. She’s innocent! She wouldn’t hurt a fly, never mind her childhood best friend!” And there was Vic, trying her hardest to defend Max, even now, when someone was bringing that dark truth of the current situation up.

Max hated this. She hated that because of her, Victoria was having to go to bat against one of her other friends. She needed to stop this fighting before it got any worse. And so, she opened the bedroom door, hesitantly stepping out and immediately drawing the gazes of both Victoria and Lyla.

“M-Max!” Victoria was clearly surprised to see the brunette awake. “Y-You should be resting Maxine… I’m sorry if we woke you. Or if you woke up scared being somewhere new. Don’t worry, you’re safe here. This is-“

“This is my house.” Lyla interrupted, her gaze not leaving Max for a second as she made her way closer to the brunette, staring her down all the while, trying to keep a level of dominance, of intimidation, just in case Max thought of trying anything. “I’m Lyla… And you’re Maxine Caulfield, the wanted killer. So you better give me a damn good excuse not to call the cops on you and blondie.”

Swallowing nervously, Max could only back up a little bit, trying to get some space between her and Lyla. Only one thought running through her mind at that moment.

I’m so fucked.

Chapter Text

“No... Please, Lyla...” Max whimpered, flexing her hands in the front of the nightshirt she had ended up wearing. She was so close to panicking but by some miracle, she hadn’t freaked as she had before when William had accused her of killing Chloe. Her waning calm and Lyla's aggressiveness only served to make her curl in on herself more and more. She vaguely considered how ruined her image as the Queen Bee of Blackwell would be if anyone saw her in the state she was in but dismissed the thought as inconsequential, she felt she was ruined either way
“Lyla! Stop, okay?!” Victoria snapped angrily, “please stop, you’re scaring her”
“So? She should be scared, she killed someone, Vic!”
“Victoria.” Victoria snapped in irritation, nobody got to speak to her in such familiar terms after they accused someone she cared so much about of shit that they didn’t even know they had done
Lyla just gazed at Victoria for a few seconds, her mouth open. “Start explaining” she repeated albeit a little more gently
“I... I don't know what happened! The last thing I remember was sitting with Vic, Nate and the other Vortex Club members outside Blackwell, enjoying my day off. Then I guess I must've blacked out or something since the next thing I knew I was sitting by Chloe’s bed... Lyla, she was sick, so sick. My Chloe was on a ventilator and everything!”
“What happened to her? Chloe, I mean” Lyla asked Max who shrugged. “You don't know?”
“No, I have no idea what happened to her only it was bad. She was on a fucking ventilator!! For all I know she just died from her injuries!” The accusations that William had yelled at her returned to her slowly amongst her fresh tears, “I... I was accused by William, he's Chloe's father who was pretty much a second father to me just like my father was a second father to Chloe, the same for our moms too... William a-accused me of doing something to Chloe's m-morphine. He accused of u-upping it to the maximum, o-overdosing her on it but I have no recollection of doing so!! Chloe... She was my b-best friend, why the fuck would I hurt her?!” Max was starting to hyperventilate. “FUCK!! I... I don't know what happened!!!” she screamed, white-hot tears running down her cheeks

“Easy, Maxine” Victoria took Max back into her arms, pulling her in gently while watching Lyla. “I don't know about you but even though I'm no expert at how criminals react, Maxine isn't acting like a murderer or even as if she remembers what happened! Besides, innocent until proven guilty, Lyla Louise Lee” Victoria spoke with the icy tone that characterized her as the Queen Bitch of Blackwell and Max noticed, her nervous expression deepening while Lyla had the good sense to recoil slightly. “Maxine was a mess when we found her and honestly I didn't know where else to take her. She couldn't go back to the house her friend lives in, she didn't want to go to Blackwell where I and the other girls live, Sean Prescott wouldn't have wanted to associate with her now she's thought of as a criminal so Nate wasn't an option and besides she's terrified!!”
“Victoria, she's been accused of murder. Even if I don't call the police, she'll get caught eventually even if she fled Arcadia Bay and Oregon. Hell, she might even be thought of as more guilty if she did so.”

Max held up a hand to stop Victoria from commencing another scathing attack on Lyla and how fucking stupid the Prices were to accuse Maxine. “She’s right, Vic” Max bowed her head as she spoke having been calmed by Victoria’s arms around her which allowed her a moment of clarity. “You hear all the time in the news about how murders happen and the murderers flee, what you don't hear about is them getting away with it.”
“Maxine, what are you saying?” Victoria's tone was gentle but to Taylor, who had known Victoria the longest, it was clear that Victoria was freaked
“I'm saying that, as terrified as I am, the only way forward for me is to hand myself in. If anything it'll save me getting shot, right?” Max had intended it as a joke but it hadn’t come out that way, there was just too much truth to her words and as such Victoria winced while the others including Lyla looked distinctly uncomfortable. The police were well known to be overzealous and exceedingly forceful when it came to handling ordinary members of the public so as someone accused of one of the worst crimes possible, she had little chance of survival unless she willingly submitted to the police, even then she wasn't sure on her odds. “I don't want to get you four into trouble for harboring a wanted criminal either” Max admitted quietly, she didn't want to drag her friends down with her. “You heard what they said on the radio, I’m a killer. You lot don't need a murderer like me dragging you all down with me, y'all actually have a future. I don't have one anymore, whatever happened last night fucked things up for me. I've been accused of murdering a young woman, you know how people would see that. I bet Wells has already terminated my place at Blackwell as well as my scholarship and alerted all the security people to immediately taser or shoot me on sight.” Max sighed, sorrow at her lost life building up inside her. “All of my belongings are in that room, so I can't even spend a little time doing photography before I get arrested and sent off to jail to await trial. I don't even know if I'll get bail, if I do it'll probably be ridiculously impossible to pay”
“Maxine...” Victoria began
“No, Vic. Let's just get pizza and pretend this isn't happening for a few hours. I'll pay for the pizza, I have enough cash on me to do so. Then later this evening I can go to the police and hope they don't shoot me”
“No way, you can't show your face!” Lyla spat.
“I know, I'll give you the money, Lyla. I lost my phone on the beach when I puked the second time so there's little chance of me being tracked to here, for now at least. I expect my mom and dad are desperately trying to get ahold of me though...” Max stopped, thinking about her parents was incredibly painful but not as painful as the thought of never seeing Chloe smile again. “Please, Lyla... Just... Just let me have one last evening, please” Max's pleas trailed off

Lyla's incredulous expression slowly faded, “and you're absolutely sure Maxine wouldn't murder her friend?” she asked, turning to look at Victoria
“Absolutely.” Victoria spoke to Lyla coldly, enraged by the mere insinuation that Max was guilty. “Lyla, I may be a heartless bitch but I never lie to my friends, to Maxine, to Tay, to Court, or to you. Maxine is no murderer. She wouldn't just murder her best friend!! Hell, remember how hard Nate and I had to work to get her to try marijuana, Tay?” The blonde nodded an affirmative
“And even you being heartless is just an act, Vic” Max chose
“Mmm, don't go all mushy on me, Caulfield”
“Okay, okay. She can stay for awhile. But come midnight I want you and your little entourage gone, got it?”
“I understand, Lyla. Thank you” Victoria mumbled

Victoria then turned away and wiped a tear from her eye, the reality of the whole thing was just beginning to settle in. Victoria knew her life was just beginning, as was Max's and Max's life was already almost certainly over. She realized how much she cared for Max but she couldn't help but think it was too late. Max, if convicted of the murder would spend at least ten years of her life in jail, she'd be free again when she was twenty-eight at the earliest and to Victoria the fact that the death sentence was suspended was only a small comfort. Even if she wasn't convicted, Max would find it very difficult to get a job since she had effectively been kicked out of high school and her felony charge would follow her around for the rest of her life. I need to get to know Max this evening, spend as much time with her as I can. Victoria had decided, the prospect of losing Max while they didn't really know each other didn't sit well with Victoria. Maybe I should take a leaf out of that Amber bitch's book and play that game she liked, or maybe it should be more casual; cards against humanity? That murder mystery game, Clu... No, not that! Victoria almost slapped herself at her near faux pas. That would hardly be tactful. She berated herself. Maybe some good old fashioned drinking games? Pushing plans for the evening aside for a moment to clear her mind, Victoria could hear Taylor talking to Max whose voice was not audible, she is probably still in a state of shock, poor girl. Courtney was sat slumped on a couch, irritated by the situation that Max and Vic had gotten her into and Lyla could be heard placing an order for pizza. “Holy shit, I haven't even called dad yet, maybe he'll be able to help with the lawyer?” Victoria trailed off into a thoughtful and regretful silence. I should not have let Max go yesterday...

Chapter Text

Despite just how late it currently was in the evening, Christopher Chase, owner of the Chase Space gallery in Seattle was still hard at work in his office, trying to finish up preparations for an exhibition that would be taking place the next weekend. Usually, one of his assistants would’ve been there either helping him finish his work, or doing it for him based upon instruction. But this event was a rather important one to the gallery owner and so he had taken it upon himself to oversee every last detail. Even down to the type of wine glasses that would be available, and what wine would be within them.

He had actually been meaning to send a call through to his daughter Victoria for most of the day, yet just hadn’t been able to find the time to do so. He was sure that even if he didn’t however, his wife would have, one of them at least made it a point to contact their daughter every other day, wanting constant progress on how her studies, as well as how her photography was coming along.

Some might see the two as rather ‘intense’ parents, with strict expectations of what they wanted from Victoria, but that was mainly due to how much they cared, even if Victoria didn’t always see it that way. Both had made their way in the art world from nothing and so, with their daughter having so many more advantages than either of them ever did, they wanted to make sure that she didn’t waste any of them. In truth, Christopher Chase would do damn near anything for his daughter, whether it was to help secure her future or her happiness.

So when the man’s cell phone started to ring with Victoria’s name and a photo of her flashing up on the screen, Christopher instantly moved to answer it. Sure, he had a hell of a lot of work to do but that could wait for what would probably be a five-minute conversation with Vic, right?

“Victoria? I’m surprised you’re calling me at this hour of the night. I thought that you would’ve already turned in. I did try to get a moment to call you earlier today but…-“

“F-Father…” Victoria’s slightly broken tone immediately cancelled out any possible words Christopher could’ve continued with. It was rare that he heard his daughter so distraught, as she usually tried to keep that to herself. So if she was calling him while in such a state, it must’ve been important.

“F-Father I… M-Maxine is... .I-I don’t know… w-what to…” Victoria’s words would slowly break down into the sobs that she’d been trying to hold back for hours now. She’d been trying to keep herself strong, to show that she wasn’t scared, not wanting Max to worry any more than she already was. But now that she had a moment alone, she couldn’t hold it back.

“Vic? Please…It’ll be okay, whatever it is, it’ll be alright. Please calm down? I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s going on.” Christopher’s heart ached at just how distraught his daughter was. If some boy had caused this, there would be a lot of pain in that young man’s future.

“I-It’s Maxine… S-She… S-She’s in trouble.”

“A-And so that’s where we are… h-here at Lyla’s. S-She said she’ll let Max have til midnight, and then we have to leave…” Victoria had taken the better part of fifteen minutes to explain everything to her father as best she could, all the while struggling and failing to blink her tears back. She was hoping her father might have some magical fix all for the situation, that his connections would be able to fix everything and she and Max could go back to just hanging around Blackwell with the rest of the Vortex Club. An impossible wish, but one she hoped for all the same.

“Christ, Vic… This… This is a heavy situation. If the police find out that you’ve been helping to hide her, you could go to prison too you know.” Christopher’s concerned voice would come through on her phone. Victoria knew her father was right, she knew that she could get in a lot of trouble for what she’d done. Hell, she could get Taylor, Courtney and Lyla all in trouble for going along with it. Thankfully, the police didn’t know where they were yet and once they had to leave, she might be able to take Max somewhere on her own, keep the others ‘clean’.

“I-I know father but… M-Maxine is my best friend. She’s become that in such a small time and… I-I can’t just abandon her. I care about her. I want to… I-I need to help her. Please, there must be something that we can do for her?” Victoria pleaded, hoping that her father, even if he didn’t have a miracle fix, might have something they could use.

“I... I’ll contact our family’s lawyer. She’s the best in the North-West. If anyone stands a chance of helping Maxine, it’ll be her. I’ll also keep an eye on which judge presides over the case, maybe we’ll get lucky and a family friend will be ruling over the case.” Victoria couldn’t believe it, her father actually did have some ideas of how to help, maybe Max stood a chance after all!

“T-Thank you father… You have no ide-“ The blonde would be cut off suddenly when her father resumed talking, clearly not having been finished.

“Victoria. I’ll do this on one condition, and one condition only. As soon as that clock strikes midnight and your deal with Lyla is up, Maxine needs to go and turn herself in, alone. Understand? I get that you care for her, but the longer she stays away, the worse it’ll be. Not to mention she’s putting you and your other friends in danger. If she goes in on her own, then they’ll see that in a better light too. She does that…Or I won’t help.”

The girl with the pixie cut was a little stunned at that. Max would have to turn herself in? Alone? They wouldn’t even get that little bit of extra time in a car ride together? That hurt… But, if that was the only way to get her father to help out her friend, then Vic would agree to it, albeit reluctantly.

“O-Okay… After midnight, I’ll get Max to turn herself in.”

How though, I have no fucking idea.

Chapter Text

Pizza is here, everyone!!” Lyla shut the door and turned to walk back toward the living room, entering the room to find everyone looking up at her. Victoria was still absent from the room, she guessed she was somewhere in the house as she only went out for a cigarette. “Help yourselves”
Taylor was the first to move, sitting up from where she had curled up on the couch and snagging herself a piece of pizza. “Thanks, Lyla”
“You should be thanking Max” Lyla retorted. The twenty-one-year-old felt as if she had aged years in a single day, it went without saying that she was stressed. It was almost half nine and Lyla knew that Max only had a few hours of freedom remaining, furthermore she also knew Max knew that and it was killing her mood
“Thanks, Max” both Taylor and Courtney had immediately turned to face Max and both smiled unsure smiles at her, both thinking what the fuck happened?

Max didn't reply, she just stared despondently ahead, having barely moved since Victoria had left her side about a half hour ago. That poor girl... Even someone as stubborn and as angry as Lyla couldn't help but notice that Max had been through hell that day. She had been so mad with Victoria for bringing a suspected killer to her house she had failed to see what a state that poor girl had been in. Even after a bath which Victoria and Taylor had helped the sleepy semi-conscious girl with and Victoria's own shower, Lyla had still been waiting to confront Victoria and they had both discussed it in the kitchen, calmly at first then with more agitation. They had continued their shouting match up the stairs since Victoria wanted to check on her friend where they had inadvertently woken Max. Lyla felt slightly guilty, she had tried to intimidate the girl and assert her dominance over her like the Queen Bee she had been before Victoria joined Blackwell. Lyla had willingly retired from being Queen Bee before the end of her tenure at Blackwell, she had held the position since she was in her freshman year and she wanted to concentrate on her studies in her senior year so she did so, allowing a new Queen Bee to ascend to the throne.

“Where's Tori?” Courtney's voice interrupted the middle of their meal, a vegetarian healthy option had been ordered by the Queen Bee yet she hadn’t returned. Max remained as stoic and as silent as ever, she was a broken shell of who she used to be, set back further than she had been when she had been forced to leave Chloe behind to go to Seattle. “She went outside at fifteen after, she's still not back. Her food is cold.”
Lyla made a snap decision. “Mm, I'll go find her, okay? It's probably better that the two of you remain with Max”
Taylor and Courtney looked at each other in confusion while Max continued staring ahead having not even eaten a single slice of her pizza. “Lyla...?”
“Because of how I reacted to her, Tay,” Lyla replied remorsefully
“Oh.” Taylor looked distinctly uncomfortable, she too had realized the potential consequences of what Victoria had done, by insisting that they help Max even after they heard the radio bulletin.
“What's done is done, and if I know Victoria she won't let us get punished for her decision” Courtney stated plainly. Despite her distaste for Max, her resolve that Max shouldn't have been allowed in the Vortex Club had only gotten stronger, she knew very well that Victoria was loyal to her friends and wouldn't do anything deliberately to hurt them. Victoria's loyalty to Max earlier that day had underlined how caring Victoria could be to those she truly liked though not many people had ever achieved that from the pixie blonde and the black haired girl could count them on one hand, Nathan, Max and Taylor, as well as Courtney herself, or at least she liked to hope that. Victoria had been badly affected when Max had corrected her use of her full name the day before, immediately knowing something wasn't quite right. Courtney, Taylor and Nathan had disagreed, had told Victoria she was being ridiculous and Victoria had conceded, for awhile at least. It was only when Max didn't return to Blackwell that evening that Victoria had succeeded in getting her friends to agree that something was very very wrong and that they should search for her. Despite making contact with Max at ten that morning, Victoria hadn't been relieved and her worries had only increased after Max had called her in a frantic state about some girl, Chloe which was a name that they vaguely recognized, being disabled. By the time they had gotten to Chloe's house, having had to pull a favor from Nathan to get Chloe's address from Blackwell’s records, there was an assortment of emergency vehicles outside the house yet no sign of Max. A body bag was brought out with a wailing screaming woman whose eyes were all puffy. They had wound down the window and overhead the woman. A male voice had stated 'Maxine isn't here’, that was all Victoria needed to hear for her to pull away again. Courtney had been worried about the fact that Maxine was mentioned to the police officer but she decided to keep her mouth shut, guilty for not believing Victoria the day before. She had been right, it all felt wrong.

Lyla had left the living room while Courtney had been deep in thought, she had quickly explored the house and, not finding Victoria anywhere in it, poked her head out of the sliding doors that led to her back yard. Victoria’s silhouette was out there, led on the cold ground, her Cashmere jacket soaked covered in muck from the heavy downpour. Victoria's phone was clenched in her hand and her entire body shook with her gut-wrenching sobs. What have I done?? “Queen Vee?” Victoria didn't respond to Lyla's gentle call so she stepped outside, shutting the door behind her. She didn't want Max to worry about Victoria, Lyla knew she personally had already caused too much harm to the innocent looking brunette who looked more lost than anyone Lyla had ever seen before. Maybe it was a phone call? Lyla reached out and shook the shoulder of the miserable looking blonde
“Oh... H-hey, Lyla” The blonde had stirred at the physical contact and had looked up at the concerned brunette through red, puffy eyes.
“Tori...?” Lyla gently pulled on Victoria's sodden and muddy shoulder to try to get her to stand which she did, albeit reluctantly. Ewww, you're covered in mud.
“I-I'm sorry, Lyla.” Victoria began. “I'm sorry...”
“Tori, talk to me”
“I-I just got off the phone to my dad, h-he told me M-Maxine had to hand h-herself in. A-a-alone”
“I'm sorry, what?” Lyla’s eyebrows had risen incredulously. “You told your father that we were all here with Maxine?!”
“L-Lyla...”
“I can't fucking believe you, Victoria!!” Victoria recoiled, “why the fuck...”
“Father promised to try to help M-Maxine”
“H-huh?”
“He agreed to try to help... Speak to his lawyer, see which judge will preside and so on”
“There's gotta be a catch...”

Silence reigned for a few moments. Eventually, Victoria replied. “Max has to hand herself in at midnight” she whispered, the words heavy on both young women. “A-alone. I don't even get to drive her there and I have no idea how to persuade her to agree to hand herself in.”
“Well we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, Tori” Lyla took her hand. “Come on you, let's get you to a shower”
“O-okay” Victoria mumbled without much emotion, the heartbreak she was feeling was too much and had overloaded the pixie blonde.

“Where's Max?” Lyla asked the remaining two Vortex Club members
“Bathroom. I think she wanted another shower.” Taylor replied, her eyes widening at Victoria who stood in front of her, sodden, miserable and cold. “Tori...! What the fuck happened?!”
“Victoria called her father, he will help but only if Max hands herself in”
“What!!! No way, that's not fair on Tori for him to expect that!!” Taylor exclaimed. “Max is Tori's best friend!!”
“I actually agree” Courtney piped up
“His reasoning... Was sound” Victoria paused then broke down having realized what she said. She sobbed and cried, pleaded and begged. “Oh Maxine, please don't hate me!! Please, I’d do anything to get you out of this!!” Lyla and Courtney had gotten Victoria to the shower while Taylor went to check on Max in the other bathroom. “I love you, Max!!”
Stunned silence was left in the wake of Victoria's pronouncement. What the fuck have we done? The thoughts were shared amongst all three remaining women and Victoria as well who had already started on her way to the shower. Taylor and Courtney both because they hadn't listened to Victoria when she said she felt something was wrong and Lyla because she had gone all ice queen on an already vulnerable woman. Victoria felt the most guilty of all though, she knew she should've trusted her gut

Twenty minutes later, Victoria left the bathroom with Lyla and Courtney who had been in the room with her while she had been hidden behind the shower curtain. They had intended on checking on Max but the door was locked, the light was off and the shower was not running. “Uh... Okay?”
Lyla checked the time, “We still have time for a movie if that's what everyone wants? It's only ten after ten”

Before Victoria could even question why the bathroom door was locked while the lights and shower were off, they were interrupted by an urgent bulletin. “We interrupt your regular broadcast to bring you this newsflash... The subject of a manhunt around a small town on the Oregon coastline has been apprehended by law enforcement. Maxine Caulfield, the nineteen-year woman wanted for questioning regarding the murder of nineteen-year-old Chloe Price was apprehended ten minutes ago on the outskirts of Arcadia Bay where she voluntarily entered custody. A statement will be given by the Chief of Police at some point...”

All sound faded from Victoria Chase’s world... S-s-she's g-gone...

Chapter Text

Closing the bathroom door behind her softly, Max leaned her head back against it as she let out a shaky sigh, a breath she’d been holding since Dog knows when. The brunette needed a short break from the other girls, the more she thought about the current situation, the worse she felt. Lyla’s words, whilst they might be regretted now, had cut deep into the photographer. She had put her friends in such a horrible position, they could all end up in huge trouble because of her, possibly even jail time themselves, and each minute she stayed here, the worse it got.

‘But where else am I supposed to go?’ She would think to herself. Another perfectly valid question. A majority of her friends were currently in the other room, all stressed and concerned, both for her and their situation. She couldn’t go to Nathan, sure, he’d probably help, but his father? He’d probably freak at having a supposed….no…an ‘actual’ murderer in his home. She couldn’t call her parents, she didn’t want to get them in trouble. Her room at Blackwell was probably being cleared out that very second. What the hell was she supposed to do?

‘C-Chloe….I’m so sorry…I don’t remember what I did, but I know it’s my fault…I’ve ruined everything. My dreams, all that hard work…possibly my friend’s lives…my family’s reputation, however miniscule it might be…And…A-And your life…I ended it…D-Didn’t I? I just wish I could talk to you…o-one last time…figure out why I could’ve possibly done it…apologize for not being there for you…’

The longer that Max’s little internal monologue went on, the more she thought about the actions she had committed, the worse she felt. She hadn’t taken a bite of her pizza in the other room, scared that she’d immediately bring it back up, and now was feeling just as ill. This was easily the worst day of her life. She’d always thought that would be the day that she and Chloe were separated, the day her family had moved to Seattle and taken her away from her former best friend. But no. The day she had killed Chloe, forever, would be the worst day of her life. No matter what happened from this point on.

“Where’s Max?” The brunette in question would stiffen up a little bit as she heard Lyla asking for her in the other room, only now noticing that she hadn’t actually turned on the light when she came into the bathroom, something she was glad for, as it would give her a little bit of extra time to herself. What she heard next though, caused her to freeze on the spot, her mind focusing only on the muffled words she could hear through the door.

Mr Chase would help her? For real? She’d heard from Victoria in the past, that the Chase family’s lawyers were some of the best, and most ruthless in the country. They had to be when the Chase’s were so high up in the art scene. But…He’d only help if she turned herself in? That was…fair, actually. Hell, it was probably the best thing she could do right now. It would solve everything. She’d have somewhere to go, sure, it was jail but it was somewhere. Her friends would be safe since they wouldn’t have to worry about the cops bashing down the front door. She wouldn’t have to worry about unintentionally involving her parents. It solved everything! But…then…

“I love you, Max!!” There was no mistaking whose voice that was. The statement wiped out any other thought in Max’s head. Victoria…loved her? Sure, they had been so very close practically ever since they met, many people often thought they were together anyway, though they’d constantly shot that rumour down. But to hear those words actually come from Victoria’s mouth, even if they were muffled. It didn’t matter what the true intentions were behind it, whether it was the love of a close friend, an almost familial love, or a romantic one, the point was: Victoria Chase never said things like that. She never openly professed her feelings. She needed to keep her reputation up, after all, never showing ‘weakness’, except around Max in private of course, and sometimes Taylor.

Max didn’t even notice the tears starting to stream down her cheeks at first. She knew the way she felt about Victoria, and those words from the blonde, even if they hadn’t been meant for her to hear, both crushed her heart and simultaneously strengthened her resolve. She knew what she had to do. Not for herself. Not for her friends. Not for her family.

For Victoria.

Walking over to the bathroom’s sink, she splashed some water on her face to try and clean herself up a little, before searching in the cabinets under the sink, looking for anything that she could use. Finding a tube of lipstick, amongst many other bits of make-up, she snatched it and stood back up, using it to write a simple, six-word message to Victoria, though she didn’t even know if the girl would see it.

‘I love you too….Forgive me…’

And with her message securely written across the mirror, Max tried to think of what to do next. Thankfully, she heard the sound of the shower turning on somewhere else in the house, which meant that at least one of the girls was occupied, and it would provide enough sound to hopefully cover anything she did in the room. Walking over to the bathroom window, she looked back at the door, questioning her decision one last time, before thoughts of Chloe and Victoria both entered her mind. One deserved justice, deserved peace. And the other, deserved happiness, to be carefree, to not be weighed down by the brunette’s actions.

So…She jimmied open the window…And she was gone.

It hadn’t taken long for Max to find a police officer, there were loads roaming about from what she’d seen. They must’ve realized that if the brunette wasn’t in a small town like Arcadia Bay, then she’d more than likely be in one of the surrounding locales. She didn’t want a giant spectacle to occur from her presence, and so, she’d waited until she found a parked squad car, with a single officer standing outside it, having a short smoke break from the looks of it, and she’d approached slowly and carefully, identifying herself to the officer, and subsequently turning herself in.

That was half an hour ago.

Now, she was sitting the back of said squad car, her hands weren’t even cuffed, just sitting there quietly as the officer drove them back towards Arcadia Bay. The officer was a woman, likely in her mid-twenties from the looks of her, dark hair, either black or brown, it was hard to tell in that poor lighting, Caucasian, just a little bit taller than Max, didn’t look that much bigger than her body was either, but while Max was lither, it was clear the officer was much more fit under her uniform. Just from her body stance.

Max hadn’t really said a word since she’d been placed in the back of the car, just silently awaiting her punishment. And the officer, whose name Max had found out was Daria, hadn’t said much either after she’d radioed in that the girl was in her custody, and that she’d willingly turned herself in without hassle. It was clear the brunette was traumatised by everything that happened, and Daria was trying to figure out the best way to possibly approach the teen ‘killer’.

“So…Do you want to talk about it? Off the record I mean. I used to be a cop up in Seattle, and you…you don’t look like a killer. You look like a girl that’s gone through hell. I only know the basics of what happened but…You definitely aren’t the ‘dangerous’ girl we were warned about.” Daria spoke in a kinder tone, trying to show she wasn’t trying to trick Max into confessing anything. It’s not like she had the capability to record anything in that car anyway. These squad cars weren’t like the ones back in Seattle, kitted out with cameras and recording devices, hell, the only reason Max wouldn’t be able to get out is cause the doors had the ‘Child lock’ turned on.

Max didn’t say anything in response, however. What was there to say? ‘You’re right, I have gone through hell cause I woke up and had seemingly killed my ex-best friend, not knowing how or why’? Yeah, that probably wouldn’t go down too well with an officer of the law. Daria saw that the brunette probably wasn’t going to say too much and sighed softly, turning her gaze away from the rearview mirror and back to the road ahead. She wouldn’t put any pressure on the girl, that wasn’t her job. And there would be countless officers willing to ‘pressure’ her back at the station for answers.

“We’re only about a half hour away by road…But with all the checkpoints that have been set up, it’ll be about an hour, hour and a half until we’re back at the station…You might as well get some sleep, Maxine. You won’t be getting any for a while once you’re in there. Every cop and their mother is gonna want to talk to you.”

Sleep…honestly sounded pretty good to Max. She’d slept in the car on the way to Lyla’s, but it had mainly been out of exhaustion, her body having gone through too much emotional stress and physical effort to stay awake any longer. She hadn’t really felt rested afterwards. And Daria had a point. When was the next time she’d be able to? When she’d been given a cell? And so, Max slowly leaned her head against the window, letting her eyes start to slowly drift closed, saying only one last thing to the officer before sleep claimed her.

“…Max….Never Maxine….”

Chapter Text

“Please state your name for the record,” the interviewing officer asked her. It had indeed been a long night after she had arrived at the police station and she hadn't gotten a single chance to relax once she was there
“Max Caulfield” she replied to Officer Berry's question
“Your legal name please.” He replied, insisting that Max gave her full name
Suppressing an exasperated sigh she spoke again, automatically reaching out anxiously to grasp her arm with her hand only for there to be a clatter as she was restrained by the handcuffs she was wearing. “M-Maxine Caulfield” I hate these damn handcuffs. I miss Daria. Max had had handcuffs slapped onto her wrists the moment she had arrived at the police station despite willingly turning herself in and not attempting to flee. Several of the police officers had dragged her to a private room to perform a strip search then she was given her clothes and shoes back, minus her laces. The fact that her shoes flopped about on her feet annoyed her greatly.
“Your date of birth?
“September twenty-one, 1995”
“And your address?”
“412 Green Avenue, Seattle, but I study at Blackwell Academy so I'm in room 219 of the Prescott Dorms”
“How long have you known the victim?”
“Her name is Chloe!” Max snapped in irritation. The very minimum they could do was use her real name!!
“Okay, how long have you known Chloe?” Berry corrected himself
“All my life pretty much, since I was enrolled in Pre-K. She came over to me one day and sat with me while I was upset. I had been bullied for liking pirates, girls aren't supposed to like those things after all, are they?”
“Not for me to judge, Maxine”
“Anyway, Chloe told the bullies to buzz off then made them when they didn't”
“And you repaid her by murdering her?” the police officer snapped. Anderson Berry had known William Price for most of his life, they had always been firm friends
“Officer Berry” Max's legal counsel warned, the officer’s question had taken them down a distinctly unprofessional path
“It... It wasn't like that at all!!” Max replied, “I-I don't even remember what happened!!” she screamed, sobbing. “She was my best friend”
“What do you mean? You have no recollection of turning Chloe's morphine up to maximum?”
“No!!!” Max wailed. “I... I didn't even know Chloe was like that!!” Max referred to the bedridden Chloe without naming what had happened since it made it more real. “What the fuck happened to her anyway?!”
“You didn't know she was involved in a near fatal incident when she was sixteen??” Berry looked at Maxine incredulously. “And yet you claim to be her best friend?”
“No!! My parents moved away to Seattle and nobody fucking told me!!” Berry had to admit to himself that Max looked absolutely horrified as if it really was her first time learning of that news. Her eyes widened and she covered her mouth in horror. “Nobody fucking told me...” she repeated blankly as her mind reeled in the wake of the devastation that the revelation had left behind.
“I'll give you some time” Berry checked the handcuffs before leaving the room, inputting the code to unlock the interrogation room door
Holy shit... Max’s otherwise blank mind blurted out that one thought amidst its numb unthinking stupor. She wondered why she hadn't ever found out about what had happened to Chloe, wondered if her parents had known.

The subsequent ten minutes passed in a blur for Max, she was still in a stupor for most of that time but all too soon, Berry had entered the room once again with a solemn look on his face. “I can tell you what happened with Chloe once we are done with the interview”
Interview Max had scoffed, that's just a nicer term for interrogation. “Fine” she replied dully in a voice absent of all emotion
“So what do you remember?”
“I remember hanging out with my friends at Blackwell, Victoria, Nate, Taylor and Courtney. Then I guess I must've blanked out cos the next thing I remember I was sat next to Chloe's bed and... She wasn't moving at all. There was still the faint whooshing noise that must've been coming from one of the machines but she wasn’t moving and she was so so cold. Lifeless” Max's tone had switched once again as she started talking about how she had found Chloe. Once again she was using the monotonous lifeless voice as she described how she had 'woken up’ next to Chloe, she had had a burst of life in her tone as she talked about her friends but that soon faded.
“Those people you mentioned, we might need to get them in to give a statement so could you please tell me their names?”
“Nathan Prescott. Taylor Christensen. Courtney Wagner. Victoria Chase. All students at Blackwell” Her heart rate increased slightly as she mentioned Victoria and was glad she hadn't been hooked up to any medical equipment at the time, she didn't want to risk pulling Victoria and the others into the mess she had created for herself, she didn't want to drag them down with her. Of course, she would fail to mention them finding her and could only hope they had the sense to do the same
“Okay” Berry nodded
“Please, sir. Believe me, I'm not lying” Max whispered, pleading with the officer, pleading that he believed her
“Hm. Do you have any recollection of how Chloe died?”
Max immediately noticed how Berry had used the words 'how Chloe died’ instead of 'how you murdered Chloe’. She shook her head. “No, I have no idea”
“Okay...”
“Wait, William said something about morphine?” Max recalled distantly. She remembered being yelled at as clear as day yet she felt so distant from the event that had taken place.
“Yeah, Chloe was overdosed on morphine”
“Wait... How could I possibly have known to do that? Much less known how to do that”
“I... Don't know” Berry conceded. “William and Joyce said they weren't with you when you took the morphine to Chloe”

With the interview concluded, Berry folded his arms in front of him. Max, desperate to get comfortable wriggled slightly on her hard chair, her arms shackled to the table in front of her. “You have a right to know what charges are being brought against you as things stand at the moment” numbly, Max nodded. “Well, I guess I'll get the worst out of the way first. You're being charged with aggravated murder” Max nodded again, still rather numb. “They're debating bringing charges of obstruction against you since you're not telling us everything and maybe discrimination for targeting a disabled person”
“I...I didn't want to hurt Chloe. I wouldn't ever hurt her. I seriously don't have any idea what happened!!” Max was on the verge of breaking down right then and there, her eyes were already red from crying and she had bags under her eyes from difficulty sleeping despite her only missing one night.
“Now, I promised I’d tell you what happened, Chloe was involved in a car smash when she was sixteen, she broke her neck and was instantly and completely paralyzed. I was the first officer on the scene but it was a hit and run so we never caught the other driver”
“Nobody even told me that she was!”
“She was slowly dying” Berry added. “Her lungs were failing. We're going to subpoena her doctor, get her medical records”
“Why didn't Joyce and William tell me!?” She begged the officer despite knowing that he couldn't help her. She then turned to the legal counsel she had arranged for her and begged her silently to answer the question. The legal counsel shook her head, she didn’t have the answers either

There was a knock on the door as Berry was finishing packing up the paperwork he had brought with him. “Yes?” Berry asked
Daria moved through the door. “Joyce Price is here, she's distraught and demanding to see Maxine, to make sure she's okay” she explained. She had attempted to calm the panicking mother but hadn’t been able to do so.
“Okay, I'll go calm her down. You gonna be okay taking Maxine to a cell?”
“I can handle it” Daria promised, secretly she kinda liked Max as a person.
“Why... Why does Joyce want to see me? She should hate me. I killed her daughter...”
“Ms. Caulfield” the counsel warned, “you shouldn't be making statements like that, such statements can be used in court as a confession”
“She should hate me” Max repeated
“You won't be able to see her anyway, Maxine. No persons in custody are allowed visitation” Max slumped down as Daria led her to a cell, her head bowed and her shoulders slumped in complete and utter defeat.

“This is you.” She unlocked the cell and let Max walk inside. Once she was inside Daria closed the door which locked immediately, told Max to stick her hands out through the door, unlocked her handcuffs and left her in peace. Sleep wouldn't be likely to come to Max that night even though she was exhausted and that Daria had flicked the nasty headache-inducing fluorescent lights off. Max simply led there on her thin mattress, curled into the fetal position as sleep refused to come while her mind tortured her over what had happened. At the very minimum, she would have to live with the guilt of killing her best friend. She was likely facing a lengthy jail sentence and the ruination of every single hope and dream she’d ever had. She was only six months into being an adult, only eighteen and would soon have a serious criminal record.

Chapter Text

“…Busy today.” A tall, bearded man said to a small stall’s owner as he took a small look around the crowded market he was standing in, Pike Place Market, to be exact. He’d come by there on his way to work that morning, wanting to pick up a few items that he could use to make lunch that day, trying to eat healthier at his wife’s insistence.

“Tell me about it.” The stall owner responded while she packed up the man’s items into a brown paper bag. “It always gets this way as we get closer to the holidays. Speaking of, is your daughter coming home for Thanksgiving next month Ryan?”

“Probably not…She’ll probably just stick around her school, she only really gets a day or two for break, and probably doesn’t want to spend that travelling.” The man responded. His name was Ryan Caulfield, and the girl in question the stall owner was asking about, was his daughter, Max. It had taken a little while after their move to Seattle, but Ryan had quickly worked to try and find a place in that new community. Learning the local hangouts, meeting fresh faces, trying to establish himself a little within the area. Now? It was five years later, and it felt as if he had lived there his entire life.

“I can understand that…Besides, you’re gonna have to get used to her not coming around sooner or later, right? She’s really grown since you and your family moved here. I can remember how shy and downtrodden she always used to look.” The stall owner, Kathy, said in a reminiscing tone.  Kathy and her wife had quickly become friends of the Caulfield’s when they’d arrived. The argument could be made they were the family’s first friends in the city, and it was easy to remember just how quiet Max used to be back then, it was good that she’d finally found a place to open up.

“Yeah, yeah. I know, she’s an adult now. Heh…My wife’s been saying the same thing. That we should give Max her space, let her properly discover who she really is. It’s just…Difficult. Max was such a shy kid. The thought of her being on her own, hours away, hasn’t really gotten easier.” Ryan would explain with a soft chuckle. It was a fair enough argument. Max had started to open up and become a bit more confident over the last year or so, but still, letting her go off to a school in another state still seemed like a bit too much. Even if it was in her hometown. Still. That was why Facebook existed, right? To check up on others who might’ve been out of reach. Which was why the bearded father had taken his phone out of his pocket and started to search through the app for his daughter as the conversation continued.

“Your wife is probably right Ryan. I know mine is half the time, doesn’t let me forget it either.” Kathy joked with a small smile as she finished packing up the items, looking down at the bag to attach a small piece of sticky tape, to help keep it shut. When she looked back up at Ryan next however, her smile quickly turned to concern at what she saw. “…Ryan? You alright? What’s wrong?”

Ryan’s face had turned a deathly white as he stared at his phone, his hand shaking a little as he gripped the piece of tech that much tighter. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing, never mind voice it out loud.  Kathy would find out anyway what the problem was when her ears picked up the words ‘Arcadia Bay’ coming over one of the public television’s hanging from one of the nearby market building’s walls. There were televisions like that all over the place, and all of them were currently showing the same thing. A ‘Breaking News’ report, about a murder taking place in Arcadia Bay, Oregon, and that the accused murderer had been caught.

Eighteen year old, Maxine Caulfield.

“J-Jesus Christ…” Kathy said to herself softly, shocked, unable to believe that. Max had killed someone?! That shy little brunette that seemingly couldn’t hurt a fly?! No wonder Ryan seemed stunned, he’d probably seen a headline or something on his phone. Speaking of the man, when she turned back to check on him, Kathy would notice that Ryan was gone. He hadn’t taken the bag or anything, just vanished. She couldn’t blame him.

“…Hope you’re okay kid…” The woman said solemnly as the news report shifted to some stupid political drama in the area, praying that it was all some big misunderstanding when it came to the hipster.

Vanessa Caulfield had been looking forward to sleeping in that day. She usually only worked a few days a week, and this happened to be one of her days off. Unfortunately, those plans had been shattered when a string of nonsensical texts had come through on her phone from her husband. Most of them were just jumbled attempts at words, which had her a little worried. It was still relatively early in the morning, he couldn’t have been drinking, could he? But one text that made it through unscathed, had her even more concerned.

Pack a bag.

Why would she need to pack a bag? She couldn’t remember planning to go anywhere on a trip. And it wasn’t really like Ryan to make any spontaneous plans. Something must have happened. And her first thought, went to Maxine. Oh god, what was wrong? Had she been hurt? Abducted? Was she missing? …Was it drugs? So many possibilities ran through her mind, understandable for a scared mother. But she managed to get through the task she was given, packing two separate bags, one for herself, and one for her husband. She’d only just managed to finish that, when Ryan came bursting through the front door downstairs.

“Vanessa?! Vanessa!! We’ve got to go! Are you ready?!” Ryan called out up the stairs, hoping that his wife had gotten the myriad of texts he’d sent, and that at least one of them had managed to make sense. He’d given up trying to proofread them after the first three seemed like the incomprehensible ramblings of an asylum patient, and just hoped his fingers manage to type out something that made sense.

“Yes! I got your message, ‘pack a bag’, what’s going on Ryan? Is it Maxine? Is she okay?!” The brunette woman asked as she appeared at the top of the stairs, carrying the two bags she’d packed down, until Ryan would grab them off her. He was stronger after all, he could get them to the car more quickly.

“No time. We have to go, now.” Was all that Ryan said as he made his way back outside to his car, dumping the bags on the back seat, while being followed out by his wife, who clearly wanted a reason for the crazed actions of her husband.

“Ryan, please. You must tell me what’s going on. I’m not just getting in a car and going off to God knows where…Please…What the fuck is happening?!” Vanessa would plead with her husband, causing the tall male to stop in his tracks. Watching as Ryan took some deep breaths, seemingly trying to calm down, Vanessa’s own concerns were only growing by the second. Her fears solidified, once Ryan spoke next.

“M-Max…H-Has been arrested…For murder…”

It seemed as if Vanessa’s world came to a slow crawl once she heard that news. Maxine? Her little baby Maxine? Arrested for murder? There was no way. No. Way. That Maxine had killed anyone. No chance in hell. And yet, it was true. At least the custody part of it. She didn’t remember getting in her husband’s car, or even the first hour of the drive. She only started to truly realise they were out of Seattle, when she heard a news report come over the radio, talking about the crime, and how Maxine Caulfield had seemingly turned herself in for the murder of Chloe Price. That was another shock within itself. Maxine murdering anyone was a stretch, but murdering Chloe? Maxine could rarely even bring herself to disagree with Chloe all those years ago. There was no way. There was more to this. She only prayed her baby was okay. They’d be there soon…

Chapter Text

“Can I see her body... Please?” Max’s voice faded away as she voiced her request to Daria who stood outside her door having grabbed the young adult a cup of tea and a bag of fries since the young woman wouldn't have had anything to eat since god knows when.
“I'm sorry, Max” Daria looked at her sadly as she stepped over the threshold, that would not be a good idea, and of course it would be a major breach of the rules
“I... I don't know if you believe me or not but... I-I never wanted to hurt Chloe” To Daria, Max looked so close to simply breaking and the officer could hardly blame the poor girl
“Max...”
The young woman curled up on herself on the thin mattress. “P-please?” her voice broke and tears streamed down her face while she attempted to make herself as small as possible. “I need to see her, Daria”
“I don't think that's a good idea, Max” the officer replied sternly. Christ, she's just a kid, they're just kids. The universe needs to give these kids a break
“P-please” the young woman begged
“Honestly, Max, I don't think that's a good idea, besides her body isn't here” Even though her body is still here from when poor Joyce had to identify the body. Probably for the best that Max doesn't know that though
“D-Daria” the brunette slumped forward and stayed where she had landed on her face, no longer sobbing even. The girl had just given up.

Shocked by the girl’s sudden collapse, Daria moved forward. Max hadn't reported any pre-existing medical conditions upon arrival in custody so the officer was immediately worried for the health of the prisoner she had taken responsibility for. “Max? Max!” Daria rushed to Max and turned her onto her side and subsequently checking her pulse and airway. Despite breathing and having a heartbeat the young woman remained unresponsive. “I need help down here!!” she bellowed and a few seconds later there was rumbling of footsteps, Several officers joining her in Max's cell
“Lieutenant” one of the officers, her boss began, “Why isn't she handcuffed?”
“Oh, come on, sir! She's just a kid!!” Daria replied in exasperation
“You know the rules” he replied sternly
“Sir, I understand those rules are to protect both us and our prisoners but... Max is Max! I don't even think she intended for this to happen”
“Murders are a crime of necessity, lieutenant”
“Oh, come on, sir! You must see it! Her statement said she doesn't even know how to work the Morphine machine that killed Chloe, and I believe her!!” Daria looked up at her superior with a sigh, “not everyone is out to kill people, especially in a small town like this. It's definitely not Chicago, sir”

Daria’s superior sighed then pulled her out of the cell, shutting the door behind them and ignoring the unresponsive girl behind the door. The officers who were with her were trained in first aid and had it well in hand anyway. Daria mentioning the chief's former job back in Chicago must have gotten through to him. “You're right of course. It's just that I have both the Prescotts and the Chases breathing down my neck trying to get this whole thing sorted. Christopher Chase himself has provided Maxine with a lawyer, a top-notch one that makes more in a day then we will in something like five years while Sean Prescott is being... well, Sean Prescott. Even Joyce Price, the victim’s mother is adamant that we shouldn't press charges, however, we haven't any choice. No mistaken identity, no alibi, no way out. We have to play this one by the books and it’s Maxine who will have to pay the price”
“The price of what, sir?” Daria of course knew. It hadn't been spoken aloud by any of the officers but they all knew that Daria, who was the newest officer and therefore it had happened before her time, knew. The Samantha Myers incident when Nathan had gone completely off the rails and Sean Prescott had quickly fed them hush money. Poor Samantha, she is still in a care home somewhere. Daria had joined before word may have gotten out about the corruption in the police department but the officer who had been responsible, one Anderson Berry, had made it clear that the whole department would go down with him since they had all taken part in covering up some of Prescott junior’s more minor crimes save Daria who was the only non-crooked cop amongst crooked cops but was guilty by association
“I'm sorry, there's nothing we can do. Word already spread about her crimes anyway. With any luck for your friend in that cell, some evidence will be found somewhere to indicate she didn't straight-up murder Chloe Price otherwise it's twenty years to life”
Daria glared at him as he left, no doubt heading to his office to drink some of that whiskey he kept there. I didn't sign up for this bullshit. Daria grumbled, picking up the fries and what remained of the tea after Max's collapse, Daria went to sit on the girl’s bed to wait for her to wake up from the recovery position, placing the food and hot beverage down on the floor next to the bed. Max was on the floor, not even a pillow softening the hard concrete and while the officer knew why, she couldn't help but wince

*****

The police chief sat down heavily after finishing scolding Daria for not following protocol, especially since the entirety of the Arcadia Bay Police Department may soon be under investigation for corruption. My fault the chief concluded miserably, I shouldn't have allowed Berry to accept that hush money. Not that I knew at first but when I found out

He recalled the unpleasantness that had kicked off the police department’s involvement with the Prescott family. Anderson Berry had been called to Blackwell a few years back and he had found a young woman led outside the Prescott dorms, she had severe head trauma and Nathan Prescott was sat beside her rocking slightly and looking particularly scared. “She slipped. Samantha Myers” he had muttered to Berry. Samantha had been rushed to hospital where she had been treated for a severe traumatic brain injury but without witness statements or even a victim’s statement since Samantha was so badly hurt, there hadn’t been enough evidence to formally charge Nathan with causing it, quietly helped along by a 'charitable donation’ that Berry had accepted from Sean Prescott on behalf of the Police Department.
“Shit” Johnson hissed. Sucks balls for the Caulfield girl but I’d rather not face jail not even for doing the right thing. Never gonna accept money from Sean Prescott again, we can't. Not even Daria would survive doing that and she wasn't here at the time. Of course, she had no idea but must've overheard it. Smart woman, worked out she’d be going to jail too if she spoke of it but... Never again

His mind made up, he turned to his cell phone, the one he had gotten from Prescott. He hit dial on the only number in the phone’s memory, a number of a burner phone that one of Prescott's people kept on them. “Hi, it's Chief Johnson. I'm sorry but I'm afraid you'll have to tell Mr. Prescott that I cannot help him. The girl murdered someone” Better not tell them that the entire department might be under investigation this time next month

*****

“Any news?” Taylor and Victoria were meeting with Courtney and Nathan in Victoria's room. The former two had just returned from visiting Taylor's mother who was in hospital while the latter pair had just been hanging around campus while missing their leader, Maxine was sat in a cell at the police station
“Nope” Nathan replied after checking his phone, he had sent a message to his father regarding Maxine's arrest. Details were still scarce despite Prescott senior 'owning’ the police department and despite Christopher Chase calling to let Victoria know that his lawyer was headed to their town even as they spoke
“Nope,” Victoria sighed, her eyes red and swollen from all the crying she had done. “Lyla gave me sixty bucks to put in Maxine's commissary fund. Guess she felt guilty”
“Bit early to be thinking like that, Tori” Taylor replied gently.
“N-no it's not. I-I'm not holding out much hope” Better to have low hopes and be pleasantly surprised then high ones and get let down