Days drug by without much of a hiccup and soon it was October. School life had taken over and soon Max found herself less and less engaging with the outside world. Even her daily texts with Chloe and Rachel had become sparse. 

She hoped this would inspire the punk to finally talk to the model but she figured that was wishful thinking. She had tried to nudge Chloe along subtly but the punk always made some excuse, indicating that she wasn't ready. 

The hipster sighed and leaned back in her chair at her desk. She had been slaving over the copious amounts of homework she had for an hour and she was only around halfway done; she still had an essay to type up and a lab report.

Oh not to mention the Everday Heros Contest.

Also known as the Kiss Up To Mark Jefferson Contest.

Max wasn't going to give that evil man any fucking picture of hers but he had turned it into a twisted way to insult his students. Where if you didn't turn in a picture it would affect your GPA or grades in the class but he would call you out constantly as the bell rang. 

Kate told her just to turn in a picture so he wouldn't once she saw how much it bothered Max, but the photographer was stubborn. 

She sighed again as she began to work on the lab report when a knock at the door resounded in her dorm.

She looked up, speaking over the indie music she called: "Come in!"

The door opened and closed and she glanced behind her, tossing a smile as she recognized who it was.

"Hey Max." The girl said, smiling kindly.

"Hey Kate." Max responded, resuming her typing.

"Doing homework?" Kate asked, sitting down on her bed and looking over her selfie-wall for new additions. There weren't many.

"Yeah, Ms. Grant's and Ms. Hoida's." 

"And Mr. Jefferson's....?" Kate let it hang in the air but the message was clear.

Max sighed and twisted her chair to face the Christian, wishing she could tell Kate but it was too risky, she was almost completely sure that text a few weeks ago was sent by Mark and if it was she didn't want to drag Kate into it. 

She needed to talk to someone, but she couldn't bring it to Rachel or Chloe. They would be too hasty. 

The photographer toyed with telling Kate and not telling Kate. It was moments like these she wished she had time powers, so she could live one outcome and, if she didn't like it, reverse time and live another until she liked it. 

She remembered how poorly Kate reacted when she grumbled about Victoria. That conversation never sat right with Max and thus it caused this weird tension between the girls that Max hated. Her inner battle must have shown on her face because Kate gently gripped her shoulder. 

"Max, you can tell me." The dirty blonde said, her hazel eyes gentle and clear.

"Can I?" Max couldn't stop herself as she voiced the insecurity. "You got mad at me last time I confided in you." She wished she could take it back but at the same time, it needed to be said. 

Kate hesitated, her mouth opening and closing for a few moments before the girl sighed. "Look, Max, I know I didn't exactly word that right." The religious girl rose to her full height and looked away. "I meant that Victoria isn't as... perfect as everyone thinks she is. Far from it."

Max blinked, "And that gives her an excuse to completely be a bitch?" 

Kate shook her head, "It doesn't and I.. I actually talked to her about it. Victoria isn't good at apologizing and she has so many insecurities. She feels a pressure that no high schooler should ever have to feel all because of her mom. She's a businesswoman and rose Victoria to believe that she had to be stone cold because it was a man's world. Victoria still holds these beliefs despite the fact that I've been trying to teach her that the world isn't dog eat dog." Max was a little rattled at the bitterness in Kate's normally chipper tone. "She wanted to apologize but... social structure." Kate sounded like she was mocking the prep at the end. 

"I see.." Max murmured, "I suppose it's fine but I still think she's a total bitch."

Kate barked a laugh, "Yeah, many seem to. She's actually really sweet once you get through to her." Her eyes turned a bit moony and a dorky grin weaved its way onto the blondes face.

"Oh?" Max teased with a low vocal inflection and the tension between the two girls seemed to disappear as Kate gently shoved her shoulder and blushed, laughing. 

Max giggled with her friend and smiled, glad that the two had talked it out instead of leaving it as it was. 

Now if only Chloe could.

The thought of Chloe and by extension Rachel brought Max back to the problem at hand. She frowned and sighed, "Kate, I have to tell you something. Something you may not like."

Kate nodded, "Anything." She said, "You can tell me anything, Max."

Max bit her lip, trying to piece together a way to say it gently but having no way to do so. "Jefferson is a bad person. A very bad person." She said seriously, looking up at the Christian.

Kate blinked, flinching at the sudden change of tone. "What?"

"Look, you might not want to believe me, but haven't you noticed how creepy he is? He.." Max hesitated, she didn't want to spill Rachel's secret. It wasn't her place. "He hurt someone, really bad." 

Kate searched her friends face, looking for some sign of sleep deprivation or humor, but the way Max spoke with such genuine emotion and looked at her with open eyes that held nothing but the truth... she knew searching for such signs would be futile.

"How did he hurt someone?" Kate asked softly, looking at her friend's eyes.

Max shook her head and Kate seemed to understand that she couldn't talk about it.

"He isn't this amazing guy, he's terrible and needs to pay up for his sins." Max wasn't religious but Mark Jefferson deserved to rot in Hell. 

Kate nodded, looking Max up and down. "So what are you planning on doing about it?"

"I don't know." Max grabbed her phone, "Not only that but he's been sending me threatening texts, or at least I think this is him." She pulled up the message and showed it to Kate who frowned as she read it.

"Max, you should take this to the police." She said, her hazel eyes wide. 

"With what proof? A text that came from an unknown phone with no way to link it directly to Jefferson?" Max shook her head. "I have nothing on him yet, but once I get enough dirt I'm taking him down, even if I fall with him. Rachel deserves to know that she can sleep without him being anywhere near her." She looked away and clenched her fist. "I swear on everything that I'll do whatever I can to expose him. What he did was disgusting."

Kate handed back her phone and stood in silence. For a few moments, there was nothing but the sound of Local Natives floating through the dorm before Kate finally spoke again.

"Victoria..." She sounded hesitant as if she knew she shouldn't say this but had to. "Victoria has had her... run-ins... with Mr. Jefferson." She said slowly. "She never gave me details but it frightened her enough to sleep with me in my dorm for a few days a few weeks ago."

"A few weeks ago?" When Mark first announced the contest she remembered that Victoria had stayed behind, leaning over the teacher's desk and otherwise kissing up to the man. Max had been tempted to say something, even if Victoria was rude she wasn't going to let Jefferson molest another teenager, but Rachel had ushered her out before she could decide on what to say. 

"Yeah, the second day of the contest being announced or something like that." Kate said, "I can't quite remember. Either way, she came into my dorm shaken up but she refused to talk about what had happened. All she told me was to avoid Mark when no one was around." The Christian frowned, "Ever since I've just been doing what I can to respect her wishes and to pass that class without so much as a hiccup that would warrant him wanting me alone." 

Max nodded, "That's wise." She murmured, "He's a total wack-job." 

Kate sighed, "Well he can't get away with this. How will you gather evidence to expose him with? He's a very charming man and so many of the girls look up to him.. even Principal Wells kinda doats on him."

"Principal Wells is a kiss ass anyway." Max said, tapping on her knees. "I don't have answers right now Kate, but once I do I'll run them by you. I can't do this alone and if I go to Chloe and Rachel-"

"They'll want to rush in without a plan." Kate cut her off, nodding. "Yeah, I understand. I'll do all I can to help you. I'll see if I can a story out of Victoria about what happened but I can't promise you any results." 

"Anything would help." Max said, glancing up at her clock. "I have to get back to work and it's time for your daily tea session with Victoria isn't it?" 

Kate blushed and nodded, "Y-Yeah, I'll see you around Max, nice talking to you." 

"Mhm." Max hummed in response, turning around her chair to get back to finish typing her lap report.

"Max?" Kate's voice was soft and Max rose her head to show she was listening. "You don't have to do this alone. I'm with you, whatever happened that day- whatever he did to Victoria affected her badly. I can't endorse someone who would willingly mess an innocent student up so badly." With that, she closed the door and left Max alone.

Ceilings beginning notes began to play from Max's stereo as the door clicked shut. Max hummed and muttered the lyrics as she typed away on her computer.

An hour later and she was done with her homework though the relief was replaced with dread as she remembered that she had to finish up something for Ms. Grant. She wasn't particularly bad at science, but she wasn't the worse. Ms. Grant had liked her report and experiment so much she had asked Max if she could do an extended worksheet based on her thought process. It wasn't that much extra work and it would get her some brownie points and extra credit so Max wasn't complaining too much. However, it did require her to go to the library and pick up a book so she roused herself to a standing position and grabbed her bag. 

She slipped on her converse and walked out of her dorm. The hallway was filled with the usuals around this time, Alyssa looking at the board for news, some extra students that Max didn't remember the names of moving to and fro. She heard loud punk music blasting from Dana's room and peeked inside to see the former cheerleader and Rachel trashing it out on the bed. 

Rachels body moved hypnotically, her hips bouncing and her arms moving in a practiced dance that left Max captivated.

"I spy someone who wants to join." Dana's voice made Max jump because suddenly the cheerleader was there and tugging Max into her dorm, a grin on her face.

"No way." Max pulled her arm away, "I don't dance."

"That's a lie!" Rachel cried, "You danced in Two Whales with Chloe and me." 

"I did it for you and Chloe only." Max retorted regretting it almost immediately as a coy smirk snaked its way onto Rachel's face.

"Oh, so I suppose it was a private show?" Rachel said in a low seductive voice that made Max's knees wobble. 

She never considered herself sexual in any capacity, but something about Rachel made Max weak. Maybe it was because Rachel was so unapologetic with the way she exuded sexual energy or how easily Rachel could dominate a situation but something made the hipsters head spin and lungs feel light.

"Yo, back off." Dana nudged the aspiring model. "It's like... illegal to tease Max like that, she's too easy."

"Hey! I'm not easy." Max cried and blushed when the two blondes gave her looks. 

Rachel moved first, slowly and deliberately stalking closer to Max akin to a lioness stalking a gazelle. The hipster, for some reason despite herself, was slightly frightened and took a step back into the wall as Rachel invaded her personal bubble. 

The scent of weed and coconut invaded the hipster's nose and while on paper it may sound unpleasant, Max couldn't get enough of it at that moment. She flicked her eyes up into Rachel's, her teeth capturing her own lip between them. 

Rachel's eyes darkened as they flicked down to her lips, "Not easy?" Her voice was impossibly deep as she leaned forward, invading Max's space even more. "How far do I have to go then hmm?" God, Max's mouth felt dry. She couldn't look anywhere else but those dark hazel eyes. Her heart was hammering in her chest and it took a surprising amount of thought to keep herself breathing properly. 

"How far?" Rachel's lips brushed Max's ear and she jolted, those words coiling around her brain like a boa and constricting it until all Max could think about was Rachel.  She felt Rachel breath out a laugh and trembled as the aspiring model bit down on the shell of her ear. 

Pleasure spiked up Max's spine, making her open her mouth in silent bliss. She gripped the model's waist for purchase and spontaneously regretted it as Rachel pressed closer, now completely flush to the hipster.

She looked up and blinked, "Rachel.." Her voice was a small squeak, her body was trembling, from fear or excitement Max didn't know, she didn't care.

Rachel lifted her head and looked at max with one hazel eye. "So easy." She said softly before she wrenched herself away. Max felt cold and uncomfortable without Rachel's weight against her, her body tingled in ways she never knew it could and a haze of coconut and cannabis clouded her mind. 

She looked up, staggering slightly to distribute her weight on her own feet again and stared at Rachel with a flushed face. What just happened? 

Her mind immediately went into meltdown mode. What just happened? Did Rachel just make her horny? Why? Was this a cruel joke or was Rachel actually interested in Max like that? 

"You suck." She said, nervous because that wasn't what was suppose to have happened but it did and it was terrifyingly exciting. 

Rachel looked at her and for the first time Max saw her fear and wonder completely unabashed. Max felt a tremor of fear in her stomach. Rachel wasn't sure how to handle it either. 

She swallowed thickly, "I gotta go." She blurted out; the atmosphere was too hot and heavy. She needed to get away from the smell of cannabis and coconut. She shot away from the dorm room, not caring if Dana or Rachel called after her and quickly made her way outside.

She shivered as the autumn air closed around her. She drew herself closer to her jacket and sighed, the cold was clearing her mind.

Rachel just made a move on me to prove a point. That's what it was. That's all it had to have been. She rationalized, closing her eyes and taking a breath. Feeling more grounded with that rationalization, she trudged towards the library. 

She was around halfway through when she felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She paused and fished it out of her jeans, her heart hammering as she thought about who could be texting her. The most likely candidate was Rachel, was she going to text Max teasing her? Asking her if they could continue? Apologizing? 

Out of all of those, what she didn't expect something eerily familiar.

Unknown

sent at 9:57

Unknown: Go to the back table at the library, the one nearest to computer 20. Hurry.

Max furrowed her brow; if this was Mark Jefferson, which she was almost one-hundred percent sure it was, she didn't want to go straight into a trap. She tapped onto her keyboard to type something when another text quickly popped up.

Unknown: I know what your thinking Max. You're wrong. I'm on your side. Now go, before someone else catches on to what's happening.

Max looked around, this person was nearby. Watching her. Stalking her.

Her skin crawled and she weighed her options before she decided. This could be her one chance to get dirt on Mark if he was luring her away. She tapped record on her phone and shoved it into her pocket; if he tried something she would catch it all on tape. She walked towards the library and slipped into the building, her heart thundering in her chest.

She looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of her quarry but saw nothing. The library was desolate. Her footsteps were unnaturally loud as she followed the texts directions and blinked when she saw a drive on the table simply labeled "WIP" in silver sharpie.

Her phone buzzed and she tapped the record button to stop recording and looked at the text.

Unknown: Go to your dorm and lock the door and close the blinds. Don't show anyone but those you trust this drive. It's proof of the evil in Blackwell, the poison that's rotting us to the core. You can't just bring it to the cops how it is though, not enough evidence. Solve the riddles and expose the rat. I'm counting on you, I will offer you insight. Good luck Max.

Unnerved, Max slipped the drive into her pocket and ran out of the library, slamming into someone as she rushed down the hall. 

"Slow the fuck down." She recognized that snobbish voice from anywhere. Max looked up, fixing her blue eyes onto Victoria's green ones. The prep frowned, "You look like shit. What did you see, a ghost?" Sarcasm laced her voice, a small smirk fixed on her face.

Max wanted to retort but Kate's words floated to her and she couldn't bring herself to insult Victoria. "Sure." She said, to emotionally scattered to come up with a snarky reply. 

Victoria's smirk fell slightly as if she was disappointed by Max's lack of reaction. "But seriously, you look like shit." She said, pursing her lips as if she was going to regret what she was about to say. "Did something happen?" She asked, "Not that care but I have to keep tabs on everything that happens in Blackwell, after all, what kind of queen would I be without knowing what my subjects are up to?" She said defensively, crossing her arms.

Max eyed the blonde for a few moments before she shook her head, "Nothing happened but something is about to. Kate is going to ask you questions, answer them." Max moved past the photographer before she paused, "And keep it low-key. Can't you feel it Victoria?" She let that hang in the air for a few moments.

"Feel what?" Victoria sounded mystified and the girl visibly tensed when Max turned to her with an intense expression. 

"A storm on the horizon."