Rachel breathed in deeply, the burn of weed going down her throat and resting in her chest. She breathed out the excess smoke and sighed.

She was an idiot.

She closed her eyes and took another drag of her joint, the thick haze of her high wrapping around her mind as the smoke coiled and floated around her room, making it look like an opium den. 

What the fuck was she thinking? Flirting and hitting on Max? Chloe's best friend? The girl that Chloe had been in love with for literal fucking years?

She yelped as she burnt her lip, not realizing that she was stressfully taking a hard hit that left the joint to small to smoke. She shoved the remnants of it into an ashtray, knowing that she could just take the weed from the various other too-small joints to make another full one. 

Hey, my teachers from sixth grade would be proud, I'm recycling. She mused as she shoved the ashtray under her bed. Her mind was a thick fog, she stared at her ceiling her eyes finding the golden fairy lights she had up. 

She didn't know how long she was staring at them for but a knock at her door made her jump and look up. 

"Come in!" She called, pulling herself into a sitting position albeit with a bit of struggle.

She wasn't expecting to see Victoria Chase come into her room, the prep wrinkling her nose the smell.

"You fucking hotboxed your room?" Victoria said, "Unbelievable." She rolled her eyes before she searched Rachel up and down. "Have any more?"

Rachel's mind took that in slowly, "Yeah, I hotboxed it." She said slowly, "Is it really that unbelievable?" The blonde reached under her pillow and pulled out a small bag with a few more joints inside it. "Yeah. Here." She shoved her bag off the bed, not caring that it had books that she'd have to pay for if they got damaged and gestured for Victoria to sit down.

The prep walked over and sat down, taking a joint and Rachel's lighter. 

"It's barely noon." Victoria said, her tone accusing but Rachel thought she heard concern under it.

"Yeah so? Hurry up and light up, I wanna keep smoking." Rachel took a joint and waited for Victoria to light hers so she could light hers.

The prep shrugged and flicked the lighter and then passed it back to Rachel.

The two smoked in silence for a while. They hadn't smoked together in a while, since their sophomore year, since before Victoria let her jealousy get too far.

"What are you even doing here?" In her drug-induced state, Rachel didn't have the patience to be tactful. "You tried to drug me before our play in tenth grade."

Victoria breathed out a puff of smoke. "I did." She said.

"Then what the fuck do you want." Rachel asked, her fuse quickly draining. "If you wanted to bum some weed off me fine, but you didn't have to sit down and smoke with me."

"You told me to sit down." Victoria was definitely soberer than Rachel was but that fact only made Rachel angrier. 

"I don't want you here." She said but she was too high to actually do something about it.

 The prep sighed, "I feel bad you know." She said. "For what I did to you. For what I do still." 

"Is that so?" 

"Yeah." 

Rachel didn't know what to say, she wasn't sure why Victoria had told her of everyone, she had Taylor and Courtney to vent to. 

"Why tell me?" Rachel asked.

Victoria shrugged, "You were around." She replied, taking another hit. "I ran into Max today."

Rachel flinched slightly at the mention of the hipster, "Yeah?"

The photographer nodded, "She looked scared and she came running from the library. I went inside but nothing was in there other than dusty old books and a sharpie that was on the floor." The blonde leaned back, stretching across Rachel's bed. "You know anything about that?"

The aspiring model frowned, "No. Max hasn't spoken to anyone these past few days." She tried really hard to keep the sadness from her voice but she was baked, it wasn't happening. 

Chase fixed her eyes onto the blonde, "Did Rachel Amber finally find another toy?" She asked, raising a brow.

Rachel clenched her fist, "Max isn't a toy." She began but Victoria cut her off.

"Yeah, but Price was." 

The blonde tensed and stared at the prep in shock. Seconds passed before she finally stuttered out. "S-She wasn't." But the argument sounded pathetic even in her own ears.

"Sure." Victoria said, "It's not any of my business anyway."

"I tried to fix it with Chloe." Rachel said, her mind swirling into a pit of self-hatred and guilt. "I tried to fix.." No, she hadn't.

She was too afraid to talk things out because she knew that what she did completely justify Chloe not being friends with her anymore. So instead when Chloe had started to talk about it she kissed the punk, knowing that like all the times before Chloe wouldn't be able to resist. They landed on the bed that night, just as they did all the other times they 'made up' with each other. 

She didn't fix anything. 

She just made it to where it would be too awkward to bring up so Chloe left it alone. And she knew she was doing that.

"Fuck I.." Rachel held her head, tears flowing down her cheeks at an alarming rate. The fog in her mind morphed into images of Chloe. Most were obviously works of her own mind being a dick but then there was the one.

Chloe staring at her, tears in her eyes and her blue eyes wide. Betrayal, love, pain, sorrow glowed in those gorgeous ocean orbs. Her mouth was open in a sob. 

"Rachel? Why?"

She would never be able to unhear that voice, that sorrow, a pained voice that she never knew that Chloe could emanate and hoped she never had to.

That voice that she made her emit. 

"Fuck!" Rachel sobbed, ugly and clear sobs. 

"Rachel, calm down." Victoria sounded frightened. "Shit, I didn't mean to give you a panic attack." The prep ran her fingers through her hair anxiously. "I'll get Max. Don't move." She ordered before she staggered from Rachel's room, leaving the door open.

Rachel curled up, sobbing. "Chloe.. I'm so sorry." She sobbed, "I'm so so sorry." She looked up and saw blue eyes staring back at her. "I didn't mean to hurt you!" She sobbed, "I never wanted-" She choked on her spit and coughed, her breaths coming out rapid. "I never wanted this!"

"Rachel?" She looked up, her vision blurry and the fog playing tricks. 

"I'm so sorry Chlo.. I love you.. I always have." She sobbed. She felt arms wrap around her and cried harder, struggling in that gentle grip.  "I don't deserve you, you deserve so much better. You've done so much for me and I used you." Her body trembled under the strength of her sobbing as she clenched onto "Chloe."  "I love you so much."

"You're okay Rachel." Why didn't she say 'I love you' back? 

Rachel looked up, "I love you." She breathed, willing Chloe to say it back.

"I know Rach." No, there was uncertainty. Even in her drug-induced mind, Rachel could hear it.

"Chloe.."

"Rachel I'm not-" 

Rachel didn't listen, she pressed a harsh kiss against Chloe's lips. It was rough and desperate, it was everything Rachel feared and all Rachel had.

A hand pushed her back, it was gentle yet her body rag-dolled and she slammed back onto the bed. A sea of sudden soberness washed over her and the fog cleared.

Chloe wouldn't have pushed her away so gently. Chloe would have shoved her, Chloe would probably be yelling right now, telling her she can't manipulate her anymore. 

In her high Rachel had one terrifying thought.

That wasn't Chloe.

Her body shot up.

She looked up and her vision, still blurry, cleared. She stared in horror as she recognized the girl before her. Not tall and lanky, not wearing a bullet necklace, tank top, ripped jeans, and boots but short, wearing a Jane Doe t-shirt and jeans with no holes, along with a converse.

Max.

Rachel blinked, then blinked again, trying to see if this was an illusion her doped up mind was creating but when Max offered her a sad smile she was left with a cold sureness. She had admitted to Chloe's best friend, the hipster that was so in love with the punk she didn't even realize it herself, that she was in love with said punk.

She looked into Max's eyes, was there actual concern in those blue eyes or was it a trick of her high? 

"Max." Her voice was hoarse, she lapped at her lips trying to rid herself of cottonmouth.

Max blinked, her eyes full of concern. "Rach.." Her voice was soft, "Are you okay?"

No. Not by a long shot. "Water." Rachel rasped, wanting Max to leave so she could think, even for a brief time.

Max nodded, "I'll go get you some." She said and moved out of the aspiring model's room.

Rachel tugged at her golden tresses. What the fuck was she thinking? This was pointless, not forcing Chloe to talk to her able shit was pointless but she knew Chloe. If she tried to force the punk into a corner it would just damage them farther beyond repair. 

And Rachel didn't want that. God, did Rachel not want that. She loved Chloe, she always had. From the day they met in that stupid windmill Rachel was head-over-heels. She had started all this, she was the first link in a broken chain.

She hated it. She hated the idea of love. Because it was a concept that locked her to one place and Rachel had been fighting control since sophomore year. Love was something that she watched destroy the only good person in her life, her step-mom, and she wasn't willing to allow herself to fall to the same fate. 

Rachel was scared. It was as simple as that. Rachel Dawn Amber, true Queen of Blackwell, Queen of Arcadia Bay really, Junkyard Queen, the DA's perfect daughter, was scared of love. Scared of the commitment and responsibility it held. Scared of being locked down enough to not be able to leave Arcadia Bay and all of its bad memories behind. 

The high was receding and Amber was crashing hard. She never self-harmed in her life- unless you counted getting piss-drunk and higher than Mt. Everest- but today she was considering it. She was thankful when Max walked back in, brandishing a cold bottle of clear liquid.

The hipster offered it silently and Rachel smiled in an attempt to diffuse the obvious tension as she took the water. She chugged it and tossed the plastic container down onto the floor. 

Max sat on the bed, on the edge as if she was afraid of invading Rachel's personal space. 

It was odd, Rachel never thought about her own personal space. No one assumed she had any due to her sexual nature. Her heart skipped a beat, Max was too good for her.

Max and Chloe both were too good for her.

"Rachel." The photographer's voice jolted her from her thoughts. She drew her hazel eyes to meet baby blue. "Are you okay?" 

"No." Rachel gave a dry laugh. "No. not at all."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Max asked, hesitant. Like a mouse.

Rachel closed her eyes, breathing deeply. 

"I'm so confused Max." Her mouth moved on its own. She was in touch with her emotions, she knew what triggered all this. It was her stupid tendency to push boundaries, to test the limits of people who she knew could handle it. 

Or thought could handle it.

She saw the fear and uncertainty in Max's face when she pulled away. The shock was evident. What was supposed to be a meaningless tease turned into something that Rachel wasn't ready to admit but knew was true. Something she hadn't come to terms with.

Her feelings for Max.

She had written them off, excused them as thinking the hipster's mannerisms were cute. But the more she talked to Max the more she fell for her, just like she did with Chloe.

Just like how she continues to with Chloe.

She had miscalculated, misjudged. She was so afraid of losing and hurting people after what happened between her and Chloe six months ago, she pledged to herself that she would never intentionally or unintentionally hurt someone ever again. 

Rachel was manipulative by nature, but instead of using it to cause chaos she used it to try to help people. To show them how much fun they could have if they just let go. She used people sure, but she wanted it to be a beneficial relationship. Not a parasitic one.

Not like her relationship with Chloe. The one where she took everything the punk had to offer and then, in stupid desperation, threw away and destroyed everything that they had in one fell swoop.

"Is it possible to love more than one person?" 

Max

The hipster rose a brow at Rachel's question. 

She pondered for a moment before the photographer nodded. "I guess yeah you could." She murmured, briefly wondering about her own romantic feelings. 

Rachel

Rachel laughed, "I'm such an idiot." Her voice was bitter, angry. 

"That's not true, you're smart Rach. You're just hurting." Max crawled onto the bed and sat in front of the model. "You're perfect and amazing the way you are Rachel, you don't have to change yourself."

Rachel shook her head, "That's not what I want to do. Well, not much anyway." Rachel sighed heavily. "It's so fucked up Max. I did terrible things to Chloe. I used her. Completely. I lead her on and then, just because I couldn't fucking control myself, I slept with her drug dealer to get some free weed." The blonde's voice was turning hysteric. Max reached over and intertwined their fingers, rubbing Rachel's wrist.

The blonde wanted to melt into that contact, she wanted to savor the warmth it brought to her chest that Max cared enough to try to ground her. But, she knew she had to get this all off her chest, she needed to say something. "Frank loved me, I knew he did. He wasn't putting pressure on me about it, but he would let touches linger to long, eye contact last a fraction of a second more than it needed to. It was a stupid mistake, Chloe and I had gotten in an argument about something that didn't matter- fuck I don't even remember what it was." Rachel gave a breathy and slightly crazed laugh. "We fought and I rushed to my dorm. I needed something to calm me down but there wasn't any way of getting booze that night and I smoked my last joint." She ran her fingers through her hair anxiously, her body going back into the same panic she felt that day. "It was so fucking loud Max, my mind wouldn't shut up. So I.. I called up Frank and asked him if we could meet to make a deal." She remembered how shocked he sounded, along with a twinge of happiness. She remembered thinking it was sweet, cute almost. "We met and he handed me the weed and named his price. I had nothing on me and Chloe ruined Franks' generosity. He would take his weed back if I didn't pay up or at least harass me about it and I couldn't do either so I.." A lump formed in her throat and she swallowed it down. "So I flirted with him and brought him to bed. The sex wasn't bad, it was pretty great but I.." She laughed, humorless and dry. "God, I woke up next to him and I was horrified." She was crying again and she let Max rub the tears away. "I told him that this shouldn't have happened and I left, he tried to get me back but I cut bridges with him as much as I could. I felt so guilty. Chloe found out, I think she saw me and Frank's texts, and we got into a huge fight. She ignored me for six months, Max, she completely cut me out of her life. The week you came back was the first week we actually started talking again, we had hung out the day before but it was full of tension and bad vibes. It was only because of you that I and Chloe are even getting along." 

Max was quiet and Rachel felt anxiety stab at her heart, she had miscalculated again. She had misjudged yet again. Now Max was going to leave and Rachel would be alone again. Her mind worked too fast but all functionality short-circuited when Max pressed a small kiss to her lips.

And Rachel fell in love. It was fact, proven, incontestible, undeniable. Rachel Dawn Amber fell in love with Maxine Caulfield right then and there. 

Rachel felt tears roll down her cheeks, knowing that this would further complicate things but not caring because the warmth of Max was comforting. The smell of vanilla wrapped around her mind, making her dizzy and tired. Her body swayed and she was pushed back onto the bed. She closed her eyes and looked up, Max was eyeing her with gentle eyes that shone with concern. She searched for love or affection but.. she...was...so..tired...

So she fell in a blissful unconsciousness, filled with kind blue eyes and impossibly soft lips. 

Max

The brunette sighed, leaning back to sit on her legs. She eyed the sleeping Rachel for a few moments and ran her fingers through her hair. 

Why did I kiss her? Max closed her eyes. She knew the answer, it had been an instinct. She saw Rachel thinking herself into a panic again and her brain wracked for something to do and that was the first idea to come to mind. 

But why was that the first idea? Max didn't know and right now her brain was too fried to come up with a solution. 

She stood up and stretched, debating if she should just sleep in Rachel's room for a bit or if she should go back to her dorm. She decided on the former, thinking that the blonde needed someone to be there right now and set off to her room to grab her pillow and a change of clothes. 

With a plan, she set out to her dorm and collected the things she needed. As she wondered about the room her eyes found the driver from the library. She hadn't looked at it yet, she almost didn't want to. 

Her... intel? had said that it was 'proof'. 

She took the driver, knowing that Rachel had an old laptop that she never used and shoved it into her pocket. Tomorrow she would look at this so-called proof with Chloe and Rachel. 

She sighed and walked back to Rachel's dorm, pausing as she felt eyes on her. She looked around, not seeing anyone in the hallway. Her phone buzzed in her pocket.

Unknown

sent at 12:47

Unknown: I see you Max, you look confused.

Max swallowed her fear and quickly typed back.

Max: Who are you?

Unknown: Does it matter? I know things you don't. I know things you need to take down the rat.

Max: Are you Jefferson?

Unknown: No, he's the rat. I cannot tell you who I am but I can tell you some things. You have a lot of questions Max, don't you?

Max looked around, still feeling eyes on her.

Max: Where are you?

Unknown: Close but not too close. I'm watching you. 

Max: Well stop, it's creepy.

Unknown: Sure.

And like that, Max didn't feel eyes, yet her skin crawled with uncomfortableness. She moved into Rachel's room and sat on the blonde's bed, pressing her back onto the headboard.

Max: Are you my age?

Unknown: That would be telling, but yes. I'm your age. Trust me a little more now?

Max: Not in the slightest.

Unknown: That's probably wise, these days no one is trustworthy, not even your precious Rachel Amber.

Max tensed.

Max: You know Rachel?

Unknown: Everyone knows Rachel in this town.

They had a fair point, but Max didn't like the insinuation that the text had.

Max: What do you know of her?

Unknown: Her dad's the DA and her mom is some drug addict that left her when she was young. Her mother came back a few years ago to buy more drugs from Frank and Rachel caught him cheating on who she thought to be her real mother. Ever since then Rachel and her dad don't get along so well. Heard she got in some trouble with a lady friend of hers, they stopped talking for a long time. I wondered what had happened, but they're talking again now, aren't they?

Max: How do you know this?

Unknown: Sources. Like I said Max, I know much more than you do.

Max let out a frustrated huff, her hand twitching.

Max: What do you have against Mark?

Her messenger didn't respond right away. As soon as she was about to put her phone up a text popped onto her screen.

Unknown: He took something from me that he can't ever pay back. 

Max felt her gut clench, her blood running cold.

Max: Did he.. rape you?

Max: You don't have to answer if you don't want to.

Unknown: Yes. 

Max felt tears roll down her cheek, disgust of Mark growing. 

Max: I'm so sorry.

Unknown: He'll pay. He'll be sorry. I know you haven't checked the driver, you should soon. Later today. With Rachel and that blue haired chick. Text me once you do. 

Max: Sure. 

Unknown: I'll be waiting.

Max put her phone up and rubbed at her face. Another victim of Mark Jefferson. How many more people had he hurt? Max didn't want to think about it.

She grabbed her phone and clicked Chloe's name. 

"Yo, Maximus. I was wondering where you had disappeared. Finally remembered you have friends?" Chloe was teasing her, she knew that, but the photographer felt a stab of guilt.

"Sorry Chlo.." She said, sounding sort of like a beaten puppy. 

"Don't worry about it Max, I'm just dicking with you." Chloe said quickly and Max could see the gentle smile on her face, her eyes lit with amusement and just a touch of panic because Chloe never liked to upset Max. "What's up though? I haven't heard from you in a hot second."

"Sorry again, classes have been kicking my ass." Max said, shifting her weight awkwardly.

"You're telling me, more and more clients are showing up for me. The Butterfly is in hella bidness." The photographer smiled, hearing the grin in Chloe's cocky voice.

"Well, are you free for this weekend?" Max asked, "I need to talk to you and Rachel, about something serious." 

Chloe was quiet for a few moments before she spoke, "Yeah, I could come over. Are you with Rachel right now?" The punk sounded... apprehensive. Max figured that the two hadn't spoken about anything yet but she didn't have the energy to bring it up.

"Yeah, she had a bad trip though, freaked out." Max replied. Upon hearing Chloe's sharp intake of breath, the brunette quickly went on. "She's okay now, I got her water and aired out the room, she's asleep right now." She tossed a glance towards the blonde, who was, true to her word, still asleep. 

"Did she..." Chloe hesitated, "Did she say anything stupid?" 

Max paused, briefly toying with the idea of telling Chloe about what Rachel said but decided that she didn't want to further complicate things between the two. "No, she didn't say much of anything. I mean she talked but.. nothing really made sense."

Chloe hummed with understanding and Max felt guilty that she lied to Chloe. The delinquent was so trusting of her, believed Max's word without hesitance. The hipster tried to take solace in the fact that she was simply trying to help and that there would be a day where she would be able to tell Chloe but right now the strings holding the bluenette and blonde were taut as it was. Max didn't want to be the cause of it snapping.

"Alright then, Super Max-" Chloe grunted, obviously standing up, "I'll be there in a few. Gonna go home and shower first, I hella reek."

"Gross." Max said, rolling her eyes. "How do you even sweat that much, all you do is sit and draw on people with a needle."

"And those people paid good money for a hella rocking tattoo and they're watching every move you make. It's hella nerve-wracking Max, not as easy as everyone thinks it is." Chloe shot back.

The photographer frowned, "Sorry Chlo, I didn't mean for it to sound like you don't do anything. I'm hella proud of you, y'know. If you told me five years ago from today that my best friend was gonna own a tattoo shop that was super popular..." Max drew off, thinking for a moment. "I-I'd probably believe them. Cause you can do anything." 

"Aw' shucks, yer' makin' me blush." Chloe teased, opting for a really terrible southern accent. 

"Oh shut up." Max blushed out of embarrassment and laughed, "God, you suck." 

Chloe laughed with her before the two calmed down, sighing in unison into their respective receivers. 

"Hey, Max?" Chloe spoke up.

"Hm?" Max hummed.

"Thanks." Max felt her heart stutter, she could just see the genuine smile on Chloe's face, feel her eyes looking at her with affection. "You always pushed me to be better than what I was." Feel her hand rubbing the photographer's wrist and look away because Chloe sucked at feelings. "I guess that's what kinda spurred me on. I was fucked up for a while after you left but Rach kinda helped." See her shifting her weight because Chloe really sucked at feelings. "Once I realized I wasn't ever going to get out of this shithole anytime soon, I figured I might as well make something out of it. If I couldn't leave the town with too many bad memories then I was gonna make better ones." 

Max smiled, "Is that why you made the Butterfly?"

"Yeah," She was nodding, Max could sense it. "At least part of it. Rachel was the first one to have the idea actually, she saw one of my sketchbooks and my tags were all over the 'Bay and mentioned it to me. Said if I could fix up a junkyard truck, I should be able to make a kickass tattoo parlor. We talked about leaving for a long time, ditching this place and heading to Los Angelos, but I think we both knew it wasn't gonna happen. We didn't have the money, simple as that. I thought about using the money I borrowed to disappear with her but when I suggested the idea Rachel kinda blew me off. She said that I should use it to better myself, not to run away from my issues." Chloe sounded bitter and sheepish. "I learned a few days later that she slept with the guy I borrowed the money from." 

"Frank?" Max asked.

"How'd you know?" The delinquent sounded shocked.

"Rachel said his name when she was tripping." Max figured she could admit that, "She said he was a mistake." Also true, "A really bad one." 

Chloe snorted, "Least she admits it." 

Max frowned, "Chloe.. she's not a bad person. She really does feel bad for what happened." 

"Can we not talk about this?" Chloe grumbled, "I'm having a good day."

Max let out a rough sigh, "Fine Chlo. Can you be here soon?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, see you then." Max said, clicking the hang up button.

Chloe

"Bye." Guilt swam in her gut. Max was right, Chloe told herself, She's always right! But the rebellious  teenager that she never grew out of screamed that Rachel made her choices and that she deserved whatever guilt came with them.

But then the softer side of her reasoned that Rachel had suffered enough and Max was right, they needed to talk about shit.

Chloe let out a loud groan, gripping onto the hard leather of her steering wheel. This shit was getting to deep and too complicated. She had to talk to Rachel at some point, but she was afraid to bring the past up. Mostly because it still hurt, despite all the shit that Rachel pulled on her Chloe didn't want to lose her.

She loved Rachel, she had fallen for her the night they made out under a streetlamp or at some point before. She had helped Chloe at her lowest point and the punk owed the blonde her life, because at some point she really was ready to end it. 

Chloe couldn't let that go.

The pulled into her apartment complex's parking lot and parked in her normal spot. She even tagged it with some spray paint, an image of a butterfly, when she first moved here. The landlord wasn't happy but he got over it. She got out of the car and climbed up the stairs to her apartment but paused when she saw a familiar face standing outside her door.

Frank.

The man was smoking, his dog laying at his feet. Pompidou looked up and growled, he never was fond of Chloe, causing Frank to shush him and look at the punk.

"What the fuck man?" Chloe grumbled, "How long have you been here?"

Frank shrugged, "Does it matter?"

"Kinda." Chloe shoved him out of the way so she could unlock her door. She opened it and walked inside, shedding her tanktop as Frank followed her with his mutt on his heels. She glanced at the man who looked around. "Oh yeah, sure, make yourself at home." She said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "Not like I care about privacy or whatever." She walked back into her bedroom and grabbed a change of clothes.

"Cut the sarcasm Bulldog," Price sat on her couch, "I wanna talk business." 

"Well, wait a fucking second. I'm showering, don't eat or touch my shit." Chloe ordered firmly as she moved into her bathroom.

She didn't hear Franks' response, but his tone was agreeing. She didn't have time to deal with him, she needed and wanted to get to Max. She thought of ways to get rid of the drug dealer but came out blank, Frank was persistent, if he couldn't talk now he would keep coming back and she didn't want to deal with his name being associated with her place of work if he went that far. Sighing, she washed her hair, shaved, and washed her body in a span of around twenty minutes and tossed on a clean bra, a white tanktop with a wolf on it, and some ripped jeans and clean socks. She switched her beanie for a snap-back, put some clean socks on, and slipped on her boots. 

She walked out of the bathroom and rose a brow at Frank who was drinking a beer. 

"What did I tell you," She grabbed the bottle out of his hand, "about touching my shit?" She wasn't truly annoyed, she just liked the irritation on Franks' face.

"You were taking to damn long." He huffed. "Anyway, I wanted to ask you somethin'" 

Chloe rose a brow as she moved behind the couch into the tiled kitchen. She put the beer back into her refridgerator and then leaned her elbows beside Franks head. "Shoot." 

Frank looked up at her, "What do you know about Nathan Prescott?" 

Chloe paused, taken aback. "He was bullied in sophomore year and then turned into an asshole. I mean he was always an asshole but he got worse." She rose to her full height, "Think he's majoring in photography and he's a part of a shitty club called the Vortex Club. The club host parties that he pays for cause his daddy owns the campus basically. His pop isn't a nice man, either, heard rumors that he left Nathan unattended most of his childhood and only talks to the kid when he's pissed about something." Chloe shrugged, "All in all not much. He's best friends with Victoria and he's hella into drugs." 

Frank frowned, "He's been... weird lately. He's been distracted most of the time we do our deals and he's only been taking weed. He normally gets stronger shit." The deal leaned forward, his brows furrowed, "He said he's watching somebody. Someone who can control Chaos Theory." 

Chloe blinked, "Shit happens because shit happens. That's what Chaos Theory is, it's something that you can't control or alter, unless you can control time itself." 

Frank looked at her, "I'm not lacing his shit, I've been tempted though. Anyway I say keep whatever friends you have at Blackwell close to you."

"You think he's talking about Rachel?" Chloe considered it but she didn't think so.

Frank looked away, "Don't you have other friends?"

Chloe froze. "That creep better keep away from Max if he knows what's good for him." She snarled. "Look, Frank, I gotta go. Is this all you wanted to talk about? Gossiping about one of your customers?"

Frank stood, "I'm just saying he's tripping balls right now. I figured since you have people who go to school with him I'd tell you."

"You're worried about Rachel." Chloe accused.

Frank growled, "I loved her Chloe." He said, "I still love her. Even if she doesn't want anything to do with me." 

"I loved her too." Chloe growled back, clenching her fists. "I loved her before you two even-" She cut herself off, feeling tears stinging behind her eyes. She blinked them away and glared at Frank, "Before you two even fucked behind my back." She spat.

Frank looked visibly wounded, "Chloe, I apologized for that. I told you, she came onto me."

"And because your a fucking pig you took the bait." Chloe looked away, "Get out of my house Frank, get out of my life, I don't want to see you anymore. All you ever fucking bring is bad memories."

Frank frowned and took a small breath. "I'm sorry Chloe, I wish we could go back to how we were before. We were friends once."

"It's your fault, I didn't fuck this up." Chloe knew that wasn't quite true but at this point she just wanted the man to leave. "I didn't fuck someone knowing that someone you considered a friend was in love with her." Chloe was trembling with anger and sorrow.

The drug-dealer looked away, "I wouldn't take it back." He said, "But I wish it could have been different. I can't do anything to help make it up to you, I give you free weed, I gave you that ten-thousand so you could buy that building, I don't have anything else to give. How many times do I have to apologize to convince you I'm sorry?" 

"You can get on your knees." Chloe advanced on him, snarling out the words. "You can grovel and kiss my shoes for as long as you fucking want." She glared at him with icy hate, "But you can't change the past Bowers. You took my trust and betrayed it, you knew I loved her, you knew and didn't care. All because she was some cheap fuck!" She was shouting but she didn't care, "You want to know what you can do to earn my forgiveness?" Frank looked at her with round eyes, looking more like the innocent Frank Chloe knew before he changed. "You can run with your tail between your legs. You can hide your face and let me never see you again." She spat, "I never wanna hear of Frank Bowers, I want you to cease to exist." She looked away, "Get out of my house." 

Frank stared at her before he stood, Chloe met his eyes and felt rattled as she saw genuine hurt and sorrow in them. He looked like every dog that he's ever saved from mills and dog-fighting. Scared, alone, wanting nothing but love but not knowing how to do anything but fight.

She watched him leave, Pompidou in his stead and soon the sound of his trailer disappeared.

Chloe stood alone in her living room, her mind swimming with guilt and anger when her phone ringed.

She fished it out of her pocket and saw a text from Max.

Maximus: Yo, you coming?

Chloe took a breath to ground herself, reminding her brain that Max needed her to be chill right now before she quickly typed a reply.

Captain Price: Yeah, just give me a sec