That night was the opening night of Max's musical, Sing Sing, where she was the lead.

Carolina walked into the school hallway where the play was being held, seeing that Marcus was standing in the hallway outside the auditorium, walking up to him, smiling a bit. "Hey."

Marcus chuckled, smiling at seeing her. "Hey. Thanks for coming, Caro."

"Yeah," Carolina agreed. They shared a kiss. Carolina looked at the fading road burn marks on the side of his face, and on his arms. "How are you doing?"

"Better, bit by bit," Marcus answered. "Could've been a lot worse."

Carolina sighed. "Oh, I was afraid it would've been. And then dreaded what would've happened now if it had been a lot worse."

Marcus frowned. "What do you mean?"

Carolina looked up at him, sighing. "Nothing. We can talk about it after the play. Believe it or not, Max asked me to come too."

Marcus smirked. "Oh, so you're also here for Max. Are you two actually becoming friends, proving Carolina Miller has gone soft?"

Carolina pointed a finger into his chest, smirking a slight smile up at him. "Bite your tongue."

Marcus chuckled. Carolina bit her lip with a small smile. Marcus leaned in, his hand on Carolina's cheek, thumb rubbing back and forth, making her feel calm just for a second, their eyes locked as they looked deeply into the other's eyes. Their lips brushed for a second, before crashing together with fierce passion, melting into the kiss. When they pulled away, Marcus smiled, stroking Carolina's cheek before brushing a hair behind her ear, which made Carolina smile.

Marcus took her hand. "Come on."

Carolina nodded, and they walked into the auditorium.

Ginny was there, holding a bouquet of flowers looking around, turning to see Carolina and Marcus, all three of them looking tense and awkward, while neither Marcus or Ginny knew that Carolina knew what happened with the accident. 

"Caro, Marcus, hey," Ginny told them nervously. "Uh, Carolina, can we talk?"

"Marcus said I could sit with him and his parents since Mom and Austin aren't here," Carolina told her, cold and crisp.

"It'll just take a minute," Ginny told her.

Marcus looked around. "Uh, they should be getting here. I'll go get our seats."

Marcus walked away.

Ginny looked at Carolina. "Why are you avoiding me? And talking to Max? Why are the girls avoiding me?" Carolina tried to walk away. Ginny stopped her. "Caro, stop. Why are you mad at me?" Carolina scoffed. "What? I know we fight all the time, but we still love each other. You're my twin sister. Why are you and the girls being mean to me for no reason? Caro, please, just tell me what I did."

"Marcus got into the accident because of whatever you said to him," Carolina told her.

Ginny was instantly shocked and horrified that she knew, and knowing that Max knew.

Before she could react, Max's play started, and she started to sing. "18 years and 50 days / That's how long my sentence is / Got to pay my dues in the Suffolk County Jail / Never have I felt so alone / Say goodbye to the world that I know / Now I've got time to lose / In the Suffolk County Jail."

Max and a few others were doing a few simple dancing moves, all singing. "Life in Suffolk County Jail / Lights out at 7:00 / Fistfights at 11:00 / It gets a little nutty in the Suffolk County Jail."

Max spoke the following lines while she was being guided around by others on the stage. "Time for processing. Uh, excuse me. Do I..." They took off her jacket. "Um, pardon me. Should I... Sorry. I... I..." They picked her up, carrying her off stage. "Can I get a toothbrush?"

Ginny continued to beg Carolina to listen to her while Caro was trying to ignore her. "Caro, please. Caro."

"Going off on me and blaming me for absolutely everything that night wasn't enough?" Carolina asked. "For our parents sleeping together even though you know there was no way I could've stopped them, or for Dad leaving, even though this time, it was for the better. And he's still staying close around so we can see him normally. You brought up Noah and the mugging and saying that I could never get out of the darkness. That wasn't enough? You had to go and say whatever the hell you said to Marcus and get him hurt too?"

"Too?" Ginny asked. "What do you mean too?"

"None of your business," Carolina told her. "What kind of horrible sister are you? How could you do that to me? To Max? Just because you were having a bad night and blaming absolutely everybody but yourself."

The play continued while the sisters were silently arguing at the back, making sure no one heard them. Max saw them from on stage, after she had gotten a costume change to a flapper dress.

"Caro, please," Ginny told her. "Please. Please, wait. Please believe me. I wanted to tell you."

Carolina scoffed. "Please. No, you didn't. You begged him not to tell anyone."

"He told you though," Ginny told her.

"No, actually, he didn't," Carolina told her. "He didn't tell me anything, which is why I don't even know what you said to him that made him take off like that. See, unlike you, he's always had my mental well-being in consideration, and he wasn't the cause of episodes or attacks like you were. I know that's why he didn't tell me."

Ginny immediately thought of Abby because she was the only other person that knew. "I... I'm really, really sorry. I love you. You're my sister. And Max is my best friend. I didn't know what to do."

When the first act of the play finished, the crowd cheered, the bro squad the loudest, while Clint and Ellen were doing shaking hands for applause, and Marcus was clapping lightly.

Max walked off stage and toward Carolina and Ginny. Abby and Norah watched Max walk toward them, realizing they were going to be arguing.

Ginny was desperate to see Max so furious. "Max. Max, listen."

"Hallway," Max told them. "Now."

Carolina and Max walked into the hallway. Ginny followed.

Marcus saw them last second from his place next to Clint and Ellen, confused.

"Caro," Ginny pleaded. "Max."

"Ginny, shut up," Max told her.

"I can expl--" Ginny said.

"I'm serious," Max told her. "The play."

Carolina pointed at Ginny. "Talk. Tell me what the hell you said to Marcus."

"Yeah, tell me what you said to my twin brother that almost got him killed," Max agreed. "Marcus gets on my nerves so much, but he's still my twin."

Ginny tried desperately to get them to calm down. "I'm--I'm so, so sorry, okay? I just... Caro, after everything with our family, and all the fighting and drama and Mom, I knew that this could be the final straw and that would break us completely."

"Could be?" Carolina repeated skeptically.

"And Max, I've never had a friend like you before, and I didn't wanna screw it up," Ginny told her.

Max shook her head. "No, don't give me that poor little new girl bullshit, Ginny. You are my best friend, and Marcus could have been killed because of you."

"What did you say to him?" Carolina asked in quiet, barely controlled anger. "You wanted to explain, right? Explain. Sing like a canary." She looked at Max, referencing the play. "Or jailbird."

Ginny had tears in her eyes, knowing that this could really ruin everything, but she knew that if she said nothing, it wouldn't help anything either. She took a deep breath. "I was just so angry and I wanted to get back at you for not stopping Mom and Dad..." Carolina glared at her, barely keeping herself from replying. "And I told him that Mom was right. That you and him, it wasn't healthy, that your friendship with the sexual tension and secrets, that that was all it was ever gonna be, nothing real. He said that he loved you, and I just shook him off. Saying that you couldn't love him, not when his own twin sister hated him."

Carolina had tears in her eyes at hearing that part.

Max looked at Carolina, glaring at Ginny for the part that she said about her. "What else did you say?"

Ginny was close to tears. "I said that he was just gonna mess Carolina up, that they were both already screwed up to hell. That everyone was insane for thinking that he could be good for her when he's just as screwed up. That they're not good for each other. I told him that he was incapable of anything real. That Caro was gonna end up just like our mom, sneaking, lying and manipulating, and that he was just like our dad, and history was gonna repeat for them, and they'd be trapped in the cycle that our parents are, never truly happy unless they're together, but every time they come together, they would ruin each other, ruin whatever family they could have, like our parents do to us. I told him that he could be the thing that breaks Caro for good, even if he's trying to help fix her. I called him a creep, and a loser, a joke." Each word caused Max and Carolina to get more angry, more furious, but more devastated by how Ginny could betray them like this and understanding why it was enough to make Marcus lash out like that even if it had gotten him hurt and could have killed him. "And I am so, so sorry. I couldn't tell you."

"Yeah, see, you could," Carolina told her. "You say, 'Hey, Caro, Max. I'm an asshole. I wanna tell the truth about how I said a bunch of fucked up shit that caused Marcus to get into an accident and almost die.'"

Carolina stepped forward like she could really hurt Ginny for this, but Abby and Norah ran up to them, and held Carolina back.

"Hey," Abby told them.

"Okay, guys, guys," Norah told them. "Calm down."

"No, Norah, you do not get to be Switzerland on this!" Max told her.

"Hey, you don't have to yell at me," Norah told her.

Ginny glared at Abby. "How could you tell Caro and Max about Marcus when you were the one who told me to keep quiet?"

Max and Carolina looked at Abby in disbelief.

"Um... wow, I didn't," Abby answered. "And you had plenty of time to come clean before you told me."

"You knew?" Max asked. "And you let me tell you about it. You acted all surprised and indignant!" She started to cry at the thought that yet another best friend betrayed her over something like this. "Oh, my God, Abby! Wow." She looked at Norah. "Did you know about this?"

"No," Norah answered. "No, I swear!"

"Max, I didn't want you to get hurt," Abby told her. "Or mess things up more with Carolina."

"Oh, things are way more than messed up, Abby," Carolina told her.

"And that's really funny," Max said. "That's what everyone who keeps hurting me keeps saying!" She looked away from Abby. "I cannot even look at you."

"Max," Abby said. "Carolina."

Hunter walked into the hallway, seeing the girls fighting. "Hey. What's going on?"

Carolina, seeing Hunter, found that it was an easy way to pay back Ginny for what she said to Marcus, ratting Ginny out to Hunter. "Ginny's the reason why Marcus got into that accident. She said everything and anything she could think of that could make him break and lash out, after she already did the same to me earlier that night, all because I couldn't stop our parents from hooking up and our dad from leaving town. Ginny's the reason why Marcus got so hurt. And she lied to everyone about it since."

Hunter was in shock, rightfully horrified by what Ginny had done. "Is that true?"

"Turns out Ginny's not the person we all thought she was," Max snarked. "You said that Caro would turn into your mother. Sneaky, lying and manipulative, but from where I'm standing, that's more you. 'Cause that's the kind of person you are."

Marcus walked into the hallway from the other side, facing everyone, raising an eyebrow. "'Sup?" Everyone looked at him. "I was just going to the bathroom, so..."

"We know that it was Ginny that said those things to you before the accident, and we know what she said," Carolina told him.

Marcus stopped between Carolina and Max, busted, looking around awkwardly as everyone looked at him. "Ah."

"That's all you have to say?" Max asked. "You didn't tell me or Caro about what she said to you."

Marcus pointed around. "Yeah, 'cause I was trying to avoid this."

Hunter shook his head. "I'm out of here."

Ginny tried to stop him. "Hunter. Hunter, no. Hunter, please."

Hunter walked past. "No, it looks like you have more to worry about than me. I thought you were better than this. I never thought that you could do something like this. Good luck with this. This is on you."

Hunter walked away.

Carolina sighed. "One of the only times I respect him."

Ginny looked at Carolina. "You happy now? Ruining my chances with fixing things with Hunter after what I said to Marcus and what happened?"

Carolina glared at her, shaking her head. "Not even close."

Carolina slapped Ginny hard in the face, making her turn away.

Abby and Norah gasped, but Max and Marcus were not surprised in the least, and Max was happy she did it.

Marcus pulled Carolina back. "Carolina. Okay, okay. Caro. It's okay."

"You could've died because of her, and I could've--" Ginny started.

"I know," Marcus said. 

"I'm in the second act," Max told them, walking away.

Abby turned after her. "Okay, Max. Maxine."

Max turned to glare at Abby. "No. No, don't. Don't talk to me. Norah, leave the liars."

Max turned around, walking away.

Norah looked at Abby and Ginny, scoffing in disbelief, before walking away.

Abby glared at Ginny. "You're a bitch."

Abby walked away.

"Caro," Marcus said. "Carolina. Come on."

Carolina glared at Ginny, walking away with Marcus as they walked past, and Carolina pushed Ginny with her shoulder on the way past.

Ginny was left completely and utterly alone, crying. "No."

Carolina and Marcus walked outside.

"How did you..." Marcus trailed off.

"Max found your phone and gave it back to you, remember?" Carolina asked. "She just saw the messages Ginny sent to you begging you not to tell before she gave it back. And she showed me since I was about to leave your house when she found the phone."

Marcus sighed heavily. "Okay. Why didn't you two say anything?"

"That's an ironic question, don't you think?" Carolina asked.

Marcus closed his eyes, shaking his head. "Caro, I didn't tell you because she had already driven you to try to burn yourself before the accident. The night of. If I had told you about what she said before I took off... it was stupid of me and I wasn't thinking right, and..."

Carolina shook her head. "No. You don't get to take the blame for what she did. You forget that I know exactly what she can say to cause an episode or a moment of irritational thought like that. Like you said. She started an episode of which I almost burned myself before you stopped me. And she told me and Max what she said. And I'm... so sorry. I... She could've ended up getting you killed, and she refused to tell me, even after what happened last year, and..."

Marcus shook his head. "I don't care about what she said. She wasn't right. And it wasn't true. And I'm still here, Carolina. Okay?" Carolina had tears in her eyes, nodding, still feeling utterly betrayed by her own twin sister, especially after knowing what she said, and knowing what she said to Marcus, knowing how much it made him hurt and angry, she just couldn't stop thinking about it, breathing heavily as she tried to keep from losing control and having an episode or an attack because of how angry and betrayed she felt. Marcus held a hand on either of her cheeks for her to look at him. "Look at me. Focus on me, okay?" Carolina nodded, closing her eyes, focusing on him so she didn't have to go into one of those states. "It wasn't your fault either, Caro."

Carolina wrapped her arms around Marcus, holding onto him. Marcus wrapped his arms around her, sighing heavily, as both closed their eyes and breathed shakily. Caro knew that this was exactly why he didn't tell her because of how it all turned out and it effected her this way, so she didn't blame him for that, for trying to protect her, and to avoid all the fighting. She was still furious with what happened, but relieved that he was still here.