A new chapter! This time from Maxine's point of view! Oh and btw, I am ignoring the storm plot.

"The house looks…" Awful is what she wanted to say. Maxine crossed her arms as she stared at the same place where she used to spend most of her time. It looked old and sad. She noticed that the blue paint didn't cover all of it, William must have died before finishing it. "…the same." She said instead.

"You were going to say awful, weren't you?" Chloe said as she took out her keys.

"Don't put words into my mouth, Price." The brunette answered and stood beside her as she opened the door. "I'd rather you put something else instead."

Chloe's expression was blank for a moment before she decided to play along. She was supposed to be a hardcore punk. There was no way she was going to lose to little Max, right? Right.

"Something else?" She asked and faced the time traveler. "Could you be a little more specific?"

"I would, if it weren't for that guy standing there." The brunette nodded her head towards David who was staring at family photos.

Chloe was never this happy to see him.

"David." She said and crossed her arms.

The ex-soldier turned to her. "Looks like you won the war." He stated and walked towards them. His eyes were sad and haunted. "All I was doing was for you and Joyce."

"You sure have a fucked up way of showing it." The punk growled and glared at him. "You treated us as if we were in a war zone where you were leading everything. We're not goddamn soldiers! You're not a soldier anymore!"

Maxine didn't miss the way the man's hands clenched, or the way her friend's eyes widened and she backed away almost on instinct.

And she sure didn't miss how the actions made her feel on fire.

She moved instantly in front of Chloe, as if she was a barrier between them. The action surprised them both.

"You look really stressed and angry. I think you should discuss this later, before you do something you might regret, sir." She said calmly, but her tone had a hint of threat in it. David's glare didn't faze her. She was an expert at this, reading people and using it to her advantage became some sort of talent, and she had to thank her powers for it. "Your fists are clenched too tightly. Are you okay?" She asked, not in a concerned voice, but in the 'I see your weakness' kind of voice.

David sighed and left without a word while Chloe just stared at the brunette with an unreadable expression.

"Are you just going to stand there or what?" Maxine crossed her arms. She didn't bother to wait for an answer and went upstairs. "I'm going to your room. I assume it's still upstairs?"

Chloe just stood there. Maxine had just protected her from her step-father, just like that one time when Max came out of hiding to take the blame for her. Maybe some things didn't change even though they were from different timelines.

The situation was messing with her head. She didn't even know how to react to Maxine's flirting. She didn't even figure out her feelings for Max.

That night at the pool, things changed. Or were they always that way? Hidden inside waiting to show up?

"Too deep for me." She muttered to herself then made her way upstairs.

Maxine rolled her eyes the moment she went into Chloe's room. "Been to this timeline for only a few hours and you're already acting protective. Great fucking job, Max." She sighed and stared at the room for what felt like an eternity.

This was where they used to have sleepovers, where they planned their adventures. It was different now. There were graffiti everywhere along with junk and dirty laundry-for once she wasn't nosey enough to check them- and posters. Very interesting posters…

She was surprised when she found the drawings they made when they were kids, and that old phone they decorated together.

She was about to smile until something crossed her thoughts.

Don't forget.

"Glad to see you're still nosey." She turned to see the punk smirking at her. "Oh by the way, your clothes are over there, well, Max's clothes. But they still smell like a chlorine factory."

Maxine blinked for few seconds before her face lit up in realization. "Oh."

"Oh what?" Chloe looked at her confused.

"I didn't know you two were… well… intimate with each other." The time traveler grinned at the discovery.

"What? No we're not!" Chloe dismissed her immediately. She still had a lot to figure out about the matter, and there was Rachel too. "Well not yet at least." She admitted quietly hoping that the brunette wouldn't hear her.

"I heard that."

"Dude, no we're not together! Well there was that kiss yesterday, but it was just a dare so it shouldn't matter." Chloe started rambling.

"So you're telling me that you and other me kissed." Maxine started and walked towards the punk. Chloe leaned against her desk as the brunette got awfully close to her. "Then I guess you wouldn't mind kissing me too."

"Oh fuck. Oh fuck!" Chloe's thoughts raced as she tried to avoid the blue eyes staring at her. Maxine's face was really close and she could feel her breath on her lips.

Maxine was enjoying this too much. She felt in control and she might have finally found out what her counterpart's motivation was.

"Don't you already have that Warren guy? I see you're playing the field." Chloe joked, hoping to avoid the awkward situation.

"I'm glad that your jokes are still priceless." The photographer said and took a step back while ignoring the punk's sigh of relief. She crossed her arms and titled her head, looking really confused. "Who is Waffles?"

"You mean Warren?" Chloe started laughing while the brunette looked even more confused. "I feel sorry for the dude! That's fucking funny. He's that brown haired nerd who has a crush on you!"

"My memory is awful, so I must have forgotten who that is." Maxine answered and sat on the bed. "So, anyway, what's the plan? I can't do much since I don't know a lot about what's happening. At least not the details."

"I'd love to enlighten you, but I'm as lost as you are." Chloe said, sitting on her chair. "Why don't you try your journal? Well, Max's journal."

"Good call." Maxine said. She didn't think she would keep a journal in this timeline, since she ignored hers. She opened her bag to pull it out but stopped when she saw an unfamiliar-or very familiar- object. She took it and started inspecting it. "Chloe, why do I have William's camera?"

"Ah, well you broke yours… fuck, I mean that Max broke her camera when we were reunited so I gave her dad's." Chloe explained, but her expression changed to concern when she saw the brunette's reaction. "Are you okay?"

Maxine's expression was blank as she stared at the camera. She felt as if she was suffocating. The camera, and the look of concern were killing her.

She had to leave this timeline before the memories of her childhood would come to haunt her.

Max Caulfield died years ago and she didn't want to come back.

"How is Chloe? " She heard her counterpart's voice and for the first time she was thankful for the interruption.

"I already told you she was fine." Maxine answered, slightly annoyed by the question. She wanted to talk about anything but Chloe.

"I just miss her. I'm alone here. I don't know what to do, or who to trust." The desperation in her voice made her bite whatever snarky remark she was going to say. She sighed then looked at her best friend.

"I forgot to mention that I can somehow communicate with your max." She announced and was surprised when Chloe caught her by the shoulders and looked at her with desperation.

"I don't know how this shit works but I need to know if she's alright." Chloe said. The worry and fear were obvious in her eyes. "Please tell me she's okay."

"These two have some obvious feelings for each other and they don't even know it. Idiots." Maxine thought then rolled her eyes. "She's fine. She's trying to figure out whatever the fuck is going on." She paused and watched her friend smile in relief. "She said she missed you."

"Tell her, that I hella miss her too." Chloe's smiles was so bright that the time traveler had to look away.

"She's fine. She said she 'hella' missed you."She said and gave the punk a look that told her that they were communicating. "You never told me about you and Chloe… and a certain kiss."

"It's just a stupid dare." She could almost feel her other self's embarrassment.

"Tell that to someone who isn't yourself."Maxine scolded her. "If there is one thing I'm sure of, it is that I would never go this far for someone, unless I loved them."

"I admit you have great taste. Chloe is really hot, especially with the blue hair. She also has a better ass than Nathan."

"DON'T YOU DARE!"

"I swear I did not do anything… apart from some teasing… You're jealous, aren't you?" She smirked. The opportunity was too good to annoy her counterpart.

"I hate you."

"I aim to please."

The conversation ended and the room was filled with silence. Chloe looked more relaxed than earlier. She lied on the bed while Maxine started reading the journal.

The doodles, the selfies, the silly problems… they all showed how opposites they are. Maxine couldn't help but envy her other self. She pushed away the thoughts and started reading this week's entries. It started with crazy daydreams to guns to crazy reunions to guns again to drug dealers and suicides.

Nothing out of normal.

She took a moment to appreciate the decoration. She didn't keep with her own journal, she tried at first, but then she gave up.

"Do you still like photography are you into something else?" Chloe broke the silence. She was staring at the ceiling.

"Photography is the best method to capture moments and memories, something that our memories fail to do." She answered and took a photo of the girl beside her. Chloe looked at her surprised. She couldn't help it. If there was one thing that didn't change about her, it was her love of taking photos at every minute. "The answer is yes. I thought we were investigating, not playing 20 question." She put the photo inside the journal then closed it.

"Smartass…"

"My turn to ask." Maxine looked down at her friend's curious eyes and almost hesitated at the question. However, she had to know. "Do you hate me for leaving to Seattle?"

She knew that this was a touchy subject, and the way Chloe became upset confirmed it. She didn't bring herself to care.

"I…shit…" Chloe sat up and crossed her arms looking away. "You… Max left me for FIVE FUCKING YEARS! Do you know what kind of shit I went through? A call, or even a text would have changed things! Do you have any idea how abandoned I felt?! I wanted to die!" She admitted, gripping her arms so tightly that she could leave a bruise.

I wanted to die.

That sentence was too familiar to Maxine.

"What drove me crazy is that I couldn't hate you." Chloe whispered, loosening her grip. She didn't say anything else.

A text wouldn't have saved you. She wanted to say, but decided not to.

She desperately wanted Chloe to hate her.

"So Nathan drugged you, and you woke up he was holding a camera?" She asked instead. "Don't you think there is something weird with his actions?"

"He's a fucking psycho." Chloe muttered. "What would you expect?"

"There is something off about this." The brunette said and crossed her arms. "Other me told me what Kate told her. I know Nathan, and I doubt that he could make this into a regular thing without being suspicious."

"Oh yeah? You're defending him? Are you his friend or something?" The punk crossed her arms. Her mood changed for the worse.

"Actually, I'm in the vortex club."

"No fucking way!"

"What I'm saying is that I think someone is helping him. We need to find out who." Maxine started. She finally had her friend's full attention. "Since he drugs girls, that means he buys his drugs from Frank. David spies on everyone, so he might have some important information. Those three are our targets."

"You know, for someone who wasn't interested in being part of this earlier, you're doing pretty well." Chloe gave her the best shit-eating grin she could make. "So, the plan is?"

"We have to search Nathan's room, then get Frank's client list, and look through David's files." She said then rolled her eyes at Chloe's impish look. "No, we are not breaking into Nathan's room right now. It's night."

"Fine." The punk frowned then yawned. She was emotionally drained and she just wanted to forget everything and rest. Now that she knew that Max was okay she felt that sleep would come easier. She wished the same could be confirmed for Rachel.

"I should go back to Blackwell." Maxine said and was about to leave but Chloe stopped her.

"You can stay here. It's not as if we never shared a bed and I'm too tired to drive you." She said.

That was the opposite of what the time traveler wanted, but she was too tired to argue.

"You sure about that? What if I murder in your sleep?" She asked smirking, but Chloe just ignored her and was already asleep. She sighed and changed her clothes then lied on the bed.

"Max?" Chloe's sleepy voice startled her. Her back was turned to her.

"Hmm?"

"Thanks for not leaving alone."

Maxine felt a stab in her heart. Chloe's voice was low and vulnerable.

She felt the familiar pain come back to her. Her hand reached slowly to the other girl, but didn't touch her, instead it lay right beside her, merely touching her shirt.

She wouldn't bring herself to touch her.

Maxine felt weak, and tired. Her head felt as if it was about to explode and she expected blood to come out at any moment through her nose. The pressure was too strong.

She swore that it would never happen again, and yet here she was, about to go through another crisis.

"I don't mind disturbing my beauty sleep for you."The sarcasm was dripping off her answer. However, she needed anything to distract herself. "Actually, you have perfect timing. What's up?"

"I'm sorry."

"What did you just say?"

"I've been acting as if I was some sort of hero or whatever. The truth is, I'm far from that. I'm an awful person. I'm sorry for judging you." Max confessed.

She paused, collecting her thoughts. They were both dealing with their own demons. What was ironic is that their demons involved Chloe.

They would never be free from these chains, would they?

"Congratulations. You caught me off guard." She started then paused. "I don't think we're shitty people. One thing I know for sure, is that we have terrible luck."

She never wanted this to happen. The past three years were hell.

Or at least… what she remembered from them.

"How did you do it? How did you manage to not bother anymore? To not care? How did you manage to forget about Chloe?"

She didn't answer. She instead stared at her old best friend. She was the cause of her misery. She was the reason she felt so weak and couldn't remember things.

She ruined her life.

A lot of her memories were either locked away or forgotten, and yet, she couldn't forget Chloe.

Her hand reached out to grip the fabric of her shirt.

She couldn't touch her.

A single tear ran down her face, mourning for the life she left behind.

Mourning for the life she could never have again.

"I never forgot."

We get to see how Maxine feels, or at least a glimpse of it. The next chapter will have tthe plot moving! Thank you for reading!