One More Time

Like a Moth to a Deer

Author's Note: Dedicated to AtomicStryker, my first $5 Patron! Hope you enjoyed the full story! (Not that you're reading this... you have access to the full story now, why would you need to read this?)

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"Come on, Doe Eyes! It's gonna be so great!"

Max looked dubious, barely catching up with her exuberant friend. "In case you haven't noticed, Butterfly, I haven't done this before." And it was true. She had never stepped foot into Arcadia Bay High School, in any reality. This was completely, unequivocally, new territory. And some part of that terrified the shit out of her.

Chloe grabbed her hand, and it was suddenly less scary. "I did. And I was frigging terrified, Max. I'm not letting you go through this alone. Come on."

"I have no idea what I'd do without you, Chloe."

"You won't need an idea. That's the point." Her soft smile led them all the way through the front doors. "But call me Butterfly again in public, and I'm leaving you to the sharks."

That gave Max a giant grin – the first one all day. It was a fitting nickname, for reasons that Chloe could never find out, but when Max had made her blush by calling her 'my butterfly', compliment to her nickname of 'Doe Eyes', she had to stick to it. The nicknames were far less annoying than they started out, she guessed.

"Do you think we'll have any of the same classes?"

"... About that... I've been asking around."

"....Okay?"

"Don't worry, nothing bad. Everything good."

"I think I should like the sound of that."

"Oh, if this works out, you're gonna love me more than you already do."

Max seriously doubted it.

She was wrong. The test in front of her was clear, and she was in shock. Here she was, given the chance to skip an entire grade, from a series of exams. Her GPA wasn't an official score until she entered her homeroom class, but she was well aware that her grades were top par, part of her pledge to work her ass off to be a better daughter and a more dedicated student this time around. The thought of actually attending Blackwell with Chloe may have attributed to that. But she wasn't expecting a leap year. Not this soon.

Still, she got to work, and started filling out bubbles. She was not going to let Chloe, and herself, down.

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"Oh my God! Max, you did it!"

She shouldn't have been surprised. The test was embarrassingly easy. The American Education system, for the next four years, was on her side.

Still, she felt giddy when Chloe embraced her and spun her around. "Holy crap! I did!"

"Party at the diner! On my pay! Anything you want!"

Instead, she shook her head. "Nope. Better idea. You, me, the Captain, and Blade Runner. What do you say?"

She looked at her strangely. "You want to celebrate by crying at the end of the night?"

"No. I want to celebrate with my two best friends in the world. My teddy and my bestie."

"And apparently, Harrison Ford."

"Hah, Hah. My celebration, my choice. You got the popcorn."

Some part of Max wondered if Chloe found Harrison Ford attractive, having no clue of her orientation in this time. Or, best case scenario, if she was worried that Max found him attractive.