Perfect with You

Chapter 21 - God, Protect Your Children

With each wailing siren that passed through her ears, her heart jumped.

Just a minute more.

The situation called for confidence– pride- but it was difficult not to be pessimistic. It didn't feel like the end. Ethan may be caught, sure, but there were still wounds that needed healing. Subjects to be discussed. Secrets to be revealed from both of the girls. Max knew Chloe had secrets, and Chloe... she may not have known the white lies Max had been telling her every now and then, but right now, as Max watched her this close, so close she could see a ligament in her hand moving, she knew how Ethan had ripped open an unhealed scar too quickly and too forcefully. It was constant, the pulsing and rhythmic blood, spreading, flowing to her head, heating up her body. She felt so incredible alive, but so painstakingly scarred when she looked at Chloe. She was presenting her inner anger outwards, towards Ethan. It was all guilt in the center, branching out into annoyance, fear, and sadness.

Nobody was saying anything. Ethan was huffing; Chloe held her breath, Max was all caught up in her thoughts of trepidation. The gun aimed at Ethan began wavering slightly; Chloe must have gotten tired in her arms. All so unreal and all too recognizable.

I need to say something.

Her mouth opened, her throat shut close.

Chloe needs you to bring her up right now.

Max took a quick glance at Ethan, specifically his shaking right hand. He was tensing too much, the pain from the shot probably really setting in. His fingers periodically bend downwards and every now and then, he lowered his head, as if he was trying to use his movement tricks again.Max quietly looked down and took a few breaths, trying to pull her lips in an upwards arc. As soon as she lifted her head again, she took a step closer to her friend. 

"That was awesome, Chloe!" She kept presenting her smile.
"You showed him who's boss" Max felt the cringe tickling her neck, but she aimed for a positive outcome.

Chloe kept her stare and her stone-cold look, barely reacting to Max's words. Not even a glance in her direction. She looked all too tall, her chin lifted high and her teeth being locked together. Her exterior was unbreakable, coated in a cold tension. Untouchable and advantageous. It was as if Max was somehow beneath her, looking up at her dead-eyed friend.

"When the police get here, it's over. We can finally chill again" Max tried her luck once more.

Fuck.

It was all too obvious how it would fail; it was as if Chloe's very face was telling her to keep quiet.
Even weirder was the fact that this had been the first time, in a long while, that Max had felt she actually had to try hard to speak with Chloe. She had to consider and then force out words in an uncomfortable way and when the result wasn't satisfactory, it could be felt with an annoying prickle. All she could do now was to wonder what happened between the moment when Chloe stood right behind her, trusting her completely to protect her. Working together to execute a plan, through planned, although at occasions, improvised signals and signs, which required a close connection for the other partner to understand. It made her look at Ethan again, his fingers were no longer bend and it looked like he was holding his breath with an empty stare in his eyes. Amidst the ongoing sounds of yelling from the people from the mall and the sirens wailing, a new sound suddenly presented itself. It was first a screeching noise, like rubber against pavement, which quickly turned into the coughing sounds of an engine. Max realized one crucial mistake when she turned her head to look at the source. Along the line, between all the precautions and distractions, they had forgotten to pay attention to Ethan's brother– Nicholas. As she saw the car speeding against them, with an intense looking, brown-haired man behind the wheel, charging towards them, she knew that Ethan's movements with his hands were not meant for Max and Chloe. It was meant for Nicholas. Chloe had already turned her head as well, and the only danger was not just the car only about 20 feet away from them, but the possibility of an explosion on said car. It was completely by instinct when Chloe pressed her right leg down onto the ground, to then leap out of the way with awkward movements. Only when Max saw this did her body respond, but it reacted too quickly for her body to properly process and all that mattered was to get out of the way, making her stumble slightly, forcing her to toe-jump out of the way with a heavy grunt. When she landed stiffly on the pavement, she felt the thrust pass through her chest, unsure if the car had hit her or not. Chloe had stuck her body to the wall beside her, avoiding the car by several feet as it kept on going. She forced out a hiss as she saw Ethan had taken advantage of the situation and had begun running towards the backside of the mall, small amounts of blood being caught in the wind resistance. Chloe lifted up her right hand and aimlessly pulled the trigger of the gun, somehow hoping a bullet would be shot and hit him, but it was pointless. She was just about to run after him, when she heard Max make sounds of pain, lying with the front of her body down on the ground. The car had stopped around ten feet in front of them and the fear of it exploding was still relevant, so making a quick decision in her mind, she decided to aid her friend.