Perfect with You

Chapter 23 - Red Feather

She didn't know how fast she was driving but it was a thought she couldn't care less about. It was well over the speed limit no doubt, but her foot kept adding more weight to the pedal as she heard Chloe's words echoing in her head and the mental images of her in horrific situations. She tightened her hands around the steering wheel with every nerve-racking feeling of regret that passed through her body.

I shouldn't have left without her! She was so vulnerable! She was probably freaking the fuck out and I couldn't see it!

The sun had gotten lower on the sky, beginning to pass down the horizon, sending an orange glow through the streets that were reflected elusively by the empty road. She could feel her sweaty back sticking to her white shirt she was wearing underneath her beige hoodie and the hairs on her neck standing straight up. It was rare she had ever felt so scared, with so much adrenaline pumping through her body. Another thought that had occupied her mind was the decision to drive past the pharmacy without stopping. She had considered getting some of those pills for Chloe in case it could help her calm down, but not only didn't she have Chloe's prescription; it would also cost what very well could be crucial time. She had never considered Chloe being capable of doing something so awful as killing herself, she never thought of her as being a person that would ever think about something like that, but all these fear-inducing events mixed with the possible symptoms of abruptly stopping her medication- if that was the case- could have messed with her mind to extreme levels. Luckily, Chloe had left the gun in a hidden compartment in the car, so it was not as if she could just shoot herself. It made Max wonder what other methods Chloe could possibly use to cut her life short. As she eventually felt a sickly feeling in her throat, she saw the damned sing with the red feather. It was the bar where Max had set her off and hopefully, the bar Chloe was still sitting in.

A few cars were parked around the building and the bright lights shining from inside suggested that the bar was fully open with people drinking and partying inside. Normally she would wince at the thought of all the desperate people trying to get laid, all the over-exited girls and boys screaming every time someone took a shot, but all she could think about right now was Chloe's well-being. Quickly scanning the area around the bar, she couldn't find any decent places to park the car, so she as she slowed down, she simply pulled a little to the side and stopped the car almost in the middle of the right lane. Only when she went to pull the keys out from the ignition did she notice how still her hand was. She would have imagined her whole body shaking, but in this urgent moment, her body was focused and ready to take action. Max jumped out of the car and began running towards the entrance. She looked around for any sign of Chloe, but the bar was placed at a corner of the street, so it was difficult to get a good vantage point. She would have to check inside the bar if she was still there, or if people had seen her leaving. Max slowed down as she saw the bouncer at the entrance, a buff, short-haired male with a way too sturdy jawline. She decided to look straight forward and did her best to maintain a calm expression and nonchalant body language. The bouncer looked at her carefully and at the moment he saw that she was planning to enter the bar, he held his left arm to the side, covering the entrance, with his other arm irksomely holding his waistband.

"Do you have ID?" He asked with a blank expression and a non-surprisingly deep voice as if he was reading a line out of a script he had practiced his whole life.

"I need to see my friend" Max responded with authority and confident in her voice, making sure the bouncer knew she was serious and didn't have time to waste.

However, the confidence seemed to bounce off him as he barely reacted.
"I can't let you in without identification and I'm pretty sure you know that" He responded with a tired voice, clearly not the first time having heard that line.