Memories A Pricefield story

Chapter three

Tw: r-slur (sort of?) + slight panic attack

Max came inside feeling like a new person. Maybe she could recover faster. As long as she stayed hydrated and kept herself busy, she could get better.

She might even go to class tomorrow.

As she was going to her room she noticed that Kate was just getting out of hers. Followed by... Victoria? They were giggling and Kate was trying to tie her hair back into a bun. The brunette approached the two blondes confused.

"Hey guys," she greeted. The two blondes turned to face her and immediately got flustered. Victoria started to blush and Kate somehow forgot how hands worked and struggled to tie her hair back up.

"Oh h-hey Max, wh-what brings you outside?" Kate stuttered.

"I was just getting some fresh air. How about you guys?"

"Uh we were just about to ask if you wanted to go to Two Whales with us?" Victoria asked. Max thought about it for a minute. Would she be able to handle it? She and Chloe share— shared— so many good memories there and she might get overwhelmed. But she had her friends with her, so it might not be all bad.

She told them yes and they were off.
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Max had sat in the back of Victoria's Benz, and Kate sat in shot gun. The brown haired girl watched the two blondes interact together with a dreamy half smile. The way Victoria looked at Kate reminded her how she used to look at Chloe. The way Kate looked at Victoria reminded her of how she hoped Chloe looked at her.
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The trio pulled into the parking lot of the Two Whales and Kate turned in her seat.

"Are you sure you're okay to do this? We can just get pick up." Max smiled and shook her head.

"I'm sure. I- I want to do this."

The three teens stepped out of the car and grabbed both of Max's hands, squeezing them reassuringly. Max took a deep breath and allowed them to lead her into the diner.

She was surprised not be hit with a wave of nausea the second she stepped into the diner.

Okay, she said to herself, okay so far so good.

Until they got to the booth.

At first, Max hadn't realized it was the booth, until she noticed the writing on the right hand side of the table and it all came back to her. This was her and Chloe's booth. They always say here, from the first time they went to Two Whales together as kids, to the last time in a different universe. She still remembered what was in Chloe's pockets (76 cents, 7 cigarettes, a parking ticket from 10:56 am and a robot panda keychain). It was hers and Chloe's booth, but Chloe would never sit here again, or eat another egg or drink another milkshake or ask her mom for another free meal ever again because she was dead and it was all Max's fault.

The brunette started hyperventilating and she could feel the tears welling up behind her eyes. Everyone started to seem so far and distant.

"Kate?" Max called, "Kate, I- I can't—"

"Sssh," the blonde said, helping her up and rubbing circles into her back. "It's okay. We're going to walk back to Victoria's car now, okay?" Max nodded tearfully. "I'm going to lead you. Even if I sound distant just follow my voice, okay sweetie?"

"O-okay."

Kate lead Max to Victoria's car and both girls crawled into the back with Max's head laid on the other girls lap. They sat in silence before Victoria came back with some bags of food and they drove back to Blackwell.

"I'm sorry if I ruined anything," Max said.

"No no no, you didn't ruin anything Max," Kate assured her. "You just weren't ready yet, is all. It's okay."