A Long and Lonesome Highway

Chapter One: The Return to Reality

SNAP

A pristine white light engulfed her vision before the room was able to manifest before her eyes. That blue butterfly flapped its wings before it took off from the bucket. She gingerly picked out the photo as it was instantaneously printed. She dropped it, watching it glide down to the bathroom floor.

It felt like it was the universe's way of teasing her, with a twisted sense of humor.

It was the only way...

...keep telling yourself that bullshit...

Placing the camera inside her bag, she peeked around the corner of the stalls. Anticipating the universe's next move with dread.

Nathan busted open the door, right on time.

"It's cool, Nathan... don't stress...you're okay bro. just count to three. Don't be scared... you own this school.. if I wanted, I could blow it up... you're the boss..."

The butterfly landed on the farthest sink from the door, seemingly observing Max and Nathan.

The door opened again, it felt like she was about to die. Her chest sank into the pit of her stomach, bile rose up.

Fuck...

"So what do you want?"

"I hope you checked the perimeter, as my step-ass would say. Now, let's talk bidness."

"I got nothing for you."

Max pressed her back against the stall, shifting most of her weight off her feet. Gravity intensified and dragged her down the wall onto the floor.

"Wrong. You got hella cash."

"That's my family, not me."

"Oh boo hoo, poor little rich kid. I know you've been pumpin' drugs 'n shit to kids around here... I bet your respectable family would help me out if I went to them. Man, I can see the headlines now-"

"Leave them out of this, bitch!"

"I can tell everybody that Nathan Prescott is a punk ass who begs like a little girl and talks to himself-"

"You don't know who the fuck I am, or who you're messing around with!"

Max had to hold her head to her body, half of herself was ready to do anything to save the girl.

"Where did you get that?" her voice shifted from its usual aggressive tone to one of fear. "What are you doing? Come on, put that thing down!" she pleaded.

"Don't ever tell me what to do. I'm so sick of people trying to control me!"

"You are going to get into hella more trouble for this than drugs!"

"Nobody would even miss your punk ass, would they?"

Max burrowed her hands into her eye sockets.

Fuck, fuck, fuck fuck fuck fuck, fuck! Fuck! FUCK!

No, please!

"Get that gun away from me, psycho!"

BANG

Max flinched before she dropped her head between her knees, wrapping herself up in her arms to seal the world away. Tears flowed silently, not even Nathan's cries for forgiveness were heard by her. She balled herself up

The world seemed to grind to a halt, even for a moment. The sinking feeling increased to an astronomical level, the world seemed to implode. ll of the alternate Maxes, the alternate timelines she created seemed to flow into one.