╭⋟────────────────────────╮
Hattie blinked slowly, she heard music and people talking around her, it took her a moment to finally realize where she was, she was at the Vortex Club party, she knew that Max would be in the parking lot with Warren and Chloe at this time, she had to get there fast, there could still be time to save Nathan. She ran out the back door, avoiding Mr. Jefferson at all costs, she ran straight for the parking lot, "Max?" She yelled out, there was no response, she saw three figures approaching, "Max!" She breathed a sigh of relief, then she saw Chloe, "Oh my god, Chloe!" She was so happy to see her alive.
Chloe raised a brow, clearly confused, "You guys are weird, what's this about?"
Max sighed and Warren awkwardly stood off to the side, "I guess you guys need to talk, no worries."
"Sorry, Warren," Max looked over to him for a moment.
"Max, what's going on, we have to go fight Nathan, right fucking now, he has to pay for what he did to Rachel..." Chloe didn't even bother looking over to Hattie as she said this, she just marched towards the party.
"Chloe! Wait," Hattie reached out and grabbed her arm, Chloe pulled it away harshly once she was touched.
"Listen, I get he is your boyfriend, and you and Max are some weird friends now, but I don't give a shit. Nathan has to pay."
Max grabbed Chloe's arm herself as she started to walk off, "Stop and listen for once!"
Chloe finally stopped walking, letting out a sigh, "Fine... Max, I'm listening." Hattie rubbed her temples, her head was pounding, it was like she couldn't hear her thoughts.
"Chloe, you cannot go into the party, you're gonna- you're gonna die if you do," Max held onto Chloe's hand tightly as she spoke.
"You used your powers, right. And you fucked around with time, and I died."
"Not like that..."
Chloe laughed, "You're supposed to back me up, there is no way that punk-ass bitch Nathan Prescott is taking me down!"
Hattie let out a nervous laugh, "You're not getting it."
"You're right, he won't. Mark Jefferson killed you, and others," Max was quick to explain to her.
Chloe started to pace back and forth, "Jefferson? The art teacher? That's bullshit! Nathan is the fucking serial killer! We saw the proof! Now, excuse me, I'm going to that party to make sure he never hurts anybody again! Are you coming?"
Hattie laughed harder at this point, "For fuck sake, Chloe, Nathan isn't a serial killer! It is Jefferson, he used him for his own sick game, you can't get revenge if you are fucking dead!"
"It doesn't matter. I have to make Nathan pay for what he did to Rachel, and I know that at least Max has my back." Chloe started storming off once again.
"Chloe!" Max yelled, she sighed and rewound time, Hattie's head was pounding worse now, Chloe was in front of them once again. "No, not this way, Chloe. I- I can't keep fixing everything. All I'm gonna do is just break it over and over again. I know how it's going to turn out, I am afraid of fucking up all these alternate realities..." Max tried her best to explain to Chloe everything, Chloe looked at her confused, Hattie did as well.
"Alternate realities?" Hattie asked her.
"Who do you mean, Max, what did you do?" Chloe questioned her, sounding frustrated still.
Max let out a sigh, "I fucked up, I wanted to make things right. But, everything turned out wrong."
"Max... What are you talking about?" Chloe kept questioning her, then Max started to tell a story of an alternate reality that she witnessed, Hattie could picture it all as Max explained it.
▬▬ι══════════════ι▬▬
A group of Blackwell students sat in a circle, it consisted of Hattie, Hayden Jones, Courtney Wagner, Logan Robertson, Zach Riggins, Taylor Christensen, Nathan, Max, and Victoria. A boy and girl walked by, their conversation could be heard as they passed, "You are such a ho-bag, I knew you'd hook up with that loser," The girl said.
"I am not paying 150 dollars for a concert," The boy told the girl as they kept going.
Zach and Logan started to laugh, "So, that's why she was laughing so hard!"
Taylor shrugged her shoulders, "All my friends in LA told me that Oregon was gonna be wet and cold every day, but, it's like 75 degrees and I haven't seen rain once since I got here... Is that climate change?"
Hattie let out a small giggle, shaking her head at Taylor, "No, that's just people trying to keep you Californians out." Max sat there, looking around, clearly confused.
Victoria waved her hand in front of Max's face, "Helloooo, are you even listening Maxine?"
Hattie nudged Victoria playfully, "It's probably the smokes," The girls laughed together at this comment.
Max gave Victoria a strange look, "Max, never Maxine..." Max finally spoke up to the girls.
"I know... Sorry, Max Max, you're not pissed at me, right?" Victoria tilted her head to the side, "Do you want to go hit the girls' potty with Hattie and I and smoke 'em peace pipe?"
Hattie raised a brow, "She's probably already high," Hattie joked with her.
Warren approached the group now, Hattie quickly got up, hugging him, "Oh, it is about time you showed up" She laughed, giving him a quick kiss, "Max is acting, like, totally sketched out..."
"Has she been smoking?" Warren asked, sitting down on the ground, he pulled Hattie sit on his lap.
"That's what we're trying to figure out."
"Nobody listened to me when I said we shouldn't let her in the Vortex-" Courtney started to speak, but Taylor cut her off quickly.
"Courtney, you don't want anybody in the club," Taylor said to her with a laugh.
"Whatever bitch."
▬▬ι══════════════ι▬▬
Max then went on to explain to Chloe that she saved her dad, but then Chloe got into an accident, causing her to be paralyzed, "You were completely paralyzed and you were in pain... Slowly dying and you asked- you asked me to end your life..." Max said, her voice was soft and concerned. Hattie stood there, processing everything, just listening to them speak, "And I did... For you, I didn't want you to suffer in any other timeline or reality- I couldn't bear the thought of you in any more pain..."
Chloe embraced Max in a hug, comforting her, "I am so sorry I had to ask you that..." They went on to discuss some stuff about David. Hattie was totally zoned out, she was thinking about that alternate reality.
"I was with Warren... Really? How did that ever come about, that is so weird," Hattie thought to herself.
"Hattie? Hello?" Max waved her hand in front of her face once she noticed how zoned out she was, "I know what you are thinking about, but... That alternate you is not you in this reality, we need to focus."
Chloe sighed, "Anyway," She tried to keep the conversation going so they could plan what was going on, "What is the plan?"
"We have to tell David everything," Max explained to her, she knew David was the only way that Jefferson would be caught.
"Okay, you guys have been through so much- I'll trust you guys... I believe you, I am still your faithful companion, Max," Chloe gave Max a smile, just to lift the mood.
"Yes, you are. So, listen, in a few minutes, I won't know any of this happened, nothing... We absolutely have to stay in your room and do nothing, then we explain everything to David and we finally let him do his job. You'll have to tell me exactly what I did and said just now, just explain that I traveled through time using the photo," Max held onto Chloe's shoulders as she explained all of this to her.
"Wait," Hattie gave Max a confused look, "We can't save Nathan, you sai- you said, Max," Hattie looked at her teary-eyed, clearly growing more frustrated.
Chloe looked at Max once more, growing confused once again, "What does she mean save Nathan?"
"Fuck," Max looked at the ground, at this point, her mind was spinning.
"Nathan is going to die and you said you could fix everything and everything was going to be okay!" Hattie yelled now, she looked towards the school building, "God..."
Max sighed, turning to Hattie, "I don't know what to do!"
Hattie shook her head, "See you later, Max... In whatever fucked up reality you send me to next."