Trust
Victoria rested her hand against the steering wheel, and began to boil over.
(She’d been at a breaking point for years.)
She slammed her wrist against the wheel with a single, brutal motion - and the flash of pain that burst there was brighter then she’d expected.
(Her hands were bleeding, from where her nails had dug into her palms. She ignored the red marks, and thin streaks.)
She slammed her wrist again. The asphalt flew at her from past the windshield.
(Dawn, with a bright red slap mark across her face.)
The sun touched the horizon, and made the concrete jungle hazy.
Slam!
(Mom, smiling proudly - and very, very coldly.)
She chewed on her cheek - and grit her teeth so hard her jaw ached.
People liked separating things into stages. Five of them, preferably.
Victoria had been on stage five of a mental breakdown for months at least.
She slammed her wrist against the wheel - and her face pulled back in a fierce snarl.
Again.
And again.
And again!
(Dad, standing, with his hands behind his back. One of his gold teeth glinted.)
Slam!
(The cheerful ring of a tricycle bell. Careening wind and concrete.)
Slam!
(Long, pale fingers, slamming against the keys of a piano.)
SLAM.
Oh. Okay, ow.
She flung her wrist from side to side, ringing out her fingers and trying to get back the sensation in them.
The junkyard was the next turn.
(She boiled over.)
“Should we be worried?” Chloe hummed, peering at the phone. “Because we’re outta bullets for the gun. I mean, I can pistol whip a bitch, but-”
“You are not pistol-whipping my friend, Chloe.” Max muttered, peering at the phone still.
“You sure? I could just knock her out inste-”
“You’re not going to do anything. We’ll… talk it out.”
“...With the girl who used a fake name so she could demand where you are?” Chloe said, raising an eyebrow.
“She’s a good person, Chloe. She’s just… protective. She wants what’s best for me.”
Chloe blinked.
And then, slowly - horror dawned on her face.
“Oh. Oh, God.”
Max glanced up - just as Chloe turned on her.
“She’s gaslighting you, isn’t she? That’s how she got you to wear that dress. That’s - oh Christ - I thought it was weird that you’d talked about trashing someone’s office, but-”
“Gaslighting me?” Max said - and her face twisted. “What- don’t be ridiculous. Victoria just-”
“Wants what’s best for you? Let me tell you something I’ve learned from hard experience, Max - anyone who gets you to do something you don’t want to because they want what’s best for you, is a lying whore.”
“Victoria is not a whore!”
“Oh yeah? You know her well enough - how many boyfriends has she cheated on?”
“That’s - that doesn’t matter. She… she’s a good person.”
“A good person, who forced you into clothes you’ve never wanted to wear and lies to your friends so she can demand where you’ve gone, for - what, two hours we’ve been here?”
“You… that’s an oversimplification. You don’t know her like I do.”
Chloe stared at her like she was the dumbest creature on earth.
“Max… she was Rachel’s best friend, before we met.”
Max blanched.
“Yeah. I know, it’s shocking.” Chloe said, a lilt of bitter humour in her voice. “I asked her about it, after I realized that your friend Victoria and Rachel’s nemesis Chase were the same person. They were best friends - until Victoria suddenly demanded they break it off. When she questioned her - again, her best friend - Chase slapped her.”
Max stared at her, and Chloe glanced away - looking suddenly very, very tired.
“And she’s still trying to get her best friend back. Her dead best friend. Because, in the end - no matter whether there’s a good person, somewhere deep down - she’s still a Chase.”
And, with that - Max’s face closed up again.
“You just hate her because she’s rich. Because of her family name. You don’t… you don’t know her. She’s a good person. I… she has to be.”
Chloe stared at her.
And then, slowly - she sighed.
“...Okay. I won’t hit her. I’ll… let you handle it. But if she pulls any shit-”
“She won’t.” Max said - very confidently. “She cares about me - I know she does. If I just tell her what’s going on, she’ll… it’ll all be fine. I just have to talk to her alone.”
Chloe hesitated, for another moment.
“...Okay. I trust you, Max. And if you trust her…”
“I do.” Max said, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.
And that was that.