Moonlight Sonata
hey chloe, I need you to get a number for me
Chloe handed Max back her phone - and pressed the blue send button below the number on her own phone.
They leaned against each other - comfortable with the warmth that filled them both - for a long time, before Max finally posed the important question of,
“How do we get home?”
Chloe blinked.
“...I was just gonna walk, but… I could call up my Mom, if you’d rather not.”
“It’s, like - a thirty minute walk to school.” Max muttered. “But… I could make it, if you’d rather not call anyone.”
“I’d rather keep walking for thirty minutes as a last resort.” Chloe said, very simply. Max nodded against her shoulder. “Do you have anyone you could call?”
Max thought.
“...I could try Kate. She got picked up by someone - she’s probably got her car back by now.” Max said, digging out her phone.
“Uh… are you sure she’ll drive me too?”
Max paused.
“...If she won’t, then… I can do something else, I guess. Or we could walk.”
“We could get a cab?” Chloe offered, shrugging the shoulder Max wasn’t leaned against.
“I don’t have any cash.” Max said, scrolling through her contacts. “Let’s just try Kate first, okay? Maybe if I explain… Kate’s my best friend. I’m sure she’d be willing to pick us up.”
Chloe - very hesitantly - nodded.
“Oh, did I mention she’s terrifying?”
Max snorted.
“Yeah, she is. Now shush, you - I’m dialing.”
Chloe mimed zipping her lips, and Max cracked a smile - pressing the phone to her ear.
Brrring.
Brrring.
Brrring.
Brrring.
Brr-
“Mmf - yeah?”
“...Kate?”
“Wha - Max? What’re you… it’s nearly midnight, hun.”
“I know, and I’m sorry for waking you - but me and Chloe really need a ride.”
“...Urgh… Chloe and I, first of all. And you didn’t wake me - someone else called earlier… Uhm… I can… okay, I can send someone to pick you both up.”
“That would be wonderful. Thanks so much, Kate.”
“...Could you hand the phone to Chloe?”
“...Yeah. Hold on.”
“...Yo, Kate? Max said you wanted me?”
“Yeah. I just… wanted to say I’m sorry. About… everything.”
“...Oh. Uh. It’s okay. I can’t blame you, heh.”
“Just… I can… be kinda judgemental. I know that. And-”
“Dude. It’s fine. I get it. I’m not mad at you. Hell, I should thank you for giving me any kind of chance.”
“I just… I’m sorry.”
“You, Kate- I don’t know your last name.”
“Marsh.”
“You, Kate Marsh, are hereby forgiven. Oh - and thanks for taking care of Max for me.”
“Heh. I… I didn’t, really. I’ve… been kind of a crummy friend.”
“...Well, we can start anew! Work together, to protect Max from the horrors of the world.”
“That sounds nice. I’ll send that car to get you guys now.”
“Thankee! Max, say thanks. ...Max says thanks, too.”
“Alright, I have to sleep. Goodnight.”
“Night!”
Click.
hey, brooke
Hello Kate.
can you do something else for me? im sorry i keep asking for stuff :(
It’s fine. What is it?
once you get my car, can you go pick up max and chloe from the police station?
Well, what have you done for me lately?
BROOKE D:
Joking. See, I told you my jokes were bad. I’ll get them.
thanks so much :)
:)
!!
you smiled!!!
Don’t get used to it.
srsly though, thanks so much. youve been a Godsend
Well, shucks. Next you’ll call me an angel.
your an angel, brooke ;)
I do not approve of the suggestiveness of that wink.
;;;;;)
That is a lovecraftian monster of a text if I’ve ever seen one.
ok but really gn now
Sweet dreams, Katherine Beverly Marsh.
!
you know my middle name???
No. It was a wild shot in the dark.
Of course I do, you absolute alec.
how???
I know all.
ok but really though
You had a card from your mother in your bathroom. Leaning against the mirror. It was one of the few pieces of decorum you own. I took notice.
thats really nice brooke
that you remembered that
The ratio of truthful to untruthful texts in this conversation is waning.
?
Nevermind.
I expect your hair to be down when I see you tomorrow morning.
aw
i like it in a bun :(
Irrelevant.
fine, you meanie
we have classes in the morning, though
Including History. Where we are partnered. And I am not sitting next to you unless you have your hair down. I’ll fake an illness - I can vomit on command.
you can?
nevermind i believe you
It’s not hard. You just use your stomach like it’s a lung.
brooke, please never say anything like that again
Alright.
but really now i need sleepsies
Sweetest dreams, Katherine,
As I do so hope that you
Aren’t unhappy, love.
???
It’s a goodnight haiku. I wrote it just for you.
I have decided to rhyme, to make my time more fine in this line.
I like to think I’m a wordsmith.
…’love’?
I was under a time crunch.
right
you... wrote me a goodnight haiku
You really do have an obsession with repeating things I say.
your really something else, brooke
And you are bad with distinguishing homophones.
?
Nevermind.
nighty night, brooke
May the night smile upon you, Kate.
Kate’s car pulled in front of them.
It wasn’t Kate in the driver’s seat, though.
Max and Chloe exchanged blinks when they saw the girl with black hair - with dyed red and aqua marine highlights - with her hand on the steering wheel of Kate’s vehicle.
“Well? Get in. I’d rather get us all home fast - I’ve been standing too much today.” She said, simply.
Max glanced at Chloe.
Who shrugged - and opened the rear door, gesturing her in.
“I’ll be your private chauffeur today.” The woman in front said, as Max slid in and fastened her seatbelt and Chloe closed the door behind them. “Brooke Scott, in case you were wondering. Oh, and I am not driving to two separate locations - so, you’re having a sleepover tonight, Chloe Price. Nothing personal, but I am not driving an extra ten minutes - it’s nearly midnight, and I’m about to collapse from the walk I just had.”
“That’s… fine with me. If Max doesn’t mind,” Chloe added hastily, glancing at Max - who had a very faint blush, and a slightly less faint smile.
“...Sure. You can check out my dorm.”
“Wonderful.” Brooke said - and it even had a hint of sincerity to it. “Everyone buckled in?”
They both nodded.
“In that case - let’s go home.” Brooke said - and gripped the wheel.
The rest of the ride was very quiet.
Every now and again, Chloe would glance at Max - and Max would send her a little smile, before looking out the window again.
Nobody spoke - but they didn’t really have to.
“Oh, one moment please-”
Chloe paused - and Max with her. The punk turned back to Brooke - who was leaned casually against the parked car.
“Can I bum a fag?”
Chloe blinked - but reached into her pocket.
“Sure. One mo’.”
And indeed, after one moment - Chloe offered the brunette a cigarette.
Brooke took it - and Chloe couldn’t help but notice that she did not hold a smoke like a smoker would.
“Need a light?”
“Please.” Brooke said.
Chloe flicked on her lighter.
Brooke lit the cigarette a little more carefully then was strictly necessary - and then, took a very sudden, very deep drag of it.
Before hacking up a lung.
Max and Chloe both stumbled back a step - as Brooke suddenly nearly doubled over with the force of the hacking cough that overtook her.
“Uh - are you… okay?” Chloe said, leaning towards her hesitantly.
Brooke nodded weakly - still coughing.
A pause.
“Uhm…”
Brooke - slowly - began to straighten again. Her cough subsided.
She rubbed her throat.
“...Thanks.” She managed. “That’s all. Go have your sleepover.”
Chloe and Max exchanged a concerned glance.
“Uh… alright?”
They glanced at Brooke again - hesitantly - but began to slowly walk away.
Brooke stamped out the cigarette as they left.
Knock, knock, knock.
…
Knock, knock, knock.
…
Knock, kno-
Victoria groaned.
“Come in!” She called, voice sickly-sweet - and waited for another bothersome nurse, or, worse, the doctor.
Instead - in came Dawn.
Victoria blinked.
“...Nice place you’ve got here.” Dawn said, raising an eyebrow and smirking.
Victoria glared at her.
“What do you want.”
Dawn winced.
“I just… wanted to visit you. Ask how you’re doing.”
“Well. You’ve visited. Goodbye.” Victoria offered, sitting up so she could point to the door - and trying to ignore the splitting sensation in her skull.
Dawn stepped into the room, and closed the door.
Victoria glared at her.
“What. Are. You. Doing.”
“Coming in, Viccy.” Dawn said, like it was the simplest thing in the world.
Victoria sent her a fierce, cutting glare
“Do not. Call me that.”
Dawn, gently, closed her eyes.
Victoria glared at her.
“...I wanted to ask if you’d get some lunch with me.” Dawn said - and her voice was… dead. Completely devoid of emotion.
Victoria blinked.
“...Excuse me?”
“Just me and you. After you get out of the hospital.” Dawn said - and she opened her eyes again, walking over to the bed with a few quick strides. “A date. We can go to that new wing place downtown - I’ve heard good things. I’ll pay.”
Victoria stared at her.
(...For one very short, very fragile moment - she almost wanted to say yes.)
Her glare could melt iron.
“You just get funnier and funnier with every passing year, don’t you Amber? It’s probably that bitch best friend of yours - Price. You need to stop hanging out with her so much - she’s killing what’s left of your brain cells.”
And something changed in Dawn’s face.
“I came to warn you not to try and sue my… bitch best friend.”
Victoria raised her eyebrows - and grinned, wide and cold.
“Warn me, hm? What’re you going to do, Dawn - scrape me with those nails?”
“No.”
Dawn stuck her hands in her pockets, and raised an eyebrow at her.
Her eyes were suddenly very, very cold.
“I’m going to get you thrown in a prison cell for assault and battery against Max Caulfield.”
Victoria froze.
“Well,” Dawn said - and shrugged, voice completely inflectionless. “I’m kinda assuming on the battery part. But I’m willing to bet that there was threatening involved, too.”
Victoria stared.
“...You would lose that case.” She said, finally - though her tone wasn’t quite as steely as she’d meant it to be.
Dawn raised her eyebrows.
“Would I? I’m not so sure, Ms. Chase. I’m sure I would make a good character witness - you know how people love redheads. And I called up one Katherine Beverly Marsh to ask her to be a character witness, too - but guess what? Turns out she had something even better for me.”
The bottom dropped out of Victoria’s stomach.
“Another case of assault! Against a minor, too - and you know how the papers love a scandal.”
Dawn - finally - met her eyes. And her gaze could not have been more threatening.
“Even if the charges didn’t stick - you’d be ruined, Victoria Chase.”
Victoria - for one sickening moment - had no response.
Her hand gripped the sheets.
And she let her eyes water, a little.
“You’d do that to your best friend?” She muttered - and her voice came out sounding very betrayed.
For a moment - something flitted across Dawn’s eyes.
And then, her fist tightened. Her knuckles turned a deadly white.
“No. I wouldn’t.”
Dawn turned away - and walked to the door.
“But I don’t know you.” Dawn threw over her shoulder.
And the door slammed closed before Dawn could see the expression that graced Victoria’s face.
Victoria didn’t press charges.