The Week that Came to Be

I muttered some words aimlessly towards the unconsious Max who was next to me, her condition hadn't changed at all since I left her for around half an hour at the least.

Knowing that I would be here for a while, I opened my bagpack and decided to begin sketching things to pass the time. I looked around the room for inspiration but I couldn't get my eyes off Max. Her helpless body with bandages wrapped around her underneath the drags they made her wear.

I remember her words as they echoed through my mind, her last words were about me and I can't help but feel guilt for it all. She was hiding behind a stall as she had no idea what to do but as soon as a gun showed up, she threw herself at it and got herself shot.

If I never told Nathan to meet him there then he wouldn't have shot Max.

I shouldn't have ever asked to meet him in the first place, he's a PRESCOTT. A fucking excuse of a human and I let him meet me as I just wanted some quick cash. I'm just as pathetic as him. He drugged me and shot Max.

Why did I blackmail him, shouldn't I have known never to mess with a Prescott? Then again, I had no idea what he really was capable of.

What else has he covered up before?

Sure, he's now arrested as well as that photography teacher. I'm sure that Max probably came to Blackwell because he was teaching here but who am I to even judge. 

"I love you Chloe. I always have.." Those words stuck out and I smiled softly, holding her hand once again.

"I love you too Max." I said, it was true.

I love Max freaking Caulfield.

And I don't know if she'll ever know how much. I've missed her for five years and she's come back to me at the worst possible time, I should've checked the attendees or something. Asked David if anyone called Max had joined this year, just something.

But no, I decided to focus on Rachel but I have no idea where she is yet. She could be alive and in LA or not. Then again, Max said in her journal that she couldn't save Rachel. Maybe Rachel is gone and I can't do anything about it anymore.

I don't know and I just need Max to be okay now. I care about Rachel still but I need Max with me, to hold my hand again, to brush out my hair like she used to, to put plasted on my knees again from me falling off my skateboard...

A twitch.

A small movement in her hand.

She held my hand again, but it was much stronger then the one from yesterday. Small tears came out my face as I felt her hand clutching onto mine and I held back softly.

"Max?" I whispered, "Are you waking up?"

The movement faded off and her hand let go, it went back to nothing.

"Fuck... Please... I-I need you Max..." I cried more,

A nurse came in shortly afterwards and checked her vitals, I needed to ask her if this was normal or just anything.

"Uh- Nurse miss-" I said,

"Yes?" she replied back and looked at me, "If you're going to ask about when she's going to wake up, we don't know yet besides by Friday or next week"

"Yeah yeah.. I uh... Is it normal for someone in her uh.. condition- t-to move their hands-?"

"Hm? Has she been moving her muscles?" The nurse seemed to get her board and write this down, she seemed interested and I continued to respond to her,

"Yeah, she's held my hand back twice now. I-It sounds weird but she has! I- I'm not sure what it means or anything.."

"Its alright Ms Price, Maxine's condition is irregular due to a lot of damage to her arteries but we are trying our best to understand it as well as you. If she continues to have random muscle movements just anywhere, tell one of us and we'll keep note of it. She'll be bound to wake up sooner if she's reacting to things now" The nurse explained and smiled softly, she put a hand on my shoulder and nodded,

"You must be a great friend to her if you're willing to stick around even till after visting hours" she motioned towards my bagpack and must've realised that I have more clothes in there.

"I... We haven't spoken in years... I-I'm making up for it now though" I confessed and she nodded,

"That's what a great friend would do" she remarked and put her hand off my shoulder to leave the room, "If anything changes, push the help button and someone will come as soon as possible"

I nodded and she finally left the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts. The thought of Max waking up sooner was getting to me as I cluthed onto her hand again and sighed out. The day was bearly halfway through and all I wanted was the day to be Friday.

Today was Tuesday and I just wanted her to wake up as I an not wait longer then another minute, I needed to distract myself so I turned the TV on at a low volume and used began sketching things properly this time.

I drew Max in her bed and a small sketch of how she'd look normally and without all of these wires attached to her and with her dumb doe eyed self. Oh how much I've missed her, its heartbreaking to see her like this and to see everything attached to her in such a way.

All I want is to hug her silly and to comfort her so much, to tell her that I'm here and with her. To tell her to wake up and to be safe. To just get her to see me again but normally.

I began to think about what we'd do together once she wakes up.

To take her to Portland and get books for her, to go on a thrift store lookout as she seems to like those clothing styles as Kate said so and to give her the world. She deserves the world.

A knock on the door woke me up from me sketching a fantasy, I looked up a saw Kate Marsh enter holding a bag with her as well as another person I kinda recognised to be the 'boy genius' from Blackhell. Wasn't his name Werna or something?

"Hello again Chloe" Kate smiled softly and came in with the boy tailing behind,

"Sup again Kate" I said and looked at the boy, "Sup to you too nerd boy"

The boy looked at me and held his arm to the other to make himself seem smaller, kinda like how Max does.

"This is Warren, one of Max's classmates" OH WAREN!

"Oh yeah! You're the kid who's nearly finished high school aintcha?"

"Yeah" Warren replied and looked down, "Is uh.. Max alright?"

"She's as good as she can be.." I sighed out and closed my notebook, "A nurse came in earlier and said that she'd wake up by at least Friday"

"That's great!" He smiled, "I- I'm sorry but we haven't properly met, Chloe."

"Yup. I droped out a couple months into the year you came in"

"Haha... Yeah... Uh- Kate said that you knew Max when you were younger?"

"Uh huh. We're best friends." I said, my tone was more stern then how I'd typically speak but being honest here, I don't like Warren. He seems nosey but not nosey like Max. He seems to be nosey enough to knowing specific people more instead of Max who is just nosey in general.

"Cool. Cool- She never really talked much about living here before now but she did mention an old friend"

"Kate's said this conversation already, is there a reason to why you wanna talk to me?" I put my leg ontop of the other and stared at the two who were standing up.

"I- I uh... Y-you might know her more then me and I uh... Would it be weird if I ask you a question?"

"You're already asking me one." I raised an eyebrow and stayed silent for a moment before replying again, "You can ask me something but be prepared as I don't know her much anymore"

He nodded and gulped. Litterally gulped. Was he depending on me to answer his question or something?

"I just wanted to know if uh.. Max is okay with... uh- Like- dating people"

Huh?

HUH?

This dude, expects me to know if the unconsious girl likes to date people even know I litterally just said that I don't know her much anymore. Is this guy really dense or what?!

"How the hell should I know?" I result back with, my tone snappy.

"Sorry I asked"

"Better be." I huffed out and folded my arms, Kate stepped up to me and held out the bag she was holding.

"Sorry about Warren, I told him not to ask that but he's got a really concerning crush over Max...  Anyway, here is a bag of her clothes. I put a couple of her photos in there which might cheer her up once she wakes up. Also, please tell her that Lisa is being watered properly until she comes back to her dorm"

Her smile was so genuine and I smiled back, Kate was so sweet and adorable.

"S'cool Kate. I'll tell her that and thank you... Really. I couldn't go into her dorm myself so you being there is a life saviour. But what or who is Lisa?"

Kate chuckled lightly, "Max's plant, she got it from her mother and named it Lisa."

"Thats cute" I chuckled back and looked at Max's hand. I was holding it still and I sighed out, "D'you know anything about her parents? They uh.. They left already before I could spea to them properly"

"Hm... I've never met her parents properly but she's never complained about them... Hmm... Wait- That's a lie." Kate sat down opposite me and Warren stayed standing up at the other side of the room. Probably not wanting to be apart of any conversations anymore.

"She ranted about them once when I made her green tea for the first time. Talked about how overly possessive they are of her and how little they do care when she did something wrong."

"Oh? I knew they were possesive and crap but that other thing? Can you explain that?"

"Max said that her parents brought her to the hospital once when she broke her arm and they left her at the hospital until she got better... Is that what they're doing now?"

"Shit.." I mumbled, "Her parents left her and she's in a coma."

"That's horrible... A-are you sure they left?"

"Pretty sure. Vanessa said that she needed to get back to work as soon as possible and that Ryan was due to work later in the day."

I recalled the information I somewhat looked over yesterday when the Caulfield's left. How sick are they!?

"That's stupid!" I shouted in anger, "They don't care about her!"

"Chloe... T-that may or may not be true. We can't assume." Kate said softly and sighed out, "I'm sure that there must be a proper explaination to the situation her parents are in even though working seems like a bad escuse..."

I huffed out and nodded, "Sorry for shouting- I-.. I just want Max to wake up and tell me whatevers gone on with her"

"I understand" Kate said and nodded softly, I looked at her and side smiled. I glanced at Warren who was looking at us still and he didn't know what to do with himself.

"I think its time we be off, it was nice to see you again today. Keep in touch if anything happens please" she said and got up, I nodded and waved goodbye as the two left the room.

Once they left, I looked back at Max and huffed out in anger.

"Your parents don't care enough about you do they.." I mumbled out and moved my chair closer towards her. While doing this, I observed her small details on her face more and more, discovering old freckles like they were new ones again.

Some were new, some in different places then before and some even on her neck. Some on her arms and even her little hand. I opened my hand and looked at her own, looking at the browny dots on it and remembering how self consious she used to be.

I wonder if she covers them up or something still... She used to be so embarassed by them that she'd wear something to cover her arms and sometimes took her mom's concealer to hide them. I was always the one convincing her to show her true self as that's what best friends do, right? She was always nervous about them and I loved them.

They're still just as beautiful as I remember.

Time went on and I was getting a little hungry and before opening the bag of chips I had with me, my phone buzzed. I picked up the phone and saw that mom had texted me and I replied back for once

Mom

Chloe sweetie, are you coming home for dinner or should I bring something for you?

I'm staying with Max today mom. I dont need anything

Nonsense I'm coming over with your dinner. No David this time as I wanna talk to you like we did together yesterday. Even if the circumstances were horrible, I enjoyed talking to you like how we used to.

I miss that too

I'll be there in a few, taking David's car.

Okay, love you.

Love you too Chloe

So that was my told, no chip for thee. But hey, no David with us and its mom... Mom and Max, together again... If only Max could wake up and see how many people miss her and how much I need her to be with me again.

I watched the door as time went on and the door knocked after a while, opening to show mom holding some take-out of meals from Two Whales. She didn't have to do this but I'm glad we're finally doing things like this again.

Max really is an angel in disguise.