Max startles awake, struggling to grasp the dream she just had. The storm, the destruction of the bay, it all felt so... Real. She struggles for a moment to process just where she is, shaken. Jefferson drones on, someone throws a ball of paper at Kate, a typical class. Victoria and her worker bees boil her blood, especially after what just happened to Kate, but it isn't the time or place to say anything. She snaps a selfie, trying to reset. Jefferson, of course, singles her out. Nothing ever escapes his notice, it's one of the qualities she admires most about him, but right now it's working against her. Of course, she can't answer the question, and Victoria swoops in. It's really pathetic, how much she's trying to kiss up to him, and how little it's working. Aside from that, she manages to get out of class with minimal questioning from Jefferson. She wants to submit a photo for the contest, she does, but nothing ever feels good enough. Not for the Mark Jefferson, who's reviewing every submission. But finally she escapes, heading straight for the girls bathroom. It's mercifully empty, and she takes a minute to refresh herself at the sink. The dream really had felt real, the sense of urgency still hasn't left her. But a welcome distraction comes in through the window in the form of a beautiful blue butterfly, and already her camera is in her hands. She crouches behind the stalls, framing it as it lands on a bucket, and takes the picture. It's a beautiful shot, one she'll have to show to... Rachel, whenever she returns. Before she can ruminate on that too long, the bathroom door slams open and she freezes
Nathan storms over to the sink, clutching it and shaking, gritting his teeth.
Look at you shaking. Fucking pathetic. That bitch as nothing on you. Nothing. And she'll never tell anyone anything anyways. You're going to make sure of it.
Chloe steps in not long after, dragging a hand along the stall doors to make sure no one's around.
Alright prickscott, let's talk biddness. You wanna tell me just what the hell happened at that goddamn party?!
Yeah, your "perfect girl" did some hard shit and had a good time without you, bitch! What, you think anyone needs you to have fun?!
Nathan glares at Chloe.
Bullshit. Good ol Rachel A told me you took her somewhere, and she found her outside the dorms unresponsive. I drove her to the fucking hospital, she sure as hell didn't walk away from you pieces of shit on her own. So lemme rephrase, what the FUCK did you do to her?!
Chloe's looming over him, getting closer with every word, pure hatred in her eyes
Don't you fucking talk to me like that, bitch!
Nathan pulls out his gun and points it right at Chloe, pushing her against the wall.
Get that gun away from me you psycho!
She tries to push it down and away from her. There's a bang. There's the sensation of wetness against her shirt. Nathan pushes her back, eyes wide with shock. Behind him, there's a grey brown blur. Someone says her name. And then everything stops.
CHLOE!
Max throws out a hand, stepping out from her cover. Something clicks. Everything warps. And then she's startling herself awake in Jefferson's class. Victoria snickers at the look on her face. Jefferson drones on. Someone throws a paper ball at Kate. Courtneys phone buzzes. Everything happens exactly as it did in her dream. Her elbow slips, and her camera falls off the edge of her desk. Fuck it. She puts her hand out, and it floats back up in the exact arc it fell in. Jefferson walks backwards, lecture reversing. Fuck. This is real. hands shaking, she takes a selfie. Jefferson perks up, just like before.
Shh, I believe Max has taken what you kids call a selfie... A dumb word for a wonderful photographic tradition. And Max... Has a gift. Of course, as you all know, the self portrait has been popular since the early 1800's. your generation was not the first to use images for selfie expression, sorry. The point remains that portraiture has always been a vital aspect of art, and photography, for as long as it's been around. Now Max, since you've captured our interest and clearly want to join the conversation, can you please tell me the name of the process that gave birth to the first self portraits?
Uh, can I go to the bathroom?
Nice try Max, don't think I'm letting you go that easy. We'll talk more after class.
Shit. Rewind. What was it that Victoria had said?
The Daguerrian Process, invented by French painter Louis Daguerre around 1830.
Somebody has been reading instead of posing. Nicely done, Max.
the praise (however unearned) makes her feel good. But this is no time to play teachers pet. Chloe needs her. She speeds out of class as quickly as possible once the bell rings. The rewind feels like a cheat code, she can let conversations play out, and then rewind to give the perfect answer for every outcome. But still, there's no time for the whys or how's of this new power. The scene in the bathroom plays out the exact same. But this time, she springs the fire alarm before Nathan can shoot.
Nathan gets pushed away by Chloe and quickly hides his gun before rushing out with the rest of the students.
Chloe bolts too, no doubt a little spooked by the events. She's gone by the time Max exits, but she's just in time for David Madsen and Principal Wells to catch her. She tells them the truth about the bathroom, excluding Chloe. her best friend almost died for gods sake, and if Nathan's really behind what happened to Kate he needs to be held accountable. She can tell by the looks on their faces they don't believe her, but fuck, it's better than nothing. And then... She goes about her day as usual. It feels totally surreal, these powers at her fingertips, but they're useful. They save Alyssa from a football, and get her past the Queen Bee and her drones into the building. She feels a little bad about her sweater, but with how she's been treating Kate, that doesn't even start to balance the scales. She needs to find Chloe but her truck is empty, there's no telling where she is and there's no chance she'll answer a text. Rachel is still missing, and Kate's locked herself in her room. So she plays errand girl for a couple hours, learning that Dana Ward of all people is pregnant, negotiating a feud between her and Juliet, and finally retrieving the flash drive of movies that boy Warren lent her. He has good taste, the kind of nerdy artsy films she enjoys too. She thinks she should find him cute. But the way he goes in for a hug in the parking lot puts her off, a little. After all, she hardly knows him, she's been too busy being dragged around by Rachel to talk with him a ton. They talk for a little, before Nathan Prescott starts storming his way across the lot towards them
Jesus, who pissed him off?
...shoot
Hey, Caulfield! Do you have any idea who I am?! My family owns this school, owns this town! You think you can say whatever you like about me to the Principal behind my back?!
If you had nothing to hide, you wouldn't be upset. I said nothing but the truth
It's hard to steel herself in the face of the boy she just saw shoot her best friend, but she puts on a brave face. Her rewind feels like a wall between her and danger, even if she knows it can't protect her if she can't react fast enough. There's too many people around, though, no way he pulls a gun here
Nobody talks to me that way! Nobody!
Nathan storms up to Max, and as the nerdy boy near her tries to step in, Nathan headbutts him directly in the eye for his trouble, sending him to the ground, and he goes to grab Max by the collar.
She struggles for a second, and then Chloe's truck roars to life, peeling out of her spot and nearly slamming into them both. A familiar mop of blue hair and those piercing blue eyes look at her from over the wheel.
Chloe!
She scowls at the sight of Nathan, who's dropped Max by this point. She reaches over to fling the passenger door open.
Come on, hippy!
Don't you run away from me you bitch!
Nathan scrambles back to his feet and kicks the passenger door closed, putting a dent in it and nearly taking off Max's foot as it slams shut hard, before starting to pound on the door as Chloe peels out of the parking lot.
It takes a minute for Max to catch her breath.
That was- oh dog, Chloe you're not gonna believe the day I've had.
No "thanks for saving my butt from the most dangerous shithead on campus?" Wow, I'm feeling so appreciated. Why the hell was he after you anyways?
I might have told Principal Wells he was waving a gun around in the girls room
Waving a- oh shit, the fire alarm! That was you?! Fuck, I should be thanking you for saving my ass. I totally thought I was toast there!
Max laughs weakly.
it's not like I was going to let him shoot you. I guess I was just in the right place at the right time. I was behind the stalls, taking a picture of this butterfly, when Nathan came in
like a freaking ninja! First time your photography has saved a life, I bet.
Max swings her bag into her lap, fishing out the picture. It came out good, but that's not what catches her attention
Oh, crap...
Her camera is totally busted
that jerkwad totally smashed my camera when he grabbed me.
Maybe you could fix it? Sergeant Pornstache has a ton of stuff in his garage
David? I don't know, I need really specific tiny tools
He's got so much shit, I'm sure you could find something that works. And wouldn't you know it, he actually is a tiny tool. ... how'd you know it was him?
...Rachel told me. Nothing more than that, just mentioned you'd been out of the house more because of it.
Of course. Whatever, i kinda owe you one and any reason to piss him off is a good one.
Max nods, looking out the window again. The drive to the house is a short one, and it's like nothing has changed at all. No one's home, and Max doesn't question the way Chloes shoulders intense when she realizes that. She's probably not looking forward to reintroducing her to Joyce, she's never been good with the mushy stuff. They chat while they walk through the house, just like old times. They find what Max needs, but when she sets her camera on Chloe's desk for a diagnostic...
...shoot. there's no fixing this.
It's smashed beyond repair, plastic case cracked inwards and the delicate machinery inside crushed.
Chloe pats her back
Shit, I'm sorry Max.
A lightbulb goes off in her head
Hold on a sec
She crouches in front of her shelves, pulling the old camera from its spot. It's nearly pristine, it's not like she's touched it since William died. She brushes the dust from the case, and thrusts it towards Max.
Here. Happy late birthday
Chloe, I couldn't-
Take it, Maximus. Seriously, it's gonna go to waste if you leave it here, I don't have the eye for it like you do. Come on, appreciate it properly
She takes it, however reluctantly. She wants to hug Chloe, but... That's too far. For now at least. But dog, beneath the rough exterior, it's still the girl she knew. The one with the biggest heart in the whole world, who'd fight like hell to keep the people she loves happy. Gosh, no wonder Kate fell for her. She's... Happy, for them. Even if a small part of her feels like she missed some chance she didn't know she had
Thank you Chloe, seriously. I'll take care of it.
All in all, it doesn't take long to learn just why Chloe's ended up like she has. A CD, a joint, and a poloroid later, and David Madsen is marching up the stairs, slamming a fist against the door. Chloe flinches, hard.
TURN THAT PUNK SHIT OFF!
God, it's not even on you asshole!
She turns to Max, who's never looked more like a deer in headlights.
Hide! He'll kill us both if he finds you here!
and so, a couple rewinds later, she finds herself behind the door of her closet. What takes place next... She can hardly believe. They argue, and David talks down to her like she's committed some serious crime. There's nothing but disgust in his eyes, and some satisfaction, and she realizes with slight horror that he enjoys putting her in her place. It escalates, Chloe lashes out, and he slaps her so hard she falls backwards. Max's hand moves without thinking, it's reflex already, and she jumps back a minute
And then she jumps out of the closet. She takes the fall for everything he's trying to pin on her, and talks right back when he tries to corner her. No one who treats her best friend like that is going to get away with it. He backs down, and Chloe says something along the lines of complimenting her for being a badass, but she can hardly process it. How could Joyce ever love a man who'd do that to her daughter? But it never happened in this timeline, she can't ask Chloe about it they escaped through the window, and then they're free again.