they scream at her. they tell her that it’s her fault, she did this to them. did what? max tries to cover her ears, tries to apologize for something she’s not sure of, but nothing works. she’s drowning ; drowning in their profanities and screams and, soon enough, she’s literally drowning. thunder booms ahead and lightning is her only source of light. that is, until, a hand reaches out. max grasps it and instantly, the storm clears. the words hush. chloe stands before her, much to max’s relief. but before max can speak, thank her, chloe has suddenly turned her back and the world is dark. chloe speaks few words: “ you did this, max. my dad dies and you had to go and let mom die, too. just give up, max. you’ll never save me when you keep hurting me like this. ”
max wakes up with a start. she reaches to the other side of the bed, her heart dropping when she finds only a mess of blankets. she blinks away a few stray tears and kicks away her sheets, body enveloped in a cold sweat. just what was that nightmare ? she’s no stranger to them, but ever since she got to the city, they’re different… and her head starts to hurt when she tries to think on them too hard. it’s all just too much. being without chloe on some nights hasn’t helped, though max makes it a point to spend as much time with chloe as possible. max sighs, jumping into a pair of sweats and pulling on a jacket. with complete disregard to her sloppy looks, max slowly makes her way out of the apartment, careful to not make noise that could disturb her roommate.
she’s pulling out her phone as she walks down the hallway and out of the apartment complex, breathing in the fresh air. right away, she pulls up chloe’s contact. she didn’t want to knock on chloe’s door as to not wake her roommate either, and calling would be useless if chloe is asleep. so, max sends a simple text accompanied with a picture of the tree she finds herself near.
to: chloe ♥
You awake? I can’t sleep, I’m gonna be hanging around outside and thought you could join me. Up for some late night adventures again?
with that, max pockets her phone, and waits. she really hopes that chloe is awake and hates that they don’t live together. she… can’t even quite remember how that happened. why? oh well, at the very least, they were finally able to leave arcadia bay. something unsettles her… but she brushes that off as leftover feelings from the nightmare. with another sigh, max finds a bench to wait on, making sure her eyes are clear of tears for when chloe shows up ─ and max has a strong feeling she will.
THE NIGHTS DRAG ON LONGER IN THIS CITY. sleep evades her no matter how hard she tries to reach it. it seems as though every time her consciousness begins to drift, she’s startled awake by a feeling she can’t quite discern. she knows it’s partly longing, for the person she cherishes most. they are in the same apartment complex, but they rarely sleep together anymore, and though they still see each other often, that empty space next to her when the quiet becomes too much, when the voices in her head become too loud, leave her missing her partner dearly.
there is something else as well. a feeling of guilt ( ? ) she can’t shake, the sense that she -- that they, have done something unforgivable, but she doesn’t know what. whenever she does manage to get some sleep, she’s plagued by nightmares that echo these thoughts, that she’s an awful person, and that so long as she lives, she will have to bear the weight of her sin. what sin? what has she done? sure, she wasn’t the BEST person, and she had made plenty of mistakes, but wasn’t deeming her actions sin a bit dramatic?
whatever. it was probably nothing. knowing her and her own innate need to sabotage herself, this was probably just her own subconsciouses way of trying to ruin the happiness she’s finally found. if she continues to ignore it, it’ll stop ( or so she tells herself. )
she’s lying awake yet again, arms crossed behind her head, when her phone buzzes. she doesn’t even have to check the sender to know who it is. a grin shapes her lips as she reads its contents, relieved to have a reason to get out of bed, before shooting a few texts back.
to: ❤️ super max ❤️
do u even have to ask
i’m hella bored laying in this crappy apartment i need a little adventure
okay that’s a lie it’s not crappy it’s actually pretty sweet but you’re not here so it sucks
b there in 5 hippie
she quickly gathers some of her belongings, slips on her jacket, and quietly exits the door to her apartment to enter the hallway. there’s a bounce in her step as she makes her way towards the apartment complexes entrance, but she’d never admit it. it’s still strange, in the best of ways, how giddy just the thought of spending time with max makes her. it’s a happiness she never thought she could achieve. how cheesy.
once she gets outside, she wastes no time in scanning the area for the tree she’d been sent a picture of. it doesn’t take her long at all to find it opposing a bench with a figure sitting on it. she COULD be mature, she thinks, and announce her arrival the normal way, but that’s not really her style. instead, she silently steps behind the bench, being careful not to step on any leafs, and gently grabs her partners shoulders.
