❛ trust me, i’m not going to get caught. ❜ / for vic.
SIRENS WAIL in the distance, not far off from jay’s house. she brushes it off at first, probably, mistakenly, thinking she’s safe. but that is not so. the siren scream grows louder–no, closer–as the minutes tick by. soon, they sound like they’re right outside. in the midst of thinking maybe she should check on her neighbor, there’s a hollow pounding on jay’s door. against her better judgment, jay opens the door, to two overweight teens in ill-fitting dark blue uniforms with TUMBLR POLICE in comic sans across a plastic gold badge on their left chest pocket. bent over with their hands on their knees and panting like dogs, they attempt talking in unison.
“you’re–inhale–under–wheeze–arrest!” Jay looks from the one on the left to the one on the right, bewildered. Her hand going to her heart in confusion, she asks, “For what?”
The uncertainty seems to give the two teens a second wind, and they sand with one hand on their hips, the other stabbing a finger (er, two) into jay’s chest as their voices boom,
concerned sentence prompts | not accepting | @punkdtm
A long forgotten treasure. Youch. Max forgot about it in the first place. Right after the funeral of Chloe’s dad. The casette tape, with a long abandoned promise never fullfilled. Max had finished listening to the recording, with Chloe right there to overhear. ❛ You should be resting. ❜ It didn’t help much that Chloe curtly dismiss the whole thing. Max doesn’t blame her. ❛ S-sorry, I just… can’t believe it’s still here. After all this time… …some shitty friend I turned out to be, huh ? ❜
❝ you saw the messed up parts of me, & stayed. ❞ / @ vic
SHORT STORIES ( accepting! )
Victoria barely reacted at first, save for an, “Mhm,” and a nod as she continued reading the paper. Not met with anything else, she realized this might be a Thing, one of Chloe’s rare, but very genuine, sweet moments. Sighing, she took off her glasses and looked up.
“Well, yeah. We’ve been doing this for… What, say, twenty years now? On and off, anyway. It’d be kind of stupid to toss that out now. Unless this is a weirdly sweet opening to the I Want a Divorce talk.” Only receiving an annoyed look in return, Victoria set her paper down, looked at Chloe full-on, and smiled. “My messed up parts fit perfectly with yours, Chlo. I’m not going anywhere.”
Every year, Chloe made sure that Rachel's birthday was an event to remember, and this year is no different. She's outlandish, and while their little place at the junkyard is their own home away from home, her birthday is special. Pulling together all the lawn mowing money she'd been saving (a miracle in itself), she attached two tickets to L.A. in an envelope with a bag of weed (supplied by Hayden), she approached Rachel's door and beamed as soon as she came out. "Happy Birthday."
HAPPY BIRTHDAY RACHEL AMBER!!! ( accepting! )
Rachel’s lips twisted in a wry smile as she opened the door, cocking her head. “Chloe? Is something happening today that I forgot about?”
She’s an actress by nature, she could’ve sold it if she wanted to. Instead she goes for over the top, bringing a hand to her chest. “Could there be... something special about today?”
But then she sees the bag, and the envelope. Assuming it’s concert tickets, or maybe tickets to a film festival, she can’t hide her surprise whens she lifts the tickets, and sees what they’re for. PDX to LAX, leaving in just a few days. Her head spins, and she leans against the door frame before the the excitement hits her like a tidal wave, and she leaps into Chloe’s arms, shrieking and cheering incoherently between “thank you”s. When she finally lets go, she spins around, face to the sun, laughing.
“Oh, my god. Chloe! This is just–” Rachel spins back to Chloe and hugs her tightly. “This is perfect. Thank you.”
it had been a few years since samantha’s mother had pulled her out of blackwell, very much against her will, and she was . . . surprised that she had been allowed back for senior year, to say the least. the school had had no issues with it, happy to take another 4.0 student once she’d reapplied for her scholarship, but convincing her mother? that had been a mess. after the Incident ™ with a certain nathan prescott (and the subsequent threats from his father), she had decided that it would be “in samantha’s best interests” to relocate, and they had moved a few hours upstate. it had seemed horribly unfair at the time, but samantha guessed she understood . . . there was no point in messing with the powerhouses of the town, even if ‘messing with’ hadn’t been what she’d been trying to do at all. you just had to learn to roll with the punches, she guessed.
this time around, things were going to be better ! hopefully, she had been gone long enough for people to forget how painfully awkward she had been, even if that hadn’t really changed. she wanted a real shot at making friends this semester, and she was hoping it would be easier with her mom still two hours away, a little too far to directly interfere. not that she wouldn’t find a way if she really wanted, sam was sure. but she wouldn’t worry about that until it happened ! as long as she kept a low profile, she was sure it would be fine. as it was, she was enjoying her newfound freedom, being able to just hop on a bus and head to the diner whenever she wanted ! no checking in with anyone, no texts to see when she would be back, it was fantastic. it was what she was doing tonight, her first week’s worth of coursework spread out on the table in front of her, glad that it didn’t seem to be anything too overwhelming quite yet.
one person that she hadn’t seen around until now was chloe price. samantha knew she’d been expelled just before she, herself, had been pulled, so she hadn’t expected to see her around campus but . . . she knew that she still lived around here-- had had a nice chat with joyce about how much she had always liked chloe, actually !-- and she really did want to see her again. she was one of the few people who had really given samantha the time of day, even if their interactions hadn’t always been smooth, and she really had admired her a bit. she wished she could have that sort of ‘take no shit’ attitude. so when she saw chloe slide through the door of the diner that night, she got a little excited, face lighting up as she leaned up in her seat and waved her hand at her.
“chloe! hey, chloe! over here!”
and she really tried not to worry about being a weirdo, tried to leave her comfort zone a little more, pushing herself more into talking with people she thought were cool. and chloe certainly looked cool, even more than sam had remembered, and at least she had the head start of already vaguely knowing her. the worst she could do was tell her to fuck off, right?
Rachel sprawled out on her bed, the night’s events turning over in her head as the sun rose over the trees. The concert had been the first time she and Chloe had really gotten close since they called a truce on their dislike of each other. Chloe already knew more about her than the kids at Blackwell, who only knew Rachel as whoever Rachel wanted them to think she was. Running into Chloe at the Old Mill had been completely out of Rachel’s control, and she couldn’t decide if she loved it or hated it. Groping at her sheets for a minute, her fingers grasped her phone, and she looked out the window as she tried to figure out what to say.
4:26 AM: i’m so amped up from last night i can’t sleep. would‘ve hella sucked without you, glad you decided i was cool enough to hang with, finally.
She weighed her options, mouth screwing up into a pucker. She’d flirted with Chloe all night, even over text after they’d parted ways. But she had to mix it up, keep it interesting. Deleting the text in seconds, she opened Instagram, posting the best picture she could find from the previous night, with the caption, “Firewalk with me ;)”
July 24th, 2011
Rachel jumped a mile when her phone vibrated, earning a sidelong glance from Frank. “Is that Chloe? Rachel, she has to know by now. Where did you even tell her you were going today?”
Rachel swiveled the driver’s side chair and jumped up to put Pompidou on his leash. “I told her I was in Seaside. Which we are. I just… Didn’t mention we were taking your RV. Or that ‘we’ involved you. I even sent her a postcard, I thought she’d chill, but–”
“Chill? Chloe Price?”
“Frankie, stop.” Rachel laughed, rolling her eyes. “She’s not… Okay, she’s a little much. But you have to love her.”
“No I do not.” Frank looked downright offended at the suggestion, and Rachel sighed, raking her fingers through her hair.
“Fine. I do. And I know she won’t like it, and it’ll just start bullshit drama. Not really our style. And I like our style.” Rachel leveled her gaze at him, the way she knew could get her her way any time she wanted.
Frank held her gaze for a long minute, before tossing her her phone. “Just text her. Tell her you’re okay. She goes nuts when she doesn’t hear from you, y’know.”
Rachel considered it for a minute, telling Chloe everything. About Frank, about how she’s really in love, and how happy she is. Holding Pompidou’s leash between her knees, she types it out, just to see it in writing.
1:56 PM: hey babe. i’m in seaside, remember? buuuuuut… i didn’t tell you who with. it’s frank. y’know. that frank. we’ve been hanging out for a while, and uh… now we’re kind of hooking up. and i think he loves me. and i think i love him. maybe. idk. but i love you too. and idk what to do. it’s scary but i don’t wanna lose you, or him. not as friends, or… anything else.
Rachel only realized she was gritting her teeth when the headache started, and she pressed delete, holding it down for a solid minute after the words vanished. Like hell am I ruining today like this.
March 8th, 2012
Rachel had never felt grosser. She’d known David was a creep from the start, but when she’d caught him tailing her in his shitty car, taking her picture by Frank’s, and on campus, she went into damage control mode. Cut Frank off by starting a fight and leaving him a letter goodbye, and distanced herself from the Vortex Club and Nathan. There was only one link left to get David off her back.
Chloe.
Her fingers shook slightly as she typed out the text, a lump in her throat.
9:17 PM: hey. sorry it’s been a few days of silence. needed space, y’know? but i need more. a lot more. i have school stuff to work on since the semester’s almost over, so things will be hella crazy for me and i just won’t have time for a social life. we should-
Her typing stopped as a new message popped up from Chloe, as if she’d known what was happening.
9:17 PM: holy shit dude, v just told me stepdick is stalking you. that SUCKS. he’s such an asshole. i can get him off your back. cause mischief, you know, my usual. just say the word.
Rachel smiled softly, her chest feeling a little lighter, as she deleted her previous message in the making.
January 16th, 2013
For nearly the last year, Chloe and Rachel had been closer than ever, even more so than before her secret relationship with Frank put a rift between them. Initially, when Mark Jefferson had been chosen to teach at Arcadia Bay, Rachel had only thought of her future. Sure, she had some professional shots in her modeling portfolio, but Mark was a known, celebrated photographer. She’d been subtle at the start, a stark contrast from the fan girls that drooled over him and whined for his attention. Asking him for advice on her portfolio or assignments for class, casually asking if he could maybe do a small shoot for her.
It was almost too easy for that to blur into what it was now, sneaking back to the dorms after a scandalous hookup in his office that had become their routine. She fished her phone from her bag to read the long list of texts Chloe had sent her over the last two hours, chuckling and shaking her head. She’d tried to write it all out, to tell Chloe about him. But it never felt like the right time. And Chloe would lose her shit anyways, no matter when she told her.
6:23 PM: hey blue. i’m fine, sorry i went quiet. i was kinnnnnnd of with someone. but i need to tell you in person. bc it’s sort of… taboo. like, hella taboo. pick me up and we can-
A hand on her shoulder elicited a horror movie scream that echoed off the brick walls lining the sidewalk. Beside her, Nathan jumped back like he’s been shocked, hands raised in defense. “Shit! Sorry, Rach! I just, I just saw you come out of the main building and I just…”
His words trailed off as he looked at something behind her, and Rachel followed his gaze, neck craning to look without turning. Mark was half-jogging down the stairs, briefcase in hand. He gave her and Nathan a curt nod before heading to his car, and Rachel turned back to Nathan, who’s expression had visibly darkened. “Uh, you good, Nate? He give you a shit grade or something?”
“Or… Something.”
April 21st, 2013
Something was very, very wrong. Sure, Rachel had taken some shit, and drank a little. But she could hold her own. A little weed and molly didn’t leave her stumbling like Bambi learning to walk, head spinning, and her stomach lurching. The flashing lights of the party stung her eyes and made her head throb, like she had the worst hangover in the world. Victoria had seen her, mocking her for not being able to hang. She vowed to never drink again if she survived this. Chloe was here somewhere, but Rachel just needed out, now. She pushed open the doors, deeply inhaling the cool evening air. Pulling out her phone, she tried in vain to type, but everything came out jumbled and nonsensical.
The door opened behind her, Mark stepping out onto the sidewalk next to her. “Rachel, are you alright? Let me get you back to your dorm.”
By that point her vision was blurring and darkening at the edges, so she just nodded.
Next thing she knew, she woke up in the dark, feeling like she was flying. After a minute, looking around with each movement taking all her strength, she realized she was in Mark’s car, laying across the back seat. Realizing her phone was still clutched in her hand, she typed out a single text to Chloe, the car coming to a stop as she finished writing it.
1:29 AM: somethings wrong. scared. mark took me. idk where i am. help.
Mark opened the door, Rachel letting out a low groan as he dragged her from the car and letting her drop outside the car as he picked up her phone, watching the text try to send, until the words flashed across the screen.
MESSAGE SEND FAILURE. RETRY?
October 13th, 2013
Rachel had been in the hospital for three days, and only really conscious for two of them. Hooked up to an IV giving her nutrients to try and supply everything she’d missed over the last six months as well as water. They’d recovered her phone in the bunker, giving it back only after they’d gotten all evidence off of it. That pissed Rachel off, but she didn’t have a leg to stand on since her own naivete and secrecy had gotten her kidnapped in the first place. After everything, all the shit she’d hid from Chloe, Chloe had found her. Saved her. And Rachel couldn’t bring herself to talk to her.
Tongue bitten between her teeth, Rachel frowned at her phone for over a minute before hurriedly opening it and getting to Chloe’s messages. She’d seen all the calls Chloe had made to her before, when she was tied up and left to die. But none since, because she was a hundred feet away, in the waiting room.
1:56 PM: hey life saver. come say hi. i owe you a thanks. and like, so much more.
VICTORIA
March 7th, 2010
Why the fuck did I call her Kari? This was the thought swirling around Victoria’s head as she sat in her Chemistry class. She was replaying the scene over and over in her head. She’d asked, specifically, what Chloe’s name was on the picture of them at that concert. But instead of, “Hey, Chloe, cool concert?” she’d gone on some ego-maniac spiel about her dumb photography award, and called her Kari. Victoria was cringing so hard she thought she might combust.
Sneaking her phone from her bag to her lap, she typed out a quick, hopefully casual message.
9:56 AM: thnx for the chem help. maybe u could tutor? i can pay.
But then, from behind her, the teacher’s voice rang out shrill and angry. “Ms. Chase, what is the meaning of this?”
Dread and understanding filled her, and she deleted the message, typing out an angry, belligerent message in its place. Fuck Chloe, this is what happens when you ask for help.
January 1st, 2011
The night previous had been unexpected, to say the least. Chloe wasn’t exactly in Victoria’s social circle, and hadn’t been at Blackwell for over a year, so their only connection was the rare times Rachel forced them together to hang out with her. They tolerated each other, even occasionally laughed at each other’s jokes. But last night had been different.
Rachel had completely bailed from the Vortex party, leaving Chloe to mope in the corner, nursing her red solo cup clutched a little too aggressively to be casual.
Pathetic.
Just to get Chloe out of there, to avoid souring the mood of the whole party, Victoria had taken her out to stairs and offered her a cigarette, forgetting herself as she lit it by leaning in close with her own. Brown eyes meeting blue and illuminated by the burning ends of their cigarettes, they held the gaze for what could only be a moment before pulling back and laughing it off. What followed had been nearly an hour of honestly talking, ranging from Rachel being a bitch for ditching Chloe, to the Vortex Club, to life at Blackwell. Small talk, sure, but it was easier to talk to Chloe than Victoria could have ever expected. When it became clear Rachel wasn’t making a reappearance any time soon, Victoria walked Chloe back to her truck after double and triple checking she wasn’t too fucked up to drive.
Now, in the harsh lights of the bathroom as she double-checked her make up, Victoria looked down at her phone, even picking it up and typing out a message.
7:50 AM: it’s v. hope you didn’t die last night, from alcohol poisoning or otherwise. last night wasn’t terrible, quelle suprise. guess we’re not totally at a loss if rach keeps bailing.
Just then, Taylor and Courtney entered, Taylor immediately checking herself in the mirror, and Courtney handing Victoria her morning coffee. Forgetting the text, Victoria shut off her phone, and accepted the coffee.
March 11th, 2012
Despite the odds, Victoria and Chloe had gone from tolerating each other to something… Different. Rachel’s presence was no longer a prerequisite for them to hang out together, though they insisted on keeping it secret regardless. Their drunk talks outside Vortex Club parties had turned into dizzying, intense hookups in Chloe’s car, or the bathroom, or wherever else they could get before they tore each other’s clothes off.
And still, Victoria couldn’t bring herself to just be nice to her. She was well aware it was Chloe’s birthday, it was all over her Facebook and Rachel’s instagram, that they had “big plans” for the big 1-8.
Plans that did not include Victoria.
Poring over her homework, textbooks covering her entire desk, Victoria’s head jerked up when she heard the now familiar revving of Chloe’s hideous truck. For a second, she thought Chloe had changed her mind. Chosen to hang out with Victoria instead of Rachel, not just hung out with her because she was the next best option. Her heart jumped, and she picked up her phone to text the birthday girl.
10:25 AM: since it’s your birthday we’ll drop the pretense. give me five minutes-
But her heart dropped back down just as quickly with the all too familiar sound of the dorm door banging opening, where from her window she could see a streak of blonde hair and flannel running to Chloe’s truck.
Oh.
Silently, Victoria sank back into her desk chair, swallowing hard as she tried to focus on her work instead of the annoying, dull ache now sitting squarely in the middle of her chest.
August 7th, 2013
Rachel had been missing for three months and sixteen days. And Victoria had stopped answering Chloe’s texts a month ago. But she was beginning to crack. The texts from Chloe ranged from poorly faked nonchalance (’hey vic, whats up, i’m at blackwell let’s chill’) to accusatory (’you always hated rach, you wanted her gone, fuck you!’). So Victoria ignored them. But she was scared, just like Chloe. And sad. And news of the disappearance was harder to get ahold of when she wasn’t in Arcadia Bay, stuck home in Seattle until the beginning of the school. Skimming over the unanswered texts, Victoria bit her lip and started to type something out.
3:05 PM: any news? hope ur having a nice summer. other than the obvi.
But a knock at her bedroom door, and Danielle, the family’s cleaning lady, poking head in distracted her from the ache, if only for a minute. She threw her phone into the middle of her bed and walked out, giving a rare, sweet smile to Danielle, and flounced out of the room, pushing all thoughts of Rachel, Chloe, and Arcadia Bay from her mind.
October 4th, 2013
Oh my god. Ohmygodohmygodohmygod.
Even in Victoria’s alcohol and coke fueled buzz, she knew what she’d seen. Nathan had been shadowing Kate all night, after being the one to invite her, and then slipped something in her drink, which he was now handing off to her. Victoria felt icy, like all circulation in her body had stopped. The pounding bass felt otherworldly with the music muffled by her panic. In her mind, two dots struggled to connect, separated by months and what, at the moment, had seemed like absolutely nothing. But when Kate started stumbling, her dark blonde hair lit up by the flashing lights, deja vu hit Victoria like a truck.
Rachel had been drugged before she disappeared. It all made sense now. Why she was so out of it, and why she’d left so fast. Chloe was the first person Victoria thought of, and she fumbled to pull her phone out.
11:38 PM: chloe it’s vic call me ASAP i think i have a clue to what happened-
Courtney and Taylor, who until now had been watching Kate, mesmerized and horrified, looked over at Victoria for instruction. Victoria opened her mouth, unsure what was about to come out. Before she could speak. Courtney laughed and grabbed her phone. “Holy shit, Saint Kate is going Girls Gone Wild. We’re so posting this.”
November 24th, 2013
The month and some change since the End of the World Party had been bizarre. Victoria had lost nearly everything, from her Everyday Heroes win, to her friends, to the Vortex Club leadership position. But Max had approached her like it was nothing, and sat with her when no one else would, and brought her assignments when she couldn’t bear to leave her room. An extension of Max’s friendship was being reunited with Chloe, whom she hadn’t spoken to in four months.
It wasn’t easy, trying to piece together a genuine friendship after how quickly Victoria had dropped Chloe, and Chloe had accused her of being involved in their still-missing friend’s disappearance. But somehow, they did it. When Max headed off to Seattle for Thanksgiving break, and VIctoria’s family let her know she wouldn’t be welcome at the family gathering after her “disgrace”, Chloe was the first person she turned to.
11:40 AM: sorry for the late notice, but… any chance you’ve got a spare seat at your table? kinnnnnnnd of disinvited from thanksgiving, with nowhere to go.
Twelve long minutes later, her phone vibrated in her hand.
11:52 AM: v, i think if i turned you away my mom would disinvite me. yes, you’re coming. bonus points if you make david feel shitty with me.
❛ I have never been welcomed anywhere in my life. ❜
Legacies Starters // Accepting
“I know this sounds stupid, but I know the feeling. My family cares I guess, and church was always something I was really passionate about but I was still Richard Marsh’s daughter... and of course I don’t have to tell you about how bad Blackwell has been.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to go on a tangent, I just meant that--you know--you’re not alone.” Kate gave her a small smile, “And you’re always a welcome sight around me.”
“You can say that again.” Had it really only been a couple of months ago that they’d met? Somehow it felt as if a millennia had passed since that whirlwind of a weekend. And yet here they were, still together, still in the town they had planned to get out of as soon as possible… Were they trapped? Would the pair of them be stuck here forever? No, Rachel couldn’t believe that. They had to get out.
“But you know what? No matter what crazy direction our lives go next, we’re gonna do this together Chloe Price.”
