A/N: Yeah, so... I tried writing this story once before, but it just wasn't going where I wanted it to. So this is my second attempt to re-imagine the events of Life Is Strange with a more sensical plot. Just a few things you should note before reading, however.

1. No rewind powers

2. No storm

3. Max is the punk, Chloe is the hipster

4. TW: Mentions of self harm, suicidal thoughts.

5. The start will be a bit slow, but trust me when I say shit is going to get VERY real.

I do believe that's everything! I hope you all enjoy, and let's hope this turns out better than my first attempt.

Chapter One

2008

Max Caulfield wanted nothing more than to simply break into tears. She had been standing outside the home of Chloe Price, her best friend in the world, for a good ten minutes, trying to muster up the courage to knock as her parents waited for her in the car. Life wasn't fucking fair. Chloe's father, William had been killed in a car accident three weeks prior, and Chloe was beyond devastated. Where once there had been a blinding light in her eyes, herself an unrelenting force of energy and happiness, now there was only a weak, gray indifference to the outside world. And of course, Max's parents had picked then of all times to tell her they were moving. The familiar surroundings of Arcadia Bay, Oregon, were soon to be replaced by the bustling streets of Seattle. The thirteen-year old girl was crushed. Out of all the times to uproot their entire lives, they had to pick the days following William's funeral, when Chloe needed her best friend more than ever? It was bullshit, and Chloe had taken the news rather poorly.

She had freaked out on Max, tearing into her for abandoning her when she needed her best friend most. Max tried to defend herself, to explain that she had no choice, but Chloe was having none of it. She had said some very hurtful things, and even though Max knew she didn't mean them, that she was grieving and needed something to take her pain out on, they still hurt. Especially coming from her best friend. Max had left the house in tears, and that had been the last she'd seen of Chloe for almost a week. And now here she stood on her doorstep, hoping like all hell that this wouldn't turn out the same way.

Max gave her parents in the car a quick glance, before finally taking a deep breath and managing a few feeble knocks on the front door. For a moment, there was only silence, until the door was answered by Joyce, Chloe's mother. She was dressed in pajamas, eyes red, blonde hair in a disheveled mess. She had obviously been crying, and Max wanted to do the same as soon as she saw her.

"Hey, Max," Joyce mustered a weak smile, while the younger girl found herself unable to stop from rushing forward into a hug. For some, this might have been seen as awkward, but Joyce had been like a second mother to Max for years, and she returned the gesture without hesitation. "I'm sorry about all this, hon," Joyce said after a moment of silence.

"Why are you sorry?" Max questioned as she broke the hug.

"I..." The older woman sighed, putting a hand on Max's shoulder. "I know Chloe said some hurtful things the last time you were here."

"Yeah." Max hung her head.

"She's hurting, Max. We all are."

"I know." The young girl sighed. "But I'm not making it any better by leaving."

"You don't have a choice, hon. I think Chloe knows that, but she's just too angry to make peace with it yet."

Max simply nodded.

"She's upstairs." Joyce motioned.

Max nodded her head once more, and her mind filled with dread as she walked up the single flight of stairs to her best friend's room. She hated this. Chloe meant so much to her, and as unfair as her last words had been to Max, there had been some truth to them. She was leaving, whether she wanted to or not, in her best friend's hour of need. As Max reached the top of the stairs, her hands began to shiver. Please, dear Dog, she thought as she stepped in front of Chloe's door. Don't let this turn out like last time. Max bit her lip, and raised her hand to give a few knocks on the door. She was met with only silence. Max sighed, knocking again, this time a bit louder.

"What?" She heard an irritable tone from inside. Not a good sign.

"Chloe?" Max's voice quivered. "It's me."

Moments later, the door opened, and Max was met with the sight of her best friend, much in the same state as Joyce, glaring at her like she was a germ.

"What do you want?" The older girl said in a tired voice.

"Chloe..." Max pleaded. "I don't want to fight with you, I just-"

"Then you shouldn't have wasted your time coming here." Chloe cut her off, turning away from Max and walking back into her room. "I don't even know why you bothered." She continued, sitting down on her bed. "I figured you'd be halfway to fucking Seattle by now."

"Chloe, you know that's not-"

"Apparently, I don't know anything." The older girl continued to seethe. "A few weeks ago, I knew my best friend wouldn't abandon me right after my fucking dad died. But look at where we are now."

Max was on the verge of tears once more. "I don't have a choice, Chloe. My parents-"

"There's always a choice, Caulfield. Looks like you made yours."

Despite Max's best efforts, the tears were rolling. "That's not fair, Chloe." Her voice began to shake.

"Life isn't fair, Max!" Chloe shouted as she stood up. "If it was fair, my dad would still be here." She stepped towards Max, who began to back away. "If it was fair, you wouldn't be abandoning me."

"I'm not abandoning you!" Max tried to defend herself, continuing to back away.

"Bullshit. That's exactly what you're doing." Chloe had finally backed Max out of the bedroom. "Hope you have fun in Seattle, Caulfield. Because I never want to see you again."

The door was promptly slammed shut.

2009

"I asked you a question, Chloe."

Chloe's teeth gritted together as her stepfather's tone began to grow agitated. Not that it took much to agitate David. The burly, mustachioed man crossed his arms, a scowl adorning his face. To most people, this would have been a rather intimidating sight, but it barely even phased Chloe at this point, they had been having these family talks so often. Not that Chloe considered David family by any stretch of the imagination. He was just some prick who managed to fool Joyce into marrying his sorry ass. He was also the prick who seemed to think he had any say in what Chloe did just because he lived in her mom's house.

"And?" The fifteen-year old shot back, arms crossed defiantly.

"You listen to me, girl..." David growled, waving a finger in Chloe's face. "I have had it with your constant disrespect. Every day your mother and I go to work, bust our asses to provide for you." He poked the outstretched finger into the girl's chest, which she quickly swatted away. "And you repay us by making our lives hell."

"If that makes you so unhappy, why don't you just fucking leave?" Chloe snapped back, and her face was quickly met with the open end of David's palm.

"Do not use that tone with me!"

Chloe stood silent for a moment, fists clenching, the sting from David's hand throbbing in the side of her face. This was not the first time Chloe's stepfather had raised his hand against her. And the girl knew that despite his apologies, despite his promises to Joyce, it most certainly wouldn't be the last. Chloe's breathing began to get heavier as she fought back tears of anger.

"You must think you're a fucking badass, huh?" Chloe snarled, voice cracking.

"All I think is that you need to watch your damn mouth."

"You don't have any say in what I do!" Chloe shot, wiping the tears from her face.

"I pay the bills for the house you live in!" David stepped closer, clearly hoping to silence his stepdaughter, but she was having none of it.

"Well, guess what?" Chloe wasn't backing down. "You're still not my father!"

David's expression transitioned from furious to somber in an instant. His stepdaughter's words had apparently cut him pretty deep. Good. Suck on that, asshole, Chloe thought, as she turned to walk away.

"Chloe, where are you going?"

"Away from here!" She shouted back, grabbing a hoodie from a coat rack and bursting out the front door.

It was freezing outside, but Chloe didn't care. A fat chance, but maybe it would give her step-fuhrer less of an incentive to chase after her. Life was complete bullshit. Who the hell did this asshole think he was, marching into her house like a bat out of hell, and acting like he was her father. He had no right. The only man Chloe would ever consider to be a father was gone, something she still hadn't come to terms with. But then, it wasn't as though anyone was trying to help her do so. Joyce couldn't wait to get hitched again, and the bastard who moved in was a paranoid, controlling asshole. Top that off with the fact that she hadn't even spoken to Max in over a year.

Huh. Max...

There's a name I haven't heard in a while, Chloe thought as she continued to walk, shivering as a gust of wind blew by. I wonder what she's been up to. As much as the fifteen-year old wanted to, she just couldn't muster the strength to scowl at the mention of Max's name. As angry as she still was about losing her father, and Max leaving not even a month later, Chloe missed her best friend. She continued to walk absentmindedly, the air only getting colder as the sun continued to sink further into the horizon. Another gust of wind blew by, forcing another shiver from Chloe as her mind finally snapped back to reality. She was at the gates of the old cemetery. Of course, because why would she go anywhere else? Chloe shook her head, emitting a sigh as she stepped on to the cemetery grounds. She now knew exactly where she was going.

The grave had been largely untouched since the funeral. Untouched, but certainly not unvisited, as Chloe spent quite a lot of her time here. One year had passed, but the wounds were still quite fresh in the girl's mind. She sat on the ground across from the headstone, the words carved staring back at her, as though taunting her.

WILLIAM JOSEPH PRICE

BELOVED HUSBAND AND FATHER

1972 - 2008

A sniffle resonated from Chloe's nose as she fought back the tears that were desperately trying to force their way out of her eyes. It wasn't fair. There was no reason her dad should be rotting underground while some paranoid shithead tried to replace him. She sighed, putting her hand against the marble.

"I miss you, daddy."

Although her thoughts were preoccupied with memories of her later father, Chloe's mind began to wander elsewhere. To earlier, outside the cemetery gates. To a certain brunette that she hadn't talked to in some time. It was strange. Why had Max popped into her head now of all times? Maybe... maybe it was Chloe's conscience trying to tell her something...

The fifteen-year old reached into her pocket, and pulled out her phone. Was this a good idea? The last time she had seen Max, it hadn't gone well. She had been angry, and used her best friend as a scapegoat. Opening the contacts on her phone, there was the name where it had always been, just under Mom. Chloe's fingers began to shake. There was no telling how this was going to end, if Max would even want to talk to her after what had happened.

Chloe shook her head, turning her phone off. What's the point? She thought to herself, putting the device back in her pocket. She probably fucking hates me now.

2010

"Where do you think you're going, Max?"

The harsh tone of her mother's voice bounced against her ears, and Max reluctantly stopped, turning to face her.

"I mean, I assumed I was grounded." She deadpanned. Vanessa, Max's mother clearly did not appreciate her tone.

"Do you not understand how serious this is?" Vanessa's voice began to rise. "You sent that poor girl to the hospital!"

Oh, hell no. Clearly Max's mother was mistaken, because by the tone of her voice, she clearly seemed to think that Max had beaten up one of her classmates for shits and giggles. Nothing could be further from the truth. That poor girl,along with several others,had tormented Max since the moment she began attending school here in Seattle. Every day for the past two years, the abuse from her peers had been non-stop, and today, Max had finally snapped.

"Poor girl? Are you kidding me?" Max retorted to her mother. "That bitch has been making my life hell for two years!"

Vanessa's eyes widened. Max had done it now. "Don't you dare use that language at me!" The older woman motioned for Max to follow her as she began to walk back into their living room. Max reluctantly complied, rolling her eyes, preparing herself for yet another lecture. This seemed to be happening more and more frequently as of late, as Max and public high school clearly did get along. The fifteen-year old sighed, stepping back into the room, hands in her pockets, wanting nothing more than for this to be over.

Max's mother pinched the bridge of her nose, taking a deep breath. "Do you..." She stopped, giving her head a quick shake. "Do you even know how embarrassing it is to have to leave work because my daughter got suspended from school?"

Max grumbled. "Well, I'm sorry it's so inconvenient for you." She shot back, crossing her arms. "She deserved it, though."

"Max, what could that girl have done to deserve what you did to her?"

"I'll show you." was Max's only response as she made a beeline across the room for her backpack. After a moment or two of rummaging, she pulled out the culmination of two years of torment at the hands of her peers, the one final act that had finally sent her over the edge. The old polaroid camera that Max had received as a birthday gift from her late grandfather almost ten years ago, which she had affectionately christened Ol' Reliable, had been shattered. Broken into pieces because some bitch at school thought it would be funny. One thing was sure, she didn't find it terribly funny now.

"I was minding my own business," Max growled as the image of her tormentor's face popped into her head. "Sitting alone at lunch, and she decided it would be hilarious to take my camera." Her free hand began clenching and unclenching as the young girl's anger was re-ignited. "I told her to give it back, but instead..." Max shook her head, trying to steady her breathing. "Instead she snapped a picture of me, and then... she..." The young girl was nearly in tears of rage just thinking about what had happened today. "She held it up in the air... and dropped it. Landed on the concrete, and now it's in fucking pieces."

Vanessa sighed, the expression on her face lightening. Didn't see that coming, Max thought to herself as her mother rested her face in her palm.

"Max, I'm sorry about your camera." The older woman started. "But this is not the way to deal with your problems."

"Then what is?" Max shot back. "I mean, the teachers obviously don't care, otherwise they would've stepped in before it happened."

"That still doesn't mean you can go around beating up anyone who makes you angry."

"Yeah, well," Max half-smirked as she looked back at the shattered remains of Ol' Reliable. "I'm pretty sure everyone there will think twice before giving me shit now."

"That's not the point!" Vanessa began to raise her voice. "Good Lord, Max, you are so much smarter than this."

"What do you want from me?" The fifteen-year old shouted. "You and dad have been telling me I needed to start standing up for myself anyway!" She threw up her hands in frustration. "So now I finally do that, and all I get is a lecture."

"This isn't what we meant!" Max's mother continued to get louder. "You can't solve your problems with violence, Max. If you were an adult, you'd have been charged for this."

"Oh, whatever." Max had finally enough. Her mother simply refused to grasp the reality of the situation. "You and dad can put whatever spin on it you want, but that bitch deserved what she got." She began to leave, heading straight down the hall to her bedroom.

"I am done letting people push me around."

2011

Chloe sat outside, next to the fountain on Blackwell Academy's main campus. Joyce would be here to soon to pick her up from school, not that Chloe was incapable of walking, but merely because her mother insisted. The now-seventeen-year old didn't really care. Lately the days had seemed to just blend together, no difference from one to the next other than two days out of the week she didn't have to drag her bony, pale ass out of bed to go waste seven hours in public school. Lately, Chloe really didn't care for the idea of being alive. Six months ago, Chloe had stopped wearing contacts because proper eyesight just wasn't worth the effort. Four months ago, she had begun to exclusively wear long sleeve shirts so that no one would ask questions about the marks on her arms. A few weeks ago, she had begun skipping meals. Eating, keeping herself nourished had no value to her whatsoever. Chloe didn't explicitly wantto die, but if she didn't wake up tomorrow morning, if she were to simply vanish, cease to be, she honestly wouldn't have minded.

Life was cruel. It had taken away two of the most important people in her life with no remorse. The only difference was that Chloe had pushed one of them away herself. God, she was such an idiot. She reached into her pocket, pulling out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. One of the few sources of comfort she had lately was nicotine. As Chloe inhaled the smoke, her mind began to drift back to the one subject that had occupied her mind for what seemed like forever...

Death.

Chloe had come quite close to ending her own life a number of times over the past year. Once with a few too many Tylenol, another with one of David's guns. Even more recently, just general reckless driving. In the end, she had always chickened out, assuming that someday she'd be able to work up the courage to finally go through with it. It wouldn't be as though the world would lose anything of value. Joyce would most certainly be better off without her fuck up of a daughter. David might get frustrated because he'd have no one to hound or spy on, but Chloe didn't really care what happened to him. And she didn't even have any friends that would miss her. Her only real friend hadn't talked to her in three years, and Chloe couldn't really blame her. She had been such a bitch towards Max the last time they'd seen one another. She had been hurting, was still hurting, but Max hadn't deserved that. And now she was gone, leaving Chloe no opportunity to apologize, to make things right.

The seventeen-year old's train of thought was violently derailed as the sharp, unwelcome sensation of freezing water made itself known all across her midsection. Chloe's mouth hung agape, eyes shut tight as she stood up, and the sound of annoyingly high-pitched laughter bounced against her eardrums. She turned around, only to be greeted by the abhorrent sight of Victoria Chase, one of Blackwell's resident elites and her cronies, Chloe couldn't remember their names, laughing their rich, snobby asses off, a now empty cooler lying beside their feet.

"Sorry, Price." Victoria continued to laugh. "You've been wearing the same thing for a week now. Thought you might need some help washing it."

One of her henchwomen made another snarky comment, which caused another wave of laughter to surge. Chloe didn't care. This was the absolute last thing she needed right now.

"Wh- What..." Chloe stammered, beginning to shiver from the freezing cold. "What the fuck is your problem?"

The Queen Bitch, as the rest of the school knew her, picked up on Chloe's small sign of weakness. "Aw, what's wrong, hippie?" She mocked as Chloe's shivering began to get worse. "You gonna cry now?"

Bursting into tears wasn't entirely out of the question, Chloe had to admit. But all that would do was give Chase and her slaves ammunition to use against her.

"Hey!"

An unknown voice made itself known, and before Chloe knew it, there was someone stepping between her and Victoria. She couldn't see their face, but it was obviously a girl judging from the tone of her voice, a long, blonde mane covering most of her back as the stranger put her hands on her hips. Victoria's face immediately soured.

"Oh, great. It's you." She sneered at the girl.

"For fuck's sake, Chase. Don't you have anything better to do than pick on people?"

"This doesn't concern you, miss wannabe-model." The Queen Bee crossed her arms.

"It does now." The stranger shot back, hands balling into fists.

Chloe was awestruck. Someone was actually sticking up for her. This was quite possibly the last thing she would have expected, as nobody ever stood up to Victoria and her posse, or anyone in the Vortex Club for that matter.

"If I were you, I'd start minding my own business." Victoria growled at the girl.

"Or what?" She stepped closer to the bully and her cronies. "Come on, bitch. Swing. I dare you."

The girl's outburst of confidence, her refusal to put up with Victoria's shit, was clearly not something the elite and her henchwomen were used to. Victoria simply exchanged looks with her cronies, before looking back to this strange girl as though she were completely insane, and began to back away slowly. Chloe wasn't quite sure how to comprehend what had just happened. No one had ever had the courage to even call Victoria Chase out on her bullying, much less get in her face and practically beg for a fight. With the Queen Bee and her servants gone, the strange girl turned back to Chloe.

"You alright?"

"Uh... yeah." Chloe said without much enthusiasm. "I guess."

"God, I don't know what the fuck that girl's problem is."

"Nobody does."

It was now that Chloe was getting a good look at this girl, and she very much liked what she saw. Hot damn, she thought to herself, she's fucking beautiful. And she was, the girl's lightly tanned skin, combined with the impeccable job she'd done with her makeup, and the slightly torn red flannel and skinny jeans that she fit out perfectly. Chloe shook her head, she didn't want this girl to get creeped out by her ogling.

"Are..." Chloe stammered. "Have we met?"

"I don't think so. It's only my second day here." The girl replied, before letting a slight smirk adorn her face. "My name's Rachel."

"Chloe."

2012

Max's heart was racing as she slowly turned her key. At this point, she was no stranger to sneaking into her house in the small hours of the morning, but then, she was also no stranger to getting caught by her parents, and the last thing she needed right now was a lecture. Her head was throbbing, and the shitty bandage job Kristen had done earlier wasn't really holding up. All Max wanted to do was patch herself up, go to bed, and thank whatever divine being was actually in charge of the universe that tomorrow was a Saturday. The seventeen-year old slowly opened her front door, but her stomach sank when she was greeted by the sight of her father, Ryan, sitting in his cozy chair, a book in his hand being read by lamplight. Well, fuck.

Ryan didn't even look up from his book. "About time you got home. If you weren't back by sunrise, I would've had to call the police."

Max didn't even bother trying to make up an excuse, she just sighed and closed the door. She had been in this situation plenty of times before, and knew that giving anything except short yes and no answers would only make things worse.

At last her father looked up from his book, and his eyes widened as he got a look at his daughter's face. The slightly swollen lower lip, dried blood underneath her nose, and a haphazardly placed bandage just under her left eye that looked as though it was about to fall off. Max had been in another fight.

"Dear God," Ryan gasped, his expression turning from anger to concern. "What happened to you?"

Max sighed, hanging her head, but her father cut her off before she could answer him.

"Nevermind." He said, rising from his chair. "Go in the kitchen. I'll be there in a second."

Max complied, making her way into the kitchen while Ryan headed down the hallway to the bathroom. In truth, Max felt bad that her father had to see her like this, that he had to patch her up at three in the morning when he should be fast asleep next to his wife. Max flipped the kitchen light on, emitting another sigh as she leaned back against the counter top, shaking her head. Tonight had sucked, but it could've been worse. Mom could've caught her instead. At least whenever it was Dad he didn't scream and wake up half the neighborhood. Still, it was less pleasant than the few times she had actually managed to sneak in without getting caught.

Max's internal monologue was interrupted as Ryan stepped into the kitchen with a bottle of peroxide, a bag of cotton balls, and a box of band-aids bundled in his fists. He set the bandages on the counter top, and began pouring a small amount of peroxide onto a cotton ball, before turning back to Max.

"So what happened?" Ryan asked quietly, carefully removing the bandage from underneath Max's eye.

The seventeen-year old sighed. "I went to Kristen's after school to work on our project, like I said."

"Max..."

"I did!" Max protested. For once, she was actually telling the truth. Ryan placed the peroxide-filled cotton ball onto the cut below her eye, causing her to hiss from the pain, clenching her hands into fists. "Fuck, that stings!"

"You still haven't answered my question."

"We... kind of finished. And she decided we needed to celebrate by... uh..."

"By what?" Max's father continued to drill her.

"We went to a party."

"God, Max..." Ryan almost whispered as he removed the cotton ball.

"It wasn't that kind of party." Max rolled her eyes as her arms crossed. "At least... I thought it wasn't."

Her father simply shook his head as he reached inside the box. Max felt the disappointment being cast on her, and even though she was used to this kind of situation with her parents, it still made her feel like an asshole.

"Look, I promise I wasn't drinking." She said, hoping to ease some of her father's discomfort. "You can even smell my breath if you want."

"I believe you, Max." Ryan said quietly as he pulled a bandage out of its wrapper. "So how did... this happen?"

Max grumbled. "I went to the bathroom, when I came back... I caught some asshole trying to spike my drink."

"You just told me you weren't drinking!"

"It was Pepsi." She defended herself. "That's how I knew it was mine. Only non-alcoholic beverage in sight."

"So what then?" Ryan gently placed the bandage on Max's cut, causing her to wince.

"I... kicked him in the balls." Max said with a slight chuckle.

"Oh, sweet Jesus."

"Then a couple of his friends jumped me."

"A couple of guys jumped you?!" Ryan's voice, as well as his anger, began to rise.

"Yep." Max shook her head. "Thankfully, Fernando was there too. Him and a few other guys jumped them, and me and Kristen hauled ass out of there."

Max's father was speechless, mostly at how nonchalantly his daughter had described the process of almost being drugged at a party, then assaulted by complete strangers. The seventeen-year old could tell that her father had been worried, and now looked like he was about to burst into tears. Max felt like a complete asshole for putting him through this, and was taken off-guard when Ryan stepped forward and forced her into a hug. Max heard a sniffle escape her father's nose as she nervously returned the embrace, and now she really felt like shit.

"Dad?"

"I'm..." Ryan's voice was trembling. "I'm just glad you're okay, Max."

Fuck. He just had to keep making her feel even worse about herself. Yeah, Max knew she was a delinquent, that she didn't keep the best company or make the smartest decisions, but it still hit her right in the core whenever her antics caused her father to break into tears. Max buried her head into her father's chest, hoping to squeeze away some of the man's anguish.

"Fuck..." She groaned. "I'm sorry, dad."

"For what?"

It was Max's turn to fight back tears. The guilt of the stress, the worry, the mental anguish she had put her parents through ever since they came to this fucking city, had come barreling full force to the front of her mind. The fights, the suspensions from school, the pot, the piercings, the tattoos, the one time she had actually been arrested. And time after time, her parents had bailed her out, taken the brunt of her stupid mistakes. And she hated that. She hated what she had put them through.

"I..." Max stammered, holding tighter to her father. "I'm not a good daughter."

Ryan immediately pulled away, putting both his hands on Max's shoulders. "Don't say that." He wiped away at his eyes. "You might make me want to tear my hair out sometimes," He chuckled slightly. "But I wouldn't trade you for anything. Neither would your mom."

"Yeah." The seventeen-year old sighed. "I know I suck at showing it, but I love you guys."

"And we love you, too." Ryan said quietly as he took a few steps away from Max. "But we worry about you. So much."

"I know." And here came the lecture, right on time. Max knew she deserved it, but that didn't make it any more pleasant.

"I mean, Jesus, Max. How many times has this happened since we moved here?" Her father's voice was kept low, so as not to wake Vanessa, but Max knew he meant business. "You stumble in here after midnight, after not telling me or your mother where you're going, and then get defensive when we grill you."

Max simply nodded.

"You are such a smart girl, Max. Definitely smarter than to be making some of the decisions you do." Ryan crossed his arms. "I just... you need to start thinking about your future instead of getting trashed with your friends."

"Hey, my GPA proves I can do both." Max chuckled slightly. Her father was less than amused. "Besides, I've already started applying for colleges. You know, like you and mom have been pestering me about for the past year?" She smirked.

"Oh, really?" Ryan didn't sound convinced. "Where, exactly?"

"Washington State, for one. A few places in Spokane, Tacoma." Max paused, trying to remember every last place so her father would be satisfied. "Oh yeah, I even applied to Blackwell for shits and giggles."

"Blackwell?" Ryan suddenly seemed more interested in what his daughter had to say. "Isn't that the private school back in Arcadia?"

"Yeah." Max nodded. "They have a really good photography program, and the guy who teaches there was a pretty big deal back in the 90's. Why?"

Max's father held up a hand, leaving the kitchen, only to return a moment later with an unopened envelope in his palms. "This came in the mail for you today." He handed Max the letter.

Max eyed the letter. There was no mistaking the print on the envelope, this letter was from Blackwell Academy in Arcadia Bay, Oregon. Max wasted no time ripping the envelope open, her heart rate skyrocketing, desperate to know the contents inside. The girl's mouth dropped open as she read the letter aloud.

"Miss Maxine Caulfield," She began. "We at Blackwell Academy are delighted to inform you that you have been accepted as part of our Fall 2013 slash Spring 2014 year." Max's hands began to shake. This was happening. "We very much look forward to having you as part of our student body. If you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact our administrative office. Sincerely, Principal Ray Wells."

Max was speechless. It was really happening. Starting next year, she would be part of one of the most prestigious art programs in the country. And even more than that...

And even more than that, Max's mind began to point to someone else. A certain blonde girl that she hadn't spoken with in five years.

Chloe...