"Wait here, Max. I'll talk to you in a few minutes- I have some business to attend to first." Principal Wells said in his booming, intimidating voice before turning and departing into his office, leaving Max sat in the waiting room with the creepy old cat-lady receptionist. Max sighed and began fiddling with her camera, debating whether or not to take a selfie to commemorate her first disciplinary meeting with the principal. She was still pissed- the only reason she was even in here was because that dumbass, arrogant rich-kid Nathan Prescott had called her a feminazi in photography class yesterday, and Max had retaliated by politely telling him to go fuck himself. Of course, Mr Jefferson (the incredibly talented, famous and gorgeous photography teacher) re-entered the classroom just in time to hear Max's insult and not Nathan, who started the whole damn thing. Mr Jefferson had no choice but to send Max to the principal's office, especially after Nathan threatened to get Mr Jefferson fired if he didn't take serious action.

Max groaned and laid back in the uncomfortable waiting room chairs, causing the receptionist to give her the stink eye. The whole school- no, the whole town- was under the control of Nathan Prescott and his fucking family. The Prescott's were rich and powerful and owned half of Arcadia Bay, which meant that everybody turned a blind eye when they behaved like assholes, which was frequently. Max was already on thin ice at Blackwell Academy- even though she was a good student and kept out of trouble, she had only been accepted on a scholarship. If she did anything to fuck that up, she could wave goodbye to Blackwell and her dream of becoming a professional photographer. She'd only been at Blackwell a month since moving back to Arcadia Bay after living in Seattle for five years, yet she'd already managed to ostracise most of her classmates, including Nathan Prescott and his high-class, bitchy girlfriend Victoria Chase. They were reigning members of the elite Vortex Club, the most popular group of people at Blackwell. They wore the best clothes, threw the best parties, and they basically ruled the school. Cliché as fuck, but true.

This was so not Max- she didn't get in trouble, like ever. She was quiet, shy and usually just zoned out with her camera; it's not like she was anti-social, exactly, but she never felt confident enough to just walk up to people and talk to them effortlessly. What sucked most was that she was missing photography class with Mr Jefferson in order to be in this shitty meeting with the Principal; photography was her favourite class, pretty much the only thing that kept her going at Blackwell. Her trusty Polaroid camera sat in her lap- it was her most prized possession. Max ran her hands over its smooth surface and nervously chewed her lip, worrying about whether she was going to get in serious trouble for this. Surely she would just get a warning- she'd only cussed Nathan out. It wasn't that serious, was it? It was only October- surely Max couldn't have fucked things up this quickly at school.

Suddenly the door to the waiting room slammed open, hitting the receptionists desk with a loud bang. Max jumped and her eyes flew upwards to register a tall, slender girl storming into the room, her eyes blazing with fury and her fists clenched by her sides. The girl was Max's age, yet she looked completely different to anyone that Max had ever seen before; her hair was a brilliant turquoise blue, cut in a short, choppy style that just grazed her ears and was partially hidden by a black beanie. She wore light blue ripped jeans with braces hung around her hips, a white tank top with a skull on it, chunky black Dr Marten boots and a black leather jacket. On her right arm a tattoo sleeve peaked out from the cuff of the jacket, the bright red and blue swirling colours contrasting with the girl's pale, porcelain skin. Her eyes were bright blue, matching her hair, and they somehow managed to look soft and impish yet hard and furious at the same time. Max was struck by how strikingly beautiful the girl was, in an understated, punk-rock kind of way.

The girl stomped up to the desk and threw her hands upon it, leaning over. "I can't fucking believe I'm back here. Is the Principal in? That asshole better be ready for me."

The receptionist barely looked up from the magazine she was reading. Max got the impression that this girl had been to see the Principal before, many times, even though she didn't recognise her and was pretty sure she wasn't a student at Blackwell. "Sit down, Miss Price," the receptionist sighed. "He'll be with you in a few minutes. And please refrain from using that foul language you're so fond of."

The girl spun around and groaned loudly, throwing her hands up in the air in exasperation. "This is bullshit." She rolled her eyes and looked around, before her eyes suddenly locked on Max sitting in the corner. Max quickly looked away, realising that she'd been staring pretty hard. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the girl's chunky boots walk towards her, and pause for a moment at Max's feet. Max slowly looked up, her eyes surveying the girl's body before landing on her eyes, which were staring at Max with a mixture of curiosity and bemusement.

"Who are you?" The girl asked, crossing her arms and sinking onto one hip, her eyes traveling over Max's body in a way that made her feel completely naked and exposed. Her voice was neither accusatory or angry anymore, but instead it was dripping in amusement.

"Uh, I'm M-max. Max Caulfield?" Max instantly cursed herself for stammering, but this girl made her so nervous for some reason. Even more nervous than Victoria and Nathan and their Vortex Club cronies.

"You're not sure?" The girl teased, a slow smile spreading across her striking, angular face. Max nodded and gulped, resisting the urge to chew her lip (her biggest nervous habit). The girl then twisted around and threw herself down in the seat next to Max, slumping down in the seat and crossing her ankles and arms, the typical 'I don't care' pose. In fact, everything about this girl screamed 'I don't give a shit', from her exotic hair colour to her punk clothes to her loud, brash mannerisms. She was the complete opposite of plain old Max in her everyday jeans and T-shirt, yet also the complete opposite of the uber-polished, designer-toting Vortex Club kids. Max was simultaneously scared yet intrigued by this girl, and she didn't even know her name.

"So what'd you do to end up in the Principal's office, nerd girl?" Max flinched at the word 'nerd', which was only ever used as an insult towards her by Nathan and his crew, but the way this girl said it made it sound like a good thing- it was clear she wasn't being mean.

Max hesitated, then turned and looked her square in the face. "I told Nathan Prescott to go fuck himself." She said simply. The girl's eyes widened in delight and she snorted with laughter. Max felt herself giggling too- after all, it was pretty funny.

"Well shit! Hot nerd girl has hella balls!" The girl nudged Max and grinned, and Max blinked rapidly. Did she just describe her as…hot? Nobody had ever used the words 'Max' and 'hot' in the same sentence, never mind a girl. And a complete stranger! Yet instead of being creeped out, Max felt a blush rise in her cheeks and her heart skip a beat. Was this girl…flirting with her?

"Well, he had it coming. You know him?"

The girl raised her eyebrows. "Who doesn't? The Prescott's rule this fucking town, as Nathan would say. That kid has his head so far up his own ass that he could chew his food again on the way down."

Max burst into laughter, eliciting yet another withering glare from the receptionist. The girl grinned too, her electric blue eyes dancing. She extended her hand towards Max's and shook it. "I'm Chloe."

Chloe Price. That name rang a bell, actually- in fact, didn't Max hear Nathan talking about this girl to Victoria in photography class the other day? Max hadn't meant to listen, but they were talking so loud that she couldn't help it. Something about drugs…and a guy named Frank. Max was sure she'd heard Nathan refer to her as 'Rachel Amber's friend'. Rachel Amber used to attend Blackwell, from what Max had gathered in the month she'd been here, but back in April she'd stopped attending class and then just completely disappeared. There were 'Missing Person' posters all over the school with her face on- in the parking lot, in the halls, in the dorms, even in the bathrooms. From what Max had heard, she was popular but kind of a wild card- there were tons of rumours that she was on drugs and sleeping with a teacher (Max didn't know which one) but they were unconfirmed. From the posters, however, it was clear that she was absolutely gorgeous. Max always saw them and wondered about this mysterious girl- had she run away? Or something worse?

"N-nice to meet you, Chloe. Do you go to school here?" Max asked timidly. Unlike her, Chloe seemed so confident and at ease- even though she'd only met Max literally one minute ago, she seemed completely comfortable.

Chloe snorted again, this time in disdain. "Fuck no. I mean, I used to. I was kicked out like six months ago."

Max's eyes widened slightly. She wasn't surprised, exactly; it was clear that Chloe was trouble, you didn't have to be a genius to figure that out. She suddenly noticed she was wearing a necklace with three bullets hanging from it- bullets which looked pretty real. She also quickly became aware of the fact that this girl smelt faintly of cigarettes and something else...marijuana? If this was anyone else, Max would be feeling alarmed. But for some reason, Chloe didn't seem that dangerous. Actually, the fact that she seemed so badass and unusual kind of excited Max.

"Oh don't look so scared, Bambi." Chloe had clearly registered Max's startled expression. "I'm not all bad. I just did some stupid shit. You know, the typical rebellious teen crap."

Max didn't know. The most rebellious thing she'd ever done was steal a few pieces of Laffy Taffy from the candy shop when she was ten. And, she guessed, telling Nathan to go fuck himself. Max still wasn't sure why she'd done it; calling her a feminazi (which wasn't even true) wasn't the cruellest thing Nathan had ever said to her, not by a long way, but for some reason she'd just had enough that day and snapped. There was only so much she could take.

"So, why are you back?" Max asked, unintentionally causing the stormy expression Chloe had been wearing when she'd first entered the office to return.

"You fucking tell me." Chloe hissed, glaring at the door to the Principal's office. Max flinched slightly at her harsh tone of voice, and Chloe seemed to notice because her face softened slightly. "Sorry. Didn't mean to bite your head off. It's just hella fucking stupid- the principal wants to talk to me about my friend who went missing a couple of months ago. 'Only some routine questions, Miss Price'", Chloe mocked Principal Wells' gruff, stentorian voice, "Ugh. It's none of his business. Like he even cares about Rachel anyway."

A lightbulb dinged in Max's brain. Rachel. As in Rachel Amber. So her and Chloe were friends. "You knew Rachel Amber?" Max asked, not wanting to pry but also hungry to know more about this mysterious missing girl.

Chloe's face changed slightly; an expression flashing in her eyes that Max couldn't quite place. "Yeah. She was- is my best friend." She said bluntly, looking down at her big black boots and away from Max's inquisitive stare.

The atmosphere had tensed slightly; Max could tell she'd touched on a sore subject. 'Fuck', she thought, 'Me and my nosiness.' For one frightening moment she worried that she'd actually really pissed off Chloe by asking, but just as quickly as that thought came, it was gone. Chloe suddenly straightened up and grinned at Max, the tension dissipating and the atmosphere jovial and light once again.

"So, what'd His Royal Highness Nathan Prescott do to you to warrant such a vicious attack?" Chloe teased, raising her eyebrows at Max expectantly.

"Oh, he called me a feminazi. Just one of many equally delightful nicknames he has for me."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Men are such pigs. It's like they can't cope with strong, independent women. Makes them nervous."

Max nodded in agreement. "I'll bet you make a lot of boys nervous." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she regretted them. Even though she'd meant it jokingly, what if Chloe thought she was being a bitch? Right after the Rachel Amber comment as well, fuck. Even though Max had only just met her, something within in her really wanted Chloe to like her.

Thankfully, Chloe didn't seem at all bothered. In fact, she seemed sort of pleased by the words. "Good, that's my intention." She grinned to herself, playing with the bullet necklace around her neck. She looked at Max, her eyes playful. "Do I make you nervous, Max?"

Hearing Chloe say her actual name and not some nickname sent shivers running up Max's spine- she didn't know why. This was only exacerbated by Chloe's bright blue eyes piercing into hers, making her feel as naked as they had before. This was silly. She'd only known the girl five minutes; so why did she have such a weird effect on her? "U-uh, well- I've only just met you." She replied, instantly hating the stammer in her voice and the way it gave away her nerves.

Chloe nodded thoughtfully, and then suddenly leaned in really close to Max, so close that Max could smell her breath, a mixture of tobacco and mint and coffee, a weirdly delicious scent. "True. But something tells me we'll be seeing a lot more of each other." She said, her voice low and husky and her breath hot on Max's cheeks. As the two girls stared into each other's eyes, Max felt her face becoming increasingly warmer and not just from the heat of Chloe's breath. Chloe's lack of boundaries and the way she invaded her space should have made her feel uncomfortable, but instead she kinda…liked it. In that moment, there was some sort of connection between the two of them. Something that Max could not comprehend at all.

"Miss Price."

The sudden boom of Principal Wells' voice pierced the dream-like bubble surrounding the two girls, and Max recoiled back from Chloe guiltily- so fast that her camera slid out of her lap and bounced onto the floor. She quickly grabbed it and stood up, blushing furiously. 'Fucking idiot!' she cursed herself internally. Beside her, Chloe snorted in amusement, causing the blush on Max's cheeks to deepen even further.

"Sup, Ray? I can call you Ray, right? I mean there's honestly no need for formalities now that I'm not a student here." Chloe teased the Principal, her voice dripping in condescension. Principal Wells merely narrowed his eyes, clearly used to her antagonisms. Max didn't understand how Chloe could be so brazen and unabashed- it was honestly kind of…sexy.

"Even though you're no longer a student here at Blackwell, I still expect to be treated with the same level of respect I give to you, Miss Price. Please go into my office and wait for me there." Principal Wells replied sternly, before turning to Max. "And Miss Caulfield? I have to say I was not expecting to see you here. You're one of Blackwell's top students- surely you should know better. I have to say, I'm disappointed in you."

Max ducked her head, ashamed. It was kind of sucky to have a teacher lay it on you, especially with Chloe right beside her lapping up every word. "I know. I'm sorry, Principal Wells. It was a mistake."

The Principal shook his head slightly- he genuinely did look disappointed, which made it even worse. "Well, seeing as this is your first offence here at Blackwell, I'm going to let you off the hook. But next time, I won't be so lenient. And I want you to personally apologise to Nathan. I must remind you that we have a zero tolerance bullying policy at this school, Maxine."

A wave of indignation and incredulity burst in Max's stomach. She didn't know what to be more pissed about; being told to apologise to Nathan (fuck that), the Principal insinuating that she was the bully in this situation, or the fact that he'd called her Maxine! Max hated being called by her proper name; for her, it was the equivalent of nails scratching on a chalkboard. She opened her mouth to retaliate, but a small voice in the back of her head reminded her of her scholarship, and the precarious situation she was in. Arguing with the Principal would only make things worse. So instead, she nodded meekly. "Thank you, Principal Wells. It won't happen again."

The Principal nodded. "Then you can go. As for you Miss Price, come on- I don't have all day." He turned and retreated into his office, holding the door open for Chloe who was stood facing Max, the corner of her mouth cocked up in her seemingly trademark cocky smile.

"I'll see you around then, maybe?" Max said to Chloe shyly. She could barely keep the hope out of her voice; suddenly she really wanted to know Chloe- those five minutes with her had been nowhere near enough time. She wanted to find out about what she was like- her favourite food, the music she listened to, all the places she wanted to travel to, her dreams…it was like this overwhelming, all-consuming desire to get to know her properly.

"Oh, you will." Chloe said simply, casting a slow and a sexy wink in Max's direction before turning and sauntering into the Principal's office and out of sight, leaving her standing there completely dazed.

One thing was for certain- this was not the last Max would be seeing of Chloe Price. Not if she could help it.