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[Nathan probably wishes he had some rewind powers of his own now that he's shared that info with Max. Yep, she's definitely not going to give up on learning more about that. But she might bide her time a little.

His face turning red is cute, and she's sort of enjoying getting to tease him in a way that's good-natured. But she also doesn't want to be outright mean to him.]

Oh, yes. And Dana dished about that to us last night.

[Seriously, Rachel must have been playing with superpowers of her own to get Chloe on that stage with like, no time to prepare.]

Don't be too embarrassed, though. I like getting to learn more about you, and what you did before I got here. I prefer the touchable Nathan to the untouchable one, you know?

Dana's a b— ( so accustomed to shit talking, he stops himself a bit too late to fully recover from recklessly insulting one of max's favorite people. ) —butt.

( which is nearly as rude as calling her a bitch, but he didn't have anything tamer immediately on deck.

after all the chit-chat, he finally gets them on the road to the diner, and he only speeds sometimes. usually he'd treat traffic laws like mere suggestion, but he's got someone else to look out for now. )

None of that stuff matters, anyway. We were dumb kids.

( some dumber than others, like how victoria allegedly managed to drugs herself on opening night. do sedatives grow on fucking trees in arcadia bay? those things are everywhere. )

All we are is who we are right now.

( so he doesn't have to be on the hook for any of his bad deeds— )

[Rude or not, "butt" actually makes Max laugh. She would have been pissed if he'd gone through with "bitch," and she is aware that's what he was heading toward. But the fact he redirects is a relief and that he redirects himself to butt of all things is, frankly, hilarious. It's possibly the most childish insult he could have landed on, and it makes him sound almost endearingly petulant? Grumpy, instead of aggressive.

Anyway, she's not expecting him to rework every bad habit overnight. And she wouldn't expect him to change anything he doesn't want to change, anyway. Shit-talking is fairly harmless when the people aren't around to hear them. (But she still would have been pissed at the use of "bitch.")]

You're right. The past is the past. [Which, considering that's coming from a time-traveler, is saying something. She isn't sure what it's saying. But it's saying something.] What's important is going forward.

[She gives him a soft look he may or may not be able to see while he's driving. And as used as she's getting to being in a car with Chloe driving like a bat out of hell, she's also appreciative that he's doing relatively well at not getting them in a wreck.]

I do like who you are right now.

( max laughs, but it feels good. they both know it was a pretty lame thing to say, so it feels like being laughed with rather than being laughed at. it helps him to loosen up, and he even smiles as her giggles subside.

he can't help but frown, still, once she says she likes who he is. that seems impossible. once she finds out the things he's done, there's no chance that she'll ever like him again. it's part of the reason she can never know. as much as it's for her protection, there's a selfishness in his need to keep the truth hidden from the people around him. they'll never look at him the same way, and nathan isn't sure what he'll do when the soft, sweet look in her eyes calcifies into something unreachable. )

You don't know who I am right now. No one does. ( leaving it there would be pretty emo, even for him. ) But... you could. If you wanted. I guess that could be cool.

[It does hit her as pretty emo, admittedly, but... She's seen his notes in his phone. She's not telling him that (should she? is it wrong not to?), but she did. The emo doesn't come as a surprise, and she understands (at least on a very basic level) that there's reason for it with him.

Anyway...]

It's okay. I was thinking more in this moment, anyway. Just, the present? You and me, right here, laughing and everything... But I do want to know you. That's kind of what dating is about, right? Getting to know each other?

I guess. I mean, I think. I haven't really done the whole dating thing. I've got too much other shit going on.

( which is a pretty flimsy excuse. he seemingly doesn't do anything but drink and party, which means he's had plenty of time for dating. )

My dad says I gotta marry this chick back home in Florida. I'm not going to, obviously. I never even met her. But it'll be good for the family, or something. Her dad's like the Steve Jobs of real estate. So... Don't tell my dad we're dating.

( which is meant to be a joke, or at least part of one. max isn't ever going to see his dad, so there's no chance of that happening. but she should probably know the kind of rich people bullshit she's getting herself mixed in with. )

[Max hasn't done the whole dating thing either, really. She's kissed and made out before. But they were brief flirtations back in Seattle. Usually just stuff at parties. (But like. Normal teen parties, not Vortex Club level parties.)

Though just a week or two ago Max would have been inclined to believe all he does is drink and party, she feels now like that's not true. (And to be fair, he did practically fund those stupid parties all on his own. That probably did take some work.) It's very clear he has pressure put on him by his father. Maybe he has rich kid duties she doesn't know about. How could she? She's not part of that world.

Her heart hurts hearing about this engagement to a stranger thing. It feels very, like... Victorian? Regency? Something like that. Real old school. She didn't know rich families still did that, married off their kids to one another purely for money and status reasons. Jesus.]

Sure. I'll try not to let it slip during our weekly dinner conversations, me and your dad.

[Was he aware she was this much of a smartass before he started dating her? It's said playfully though, not with hostility.]

For reals, though, that's so shitty... He's, like, trying to plan your whole life out for you just because you're his son. That's not what parents are supposed to do. They're supposed to support you.

( no, the declassified guide to dating max did not warn about her humor. it surprises him every time he finds that she's genuinely funny. )

Thanks.

( you know, for not narcing on their relationship during those imaginary dinner parties. )

It's whatever. I bet your parents want you to marry rich and famous, too. All parents are sorta like that, yeah? A little bit?

( max, tell him that all parents are victorian lords and ladies when it comes to auctioning off their kids!! )

Maybe all rich parents? I don't know, my family experience seems... vastly different to yours. My parents sometimes ask if I'm seeing someone yet, which yeah, can be annoying, but... They've never actively tried to set me up with anyone, much less a stranger.

[Sorry, Nathan. She absolutely cannot tell you that's normal.]

What about Victoria's family? Are they like that?

( maybe max will understand when she's older and more rich. nathan doesn't seem too shocked by it, though. it's just more confirmation that his family is full of assholes, as if he didn't already know. )

Never met 'em.

( he's got some theories about vic's parents based solely on what she's said about them in passing, but that's next level gossip. as he pulls the truck into park, he considers if he'll get to the point where he tells max everything, even his dumb theories. )

What do you normally get when you come here?

A lot of different things? Over the course of my life, I've probably had one of just about anything Joyce has ever made.

[She lists things off on her fingers as she thinks of them.]

Breakfast foods are always good. Grilled cheese is awesome. The burgers aren't bad either, but I'm more of a chicken strip girl myself. Especially with homemade gravy. You gotta dip your fries in those, too.

You know the cook by name? Damn, you really are a local...

( he hopes it doesn't sound too insulting. he doesn't like this town much, but he means it in jest. 'local' is only an insult when he and victoria are complaining about how arcadia bay still hasn't gotten around to building a starbucks.

none of the food she lists sounds particularly appealing, but nathan isn't much of a food person to begin with. he likes how she lights and she remembers them all, at least.

he gets out of his side of the car, then walks around to let her out. he won't always be this pretentious about old-timey dating etiquette, but his mom would've a cow if she ever saw him leave a girl in a dress to get out on her own. )

[Oh, man. He doesn't know that Chloe's mom works here? Well... hopefully that knowledge won't ruin the date. Probably not, he seems a little more chill about Chloe now? Just... hopefully they don't run into her here... Max didn't even think about that.

Now that she does think of it, she pulls her phone out to shoot Chloe a quick text telling her where she and Nathan are, while Nathan moves around the truck to open her door. (She did also promise to keep Chloe in the loop about where they are outside of school, so. Better to get into that habit now.)

She smiles at him and takes his hand as he lets her out, carefully climbing down from his truck. It's a little more elegant than the way she hopped out of it earlier today.]

Such a gentleman. You trying to sweep me off my feet, mister?

[She's just gonna link their arms together as they head inside. Because she feels like it.]

( he thinks he likes her more when she jumps out all recklessly, but this is supposed to be a date [a date to a run-down americana diner, but still a date], so elegance wins out. )

Here's to trying.

( christ, they're really playing at this danny and sandy thing, clean up to the scene where danny chooses his asshole friends over claiming good, clean, wholesome sandy as his girl. they'd done that part already, thankfully. he doesn't remember it, but if max's time travel powers say he called her a 'virgin slut,' well...

he sighs as he steps inside. the only time he comes here is when frank requests a neutral meeting area for a drug deal. it's strange being here for actual dining purposes. )

Uh, table. By the window.

That's called a booth, darling.

( and, immediately, he's ready for this date to be over. goddamn hicks with their boooooths and their charming, small-town penchant for calling people 'hun' and 'darling'. he misses florida. everyone's an asshole there.

still, they get shown to the booth with only kind, playful laughter from the server at nathan's ignorance. they get told will be by soon to grab their drinks. )

[As long as no one's expecting Max to sing Hopelessly Devoted or show up in a pair of leather pants, she doesn't care about the Danny and Sandy comparison, really. Because wow is she ever not doing either of those things! Not even for Nathan. Sorry, Nathan. ~~The short cheerleader skirt may be the best he gets in that area.~~

(Wait... were the Lisa pics her version of Hopelessly Devoted to You? ...Shit. Maybe better not to think about that, for her own sanity.)

Joyce doesn't appear to be in the diner tonight, which makes sense. She usually has her shifts during the day. She's probably already left for home. Maybe that's a good thing. Max doesn't recognize the current server. Which isn't a huge surprise, since she'd only been back for the first time in five years like a week ago.

When their waitress laughs, Max gently squeezes Nathan's arm, before ultimately letting it go so she can slide into the booth. She's not used to doing this in a dress, so it gets a little wrapped around her legs until she sorts it out, half-standing to do so.

She takes her bag off to put next to her.]

So, that wasn't Joyce. She usually works the day shifts. And... she's also Chloe's mom.

( he looks up from angrily googling what makes a booth all that different from a fucking, goddamn table when max speaks up. he hasn't noticed her dress troubles, which wouldn't have made much of a difference since he probably wouldn't know how to help her.

or maybe he would. maybe how to sit down in a dress is divine knowledge that all of the world's wealthiest are just born knowing. )

Seriously? Chloe's mom works here? ( he doesn't know why that's surprising. in truth, he just never considered that the girl he's nearly killed twice now has a mom. ) And Madsen's her dad?

No wonder she's like that.

Her stepdad. [Sorry, she needs to correct that, like, immediately.] Or as Chloe likes to call him, the stepdouche or stepdick. [Her bestie sure has a way with words.]

Her dad was actually... really, really cool. Her mom's not bad, [Debatable, since she brushed off the whole "hey your husband slapped your daughter" thing, but Max has so many fond memories of her that does color her judgment] but she... used to be better. Before they lost her dad. I feel like her life has gone to shit since I left. And I hate it.

[She sighs, folding her hands on the table.]

Sorry, you probably didn't want to talk about Chloe...

And her mom married that tool? God, he's such a hardass. Talk about winning the shit lottery...

( hearing about chloe as a sympathetic figure doesn't particularly move the needle for him when it comes to his opinion. he's ambivalent about her as a person, and he wishes he'd never done what he did.

he can't feel any worse about his part in ruining her life, killing her friend. max has already said she feels bad about moving away, but that pales in comparison to his part. )

I mean, it's cool. I don't care if you talk about her... ( max leans forward on the table and nathan leans back. ) Just sound like she got fucked over by life, same as the rest of us. She's like this town's punching bag.

( which is a crude way of putting things, but blackwell's resident 'voodoo doll' might understand her position more than most. )

You love the freaks, huh?

[She hums in agreement about "shit lottery," that's for sure. And yes, it doesn't escape her that Nathan's played some part in that. Though she only knows about the drugging part, not about his involvement with Rachel. She might not be sitting here now if she knew about that. Or... maybe she would, if she knew the entire story. That is the risky game Nathan's playing by being with her, though. Especially knowing that she's a Nancy Drew knockoff.

There's a smile that passes her lips when he says it's cool for her to talk about Chloe, though it's immediately taken over by a quick wince at "town's punching bag." Yeah, that probably about sums it up.

But his final question makes her laugh a little.]

I guess I do. [Her stomach flutters about using the word "love" there, though.] But, you know, who's to say I'm not also a freak?

( now it's his turn to laugh. )

Max, you're like the most normal chick I've ever met. You're like something off of a TV show.

( the non-joyce waitress stops by, and nathan just asks for a water. very responsible of him, staying hydrated. )

[She orders tea and waits for the waitress to leave again before she responds, looking down at the menu for a moment that she honestly doesn't need to even look at.]

And yet, I also have a super power that gives me headaches and nosebleeds and makes me pass out. Not to mention the vivid nightmares and the weird ghost deer that I've been seeing.

[Right, she hadn't mentioned that part to him yet.]

Anyway, we really haven't known each other for that long. Who's to say there aren't secrets about me you don't even know yet?

Okay. You've done some weird, freaky— ghost deer?? ( don't distract him with talk of ghost deers, hipster. ) You do weirdo shit. I still don't know how you did that thing with the car radio.

( but he's a logical, reasonable young man who is going to be conflicted about this powers thing until the day he dies, probably. )

Can you do something now?

[Logical and reasonable, huh? Max would probably say he's more skeptical and cynical than logical or reasonable, but nobody's asking her.

Well, she had sort of wanted to take it easy for a while, to not push it and hopefully save the power for when she needed it most... But just like when she's with Chloe, she has a hard time saying no to Nathan asking her to do something. Because there's the feeling of wanting to show off for him a little and impress him. To hear him praise her for it. That's so stupid, but...]

Maybe? You want me to use it to predict your future? Read your mind? Guess what's in your pockets? There are a few things I know I can do because I've done them before. I also helped Chloe aim at beer bottles but we're not exactly in the junkyard right now...

( it really does feel like he's being haunted at times.

nathan can't away from it; the horrors of his crimes follow him. granted, he could stand to try a little harder to outrun it all. he could talk to people outside this town, not the person more determined than anyone to insert herself in the middle of his nightmare. max, what a stupid bitch... or is she. between talk of chloe's ruined life and the junkyard, [the graveyard, the place where he pour shovelfuls of dirt atop amber's crumbled corpse in the dead of night], he's starting to think this is intentional.

max knows something. she knows more than she lets on. she's playing him. god, it's so obvious that she's playing him. he's so stupid for not seeing it sooner.

virginity is a crazy ploy, but it worked. it got him here. now she's dropping hints, waiting for him to come apart and spill his guts.

or... or he's being crazy, and that punk gutter trash just likes hanging out in junkyards. meters away from amber's body— )

—Gimme a minute.

( roughly, impatiently, he excuses himself. when he bumps into someone on the way to the shitter, he tells them to fuck off, like they're the one in the wrong. )

[Well. That was weird. He'd said it was cool if she talked about Chloe, but maybe he hadn't really meant it? Maybe it was stupid of her to have brought her up again when they'd just been switching topics.

She might have thought he was suddenly sick if it weren't for the way he bristled and snapped at the random lady leaving the unisex bathroom. That pointed to a sudden change in mood instead, didn't it?

There is the option of rewinding. Changing her words. Seeing if maybe he doesn't leave if she drops the part about Chloe entirely. But she'd just had that whole conversation with him about how he should get to decide on these things if they're affecting him.

Then there's the option of following him. But that could make him mad... Or it could mean being way too close to where he's being sick if it turns out he is sick.

She frets for a minute, then gets up out of the booth to follow him, leaving her bag behind...

Just as Warren and Brooke walk through the door, laughing... But that abruptly stops when Warren sees her.

Pleasant surprise is his first expression, then confusion.]

"Max? What are you doing here? Is this... were you trying to surprise me?"

[Trying to surprise him? What? She didn't even know he'd be here!]

No... I... I had plans with someone before I texted you but they hadn't gotten back to me... But then suddenly they did get back to me. And it's... It's something I needed to talk to you about in person, face-to-face, so I came up with a lame excuse until I had a chance to do that. I'm sorry, Warren...

[The confusion on his face quickly morphs into hurt, and Max feels like the shittiest person in the whole world. He looks like a kicked puppy. The very visible reminder of the black eye that Nathan gave him isn't helping her guilt either.]

"Oh... You couldn't have just... said that? Instead of lying to me?"

[Brooke behind him looks almost amused. Jesus, she knew the girl didn't like her and has a major crush on Warren, but it feels mean-spirited for her to be happy about this, when Warren is clearly hurt.

She is seriously considering rewinding and rushing to follow Nathan into the bathroom so she can just hide from Warren and Brooke when they come in.]

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listening to Hopelessly Devoted as I write this tag and cackling about it tbh

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more drama? WHY NOT.