Chapter Text
A soft voice grabbed Max’s attention, “Hi, Max!”
Max looked up from her phone to see Kate looking down at her with a soft smile, “Oh, hey Kate!”
Kate sat down in the chair across from Max and scooted forward to cup the hot tea Max had ordered for her in her hands. “It sure is cold here during fall, huh?” she mused, the smile she wore giving way to a more sombre look as she took a small sip of the steaming drink.
“Mhm. It always feels colder over here than in Oregon.”
As Kate finished drinking, she folded her hands and rested them on the table in front of her. “Do you ever miss Arcadia Bay?” she asked.
Max seemed to flinch at the question, breaking eye contact to gaze down at the table. “Yeah, sometimes.”
Kate frowned as she studied Max, concern obvious in her eyes. “Did I say something wrong?”
“Nothing, it was just… hard for me moving here at first.” Max glanced back up and met Kate’s eyes once again. “It’s fine, Kate.”
“Okay.” Kate’s look of concern didn’t fade, but she nodded. “You know you can always talk to me about it if you need to, right?”
Max nodded, her eyes still distant.
“Moving here hasn’t been easy for me, either. Seattle is just…” Kate paused as she searched for the words.
“Too big?” Max offered.
Kate nodded. “It just feels so big and lonely sometimes, nothing like Arcadia Bay. We used to travel around for mom’s events but we’d always be back home within a week. I never knew what life would end up being like outside the Bay.”
Max replied in a sombre tone, “I know what you mean.” An unreadable look flashed across her face and Kate felt guilty, talking about their hometown seemed to make Max so quiet and uncomfortable. Kate realised that she had spent the entire time talking about how much she had missed the Bay. Max must have felt unappreciated.
Max felt one of Kate’s hands laying upon her own and looked at Kate, confused. “Meeting you, Rachel and Chloe has helped me so much. You three have all been like angels to me ever since I first got here. Please don’t think I don’t appreciate it!”
“I know you appreciate us.” Max shook her head, smiling. “I-I know how it must’ve felt for you at first. Moving here when you’re used to living in the Bay, I mean. I spent a long time lonely until I met Kristin and Fernando, and I was so lucky that Chloe let me back into her life after I reached out to her, because that’s how I met Rachel.”
Max gazed into the distance, lost in thought, smiling. She always seemed to get like this when her, Chloe, and Rachel meeting came up. Kate has to admit that she finds whatever the three of them have to be confusing sometimes, but it’s undeniable that they’re all in love, and Max’s expression is proof of that.
She spent a long time believing every word her mother said about those people who lived in sin and depravity, but those beliefs were shed once she met Max, Rachel, and Chloe. Each of them radiated more love than her mother ever had, helped Kate realise that her mother wasn’t a good person, taught her that love comes in many forms, and gave her shelter on the days her mother was being difficult. Privately, Kate thinks that the only reason she hasn’t left home to live with them is because her sisters still need her.
“It really is nothing Kate, you’ve said nothing wrong. I’m just being a total space cadet today.”
“Okay, only if you’re sure,” Kate replied. Max shifted around and gave a weak smile in response before averting her eyes again. “Well, thank you for meeting me here. I needed some tea and a good friend to talk to after today.”
“How did the shoot go with Victoria?” Max asked, leaping onto the opportunity to discuss something else as quickly as it appeared.
Kate let out a sigh. “We walked in and the first thing my mom did was insult the receptionist for asking if we were the Marsh family.”
“Are you cereal?”
Kate nodded as she sipped her tea. “Once we met Victoria and her mom, she started being rude because Victoria was directing the shoot instead of Catherine, but I have no idea why. Something about her being too young?”
“Victoria’s mom let her direct it?” Max frowned. “She must really trust Victoria.”
Kate doubted that, considering how Catherine gave Victoria a critical glance every time she spoke, but said nothing. “We took some group pictures for a while, after that they started taking us off alone for our portraits. Victoria ended up with me, and that’s when we started talking.”
Max nodded. “What did you two talk about?”
“Victoria noticed how I don’t get my picture taken a lot. I mentioned how it’s because my mom says I’m not marketable, and then I did an impression of her.”
Max looked somewhat taken aback and Kate giggled in response, “Don’t worry, I’ll show you it later! Let me finish telling you how the shoot went first.”
“Anyway, then she took a picture of me laughing, so then the conversation was about photography.” Kate smiled at the memory of Victoria taking that spontaneous picture, how flustered she seemed to get upon realising how similar it was to Max’s own photography. “So then I mentioned how you showed me some of her work, and we talked about high schools we went to and where we were from. Then once we finished the shoot, she asked if I wanted to keep talking afterwards and offered me her number. She was very friendly.”
“That doesn’t really sound like Victoria.” Max sounded shocked. “I mean, you’ve heard all my stories about her.”
“I have, but I think she’s just under a lot of stress.” Kate lowered her voice. “Can you imagine if Catherine was your mom, Max?”
Max went silent and looked into the distance, then shivered at the idea. “Okay, you have a point. Catherine is really intense.”
“I may have also gotten her to promise to be less mean to you.”
“You only met her yesterday and Victoria is already making promises to you?” Max asked, voice full of disbelief. “It took her a week to even speak to me! You really are a miracle worker, Kate.”
“We both know there’s only one person who can work miracles, Max!” Kate said, laughing. “Like I told you, I think she’s just got a lot on her mind when she’s around her mom.
Max looked thoughtful as she took a long sip of her tea. “Oh, that reminds me, I almost forgot to give you Victoria’s number. You have your phone with you, right?”
Kate nodded in response, and Max began to read out the phone number as Kate typed it out into a new contact on her phone.
Me - 5:01 PM: Hey, Victoria! It’s Kate Marsh
Victoria - 5:02 PM: I thought you said that you didn’t have your phone with you?
Me - 5:02 PM: Like I said, you needed an excuse so you could talk to Max :)
Victoria - 5:02 PM: Touché
Victoria - 5:03 PM: How’s your little tea party going?
Me - 5:03 PM: Have a look for yourself!
Kate switched to her phone’s camera and angled it to capture herself and Max. Max plastered a smile on her face and raised her cup in a mock toast, while Kate let a warm smile blossom across her own face and threw up a peace sign.
Victoria - 5:04 PM: I’ll leave you to it, I’m out with some friends myself.
Me - 5:04 PM: We hope you enjoy yourselves!
Victoria - 5:04 PM: Thank you, enjoy your tea.
Kate smiled as she began to put away her phone when it vibrated again in her hand. Another message from Victoria?
Victoria - 5:05 PM: Oh, and tell Max I’m proud of the fact she wasn’t the one taking that selfie.
Kate giggled as she looked up from her phone. “She asked me to tell you that she’s proud you weren’t the one taking that selfie I sent her.”
“Oh, come on!” Max rolled her eyes. “I don’t get what her problem is, I don’t take that many selfies…”
“You took one in photography class yesterday, Max!”
Max looked confused. “Because it’s photography class?”
“But you took it during the lecture!”
The forecast outside was another cold and cloudy day, and the weather seemed to fit Victoria’s mood.
Victoria sat outside Catherine’s office, waiting to be called in just after a shoot. She knew her mother only ever called her into the office to bless her with a heap of humbling back-handed compliments and snipes that got under her skin, each one burrowing in and developing into new and exciting flavours of insecurity.
Her attention shifted to the sound of her phone buzzing. Unlocking her phone, she saw it was a message from Kate.
Kate - 1:17 PM: Hi Victoria! What’s your favourite animal?
Well, strange icebreaker. Guess I’ll bite.
Me - 1:19 PM: I’d probably say cats?
Me - 1:19 PM: My cat’s the only animal I could ever really stand.
Me - 1:20 PM: Why?
Kate - 1:20 PM: Can’t tell you, it’s a surprise!
Kate - 1:21 PM: What’s your cat’s name?
Victoria sighed because she could recall what his name was and the story behind the name.
I can’t believe I thought naming my cat after Irving Penn was cool. I was the only one who ever got the reference.
Me - 1:21 PM: Penn.
Kate - 1:21 PM: Oh, that’s a cute name :)
Kate - 1:21 PM: So what does he look like?
The sound of someone clearing their throat seized Victoria’s attention, and she glanced up to see her mother glaring at her through the window on her office door.
Shit. Have to make this quick. Sorry Kate.
Victoria scrolled through her phone’s gallery and sent the first picture of Penn she could find, which was a picture from his last birthday. Looking at a picture of him wearing that dumb party hat was enough to make her feel emotional.
Fucking feline lymphoma. I think even a televangelist’s daughter like Kate can admit God’s an asshole for letting cats get cancer too.
Me - 1:22 PM: <23129b34.jpeg>
Kate - 1:22 PM: Awww, such a handsome kitty. You better let me meet him!
Me - 1:22 PM: Have to go, my mom wants to speak to me
Kate - 1:23 PM: It’s okay, we can talk more later
Kate - 1:23 PM: See you Vic! ^_^
The growing smile on Victoria’s face died a quiet death as she rose off the chair and opened the door to the office.
Catherine leaned forward in her chair, glasses removed and already gazing at Victoria with a critical look. “You’d do well to pay better attention to your surroundings. Tapping away at your phone all the time means you may miss a good photo opportunity.”
“How can I miss a photo opportunity when I’m not holding a camera?” Victoria fought to keep the sarcastic tone out of her voice and cringed as it still made itself heard.
Catherine looked at her impassively. “So, is that how you’re choosing to start this meeting?”
A pang of dread made itself known in Victoria’s stomach as she quickly spoke, “Sorry.”
“Hm.” Catherine’s green eyes betrayed no emotion, but Victoria swore that her mother could probably smell fear and enjoyed the smell of it, because at that moment she couldn’t shake the feeling her mother was pleased at how quickly Victoria had apologised. “Apology accepted. Let’s get into things, shall we?”
The glasses were returned to the bridge of her nose and Catherine clicked the mouse a few times, sifting through the pictures Victoria had taken today. She was still playing assistant photographer, but she was glad to be relieved of directorial duties after the stress of the previous day.
“I’ll be honest with you. This meeting isn’t about your photography.”
Oh God, don’t tell me this is going to be about yesterday.
“Adequate as usual, though you still struggle with how detached from your subjects you are—we are in a business where a personal touch is appreciated—and your lighting techniques still need some work.” Catherine delivered her critique with the usual lack of bite, just callous neutrality, but every word still stung. “But what I truly wish to discuss is your future as a photographer, specifically in regard to an upcoming opportunity.”
I really hope ‘upcoming opportunity’ isn’t a euphemism for ‘opportunity to find a new career’. She can’t be that cruel. Can she?
“What opportunity?”
Catherine leaned backward in her office chair with her fingers tented. “There is an upcoming photography exhibit at the Verhaalhandig gallery, and I feel that you are now ready to attend said event with me.”
“Why am I only ready now?” Victoria asked, eyes narrowed at the implication she was somehow previously unprepared.
“Because you finally showed initiative.” The corners of Catherine’s lips twitched slightly as she continued, “Hearing you asking to direct, it showed me that my lessons are rubbing off on you.”
The twitch of Catherine’s lips blossomed into something that felt completely unfamiliar to Victoria. A small yet proud smile ghosted across her face.
Smiling did not suit Catherine’s face. It did nothing to ease that calculating look she always had and did not even go halfway to her eyes. It wasn’t hesitant, it would be better described as restrained. It looked as if Catherine was unwilling to let it blossom into anything other than an almost imperceptible curve of her mouth.
Victoria shifted in her seat, the mix of the piercing green eyes so like her own staring at her and that strange smile on Catherine’s face making her uncomfortable. Seeing her mother showing so much of what she’d tentatively refer to as pride was strange.
“You may attend with me, but you are there to make a name for yourself independent of me, not for the art.” Catherine paused and took in the blank face Victoria wore. “Networking, Victoria.”
“You said a few days ago that my portfolio was lacking,” Victoria narrowed her eyes, “In fact, you even told me it wouldn’t be good enough to present in its current form.”
“I’ve already gone through the liberty of organising a new one for you.” Catherine waved her hand. “That is besides the point. Your skill as a photographer does not matter, what matters is you meeting other artists, gallery owners, curators, people with names that mean something and learning how to keep their attention. Your image is just as important as your images in the world of art.”
So why did you open the meeting by giving me shit about my photography just being ‘adequate’, then?
“But skill is still important, right?“ Anger bubbled under the surface at the very idea that somehow her skill didn’t matter, and Victoria struggled to keep it hidden as she questioned her mother. “That’s why you’re always...”
Criticising me without fail every time I’m here in this office? Finding something to nitpick every single time, whether it be how I speak or the angle I tilt a studio light? Treating me more like an employee or a problem to be fixed than a daughter?
“...giving me advice on how to grow as an artist?”
Catherine gave Victoria yet another smile, and this one seemed to suit her better than the previous small and prideful grin. It could be more accurately called a smirk. It ghosted across her face all the same, a fleeting thing that could’ve been mistaken for a trick of the light from a distance, but it was unmistakably condescending.
“Yes, of course it is important.” Catherine looked at Victoria as if she were stupid for even questioning her like she had. “All that I am saying is that how you carry yourself at events is just as important as how you carry your camera in the studio.”
The anger bubbling beneath her surface glowed red hot, and Victoria bit her tongue until the pain overrided her urge to respond with a scathing comment.
Saying something wrong at this stage isn’t a good idea because she’s trying to give me an opportunity. You can do this. All of this is just her testing you.
Keep it together.
Victoria tried to focus on that logical voice in her head, the one that always seemed to sound so akin to her mother, and think of the good this opportunity would do. A stepping stone leading to that future she had dreamt of for so long, the ability to delve into the world of art without either of her parents’ names as a crutch, a chance to be seen not as the daughter of Richard Chase or Catherine Fournier but as the photographer she was.
A chill ran down her spine. This was big. Her goal was in sight. A way of getting into the art world that didn’t mean riding the coattails of her parents.
Keep it together.
Victoria straightened herself and narrowed her eyes, attempting to emulate the sort of fierce look her mother sometimes got when she was in the middle of a shoot. “So, when is this exhibit?”
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, as they say. It’ll stop her noticing how nervous I am, at least.
“Two weeks from now,” Catherine replied, looking amused. “Keep in mind that it is a formal event. I trust you already have an outfit in mind?”
I only just found out this is happening, and it’s in two weeks. Of course I don’t have an outfit.
Victoria attempted to fake a confident smile as she leaned back in her chair. “Your trust is well-placed.”
“Excellent.” Catherine turned back to her computer and began to type, waving a hand in Victoria’s direction as an afterthought. “You may leave.”
As Victoria walked out of the office, her thoughts were like buzzing static in her mind, coalescing into an indecipherable flood of anxieties that pounded against the confines of her skull.
Fuck, alright, so I need an outfit. If I call Courtney during my break, we could go clothes shopping or something? She knows fashion, plus she still owes me for having one of the interns take over reception for her the other day… seriously, how hard is it to not show up hungover on a Monday? And I need to figure out how to network at an event like this because asking mom is just… out of the question, so that means I also have to figure out how to talk to a bunch of pretentious photographers who are likely talentless hacks who just know how to sell themselves. And I need to get ready for the next shoot because I’m still in the studio and I’m still working and I need to work while thinking of all this shit. I haven’t even thought about asking about the portfolio mom put together either. Who knows what she did there? She probably sneaked some of her own photos in.
Victoria let out a quiet huff of frustration as she rubbed her temples, attempting to soothe the headache that was forming at an alarming rate. A smoke break was in order because she did not want to sit here, twiddling her thumbs and listening to her mind race at a million miles an hour until the next client showed up. She had time to make her lungs suffer as much as she was at the moment.
As if her body was on auto-pilot, her legs carried her through the door as her emotions continued to cloud her thoughts, buzzing around like a swarm of hornets.
When Victoria broke out of her reverie and could hear something in her mind that wasn’t an incoherent stream of insecurities and anger, she was leaning against a wall outside, already nursing her second cigarette and feeling no better for it.
Victoria pulled out her phone to divert her attention from figuring out the logistics of faking her death. Calling Courtney was a good place to start. Turning it on, there were some texts from Kate. She hoped that they’d cheer her up a bit.
Kate - 1:35 PM: I had to take a few ‘artistic liberties’ because I only had one picture to work off.
Kate - 1:35 PM: But I figured this was the least I could do to repay you taking such wonderful photos of me and my family!
Kate - 1:36 PM: <18e129012.jpeg>
The smile from before she entered her mother’s office returned in full-force as she stared down at the image she had been sent. Kate had drawn Penn in a cutesy art style that transformed him from a regular cat into an impishly smiling caricature straight out of a Disney film, still wearing an oversized party hat along with his grin, and his name was wrote underneath it in a looping script. Victoria let loose a light chuckle at the picture.
Wow, this is a good drawing. I think it’d break her heart if she knew he was dead. I’ll just have to avoid mentioning that… she better not ask me for another picture of him.
Victoria - 1:37 PM: Wow! You’re great at drawing, it looks exactly like him.
Kate - 1:37 PM: Thank you, I actually want to be a children’s illustrator!
Victoria - 1:38 PM: Huh. I figured you’d be something like a youth pastor considering who your mom is.
Kate - 1:38 PM: Really?
Kate - 1:38 PM: I mean, I am religious, but I don’t think I’d ever want to do what my mom does.
Kate - 1:39 PM: Being a Christian doesn’t mean everything I do has to be about my religion, Victoria.
Shit, that was the wrong thing to say. Great job, me.
Victoria - 1:39 PM: Sorry. I don’t really know you that well, didn’t mean to cause offense.
Kate - 1:39 PM: No, I’m sorry, I went a bit defensive there! I just... don’t like people assuming I’m like my mom.
Victoria - 1:40 PM: I can tell why, she seems hard to live with.
Kate - 1:40 PM: …She certainly can be.
Note to self, try not to bring up Mary when talking to Kate. I don’t blame her for not liking being compared to her though, seeing her yesterday was enough to last me a lifetime.
Kate - 1:40 PM: Anyway, I think I know a great way for you to get to know me better!
Victoria - 1:41 PM: Oh?
Kate - 1:41 PM: Me and Max are going out for tea later, so I wanted to invite you to come with us once you’ve finished for today?
Kate - 1:41 PM: We’re going to this teashop called the Leafcutter, they apparently do wonderful herbal tea.
Suffering the company of the hipster queen while I try to get to know you better in a place where they probably serve obnoxiously named herbal tea? How fun! I’ll be bolting for the door within minutes.
Come on, probably won’t be that bad. I give Max a lot of shit, but she’s a good photographer… and whatever place we go is gonna be either full of old people or hipsters. Or old hipsters.
Fuck, stop trying to talk yourself out of this and just say yes.
Victoria - 1:42 PM: Sure.
Kate - 1:42 PM: Great! We’ll see you there
Kate - 1:42 PM: I’ll let you get back to working now, goodbye!
Victoria - 1:42 PM: See you both later.
Victoria didn’t have a car, and Taylor was busy today, so she was relegated to getting a cab to the place. There were few things worth almost half an hour of walking, she thought, and some teashop with a name that read like the online handle of some pretentious weed enthusiast certainly wasn’t top of her list.
Exiting the cab, her gaze fell upon the entrance of the Leafcutter. Nestled in-between a thrift shop that looked to be on it’s last legs and a Thai place, the name ‘Leafcutter’ was hand-painted on a wooden sign that dangled just over the front door and she could see into the place through a window to the right of the door. The grey brick of the exterior gave way to the wooden walls in the cozy interior, which seemed like it was aiming for something between a more underground version of Starbucks and a hardwood furniture store. It made Victoria want to take a degree in interior design so she had the language to describe why it looked so horrendous, but she powered through it and walked through the door.
Between the garish and worn wood furnishings, the pungent aromas of various teas mingling into one cohesive attack made against her sense of smell, and most of the patrons being dressed in tacky outfits that would fit right in a dadaist fashion show, the phrase that came to Victoria’s mind as she walked into the Leafcutter was ‘sensory assault’. It took tremendous willpower to not simply walk back out, and even more to not let her face twist like she had just tasted something sour because what the hell was that smell?
Walking forward and glancing around, fighting the urge to cover her eyes because who thought that those blue lights go with all the browns, those colours don’t compliment each other in the slightest, she spotted Max and Kate nestled into a corner booth chatting. The way Kate’s face lit up upon sighting her en route to the table made having to wade through a sea of hipsters and old people feel somehow worth it.
Kate beamed at Victoria as she pulled out a table and sat down. “Hi, Victoria! Thank you for joining us.”
“Hey.” Victoria returned the smile and gave a curt nod to Max. “Can I see the menu? I’m hoping this place does coffee too.”
Max wore a small smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes as she stirred her tea with a spoon, not making eye contact. “I tried to tell her you’d want one, but Kate wanted to order for you.”
Oh God, don’t tell me Kate expects me to drink some weird swill flavoured with ground up moss. The smell in this place is enough to put me off drinking tea for life. I should’ve just grabbed something from the Starbucks across the street before I came in.
Kate pushed a cup of murky brown liquid toward Victoria with a wide smile. “Trust me, you’ll love it!”
Victoria eyed the tea as it neared her, spying the few loose leaves floating around, then fixed Kate with a suspicious look. “You’re handing me something that looks like sewer water, and the smell is making me think it is.”
“If you don’t want to drink it, that’s fine.” Kate reached across the table to grab the cup, looking at Victoria remorsefully. “I shouldn’t have ordered it without asking you first, it was just meant to be a surprise. I thought you may have liked it.”
Victoria sighed and lightly batted Kate’s hand away, snatching the tea away from her grasp. “Stop giving me the sad puppy eyes. I’ll drink it. You were just trying to be nice.”
Drinking the tea was an experience, but not entirely an unpleasant one. The initial sip was bitter, but the aftertaste was distinctly sweet, and Victoria didn’t mind taking a second sip. “What is this?”
Kate leaned forward, smiling. “Does that mean you like it?”
Victoria narrowed her eyes. “To answer your question, I don’t hate it. What I said means I want to know what it is.”
“On the menu it’s called Bittersweet Memory.” Victoria groaned internally at the name as Kate continued. “It’s dried elderberry and vanilla extract, but I had to ask an employee to find that out.”
Victoria went to take another sip of the tea, then frowned. “The menu doesn’t even say what’s in the teas?”
Kate nodded, and Victoria shook her head in disbelief. “So they could have some old guy in the back spitting in the tea and I’d have to ask someone—”
Max interrupted her by talking on the phone to someone, panic written on her face as she snatched up her coat and stood up. “Chloe, slow down. What do you mean it’s still on fire? Did you throw water—Okay! Just, I’m around the corner, stay on the phone.”
Max shrugged her jacket on and started pulling away from the table as she rambled. “Kate, Chloe’s set something in the kitchen on fire. I have to go! Enjoy yourselves!”
Victoria felt concerned, but she still had to stop herself from laughing as Max broke into a run toward the door, almost knocking over a guy wearing suspenders and a trilby who had the misfortune of being in her way as she went. A glance at Kate showed she was fiddling with the rings on one hand and looking lost, as if tempted to run after Max.
She cleared her throat, and Kate’s gaze darted to her. “Kate, you heard her say to enjoy ourselves, right? She’s obviously got whatever it is under control.”
Kate’s eyebrows creased. “I know she said that, but you don’t know Max. She’s—“
“A people-pleaser who won’t admit when she needs help?” Victoria scoffed. “I may not be friends with Max, but I have worked with her.”
“Well, I don’t enjoy talking about Max behind her back, but I can’t argue with that,” Kate replied, expression softening a bit. “She cares a lot about other people, but doesn’t care about herself enough.”
Victoria smiled. “She actually tried to argue with my mom once, when she heard my mom call my photography amateurish. She doesn’t even speak when my mom’s in the room most of the time.”
“That definitely sounds like Max.” She frowned. “Is your mother always so critical of you?”
Oh, Kate, you don’t know half of it.
“You think that’s bad?” Victoria laughed. “She called me in for a meeting earlier and said my skill as a photographer doesn’t matter as much as how I present myself to people.”
Kate looked confused. “Why would people at the studio care about how you act? Isn’t the main point of your work taking photos?”
“The meeting wasn’t about the studio. It’s about some event we’re supposed to be attending at an art gallery.” Victoria’s mouth twisted into a sardonic smile at the memory. “I’m there to get my name out there in the art world a bit, and she was telling me ‘my image is as important as my images’, which is the most bullshit thing I’ve heard her say.”
“Watch your language,” Kate blurted out.
Victoria raised an eyebrow, trying to decide how to respond to that. She settled on some light sarcasm. “Why, is your cup going to double as a swear jar?”
Kate gave her a sheepish smile. “Sorry, I’m trying to get out of the habit of saying that.”
“I take it you didn’t learn swear words from your parents?” Victoria asked. She smirked when Kate nodded. “Easy to guess who you got the habit from, then.”
She didn’t want to end up making Kate defensive like earlier, so avoiding talking about Mary seemed like a good idea, despite how curious she was about Kate’s home life. “Must’ve been a shock going to school and hearing a kid drop the word ‘fuck’ for the first time, then.”
The sheepish smile on Kate’s face was now accompanied by a faint blush. “I may have tried to tell the principal about it.”
“You tried to tell the principal about someone saying fuck?” Victoria chuckled. “I would’ve made fun of you so much if I were in that school.”
She meant the remark as a light-hearted joke, but Kate looked conflicted. “Max has told me enough stories about you that I can believe that, even though you’ve been so nice to me.”
Victoria sighed. “What do you want me to say?”
“I don’t want you to say anything.” Kate looked at her for a beat, not saying a word. “I want you to do better, because I know you can. Being nicer to Max is a start, but whether or not you do that is up to you.”
In a strange way, it was satisfying to see how unafraid of her Kate was. People from her high school, the interns, and even her friends would hesitate to call out her behaviour, but Kate was here unapologetically criticising the way she had acted toward Max in a way that didn’t feel like criticism. It was a far cry from the type of criticism her mother would direct toward her.
The look Kate was giving Victoria wasn’t a glare, but it was close to it. A look of determination, as if she thought she could will her into being nicer with some prolonged eye contact and a few words, and Victoria had to admit that it was making her feel a pang of guilt. “I am trying to be nicer to her, but she ran out the door right after I arrived. Can you see the issue?”
Kate sighed. “I wouldn’t phrase her leaving like that, but you have a point. I shouldn’t expect things to change overnight.”
There was a brief lull in conversation as they both drank their tea, neither making eye contact. Kate looked pensive, and Victoria couldn’t figure out how to move on from the whole topic of how she had treated Max in the past.
Victoria tried to break the awkward silence because she didn’t feel like letting this blossoming friendship die just because Kate called her out on her bullshit. “How long have you been drawing for?”
The smile that spread across Kate’s face was like the one she photographed yesterday, bright enough that it shone through her cloudy expression, dispersing it. “Dad always says that I picked up some crayons when I was four, and haven’t shown any signs of stopping since then. I can’t remember a time where I didn’t draw. How long have you been taking pictures?”
The memory of getting her first camera was one of the better memories she had from when her parents were still married, and Victoria felt herself grinning at it. Things were so much simpler back then.
“My mom wanted to get me a camera for my ninth birthday, so my dad splashed out on this stupidly expensive digital camera because he wanted ‘only the best for his daughter’, and I drove them both insane because I’d go nowhere without it.” Victoria laughed. “I remember dropping it off the side of my grandpa’s yacht like two years later. I cried so much about that.”
Kate frowned at the last part of the story. “Your grandpa owns a yacht?”
Oh boy, she doesn’t know who my dad is. Here goes nothing.
“Yeah.” Victoria sighed, “You’ve probably heard of him. His name’s Douglas Chase, he—”
Kate gasped. “Chase, as in the Chase Space? Your dad’s Richard Chase ?”
“Yes,” Victoria replied bluntly. “My parents divorced. Mom got sole custody of me and not much else.”
“Oh.” Kate looked at a loss for words, and Victoria realised how hostile her tone had sounded. “I’m sorry, Victoria.”
“There’s no reason for you to be sorry. You aren’t the reason they got divorced.” She shrugged. “He’s an asshole with enough money to get good lawyers.”
The feeling of a hand on hers made Victoria glance at Kate in confusion, who regarded her with a sympathetic expression as she squeezed her hand. “I may not be responsible for your situation, but I’m still sorry to hear about it. You deserve better.”
Victoria blinked. “Uh, thank you? You deserve better, too.”
Kate withdrew her hand, and a faint smile ghosted across her face. “Max and her girlfriends always say that.”
There was a moment where Victoria just gazed at Kate, taking in the contrast between the fond smile and how weary her eyes looked now that they were back on the topic of the Marsh family, like she was burdened with some invisible weight. Then what Kate said finally hit her.
What.
“Girlfriends? Plural? Max?” Victoria’s jaw went slack. “Max’s gay? And she has girlfriends? As in plural , multiple, more than one?!”
“Y-yes?” Kate said, as she shrank back at Victoria’s sudden outburst. “Chloe and Rachel, they all live together, kind of? Did she never mention them to you?”
Victoria took a long sip of her tea, wishing that it was something harder.
I’m pretty much still in the closet. I’ve not even had an actual date with a girl yet unless you count the whole thing with Cassandra over summer break. Max Caulfield has two fucking girlfriends. I give up.
Wait.
Kate, the daughter of pray-the-gay-away Mary Marsh, is friends with a gay person. A gay person with two partners.
“So even though she’s… you know, you’re still friends with her?” Victoria asked.
“Before I met Max, I would’ve had an issue with it, because that is how my mother raised me.” Kate sighed, fiddling with a ring on her finger as she looked self-conscious. “Meeting Max is how I realised that love is love, no matter what form it takes.”
Victoria felt a surge of relief at that. She had devoted little thought to it, but she had remained faintly aware of the possibility that Kate might’ve been a believer in some of Mary’s rhetoric, and the friction that could have caused between them. The thought about how nice it’d be nice being able to speak freely around someone that wasn’t Taylor or Courtney made her feel light and airy.
Kate smiled and laughed softly. “I can’t say I completely understand it, but anyone can see that those three mean the world to each other.”
“I’m just surprised Max is dating anyone, let alone two people.” Victoria’s eyebrows creased as she tried to imagine it. “I mean, she’s cute, but—“
That was not meant to be said out loud. I did not just say that. Fuck, she better not notice.
The slight narrowing of her eyes and a tilt of her head told Victoria she had indeed noticed. “What do you mean by ‘cute’, Victoria?”
If Max and her stupid freckles are the reason I accidentally out myself to someone, I think I’ll actually just resign myself to dying in obscurity as a failed artist just to save myself the embarrassment. Think of something, quick!
“You know like, how a rabbit is cute?”
Did I seriously just compare Max to a rabbit?!
“Oh. Wait, you think rabbits are cute?” Kate asked as she pulled out her phone. “Wait until you see mine!”
Victoria spent the next ten minutes thanking every deity she didn’t believe in because somehow her comment about Max being cute like a rabbit managed to steer the conversation away from how she thought Max was cute and instead led to Kate talking her ear off about her pet rabbit, Alice. She zoned out several times because seeing Kate so animated as she cooed over pictures of some white ball of fluff with floppy ears easily beat out Max’s freckles in terms of cuteness.
Kate paused as she was showing Victoria more pictures of Alice. “Oh shoot, look how late it is!”
Glancing at her own phone, Victoria noted that 5:45 PM wasn’t that late, but decided not to question it. “I’m assuming that means you have to go?”
Kate nodded at her as she quickly threw her jacket on and grabbed her bag. “I promised my mother I’d be home by 6 at the latest, and I’ve missed my bus!”
The sight of Kate looking on the verge of panic and worrying her lip with her teeth over something so minor made Victoria feel confused. “I’ll get a cab, it’s the least I can do considering I was the one holding you up,” she said, pulling out her phone.
“No, no, you don’t need to—”
“Hey, I was gonna get one anyway.” She looked at Kate with a teasing smile. “Don’t worry, this definitely isn’t me being nice.”
Kate smiled back as a bit of the tension in her shoulders seemed to melt away. “Somehow, I think it is. Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it. Seriously, I’ll have to kill you if Max hears about this.”
The sound of Kate’s rich laughter rang in her ears as she spoke on the phone to the cab company, and she felt a little warmer inside. It was easier to pretend it was heartburn from whatever was in that tea than admit that she was looking forward to sitting in a back of a cab with Kate.
They passed the time until the cab arrived by trading stories about Max’s selfie habit, and Victoria was glad she wasn’t alone in noticing how often Max seemed to take pictures of herself.
The cab arrived, and they bundled into the back of it. The conversation drifted to where in Seattle the Marsh family lived. Victoria found finding out they were only a few blocks away to be surreal, but it made sense considering Mary’s apparent wealth. It wasn’t the most expensive neighbourhood uptown, but it was up there.
“Thank you so much for this, ten minutes late is better than the half an hour it would’ve been!” Kate scooted across and wrapped her in a brief, one-armed hug. Victoria froze in the embrace, losing her ability to speak as the smell of whatever shampoo Kate used became overpowering along with the feel of her arm wrapped around Victoria.
Stop thinking about how good she smells, stop thinking about how good she smells, focus on anything else. I’m begging you, me.
Once Kate let her go, Victoria managed to utter a reply. “It’s fine. You live pretty close to me anyway.”
“I do?” Kate grinned at her, all teeth and rosy cheeks. “I’ll have to come over at some point. I really wanna meet Penn!”
Victoria was too busy paying attention to how suddenly cold she felt without Kate’s body pressed against hers to think about what Kate had just said, as well as how enchanting her hazel eyes looked in the twilight, framed by a few strands of dirty blond that had come loose from her bun.
She shook herself out of her reverie. “Yeah, for sure.”
“I had a lot of fun today, you know.” Kate pushed open the door behind her as she spoke, still regarding Victoria with that beautiful smile. “I can’t wait for you to show me around Seattle.”
“Yeah.” Victoria felt herself blush. “It’s a date.”
Yep, that one’s gonna be keeping me up all night. “It’s a date.” I can already see it now, me swaddled in my blanket and my brain replaying this moment over and over. Who says that?!
Kate paused for the briefest of moments, and Victoria swore she could see a bit more colour in her cheeks. At least she wasn’t the only person flustered. “Bye, Victoria!”
“See you.”
Kate slid out the open car door and shut it behind her after giving Victoria one last smile. She watched Kate pace toward the front door and her mind was once again filled with a torrent of muddled thoughts as she realised something.
I’ve got a fucking crush on Kate Marsh.