CHAPTER TWENTY THREE.
TERPSICHOREAN AND ZOOMER

☆ミ ☆彡

WARNING: Internalized homophobia (last time I swear)

IT HAD BEEN A WEEK SINCE MAX AND CHALLAN KISSED AND THEY HADN'T SPOKEN SINCE THAT NIGHT. Neither girl made an effort to talk to one another, both too confused and conflicted as they tried to figure out their feelings. Challan didn't know what she was doing. Max was just so utterly confused about the whole thing. They both liked the kiss but they both knew that they shouldn't.

It wasn't right.

But it didn't feel wrong.

Challan sat across from her parents, twiddling her thumbs together nervously. The two adults had noticed how she had become withdrawn and also how Max didn't come over anymore. She was going to tell them the truth. She was just afraid of how they would react.

"So, um, I, uh. I wanted to tell you something that I've been... feeling I guess is the word. And something that happened when I had my sleepover with Max," she blurted. Her parents looked at each other before looking back at her.

"Okay, honey."

"You can tell us anything."

Challan sighed, tears welling up in her eyes. "I don't want you to hate me."

"What? Baby, we could never hate you," her mother said, taking the younger girl's hand and squeezing it.

"We love you, always," her father added.

Challan took a shaky breath and her parents grew worried about what she was going to tell them.

"I don't really know how to say this," Challan trailed off, wracking her brain to find the right words to explain everything. She was scared to even say the words out loud. Scared that her parents would react horribly and make her feel worse than she already did.

"It's okay, take your time," her father encouraged and Challan nodded.

They sat there for a good five minutes, Challan still not finding the courage to tell them. She stared down at her fingers instead of at her parents. The two adults waited patiently for what she had to tell them.

"Okay, so. I've started to realize something that's not normal with me," Challan finally spoke.

Neither of her parents said anything as they looked at her in confusion and waited for her to continue.

"You know that feeling when you like like someone and you get like, butterflies in your stomach and you get all nervous and shy around them and stuff?" She went on. She began playing with her fingers, refusing to look at her parents.

"Yeah."

"Of course."

"Well... I've been feeling that way about someone that I shouldn't," Challan stopped speaking. Her parents glanced at one another, wondering if the girl was waiting for them to speak.

"Who have you been feeling that way about?" Her mother asked carefully.

Tears began to spill out of her eyes like a waterfall and she buried her face in her hands. Her parents stared at her in concern, unsure of how to soothe her because they didn't understand what was going on.

Challan's response to her mother's question was muffled by her hands.

"What, sweetheart?" Her mother asked.

Challan took another shaky breath and raised her head from her hands. "Max," she repeated before burying her face back into her hands. She was afraid to look at them. Afraid to see how they'd react. Afraid that they would hate her.

Her parents looked at each other with knitted eyebrows and confused expressions. They remained silent for a moment and that familiar feeling of wanting to disappear filled Challan's being like water filling a cup.

"You have a crush on Max?" Her father asked for clarification. Challan shrugged her shoulders, she honestly wasn't sure.

"I think so," she mumbled softly.

The two looked at each other again before looking back at her. "Oh... well honey, that's okay."

Challan's sniffling ceased and she slowly lifted her head from her hands. Her teary eyes scanned their faces. They weren't looking at her in disgust or hatred. They didn't look like they wanted to disown her. Instead, they looked at her the way they always had. The way any good parent looked at their child: with love and understanding. Challan was confused.

"What?" She sniffled.

"We said it's okay," her mother repeated.

Challan's face contorted with confusion that was quickly replaced by anger. "No, it's not! It's not okay!"

"Why is it not okay?" Theodore asked her.

"Because it's not! It's not normal," Challan replied.

"Having a crush isn't normal?"

"A girl having a crush on a girl isn't normal, mom!" Challan was breathing heavily. Why were they okay with this? They shouldn't be okay with this.

Her mother stood from her seat and walked around the table until she was crouching in front of her. Challan turned her head to look at the woman, a frown adorning her features.

"Have we ever taught you that it was wrong for people of the same sex to like each other?" The woman asked.

"No, but—"

"So why do you think it's wrong?" The woman asked her.

"Because..." Challan had to think about the answer for a moment. Why did she think it was wrong? "Because people in this town, they say it's wrong."

"People in this town say that we're witches, but that's not true is it?" Her mother retorted.

Challan's mouth closed as her mind reflected on her mother's words. The woman was right, the people in that town said a lot of things that weren't true. So maybe they were wrong about this too.

"Listen, Challan," her father began and she looked at him as he walked around the table to stand in front of her. "A lot of people are going to tell you that the way you feel is wrong and abnormal. Some religious people might even say some horrible things that I don't even want to say. But I need you to understand something: your feelings are valid. You can like whoever you want. It's not wrong or abnormal; your feelings are your feelings. And some people may not like that but it's not about them. Your happiness is about you."

"And no matter what, we will always love you. Always," her mother added.

Tears began to fall from Challan's eyes again, "But why do people say it's wrong?"

"Because they're close minded. And they have their own beliefs. But beliefs are not facts. And there is nothing wrong with you," her mother answered.

"And also because people are ignorant losers," her father added.

Challan sat silently for a moment, her thoughts going a mile a minute. Her parents said nothing as they waited for her to speak. "I kissed her," she admitted in a whisper.

"Max?" Her mother asked for clarification and Challan nodded.

"How was that?" The woman questioned.

"I don't know. It made me feel weird. But like a good weird. I liked the kiss. I thought Max would too I mean, she told me that she wanted to kiss me. But after we kissed, she got all weird and we haven't spoken since," Challan explained.

"When was this?" Her father asked next.

"A week ago. The night after the recital when we had a sleepover at her house," Challan answered.

Her parents nodded and thought of what to say next but they were stumped.

"We've just been like, avoiding each other I guess. It's been awkward and I don't know how to fix it. I feel like I messed everything up," Challan wiped away her tears and sighed.

"This is something new for the both of you. I'm sure she's just as confused as you are. Just, see if she'd be open to talking to you, when you're ready of course, and go from there. The most important thing to do is to communicate. It doesn't have to be now or tomorrow or the day after that. When you're both ready to talk, you will," her mother said.

Challan nodded her head and her parents pulled her into a hug. Challan cried into them, feeling an immense amount of relief. Her parents' words had helped her more than they would ever know. And knowing that their opinion of her hadn't changed made her feel so much better. Challan Logan would be okay.

••••

Max Mayfield had had a similar conversation about what had transpired between her and Challan. But it hadn't been with her mother and it certainly hadn't been with her stepfather or stepbrother. It had been with a woman named Leslie Montgomery, who lived in her neighborhood, and Leslie's friend Natasha Green.

Max had been skateboarding down the sidewalks of Old Cherry Lane and managed to fall off of her skateboard, scraping up her knees in the process. Natasha had been outside and had seen this and called Leslie outside. Leslie then went out to help the girl, treating her injuries and chatting to her about random things to keep her mind off of the pain.

The redhead didn't know how the topic of conversation shifted to Challan and what had happened a week ago. She didn't know why she was telling a complete stranger that she and another girl kissed and that she liked it.

Maybe it was Leslie's kind eyes that made Max want to spill her guts to the woman. Maybe it was the woman's demeanor. Or maybe it was the woman's 'friend' Natasha who was standing very close by, hands always seeming to touch Leslie may it be her shoulder, her back, her hands when she brought out water for Max to drink.

To put matters simply, Leslie and Natasha were more than just friends, which Max managed to deduce fairly quickly. And this is precisely why, at least Max thought, the redhead was telling the two women about her feelings.

She didn't know them, they didn't know her. And yet they still listened, they still told her that the way she was feeling was okay and they still gave her advice as if they had known the girl all her life. Max appreciated it more than they would ever know. She needed to hear from someone who would understand; she needed someone to tell her that she was still normal and that there was nothing wrong with her. Which they did, over and over until she finally believed it.

Max had never felt so relieved in her life. It felt as though a weight had been lifted off of her chest and she could inhale normally again. She thanked the two women repeatedly, her worries starting to slip away.

As she walked away from their house, the two women making her promise to bring Challan over so they can meet her once Max found the courage to talk to the girl, she was filled with a sense of nervousness. She knew she needed to talk to Challan and she wanted to. She just didn't know if Challan wanted to talk to her.

The shorter girl hadn't made any effort to talk to the redhead after what had happened. They'd walk past each other in the hallways; avoid each other's eyes when they sat next to one another in class; sat far away from one another when they hung out with the boys. Things had shifted and Max was afraid that they wouldn't be able to fix it this time.

None of the boys had noticed the change between the two girls. Except for Lucas. Lucas seemed to notice a lot when it came to the two. He wasn't sure when he realized that there might have been something more going on between Challan and Max. Maybe it was on the bus when they were trying to trap Dart. Maybe it was the time after that when he saw the little moments they shared as they were trying to help Will. Or maybe it was the weeks following that night where they'd sit close to one another, laugh a little too loudly at what the other said, rest their heads on each other's shoulders whenever they'd have movie nights, or just look at each other like there was no one else in the room. It had hurt at first, he had to admit. He liked Max, he really liked her. But it slowly became clear to him that Max hadn't felt the same way. He was sure he'd be okay with that, one day. But for now, it stung. But he knew it wasn't about him. It was about Challan and Max and something was off with them. And Lucas Sinclair was determined to find out what it was and to fix it.

That was how he found himself outside of Max's house, ringing her doorbell and waiting for someone to answer. He hoped to God it wasn't Billy who would open the door. The thought of that night sent a shiver down his spine.

When the redhead that he could now call his friend opened the door, he let out a relieved sigh.

"Lucas? What're you doing here? Were we supposed to hang out?" Max questioned the boy.

"Uh, no. No. I needed to talk to you," he said.

"You couldn't have called?" Max questioned with a joking smile.

"This was too important for just a phone call," Lucas said seriously.

Max's smile slipped from her face at his seriousness and she opened the door wider for him to come in. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

She closed the door behind him and he turned to face her. "You tell me."

Max's eyebrows furrowed, "I don't understand."

"What happened with you and Challan?"

Max froze and stared at him with wide eyes. "W-what do you mean?"

"I mean you two have been avoiding each other and being weird. What's that about?" Lucas raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Max moved around him and walked to her bedroom. Lucas followed her, closing the door behind him once he was inside.

"Sure you do," he replied. Max didn't say anything, didn't meet his eye, just stared at her intertwined fingers as if they were the most interesting thing in the world.

Lucas sighed, "Look, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. But you can tell me. We're friends and I'll always be here for you. Our party, we're like this," Lucas crossed his index and middle finger together to indicate that they were close.

Max smiled a tiny smile before sighing. "You'll probably think I'm a freak."

Lucas furrowed his eyebrows and then nodded slowly. "Is this about your crush on Challan?"

Max's head snapped up quickly, her wide blue eyes meeting his brown ones. "What did you say?"

Lucas chuckled, the laugh dying on his lips at Max's glare. He cleared his throat, "What? I'm not completely oblivious. Unlike you two."

Max frowned at him and he continued. "I know you like her. And I'm pretty sure she likes you too. So what's the problem?"

Max sighed and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she began to explain everything that had happened between her and Challan, her feelings on the matter, the conversation she had with 'people who understood' (she didn't tell Lucas who), and just everything. Lucas listened carefully, nodding his head every so often to tell her that he was listening. Once she was done, he took a minute to think about his next words.

"I think you two should talk," he finally said and Max rolled her eyes.

"Thank you for your insightful advice," she snarked sarcastically. "Obviously I know we need to talk but I don't know if she wants to talk to me."

"And you won't know until you just go and talk to her," Lucas said.

Max sighed, "I know."

"So what are you waiting for?"

The doorbell ringing cut off any words that she would have said. They listened to see if Billy would get the front door but the door to his room remained firmly closed.

Lucas looked at Max before walking out of the room to go open the door. Max trailed behind him.

••••

She probably should have called first before showing up at Max's front door. But Challan was afraid that as soon as she heard the redhead's voice, she would hang up the phone and not say what she wanted to say. So instead, she rode her bike to Max's house to speak to her in person.

Challan wasn't a brave person but she had to be today. She had to speak to Max now or she feared she never would. But first, she needed to ring the doorbell.

Billy's car was in the driveway so there was a good chance that he would be the one to open the door when she rang the doorbell. She hoped it wouldn't be him. There were a few times when she had gone over to Max's house that she ran into him and every time she wished that she never had to see him again.

Challan took a deep breath in through her nose and released it slowly through her lips. "You can do this, Challan." She nodded her head and pressed the button for the doorbell.

She waited anxiously, her bottom lip between her teeth. When the front door swung open, her eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

"Lucas?"

Lucas stared at her with wide eyes before he grinned at his friend. "Challan! Hey! What a coincidence," Lucas said extremely loudly and overly chipper.

"What are you doing here?" Challan asked him. She didn't want to jump to conclusions or assume anything but seeing Lucas at Max's house, when she suspected he had a crush on the redhead, made her heart race anxiously.

Lucas didn't answer her question and instead said, "You know it's crazy because we were just talking about you. Weren't we, Max?" Lucas pushed the door opened further to reveal a nervous Max. The redhead sent Lucas a sharp glare.

"O-oh, what were you guys saying?" Challan asked with her eyes on Max.

"Uh..." Max looked to Lucas for help.

"I'll let Max tell you. Bye," Lucas moved past Challan and rushed out of the door. He picked up his bike from the front yard, hopped on, and pedaled away quickly whilst shouting a, "Good luck!" Max's way.

Max ran to the front door and yelled after him, "This really could have been a phone call!"

Challan was watching Max, a smile adorning her face and Max turned to look at her.

"Do you... wanna come in?" Max asked timidly.

Challan nodded and walked into the house, Max closing the door behind her. Max led Challan to her bedroom and closed the door behind them. Challan glanced around the familiar bedroom, beginning to grow nervous. Max admired her from a distance, unsure of what to do or say.

The shorter girl's eyes swept over to Max to see the redhead already staring at her. "You're staring again."

Max blinked but didn't remove her eyes from Challan's form. "I was just thinking."

"What about?" Challan asked. She moved closer to where Max stood by the door until she was standing in front of her.

"Stuff," Max dragged out the word.

Challan chuckled, causing Max to smile. "What kind of stuff?" Challan inquired.

"You," Max confidently admitted, leaving Challan flustered.

"O-oh," she stuttered.

Max smirked, "Yeah."

Challan looked at the door behind Max, "What about me?"

"Oh you know, just how pretty you are," Max's smirk remained as Challan's face grew hot.

"Shut up," Challan pushed her shoulder and Max chuckled. Her laughter died down and the two just stared at each other.

"Lucas knows," Max blurted suddenly.

"Knows what?" Challan's eyebrows furrowed.

"What happened between us. I told him. I mean he already knew something was up and he figured out that I liked you and stuff and that's why he was here because he wanted to know why we weren't hanging out the way we used to and stuff and I'm sorry for telling him I probably shouldn't have said anything without talking to you first," Max was speaking so fast that Challan was having trouble making out all of what she had said.

She let the jumbled words begin to string together in her mind to form a coherent sentence before nodding. "What did he say?" She asked.

"That I should talk to you," Max answered.

"And he wasn't like, weirded out or anything?" Challan asked next and Max shook her head.

"No, he was surprisingly really cool with it," Max answered and Challan sighed in relief. She was really glad that Lucas was okay with it. Out of all the boys, he was the one she had gotten closest to and his opinion of her began to become important to her.

"I told my parents," Challan admitted.

Max looked up from the floor and met Challan's gaze. "How did that go?"

"Good. They support me and everything."

Max smiled, "That's amazing."

It was silent.

"I told my neighbor," Max spoke.

Challan let out a confused chuckle, "What?"

"Yeah, it kind of just happened. I was skateboarding and fell off in front of her house and she helped me out. She's a lesbian I think and she and her partner really helped me figure this out," Max explained.

"Well, I'm glad you had someone you could talk to about it," Challan told her.

"Me too," Max grinned.

A comfortable silence fell between the two girls as they both tried to decide what to say next.

"So... what now?" Max broke the silence.

Challan shrugged, "I don't know... But, I like you and, if you want, I want to see where this goes. But like, slowly of course. This is new to the both of us. But I think that... we could be really great together."

Max beamed at her words, her smile so big her eyes squinted. Challan smiled back, her heart racing in her chest.

"I'd really like that," Max replied. Challan released a relieved breath.

"Okay," she murmured.

Max pulled Challan forward into her arms and embraced her. Her head dropped into the crook of Challan's neck, breathing out a sigh of relief as well. She was happy that she and Challan were on the same page. She was happy that Challan felt the same way about her. She was just happy. The happiest she had been since moving to Hawkins.

Challan was happy too. Since living in Hawkins, no one had ever made her as happy as the redhead. She was glad that Max had moved there from California and she was glad that Max had talked to her for the first time all those weeks ago. Challan didn't want to be dramatic or cheesy, but she truly felt like the luckiest girl in the world.

The shorter girl pulled away from Max and looked into her eyes, a large smile on her face. "Okay Zoomer, what do you want to do today?" Challan asked her.

Max pretended to think about it for a moment before shrugging with a grin, "I don't know, Terpsichorean, you tell me."

Challan made a face at the nickname. "I think I prefer tiny dancer," she admitted.

Max sent her a playful glare, "Oh so now you like tiny dancer?" She took a laughing Challan by the hand, grabbed her skateboard, and pulled the girl out of her bedroom and toward the front door. Max locked the door behind her and the two walked to Challan's discarded bike.

"Where we going?" Challan questioned.

"Wherever we want," Max smiled.

••••

Chalumax besties for life <3. Lucas will be their number one supporter fyi. The Snow Ball is the next chapter and will be the last chapter of act one. Prepare yourselves for the overwhelming cuteness.