CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE. UNFORGETTABLE SUMMER

☆ミ ☆彡

IF SHE KNEW A WORD WITH A MEANING STRONGER THAN HAPPINESS, Challan Logan would use that word to describe how she had been feeling for the past 6 months. She had friends, she had a girlfriend, she was in complete bliss.

About a month into their relationship, Max had asked Challan to be her girlfriend. Max wasn't the most romantic person and she hated being cheesy so she didn't do a big grand gesture or anything. Instead, she made Challan another mixtape and bought her flowers and just asked. It was simple but Challan liked it. She wasn't a fan of grand gestures anyway.

After that, it quickly became a thing for them to make each other mixtapes to introduce one another to new music that they liked. Challan was getting better at making them and loved seeing the smile on Max's face when she brought her a new one. Max loved seeing how excited Challan was whenever the redhead would give her a new mixtape, always eager to play it at that exact moment, no matter what they were planning on doing. By the time summer rolled around, the two had a lot of mixtapes and Challan was happy to add them to her music collection.

The two spent a lot of time together, something that the party began to take notice of. While Lucas knew about their relationship, the remaining boys did not. Will was the first one who became suspicious, though he kept those suspicions to himself. Dustin on the other hand vocalized his suspicions to the boys. But his suspicions weren't about them dating, no. Dustin knew that the girls had liked each other but the thought of them actually having realized those feelings and admitting them to one another wasn't something he thought would ever happen. Instead, he was sure that the two girls were plotting something against them. So he was fairly surprised when after about three months of dating in secret, Challan and Max finally told the party, minus Lucas, that they were dating.

Will had been suspicious of the two about a month into their relationship and wasn't surprised in the slightest. Dustin had been so sure that they were planning a prank on them that he was taken aback, but after a minute of thought, it started to make a lot more sense than what he was suspecting. Mike had been completely oblivious to it and thought they were joking. When they assured him that they weren't, he was just shocked and a little confused.

Regardless, the party was in support of the two girls and their happiness, which Challan greatly appreciated. If they hadn't been, Lucas threatened to beat them up on the two girls' behalf and Max volunteered to help Lucas in the fight as a tag team. Challan was 98% sure they were serious.

The months following that were great. She, Max, and the boys were getting closer and hanging out all the time. And when she wasn't with the entire party or at dance, she was with Max. The two girls were practically attached at the hip at this point. They were always having sleepovers together, listening to music together, Max would watch Challan dance whenever she'd practice at home, Challan would watch Max skateboard and clap for her when she did the littlest things that Challan thought looked cool.

They had movie dates; a few picnic dates; ice cream dates; arcade dates; rented movies and watched them at each other's houses; had many jam sessions to the mixtapes they made for one another; read comic books together (although they were more Max's thing than Challan's); and just enjoyed each other's company whenever and wherever they could. And now with the opening of the new Starcourt Mall in town, they had new places to explore and have secret dates in.

Their relationship wasn't always sunshine and rainbows, however. The two girls had their own struggles and issues to deal with and neither of them knew how to express their feelings very well. And sometimes, this caused problems in their relationship. But they always managed to work things out and the two girls were happier than they had ever been before. They oftentimes brought out the best in one another.

With the start of summer break fast approaching, Challan was sure that things would only get better. She had a girlfriend, she finally had friends, and she could finally have a good summer not spent cooped up in her house watching TV shows or movies or reading books. She could do whatever normal teenagers did during the summertime. She had never been more excited for anything in her life and she was happy to share the experience with these new important people in her life.

••••

Challan gripped onto Max's arms for dear life as she stood unsteadily on the redhead's skateboard. After literal months of Max begging, Challan finally agreed to allow Max to give her skateboard lessons. She wore a helmet, elbow and knee pads but still didn't feel protected enough. And as soon as she rested her foot on the skateboard, she instantly regretted it.

"Don't let go," Challan repeated for the fifth time.

"I'm not gonna let go," Max assured her again. Challan wobbled slightly on the skateboard and her grip on Max tightened. The redhead chuckled under her breath.

"It's not funny," Challan whined, having heard the chuckle.

"Sorry. Look, you have nothing to worry about, okay? I got you," Max said. Challan nodded her head and took a shaky breath.

"Okay, I'm ready," she said.

Max grinned, "Okay. I'm gonna move my hands down to your waist so that I can steady you better. Then, I'm gonna start moving and pull you with me so that we can skate down the sidewalk."

"And you won't let go, right?" Challan asked unsurely.

"Right, I won't let go. I promise," Max smiled up at her girlfriend. Challan nodded again. Max attempted to remove her right arm from Challan's grasp the curly haired girl held on tighter. A breathy laugh left Max's lips and she looked back up at Challan. "Chal, you have to loosen your grip so I can move my hands."

"Right, sorry," Challan shakily released her hold on Max's arm and the redhead quickly placed her hand on Challan's waist. Challan's grip loosened on Max's other arm and the redhead's left hand went to Challan's other waist.

"Okay. I'm gonna start moving now. I'll go slow, okay?" Max said next.

"Okay," Challan breathed. Max nodded her head and sent Challan a reassuring smile before beginning to take a small step forward. Challan felt herself lurch slightly as the skateboard began to move and her arms shot out and grabbed Max's shoulder.

Max laughed as she took another step forward, pulling Challan and the skateboard along with her. "It's not funny," Challan repeated with a frown.

Challan felt Max's shoulders shrug from underneath her hands. "It's a little funny." Max kept her gaze on the ground, making sure not to trip over anything and making sure the skateboard stayed planted on the concrete sidewalk.

"You're mean," Challan pouted, keeping her eyes on Max's head, which was the only thing she could see as the Mayfield girl was looking down at the ground.

Max chuckled and looked up at Challan as she spoke, "You're adorable."

Challan scoffed and rolled her eyes, looking ahead of her as the two continued slowly moving down the sidewalk. Max looked back down and took careful steps.

"See, you're okay," the redhead spoke.

"Yeah," Challan breathed, her grip on Max's shoulders loosening ever so slightly.

"Do you wanna go faster?" Max asked.

Challan retightened her grip on Max's shoulders and looked at her with wide eyes causing Max to stifle another laugh.

"I'll take that as a no," the redhead said.

"Yeah, no. I like this pace. This is a safe pace," Challan confirmed.

"Okay, you big baby," Max grinned.

Challan rolled her eyes again but couldn't help the smile that came onto her face as Max grinned at her. "You have such a pretty smile," Challan complimented.

A blush crept up Max's neck and painted her cheeks as she averted her eyes from Challan. "Shut up."

"No. You have a pretty smile and pretty eyes and a pretty face," Challan continued, grinning smugly when the redness on Max's freckled cheeks darkened.

"Stop talking, you're distracting me," Max murmured, keeping her eyes on the concrete.

"So I can't tell my girlfriend how pretty she is?" Challan's grin widened as Max's cheeks turned an even darker shade of red. "Aw, I'm making you blush." Challan took a hand off of Max's shoulder and brought it up to pinch the redhead's cheeks. Max gently smacked her hand away and Challan jolted on the skateboard. Immediately Max's hand returned to Challan's waist but the sudden movement made the girl lose her balance.

Max hadn't been able to steady her in time and Challan fell forward, the two tumbling to the ground. Challan landed on top of Max who grunted. It's a good thing they hadn't been moving faster because the fall definitely would've hurt more.

Challan looked down at Max's face for a moment, the blush still on the redhead's face. "You said you wouldn't let go," Challan breathed.

"I didn't let go," Max huffed.

"One of your hands let go," Challan replied.

"Yeah but the other one didn't. And you distracted me! So if anything, this is your fault," Max said and Challan playfully rolled her eyes.

"Yeah yeah," she went to pull herself off of Max only to be pulled back down by the redhead. "Maxine," she dragged out her name.

Max hated being called Maxine. Despised it even. But for some reason, whenever Challan called her by her full name, which she didn't do often, Max didn't mind it much at all. It sounded different coming from Challan's mouth, better. Important.

"Yes?" Max asked innocently.

"What are you doing?" Challan questioned.

"Making sure you're okay," Max sent her an innocent smile and Challan shook her head.

"How are you doing that by the two of us laying on the ground?" Challan asked next.

Max shrugged her shoulders, wrapping her arms tighter around the shorter girl.

"People could see us," Challan quietly pointed out.

Still laying on her back, Max turned her head from side to side, "I don't see people. Do you see people?"

"I don't expect you to see people from your position on the ground," Challan chuckled. She rested her elbows on either side of Max's head.

"Are you okay though?" Max asked.

"I'm fine. You?" Challan responded.

"I'm good," Max said.

Challan smiled down at the girl, eyes sparkling. Max became enthralled with the girl above her, a relaxed smile falling onto her lips.

"We should get up," Challan suggested.

"But I'm so comfortable like this," Max complained. Challan shook her head.

"This couldn't possibly be a comfortable position," Challan protested. Max merely shrugged again.

"What are you two doing?" A voice questioned from close by.

With wide terrified eyes, Challan quickly scrambled off of Max and looked up. A relieved sigh left her lips when she recognized who it was.

"Geez, Leslie. You scared the shit out of us," Max said as she pushed herself up into a sitting position.

"I saw you guys fall and just never get up. I was concerned," Leslie said with a shrug as the two girls began standing up.

Leslie Montgomery lived in Max's neighborhood and she along with her girlfriend Natasha Green had helped Max work out her feelings for Challan after their first kiss all those months ago. Max had kept her promise to the two women and had introduced them to Challan a few months back.

"We were just..." Challan looked over at Max for help.

"Talking," Max supplied. The two smiled over at the woman.

"Well maybe you guys should 'talk' somewhere less out in the open," Leslie suggested, her voice soft but laced with concern as she looked around the neighborhood. There was no one outside but that didn't mean that there wasn't anyone watching them through their window.

The two nodded their heads. Leslie looked them over for injuries and when she found none, she nodded and began walking back to her house. "Be careful on that thing," she called over her shoulder to Challan.

Once the woman was far enough away, the two girls turned to one another. With one look at the other's face, they burst into a fit of giggles.

Max walked to retrieve her skateboard and Challan readjusted her elbow pads. When Max walked back over to Challan, she held her skateboard up. Challan looked over the stickers that littered the bottom of the skateboard, recognizing some of the ones she had given Max. A smile spread across her face as she saw them, not knowing that the redhead had actually placed them on her skateboard. "They don't really fit the vibe I have going on here," Max had said when Challan had given them to her. The Logan girl had shrugged her shoulders and said, "So maybe make a new vibe," to which Max had laughed.

Max noticed the smile on Challan's face and smiled back, though her eyes held confusion. "What?" The redhead asked.

Challan pointed at the stickers on the skateboard and Max looked down at them. When she looked back up at Challan, a light blush dusted the redhead's cheeks.

"I thought they didn't go with the vibe," Challan spoke, a hint of teasing in her tone.

"I made a new vibe," Max replied making Challan's smile widen.

Max placed the skateboard on the ground in front of her. "So, you wanna go again?"

Challan's smile dropped and she shook her head. "I think I'll pass."

••••

Chalmax is back! I wanted to start off this new act with some cute moments between my favorite girls. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Also, happy New Years Eve!