That night, Max and Nina huddled up on the couch beside each other after dinner. Nina's fleece blanket was wrapped around them while Max's laptop was positioned across their laps. Max was showing Nina the ideas he had come up with for his new channel, Max Tries It. She hung onto his every word.

Once Max finished his twenty-minute spiel, he looked at her expectantly. Butterflies danced around his stomach. "So... what do you think? Is it just kinda... stupid? Or really stupid?"

"No, no! It's not stupid at all," she insisted. "I love it, actually! The model is smart because it's flexible, scalable, and sustainable. You can feature different content every week so viewers don't get bored and work with sponsors—like a parkour gym or something—by letting fans watch you try out their services and facilities firsthand. I also like that the activities and interviews with experts will let people see a more authentic side of you. Everyone's gonna fall in love with your personality, for sure."

Nina's approval drizzled over him like sunshine and honey. They filled him with warmth. Max itched to loop his arms around her and pull her into a big bear hug, but he didn't, of course.

Instead, he beamed and teased, "Are you telling me that you'd definitely 'hit that subscribe button' for me, then?"

Nina winked and responded, "Oh, I'd definitely 'hit that subscribe button' for you! I bet you're gonna inspire a lot of kids to try something new that they were too scared to touch before."

Pink crept up his cheeks. He coughed. "That's actually really nice of you to say, Nina. I never thought about it that way, but I guess it would be pretty fucking awesome if I became a role model or an inspirational figure to the next gen—"

"You didn't let me finish, loser," Nina interjected with a smirk. "What I wanted to say was that—these kids will probably gain confidence after watching you make an ass of yourself and then realize that they could probably do it way better."

Max tossed a pillow at Nina and glared. "Wow! Just... wow! Such a hater! You think you're funny or something?"

She caught it with a giggle. "I think I'm hilarious."

"Way to be a supportive friend, loser."

Nina eyed him with amusement. "Poor Max, did I hurt your feelings?"

He only grunted in response. Max cared a lot about what Nina thought of him. Her joke definitely made him feel a little butthurt, but he tried not to let it show.

Nina gave him a playful nudge. "Honestly, Max, I'm only kidding. You're gonna be awesome! Any idiot can stuff their mouths with worms and streak naked across a parking lot like the Wilders, but I think you have something more to offer your audience."

Max swallowed nervously. "You think so?"

"I really do!" she exclaimed with a fervent gleam in her eyes. "I feel like you haven't tapped into your full potential yet. As your friend—and a very supportive one, at that—it's so exciting to see you getting into the zone like this. I can tell that you're trying, Max, and there's nothing more attractive than a guy busting his ass over something he cares about!"

He reached over to ruffle her hair. "Nice save, loser."

Grinning, Nina let him mess it up until he pulled his hand away with a satisfied smirk.

She asked, "Do you know what you wanna film for your first challenge?"

"I was actually thinking about baking a cake."

"Really? I never knew you were interested in baking."

"I'm not into it at all, but it's, um, my mom's birthday next weekend. I was thinking about driving down to Temecula. To surprise her with it. I'm not gonna put that part on film, but I figured I could kill two birds with one stone."

Her eyes glimmered with approval. "That's such a sweet gesture, Max. I bet your mom's gonna love it!"

He shrugged. "I hope so."

Max wasn't as optimistic as Nina. His mom was a hard woman to please. Still, he wanted to do everything possible to become a better son, a better friend, better YouTuber. Just a better person overall. He was happy that Nina seemed to have taken notice, though.

This led Max to wonder how Nina was doing with everything that she wanted to work on?

He decided to check in with her. "Well, enough about my shit. What's going on with you?"

Nina's happy expression sobered by a fraction. "Oh, you know... it's going."

Max asked hesitantly, "Have you been thinking about him at all?"

"Surprisingly, Ethan didn't even cross my mind today. Keeping busy at work helps, I think," she replied. "I mean, I still feel down about it in general, but... it's getting better. Much better, in fact."

His heart swelled as he bit back a grin. "That's awesome, Nina. I'm happy for you. I really am."

It seemed that Ethan's fate was sealed. Nina had no intention of looking back and every intention of moving forward.

Nina gave Max a shy, pleased look. "By the way, I have some more good news for you."

"What's that?"

"I found a skate park that's not too far from us. I think I'm gonna check it out this weekend."

Max's eyebrows rose in alarm. "By yourself?"

She nodded proudly. "Yep!"

"Oh, God. Please wear your helmet. And bring your elbow pads. And your knee pads. Hell, you should just wrap yourself up in a mattress pad like a goddamn burrito for your safety and the safety of those around you."

She punched him lightly on the arm. "Dude! I'm not that bad!"

He snickered. "You sure about that?"

Nina scoffed. "And you're telling me to be a more supportive friend? Ha!"

As she stared up at him with her honey-brown eyes dancing with defiance and mischief, Max simply couldn't resist anymore. She was too damn cute. He slipped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her towards him laughingly.

With their faces only inches apart, Max tapped her gently on the nose. "You sure you don't want me to tag along?"

Nina booped him back. "I'm positive. I got this, Max!"

Doubt radiated from his voice when he murmured, "Okay, if you say so..."

"I take offense to your tone of voice, sir!"

"Maybe... I just feel left out," he whined in a half-joking, half-serious manner.

"Well, you shouldn't feel that way," Nina insisted matter-of-factly, "because—even though you're not invited to come skateboarding with me—there was something else that I wanted to invite you to..."

Max's ears immediately perked up. "Oh? What's that?"

"Halloween's coming up soon," Nina explained. "My coworkers asked me to check out a haunted house with them. Did you wanna come with us?"

Max gulped. Normally, he would've jumped at any chance to hang out with Nina, but, ever since his run-in with the guys in monkey masks from high school, he had developed an extreme aversion toward anything related to Halloween. People in masks gave him anxiety and stressed him the fuck out. He always tried to avoid going out around October 31st. Parties, clubs, bars, and haunted houses were out of the question.

But now he was seriously reconsidering his stance on Halloween for Nina. "Um..."

She quickly picked up on his anxiety. "Oh, it's not a big deal if you wanna pass! I was just throwing it out there in case you were looking for something to do on Halloween."

Max took in a deep breath. "No, no! I'll go. I wanna go. With you. And your coworkers."

Her brow furrowed with concern. "Are you sure?"

Max forced a smile on his face even while his stomach churned. "I wouldn't miss it for the world. I love haunted houses. I'm sure it'll be... fun."