Cammie sighed as the hot water burned her skin in the shower, tilting her head back so she could wash her hair. She loved hot showers, even though she used to prefer cold showers. Now, cold showers just reminded her of the time Callum had possessed her last year.

Cammie washed her hair and body and then got out of the shower, wrapping herself in a towel and turning the water off. She didn't look at the mirror, even though Max had covered it with a towel, and headed into her bedroom.

Max was sprawled on Cammie's bed, nodding along to the record player playing Kate Bush Runnin' Up That Hill on repeat because it was Max's favourite song right now. She was still in her school clothes, doing her homework and Cammie's. Max doing Cammie's homework was the only reason Cammie hadn't completely failed out of ninth grade.

Then again, Cammie knew her dad had weekly meetings with the school to keep them off her back, telling them she was really struggling. And she was lucky that all of her teachers seemed to understand why Cammie couldn't do her work, or wouldn't. As far as they knew, she couldn't even talk and she had a jacked up neck. That would tip any teenage girl over the edge.

"We've still got two hours before your mom gets home. I'm nearly finished with this and then we have time to chill. What do you wanna do?" Max asked, not looking up from her homework as Cammie grabbed underwear and some tracksuit bottoms and a t-shirt to change into.

"Don't know. Movie?" Cammie said, dropping her towel to get dressed.

"I have an idea," Max said, eyes firmly on Cammie's body.

"You know, depression is meant to kill your sex drive. How has it made yours sky rocket?" Cammie said, tugging her sweatpants and t-shirt on.

"I just think my girlfriend is beautiful. And I know she doesn't love her body, but I do, and I want to show her that she is always going to be the most beautiful girl in the world to me," Max said.

"You're sweet, daydreamer," Cammie smiled slightly at Max as she grabbed her hairbrush.

"Oh, let me braid it! Please?" Max said, sitting up and shoving the textbooks aside.

Cammie nodded and grabbed some hair ties, sitting on the bed and handing Max the hairbrush. Max brushed Cammie's wet hair and separated it into two, starting to braid the blonde strands carefully.

"Do you think your mom hates me because she knows?" Max asked.

"She doesn't know about us. We'd know if she did. And she doesn't hate you. She just thinks us being as close as we are doesn't help me get better," Cammie said.

"Do you think she's right?" Max asked, chewing on her bottom lip.

"No. Marissa doesn't know shit about what actually happened. She doesn't know why we're so close, and she never will. She won't understand it. But we do. Steve does, and so do the guys and Robin and Nancy and stuff. We're codependent, yeah, but I'd be dead without you keeping me here," Cammie said.

"Do you ever worry that we won't?" Max asked, tying the first braid off.

"That we won't what?" Cammie said.

"Get better. That, like, this is it for us. This is all we'll ever feel. It'll just be me and you, hiding from the world?" Max said.

"I feel better when I'm with you. Doesn't that count?" Cammie said quietly, looking at Max before she started on the second braid.

Max nodded, cupping Cammie's cheeks.

"Of course it counts, baby. That's not what I meant it to sound like. It's just... I don't know. You think the pain will ever go away? For good?" Max asked.

Cammie shook her head slowly.

"No. It won't. And even if it did, you're never going to be the Max you were before all of this happened, and I'm never gonna be the Cammie I was before all of this. We are, to simply put it, fucked," Cammie said, a small smile spreading across her face.

"Well," Max sighed, leaning forward and resting her forehead against Cammie's. "At least we're in this together, hey?" she said.

"Nobody else I'd rather be with," Cammie said, quickly kissing Max. "Now, finish my hair, and then maybe I'll let you feel me up," Cammie said.

Max grinned, wrapping her arms around Cammie's waist and kissing her three times in a row.

"I don't want to feel you up. I just want to hold you. You're safe, then, and so am I," Max said.

"Then that's what we'll do," Cammie said softly. "But, first, my braids. Wet hair is not a good mix for cuddling," Cammie said.

"Good point," Max said, pulling back to braid Cammie's hair.

"Girls, dinner!" Peter yelled upstairs at six thirty.

He put the pizza boxes on the dining room table, Marissa setting out plates and cups for their drinks. She sighed when she heard no movement from upstairs.

"She's ignoring us," Marissa said.

"She might have music on, or she might be in the shower, or she might be sleeping," Peter said. 

He walked up the stairs, standing at the top of the hallway.

"Girls, dinner," he said.

Cammie's door opened and they stepped out, the faint sounds of Kate Bush playing in Cammie's room. Cammie had pulled a hoodie on to hide her scarred neck and Peter smiled at the two of them.

"Hey, girls. Good day at school?" he said.

"Yeah. Good day at work, Mr H?" Max asked, walking towards the stairs with Cammie following.

"It was alright. And, please, Max, call me Peter. You're family," Peter chuckled, ruffling Max's hair and then Cammie's as they bypassed him to go downstairs.

"Okay, Peter," Max smiled at Peter, who grinned back.

"We got pizza for dinner," he said, following them down the stairs. "Is Steve grabbing food while he's out or should we save him some?" he asked.

"He didn't say. Maybe save him some," Max said, stepping into the dining room where Marissa was sat. "Hi, Mrs Harrington. It's nice to see you. How was book club?" Max asked.

"It was good, Maxine, thank you. How was school?" Marissa said.

"Good," Max said.

The three of them sat at the table with Marissa, Max grabbing a slice of pizza for herself and Cammie each.

"I thought you girls would've gone to the championship game tonight. Lucas is playing, right?" Peter said.

"Yeah. Uh, we had homework, so we decided to give it a miss," Max said.

"Did you get your essay back today, Camden?" Marissa asked.

"Romeo and Juliet, right?" Peter smiled encouragingly at Cammie.

She stared at him for a few seconds before looking at Marissa and nodding.

"What did you get?" Marissa said.

Cammie didn't answer. Marissa scowled.

"You failed, didn't you?" she said. "Again? Seriously, Camden?"

"Marissa," Peter warned her.

"No, Peter. This is getting ridiculous. She needs a tutor. Or, better yet, she needs professional help," Marissa snapped.

Max awkwardly took a bite of her pizza, grabbing Cammie's hand under the table and squeezing it to try and reassure her. Cammie didn't even react, too busy staring blankly at her uneaten pizza slice on the plate.

"Marissa, leave her alone," Peter said.

"Our daughter is wasting her potential and you're telling me to leave it alone?! No! I've put up with almost a year of this bullshit. She has changed, and it is not for the better," Marissa said loudly.

"I'm telling you to leave it alone because this is not something I want to discuss with you again over dinner with Max here! She and Cammie don't need to hear this. Are you going to call Susan and shove those leaflets in her face, too?!" Peter yelled.

Cammie stiffened in her chair, squeezing Max's hand as tears stung her eyes.

Two months ago, she and Steve had found leaflets in the kitchen for camps that were for kids like Cammie, kids who had experienced trauma and needed help. They said they were camps, but Cammie knew better. Marissa wanted to ship her off to a psych ward like Pennhurst. There had been other leaflets too, ones for camps for kids who needed extra guidance. Steve's face had drained when he saw them and Cammie had no idea what they meant until he said it was something called conversion therapy.

So, Marissa did know about Cammie and Max, or she had suspicions, but Cammie wouldn't tell Max and worry her. The last thing Max needed on her plate was worrying if her girlfriend would just disappear overnight because Marissa had enough and sent her away.

Steve told Peter when he got home and he had lost it. He put his foot down and refused to allow Marissa to send Cammie away, even though that fight had almost led to a divorce. If Cammie was honest, a divorce would probably solve her problems at home, but only if she got to live with Peter after it.

Marissa didn't understand, but Peter tried. He tried, and that was all Cammie needed from her parents. He didn't want to ship her off. He wanted to help her heal in her own time instead of locking her away for the sake of their reputation in town. He wanted to actually be there for his daughter, while Marissa seemed to have reached her breaking point when it came to Cammie's issues.

"She's seeing the guidance counsellor, at least! Camden could take a leaf out of her book, but she refuses to even try and get better," Marissa shouted.

"She can barely fucking talk, Marissa! What do you want her to do, write essays about something she doesn't remember? You know she has amnesia from everything that's happened and, as a former nurse, you should understand how traumatising that is for a kid not to remember half of their life! You pushing her isn't fucking helping her!" Peter yelled.

A tear slid down Cammie's cheek and Max squeezed her hand, then let go and stood up.

"Uh, we're gonna," Max motioned upstairs.

"How about you two go and pack your things? I'll drive you to stay at Max's place tonight?" Peter said, all anger disappearing off his face when he looked at Cammie and Max.

"Thanks, Peter," Max said. "C'mon, Cam," Max added, grabbing Cammie's arm and pulling her to her feet.

They hurried upstairs as Marissa and Peter started yelling at each other again, Cammie jumping around her room as she shoved things into her bag for the night. Max packed their schoolbags and then pulled her shoes on, shrugging on her jacket.

She looked at Cammie, seeing she was now staring silently down at her converse as she did the laces up. Max walked over and knelt down, tying the laces for Cammie before standing up again. She looked at Cammie, cupping her cheeks and wiping the tears away with her thumbs.

"Cam-" Max started.

"Don't. Please, just... Not now," Cammie whispered.

Max nodded and Cammie stepped back, grabbing her bag and heading downstairs with Max following. The shouting stopped when Cammie purposefully knocked into a side table to alert Peter she was ready to go.

"Okay, girls," Peter left the dining room with a box of pizza. "For dinner. Please eat," he said.

"She will. Don't worry," Max said, taking the box and following him to the front door.

"You, too, Max. Both of my girls have to eat," Peter said, slamming the front door shut behind him and unlocking his car.

They got in in silence, Cammie in the back with Max. They drove to Max's trailer in silence, Peter shooting looks at Cammie in the rearview mirror. She just stared out of the window the whole time, stubbornly refusing to allow any tears to leave her eyes until she could be alone with Max.

Peter pulled up at the trailer park and Max opened the door, grabbing her bag and the pizza.

"Thank you, Peter," Max said.

"Of course. I'm sorry about tonight, Max. I know it isn't nice for you to have to hear that. For either of you to have to hear that," Peter said.

Cammie nodded, getting out of the car and slamming the door shut behind her.

"I love you, kiddo," Peter said to Cammie.

She looked at him, barely managing a smile.

"Love you," she mumbled, walking over to Max's trailer.

Max stared at her for a few seconds before leaning down to talk to Peter through the car window.

"You're not gonna let Marissa send her away, are you?" Max asked.

"Fuck no," Peter shook his head. "I promise, Max, she is staying in Hawkins. If Marissa doesn't drop it... Well, that's adult business, but Cammie is not going anywhere any time soon. You're not going to lose her, and she isn't losing you," Peter said.

"Do you think Marissa is right? That... That she needs professional help?" Max asked.

Peter sighed.

"Eventually, she will need it. But I'm not going to push her to talk to someone until she's ready. It's her heart that needs fixing, so I'm going at her pace. She knows I'm standing by her side, no matter what Marissa says," Peter said.

Max nodded, chewing on her bottom lip.

"Max," Peter said, making Max look at him again, "I do know that Marissa is wrong about you. She thinks you're a bad influence, that you two being depressed together makes each other worse. I don't see it that way. You both understand each other because you get it, and you're the only person Cammie hasn't completely pushed herself away from since the mall. You make her happy, so you have my stamp of approval," Peter said.

Max smiled slightly.

"Thank you, Peter. It means a lot that you don't want us to stop being friends," Max said.

Peter chuckled lightly, a knowing glint in his eye as he saw Max look at Cammie, sat on the porch of Max's trailer waiting for her.

"By all means, be as friendly as you guys want to be. I have no issue with it. As long as you're both happy and safe, I'm happy, too," Peter said. "Now, go and eat some pizza before it gets completely cold, and have a good first day of spring break. Cammie doesn't have to come home, but I do want you to phone or have Steve phone so I know you're all okay," Peter said.

"We will. Thanks, again. See you soon," Max said, waving as she hurried over to Cammie and unlocked the trailer door.

They stepped inside and Max closed the door, the two of them heading to Max's room and flopping on the bed.

"I'm gonna see Eddie when he gets back," Cammie said.

"I figured. Eat, first, though. Please?" Max said, opening the pizza box.

"Okay," Cammie grabbed a piece of pizza and took a small bite.

"Your dad said he isn't letting her send you away. And I'm not letting you go, either. You're staying here with me," Max said.

Cammie chewed the pizza and swallowed it down, looking at Max.

"I really, really just want to pretend that tonight never happened. I hate her, and I hate how she has to ruin everything and say shit in front of you like that," Cammie mumbled.

Max moved over to the side of the bed and wrapped her arms around Cammie, kissing her forehead three times.

"We can pretend, if that's what you really want. And I don't feel any differently about you after what she said. I'm never going to let her take you away from me, and your dad isn't letting you go anywhere, either. I promise, Cam. Me and you, forever," Max whispered.

"You and me, forever," Cammie whispered back, resting her head on Max's chest.

Tears stung her eyes painfully, but she wiped them away.

"Can we listen to Lucas' game?" Cammie asked quietly.

"Whatever you want, baby," Max said, leaning over to turn the radio on. "I'm serious about eating, though. At least two slices before you can have a joint," she added.

Cammie sighed and picked up her pizza again, listening to the commentary of the basketball game so she could ignore the fact that her night had been fucked up by her psychotic mother.

"After a tragic year for our town, the Tigers have brought home the conference title for the first time in 22 years," the voice over the radio droned at the end of the game.

"And what a great game it was, Allen, ending with a dramatic buzzer-beater from bench warmer Lucas Sinclair. He must be feeling on top of the world right now," the other commentator said.

Cammie sighed when she heard Max's neighbour's dog start barking for his nightly snack off the girls. She tilted her head, the radio turning off. Max sighed and untangled herself from Cammie's arms, sliding off the bed.

"C'mon. Eddie should be home, soon, if the game ended. The club will have, too," Max said.

Cammie grabbed some money out of her bag and shoved it in the pocket of her hoodie, following Max out of the trailer. They walked over to the fence where the dog was hiding behind, his yappy barks making Cammie's ears hurt.

"Here you go. Good boy," Max said, grabbing a piece of chicken out of the packet and feeding it to the dog.

The sound of a car engine and loud rock music made Cammie look over her shoulder, seeing Eddie's van pull into his driveway. Cammie stood up, starting to walk over.

She stopped in her tracks when Eddie got out of the van, shortly followed by Chrissy Cunningham. Cammie studied them for a few seconds before walking over.

"This is, uh, my castle," Eddie said, motioning to the trailer.

"Munson!" Max yelled.

Eddie looked over, spotting Cammie walking towards the trailer.

"Hey, you good?" Eddie asked. "You need a smoke?" he said.

Cammie nodded and he nodded, motioning for her to come inside. She stepped inside the trailer, seeing Chrissy looking at Eddie's uncle's collection of mugs on the walls.

"Just gimme a sec, Chrissy. Gotta get Harrington junior her drugs," Eddie said, opening his little tin and grabbing the things to make a joint. "You or me?" he looked at Cammie.

She motioned to him and he nodded.

"How many?" he said.

She held up three fingers, putting the money down on the table. He nodded and quickly rolled her three joints, holding them out to her.

"Pleasure doing business with you. Hey, try and sleep tonight, alright?" Eddie said.

Cammie rolled her eyes, but nodded. She turned around, seeing Chrissy staring at her with vague confusion. Cammie waved awkwardly and left the trailer, closing the door and hurrying inside to where Max was banging the TV, the frame stuck on static.

Max looked up at Cammie.

"You wanna go and smoke them out of my window?" Max said.

"Yeah," Cammie said quietly.

Max nodded and the two of them headed to Max's room. They closed the door over, Max opening the window while Cammie settled herself on the window ledge.

She took the lighter Max was holding out for her, lighting up the first joint and taking a deep hit as she closed her eyes.

"You okay?" Max asked.

"Stupid question," Cammie said.

"It's not stupid. I care how you're feeling," Max said.

"I'm okay," Cammie said. "Or I will be," she said, holding up her joint.

Max sat up on the window ledge beside her and held her hand out. Cammie raised an eyebrow and Max rolled her eyes.

"Just because I don't have one every day doesn't mean I can't handle it," Max said. "Besides, it's spring break. Why not do stupid shit?" she said. "I think we deserve it after tonight's bullshit."

"We do indeed, my darling," Cammie said, handing her one of the unlit joints. "Help yourself," she said, offering her the lighter.

Max lit her joint up and took a smaller hit, smiling slightly when Cammie stared at her.

"What are you looking at?" Max asked.

"My beautiful girlfriend," Cammie said.

"Now who's got a high sex drive?" Max chuckled.

Cammie rolled her eyes, opening her mouth to reply. She didn't have time, however, as the lights above them started flickering slightly. Cammie closed her mouth, staring up at the lights.

"Are you doing that?" Max asked.

"I can't do that to lights," Cammie said.

Max frowned, looking out of the window as they heard a banging sound and a faint scream. Cammie looked over, seeing Eddie hightailing his ass out of his trailer. He got into his van, slamming on the gas as he reversed away from his trailer.

"Well, that's weird," Max said.

"I didn't see Chrissy leave. Did you?" Cammie asked.

"No," Max frowned. "Then again, she was probably quiet when she left. I can't imagine a cheerleader would want everyone knowing she's buying drugs, especially not drugs from Eddie Munson," she said.

"Good point," Cammie mumbled, taking another hit of her joint.

She sighed and flicked the ash off, looking at Max.

"So, on a scale of one to ten, how fucked up is my mom?" she said.

Max looked at Cammie, a small smile on her face.

"Twelve," she said.

"Damn right. Thank fuck she isn't my biological mom. I would not handle being a psychopath because of my genes. My past, fair enough, but genetics, I can't win," Cammie said.

"Have you ever asked Callum who your biological parents were? Maybe they're still out there. El's mom is," Max said.

"I'm never speaking to Callum again. He's an asshole," Cammie scowled.

"Fair enough," Max said. "What do you wanna do tonight?" Max changed the subject before Cammie got angry.

"Movies?" Cammie said.

"Sure. We sleeping?" Max asked.

"You can. I probably won't be able to," Cammie said.

"I'll keep you safe from any nightmares," Max said, moving her leg to rest it over Cammie's lap. Cammie smiled tiredly at her.

"Thanks, daydreamer," she said.

"Anything for you, princess," Max smiled back.