The first month of their relationship was nothing but complete and utter bliss. The two girls were inseparable from each other, nearly spending every waking hour together. Of course, they didn't mind it, they only liked to be around one another in that way. More kisses were shared, hand holding, cuddling, and Max only wondered how she could ever end up this lucky with a sweet girl like Kate.

Somehow, they had managed to keep their relationship a secret, with only Warren, Stella, and Alyssa knowing. Brooke was a little suspicious of things, but never questioned the two girls. Max was glad that school drama could be kept to a minimum around she and Kate, well, at least for now. Especially with Kate dealing with the bullies in the first place.

Soon it was December, the weather had begun to change in Arcadia Bay, but there was no snowfall just yet. Max and Kate's relationship only continued to go up throughout the school year. But the bullying had gotten worse. Every morning Kate woke up, there was a different message written on her little whiteboard out in the hallway. They poked fun at her religion, saying she was nothing but a goody two shoes for wearing a purity ring and going to church and what not. People talked about her, and Max didn't know why. Did everyone at Blackwell Academy have nothing better to do? It was petty teenage stuff, and both girls knew that, but still, it was a sort of nuisance that nobody wanted to deal with.

"Just ignore them." Max would tell her, "Who cares what they think."

"I know..." Kate said, but deep down, it bothered her. She was one of those people who valued other people's opinions about her. And despite the type of people at Blackwell, it still haunted her that they didn't like her. What had she done to them for them to just treat her so badly, to torment her, to make her feel unwanted? She was just glad she had Max in her life to take her mind off of things. God, she didn't know what she would do if the mean people at school found out that she and Max were girlfriends. What would they say about the lesbian christian? She could just hear it now.

Suddenly, a knock was at her door, pulling her out of her thoughts. The blonde walked over and answered it, knowing all to well that it was Max. "I'm tired of seeing you mope around all the time, let's go do something, forget about these assholes." Max said, smiling, and then grabbed Kate's hand. She was worried about Kate, and that's why she was going to do whatever it takes to make her feel better, to get these damn bullies off her mind. She wanted her girlfriend to be happy, carefree, like always, like she used to be before Victoria and Nathan and other vortex club members started being mean to her and making fun of her.

"What'd you have in mind?" Kate asked.

"Two Whales diner, my treat." Max grinned in return. "You're my girlfriend, so you have to go." She said before pulling Kate out of her dorm. The two girls then headed outside, and to the bus stop where they would take it into town to get to the diner. Kate loved that Max could take her mind off of just about anything. She was forever grateful for the brown haired girl. Heck, she didn't know how she would have survived this year at Blackwell if it wasn't for her superhero, Max Caulfield. It was obvious that she really was something else; a force to be reckoned with.

In their usual booth, Max and Kate ate breakfast for dinner. Hot cakes and bacon, of course with a cup of coffee. The diner had somewhat become their place of serenity, safety, as well as the lighthouse. Well, the lighthouse was more for being able to make out with each other and not get caught. That had been Max's bright idea, and Kate followed along with it. As long as she got to be around Max, got to feel her lips on her own, and just be together, in the way that couples were supposed to be together, it was all too worth it. They never fought, unless it was playful, and they just learned from each other, growing and developing with help from one another.

"So, what should we do this weekend?" Kate inquired, dipping a piece of her pancake in the warm syrup.

Max shrugged, "I think we should go to the movies, there's this really sick zombie movie about to come out."

Kate wrinkled her nose, "You know how I feel about apocalypse movies, Max."

The brunette pouted, "Aw come on Kate, please, for me?" She begged, causing a smile to pull on the edge of Kate's lips. They had been on so many different dates by now, but they never got bored. Dinner, movies, sleep overs, shopping, so much stuff they had done together, and yet they still had so much more stuff to do. It was crazy, really. "Please, please, please?" Max begged, giving the pouty face knowing Kate wouldn't be able to resist it. That was another thing with them; no matter how ridiculous the request was, Max always got her way despite Kate's protests.

"Fine, but you owe me." Kate replied, grinning.

"Of course my lady, nothing but the best." Max said, grabbing Kate's hand. They continued to eat in playful banter and chit chat, when Max's phone started to buzz with a text message. She looked down to check it, and saw that it was Warren. A sigh escaped her lips, what could he possibly want? He knew she was on a date with Kate. But she opened the text anyway, and what she saw made her skin flush and her heartbeat speed up. What could this mean? What happened? She knew Warren worried about Kate too, but what in the hell was happening?

Whatever you do, do not let Kate get on the school website.