Bathroom (Max x Bradley) - Maxley

by mice_gun

Summary:

COMPLETE
Max starts his first year at college. Everything goes well for him and his friends PJ and Bobby until he meets Bradley Uppercrust the Third. This arrogant jerk gets in his way and annoys him in his everyday life, but also in his dreams.
With the bet on, and his reputation at stake, Max is more stressed than ever. But when the brown-haired boy looks at him, it seems as if his life wasn't that bad.

Max x Bradley (Maxley), An extremely goofy movie
fanfiction
-none of these characters are mine

Chapter 1: AUTHORS NOTE

This is my first story on here. I am doing it purely out of fun, so please no hate. Also, I do not guarantee that the story will have an ending, because of my laziness. The story is not exactly like the movie, because, once again, of my laziness. If something doesn't make sense, please let me know. But if you have something to say that could make my story better, I will gladly hear them.

Thank You

-Mice_Gun

 

 

Chapter 2

The first day of school is in three days. Enough time to unpack and look at the some chicks with the boys. Hopefully, they notice my awesome skateboard tricks I learned all summer long.

 "Max quit day-dreaming and start unpacking or we will never leave the dorms. Hurry up!" shouted PJ as he unpacked his own things. " Yeah, PJ is right. All the hot babes will find a boyfriend till we leave the dorms," continued Bobby. I just scoffed but started hurrying up a little just for their sake.

Eventually, after less than half an hour, we left our dorm on our skateboards, Bobby on his skates, and started exploring the campus. It was quite a bit, with all these group homes and study halls. It also had a little park in the middle, where the couples hang out, so we avoided that part of the campus, just in case.

On our way, we passed the 'Gamma'-House, which was easy to notice, because of their big gamma sign above the front door. We made sure to do a couple of cool tricks while passing by, just so they knew who they are going to lose against.

We ended our journey at a small café in an alley near the campus. A couple of theater kids, I suppose, we're having fun there. They didn't pay us any attention, so we sat down at one of the tables in the middle of the café and started looking at the menu.

"Who is going to order?" I asked, looking at the menu. "Since you offered so nicely, we wouldn't mind you going. Right PJ?" mocked me Bobby. I really didn't want to go, but my friends just told me their wishes, gave me some money and send me on my merry way.

And so, now I am standing behind the counter, waiting for our free coffees. The waitress seems nice and she's really pretty, so I might ask her for her number later. I was still day-dreaming about getting her number when she gave me my order and sent me on my merry way.

Still with my head in the clouds, I turn around and bump into something and spill my coffee on it. Better yet, someone.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry, let me help-" "No, no, no. There's no need for that, really," interrupted me the man I bumped into. No, not a man. He looks more like a boy.

"I bet if you were on a skateboard, you wouldn't spill a drop," says the guy suddenly, making me feel weird in my stomach. Not bad-weird, but good-weird, which was confusing. But I didn't mind my stomach's outburst and instead, I laughed and answered: "You'd win that bet. I'm Max."

I stretched out my hand, ready to shake it, but to my surprise, the guy just said: " Bradley Uppercrust the III. A pleasure meeting you." I found it a little weird, if not rude that he didn't shake my hand, but I didn't comment on it. Maybe it is something people in college don't do anymore. Maybe shaking hands is not 'in' here.

"Would you like to join the Gammas?" said Bradley out of nowhere. I know I said we would crush them, but being inside one of the most successful skateboard teams in history is a one-time opportunity.

So without even thinking about it, I said:"Yes! Let me inform my friends about this first. Hey, PJ, Bobby, we will be in a-" "No, no, no. You see, we only have one opening. And we would like for you to join. Not them, you. You get me? So, what do you say," interrupts me Bradley again. He sure likes to interrupt people.

"What? Either it's all of us or none of me. I am not leaving them behind." How dare he even think I would leave my friends just like that. We will crush them, arrogant bastards.

We started to fight, verbally, when the mysterious girl that sat on the stage until now, helped us with the argument.

We make a deal, that whoever wins the X-race, will be the other one's towel boy. I cannot wait for him to be my towel boy.

"As you wish, Freshman," says Bradley angrily, as he leaves the café.

"Thanks for the help, girl." I thank the girl. I can see PJ and Bobby both oggling this girl like she's the last cheese on Earth. Bobby tries to make small talk with her, but she stops him immediately. Poor Bobby, he has no chance with her. I hope PJ has more luck.

We returned to our dorm nearly at midnight. We quickly changed our clothes and went to sleep. The day took its stall on PJ, and only after mere seconds I hear him snoring. Bobby started snoring a minute later.

All I want to do is sleep as well, but my mind keeps wandering back to the arrogant human I had the pleasure to meet today: Bradley. He was rude, arrogant, and a complete jerk, yet somehow I am sad I didn't make it on his team.

Confused and annoyed about these feelings, I put the thoughts away, awaiting my sleep.

The sleep comes but with it also some weird dreams.

Chapter 3

I wake up from the dream I was having. Confused, embarrassed, and a little sad that the dream is over, I sit up and look at the alarm clock next to my bed. It was only 4:00 a.m.. With a sign, I lay down again and tried to get some more sleep.

But the moment I closed my eyes, all I could see were bits and parts of my previous dream, making my face hot.

Defeated, I opened my eyes again and stared at the ceiling, not wanting to wake up the others. PJ looked like he was having a fun dream: he had a smile on his face. And Bobby... I don't know, honestly, I couldn't see his face.

Tired, I tried yet again to close my eyes and get some shut-eye. But I found myself in the bathroom again. Just me and Bradley. He was awfully near me, saying something I couldn't comprehend, getting closer. You looked at me in the eyes, holding my stare and then, getting even closer, closing the distance, slowly closing his eyes and-

With a little yelp, I wake up. This time I can see the sun slowly rising behind our windows. Still a little out of breath, I lay back down, thinking about the dream. This stupid jerk. He irritates me when I'm awake, and now he found a way to irritate me in my sleep as well. Because of him, I didn't get enough sleep today. And today is the day all of the freshmen get an official tour of the school and the campus, both our schedules and school IDs as well.

I rub my eyes, trying to get my body to work. I get out of my bed and get down on the ground. I sleep shirtness, so I put on a tank top and go on the ground between sleeping PJ and Bobby. I positioned myself correctly and began my daily 100 push-ups. This workout made me lean and strong, without looking like I am on steroids. PJ and Bobby always make fun of me for doing it, because they say I try too hard. But I mostly just ignore them and keep doing my thing. And it works. Lots of girls swoon when they see me.

Without even realizing it, I was already done with my push-ups, so I got up and looked at the clock: it said 6:30 a.m.. The tour doesn't start until 11:00 a.m., and PJ with Bobby aren't early birds. Plus the fact that yesterday we went to sleep so late, I am sure I will not be able to wake them up before 10 o'clock.

So I walk over to the bathroom. Of course, I remember my dream and my face gets red again, but I just shake my head and brush my teeth. As I am brushing my teeth, I look into the mirror. My snake bites in my lower lip are getting in the way of the toothbrush, but I just try my best and continue. I got them at the beginning of the summer vacation, as a sign of my independence. My dad was a little shocked, but he supported my idea and didn't say anything. The first two weeks after getting it were horrible. The pain every time I moved my mouth was tremendous. But the chicks dig it. The same day Bobby got his ears pierced. We tried to convince PJ to do something similar, but he was scared of what his dad might say. And because we are all scared of his dad, we didn't pressure him.

I spit out the toothpaste foam and wash my face. I shower and leave the bathroom. Bobby and PJ didn't move a centimeter, so I put on some clean clothes and get my backpack and skateboard.

I still have about 3 hours before the boys wake up, so I might even check the place out. As we looked around yesterday, we mostly looked out for food stores, the overall school layout and some cool stores in the city. But now I had a specific place in mind I wanted to visit. An outdoor gym playground. I don't want to pay for the crazy expensive gym membership, and I also prefer the fresh air, so it's a win-win situation.

But firstly, I need something to eat. And I know for a fact that PJ is going for donuts when he wakes up, so something healthy would be nice.

I entered the nearest food shop near me and got myself a breakfast sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes, some bacon, an egg, and some cheese. Not the healthiest, but better than a donut. I also got myself a bottle of water. I pay for it and walk out.

I packed the sandwich with the bottle and make myself on the way to the outdoor gym

I graze the streets for a good half an hour until I arrive at my destination. To my surprise, it is quite near to where I live, only like a 10- minute walk. Weird that I didn't spot it yesterday.

It is still early in the morning, with only a few of the students awake. It is also quite chilly, but I don't mind the breeze and take off my shirt, so I stand there only in my tank top. I eat my sandwich while I search for some appropriate music for this workout. I settle on some pop/rap mix and put it in my earpods. I hit play on the first song and go over to the construction where you do pull-ups and start doing my first ten pull-ups. They surely look easier than they are, but I finish them and move over to the monkey track. I go over the full monkey parkour three times, and only then do I allow myself to take a break. I sit down on my skateboard and drink some water.

After a little break and a change of playlist, I do ten more pull-ups and twenty sit-ups. I finish my workout with thirty russian-twists on either side.

I lay down, sweaty, out of breath, and a little exhausted, when a silhouette walks towards me, blocking the sun above me.

"Well hello again, Freshman."

Chapter 4

You have to be kidding me.

"Well hello again, freshman," the silhouette in the form of Bradley said, smiling in my face. The smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

"I saw you through my window," continued Bradley " working-out out there. Well, if you can even call that a workout. After just some lame sit-ups and Russian twists, you are already sweating. Good thing you didn't decide to join us, we would have to kick you out after seeing this," Bradley laughed, with his little minions behind him.

"Firstly, that wasn't my whole workout, but whatever. And secondly, Brad, why were you watching me for so long? Are you stalking me? Or, could you possibly have a crush on me? You, a mighty Gamma, on me, a poor commoner?" I mocked Bradley, enjoying how his face turned more red with every word.

"Don't you dare call me Brad ever again! And I was just trying to- to... to entertain myself! On how weak and stupid you looked," said Bradley, even more red than before. His minions were just standing there, and I don't think they were even listening.

"If you are so strong as you say, you wouldn't have a problem beating Tank over here in a little workout I come up with. What do you say?" Bradley proposed. He couldn't just drop it, could he? And he picked the biggest guy he had. Like, he surely takes steroids, there is just no way he doesn't. And I am just right after my workout, exhausted, plus I still need to go back to my dorm and shower before the tour starts. I look at the time and it is 8:30. Plenty of time to beat this prick.

"Sure. Bring it on," I said with a confident voice, even though I was scared shitless.

We started by doing some push-ups, followed by sit-ups, and finished it off with some pull-ups. Tank had a lot of strength in him. I bet it's because of all of those fake muscles. I could keep up, but I could feel my strength leaving me very quickly.

After what felt like hours, what might only have been a couple of minutes in reality, Bradley gave us a pause. If we continue to do these strength exercises, I will lose this. But if we did something with speed or movement, I might just win this- the monkey track. The monkey track was a parkour track on the playground, with hoops where one must climb over to the other side, then some ropes, through which one must get through, and a little climbing wall. The perfect exercise to win this.

"Hey Bradley, how about we do the monkey parkour. It is the only equipment in the park we didn't use." "Freshmen, do you have a defective memory? Because I can clearly remember us agreeing to letting me do the choosing, not you." "If you are scared of losing, just say so." A little of reversed psychology wouldn't hurt.

"I am not scared of losing! How dare you. Very well then. You will go through the monkey parkour while you are being timed. Because it is a tie now, the one with the lower speed will win. Max, you go first."

I get up and prepare myself. I wait for the signal to go. "Now!" screams Bradley and I run. First on the hoops to the other side. Then through the ropes and lastly climb through the climbing wall. I jumped down from the platform and walked towards Bradley to check my time.

"Four minutes and thirteen seconds. Tank, baby, you're up next," said Bradley without even looking at the timer. I am pretty sure I was quicker than that, but whatever. There is no way Tank can beat my time.

Tank started with the hoops, which he got through with what looked like no effort at all, and continued with the ropes. Midway through, he got stuck in them and by the time he got out, he was at three minutes fifty-five seconds. Bradley seemed to notice the time as well and started to look a little worried. No, scratch that, he was worried a lot. Tank tried climbing up the wall, but the studs were too small for him and his feet kept on slipping. But eventually, he got through, jumped down from the platform, and joined us.

His time was way past mine, and there was nothing that Bradley could do to keep me from winning-

"Tank, your time is three minutes and twenty-two seconds," Bradley says with a smile.

No. How?

"Hey, hey, hey, that is not true. The timer says it's-" "Well, yes, but he got stuck on the ropes, so that time he was struggling there doesn't count." "But that's kind of the whole point of the monkey track-" "Freshman, if you want to win that badly, sure, have this tiny victory, but do not let it fool you, because next time you will not win this easily," said Bradley, interrupting me again and left with his minions.

Dumbfolded, I packed my stuff and went to the dorms.

When I got to our room, PJ was still sleeping, but Bobby was already scrolling through his phone. He noticed me and greeted me.

"Hey, man. Where have you been? Plus you stink, so go and take a shower." " I was working out and met our new friend Bradley Upper-snot the greatest. He was spying on me as I was finishing my workout." "What a creep. But don't worry princess, your hero is here. I will shield you from all of your stalkers," Bobby joked, holding his phone up as a weapon, ready to attack. I laughed and went to the bathroom to take a shower.

As I got out, PJ was already waking up and just in time for my second breakfast.

We got ready and slowly made ourselves on the way towards the main building. On the way, we got some donuts, just as I thought.

As we got there, a small group of other students were already gathered in front of the building. After some time, the principal walked out of the building and started his speech, about how he is glad to see us here, how he hopes we will find lots of new friends and similar.

"... I hope you all have a wonderful time here. Our best student will show you now around the campus, so please treat him with respect. This is Bradley and he will be your tour guide today."

Bradley walked up from behind him and welcomed the crowd. "Hello, freshmen. I hope we can get along."

 

Chapter 5

I just silently stared at the Bradley, not sure if I was having a nightmare or not. It is just not humanly possible to meet one person so often in one day. It seemed as if he was following me around.

I stared blankly before myself, slowly counting to ten and rethinking my life choices.

"Max, buddy, are you okay?" snapped PJ his fingers in front of my face, hoping to get me out of my trance. Bobby seemed to understand what I was thinking and started laughing silently behind me. Not very silently, may I add. Numerous people looked disapprovingly our way, that is how 'silently' he laughed.

The only positive thing about this was, that it seemed as if Bradley didn't notice I was here yet.

Bradley started the tour, walking inside of the main building, and instructing everyone to follow him. PJ, Bobby, and I were the last, avoiding the Upper-snot as much as possible.

He showed us the place where we would get our schedules and IDs from, the main study hall, and some of the classrooms as well. The whole tour took about an hour, and not once throughout the tour had I had the chance to be interrupted by our annoying tour guide. Thank God.

At the end of the tour we were seated in the assembly hall and showed a video about the rules of the school. My friends and I sat at the very back, hardly paying any attention to the video, rating some chicks on Instagram.

As we scrolled past a hot blonde chick on a motorcycle, who was a total ten, the next picture of a girl popped up. I stopped smiling. I quickly looked away, not wanting for the memories to come back. PJ and Bobby quieted down and shut off the phone. They knew what happened. That day, Roxanne-

"The whole video you couldn't shut up, but now, suddenly, it seems you all ate glue. Why so quiet?"

I didn't even notice that Bradley was near us. Near is a big word, he was practically looking from behind my shoulder.

I just shrugged him off, not in the mood to discuss this with him. Especially not him.

But he wasn't having it. He kept on asking until the lights turned on, which was the indicator for him to get up and continue the tour.

"We aren't finished yet, freshman," he said quietly before getting up and walking to the front of the hall, ready to grab everyone's attention. He ended the tour there and sent everybody off to the secretary to get their schedules and school IDs. He made sure to wait for us till we left the room to join us.

The mood was still sour, and nobody spoke. After a while, Bradley slowly disappeared to take a phone call, from which he never returned. I was a little disappointed deep down, but right now I couldn't seem to care. My mind kept on going back to Roxanne and the summer from 3 years ago.

"Hey, Max. You gotta get your head out of the gutter. I know it still hurts, physically and mentally, but she didn't deserve you and you should move on," Bobby spoke up first.

He was right. I had to forget her. But it was quite hard to do so. I squeezed my shirt, lost in my thoughts, but nodded a little to let the others know I heard them.

They guide me towards the secretary's office, where I am handed my schedule and ID, and leave without a word. We went to the cafe we went to yesterday, getting us some coffees. The mysterious girl from yesterday is on the stage again. PJ is totally into her, absorbing every one of her words, not listening to Bobby complaining about how single he is. I tried to live a little, so I mentioned his high school crush Stacy. He turns red but stops complaining. We all know he only acts tough, but he will do anything to get a chance to see Stacy again. He never got the balls to ask her out in high school, and now he regrets it every day, reminding us of it at least once a week.

As I make fun of him, the numbness starts retreating. We continue to bicker until the mysterious girl decides to sit with us.

"Well hello there again, big guy. How are you spending this splendid day so far?" PJ answered her like he was the modern Shakespeare with a poem as if he was practicing it. He probably was. He leaves me and Bobby with our jaws touching the ground and leaves the café with the amazed artist.

"Well, at least one of us is getting laid tonight," comments Bobby. We slowly make ourselves on the way to our dorm. As we are walking through the city, we here a loud disagreement. Our curiosity got the best of us, and we walked towards the sound.

There in an alley was a girl fighting off a man, who was clearly drunk, not winning the fight. The girl was oddly familiar. Bobby recognized her faster than me and jumped in to help her.

He managed to make the guy leave, and only then did I recognize the girl: it was Stacy!

They started to talk, Bobby being all flustered. I only gave him the thumbs up and walked back to the dorms alone.

When I got to our room, I got ready for bed and climbed in.

A night, all alone. No PJ, no Bobby, no dad, no teddy bear. Just me and the nightmares.

I closed my eyes, hoping the monsters had forgotten all about me, but I would lie if I said they did. That day was one of the worst in my life, and now it haunts me through the night, not letting me sleep.

 

Chapter 6

The whole week was similar: PJ and Bobby went to spend their time with their girlfriends, not sleeping in our dorm. So, the entire night I was sleeping alone, or better said I didn't sleep at all. The first week of school started and passed. I don't even know what we did. In class, I mostly sleep making up for the sleepless nights. I didn't even meet my friends for the entire week, since we don't share any classes together.

Friday rolled around, and our first practice for the X-Games in the nearby skateboard park came by as well. By the time Friday came, my eye bags were reaching to the floor, and I could barely walk in a straight line.

We meet up at the park and I see my friends for the first time in a week. They were already there, waiting for me, without their girlfriends.

"Hey, man- bro, you don't look good. Are you OK? What happened?" PJ asked, worry lining his face. "Ah, don't worry man, the sleep is just not coming to me," I answered, not wanting to bother them too much. "Oh, shit man, don't worry. We'll make sure someone stays in the room with you every night from now on. Or should we ask your dad to bring your teddy-" "No, no. That's all right. I don't want him to worry. You don't need to stay with me, I am not a little baby." I dismissed them, feeling embarrassed about my stupid fear of sleeping alone. "If you say so. Just let us know. You know we are here for you. But enough chit-chat, let's get this show on the road!" Bobby ended the conversation, putting on his skates and skating over to the ramp.

We took our skateboards and joined Bobby. We trained for hours, practicing a lot of different tricks and going up and down the ramp. We got a small audience, watching us skate, fangirling I am not in my best shape, but I do not fall at all, so that is a win.

Towards the end, a guy joined the group, watching us, which I wouldn't have noticed, wouldn't he be that outstanding. He was at least a head taller than the rest of the people present. I stopped to look at him, and that's when I realized it was the big guy from a week ago. I can't seem to remember his name.

But I ignored him and continued to skate. After some time, I completely forgot that he was standing there. Suddenly, a light shined straight into my eyes, blinding me, and making me fall. The people standing around gasped and started to whisper. I got up and glared in the direction the light came from. Three was the big guy holding up a mirror, positioning it so, that the sunlight reflected into my eyes, while he was laughing and filming it.

That bastard. Why would he even film it? What is the purpose of this? As he saw me looking at him, he quickly left, still laughing to himself. What a weirdo. But we spent enough time practicing, and I really needed some sleep, so we packed our stuff and left the skatepark, stopping to get nachos on the way home.

We stopped at this disco-looking place, getting us a seat, and ordering some nachos. Just shortly after we arrived, the boys found their girlfriends in the crowd and went dancing with them, leaving all by myself, again. But I don't blame them, I was the same with Roxanne.

Oh, Roxanne. You are killing, slowly, and you are enjoying it.

I finished the nachos, got up, and went to the bathroom to wash my hands. When I walked in, the bathroom was empty and for the first time, I enjoyed the peace. I went to the sink and turned on the water.

Just right on queue, the devil spawned: Bradley. I didn't hear from him the whole week, but it seemed he finally found me. Yippie...

"Well, hello there, Freshman. You know, I couldn't care less about you, but the past few days you just don't seem yourself. Sleeping in the lectures, always staying up late... Or it could be that you are just one of the kids who don't like to learn. So, what is it, Max?" went Bradley on a rant. He annoyed me, but the way he said my name made me feel all kinds of stuff.

"Hello to you too, Bradley. Oh, me? I am feeling splendid today, thanks for asking. What about you?" I mocked him, turning off the water, and drying off my hands.

"Oh, cut the crap. What is the matter with you?"

"Why do you even care? And anyway, how do you know I am staying up late? Are you stalking me? The first time I said it, I was joking, but now I am getting a little suspicious." I got defensive, more pissed by the second, not wanting to speak with him about my restless nights.

"Your eyebags are kissing your chin. I think it is pretty oblivious. How low do you think of me, when you are accusing me of stalking? Me? Stalking? Hahaha... One of the best jokes I heard in my life. You know, you should really consider being a comedian, just in case you don't finish school. With all those classes you sleep at, I wouldn't be surprised if you actually did fail. And as I saw, you are not that good in skateboarding either." Is this guy for real? Making fun of me on a Friday night? Doesn't he have better things to do?

"Bradley, be honest. Do you have nothing better to do on a Friday night than hanging out in the bathroom with me? Do you have no friends or something?" I teased, not wanting to deal with him anymore.

His face darkened, his smile disappearing. "I can sense when I am no longer welcomed somewhere, so I will leave you alone," he said, and without a word left the bathroom. Yeah right, as if he can understand when to piss off. If he did, we wouldn't have to share so many words with each other. But happy about the peace, I left and made my way home.

At the dorm, PJ and Bobby were already making themselves ready for bed. "Here you are. When we didn't see you at the disco, we thought you went home, so we came as well, but you weren't here," PJ remarked, already in his pajamas.

"Ah, long story. I will tell you about it tomorrow," I answered, taking off my shirt and also getting ready for bed.

But when I turned off the lights and climbed into my bed, something about the way Bradley left the dinner bothered me. He had this look on his face like he was holding back tears. I thought about it for a while, until I drifted into sleep.

But bad dreams didn't leave me, they just chose a different victim tonight- Bradley. Him crying in my arms, and me, not being able to help him in any way.

Chapter 7

I woke up, once again, before the sunrise. I signed, rubbed my eyes, and went to the bathroom to wash my face. The memories of the previous night flat back making me remember the way Bradley's smile disappeared and his eyes watered. I signed once again and looked into the mirror. My eye bags were getting somehow worse, my hair was unkempt and pointed in every direction, making me look somehow worse than I felt. With the piercings and my overall look, I looked like a typical bad boy.

I got into the shower and rested my head on the cold tiles, wishing all of the memories could just disappear, taking me with them to the void of forgiveness.

I got out of the shower, dried myself, and decided to visit the park. I looked at my phone, showing that it was only five AM, meaning the sun would get up sometime soon. I didn't mind, and just went out of the room, quietly closing the door behind me.

I felt like walking, so I left my skateboard at home and just walked around, looking at the now dark blue sky. I got to the park, and sat down, being sure no one would be here at this time, just enjoying the silence. I closed my eyes and smiled a little.

But the silence was broken by somebody arguing. I opened one eye, just out of curiosity, to find the person who was speaking. To my surprise, it was Bradley. He was running around the park, talking... what looked like with himself? I thought about just ignoring him, but I was still shaken up from the dream, wanting to know what upset him so badly. I got up and started running towards him, to catch up with him. It wasn't easy, because he was practically sprinting, but I managed to catch up eventually.

It seemed he didn't notice me at all, still arguing with himself. So, I tapped him on his shoulder. He flinched and looked over at me with big eyes. When he noticed it was me, most of the tension from his shoulders left him. He slowed down and asked me.

"What do you want, freshman?" "Well, you are arguing with yourself like a madman and sprinting like your life depends on it. So, what is going on with you?" I said, starting to get a little worried seeing his sad face, remembering my dream.

"Nothing is wrong, just... nothing," he shrugged me off. I felt hurt but didn't stop trying to talk to him. "Oh, come on. I can see the hurt expression on your face. Just tell me, I swear I wouldn't tell anybody," I pled not giving up. Bradley didn't bulge, just shut his mouth and started running faster. I tried to keep up, but I couldn't come up and eventually, I lost him. I stopped running and slowly returned to my bench.

The sun was slowly rising already, so I took my things and returned to the dorm. On the way there, my head was troubled by the pained look on Bradley's face. Why though? Why do I keep thinking about him? It makes no sense. We are rivals. Enemies. My head was full with him until I re-entered the room and got distracted by the first projects for school.

I spent the whole day working on them and in the evening I joined my friends in another skateboard practice. Tomorrow were the first X-games qualifications. We wanted to get as many points as possible here because it would help us win this.

And so, we made a whole choreography for this. I would go on the ramp, doing my most impressive trick I know- skating on my hands. I had another one, but that one isn't that good, and it is really recent, so I don't feel confident enough to do it. So I just kept on practicing my skating on my hands.

The whole time, I didn't fall once, so my confidence shot through the roof. We ended quite early, making ourselves ready for tomorrow by cleaning our skateboards and other equipment and picking out our outfits.

We went to sleep at around ten o'clock, and the boys made sure I was sleeping before they fell asleep themselves. After all, we needed me on my best, for the competition.

For the first time in a week, I slept through the whole night, getting almost ten hours of sleep. Well deserved, and even more needed. I woke up in the morning, fresh and ready to beat the Gammas.

We got to the event at around three o'clock, ready to win this. Our team got the number ninety-nice, in other words, the last team, but that didn't bring down our confidence.

We patiently waited for our turn. The Gammas were right in front of us, even though their number was one, but whatever. Their choreography was amazing. Bradley skated, and he got almost all of the points except for one. He is amazing.

"Hey bro, you have to close up with at least all of them giving you five points. Do you think you can do that?" stated Bobby, showing off his amazing mathematical skills. "If I can skate on my hands, then 100%. Wish me luck," I said, not feeling confident at all. We needed at least the approval of all of them, but we need more points to catch up with the Gammas.

I breathed through, remembering some calming breathing exercises my dad taught me. I breathed it in for four seconds, held it in for five seconds, and breathed out for four seconds again. I did this a few times until I was ready for my performance. I put on my helmet and tied my shoes. As I was tying them, someone tapped me on my shoulder. As I looked over, no one stood there. I glared at Bradley who stood on the other side of me. What a prick. I got my guts together and waited for the start signal.

The signal sounded and I went with it. I skated down, doing pretty fine, just like at the practice. I was about to do a big jump when something shone in my eyes. I lost my balance and fell down. I already knew where it was going from, so I just got up and continued. My confidence was broken down and I fell again, not leaving enough time to skate on my hands. I could already hear Bradley chuckling for himself, happy about his victory. I would not let it get to that.

I made some little tricks and got ready for our last resort: the trick I wasn't confident enough to do. But if I didn't do it, we would not go further. So I had nothing to lose.

I skated on the biggest ramp there was and got on my hands, slowly pushing this skateboard to its limits, and making a handstand on it. The audience gasped, and I could imagine my friends praying to God I wouldn't fall down because if I did, I would spend the next few weeks in the hospital.

I was ready to get down from my position when I felt my hand slipping.

Chapter 8

My hand was slipping. I panicked, life flashing before my eyes, but the skateboard fell on his right side and I managed to finish the trick without killing myself. I finished the routine and got back on the platform. I was slightly shaking, gripping my skateboard hard.

"Max, are you-" "Drop it PJ. Not now," I said, feeling my voice shaking as well. I couldn't even look at the score. I just heard your radio-man say we have just made it in, and that was the indicator for me to leave. And so I left, not looking back.

I went into the bathroom to wash my hands. I was scared, shaken up, and really mad. Mad at Bradley. I knew the light came from them. If they didn't make me fall, I would have done my routine according to the plan and wouldn't have to do the last trick, risking my life.

Suddenly, I felt something wet tracing my cheek. I looked into the mirror, seeing myself crying. I couldn't hold it in anymore. All of the stress from the last week and all of the fear from today just came crashing together, making me cry even harder.

And so, I stood in the bathroom, silently crying, slightly shaking, not being able to stop. And that's when Bradley decided to join me in the bathroom, again.

"Oh, Max. Don't be sad. You made it in. Just barely, but nonetheless, you made it in. So those should be happy tears not-" "Oh my God, can you just shut it?! Because of you and your cheating, I risked my life up there, just to barely make it in. I almost DIED. And on top of that, I had a pretty shitty week, not sleeping at all. So, pardon me for relieving my stress through tears. God Bradley, not everything is about you or skateboards," I screamed, having enough of him. After my outburst, the crying seemed to slowly come to a stop but the shaking intensified.

I was breathing heavily, looking at Bradley, and waiting for his next move. He seemed to be speechless and in a little shock from what I had said, but he didn't say anything, just nodded his head and quietly left the bathroom, leaving me standing there alone.

My legs gave up on me and I slipped down, leaning against the wall for support. I was just sitting there, sniffling with a blank expression on my face, waiting for myself to calm down.

Finally, I calmed down and was able to get up. So I did just that and walked out of the bathroom, searching for my friends. It wasn't hard to spot them: they were sitting on a nearby bench, talking amongst themselves with their girlfriends getting to know each other next to them. I walked towards them to join their conversation.

Stacy looked at me and stopped mid-sentence. That was the first time she had seen me since high school, since that day. Back then she was the best friend over Roxanne, and nothing changed in that part. She was siding with Roxanne back then, and I only hoped she still wasn't.

The silence grew uncomfortable, so I broke it. "Hello, Stacy." It took her a few seconds to respond. "Hello, Max." She looked like she wanted to tell me something more, but she closed her mouth and returned her attention to Mocha, PJ's girlfriend.

PJ and Bobby gave me a sympathetic smile in return to their conversation as well, making space for me to meddle in. And so, the next half an hour we just sat there, chatting.

When we finally decided to move, the boys and I went to our dorms to change and we parted ways with the girls.

Apparently, we made more plans with them, because when we got to our room, the guys started to explain to me their ultimate plan on getting me with a girl tonight, because apparently Stacy knew someone. And so we showered and got ready for our dates.

We went to the disco-looking diner again. We got a big table and ordered some nachos while waiting for the girls. As we waited, I noticed that Bradley and his cult also came in and got a table on the other side of the diner, but still in my sight. They sat down and got themselves some drinks.

Just then, the girls arrived, having a third one with them. It was a pretty brunette wearing a yellow sun-dress. She sat next to me and introduced herself. We made small-talk until the whole table was in one big discussion.

As my date, whose name I have already forgotten, was arguing with Bobby about something, I looked over to Bradley's table, searching for him. I found him sitting there alone, drinking something that looked like beer. Once he chucked the whole thing down, he got up and walked on the dance floor, out of my sight.

"Hey, why don't we leave these losers here are green, and go on the dance floor? That's what we came in here for, after all, or am I wrong?" I suggested to my date, getting a thumbs up from PJ. She agreed and we started to dance.

While we were dancing, my eyes kept on combing the crowd for a different brunette then I held in my arms. When I finally spotted him, my breath hitched.

There he was, dancing with some other girl.

"Ow, Max. Could you not hold me that strongly? You might leave a bruise," said my date, wincing and how hard I was gripping her hand. I released my grip, not even realizing I held her like that.

The rest of the night went relatively smoothly, my eyes never leaving a certain brunette. Throughout the night, he danced with seven different girls, of which two were holding him too close for a first dance. At ten o'clock, my date had to go home, so we said our goodbyes and she left.

We were sitting at our table, eating nachos, when Mocha took me away. She found a table for two in a corner, where she ordered me to sit at. I did just that, confused, but also a little scared of her. She sat down as well, staring right into my soul.

"Is there something between you and Bradley?" she asked, leaving me to stare at her blankly.

Huh?! 

Chapter 9

"What? Of course not! How did you even come to this conclusion?" I asked Mocha, dumbfounded.

"Well, for starters, you didn't pay any attention to your date at all." "That is not true!" "Oh yeah? What is her name then?" she asked. I stayed silent, not knowing the answer, and therefore proving her point. "You also didn't ask for her number, so there wouldn't be any second date, but when she walked in, your eyes lingered on her, which means you could appreciate her beauty. So, you are not completely gay. At this point, I only thought she wasn't your type and I was ready to leave it at that, but then I saw you looking at him. And not once. You have kept on searching for him in the crowd, glaring at all the girls who he danced with. I must say, there were numerous-" "Seven. He danced with seven girls," I interrupted her, not helping my case.

She only raised her eyebrow, signaling she already made her point. But I remained silent, not answering her previous question, not knowing the answer, and not wanting to face the consequences that were paired with the answers.

We sat there in silence, her staring at me, waiting for an answer, and me, trying to come up with one.

"We are not a thing," I said finally. "But?" "But-... I might feel... something? I don't know. I almost killed myself because of him today, yet I am concerned about who he dances with. At night, I dream about him, and my nightmares consist of him crying and me not being able to help him and- Oh," I stopped myself, the answer now clear to me. " 'Oh' is correct."

My face turned red and I hid it behind my hands, embarrassed about my feelings that were so obvious, that a total stranger noticed them before myself. She gently put my hands down, smiling at me.

"You have nothing to worry about. I will not tell anyone. But don't be so obvious about it or everyone will know without even me telling them."

"But- How- I dated before. A girl. How can I feel the same- for a guy- him?" I was confused, spewing bullshit and nonsense. She just explained the whole sexuality thing to me. Wow. It seems I might be bisexual period now that I think about it, it makes a lot of sense, but still. This is some big news. How will my father react? My friends? Will they be disgusted? Scared? Will they accept me? I had so many questions and worries.

Mocha seemed to see that and only patted me on my shoulder. "Don't worry, everything will become more clear in the future. For now, it can be our little secret. Here, have my number. You can always text me or call me for advice, or if you just want to talk," she said, handing me a piece of paper with her number written on it. I pulled out my phone, typed in her number, and sent her a quick message, telling her it was me.

After that, we returned to the table. Everyone was looking at us, waiting for some kind of explanation. I got scared, not knowing what to tell them, but Mocha saved me by saying: "I just felt like dancing with him, wanting to know more about his thoughts on Charlie. It doesn't look like a second date will be happening," she said, naturally.

The others didn't question it and moved on with their previous conversation. I sat down, my eyes being pulled into the crowd, searching for Bradley once again. I found him kissing some random girl he didn't even dance with. My stomach dropped, making it look quickly away. Mocha seemed to notice it as well, suggesting we call it a night, already getting up.

We all agreed it would make sense to go to sleep since we had school tomorrow. The memory of Bradley kissing that girl haunted me the whole time we were walking home, when I got ready for bed, and accompanied me by falling asleep.

Surprisingly, my dreams were infested with similar scenes like my first dream about him ever- the bathroom dream.

The next few weeks, I noticed that Bradley was in half of my classes. I also noticed that he was always prepared, never late, always paying attention, and sitting in the front row. A total nerd.

Somehow, I found it cute, and it was making me more motivated to have good grades, trying to keep up with the top student Bradley Uppercrust the third.

It seemed that my friends hadn't noticed anything about my latest obsession, so I left it at that. We skated more and practiced more, trying to be more and better prepared for the games than the last time. We made sure to practice at least two times a week.

I continued to visit the outdoor gym every time I had the chance, not only to keep up my form but also secretly hoping Bradley would be looking.

At some point I realized how much I was obsessed with him, it not being healthy anymore. And so I called Mocha. She advised me to focus on other things for some time, like getting an A for the next test or painting a picture. And I did that. It helped me not always think and dream about him. He still occupied my mind rent-free, but I could dream about other stuff finally and worked out without worrying about how I might look while doing it.

As I was working out on a Sunday morning. The big guy from Bradley's group came walking towards me. I put the earbuds out of my ears, studying the guy closely. He walked to me, stopping right in front of the place where I was lying down, doing my sit-ups.

"Can I help you?" I asked, after waiting for him to say something with no success. He remained silent, just grabbed me, and then, out of nowhere, punched me straight into my face. My head shot back, seeing stars. I got away quickly from his reach and held my now bloody nose. "Dude, what is your problem?! What did I do to you?" I wanted to know, whipping my hand on my tank top, which I really liked.

The guy didn't answer, just swung his arm again, aiming for my face. I ducked, thinking about my options. Hand-in-hand combat would be the death of me, so I should just run away. But the guy was standing between me and my stuff, forcing me to fight him. And so I did. I charged at him, going for his stomach.

He blocked me, and then returned the favour by punching me in my stomach. This back and forth continued, me getting some good blows on him, but mainly him punching me, until we were both out of breath.

I was holding my bloody nose while he was holding his side. Suddenly, his phone rang, and he answered it and left me standing there without saying another word. What was that about?

Bruised and in no condition to finish my workout, I grabbed my stuff and went back to the dorms, wondering what just happened.

 

Chapter 10

I got home, PJ and Bobby weren't there, because they spent the night at their girlfriends' places, yet PJ stayed with me until I fell asleep, as they have been doing for some time now.

I went to the bathroom, searching for a medical kit. Nothing. I searched the whole room through, not finding anything. I signed and wondered, what should I do next. I could go to the hospital, but I don't think it's necessary. I could call Mocha or the boys, but it is still quite early and all of them would be still asleep. Then I remembered the school nurse. She might not even be here, but it was still worth a shot.

I got up from Bobby's bed, where I had been sitting, but my vision got blurry and I had to support myself. I slowly walked in the direction I believed was the school nurse's office located at. But when I got there, she was closed. Of course, she is closed. It's not even eight o'clock on a Sunday morning.

My head was now spinning, I sat down at the bench located in front of the office, most probably the waiting bench. I signed, closing my eyes and relaxing. I had nowhere to go, so I had to call one of the guys, making them even more worried about me than they were because of every night.

I was about to reach for my phone to contact them when I noticed I didn't have it on me. I left it in the dorm, are you kidding me? My head felt like exploding, my nose still dripping with blood, my tank top ruined. I signed and cursed God for doing this to me.

Right on time, the fallen angel had appeared, Bradley. He was walking down the hall, carrying some books, when he noticed me. He stopped in his tracks, checking the clock.

"You know, freshman, the nurse is not here today. So, I recommend you going to bleed somewhere else," he said, his voice cold, still sour about our last encounter in the bathroom the day of X-Games Qualifications.

I couldn't even bring myself to answer, my head now spinning as well. I felt sick and lightheaded, and I was so thirsty. A groan slipped past my lips, stopping Bradley in his tracks again, thus he wanted to continue his journey with the books.

He quickly glanced between me and the books, probably deciding which one was more important. He chose the books, leaving me sitting there alone. And so, I slowly got up and started walking towards the hallway on my unsteady legs, nearly falling twice.

As I was about to fall for the third time, a pair of hands grabbed me, keeping me from falling. To my surprise, it was Bradley. I probably had a questioning look on my face, because he turned a little red, faced away from me, and said: "Gosh, I can't help you with my hands full of books, now can I? Why are you even walking, you should be sitting down. Let me help you."

He slowly guided me out of the building, through the park, and away from the dorms. With each step, I got more confused about where we were going, so when I got enough strength in me, I spoke up. "Where are we going?" I said in a raspy voice, now embarrassed he had to see me in this state.

"Where to- my house, dumbass. Clearly, you can't return to your dorm, staying there unsupervised, and I assume you don't have any bandages in there, otherwise, you would have already used them. Or you are stupider than I thought and you didn't even check. So, I am going to patch you up, supervise you until your friends return or you are feeling better," he just answered, calmly, as if he had done this multiple times already.

"Oh, you care about me, Brad," I joked, feeling all hot on the inside.

"I can see you are feeling better, so I can just leave you here-" "No, Bradley, please..." I begged, not being ready for him to stop supporting me.

He just raised his eyebrow, looking at me with a smirk on his lips. "Max, are you begging? Begging for my help?" he said amused. I felt confident. "No Bradley, I am begging for you," I said with a serious look on my face.

At that moment, I almost fell again, because my support abruptly stopped. Bradley stopped walking, face red, all flustered, just staring ahead of him. Before I could comprehend what was happening, Bradley looked away, continuing in his walk. I smiled for myself, happy I made him all flustered. Maybe I should flirt with him more often.

We finally got to his house. It was the Gamma house, near the outdoor gym I often worked out at, near the place I got so brutally beaten up. No, not brutally, but heavily.

We got in, nobody in sight. The house was empty. "Where is everyone?" "Oh, they don't live here, only I do. This is more a hangout place than anything," he said, having strange sadness in his voice. He dragged me towards the kitchen, where he ordered me to sit on the countertop. My hands were shaking, and I couldn't do it myself. He just scoffed, picked me up, and sat me down himself.

I stared at him, all flustered, not knowing he had this kind of strength in him. "What? You are not the only one with muscles. Also, you are quite light. I intended to only assist you, but damn. Do you even eat? You are as light as a girl," he scoffed, looking amused.

He finally found the medical kit he was looking for and started to treat my wounds. For better access, he stood between my legs, concentrating on wiping the blood off of my face. He was so focused, not paying attention to anything else but me. Me.

We stayed in silence the whole time he was treating me. Occasionally, he scoffed or shook his head in disapproval. When he was finally done with the wiping, he got some band-aids and fixed my broken lip and nose. Luckily, my nose only had a cut on it and it was bruised, but not broken. I might even thank the big guy for not breaking my nose.

I got down from the countertop, not knowing what to do now. "Take off your tank top," said Bradley suddenly. I was shocked by what he had said, but my reply came in an instant. "What, you want to see me naked that badly?" "Taking off your shirt hardly counts as seeing you naked. Plus, it's covered in blood and it looks like you just killed someone. So, take it off and put on this clean one," he said, handing with what seemed like one of his shirts. "Wow, you own normal close. Never thought you had those," I said, noticing the band on the shirt.

"Haha, very funny. Now, hurry up."

I froze. I couldn't take off my shirt. Just couldn't. I was thinking about a solution. "Where is your bathroom, i can change there." "What is the big deal, I already know what a male chest looks like. It's not like there's something special about it. Now, chop-chop, you are stinking up the place," repeated Bradley himself, being impatient.

"Then, can you just turn around, please?" I said, the 'please' whispering under my breath. "Oh my God, if it helps you to change faster, then sure, here," he said, turning around, tapping his foot in annoyance.

I quickly changed the shirts, noticing Bradley's shirt was a little too big for me. I know I'm shorter than him, but I didn't think the difference would be so noticeable.

Bradley turned around, facing me now. He looked me up and down, freezing, his face turning red. Confused, I asked: "What?"

 

Chapter 11

"What?" I asked confused, about why he was looking at me like that. He just shook his head, turning away from me and gesturing towards another room. "Come- come and sit on the sofa. You need a lot of water, so your blood cells can regenerate themselves. I'll also get you some apple juice for the needed sugar." He just gestured towards the living room area, turning on his heel and disappearing into the kitchen. I had nothing better to do, so I sat down, my head still spinning a little. Because of the pain or the shirt you are wearing? The voice in my head said. None of your business.

After a while, Bradley returned with two glasses, one filled with apple juice and the other one filled with water, while also balancing some pills. He gave me the pills, telling me those were pain medications. I gulped them down, taking a big sip of the water. He watched me carefully, looking at my hands.

"What?" "They are bruised. I should bandage them," he said while already standing up and returning to the kitchen. He bandaged my hands just like he told me he would, not saying any words at all.

We shared the silence, while I drank my drinks, his eyes always studying me. I couldn't stand the silence anymore, so I broke it. "You are really good at this whole taking-care-of-someone thing. You also seem to know quite a lot about the human body. Are you planning on becoming a doctor or something?" He smiled, nodding a little. "Yes, I would love to be a doctor one day, but..." he said, his smile disappearing. I didn't want to rush him, so I just waited until he spoke again. After a long pause, he did. "But my parents want me to be a professional athlete."

I could see the pained expression, the same one that haunted me for several nights. I wanted to help him, cheer him up somehow, but I couldn't think about anything. "Well, if it makes you feel better, I must say you took really good care of me, Miss Nurse. So I would say fuck your parents and continue doing what makes you happy because you are quite good at it, I'm not going to lie," I say, my face getting a little red at how cheesy that sounded.

Bradley just left. "Oh, freshman. You don't know anything." I don't know what that was supposed to mean, but it was hot. I must definitely meet up with Mocha later this week, and tell her everything.

We left it at that, the silence comforting.

"So... What happened to you? Who did you fight with?" broke Bradley the silence. I didn't have the heart to tell him it was one of his minions, so I just shrugged, lying. "Oh, some dude who thought I was making out with his girl. Nothing too deep." I just hoped he wouldn't see through the lie.

Either he didn't or he ignored the obvious lie, because he just nodded, taking out his phone. He started scrolling on it. I just looked at him, observing every one of his features. The slightly too big eyes, the bushy eyebrows, the flat chest and long legs, his thin lips. Perfect.

After some time, I got up, ready to head back home. I didn't want to leave him, ever, but I didn't want to stay longer than needed, giving the wrong signal.

"Well, I feel better, so I should go now. Thank you for helping me, Bradley. I really appreciate it," I said, taking my bloody shirt in my hands ready to change back into it. "Oh, no, no need. Just take this shirt. Hopefully, you will give it back to me at some point, but you don't need to. Just... Keep it," Bradley insisted, fumbling with his words.

I smile at his words, thanking him once again, and going home. The whole way I was smiling like an idiot, wanting this feeling to last forever. I got home and checked my phone. No new messages. I smelled Bradley's shirt. It smelled like him. All I wanted to do was burrow myself into the smell. But that would be too gay.

And so, I just did my homework, wrote Mocha we needed to meet up, and tried washing my tank top, getting more mad at the big fuck for ruining it.

Mocha confirmed the set time and place of the meetup, to be more specific, at a nearby cafe at lunchtime, one o'clock. Before then, me and the guys had one of our last skateboard practices before the big tournament.

The time came, I changed the shirt, and I went to the skate park. Mocha and I decided that she would stay there during the practice and then afterward we would go to the cafe together. As I got there, Bobby was already there, not paying any attention to me, just his phone. Only when I sat next to him, he looked up.

He froze. "Maxman, what happened to you, bro? Who did you piss off?" he wanted to know, not even bothering to say hello. Right then, Mocha and PJ arrived. Mocha was the first one of them two to notice me, and as she did, she gasped and ran to me, PJ following closely behind her, noticing my bruises as well.

"Max, what happened?" PJ asked, color leaving his face, noticing the bruises on my nose. "Nothing, just a big guy from the Gammas-" "You mean Tank?" interrupted me, Bobby, listening closely. "I mean, that's one way to put it. He looked like a tank-" "No, his name is Tank." "... Wait, really? Well, yes it was him. Anyway, this... Tank just came up to me and without me doing anything to him or saying anything, he just punched me straight into my nose... And we fought because of that. Then he got a call and disappeared."

"This stupid Brad," began Bobby with too much anger. "Bradley," I corrected under my breath, remembering that one time I called him that and he almost got a stroke. "... ordering for his minions to beat you up, just so he could win the tournament. What a jerk. The next time I see him, I will personally-" continued Bobby, not hearing my pathetic correction. I interrupted him again. "It wasn't him."

Silence filled the space between us. "What?" "It wasn't Bradley's fault. He didn't send Tank." Bobby raised his eyebrows, looking at me, still angry. We had a short eye-staring contest, which we won because I was afraid that if I looked any longer at him, I would tell him the whole truth, and I was not ready for that yet.

"I know you were hit in the head, from what it looks like multiple times, but why are you defending him? I know you try to see the best in people and so on and so on, but this is Brad you're talking about. Until we have proof it wasn't him, we say it was him," ended the discussion Bobby, PJ nodding in agreement. I gave up and started skating. The others joined me, but the whole practice was in silence.

After the practice, PJ and Bobby went their separate ways, PJ was a little suspicious about why I was spending so much time with his girlfriend lately, but said girlfriend took care of him, leaving us space to go to the cafe.

We weren't even seated, and Mocha already started asking questions, like there was no tomorrow. I refused to answer a single one until we sat down. But as we sat down, all hell broke loose. "What happened? Why did you want to meet up? How do you know it wasn't Bradley behind it? How is it looking between the two of you? How-" Mocha started, not knowing when to stop.

I held my hands up, as a signal for her to stop. "The story about Tank is true. But afterward, I couldn't find any bandages, so I went to the school nurse. Of course, she wasn't there, so I wanted to call one of you, but I realized I left my phone at the dorm, so I just sat there, exhausted. Then Bradley walked up and helped me. He took me to his house and helped me there. He even put me up on the countertop," I said, turning red. But I continued.

"When he cleaned me up, he gave me his shirt. And then I left," I finished the story. "I am guessing, he's not getting his shirt back, is he?" Mocha said, with a knowing look. I just nodded, turning even more red.

"Wow, I never knew he was a strong guy. He looks like the only thing he is lifting are his books." We talked for some time, talking shit about Bradley and just yapping with each other.

After some time, we parted ways. She went to make sure PJ wasn't all too jealous, and I went to skate a little more, just for practice. I skated for hours. Up and down the ramp, a lot of tricks, even skating on my hands. I tried the trick from the Qualifications again, failing.

As I was about to do the routine one last time, my nose started bleeding again. So I held it, not quite knowing what to do now. And so I went to the only place I could think of, hoping there wouldn't be a big party. To my luck, the house seemed quiet. I knocked, waiting for an answer. I was about to give up and leave, when the door opened, revealing my new favorite person on earth.

"What?" asked Bradley, half-naked, with water dripping from his hair.

Chapter 12

As Bradley opened the door, I forgot why I was there. My eyes were looking everywhere but into his eyes. My heart was about to jump from my chest and my nose started bleeding so much, that my hand that was holding it wasn't qualified for the job anymore.

"Oh my god, Max, you are bleeding really heavily. Should I call an ambulance? Come in, I need to take a look," Bradley said, all concerned, worry lining his face. He didn't have to tell me twice, I would gladly follow him, anywhere really. He got me into the house, hurrying to the kitchen to get the medical kit.

"Max, come here. The floor here is easier to clean up and the light is at its best in here." I went to the kitchen, my nose still heavily bleeding, the blood now getting on my shirt as well. That is the second one today. God damn it. "Get on the countertop. Or you know what? No, your hands are bloody. Here, let me-" Bradley muttered to himself, already picking me up and putting me on the countertop like today in the morning. I could get used to this.

"Here, put this cloth with ice on your nose and look at the ceiling. That should stop the bleeding. But don't press too hard, or you will have another bruise there," instructed Bradley, putting me in the right position, holding my hand to make it face the right direction. But my mind could only focus on the feeling of his hand touching mine, making me go crazy.

Suddenly, the human touch disappeared, and I could see from the corner of my eye how he went upstairs. I just sat there, on the countertop, waiting patiently, feeling all kinds of stuff.

Bradley got back, wearing a t-shirt with his hair less wet, and with another shirt in his hands. The casual t-shirt and sweatpants he was wearing made him look so good. He still looked nerdy, but quite more like a human being than a robot. "You should wear normal clothes more often, you look good," I said, without thinking.

Bradley only laughed. "You are bleeding, getting beaten up, and you still find time to flirt with me." I was happy I made him smile. Even though everyone was saying that he was an emotionless robot, he still helped people he saw as his rivals. It was astonishing to me.

My nosebleed slowly stopped, letting me put my hand down and Bradley to patch up my nose again. He stood once again between my legs, silently treating me. "Did I come in in a bad time?" I said, little embarrassed now that I just came here unannounced. "What? No, I was just taking a shower. What do you mean by a bad time? Did you think I was having sex or something?"

My blood level increased a little at the thought of Bradley sleeping with someone else, remembering the girl he kissed at the diner. "No, but one never knows. Now that we are on the topic of sex, do you-" I began, only to be interrupted by Bradley like many times before. "No, I don't want to have sex with you, freshman, never." Well, never say never. "That is not what I wanted to ask. I wanted to know if you have a girlfriend. Geez, no need to hurt my feelings like that."

Bradley only looked at me, one eyebrow raised, like I was missing something. "What?" "Of course, I don't have a girlfriend. She would only distract me from my studies. How did you even think about it?" I was relieved. "Well, I saw you kissing the girl at the disco once, so I thought..." Bradley looked highly amused.

"Oh this is just amazing. Hilarious, even. I don't even remember that night. I got so wasted that I woke up in the front lawn of someone's house the morning afterward. So don't worry, I am all yours," he said, smiling, giving me a wink, and walking into the living room. Where is this evening going?

"Did you just flirt with me, Bradley? That's my job. That's the job of the dominant one in the relationship, not the other way around," I said, getting off of the counter, and walking into the living area as well.

"Did you just call me a bottom? Me? Bradley Uppercrust the third is no bottom mister, remember that."

"I don't believe you. How about we find out then?" I blurt out, without thinking again. Bradley looked like he was thinking the idea through, looking me up and down. I looked him up and down as well. He was still holding the shirt that was meant for me, but it seemed he wasn't paying any attention to that anymore.

We slowly got closer, him dropping the shirt in the process. He was walking slowly towards me. Something isn't right. I ignored the feeling and continued to walk towards him, slowly, like he was an animal and I the pray.

We finally closed the distance between us, now chest to chest. His heart was beating like crazy, same as mine. We were about to kiss, when I saw it. Big pupils.

I took a step back. Was he on drugs? Bradley, sensing the loss of warmth, looked confused at me. "What happened?" I couldn't believe this. He was on drugs. "Did you take something?" Bradley seemed to realize his mistake. He took a step back as well.

"It is not what it seems. I don't- I mean, I would never-" he began, his face getting red, slightly starting to skate, spluttering his words. He gripped his hair, slightly tucking on it, walking in a little circle. I recognize the pattern- he was having a panic attack. I wasn't sure about what, but I had to make sure he was okay.

"Hey, hey, Bradley, it's okay. Really. I am not mad. Come, come here. How about we sit down on the couch?" But he was not having it. He tucked harder on his hair, almost pulling it out. He started to mutter to himself, me not understanding a word. I slowly walk towards him, trying not to scare him away. Having a panic attack while being on drugs, I had no idea what to do or how he would react.

I managed to get a hold of his shoulder without him exploding, so I called it a success. I slowly led him to the sofa, where he sat down. When I made sure he was OK sitting without any help, I went to the kitchen to fetch him a glass of water. I couldn't find the cups at first, but I managed. I also got some painkillers from the medical kit that was still lying on the counter.

I went back to the living room, seeing Bradley had calmed down a little, and gave him the drink and the pills. He took the pills and drank the whole water. He had a blank expression on his face, not allowing me to guess what he was thinking about. I sat next to him, still in full panic mode, not knowing what I was doing.

"I am so sorry. So so so so sorry. It will never happen again, sir, I swear. Please, I'm sorry," Bradley pled, I didn't know if to me or someone from his imagination. "Hey, Bradley, it's me, Max. It's okay. Come, lay down and get some rest." By now, Bradley was crying, still apologizing. He was messing up his otherwise perfect hair, running his fingers through it.

I managed to get him to lie down. He stopped sobbing and crying, but he was still muttering and begging for forgiveness. It didn't take long and he fell asleep on the couch, muttering from his sleep. I signed.

He is so troubled, yet he helped me at his worst, and I didn't even notice. A tear slipped down my cheek. I wiped it quickly away, refusing to cry when Bradley was having it way worse than me.

I put the glass away, the medical kid as well, and found a bin that I put near the couch where Bradley was sleeping, in case he wanted to vomit. I got him a blanket and covered him up. I got out my phone and wrote PJ and Bobby that I wouldn't be sleeping at the dorm tonight so they wouldn't have to stay there for me. I didn't wait for an answer and locked my phone. I got a fresh glass of water for Bradley in the kitchen and laid it on the coffee table in the living room. I picked up the shirt from Bradley and changed myself, not wanting to stink up the place.

With a fresh t-shirt on, I turned off the lights, got myself another blanket, and sat down on the floor next to the couch, leaning my head on it. I closed my eyes and fell into a dreamless night, filled with Bradley's occasional screaming to which I woke up and comforted him.

The angel has finally fallen down and showed his true colors.

Chapter 13

I woke up to the sound of an alarm clock, my body hurting. I didn't sleep much last night, but that is OK. I quickly turned off the alarm, not wanting to wake up the sleeping beauty. Bradley woke up multiple times during the night, scared and confused. But I was there to comfort him. At around three o'clock was the last time he woke up, and since then he slept without any complications.

I didn't have a lesson until ten thirty, so I just stayed sitting, listening to the soft snoring of sleeping Bradley. I wasn't sure if he had any lessons in the morning, but I didn't want to wake him up. He looked peaceful, and school will only stress him out more.

I scrolled on my phone, reading all my messages. The group chat with PJ and Bobby was filled with questions about where I was and similar. They even made some conspiracy theories about me, all false. I was about to answer their questions when Bradley groaned. I quickly put my phone away and looked at Bradley, waiting.

He slowly opened his eyes, groaned again, and then- vomit. Thank God I put the bin there. I gently stroked his back, trying to make him feel better. When he finished, I gave him the water from the coffee table, hoping he would feel better soon. He drank the water, looking thankfully at me. He set up, slightly shaking.

"What time is it?" was the first thing he asked. I was a little disappointed. I spent the whole night here because he took something, and he didn't even thank me. Nothing. "It's only six in the morning, so you can still sleep." He looked at me as if he just noticed me. He wanted to say something, but he thought twice about it and didn't say it. We just sat there in silence for a while, neither of us knowing what to say.

"Thank you," I thought I heard Bradley saying, but I wasn't quite sure. "How much do you remember from last night?" I asked, still secretly hoping for the kiss that almost happened yesterday. Bradley stayed silent, just slightly turning his head away from me. "All of it. It will never happen again."

I froze. Hurt, I looked over at him, trying to find his eyes and make sense of it all. But I couldn't see them, with him being turned away from me. A bitter laugh left me. I got up, took my phone, and left. "Goodbye Bradley. I will no longer bother you." I took my skateboard, and all of my stuff and skated to my dorm, feeling angry.

I got to my dorm, left my stuff there, only taking my phone, my earbuds, and keys, and left the room to look for a boxing ring I heard someone talking about a week ago. I angrily stomp in the direction I believe this establishment is located, ready to rip someone's head off. I was mad at Bradley. For taking drugs and toying with my feelings like that. I was mad at Tank for ruining my favorite tank top for no reason. But I was mostly mad at myself for letting them. I let Bradley toy with my emotions and I let Tank get his way with me as well. But I wouldn't let them anymore.

I got to the place, surprised at why they were open so early in the morning. But I couldn't care less about that right now. I went in.

"Hey kid, are you lost? What can I do for you?" "I would like to punch something or someone. How much?" The man at the desk looked amused at me. "Ay, Sam. The pretty boy over here wants to blow his steam off. Prepare something. Well, pretty boy, because I see you here for the first time and it isn't even seven in the morning yet, that would come to a great discount for you. For an hour, five dollars for you. Whatcha say?" I only handed him a five dollar bill, going straight into the changing rooms.

I put all of my stuff in a locker and thought about leaving my shirt on, but I couldn't care less. I decided to fuck it and took my shirt off, better said Braley's shirt, standing there only in my pants. I closed the locker and went out.

There was only one more person in the gym, and he was cleaning some equipment, so I assumed he was Sam, the man that the man at the front was talking to.

"Hey there pretty boy. I'm Sam," I stand correctly, "... and you will train with me today. We should start with some exercises to get the blood pumping through your veins. Give me some simple push-ups, sit-ups, and run on the place for a bit. That should do it." I got down to start with pushups when he noticed my back.

"Whoa, dude, you're back. You have a-" "Yeah, I know. It's a touchy topic. So, could you please not?" I interrupt, showing my back to somewhere for the first time ever since that day. He stayed quiet and I did my exercises. After I was done, he showed me how to properly punch a punching bag. He said I should wear gloves, as it was my first time, but I insisted on doing it without them.

Sam was against the idea, but let me do my thing either way. I punched. And punched. And punched. Punched for all the times I got screwed up because of Bradley. Punched for all the times Tank punched me. Punched for every time Roxanne-

My hour was up. I didn't even realize it. My hands were a little bit bloody. I felt sorry for Sam who had to clean it up after me. I apologized for the blood and left. I went to my dorm, but I realized I had no bandages. So, I gave Mocha a quick call, having to had to speak with her either way.

Half an hour later, we were sitting with two cups of coffee in my dorm on Bobby's bed, her cleaning my wounds and me complaining about Bradley.

"... I stayed with him the whole night. Whole night! And he was so... Argh! Why is he so dense? Like, stop leading me on. Just say what you want and I will give it to you," I say, hurt and frustrated. Mocha, finishing with my first hand and moving on to the second one, just nodded.

"You know, guys don't know what they want. So don't take it personally. He just isn't sure what the feeling he's feeling for you means. As you said yourself, you were about to kiss. So there must be something because drugs are just taking your boundaries away. So, there is something, you just have to find it. But for the love of God, give the poor boy some space. He needs to figure it out on his own first."

We were sitting in a comfortable silence when she spoke up again. "When are you going to tell them? They deserve to know." I didn't have to ask her what she meant by that. I knew. But the answer, I didn't know that. I just shrugged, getting worried at the thought of telling my friends about Bradley. But I had the right to know, but I was scared. I was almost sure they would accept me, but all these 'what-if' questions were killing me.

"Soon," was all I could come up with. She signed, tired of me giving her the same answer for months.

She patched up my second hand without another word. "Don't be mad at me. I just- need to plan it all out. Be prepared." "Max, I am not mad. Maybe a little, but that is not the point. The point is, that I will stand with you. I understand if you need more time. It is a big step, after all. But I believe in you. And don't forget, I love you no matter what." "I love you too," I said, being glad I found my soul sister.

At that moment, the door broke down and PJ barged in with Bobby in his heels. "I knew it! You were cheating on me! But with my best friend? How could you! Max, how dare you as well. You know I love her-" ", PJ. You love me? You never told me." While this was going on, Bobby just sat down on his bed and fell asleep.

"PJ, what are you talking about? Nobody is cheating on anybody," I said, trying to de-escalate the situation. "Well, poor anybody. Nobody was a shitty boyfriend anyway. Anybody should find themselves someone better," Bobby charmed in, not fully asleep yet.

"But you said you love her. I heard you!" "I meant it in a... sibling way. Not romantically. Platonically." Mocha was not helping me, still daydreaming about PJ telling her he loved her.

"Then what were you doing all this time? You were practically hanging out every day. You were hanging out with my girlfriend more often than me. And you had no valid reason. So, what was I supposed to think? So please, Max, explain."

I froze. I couldn't. Not now, not ever. "Well... we were talking..." PJ was waiting for me to continue, but I couldn't. "About what? What was so secret you couldn't talk about it with us?"

"We- we were talking about... my crush," I said, finally, face getting red. "So? What, you were talking about some chick for hours? So, who is she?" PJ argued, still not convinced. "It's not a chick," I muttered under my breath, too scared to speak up. "What?"

"It's not a chick!" I screamed. The room fell silent.

When I said soon, I didn't mean this soon.

Chapter 14

The silence was deafening. Why weren't they saying anything? Something, please.

The silence wasn't broken, and it was killing me. I didn't want it to go this way. I wanted them to support me, plan it out. Not like this.

"Are you," PJ cleared his throat, not knowing how to respond. "Are you gay, or... some other part of the rainbow?" "Well, I am not fully gay. I like girls AND boys," I said, a little confused about where this was going. Rainbow?

"Fuck." "Haha! Pay up, fella," Bobby jumped from the bed, finally waking up properly. ...What? "Oh my God, here you go. How much was it? Twenty dollars?" PJ said defeated, giving Bobby a twenty-dollar bill. "Wait, hold up. What is going on," I asked, not knowing what was happening and waiting for an explanation. "Well, some years ago, we made a bet, concerning your sexuality. PJ said that you were gay, but I thought you were something else. And I was right! I am good at this," explained Bobby, and started dancing.

We laughed a little and talked about the bet. But then the question came. The question.

"By the way, who do you have a crush on? Do we know him?" I froze, for the x-teenth time today. I looked over to Mocha, not knowing what to do. She just smiled and nodded, let me know I should do it. I breathe in and out. "Bradley," I muttered, too scared to speak up, getting red. "What?"

"Bradley," I said a little louder, hoping that they heard me this time. "Bradley? As in Bradley Uppercrust the third? The jerk? Our biggest enemy?" wondered PJ. "Yes, him," I said, getting more and more red. "You really need to check your eyes, mister. Your crushers are getting progressively worse by the time," insulted me Bobby. I had it coming, but still. But all in all, I was happy they accepted me.

We chatted some more, till I had to go to class. I was running a little late, but I wasn't worried much about it. The teachers did not care at all, so I was fine.

I got in, the teacher not even being in the class yet. The class was packed with students, and the only available seat was next to Bradley in the front row because no one wanted to sit there. I signed, remembering what Mocha told me today. I just need to give him some space to figure it out. That's all. I sat down next to him, not paying him any attention at all.

Should I say hello? Good morning? Or nothing at all? I don't want him to think I don't care about him. I do. But what if-

"Good morning class, today we will discuss the topic..." the teacher walked in, starting the lesson and killing all of my attempts to speak to Bradley. I tried to focus on what he was saying, but my mind kept wandering to yesterday and today's morning. I was consumed with thoughts about Bradley. I looked over to him a few times, wondering what he was thinking about.

As I looked over to him once more, I caught him staring at me. Precisely, and my hands. "Like what you see?" I asked, looking over at him, smiling. His eyes got big, and he turned around. But I could see his fingers getting red. Interesting. His fingers blush as well. Cute.

I giggled a little and returned my attention to the front. I know I said I should give him more space, but flirting seems like the perfect way of keeping contact with him, yet not pressuring him too much.

As the lesson ended, I packed my stuff and left the classroom without a second glance at Bradley. It took all of my willpower not to look back. So much. But I did it and didn't look back. Throughout the day, I didn't see more of him.

As I was walking to my next class, a random girl from the hallway called after me. "Hey, emo boy, are you single?" Her friends laughed and she blushed with a big smile on her face. " 'Course doll. But I am kinda waiting for someone specific to notice me." "Well, until she does, how about you give me a chance? I bet I am better than her anyway." This girl was getting on my nerves. But I wouldn't let her get the satisfaction of my reaction. "Nah, I'll pass. See you next time, doll," I just said, leaving her and her friend standing speechless in the middle of the hallway.

The day was uneventful, yet I was exhausted when I got to my dorm. I put down my stuff and went straight to bed. I changed my mind. Before bed, I had to take a small detour to the bathroom to change into Bradley's shirt.

After I did that, I just happily laid into my bed, closed my eyes, and did absolutely nothing for the next few hours. I took a quick power nap. When I woke up, I was confused. How come I didn't have any nightmares? I looked around, trying to spot the difference. Then it hit me. The shirt. It smelled like Bradley, which gave me the illusion of him being here with me. I smiled.

I got up and changed into my tank top which was now free of blood again and went to the skate park. We had to spend every minute practicing, thus the tournament was next week and we had to win at all costs. I got there first, so I exercised a little, remembering what Sam told me in the morning.

After a round of exercise and a few laps around the park, the guys came, looking ready to win the tournament. And so, we practiced. And practiced. And practiced. We practiced until nine PM, too tired to continue. We got to the dorm, and for the first time in a long time, we all slept there, talking shit about people we knew before we fell asleep like a bunch of high school girls.

This perfect night started a perfect week, where we would practice every day and sleep in the dorm together. I flirted with Bradley as much as I could to make it seem not too desperate. Some girls in the hallways still asked me if I was single, but I did not like any of them. They are not a certain brunette with big blue eyes and a wicked smile, and most importantly, they do not have a dick. So, I just kept telling them politely off.

But as with all of the good things, this perfect week had to end. And it ended the day before the big tournament.

It started as a normal Friday, with everyone being excited about the games and the weekend. Also, everyone was talking about the big party that Gamma's were hosting the night of the games, as every year ever since.

My first two lessons were normal, almost a little boring. Afterward, I had a lesson with Bradley, on which I was very happy to attend. I walked into the class and sat on my usual seat in the middle with a good sight of where Bradley was usually sitting.

And then, it all fell down. This spawn of Satan girl sat next to me. This was still OK, nothing happened yet. But she kept on getting more and more closer until she was basically sitting on my lap.

"Can I help you?" I asked, annoyed because I noticed Bradley walking into the classroom and noticing us. I wanted to know what he was thinking. So badly. He stopped in his tracks as he saw the girl all over me, but regained his speed almost instantly. He sat down in his usual place, not giving me any more of his attention.

The girls giggled next to me and answered my question I forgot I asked. "Well, as a matter of fact, you can. See, my phone is missing your number. Could you fix that for me?" she said, smiling sheepishly at me, handing me her phone already. She didn't even let me answer. So I told her what I tell every other girl. "Sorry, but I have my eyes set on someone already-" "Well, she isn't here, is she. This could be our little secret. I promise I won't tell anyone." She had the audacity to interrupt me and still didn't get the memo.

"Sorry darling, but no." "Why?" She was really getting on my nerves now. Just drop it girl. You are not the man of my dreams. "You are not my type." "I can be your type. Just say what you like and I will do it."

"Well, OK. I will tell you my type. But make sure it stays between us," I whispered, making it seem as if I was telling her a secret. Her eyes lit up. She thought I was finally giving her the answer all of the girls been wanting to know all week. I leaned close to her, making sure no one except for her would hear my next words.

"Well, my type is someone with... a big dick." To look on her face was priceless. It went from smiling to disgust and confusion real quick.

"What?" "You heard me. Dick." This girl looked like she was about to start crying. I smiled and leaned back in my seat, hoping for some peace. God must not like me, because he didn't grant my wish.

"But- you-" spluttered the girl, not finding any words. All of a sudden, she stopped crying. "Well, I suppose it doesn't matter. One kiss from me and you will be cured. Don't worry, everything is going to be just fine," she suddenly said, grabbing me by the collar and forcing her mouth onto me.

I wanted to vomit, scream, hit the girl, but most importantly, I wanted to confront Bradley, who was now watching me kiss some random girl, and tell him it wasn't what it looked like.

Chapter 15

Bradley looked at me with a strange look on his face, which was breaking my heart into a million pieces. I was in shock. I couldn't get the girl off of me, no matter how hard I tried. She was like a leech.

When I finally managed to get her off, she was looking at me like it was no big deal. Newsflash bitch, it is a big deal to me. Maybe I wouldn't care that much if it happened anywhere else at any other time, but I really started to care when it happened in front of Bradley. The worst thing was, he wasn't even paying any attention to us. Like I didn't matter.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" I scream, not controlling my anger. "Did it help?" she only asked, as if she could kiss the gay away. I was at a loss for words. I had to clear my head before I punched his bitch and knocked off her teeth.

I got up, and without any words, I left the classroom. As I was walking past Bradley, I shot him an apologizing look. He didn't even look at me.

Because it should have been my last lesson, I left the campus and went to my dorm, not having anything else to do.

As I got in the room, PJ and his girlfriend Mocha were reading some poems. Who reads poems in their free time? Mocha noticed me first, slightly confused, and looked at the clock. "Why are you home so soon? Don't you have one more lesson to attend to?" "Well, yes, but..." I signed and sat down on the floor next to them. "There was this girl who kissed me in front of Bradley. I couldn't stay there." Mocha seemed more mad with each passing word, closing her poem book and turning to me. "What did she look like?" "I don't know, I wasn't paying attention to her. Blond curly hair, and green eyes if I remember correctly. But that's it."

This girl didn't waste another second and bolted out of the door with words: "I will find her." I was genuinely scared of her, but it wasn't enough to distract me from the events that happened minutes ago.

I lay on the ground, covering my eyes with my hands and feeling sorry for myself. "PJ, if you could only see the look on his face. So... blank and hurt and judging. Oh, PJ, I don't know if our situationship can recover." "Well, stop feeling sorry for yourself, and you can save all of this hate for tomorrow's game. We will need it," was all he said to me. What a great friend.

The rest of the day I did nothing, just laid in my bed and played video games. We went to sleep early to be prepared for the big competition.

 

We woke up in the morning of the competition, ready to win. All of my thoughts about Bradley were gone the moment I woke up. We got breakfast, showered, and dressed in our outfits. We took our skateboards and went to where the competition was held. We registered and got in. As we were looking around, some familiar faces came up. Tank and Bradley. They seemed to be arguing over something. So I hid behind the nearest tent and tried to listen. "You could have broken his bones! Are you out of your mind!" said Bradley, completely mad.

Tank didn't answer him, just went off. From the time he hit me, I still had a big bruise on my nose and some fading once on my sides. I heard Bradley walking towards the place I was hiding at, so I quickly left, catching up on my teammates, forgetting what I just heard.

The games began.

The first discipline was roller skating. That was Bobby's cup of tea, and he easily won it. However, I noticed that some people from the other team started having some complications. By one guy, the wheels were not spinning and by the other one, they were too slippery and he couldn't stop. But Tank was doing good on his skates, not having any problems at all. Suspicious.

The second one was a repetition from the qualification round. Skateboarding. "I got this." I was doing amazing tricks I learned just for this purpose, and everything was going fine, until the end, when my skateboard screws got loose, and my front wheels almost got them down. But I managed to stay on track and finished the routine with some amazing points. Bradley was after me, but I couldn't bring myself to watch.

The last discipline before the big game was going on a scooter. That was PJ's part. He was doing amazing until he hit a rock that wasn't supposed to be there and felt. Some minion of Bradleys performed right after, making our score the same.

If we wanted to win the competition, we had to win the last discipline. For some strange reason, all of the other competitors were missing a person, so they couldn't participate, thus the rules clearly stated there must be three players on the team, for the team to be able to compete. Our and Bradley's team were the only two left standing.

We got to our positions on roller skates, ready to start. The pistol shot, and we started. We skated through a maze, all of us trying to be the leading person. Suddenly, I heard an explosion. I looked behind me, trying to figure out where your sound came from when Bradley skated past me and got in the leading position. I was not in the mood to lose against some cheaters, so I picked up my speed and arrived at the second changing destination. The bikes.

The bikes were marked, so one knew which bike was for which team. I could see someone doing something to one of our bikes and then disappearing into the woods. More cheats. I don't know what they did, but I didn't want to risk it, so I took a bike that hopefully wasn't manipulated with.

And I bicycled. Up the hill first, then down and around a mountain. Next to the mountain was a body of water. Bradley was still in the lead, so I was trying to catch up. It was mostly working, but my legs got tired really quickly and I was running out of breath. How was he doing it? He's going so fast, yet he is not sweating at all. I looked closer and then I saw it. His bicycle had a motor. No wonder he was so fast.

This gave me the rage power I needed to come up the hill. From there I could see Bobby cycling, with PJ nowhere in sight. Bobby was about to turn right, but something on the bike was broken and he couldn't turn right, going straight into the body of water.

I stopped for a little, making sure he was doing fine. He could see me, because he just screamed at me: "Go, Max! Win this! I can't go anymore, so you have to win this for us. We also lost PJ in the maze, so there is no other option."

I smiled a little at the last comment about PJ but listened to him and continued the journey with the last part of the discipline: skateboarding.

I was not scared of it, thus I am very good with skateboards, but because of Bradley's cheats, I was running quite behind. Also, I couldn't see the other members of his team, which was not a good sign.

I skated down the hill, next to Bobby who was still chilling in the water, giving me a thumbs up. There was a curvy part of the road in front of me, which slowed me down a little, not making the gap between me and Bradley any smaller. Thank God, it looked like Bradley had some complications, which gave me enough time to catch up with him.

When he noticed I was behind him, he pulled something out of his pocket and threw it into my face. The impact made me lose my balance and fall off the skateboard. Whatever Bradley threw into my face, it was everywhere. My hair, my shirt, but especially my face. Inside of my nose and mouth as well. It was disgusting. I spat a few times, trying to get as much as possible out of my mouth. I wiped my face down with my hands, and then I saw what it was. Glitter.

This guy really just threw glitter in my face, because he was scared of losing. So, I got up on my skateboards, and with glitter all over me, I started skating faster that ever before in my life.

The road was straight, and the end was already in my sight. I speed up, trying to get closer to Bradley. The gap between us was slowly getting smaller, and I got a feeling that I could still win this for the team.

I caught up with Bradley, throwing some glitter that was falling off my face back at him. He looked confused because he didn't see me coming, but when he saw the look on my face, that said "If you try something again, I will shove the glitter up your ass." He got the memo, because he returned his attention to the road, trying to get faster than he already was. I did the same.

We were head to head, coming to the finish line. Just a few more meters. We both tried to gain some more speed at the end, not knowing if we succeeded. The finish line got really close, and...

We both stood there, behind the finish line, looking at each other out of breath. We were both there at the same time, and nobody was saying anything about the winter.

So, who won?

Chapter 16

Look at the referee, waiting for the results. He just shrugged and went to their camera room to look at the video. We waited outside, trying to catch our breath. "Wow, nice outfit, freshman," laughed Bradley, pointing at my whole front being covered in glitter. "Jackass," was the only thing I could come up with. But on the inside, I was happy, because it didn't seem that he was mad at me. I hope he understood from the context, that I didn't want to kiss the girl.

We stood there awkwardly, waiting for the referee to come back. Some moments later, he did. He came running back with a tablet, showing us the video in slow motion. Our wheels were at the same height. I was leading some centimeters away from the finish line. So I won ! There is no way he could have been faster than me in those few centimeters. But as the video continued, Bradley did get into the lead and therefore was the first one to cross the line. No. No, no, no. I worked so hard and-

"Bradley Uppercrust the third and his team won this year's X-Games!" announced the referee and the public started cheering. He gave the trophy to Bradley, congratulating him. I just stood there, in utter shock, not knowing what to do now. Bobby and PJ joined me, patting me on the back, telling me I did a great job and that if he wouldn't have cheated, we would have won one hundred percent. That may be true, but our wager-

"Well, freshman, I didn't forget about our bet. You know, I could really use a towel and some water right now, towel boy," he said with a smirk, disappearing into the crowd. There was nothing stopping me from walking away from him, but my ego an unhealthy wonder for him. I got him a towel and a bottle of water.

I waited for him to catch up with his fans, inviting them all to his house for the after-party. When he was done, I came over to him and gave him the items he wished work. The look on his face was quite amusing. He was shocked, yet somehow amused. "Wow, freshman, I didn't think you would really get me these. I thought you would pussy out. You have my respect. It seems I underestimated you. But because I am such a nice person, I will give you an ultimatum: Either you would be my towel boy and would do as I tell you to, or you can chicken out. I'll give you time until the party-" "I will be your towel boy. I do not chicken out. Never," I said without even having to think about it. In the end, I gave him a little wink. He just blushed, and looked away, speechless.

"W-well... come to my house after your shower. I need your help to prepare the party. And you should take some things with you. You will, from now on, live with me to make my life easier." "Wait, I'm supposed to be your towel boy, not a maid." That was not a part of the deal. I wouldn't mind sharing the house with him, but damn... Making a move already. "Well, rules have changed. Do you want to, perhaps.... Chicken out, Mr. I-don't-chicken-out-never?" I just growled at him and gave him a nod, signaling I would be there.

I got back to my friends, not in a good mood. "What are you talking about with Bradley?" "Do you remember how we made that wager about the towel boy? Well, he just changed from towel boys to a full-ass maid." Bobby and PJ were just looking at me with their mouths wide open. "Please, tell me you cancel it, please..." "No, you know I can break a promise. If my dad taught me anything, it would be that one should never take his word back, no matter what."

Still in shock, we got to our room, and one by one showered. While the others were showering, I packed some stuff, hoping I wouldn't have to stay there for a long time. I thought about leaving Bradley's shirts here, but I really liked sleeping in them. So, after a short thinking pause, I packed them as well.

I really didn't want to leave my friends, but if I didn't want to chicken out, I had to go. We said our goodbyes, I invited them to the party and left. The journey over to Bradley's house was very long. Normally, it was about a ten-minute walk, but this particular walk felt like hours. Where would I sleep? How should I act? Does it mean something when he just changed the plan like that?

All these questions were consuming my mind, making me trip and almost fall over. But I caught myself, realizing I was already in front of Bradley's house. I picked up my guts, and went to the stairs, and stood in front of the door, hand ready to knock, but not finding the bravery to do it.

I stood there like that for some time, before my hand made the motion of knocking without me giving it the permission to. Fuck! I am not mentally prepared yet!

Bradley opened the door, and when he noticed it was me, only made the signal to follow him, which I did. He led me to a small room under the stairs. "This is where you will be sleeping. Leave your stuff here and come to the kitchen to help me prepare the food," he said and walked away. I looked around the room, feeling like Harry fucking Potter. The room was small. There was a bed, next to it a big dresser and that was it, with a little window next to the dresser. Wow. At least Potter had magic powers of some kind. Where's my letter to Hogwarts? I put my stuff away, signed, and went to the kitchen to help Bradley.

I got to the kitchen and noticing a large amount of alcohol on the countertop. And no cheap alcohol stuff either. Only the best there is. Pff, rich kid.

"So, how can I help you?" "Well, I just noticed that I didn't buy any dippings for the chips. Go to the store and get some," he said, handing me a fifty-dollar bill. Rich kid. "Can you just make your own?" I said, going over to the fridge and opening it. To my surprise, it was fully stocked. I was amazed. He had all of the fancy ingredients I always dreamt of having as a kid. "Dude, you could feed a whole village with this. And you want to buy something and give out more money? No. I will teach you how to save money by actually using the food you have." I gave him the money back, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the fridge.

"You see this? This is an avocado, and you can make really good guacamole with it. Or this, this is a cucumber. You can make tzatziki with it. Or tomatoes. You can do almost anything with tomatoes! So, what kind of dipping are you looking for?"

Bradley looked at me with big eyes, slightly brushing. "What?" I asked. He just shook his head and cleared her throat. "Well... I have lots of chips, so something for that. And I thought about ordering some pizza-" "No, no pizza." "OK, well no pizza, but what else? I don't know..." "Well, we will start with the dips, and maybe do something small later. Like those fancy one-bites on toothpicks."

I got the ingredients on three different toppings out and started by washing the vegetables. Bradley was just uselessly looking at me from the corner of the kitchen. I laughed. "Come here. I will show you how to do it, so next time you can do it alone." He nodded, but went out of the kitchen, leaving me wondering where he was going. Some moments later, he returned back with a notebook and a pen. I was confused. "What do you need that for? Are you going to cut them up and make a salad out of it or what?" "Haha, very funny Freshman. No, I will not remember all the things you will show me today, so I thought a notebook would be the best place to keep the recipes written down." What a nerd.

He put his book next to where I was standing and waited for me to start the cooking lesson. I showed him how to properly cut some vegetables and the right balance between yoghurt and vegetables. After that, we put them in the blender and added some salt and spices in, to make it taste good. I let Bradley taste check it, so that he would like it. I learned that he likes spicy stuff because one of the dippings were meant to be spicy, but his spice tolerance was amazing. So, we decided to divide it into two halves, one with less spice and the other one with more.

He made me taste his creation. I almost started to cry, that's how spicy it was. Throughout the whole cooking session, I flirted with him, and he made fun of me. And that it was just perfect.

The time was getting short, so Bradley started putting everything into place while I quickly fetched up some one-bites with fancy sticks Bradley found in a pantry. The one-bites were just a bunch of fruit combinations stuck on a stick together.

As I was done with the last one, the first people started to come. I put the food on the food table, and stepped back to admire my work. Our work. I went back to the kitchen to clean up.

I heard the front door open again, indicating more people had come. I looked over into the living room and saw Tank, I wanted to look away, but then I noticed who he was talking to. Bradley. Not many people were there, only Bradley's minions if I had to be exact.

Tank was not gentle with Bradley. He was grabbing his wrist, telling him something, that made Bradley turn pale.

I was about to step in, as he let Bradley go and left with the other minions the house, leaving Bradley alone in the living room.

What was that about?

Chapter 17

I walked over to Bradley, worried. He was just standing there with a pale face, too lost in his own thoughts to notice me. "Hey, Bradley? What was that about?" "Nothing," he barked and turned around. I thought I heard something watery in his voice, but I wasn't sure. Then, his shoulder started to shake, giving me a clear sign that he was, indeed, crying. "Are you crying? -" "No!" he screamed like a little kid, totally crying.

I walked closer to him and gently placed my hands on his back and shoulder. "Do you want to talk about it? I wouldn't laugh at you. Just, please... Tell me what happened." We went to the couch and sat on it. This gave me a clear view of Bradley's space, which was red and puffy, with tears streaming down his cheeks. I just sat there in silence, waiting for him to calm down and explain.

"Well... as you know, we cheated in the games to win. The thing is, I had to be first to finish. You could not even begin to phantom how important this was for my- me. For me... So... I kind of cheated against my own team as well. I made sure that their devices could not go on to the finish line. And I guess they found out? And they got mad at me for cheating against them, they even called me a bad friend," laughed Bradley bittery, without the smile reaching his eyes. "But let me tell you a secret I recently learned," he suddenly said, turning towards me with a crazy smile and dead eyes. "I found out, that my father paid them to be my friends, so I would do more sport in my free time. Life is funny like that, you know?" he said and broke down, sobbing in his hands.

I held him and laid his head in my lap, him not protesting. I was stroking his hair and thinking about all the things I had learned, while Bradley was trying to calm down, slowly stopping sobbing. I knew that what he did was not right, but at the same time, I could sympathize with him. He just had to win, even if it meant throwing his so-called friends under the bus. He would not do that for himself. He lied about that part. There must be something more behind it. But I will not pressure him. He will tell me himself when the time comes.

So, I held him some more, waiting for him to fully calm down. When he did, he just looked at me and said: "Thank you." "You're welcome. That's what I'm here for- to make your life easier," I said with a wink. He shook his head but smiled, and went to the bathroom to prepare for the guests. As he got back, the first guests came, and all the crying was forgotten. But not quite.

The room got quickly filled with people wanting to party and drink some free booze. The music was good, the food as well, and everyone was having a good time. My friends came as well with their girlfriends, and were drinking dancing, having a good time. I didn't want to drink, because I was afraid of telling Bradley something I shouldn't. So, I just stuck to sipping some wine like a middle-aged woman.

Suddenly, I spotted a very familiar blonde hair, dancing just a few meters away from me. I was standing in a corner, which was not a good spot to be in if I wanted to escape her, so I got up and slowly, hoping she wouldn't spot me, tried to change locations. "Oh my God, Max?!" Too late.

The blonde-haired girl from yesterday came back. The same bitch that kissed me without my permission. The same bitch that Mocha was supposed to take care of. That bitch.

"What do you want?" "Rude much. But this is like faith! You know, yesterday after class I met this crazy chick who said I should stay away from you. Like, possessive much? Anyway, she just wanted to have you to yourself. But now that I cured you, I think I have the right to have you. So how about-" I stopped listening, my blood boiling. She just called Mocha crazy. How dare she. And where was Mocha when I needed her?

"... So, what do you think?" I heard the girl say, not understanding a word she said until then. "Sorry, I just blacked out for a moment. But no. I do not want to have anything to do with you. So... Bye, I'll be on my way now-" "Not so fast. Are you still not sure? How come you don't want to dance with me? Well, is all like you have a choice anyway," she smiled in a creepy, sinister way that gave me the chills. I slowly started backing up. Obviously, this girl was crazy enough to do something to me that could hurt me not only mentally but physically as well. But I didn't come far. The corner.

I could punch her and make a run for it, but I would come out as the bad guy at the end, and I didn't want to risk that. So, it was just me and the crazy girl. That sounds like a good nickname for her. I will not ask her for her name obviously, so crazy girl it is. I was thinking about telling her 'no' again, but I don't think it would end up good. Why me? Someone, help me.

But my prayers were not heard out, and she was getting closer to me, so close I could smell her breath. Alcohol.

What fun. A clear psychopath with alcohol in her. Yay me. I was frantically looking around the room, searching for anybody, that could help me. I saw Bobby, but he was not looking in my direction, and I didn't think he would be able to hear me through the music anyway. I searched further, with no success.

"Look at me Max," she ordered, holding my face in place, so I would have to look at her. "Now that you have looked at me, how about we go dancing together? And don't even think about running away. You know, I have a knife on me, and I would be sad if I had to use it against you. So, don't test me, okay sweetheart?" Oh hell no. This is a 911 situation. I need help ASAP, or I might actually die tonight.

I just smiled at her, and we went to the dance floor together. All the time, I was still searching for help, no luck. We danced to a bunch of jumpy songs. Then, I spotted my friends near the food table. And I got an idea.

"You know, after all this dancing, I'm quite thirsty. How about I'll get you something to drink as well, hm?" I really hoped she would say yes. "I'm not stupid Max. I will not let you get lost in the crowd. But I am quite thirsty as well. I'll give you a minute and a half to get us some drinks. If you are not with me when the time passes, I will stab the nearest person to me, and it would be all your fault. Deal?" I gulped. She would do that. That is no bluff. I nodded and ran off in the direction of my friends. I got to them, took Mocha by her hand, and dragged her towards the eating table.

At first, she was startled but lit up when she saw me. "Oh, hey Max! What are-" "Listen, I do not have much time," I said, while getting me and the crazy girl some drinks, frantically looking over my shoulder, if she hadn't spotted me yet. I continued. "The girl I told you yesterday about, she's got a knife and makes me dance with her. If I do not come back to her in a minute, she said she would stab someone. Please, help me. I need to go. Please," I plead one more time before returning to crazy girl with a drink.

She smiled at me and we continued to dance. Some solids minute passed by until a stranger gave me a piece of paper. Somehow, I knew it was from my friends. Call it a gut feeling. I couldn't let her see me read this. Luckily, at that moment, a slow song started playing. "Oh my God, I've been waiting for one for so long! Quick, hold me like this, and let's dance," she said while putting my hands in the right position and started dancing and swaying to the music. I held her close, and behind her back opened the small paper. On it was written: "sleep bills, into her drink. In 10 minutes." Ten minutes!? Are they crazy? I will not survive that long.

We dance for some more, me getting restless. Jesus, if you exist, please let me survive this. Please. Ten minutes later, I had to figure out how to get the pills into her drinks without her noticing. "Should I hold your cup for a while?" I asked, without any plan in my head. "Why?" she said, not trusting me. But she had to. "Your wrists look so tired. I noticed you changing with which hand you are holding the cup. So, I just thought..." "Aw, that is so considerate. And you are right. My wrist has been hurting for a while now. Thank you," she said with a big smile, giving me her cup and relaxing her hands. Like this, smiling, she even looked pretty, if it wasn't for her bad personality and crazy eyes.

I made sure to hold my drink protectively, with my hand over the top, while I just held hers normally. Then, I notice Bradley walking towards me. What does he want? She will hurt him. Oh no, I have to warn him-

But he just walked past ask, brushing our hands together. When he was standing behind crazy girl, he turned around and gave me a thumbs-up. What..? Oh- the sleeping pills! I glanced into the cup, noticing a white powder starting to dissolve in the drink. I shook with a couple little, so it would dissolve faster.

Just then, the song crazy girl was dancing to stopped and was replaced with something else. "Oh God, am I tired, let's sit down." I gave her her drink and led us to the couch, sitting down. She drank the whole drink in one gulp, not sparing a drop. She was talking about her friends and hobbies for a while, so we could get to know each other. After just a few minutes, her words got slurry, and she started to sway a little to the side.

Just then, Bradley came to us and sat next to me. I blushed a little at the touch of our legs. But that was a fatal mistake. Apparently, crazy girl was not fully out of it yet and saw how I was blushing and looking at Bradley.

Suddenly, she jumped up and in a quick motion took out her knife, ready to stab Bradley. "How dare you make him sick with your sickness, you piece of shit! He's mine!" She slurred and jumped at Bradley. He was not expecting that and didn't react in time. But I did.

I jumped in front of Bradley, getting hit by the knife.

All the noises faded as I watched the blood drip onto the carpet, ruining it.

Chapter 18

I could hear people fussing around me, but I couldn't understand them. Everything was in slow motion. I could hear the heartbeat of my own heart, which got louder and quicker by the moment. I was staring at the carpet, with blood. There wasn't much of it. Really. Just a few drops. I looked up and saw the crazy girl standing in front of me, with the bloody knife, out of it. She was saying something, most probably apologizing, but I couldn't care less. Someone took the knife away from her. I didn't see who.

I could feel a hand on my back. I wanted to turn around, but something wasn't letting me go. I looked at the ground. The carpet disappeared, and instead, there was grass. Confused about where the carpet went, I looked up and saw... Roxanne's house.

I could hear faint voices from PJ and Bobby, telling me something. "Max! Hey, buddy, it's okay. Come back to us. Do you hear us, you are not alone." But I couldn't answer them. My breathing got quicker as I saw Roxanne coming out of the house, with the guy she was cheating on me with looking out of the window, scared. I had the following conversation memorized. I sometimes thought about that day, wondering, if I would have said something differently. I came to the conclusion, that I wouldn't Change any of my answers.

"Max, it's not what you think it is-" she said, with no emotion in her eyes. "Really? Because for the past couple of weeks, you have been acting way differently and not spending any more time with me! And now this? Really, him?" I heard myself say, my past self. Back then, I wasn't even surprised she cheated on me. I should have seen it coming, the indicators were there. I just didn't want to accept it.

"Well, you are always out skateboarding, what am I supposed to do?! You got boring, Max. Just deal with it. Leave me alone, or the consequences will be big," Roxanne said, turning around and walking back into the house. From my nightmares, I knew how it would continue. And this is the only part I wanted to change since day one: I should have left. But I didn't. My ego held me there. She was my first love. First kiss. First everything. And I thought it meant something. And he did, but not to her.

I could see my past self walking angrily towards the house, to give her a piece of my mind. No, no, no, no, no... please, turn around. Please. No, no...

I could see my past self knocking aggressively on the door. No, please... Please, NO!

With the gaps, I found myself back in Bradley's living room. I looked around, with uneven breathing and a fast heartbeat. I hugged myself. Tight. I was almost there. The nightmare almost repeated itself, just a few more seconds, and I would-

"Max! Are you okay? It didn't come to it, did it...?" PJ asked me, slowly approaching me. I simply shook my head and proceeded to sit down on the couch, next to the frightened and confused Bradley. "What happened? Are you OK? Does the wound hurt?" he kept asking, still not understanding the situation. Of course, he doesn't understand. Nobody explained it to him.

Now, I could see Mocha standing next to my friends, worry and confusion also lining her face. She said something to PJ with a low voice, but he only shook his head. The other guests didn't seem to notice what had happened.

"Hey, freshman, are you-" began Bradley, reaching over to me. But all I could see was a big hand with a knife attacking me. I flinched and put some distance between us. "Please, no!" a little scream left me, and my breathing got faster. Oh, no. Not with Bradley. It was a reflex, a response to trauma, but he didn't know that.

The hurt look on his face and the way he slowly put his hand down broke my heart. I got sick to my stomach just thinking about how this might have hurt him. He just lost his friends, and I wouldn't even accept his touch. I stood up and ran to the bathroom to empty my stomach into the toilet. Then, I just sat there on the ground, not knowing what to do next. I put my head in my hands, disappointed in myself.

Eventually, I got up on my shaking legs, supporting myself by holding onto the sink. I looked into the mirror, trying to figure out the damage. I had a slight wound on my chest. Nothing I hadn't survived before. But she cut my shirt. What is everyone's problem with my shirt?! First Tank, and now her. I signed. I was about to go to my room to grab a shirt, when I heard soft knocking on the door. I unlocked the door and saw Bradley standing there.

He was just awkwardly standing there, with a fresh shirt in his hand. "Can I come in?" he asked after a short staring contest. "Yeah, sure," I answered, embarrassed about my staring, and opened the door for him. He came in and waited for me to close the door. When I did, he gestured for me to sit on the closed toilet seat.

"Put your shirt down, so I can clean your wound." I wanted him to. I really did. But I couldn't. Just for a little longer. "Sorry. I-... I can't. I'm sorry," I said in a small voice, looking away. "That's OK. I will just turn around and give you instructions. Deal?" Bradley answered, with a soft voice. I smiled and nodded. "Yes Sir."

He turned around and started telling me what to do. I followed his instructions, up to a notch. I disinfected my wound and patched it up. Lastly, he gave me the shirt he had been holding the whole time. It was even a little warm from his hands. I put it on and smiled when I noticed the band on the shirt.

"So... Power line, huh? A fan?" I teased him, amused by how much he was blushing. "No... Their music sucks. Why would I listen to their crap-" "Bradley~ calm down. I'm just joking," I laugh at how defensive and red he was. Bradley sat on the corner of the bathtub that was located on my right, getting closer to me.

"You know, when Mocha searched me up to tell me you've been kidnapped by some crazy girl, I thought she was joking. But when I found you later in the crowd, looking scared, dancing with her... I don't know. Something in me snapped. I don't know why I am telling you this, but I can't stop talking-" Bradley spoke, his words getting faster. "Bradley, Bradley. How much did you drink?" There was a little pause. "A lot." "And you said something about... Snapping?" His face grew red. "Just forget about all-" "No, no. What I wanted to ask, was... Were you jealous?" His eyes grew big. He opened his mouth, but when nothing came out, he closed it again. "I- This- I mean... we shouldn't..." he stuttered, blushing more than was humanly possible. I smiled and blamed my bravery on the alcohol.

"How about you just kiss me? We can blame it on the alcohol later." I was feeling brave. Very brave. Either I would finally kiss him and taste his lips, or tomorrow would be a really awkward day. "For once, I agree with you."

GAY WARNING

Bradley grabbed my face and kissed me with full force. I was taken back a little, but I returned the kiss, grabbing his hair and pulling him closer. He picked me up and sat me down on his lap, making our chests touch. The kiss intensified.

He kissed me stronger and bit my lip, making me gasp and allowing his tongue to roam my mouth. I did the same, making our body one. We broke the kiss, needing some oxygen. He looked at me, passionately. I smiled, tracing my hand over his facial features. His nose, sharp jawline, lips. He played with my hair, smiling to himself. "You know, I wanted to touch your hair since the first time I saw you at the café. It looked so soft. And I was right. It is soft," he said and kissed me on my hair.

NO MORE GAY

I felt like a teenage girl having a crush. All my insides turned upside down and I had a big blush on my cheeks. We just stayed like that for a while, hugging, before we slowly got up to return to the party. I was a little sad we had to stop, but we had to deal with the crazy girl and I had to reassure my friends I was doing fine.

He grabbed my pinky with his, and interfered them. Like that, we walked down the stairs to the living room. None of the guests seemed to care or notice us. All way too drunk.

When we returned to our friends, I didn't see the crazy girl anywhere. "Where is she?" I asked, still holding pinkies with Bradley. My friends noticed it but didn't say a word, just answered my question. "Shortly after you left, she fell asleep, so we dragged her out the front door. So, right now, she's sleeping on the sidewalk." Perfect.

For the rest of the night, we talked about random stuff. At first, Bradley was confused when we invited him to the conversation, but he quickly adapted. We talked about school and our teachers. We also talked about if I should go to the police and report the crazy girl, and we all agreed that I would go.

Eventually, Bradley fell asleep with his head resting on my shoulder. It was late and most of the guests went home as well. I said my goodbyes to my friends and accompanied by their knowing looks, I took Bradley up to his room. I put him to bed, covering him up. He didn't wake up the whole time I was carrying him up the stairs in bridal style. He must have been really tired and drunk. I smiled at how soundly he was sleeping.

It is sad, that he would not remember anything when he wakes up.

Chapter 19

I woke up to the sun shining directly into my eyes. I was confused at first, not knowing where I was. But then, I remembered the little room under the stairs, the bet, and Bradley's kiss. I smiled to myself. Finally.

I got up and wanted to do my morning sit-ups. But I quickly realized that there was not enough space for it in this tiny room. So, I walked into the living room. And then I saw it: the junk. I have totally forgotten about the party that was held here yesterday. The living room, the hallway, and the kitchen were busted. I looked around, not spotting Bradley, so I assumed he was still sleeping. I signed and started cleaning up the mess. Starting with putting the food away and alcohol as well, proceeding to pick up the big trash into a trash back.

When one trash bag was full, I went outside to put it in the trash can, when I spotted the crazy girl still sleeping on the sidewalk from yesterday. I put the trash out and went back inside, making sure I locked the door behind me in case she would wake up. I cleaned up further. When I picked all of the trash up, I vacuumed a little, being worried at first that Bradley would wake up, but luckily, he didn't. The living room was done. The same with the hallway. The only place left was the kitchen.

I was washing dishes when I spotted the bloody knife I was stabbed with yesterday. I panicked slightly, remembering a different night from a different night. No, it's not the same knife. You are safe. I told myself, shook my head, and continued to wash the dishes. I couldn't bring myself to wash the knife, so I took it outside and laid it next to the sleeping beast.

I returned to the house and finished the cleaning. The house was sparkling when I was done. I wanted to work out, but my stomach rumbled, signalizing I needed food. So I went back to the kitchen, looking into all of the drawers and cupboards, not knowing what to do for breakfast. Pancakes. The idea came into my mind the moment I saw Maple syrup in a cupboard. And so, I made some- from scratch. 'Cus I ain't no rookie.

When I was done, I put a few on my plate and covered the rest for Bradley. I also took some pain meds out for Bradle, in case he had a headache from the alcohol. I ate my pancakes, lost in my thoughts. Yesterday, I kissed Bradley. Would like to do it again.

I heard faint footsteps. At first, I thought it was the crazy girl, but from my spot, I could see her still sleeping on the sidewalk through the window. Just then, Bradley came into my view, still dressed in yesterday's clothes. He rubbed his eyes groggily, looking tired.

"Morning sunshine. How did you sleep?" I asked, sounding like a husband. Not that I mind. "Morning. I smelled something sweet..." "Oh, yeah. I made pancakes and I left some for you. There they are," I said, pointing toward the place I left the pancakes at. Bradley nodded, murmured thank you, and slowly ate his pancakes, standing up, and leaning on the countertop.

I put the dishes away and went to the living room. "Oh! By the way, there is a glass of water with a pain pill on your left, if you're not feeling well," I said over my shoulder, already getting into the position to start my workout.

As I started with the sit-ups, I saw Bradley silently choking on his food, his eyes wide open, staring at me, blushing. "What? Like what you see~?" I teased, pleased with the reaction. He didn't even come up with a comeback, just stuffed his face with pancakes. He totally liked what he saw.

As Bradley finished eating, I finished with my workout, getting up and walking into the kitchen, taking the plate out of Bradley's hand to wash it. "You just go and clean yourself up." He was halfway up the stairs, when he turned around and stared at me for a while. "What happened yesterday? I don't remember a thing. A total window. Did something happen?" he asked, looking at me intensively. "Well, you helped me by drugging my kidnapper." I joked. "Yeah, I remember that. I also remember you freaking out about something and me following you to the bathroom. But that's where my memories end. What happened in the bathroom?"

I froze for a second but continued to wash the dishes, trying not to raise any suspicions. I cleared my throat and thought about my options. He clearly doesn't remember anything, just as I thought. But should I tell him? Will he freak out?

"Well... you came to the bathroom to me and helped me clean up my scratch. And after that... we just went down to the living room. Nothing more. Why are you asking?" I explained, turning slightly red and turning away from his knowing look.

"Oh, OK. I just wanted to know. You know, I had these cloudy memories-" "Really?!" I jumped in, my voice way too high. "Yeah... But it was probably just a dream," he said with suspicion in his voice, turning around and going upstairs to his room.

My legs gave up. He almost saw through me! But would that be a bad thing? He did it once, maybe he would like to do it again- no. He was drunk. I got up and returned to my room as well. I looked at my phone. No new messages. As I was about to put my phone down when it rang. I looked at the caller ID. Dad.

I quickly picked up, not being prepared for the call at all. "Oh, hey Dad! My man, what'd up?" I sounded like an idiot. I mentally slapped myself. "Hey, son. How is college?" "Good, good... my grades are good as well, the teachers are nice. How's... how's job?" What was I saying?! "You know, the usual. But I am calling to ask, are you still coming for Thanksgiving? You know, it being only a week away..." How could I forget? "Yeah, definitely. I will come. Sure... so... see you then?" "Yeah. Till soon call my son." I hung up.

What was that?! I couldn't even talk to my father normally. I called him 'my man' for God's sake. I put my head into my hands, wondering how I survived for so long with such a stupid brain.

But it was true. Thanksgiving was only a few days away. I totally forgot. We usually didn't do anything fancy, just ate at some fast-food restaurant, spent more time together, watching our favorite shows. It always has been just us too. We didn't talk about my mom. She left, end of the story. Not worth mentioning it. I started packing, even though I was leaving on Thursday morning to spend the long weekend at home.

For the rest of the day, I did not do anything big. Around noon my friends woke up and wanted to know everything about Bradley from yesterday. So, we met at the cafe, which became our hanging out spot. We visited so often that the barista just got us our coffees without us having to order.

"So, what happened? After you run out, Bradley disappears as well. Tell us all the details," Mocha wouldn't stop yelling in my ear. I only laughed, feeling embarrassed. "He helped me to clean my wound, and then gave me his shirt because mine was destroyed. And then..." I smiled, remembering the kiss. "And then what? Spill the tea!" Bobby screamed, way too investment in the topic.

"And then... he kissed me." The table broke into clapping and congratulations. From all of the sides, people were talking, laughing, clapping me on the back. "Finally. So. Are you a couple now?" My smile faded. "Sadly no, he doesn't remember anything. But that's okay." We continued our conversation, laughing at something Bobby said.

I got home later that day, wanting to go for a skate, but not finding the energy to do so. So, I just stayed home. Bradley was not there and left me wondering where he was.

I turned on the TV, mindlessly switching between the channels. I must have fallen asleep, because when I woke up, Bradley was sitting next to me on the couch, watching some TV show. It was called 'How I Met Your Mother'. I watched silently with him. It was the episode with the book and all of the plans from Barney. The way he explained stuff made me chuckle.

"Barney is such an icon," I said, watching the TV. Bradley next to me just turned around, looking amused at me. "You know 'How I Met your mother'?" he asked with a small smile on his lips. I turned to him, the show long forgotten. "Of course! Is one of the best shows ever!" I could speak about TV shows and games for hours. "Yeah! And all the time, you think what a nice couple Robin and Tedd would make, but when you find out she's just the aunt, it kind of ruins the whole show, yet it is so entertaining!" "Right?!"

Bradley knew so much about the show. We talked about the show for a while, both of us looking at the other one amused when they said something relatable.

"But Barney is the best character," I said after a round of arguing. "You know what, freshman? For the second time, I agree with you," Bradley said, getting up. My brain froze for a moment. For the second time? But yesterday-

Bradley walked to me from behind the couch, whispering into my ear: "Oh, by the way. I remember everything from yesterday."

 

Chapter 20

… What did he say? He WHAT?! It took a minute for my brain to understand what had happened.

I turned around quickly, looking at Bradley as he was walking towards the kitchen. I jumped up and ran to the kitchen after him. There he was, drinking his water, looking innocently at me. “You… you remember yesterday?” A small pause continued, way too long for my impatient mind. “Yes,” he finally confirmed, still sipping his water. I watched him in disbelief. “Then why did you lie?” Another pause. I swear, he's doing it on purpose. When I saw his devilish smile a moment later, I knew my suspicions were true.

“Well,” he began, slowly, torturing me. “I didn't lie completely. I was drunk that night. But when I saw you with that girl, I sobered up. Just like that,” he snapped his fingers. I blushed. “And since then, you didn't give me any chance to get drunk again. You were kidnapped, attacked with a knife, and on top of that, you had a mental breakdown. But what doesn't sit with me is, that you always act like nothing had happened, always carrying a smile on your face that makes me feel all kinds of stuff,” Bradley was fussing, not making any sense. But I blushed like crazy. I had no idea he was feeling like this about my smile.

“You make me worry for you, yet you pretend like nothing had happened. I already knew you were a good person, not worrying about yourself but with everybody else instead, so I wanted to try how far you would go to prove this theory. And it seems, you would go quite far, actually. I assume you lied to me just because you thought I might feel uncomfortable because of our first… encounter. And I was right. At the same time, I wanted to take a little revenge on you for making me worry that much.” “Oh, you worry about me?” I teased, getting closer to him. He looked at my lips, then back into my eyes. “So, what if I do? What are you going to do about it?” My brain was getting fried. Ah. With that smile and those luminous eyes. Uf- It was hot in here.

I leaned in, closer to him, looking into his eyes for a while, smirking, an idea blossoming in my mind. “What am I gonna do about it? Let me show you,” I said, as I kissed him.

GAY WARNING

It didn't take long before he kissed me back, holding me tight. This time, I wanted to be the one leading the kiss, but Bradley only chuckled against my lips when he realized my intentions. The sensation of the chuckle on my lips made me feel all kinds of stuff, remembering my dream from the first week of school.

Bradley picked me up and held me as he walked up the stairs to his bedroom. I smiled against his lips, tucking in his hair to have better access to his neck. When I was satisfied with the view, I leaned forward and started sucking. A small moan left Bradley’s lips, making me smile and suck harder. When I was satisfied with the outcome, I stopped and looked at my artwork. A big hickey on the left side of his neck.

“Oh? You want to show me? How about I show you,” he said, throwing me onto the bed and climbing on top of me. Butterflies. Lots of. Slowly, he closed the distance between us, leaning close to me and connecting his lips with my neck, sucking. I moaned. Wow. The feeling. I was practically melting into him.

Bradley seemed to notice this. “Oh, Max~ we're just getting started~” he purred into my ear, finding a different spot to nibble on. I was melting into the bed, slowly becoming one with it. Bradley grabbed gently my hand into his, slowly kissing it and proceeding to do so with the other one as well. Then he reunited our lips, making the kiss sweet and long. He grabbed the hem of my shirt and-

COCK BLOCK

The phone rang. I wasn't familiar with the ringtone, so it definitely wasn't mine. Annoyed, Bradley took the phone out of his back pocket, looking at the caller ID. His face immediately dropped. He breathed in and out and took the call. He squeezed my hand, not letting go.

I got worried. Seeing him this distressed was hurting me. I slowly sat up, looking at him intensively. “Hello, father… Yes… Yes… Excuse me? Can you repeat-… Yes… No… See you soon,” and he hung up. He got up and started roaming through his dresser, throwing the clothes out of it, frantically looking for something. When he turned to me, it looked like he didn't find it.

But then his eyes lit up. “Max, quick, give me some of your clothes. Like, right now.” I only nodded, leading him to my room and picking an outfit for him. A blue t-shirt to match his eyes and some cargo pants to go with it. He quickly started to take off his clothes to change, so I turned around, blushing a lot. When he was done, I turned back around and my lungs forgot how to work. My breath hinged. He looked amazing. He always looked amazing but in my clothes… Damn.

But he was already running to put his clothes away, running around the house. I had to stop him to ask him the important question: “Bradley, what is happening?” He breathed in and out and explained.

“My dad just called me, telling me that in half an hour he will be here. He wanted to come and congratulate me on winning the X*Games and coming first into the finish line. So, I am putting a charade up for him. The typical athletic guy. Can you make something quick to eat, please? I have to make the house look... manly,” he said fast, not wasting a second and already running up the stairs again.

He didn't leave any room for arguments, so I just went to the kitchen without any plans. I had half an hour to cook something for Bradley's FATHER. It had to impress him. But half an hour wasn't long. So I quickly washed my hands and started cooking.

I cooked some pasta and added a quick carbonara sauce to it. The food was done quickly, and I perfected the sauce with some cheese.

Just then, Bradley came back, breathing heavily, from all of the running. I put the food on the table and looked into their living room. On the table were some sports magazines and on all of the cupboards were metals and trophies, all from Bradley. “Wow. Talented much.” He just scoffed. “Not really. Most it was won unfairly.” Just then, the doorbell rang, making Bradley jump. “Just call me Brad,” he said quietly with a hint of disgust in his voice.

He went and opened the door. In there, there stood a large man with a small beautiful woman on his side. “Son.” “Father. Mother,” they greeted each other and entered the house. When they spotted me, the man’s mouth made a weird turn. I looked closer. I think he's trying to smile. “Brad, who is your friend over here? A fellow skateboarder? I can tell by the elbows. Lots of scars from falling.” Bradley just nodded, coming closer to me.

“Yes, this is Max Goof, my friend. He does skateboarding, and he's good at it.” Bradley was acting like a robot. I did not like it one bit.

“So, Mr. Uppercrust-“ “Oh, just call me Jack.” “Well, Jack, what is your profession?” This man looked like he was waiting for this question. “I am a retired football player. Now, I am a coach in the XXX Football Team. We are going professional this year. And, not to brag, but it makes quite a bank I must say,” he said, totally not flexing his Rolex and Armani suit. His wife next to him with her Louis Vuitton bag and Gucci clothes, also flexing. Wow, not bragging at all.

Bradley looked uncomfortable, looking at his hands and playing with the hem of his/my shirt. I served the food, and all of us ate in silence. Bradley seemed to enjoy the food, which made me happy.

“Oh my!” screams suddenly his mother, making me almost choke on my foot. “Brad, you have a girlfriend! You've been telling us about her for years, but I started thinking you made her up because they don't have any proof. But look at you!” Bradley looked as confused as me. “Mom, what are you talking about?” “The hickey, of course. Oh, and I see your friend here has one as well. Oh, more! What a wild girlfriend you must have! How wonderful!” She went on a full rant about how Bradley never showed any pictures of his ‘girlfriend’.

“He almost made me think he was the G word.” “Thank God that isn't true. My son could never be a faggot! I wouldn't allow it.” I was shocked when I heard that. Wow, no wonder he was so scared of his own parents.

“But back to the topic of sports. You won the first place! That's astonishing. But you were toe to toe with someone. You should have been better. You only won by accident. You should train more.” Wow, what ungrateful parents. He won, multiple years in a row, yet they care that he could have been faster? I was getting mad. But thankfully, they finished their dinner and decided to leave.

“Well, it was pleased meeting you Max. Brad, you as well. Your mother and I are going to the Bahamas on Thanksgiving. We would have invited you, but they only had two spare places left. You have to train more anyway, so I think it's like faith. Will be off now. Goodbye.” And they left. No hug, no nothing. They didn't even stay for a full half an hour. Just came, ate our food, made their point on being shitty parents, and left.

I looked over to Bradley, who was looking a lot better than half an hour ago. “You OK?” “Yeah, just glad that they are gone already. I always have to act like someone I'm not. Wearing these stupid clothes.” He sounded sad, angry even. He had every right to be. But I didn't like seeing him like this.

“Well, I must say, you look good in those ‘stupid clothes’,” I said, trying to make him feel better. He looked up at me, unsure. “You think so?” “I know so. Come, let's watch some movies to get your mind off of these monsters.” He smiled, accepting my offer, and he went to the living room, ignoring all of the trophies and sitting down on the couch. I made popcorn and we watched ‘White Chicks’.

Towards the end of the movie, Bradley fell asleep on my shoulder, snoring softly. I turned off the TV, and stroked his hair for a bit, thinking about the day.

How could such two monsters create such an angel?

Chapter 21

The next few days went on beautifully. We both attended our lessons, kissed at home, and spend the evening watching some movies together. Although we never went past the kissing part, I still enjoyed it a lot.

Today was Wednesday, the last day of school before Thanksgiving. None of the teachers were saying anything relevant to our next test, so I just didn't pay any attention to them. All my attention was focused on Bradley, who was sitting in the front row - like always - and writing notes from what the teachers had said. My little nerd. It was cute.

Just then, I got an amazing idea. I waited until the teacher went to get something. When they did, I took all of my stuff and moved into the first row, to sit with the boy who had occupied my mind. I sat down quietly, and just stared at Bradley, waiting for him to notice me. After a few moments, he did, when he reached into his bag. He jumped, dropping his pencil. I went to pick it up at the same time as he did. Our hands brushed, and Bradley blushed. I only raised one eyebrow, amused.

“So you are into cliches, huh? Good to know,” I teased, looking Bradley up and down, ideas already blossoming in my mind. Bradley scoffed. “Don't be ridiculous. They just work, that's why they're called cliches because they work. The spark, the love…” he started mumbling, turning away from me, leaving me with his blushed fingers. I smiled, the perfect idea coming into my head. “So which cliche are we then, ‘bad boy and the nerd’?” I didn't think of myself as a bad boy, but what else was I supposed to say? “No, ew. In no way are you a bad boy. You are a golden retriever with piercings.” “Does the ‘golden retriever and black cat dynamic’ work for you? I think that could be us.” Bradley only shook his head, smiling.

The teacher came back, continuing with the lesson I had no interest on. But Bradley had. He was listening intensively, and taking notes. Notes… I took out my notebook and ripped out a page. I took a pencil from Bradley's collection and started drawing Bradley. I was bad at drawing. I really sucked. But I tried to make the drawing as realistic as possible.

Somewhere along the process, Bradley noticed my poor excuse for art. He didn't say anything, just started a drawing of his own. By the middle of the second lesson, my abomination was done. I must say, I was proud of it. I took a quick picture, before writing Bradley's name on it with little hearts instead of the dots on the i’s. I liked it, it looked… OK.

I handed the picture to Bradley, awaiting his reaction. When he saw it, he stopped drawing and took a long glance at the paper. He looked at every inch of the paper, examining it. Then he read his name, he smiled, and went back to his drawing. He started erasing something and replacing it. I wanted to know what he was doing, but he didn't let me look.

After some time, Bradley seemed happy with the results and gave me the paper. I took the drawing, looked at it and- I did not expect that. It looked damn near a photo. It looked so realistic. On the paper, there was my upper body, drawn really realistically. All the details of my skin were there as well. Under the picture, there was my name, with a star instead of the A in MAX.

I looked over to the artist, who was still inspecting my drawing with a smile on his face. I was at a loss for words. How could he find that, THAT, worth smiling at? “Where did you learn how to draw like this? It looks so amazing,” I whispered, scooting closer to him. “I don't know. I just have the talent for it. I actually didn't draw in forever, so you saying it's good moved with me,” he smiled. This smile!!! He definitely wasn't smiling enough. He looked so gorgeous.

For the rest of the lesson, Bradley tried to teach me how to properly draw faces. Until the end of the lesson, I could draw the face shape, but not how to fill up the face. “One step at a time,” was all Bradley set at my complaint about not being able to draw as well as Picasso after one drawing lesson.

We had to part ways because we didn't have the next class together. I had math while Bradley went to advanced biology. The whole lesson I practiced drawing faces, in my eyes getting better at it. Since math was my last lesson, I went to the nearest flower shop right after class, to get something for Bradley. He liked cliches and what was more cliche than flowers? I looked around, trying to find some blue flowers to match his eyes. But when I saw the prices, I quickly left the shop, not wanting to spend five dollars on a single rose. So, I got a better idea - to look in the park for a flower.

Of course, I didn't find any, because it was almost winter and all the flowers died long ago. Without any flowers, I got back home, thinking about an alternative. When I couldn't think of anything, I went to Google. And there it was: a tutorial on how to make a paper rose. I got some paper, scissors, and some glue and started working. It took surprisingly way more time than originally intended. When I was done with the first one, I heard the front door shut, indicating Bradley returned. And I only had one flower done.

I quickly put the crafting stuff away and hid the rose behind my back. I went to the living room, awaiting Bradley. Moments later, he appeared in the hallway. Confused, he looked at me. “Why are you standing in the middle of the living room with a hand behind your back? What are you hiding?”

He slowly made his way towards me, looking more confused, suspicious, and scared by the second. And then, he stopped right in front of me. “Max… what are you hiding?” I slowly gave him the rose, reciting the mini speech I had just made-up while I was waiting for him. “Since you like cliches so much, I thought that the best cliche of all time is getting someone flowers. And I am no amateur, so I am giving you this paper rose instead of the real one, since it will last forever, just like my love for you.”

He didn't take the rose. He just stood there, frozen in place, looking at me with wide eyes. I was scared that the last part was too much and was about to take it back, when he gently took the rose from me, admiring it. “Thank you.” We stared at each other for some time, the silence growing more and more uncomfortable.

“Well, I have to pack, so…” I said, already halfway to my room. “Pack? Where are you going?” I stopped in my tracks. Oh right, I forgot to tell him that I was going away for Thanksgiving. “I'm going home to my dad's for Thanksgiving. Tomorrow in the morning I'm leaving.” The sad yet accepting look on his face made me think of a solution to a problem that I never knew existed. “Oh, OK. Have a nice Thanksgiving then.”

“Actually,” I started, trying to form my thoughts into words. “If you would like to, you could come with me. My dad would be thrilled to meet you.” At first, he looked unsure, but when I gave him a reassuring smile, he accepted the news. “Then I'll go pack us well.”

I went to pack, thinking about this whole evening. I wanted to give Bradley flowers, but my crafting skills are weak so I only did one flower. After that, I told Bradley indirectly that I loved him, which is way too soon, and on top of that, I invited him to my house. To meet my dad. Oh no. What have I done? Dad will embarrass me. All of the baby photos he has, and the stories… Oh God. I should have thought about this before. But I want Bradley to meet my dad. Some healthy son-dad relationship would be good for him.

I finished packing and went to bed early, so I would wake up tomorrow. The night was accompanied by multiple dreams of Bradley and me, at different places, in different positions.

In the middle of the night, I woke up right before a particular dream reached its highlight. I breathed through, opened the window because I was feeling hot, and sat on the bed, thinking. All these dreams are starting to get ridiculous. I have either dirty dreams about Bradley or nightmares of the most traumatic day of my life. Can I not sleep in peace?

But I couldn't. I couldn't sleep in peace. In fact, for the rest of the night, I couldn't sleep at all. I just laid in the bed for hours, trying to imagine something else than Bradley's naked body covered in my hickeys. I must admit, I like that image, but I needed to sleep at the moment and the pictures in my head were not helping me.

Around four o’clock in the morning, I gave up on my sleep. I got up and went to my backpack to look for the drawing from Bradley. I found it, took it out, and pinned it on the wall next to the dresser. I sat down on my bed, looking at the picture for a while. I also checked if I had packed everything I needed. I had so much time on my hands. I thought I could kill some time with a little workout, but I couldn't do it in my room, and I didn't want to possibly wake up Bradley by going into the living room. So instead, I tried to draw Bradley, just like he had thought me.

I started by sketching the face, neck, and shoulders. Then, I gave it some ears and hair. Now for the hard part - the face. I tried to do it multiple times, and none of it looked as good as Bradley. But I kept on trying.

As six o’clock rolled by, I had a handful of drawings all over my bed, all of Bradley. I looked like a stalker. I picked them up and put them into the bottom drawer of the dresser, next to my hoodies.

I dressed up and went to the kitchen to eat something before the ride. I also made some lunch for the road. Bradley appeared in the kitchen shortly after me, looking like he had slept well. We got our stuff over to the dorms where my car was parked. When Bradley saw the ride, he stopped in his tracks.

“Are you really going to drive? Do you not have a driver or something?” “Well, no. I am not that rich. So of course I am driving. Also, I really enjoy driving, because it brings me peace and it's really relaxing.” Bradley still didn't look like he trusted me, but got into the car, not arguing any further.

As he got into the car, he looked all over it, examining every spot possible. He noticed my broken radio, and the scratched seats, and I heard him say a silent prayer.

This is going to be a long ride.

Chapter 22

I pulled out of the parking lot, going onto the road. Bradley was checking out the inside of my car, looking at my speedometer every few seconds. Because I didn't sleep well, my mood was not so great, and I was getting annoyed. “What?” I asked, slightly raising my voice, annoyed. “I do not feel like dying today because of your driving skills.” Bradley was annoyed with me as well. “Don't worry. I am not Bobby.”

Silence fell upon us. I would have played some music on the radio, but it was broken, so I couldn't do that, and we stayed sitting in silence. I was getting really tired, not wanting to drive for the next six hours. I could switch with Bradley for an hour or so, but he doesn't know where we're going. Plus, I don't think he'll ever drive this car. He is not comfortable enough to sit in it, let alone drive it.

My eyes were shutting, and if he wouldn't start talking to me, put some music on, or let me sleep, I would fall asleep. “So... Bradley. Why is your dad so focused on you being an athlete? I mean, as a doctor you would also get a lot of money and fame as well.” Bradley was startled by the sudden conversation but answered my question. “I don't even know. I think it has something to do with the fact that when he was in his best years of football, he broke his leg and could never run as fast as before ever again. And he blames the doctors for it, saying they should have done a better job.”

Wow. I must say I really don't like the father. He sounds like a total jerk. And even yesterday, he couldn't just be proud of his son, no. He had to want more from him. “No offense, but I really do not like your dad. The way he's fixated on sports and doesn't let you be happy, it's just- I can't even begin to phantom how that makes you feel. And your parents being so openly homophobic…” “They weren't always like that. At some point, they just got into the wrong circles and changed their whole personalities. When I was around the age of five, the change took place. It was horrible. From day to day they changed everything. The whole interior of the house, all of the clothes, all of them. And they wanted for me to change as well. That's why I actually went to this school. It's far away from them, has good biology courses, and enough sportsmen.”

I smiled. I liked how open he was to me. “What are you smiling about?” Bradley noticed my weird behavior. “Oh, nothing… we are just getting so close. And I love that.” He only scoffed but returned to smile. We stayed in comfortable silence for a few minutes.

I was starting to see double. I had to do something, or I would fall asleep. “Hey, Bradley? Do you want to drive for a while? We are on the highway, so you just go straight for the next half an hour,” I asked Bradley, rubbing my eyes to see normally again. Bradley stayed silent. “Bradley?” “I can't. I don't know how to drive.” I almost drove into the ditch. When I got the grip on the steering wheel again, I responded. “What? Why? Aren't you a senior or something?”

More silence. “I am, but I just never learned how to. It's not a big deal…” I was only half listening, my brain focused on trying to keep my eyes open. On the next pump station exit, I went down. I parked the car, turned it off, and went out of the car. Bradley was looking confused at me, not knowing what I was doing. I opened the behind door, got on the back seat, and layed down.

“What are you doing? Are you sick?” Bradley wanted to know, slightly panicking. “No, don't worry. I just didn't sleep much last night and I am afraid I might fall asleep during driving, so I will take a quick nap. Wake me up at nine,” I said, already closing my eyes and drifting into the land of dreams.

I woke up to something warm hugging me. I opened my eyes, trying to figure out what was happening. And there was Bradley, lying next to me, hugging me, also sleeping. I only smiled, hugged him closer, and went back to sleep.

I woke up to the smell of coffee and donuts. I got up, feeling cold. I looked at the front, seeing Bradley there, sipping on his coffee and scrolling on his phone. When he noticed me being awake, he put his phone away and turned his attention to me. “Good day, sunshine. Did you sleep well?” “Yes, thank you. What time is it?” He checked his watch, turning his attention back to me. “It is currently nine fifty-six. I didn’t want to wake you up, hence you looked really tired. So, I let you sleep longer.”

I smiled, appreciating it. I slept pretty well, and I think a huge part in it played Bradley, who I knew for a fact slept next to me for some time. But I wasn't going to talk to him about that, since we wanted to get to my dad today.

I got up and went back to the driver's seat, feeling a lot better. “Here is some coffee and a donut. I didn't know what you liked, so I picked random. If you don't like it, I can always buy you something else-“ “No, thank you. I eat everything. So, no worries,” I reassured him, took the coffee in my hands, and took a sip. Vanilla latte. My usual! How did he know? I know he said he picked it randomly, but I don't think that is true. The probability he would have thought of me and picked this coffee was pretty small. What a stalker.

But I wasn't about to start bitching, so I just drank my coffee and drove onto the highway. A few minutes in, Bradley took out his phone and a little speaker from his backpack and played some songs. Most of it were radio hits, but some of the songs were from Powerline. By one particular song from Powerline, I started to sing, feeling the vibe of the song.

At first, Bradley was looking at me like I'd lost it, but eventually started singing with me. I knew it, he was a Powerline fan! And I even have a shirt to prove it.

We sang for a while, just enjoying ourselves and the free road. When our throats started to hurt from screaming so much, we turned the volume down and started talking to one another. At first, it was just talking shit about our teachers, but later we also played some road games, such as ‘I see something you don't see’ or ‘alphabet fruit’. Bradley was winning. No doubt. But to my defense, I had to concentrate on the road, he didn't.

The rest of the drive went on similarly. We sang, talked, and played some music. All in all, having a great time. At noon, I called my dad, letting him know that I was bringing a friend with me and that we would be late. Like, way later than originally anticipated. He said it was all right and we drove further.

At some point, I had to go down from the highway, on to the tiny past that led to my hometown. We still had an hour left, when I thought of the best idea ever. I pulled up to the side of the road, turning to confused Bradley. “What do you think of learning how to drive?”

He was speechless. I waited for his answer, still having lots of hope. “YOU want to teach ME how to drive? Isn't that illegal?” I just shrugged, smiling at him. “We are on an abandoned road, and as long as the police don't see it, everything is legal.” “Your friends have a terrible influence on you.” I can't deny that Bobby says it a lot. “But sure. Teach me.”

My smile grew. I got out of the driver's seat, went to the passenger door, opening the door for Bradley. “Princess~” “Oh, shut up, freshman.” I sat on the passenger seat and watched Bradley get into the driver's one. “Do you know any basics?” I asked, trying to picture what I was working with.

“Well, I know how to start a car. There are three pedals I have to press to move. That's about it.” Was this guy serious? A ten-year-old knows more about driving than he does. I only shook my head.

I explained to him as much as I could, and even showed him how to do some stuff. He looked like he understood what I was doing and saying, so I let him give it a try. Thank God there weren't any people around. He pressed the gas pedal so quickly that it almost broke my neck. “Gently! Bradley, you have to be gentle with the car. Treat it like your baby. Press the same pedal again, by the gentler. This is not Formula One.”

He tried it again, this time starting and pressing the pedal way gentler than the first time. We were moving! Not too fast, not too slow. “Good job! And now, try to stop. But remember, gently.” He breathed through, slowly letting go of the gas pedal and slowly pressing the brakes. We slowed down and then- came to a full stop.

I turned to Bradley, who was smiling and looking at me. “I drove a car!” “And you did amazing! You are a natural! I am so proud of you!” I said, smiling, giving him a kiss as a reward.

For the next hour, we did the same thing - I tried to teach Bradley how to drive. He was getting better. He learned how to speed up and slow down, put on the blinkers, and turn left and right. For each good drive, I gave him a kiss to motivate him. But in reality, I kissed him because he looked so cute and handsome while driving that I couldn't keep myself away from him. The way he stretched and flexed his arm while parking was driving me crazy.

“I think that is enough for now. Let's go home and eat something. My dad is already waiting for us.” For the next hour, we drove to my house, me driving. The ride was calming and beautiful. The sun was hanging low, and the road was in the middle of a sunflower field. The ride was magnificent.

When we got to my childhood home, it was nearly seven o’clock. We got out of the car, took our bags, and made ourselves on the way towards my front door. Before I could even knock, my dad opened the door, hugging me tightly and greeting us.

“Maxie! And you are…?”

“Bradley. Bradley Uppercrust the third. A pleasure to meet you, Sir.”

“The pleasure is all my. After all, I can finally meet my son's boyfriend.”

Chapter 23

... I'm sorry, what? Boyfriend? I didn't come out to him yet. Bradley and I weren't official yet. How does he know?

"I'm sorry, boyfriend? How did you come to this conclusion." Dad only looked at me unfaced. "Max, you are so clearly attracted to men, that I would be more surprised If you didn't like men at all. And I assume he was your boyfriend, because he looks quite similar to Powerline, if I have to be honest..."

My jaw dropped. He just predicted my whole love life. Bradley was just smirking next to me, already liking my dad. "You can laugh all you want, sunshine, but I will remember this and make you pay for it later," I turned to Bradley, turning red from embarrassment. "Kinky much," he only whispered to me, smirking and making me turn even more red, and entered the house. What an arrogant brat!

I followed Bradley into the house, closing the door behind me. Dad was already showing Bradley my room, where he would sleep while I would take the couch. Bradley was against the idea, saying that it was my room so I should be the one sleeping in there. I solved the argument by saying we could just share the bed since it was king-sized. Bradley agreed to my idea and we went to my room to put our stuff away. My dad left us to unpack, while he went down to heat up dinner.

I was quite nervous about showing Bradley my room since there was nothing left in there, yet it held so many good memories. He was looking around, at the naked walls, and onto my bed. To my horror, I saw Mr TeddyBear sitting on the pillow. I wanted to hide him, but it was too late. Bradley already took him into his hands, inspecting him, smirking.

"Max, I didn't know you were sleeping with a teddy bear, what is its name?" "... Mr TeddyBear." He chuckled. "Wow, how original." But he let Mr TeddyBear go, gently placing him in his original place. He mumbled something to himself, smiling. "What did you say?" I asked, wanting to know. "Oh, I said it's cute how you still have a teddy bear. Just like my little sister." I blushed in a deep shade of red, looking away. He stepped closer to me, grabbing my chin and turning my head towards him. "No need to be embarrassed, mon amour, it's really cute. Just like you." I like flirting Braden. His French was amazing and hot. He kissed me slowly and passionately. Then he let go and went to the kitchen.

After I calmed myself down, I followed him. I found him in the kitchen talking to my dad about something while they waited for the pizzas to heat up in the oven. "-and he even had a cardboard life-sized version of him in his room, which I was not allowed to touch under any circumstances. He was so obvious about his crush on him. It was kind of cute," I heard my dad say to Bradley, who only chuckled.

I blushed and interrupted their conversation, hoping my dad didn't get a chance to say something else embarrassing to my man. "Dad! Stop telling him such stuff about me! It's none of his business! We aren't even together yet!" "And why not?" asked my dad, turning to Bradley, looking him up and down. Bradley stopped laughing and put on his serious face. I was about to jump in when Bradley answered the question. "I was planning on asking him soon. I just wanted to make sure you were okay with it."

Soon. Soon?! I am not prepared for this! I don't have any good outfits with me right now, and I haven't talked to Mocha about it yet! I was panicking on the inside, but my dad seemed happy with the answer and took out the pizzas for us to eat.

While eating, he and Bradley kept the conversation flowing, while I was drowning in the sea of my own thoughts. After the food, we went back to my room to clean up and get ready for bed after the long car ride.

I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth, when Bradley walked up from behind me and grabbed my waist. I jumped, almost dropping my toothbrush into the toilet. He was holding my waist through my tank top, leaning his head on my shoulder. We stayed like that, he leaning on my shoulder and me brushing my teeth. When I finished, I turned around and kissed him. "Do you need something?" "Do I have to have a reason to touch you? Can't I just want to touch you and be in your presence?" I blushed for the millionth time today, hiding my face in his chest.

I could feel him chuckle as he hugged me tighter. Out of nowhere, he asked: "Do you want to be my boyfriend?" I looked at him in shock. "So soon?" "Yeah, sure, why not? I am pretty positive you will say yes anyway, so why keep this 'something' between us unlabelled?" I was not expecting this answer, but I just laughed and said the word. "Yes!"

He hugged and kissed me for some more, before going to bed and finally putting this crazy day behind us. Bradley ended up being the small spoon as we cuddled, stealing all of the blankets. But I slept amazingly and Bradley did as well. In the morning, we told the news to my dad and I called my friends to explain it to them as well.

Bobby was shocked, while Mocha was screaming in the background. PJ only took a twenty-dollar bill from Bobby, probably because of a bet again.

The day started out perfectly. We ate some pancakes and the nearby breakfast brunch restaurant we always went to on my birthday. They made the best pancakes in town. Afterward, we went home to catch up on our movie marathon. Bradley was new to this whole concept, so we explained to him how it worked. Each of us would write a name on the movie they really wanted to watch today on a piece of paper, then we folded it and put it in a hat. And each of us would take one paper out of the hat and read what was written on it. The youngest one of the group would start. And then in the exact order, we will watch the movies for that day.

We did just that. I read my paper first because I was the youngest. "Pulpfiction." A good movie, I must say. The next one was Bradley. "Bullet Train." Lastly, my dad. "Kill Bill." A classic. We made some popcorn while my dad searched for the movies. As I was standing next to the microwave, waiting for the popcorn to be finished, Bradley grabbed my waist again. I chuckled. "Some weird obsession you have here. My poor waist." "It's not like you don't like it."

We flirted with each other, forgetting about the popcorn. When I pulled it out, it was completely burned and smoke was coming out of it. So we made another one and threw the burnt one out into the trash so we wouldn't stink up the whole house.

When the second popcorn was pulled out - not burnt this time - we returned to the living room where my dad was already waiting for us with the movie on the screen.

We watched Pulpfiction, while Bradley and I held hands. By the middle of the movie, I was drawing little smiley faces, stars, and hearts with my fingers on Bradley's leg, being more interested in that than the masterpiece of a movie in front of me.

After the first film, we went out to get some lunch, eating at McDonald's, liking the atmosphere. Bradley was confused about why we didn't make a turkey and didn't celebrate more traditionally. "Well, this is how we do it. As a single father who didn't know how to cook when Maxie was young, I took him out to restaurants. And we made this our small ritual. And later on, as I learned how to cook and wanted to make a turkey, Max was so against the idea he didn't even let me buy a turkey." I chuckled. I remember that time. I was eight or so, and my dad brought me to the store to pick a turkey. I was so scared he wouldn't do our usual ritual, that I started crying in the middle of the store, begging my father to take me home.

We had our unhealthy lunch and went back home to watch the rest of the movies. The afternoon was filled with thriller movies and a lot of stories from my dad about me for Bradley. Some of them were acceptable, but others were so embarrassing I had to hide my face in the cushions.

As evening came by, we were almost done with the last movie- Kill Bill. We decided we would watch the second part after dinner. Dinner was the most important meal of this day. We went to a mildly fancy restaurant, called 'The Blue Lobster'. Spoiler, they don't sell any lobsters. We went in and took a table for three. There weren't as many customers as usual, thus today was Thanksgiving, and most of the families were at home. We ordered our food and waited for it.

While we were waiting, we talked some more. "Max, I heard you got second in the stakeboard competition last week! Congratulations! It was your first time, and you were only a few seconds - not even seconds - later at the finish line than the best skater there! I am so proud of you!" Bradley only looked confused, not understanding the supportive message of my father. I knew this came from the heavy father issues that he had, so I explained how a healthy relationship between a father and a son worked. By the end of my speech, he was looking at me with shock and something else in his eyes. He nodded, but I don't think he quite understood it correctly.

The waiter brought our food, and we ate. It was delicious!

When we finished, we asked for the check and as we were waiting, Bradley and my dad talked some more. I heard the waitress greeting some people that just came into the restaurant, but I didn't pay them much attention. The check came and we were about to leave when my dad decided to go to the bathroom before we went. While we waited for him, we sat back down, talking for a bit. But then I heard it. The voice.

"Ah, hello Max. How is your evening going?"

Chapter 24

My breath hitched. No. The voice from my nightmares that have been haunting me since that day. I refused to look over my shoulder. I refused to. But a hand gripped my shoulder, squeezing it and slightly shaking with me. "Are you deaf or something, pipsqueak? Did you not hear me?"

I flinched and froze in my place. I knew from my dad that he was out of jail and on probation, so he wouldn't dare to touch me. But I was scared. He did it once,  almost killing me. What, except for jail, was preventing him from hurting me again? I felt like the little boy I was back then, scared and defenseless. 

I figured it would be wise to speak to him, answer his questions, and let him leave me alone for the rest of my stay here. So, I gathered all of my strength and turned to face the monster of my nightmares - Roxanne's father. 

"Good evening to you too Mr. R.. The evening is going good so far." I could see his horrid smile, planning something. "I see your father still doesn't have enough money to buy you a turkey for Thanksgiving." "Don't you dare bring my father into this. And I could say the same about you, seeing you here. Where is you turkey?" I may be scared of him, but nobody is going to disrespect my father, especially not on Thanksgiving. 

"Well, not like it's any of your business, but Roxanne wanted something different for this year's  Thanksgiving, and what my baby girl wants, she gets. Like her amazing boyfriend of five years," he said, saying the 'five' extra loud, so I would connect the dots. The same guy she cheated on me with. The same guy who was too afraid to face me and back up his girlfriend.

From the corner of my eye I could see Bradley, concerned and confused. I loved him, but this was between me and Mr. R.. At the same moment, it seemed Mr. R. had spotted my boyfriend, who was now glaring at him.

"Who is this little friend of yours? He doesn't look like your type. Way too nerdy. Does he know about your history of cheating? Maybe I should warn him..." I stood up, getting angry and forgetting why I was so scared of him. "Don't you DARE to speak about him like that! And for the millionth time, I never cheated on Roxanne. She did. So stop harassing me, or else-" "Or else what? What are you going to do?! Last time I checked, you were a coward that couldn't even protect yourself. You want to play this game again?"

I was mad, fuming even. But he was right. Last time, it didn't end well. A trip to the hospital, so much blood... He sensed I was having second thoughts and used it to his advantage. 'That's right, pipsqueak. The last time we did this dance, you ended up hurt... A lot, if I remember correctly." "The last time we did this dance, you ended up in jail. Would you like to return there?"

I realized my mistake too late. Prison was a touchy topic for him. He charged at me, but stopped inches in front of me, remembering his probation. "You got lucky."

I took Bradley by his hand and tried to leave the restaurant as soon as possible, not wanting to deal with this crazy fool. But I didn't get far. I felt a finger tracing my back through my shirt, making me stop in my tracks, freezing. "How is the scar doing? I still remember carving it in. There was so much blood.." that was all it took to get me spiraling into the dark memories of that night. I was shaking uncontrollably, breathing getting quicker.

"Well, I see your father arriving, so I might just leave you to it. Have a splendid night," said Mr. R. and left. I couldn't move on my own, I couldn't breathe properly, I couldn't even think. All of the night terrors that I kept locked away, all came back at the same time, leaving me paralyzed.

Bradley was confused, and he was panicking a lot. "Max! Max? Can you hear me? Let's get you to the fresh air. Please, move if you hear me." I wanted to, but my body wouldn't listen to me. I just stood there, hugging myself, shaking. 

My dad came, and when he saw me, he knew what to do. He pushed me forward until my legs kicked into autopilot and got me to the car. I wanted to be alright, to not be the helpless kid anymore, but I couldn't. My body wouldn't let me. We drove home, my conditions not getting any better. At home, I sat down on the couch, still hugging myself. From experience, my dad left me to deal with it myself. But Bradley didn't have the experience.

He sat down next to me, reached out to touch my hand but remembered the party and thought twice about touching me in this state. He just sat there next to me, silently supporting me. And that was all it took, all I needed.

Tears started to stream down my face, making Bradley even more worried.

"I couldn't do it. I worked so hard for the past five years, so hard, to not be the little helpless boy I was back then. But the moment I saw him, my confidence crumbled and I turned into the useless boy again. I tried... So hard," I sobbed, breaking out of my trance, sinking into Bradley's lap. He just hugged me back, silently stocking my hair.

I was disappointed in myself. On Thanksgiving. I might have just ruined it for Bradley because I couldn't get past something that happened five years ago.

"I'm sorry," I said. "...What?" "I'm sorry," I said a little louder, between my sobs. "Why?" "I just ruined Thanksgiving for you. I'm so sorry-" Bradley stopped me by covering my mouth with his hand. I stopped talking, looking at him. He grabbed my face into his hands and looked me dead in the eye. "Do not apologize. You didn't ruin anything. You are not useless. You are a very inspiring person, who sees the best in people and cares about others more than himself. You are perfect in every shape and form, so stop talking so low of yourself."

I looked at him, full of emotion. Did he really think of me like that? That highly? I started crying again, not knowing how else to respond. "Why are you crying?!" "It was- was so beautiful... You think so highly of me, And I love you for that." "I love you too." We kissed. Not like anything before, this kiss was comforting and long, giving me strength and confidence.

 

We all agreed that we will watch Kill Bill tomorrow, and Bradley and I went to my room. He not once mentioned Mr. R.. I can only imagine how many questions he had. But was I ready to give him the answers to that? I decided.

We sat on the bed, holding hands, talking about some more movies we could watch tomorrow. "Bradley," I interrupted him with a serious face. He shut up immediately, looking at me intensively. I breathed through and held his hand stronger. "About today-" "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." I smiled at him for being so considerate. "But I want to."

"It started when I dated Roxanne, Mr R's daughter, five years ago. We were happy and all, but then things started getting... weird. She wouldn't hang out with me anymore, always finding excuses not to hang out with me. She started to act way differently, getting annoyed really quickly and such. I should have seen the signs, I should have left her. But I couldn't. She was my first - my first kiss, my first girlfriend, my first everything."

"So one day I came to the realisation that she was cheating on me - I saw her kiss some guy in the hallways, telling him that she would meet him later at her place. And so I went to her house to catch them in the act. And I did." Bradley listened to me quietly, but I could see the angry look on his face. I continued. "Even though I caught them together, she just shrugged it off as if it were my fault. She told me to leave her alone, or there would be consequences. My ego wouldn't let me leave. And so, I went after her, banging on the door to let me in and give me a proper explanation. But when the door opened, it wasn't Roxanne on the other side - it was her dad. With a knife." My voice gave up, slightly shaking. Bradley squeezed my hand, letting me know that he was there for me. I nodded and continued. 

GORE WARNING

"He attacked me. Saying something about breaking his daughter's heart by cheating on her. I told him several times that it wasn't like that. But he wouldn't believe me. He chased me onto the front lawn, getting a hold of me. Then he threw me onto the ground, knocking the air out of my lungs. I wanted to run away, scream for help. But the fear didn't let me. It was just me, him, and the darkness of the night. He took the knife and-" my voice gave up again. I had the images right in front of my eyes and I started crying again, the weight of how fucked up that actually was, crushing me. I wasn't even fifteen then. I was a kid. But I continued, wanting Bradley to know everything.

"He took the knife and... swung. He slashed. And he kept on slashing. It hurt so bad. I was screaming,  crying, begging for him to stop, but he didn't. At some point, I managed to get on my stomach to crawl away, my torso being covered in blood and dirt. But he didn't let me get away. He pinned me down onto the ground, gripping his knife harder, and in one long and slow motion cut my back open. From my right shoulder to my left hip. Scarring my whole back. The last thing I saw before falling unconscious, was Roxanne looking at me with disgust on her face through the window of her house."

GOOD TO GO

Bradley's face was filled with horror, shock, pity, and anger. All in one. He hugged me, tight. I accepted the hug and hugged him back. We stayed like that for some time. Bradley was holding me as if he were afraid I would disappear.

"My dad found me. The police were called and we went to the hospital, almost dying of blood loss. But I got fixed up. Just the scars remain. And the nightmares," I said, wanting to humor him but somehow making it even worse. He only hugged me tighter, not letting go. 

After a long time, him letting me go, I looked up at him, asking: "Would you like to see?" 

He only nodded, knowing what I was referring to. 

I took the hem of my shirt into my hands, counted to three, and took my shirt off. 

Chapter 25

I didn't dare to look him in the eyes. I looked at my hands, avoiding his face. I felt Bradley scanning me, a sharp intake of air, followed by loud swallowing. He stayed silent, not uttering a word.

When the silence was too much, I slowly looked up, meeting Bradley's gaze. What I saw, hurt my heart. There he was, crying crying silently, looking at my scars. I did not want him to cry. I reached over and wiped the tears from his face with my thumb. "Don't cry. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry..." He only took a sharp breath in, stretching his hand toward me. "...Can I.. I-" not being able to finish his sentence, a wave of sadness coming over him. I only nodded, not daring to say anything. 

He reached out slowly, stopping for a heartbeat, before making contact with me. I held my breath. He slowly traced along one of the bigger scars on my torso. I tensed up, not familiar with this sensation. But as he traced each one of my scars, I relaxed to his touch, the feeling of embarrassment I had expected was not there. 

He slid his thumb across the smaller scars on my chest, making me shudder. He saddled closer to me on the bed, resting his hand on top of my thigh. I could tell he was pitting me and being overwhelmed, but I couldn't stop there. I was already halfway there, so I should just show him the rest of the scars, quickly ripping off the bandaid to diminish the hurt I knew I was going to feel. But I could not do this to him. He was so supportive all the time and he looks like he saw a ghost. 

"Hey, do you want some water?" he suddenly asked me, looking straight ahead and not at me. "No, thank you. But you go and grab yourself some." I didn't wish for him to be in bad shape, but what was done, couldn't be undone. 

Bradley only nodded, got up, and left the room to go to the kitchen. I just sat there awkwardly, not wanting to get out of bed. I turned myself around, looking out of the window. Behind the window, there was an old tree, I used to climb when I was younger. It was a big oak, older than the house itself. I had so many memories of it when it was summer and the big branches were covered in the most beautiful shade of green, full of life. But not, with autumn in full swing, the colors changed from green to orange, leaving only a few of the leaves behind. The tree looked sad and naked, not like itself.

The weather was sad and gloomy as well, depressed even. Shades of gray made out the sky, painting the whole town in gray. It was magnificent to look at the view, knowing it looked better before, yet now, it is lacking all of its beauty. 

Suddenly I heard a sharp inhale from behind me. I quickly turned around and saw Bradley standing in the doorway. The same doorway my back was just facing. My bare back. He shouldn't have seen it so soon. He just witnessed my torso, he was not ready for my biggest insecurity as well. 

GAY WARNING

To my surprise, he walked quickly over to the bed, sat himself down next to me, hugging me. The hug didn't last long. He pulled himself away from me, scooting over until he sat behind me. I thought he wanted to study the scar like he studied the others, but I was mistaken.

I felt a weird sensation on my back in the area of my scar. That wasn't the sensation of fingers... What was that? I heard a faint kissing sound. No. Was he really? But I connected the dots, the sensation now clear to me. Bradley was indeed kissing my scar, and as the realization hit me, a shiver rolled down my spine, making me shiver.

I wanted to turn around and tell him doesn't have to, but he wouldn't let me, holding me down by my waist. I blushed a deep shade of red from the combination of back kisses and waste holding. I wanted to say something, anything, but nothing came to my mind, too preoccupied with the feeling of Bradley's mouth on my skin. I thought twice about saying something, coming to the conclusion that some moments shouldn't be spoiled by words. And so I stayed silent, enjoying the attention.

He kissed down my back, moving closer to my hips. Then he returned up, kissing my neck and turning me around, facing me now. He looked me in the eyes, kissing me again this time on the mouth. I savored the feeling, kissing him back. Bradley picked me up and sat me on his lap, getting closer to me. I didn't protest.

I tucked on the hem of his shirt, signalizing that he should take it off. I waited for his consent. When he nodded, I slowly took the hem of his shirt into my hands, and in one quick motion pulled it over his head. I threw the shirt on the floor, focusing my attention on Bradley. The air got knocked out of my lungs, making me a little lightheaded.

I had already seen his torso once, back then as we almost kissed for the first time. But somehow my breath got taken away, and I was sure it would take my breath away again and again, until the end of time. I looked him up and down, the urge from that time returning. I reached out, lightly tracing my fingers over the outlines of his muscles. I didn't want to stop, but I snapped out of my trans the second Bradley touched my waist again, pulling me closer to him. I got flustered, hiding my face in his chest.

I could feel Bradley chuckling, stroking my waist with his dumb, making me shiver. He found my weak spot, and I could tell he would abuse this knowledge. Playfully, I charged at him and pushed him onto the bed, laughing at him. He laughed with me, pulling me on top of him.

STOOOPPPP

We stayed lying like that, me on top of him, enjoying each other's presence and the silence. Suddenly, Bradley spoke up. "I'm really glad we were able to talk about it." "That's your fault, you make me feel safe," I scoffed playfully, looking up at him. He was looking back at me already, with loving eyes. I smiled at him, giving him a little peek on the lips.

We cuddled a little, eventually falling asleep. I fell asleep, my dreams coming to life. More like nightmares. I was back by the house, having the argument with Roxanne that I knew by heart. We fought and then I followed her to the house, wanting the explanation that I never got. The door opened by itself, and Roxanne's father stood there. With the knife. Chasing me, we ended up on the front lawn. 

I was scared, not wanting to relive that day, the pain. Roxanne's father swung with the knife, aiming for my chest. I closed my eyes, preparing for the hit. But it never came. 

I slowly opened my eyes, wanting to know what had happened. I was shocked, looking at the scene in front of me. There he was, the knight in shining armor. Bradley. He threw Mr. R. off me, helping me get up. I stood up, not feeling scared anymore, just angry at Mr. R. for picking a fight with my Bradley. I kicked the knife out of his hands, picking it up afterward. I looked at Mr. R., lying on the floor, defenseless. Just like I was that day. 

I looked at the knife and looked at Bradley. He nodded, giving me the approval. I swung with the knife, watching the blade sinking into his chest. Over and over again. 

The monster became one with the dirt underneath him.

We stood there, heavily breathing, adrenaline pumping through our blood. We shared a look of deep understanding. The sky got lighter as he had my hand in his. 

Standing there, looking at him, I realized that when you share this kind of bond with someone, you are undefeatable. He helped me, so next time I will be happy to return the favor. 

 

I woke up to the smell of bacon, looking around me. When I spotted Bradley sleeping next to me, spread all over the bed, I smiled, realizing, how happy I was to have him in my life. I crawled closer to him, whispering into his ear. "Bradley~ Wake up~ Breakfast is ready." Bradley rolled over to me, hugging me lazily. "...No," he mumbled into my chest, snuggling into me. 

I chuckled, slightly shaking his shoulders to wake him up. "Come on, wake up-" I was interrupted by Bradley rolling over, still having a hold of me. I squeaked, trying to get away from his grip. But he wouldn't let me go.

I stopped struggling, letting him hold me. This way, I could spend more time with him. I almost fell asleep again, but my dad called us for breakfast from the ground floor. Suddenly, I didn't want to get up, just wanting to stay in bed with Bradley forever. But we got up eventually, walking down the stairs, not even bothering to put on our shirts. We sat down at the table, where the breakfast was already put. My dad turned towards us, noting me sitting there without my shirt. He looked at me with a smile, giving me a thumbs up and putting the plates on the table. The breakfast was delicious, and the atmosphere was peaceful and tranquil. 

We had one last day to stay with my father, before returning to college. We decided to spend it walking around the town, showing Bradley the best places. I was happy to show him where my happiest memories took place. He showed a surprising interest in my childhood, which made me feel all kinds of stuff. The whole day we were walking around, l so when we finally returned home, we went straight to bed. 

The next day in the morning we woke up and packed quickly, making us ready for the road trip. I would miss my dad, but he was sometimes a little too much. We said our final goodbyes to one other and drove away. Bradley and I couldn't really afford to arrive late today because of the morning courses we had tomorrow. So we didn't stop for a driving lesson like last time, only stopping twice at a gas station for coffee and a pee break. During the drive, Bradley's hand rested on top of my thigh most of the time, which made me flustered and distracted me from the road the first time he did it.  The weather was getting, threatening to start raining. We sped up, and arrived at college in record time, still having some time to spare. 

We took our stuff to the Gamma house. We closed the door behind us, and the moment the lock clicked, it started pouring outside. Bradley said he was going to bed, but I had different plans for him. 

"Hey Crusty, come here for a minute," I said, smiling at the nickname, going to the front door. He came after me, fatigue living his face. "What do you want?" I took his hand in mine, opened the front door, and pulled him outside into the rain. At first, he protested, not wanting to get his clothes wet, but gave up trying after a while, seeing how happy I was to have him there with me in the rain. 

"What now?" he asked awkwardly, standing next to me. I looked at him with a smile on my face, holding his hands in my. "Now, we dance!" And we did. "This is so cliche," Bradley scoffed. I only chucked, looking him in the eyes. "Well, a while ago you told me you like cliches, so..." He blushed, looking away. We swirled in the rain, laughing, splashing, and smiling at one another. 

I stopped, looking at Bradley with an idea blossoming in my mind. "You said you like cliches. What is more cliche than kissing in the rain. What do you say...?" I asked, waiting for his answer. As a response, he just grabbed my face and kissed me, fully enjoying himself. I held his face with both my hands, trying to close the distance between us. 

Suddenly a gasp and a flash of light interrupted the moment. We separated quickly, turning around, and searching for the source of the light. Bradley had a panicked look on his face. And there we saw a shadow, running away.

"Max... I think he took a picture of us..." his voice disturbed. 

 

Chapter 26

I looked in the direction the shadow ran, trying to spot who it was. No success. I turned back to Bradley, who looked petrified. Confused, I took his hands into my, trying to meet his gaze. “Hey, Bradley, are you okay? Is just a photo-“ Bradley only shook his head, interrupting me. “No, it's not JUST a photo Max. If my dad finds out that I am dating a guy…” he trailed off, starting to slightly shake. I took him inside, worried about him.

“Hey, Bradley, why don't you want him to find out?” No response. And took him upstairs to the bathroom. “Do you need help with that?” I asked, pointing towards his wet clothes. He barely shook his head, signaling I should leave him alone. And I did. I walked out of the bathroom, went into his room, and took some fresh, dry clothes for him to change into. I returned back to him. Bradley was still standing in the same spot I left him at, not moving an inch. I was really getting worried. “Hey, here are some clothes for you. Change out of the wet ones so you won't catch a cold, and I'll be outside of the room, waiting for you. Just behind the door. Is that okay?” This time, I didn't even get a nod, so I slowly left, closing the door behind me and sitting myself down next to the door, leaning on the nearby wall.

What was happening? We had a nice weekend behind us, finally getting together. Why is the photo so important to him? I know his father is a homophobic bitch, but still. I waited for him, leaning onto the wall, just thinking. For a long time nothing happened, there was silence in the whole house. Finally, I heard their shower being turned on, indicating that Bradley finally snapped out of his trance. I sat there for another hour, until the door opened, revealing Bradley.

I quickly stood up, facing him. His face was red and puffy, his hair wet, the fresh clothes hanging on his body. I hugged him, navigating him towards the bed, so he could rest. He gladly laid down, still responding to my attempts to start a conversation.

I turn off the lights, walking towards the door. “Please… stay…” I turned around, surprised by the sound of words coming out of Bradley's mouth. I smiled a sad smile, remembering in what bad shape I was yesterday, and how he helped me. “Of course, but I need to get my pajamas from downstairs.” “No, I just take something from my closet. Please… just don't leave me.” My heart broke at the sight of him. But I agreed, walking over to his closet and picking out a random T-shirt. I took the shirt and headed towards the bathroom to change.

“No! Please, don't leave me…” I wanted to argue that I wasn't going anywhere, just to the bathroom to change, but the moment I saw the devastated look on his face, I just couldn't. Acceptably, I nodded, taking off my shirt and replacing it with Bradley's dry one. I took off my pants and socks, which were soaked, leaving me in my underwear. Thank God the underwear wasn't wet, so I kept it on and walked towards Bradley, sitting on the floor next to his bed.

“What are you doing?” “Keeping you company until you fall asleep. Isn't that what you wanted?” I heard Bradley shuffling. I looked up, seeing he made space for me in his bed. I waited, not quite sure what I was supposed to do. “Get in, Max. I want you to sleep with me. That's what boyfriends do, right?” I didn't think he was offering me a space in his bed because of our relationship, there was something else behind it. But I didn't push it, crawling into the bed, and laying down next to Bradley.

The second my head hit the pillow, Bradley’s hands wrapped around me, hugging me tightly as a leech, not letting go. In record time, Bradley fell asleep. It took a little longer for me, but I eventually fell asleep as well. The night was calm for most of the time. Apart from a sudden scream from Bradley in the unholy hour. I woke up and looked over at him, wondering what had happened. He was asleep, but one could see the troubled expression on his face. I hugged him tighter, not knowing what to do. But he didn't scream a second time, so I think the hugging helped.

The morning was weird as well. Bradley barely spoke to me, just silently ate the breakfast I did for him and left for school. I took off shortly after him. The first lesson was history. I caught up to Bradley, with who I shared the course. “We could sit together. What do you think about that?” He simply shook his head in disapproval, hurrying to class, not waiting for me.

This is the fault of the shadow from yesterday. But no one was acting like they saw anything - they were all acting the same as usual. Meaning, they didn't see the picture from yesterday, or they didn't care. Yet Bradley was acting like he didn't know me. The rest of the day continued the same.

In the evening, as we arrived home, he started acting like a loving boyfriend again. I was confused, worried for him, and a little irritated, but I was happy that we were on good terms again. We spent the evening cooking together, and afterward, Bradley taught me how to draw faces.

We were having a great time, the whole picture-thing forgotten. We slept together again, cuddling. The night was peaceful as well, with none of us waking up randomly. The morning was beautiful as well, flirting while making breakfast. Bradley's class began in the morning and my first lesson started at noon, so he left before me, giving me a goodbye kiss. At around noon, I got ready for my classes as well.

We didn't share any classes together on that day, so we only saw each other in the hallways. When I spotted Bradley in one, he was walking alone, heading to his next class, not paying attention to his surroundings. “Hey, Bradley!” I spoke up, greeting him. But he didn't share my enthusiasm. He just walked past me, like I was there. What?!

The rest of the week was similar. He was friendly to me at home, but the moment he walked out of the front door, he acted like he didn't know me, avoiding me at all costs.

I was getting annoyed and mad, because every time I brought it up, Bradley wouldn't tell me anything.

“Hey, Bradley?” “Yes, sunshine?” I slightly cringed at the nickname, knowing he was doing this on purpose. “Why are you avoiding me at school?” Instead of answering, he just moved closer to me on the couch, grabbing my waist with his hands, and making me shiver. “Mhmmm… I'm quite hungry… do you want to cook or should I order takeout?” Bradley changed the subject. I only wiggled out of his grip, standing up and glared at him. “Do not change the subject. You have been avoiding me all week. What's wrong? Are you embarrassed that we are together or something?” “No, it's not like that! You are amazing, and anyone would be happy to have you as their boyfriend.”

I waited for him to continue, to answer my question. But nothing more came out of his mouth. “Then why are you avoiding me?!” He stayed silent for a minute, looking intensively at me, thinking about something. “I'm going to order pizza,” was all he said, and left the living room, leaving me standing there like an idiot, all alone.

It was no use trying to talk to him. So eventually, I gave up.

The next weekend, we decided to go to a party. It was an open party, about which I heard from some guy in my class. This was the perfect chance to get Bradley talking. I could get him drunk and ask him about it again. I know it was selfish, but I really wanted some answers. It has been two weeks, and he is still avoiding me in school. I know he was scared of his father, but that didn't give him the right to avoid me and not talk about the situation.

So that evening, I talked to Bradley about the party. “How do you feel about going to a party?” “What party?” “Oh, everybody's talking about! Is supposed to be in Bean Scene tomorrow, organized by some students. I didn’t get their names.” Bradley thought about it, clearly getting more stressed at the thought of being spotted in public with me. I already knew the drill. “Don't worry. I wouldn't talk to you if you don't want me to.” He visually relaxed, which hurt me. It was one thing avoiding me at school, full of students, and another thing, avoiding me at a party where nobody would care that we were talking together.

We made a plan on how to get to the party so no one knew we were going together. I couldn't care less, but Bradley really cared, so I paid attention to the instructions, hurt.

The next evening, we made ourselves ready and went to the party. The plan was to separate by the park. I was supposed to wait there for two minutes and then go to the party. I told my friends about his plan, and they thought it was weird as well, not giving me any useful advice on this situation.

When I finally got to the party, I tried to spot Bradley. But I couldn't find him. I checked the bar, the sitting area, the bathroom, dancing floor. Nothing. I got a little worried, which only added to my already built-up stress. I got myself a beer, not knowing what to do. But I didn't have to drink alone for a long period of time. My friends found me, joining me and interrupting my depressing session.

We talked and joked, eventually getting too drunk to remember my plan to get the information out of Bradley. Bradley… Where is he anyway? My drunk brain forgot the part of the plan where I was not supposed to talk to my boyfriend, and I started searching for him. I found him on the dance floor, talking to some random guy and drinking.

I got jealous, walking over to them, annoyed that my own boyfriend didn’t want to talk to me, but would rather talk to some random guy. “Hey, Bradley, who is your friend?” I slurred a little, trying to sound intimating and trying to hide any signs of me being drunk. I put my hand on Bradley's shoulder, trying not to sway way too much. I could feel Bradley tensing up under my touch, not saying anything.

After a moment of awkward silence, the guy introduced himself. “Hi, I'm Adrian. I'm in biology class with Bradley over here. We were just talking about our newest project on Alzheimer's.” I looked him up and down, not very impressed about what I was seeing. “Hi, I’m Max. Bradley’s-“ “Friend!” finished Bradley my sentence, looking frantically at me.

I bit the inside of my cheek, not wanting to say anything mean to him, even though he just hurt my feelings very badly. I nodded to myself, feeling my eyes getting wet, my vision getting blurry. “Well, nice to meet you Adrian, I'll be on my way now. You have a nice night,” I said and left, looking straight ahead of me, tears threatening to spill. So, what if he just called me a friend? He's still in the closet, scared. I hoped that if I kept telling myself that everything was fine, I would believe it.

I was already halfway to the exit when I felt a hand grabbing me. I turned around, expecting Bradley to apologize. It was Bobby. Disappointed, I turned away continuing on my way towards the exit. I could hear Bobby trying to tell me something, but I wasn't listening, way too heartbroken. Just then, the lights turned off. Confused, I looked around. Every light except for the one right above a mini podium in the corner of the restaurant was out. The whole room concentrated their attention on that spot, waiting for something to happen.

Suddenly, Tank appeared on the stage, smiling. “Welcome to my party, everyone. Thank you all for coming. I hope you are having a great time. I do not want to keep you from dancing any longer, so let's get to business, shall we?” He showed the DJ thumb up.

“I would like to tell you a story about my former friend…”

 

Chapter 27

“We became friends because of my selfish actions, but in no time we built an actual connection. We did everything together. We were best buddies.” I could see Bradley slowly walking backward, in the direction of the exit, trying to escape. Wait… is Tank talking about Bradley? But he didn't get far. Some guys I didn't recognize stopped him, not allowing him to exit the restaurant. I wanted to help him, but the people mass was so big I couldn't get through. Tank continued.

“I was there for him in his worst moments and the best times. We became best buddies! I helped him. We fought side by side, winning every match. And how did he repay me? He stabbed me in the back. Because that's the type of person he is. A narcissistic, selfish asshole who only cares about himself and no one else.” I could see Bradley visually struggling but with no success. But Tank wasn't done.

“I am also quite sure that he is here today. And a lot of you adore him because of his success. But I hope you rethink your adoration for him. His name is Bradley. Bradley Uppercrust the third!” The light shone right on the spot where Bradley was standing, looking mortified. One of the guys who held him in place whispered something into his ear, making him stop struggling. I still tried to reach him, the stress of the situation sobering me up.

Suddenly, the projector turned on, grabbing everyone's attention again. I froze in my tracks. On the wall behind Tank, was a picture of Bradley and me, kissing. In the rain. The same picture Bradley was so scared of. In the picture, one could not quite see me, but one could clearly see Bradley. Everybody in the room started to whisper to each other, pointing at Bradley.

“Oh my God! What is that? I think there's something wrong with the projector,” said Tank with a smile on his face, with obvious fake concern. But once again, he wasn't done talking. “If my eyes are not deceiving me, I think I can see Max Goof kissing our Bradley. Weren't they arrivals in the X-Games?” The attention was now on me, allowing Bradley to run away. I could see him running into the bathroom.

I got through the crowd, following him.

In the bathroom were some people, but as they saw us enter, they all left, leaving us alone there. “Max, do not talk to me. I need to get over this alone, figure out what to do-“ “Bradley! This doesn't only concern you. As your boyfriend, I am going to help you get through that. Also, the pictures attacked me as well. So I have a right to-“ Bradley interrupted me by poking his fingers into my chest, the high difference making him look scary.

“I was attacked on the stage. Thank attacked ME because I cheated on the gammas. This is between me and him. And you do not have a say in this.” Is he serious? I cared about him and wanted to help him, but at the same time, we were both just out in front of half of the campus. And he says it doesn't concern me? Is he nuts?!

“Of course, I have a say in this! It concerns me as well! What he said wasn't right and the accusations were false. And people know that. I know that. And that is what matters. The Christmas break is around the corner - people will forget until the new year.” “But what if they don't?” “This is the twenty-first century, nobody cares if you are gay or not.”

“But what if my father finds out? He will kill me.” “How would he find out? He doesn't care about some college gossip-“ “He knows Tank,” the realization of the sentence sank deep into Bradley, leaving him standing there in the middle of the bathroom, with a panicked face. He turned to me, explaining. “He knows Tank. My father knows Tank! Tang wants to take revenge on me for cheating against him, and what is a better revenge than to absolutely ruin me?”

This explanation didn't make sense to me. “Don't you think that your father would have already called you or visited you if he knew? If Tank didn't tell him about us until now, why do you think he will tell him now?” Bradley only looked at me as if I was demented. “He wants to ruin me in one night. All my karma is coming back to me in one day.” He wasn't making any sense anymore. He mumbled to himself and walked around the bathroom frantically. It seemed he was in his own world which was falling apart right in front of his eyes.

“I can help you-“ “No. This does not concern you.” I was getting angry and frustrated. Why doesn't he want my help? This is what couples do - they help each other! Why didn't he want my help?

“Bradley, I'm getting tired of this. The whole week you acted like you didn't know me, just because of some picture that didn't hurt us at that time. Do you have any idea how much that hurt me? You acted as if I didn't exist after all we went through together. I do not feel appreciated,” I said, mad and drunk, not knowing what to do. Bradley got mad as well. “Not everything is about you! Some things cannot be fought against.”

“Maybe we're not a good match then!” I blurted out, already regretting my words. Bradley seemed shocked by my words, taking a step back as if someone threatened to hurt him. I could still fix this. I could still just tell him I didn't mean it like that. I could-

“You're right. Maybe we should take a break.” My world stopped spinning, my heart stopped beating, my lungs stopped working. It seemed as if everything stopped the moment he said those words. It seemed as if his love for me stopped as well.

I took a step back, hurt, my heart breaking into pieces.

I looked at him with tears in my eyes, wondering if he really meant it. But I didn't have the luxury of looking into his eyes, thus his head was turned away from me. We stood there in silence for a while, me looking at Bradley hoping he would take his words back, Bradley avoiding my stare.

“You don't mean that… right?” I asked, hoping for an answer. But I didn't get any. Without any words, Bradley walked past me, walking out of the bathroom, and leaving me there alone. I couldn't move from my place, way too lost in my own thoughts. No…

I had no idea how long I stood there. Could have been an hour, two hours, or just ten minutes. I was snapped out of my trans by Bobby finding me, and taking me to the rest of my friends. We sat down at a table, PJ offering me nachos. I wasn't hungry, So I declined the snack, just sitting there.

“What happened was not right. Tank shouldn't have done it. But not many people cared. They thought it was cute, actually. So you have nothing to worry-“ “He broke up with me,” I interrupted PJ, looking at the table, tears threatening to spill. Silence. “What?” asked Mocha softly, stroking my back in a calming manner.

I couldn't hold the tears longer in. “He broke up with me! All because he didn't want my help with dealing with his dad. All I wanted was to help him…” my voice gave up, sobs coming up. All I could think of was how he didn’t want to look at me as he broke up with me, how he said it. Mocha comforted me, with Bobby and PJ next to me. I was grateful for my friends. They comforted me the whole night, drinking so much with me until I couldn't even see straight.

That night I didn’t even return home to Bradley. I don't remember the most of the night. I woke up almost at noon with a pounding headache, in my dorm. I didn't remember anything. I didn't understand why I wasn't home with Bradley, but the memories of the breakup came back the second I entered our bathroom. I broke down on the bathroom floor in tears. The sobs made my body violently shake, not leaving any room for breathing.

I started hyperventilating, not having enough oxygen. Bobby and PJ were not here, so I had to come down myself. I tried to breathe slowly in and out, counting while doing so. At first, it wasn't helping, and I started seeing black spots on the edges of my vision. My breath got even more irregular, trying to get some oxygen to my brain, with no success. The hangover didn't help either. My head was pounding, not letting me think.

Eventually, I regained control over my breathing, preventing myself from passing out. After I calmed myself down, I continued to sit on the bathroom floor for some time, not having the energy to get up. When my ass started to be cold, and got up and waddled to my bed, crawling under the blankets and not standing up for the rest of the day.

In the evening, Bobby and PJ returned with food to the dorm. They caught me looking at some pictures of Bradley we had taken together. In one of the pictures, Bradley was sitting in the passenger seat of my car, donuts all around him, with him filming a review on them. In another photo, he was trying to cook spaghetti, miserably failing. In the photo he was at the stove, the spaghetti burning in the pot in front of him, him panicky. I smiled at the memory. It was one of our first cooking sessions together.

Bobby took my phone away, looking at the pictures I was looking at before he took my phone. “Max, come on and eat. You haven't eaten all day,” PJ suggested, giving me a hot bowl of Asian takeout. I only gave him the bowl back, not feeling hungry at all. “Sorry, PJ. Later maybe?” I got back under the covers and fell asleep.

This is what most of my week looked like. I didn't attend any classes, way too demotivated and tired. I either slept all day or took a trip down memory lane by looking at the photos that me and Bradley took together. I barely ate, only surviving off of water and donuts every evening. I ditched my workout program, not finding the motivation to continue it.

By Friday, my friends had enough of me. But they couldn't bring me to get out of bed, so they called an expert: Mocha. In the evening, she busted into the room, pulling the blinds high up so the sun could shine in. After that, she confiscated my phone and took my blanket away from me. Still half asleep, I asked her what happened.

“You happened. Get your ass up and shower. You stink. You also have to return to school. So, get your ass up!” I didn't want to, groaning and rolling onto my other side, facing the wall. My friends already tried so much, with no success. By Mocha didn't give up.

“Go and do those things I told you to do, or I will tell Bradley how miserable you are.” That got my attention. “You wouldn't dare…” As a response, she only took a picture of me. Quickly, I got up, already halfway in the shower. “I will shower and get my life back on track. Just, please, don't send him anything.”

I showered for the first time in a week, already feeling like a new chapter of my life just started. I brush my teeth as well, getting dressed. I walked out of the bathroom, refreshed, ready to get my life back and stop being a crybaby over a man who didn't even want my help.

Mocha gave me a motivational speech and sent me on my merry way to Bradley's house. On the way there, I started feeling sad again, but I snapped out of it, not wanting the depressing feeling of the past week to return.

As I came to Bradley's house, an unfamiliar car was parked in the driveway.

Chapter 28

Oh. I see. He's having some friends over, maybe even hooking up with someone right now. It deeply hurt me knowing he wasn't wounded by our breakup as much as I was. I turned around, walking back to my dorm, not wanting to ruin their moment.

I had only gone a few steps before I heard the screams and yelling coming out of Bradley's house. I turned back around, listening closely. In between the arguing and yelling, I could hear Bradley's voice. He may not want me to help him with his father, but he didn't say anything about helping him with whoever he was arguing with right now. I quickly ran up the stairs to his house, opening the door and going inside. I quickly ran towards the noise which was coming out of the living room.

I froze in my tracks, a little conflict appearing inside me. There stood Bradley's parents, screaming at him. He said I shouldn't interfere with his family problems. But all that was forgotten when I spotted Bradley with several bruises on his face, his nose bloody. His father was raising his hand to strike again. Bradley closed his eyes, preparing for the hit. I quickly ran towards my not-boyfriend-anymore and stood in front of him, receiving the hit instead of him.

A loud slap could be heard in the room. Then silence. I felt Bradley shuffling behind me, trying to understand what had happened. His parents were only looking at me mortified, not knowing what to do in such a situation.

"Max! Oh my God, are you okay? I told you. I do not want your help. I can settle it. Now you got hurt because of me. Please, leave... I don't want you to get hurt because of me," Bradley said, coming next to me, whispering the last part. I wasn't having it. I would not allow somebody to hurt him.

"No. I will stay. Just because you are too scared to ask for help doesn't mean you don't need it. And you clearly need my help. So, I'm staying," I said to him, not letting anybody or anything change my mind. From the corner of my eye, I could see that Bradley wanted to protest, but he stayed quiet when his dad decided to jump in. "Max. I honor you. You have a girlfriend and you know how to skateboard. And I am deeply sorry I accidentally hit you. But I think you should listen to... HIM, and not meddle in." He said, addressing his son with disgust on his face, hurting Bradley not only with his fists but his words as well.

"Well. Thank you. But I do not honor you, at all. It seems that not only your leg got fucked up all those years ago, but your brain as well. Bradley is my boyfriend, you dumb fuck," I said, not wanting to change the verb to past tense, just so I couldn't mess with him more.

His face changed from relaxed to angry, to discussed, and back to angry really quickly, looking me up and down like some kind of garbage. "Don't you dare speak to me like this!" Like father like son. "Do you know who I am?! You will regret this." "And how, Jack? Enlighten me, please. Because I could call the cops on you for assault. And seeing in what bad shape Bradley is, the charges would not be nice." Suddenly, the mother chirped in. "I am a witness! I will tell them that didn't happen!"

"Lady. When the cops see in what shape we two are, and how big your husband is, I don't think they will believe you. So, rethink it. And while you think, because it might take a while, leave and don't come back." I was mad, just insulting them in any way I could, not caring anymore. The parents were left there standing, fuming, speechless. But they left eventually, giving us dirty looks.

I turned to Bradley, grabbing his hand and taking him to the kitchen to patch him up. He sat himself on the corner top, our positions now reversed. I clean his nose in silence. After a while, Bradley spoke up. "So... you still think of me as your boyfriend?" "No," I said, thinking my next words through.

"You hurt me. A lot. You have been avoiding me for so long, and you didn't even explain it to me once in those two weeks. And not once did you try to regain contact with me for the past week. It seems as if you didn't care about me at all." My voice got quieter with each word, tears filling my eyes again, like so many times throughout the past week.

I turned around, not wanting Bradley to see me in such a bad shape. I heard Bradley getting off the counter, walking towards me. "I... I didn't know you felt this way-" "Of course you didn't! You wouldn't speak to me about the topic!" I could imagine how broken and hurt Bradley looked right now.

"I'm sorry, I can't be in a relationship with someone who doesn't want my help. You hurt me, and it will take some time to heal myself... I'm sorry." Bradley only hugged me, whispering into my ear. "I will wait until you heal. Until then, I will try to win your heart back again." This goof. You already have my heart. I just need to glue the broken pieces together.

I patched him up, and he patched me up afterward, picking me up on the countertop even though I was capable of doing it myself. While he was cleaning my bruises, which I had no idea why he was doing, he kept trying to flirt with me. I still wasn't in the mood to flirt back, but Bradley didn't stop. He made popcorn and we watched a movie together about McLovin. He was really the best character in the whole movie. After the movie, fatigue washed over me. My dehydrated and starved body was not ready for so much adrenaline.

I got up, ready to go to bed, but the world spun before my eyes and I had to sit back down, almost losing my balance.

"Woah! Max, are you OK?" Bradley asked with concern in his voice, which was funny because he told me so often how his well-being didn't concern me. The world spun in front of my eyes again.

"Yeah, just a little hungry, I guess. My food intake for this past week has been weak, so... yeah. I'm fine." He looked hurt as the realization hit him. "Was that because of me...?" he asked, we both knowing the answer to his question already. I only looked away, not wanting to be mad at him, but my tired mind was easily irritated. I only nodded slightly, closing my eyes, not being able to look at Bradley. Because I knew that if I looked at him, I might even give up on my anger towards him and kiss him on the spot, just to comfort him.

We only sat there in silence, me with closed eyes. I could hear Bradley standing up and walking away. I open my eyes, a tear slipping down my cheek. I quickly wiped it away. Bradley returned with a glass of water and an apple in his hands. He gave me both, ordering me to consume them. "Drink the water, but slowly, and eat the apple. You should start with small portions of food to get your stomach used to food again. So, eat up."

I really didn't want to eat the apple. I was getting slightly nauseous at the taste of it in my mouth as I bit in. I quickly drank some water to wash the taste away. I couldn't. I gave Bradley the apple back, refusing to eat. "Sorry. Maybe tomorrow? I really don't feel like eating right now." But Bradley wasn't having it. He went to the kitchen and a minute later returned with a plate with my apple cut into small pieces lying on it. He gave me a fork. "Eat up."

I only glared at him, taking the fork from him and getting the smallest piece I could see on the plate on the fork. I inspected the apple thoroughly, not wanting to eat it at all. Bradley was inspecting me, waiting patiently until I put the apple into my mouth.

I breathed in and out, counting to three, and put the apple in. I started to slowly chew, feeling a little nauseous. I looked at Bradley a little panicked, not knowing what to do about this feeling. He seemed to be able to read my mind because he answered: "If you feel nauseous, just breathe through. I know it may be hard with your mouth full, but try." I did as he said, and it actually helped a little.

As I finished eating the small piece, I gave the plate back to Bradley, getting up. "Well, tomorrow we can try more." He only grabbed my hand and pulled me on the couch. "When I said 'small portions' I didn't mean this small. Eat up, sunshine." Again, with the nickname. It used to irritate me, but now I kind of miss it.

I signed, grabbing the fork and continuing the torture of eating one single apple.

 

Never in my life would I have thought that eating a single apple would be that hard. It took me almost an hour. And because Crusty said I had to concentrate on the food so that my brain would be fully aware of me eating it, it took me so long. We sat there in silence, me trying to eat my apple, almost throwing up once.

When I was done with eating the apple, I got up I wanted to go to bed. I was really tired, my eyes closing on their own. All I wanted was to lie down in my bed and sleep.

As I was about to enter my Harry Potter room, when I felt Bradley's hand on my shoulder, stopping me from entering. "Bradley, I really want to go to bed. I am beyond tired. Whatever you would like to tell me, I am positive it can wait until tomorrow," I said, even before he could open his mouth. I got out of his grip, opening the door.

What I saw made me stop in my tracks.

The bed was not done even though I made my bed every morning and I hadn't slept in my bed for almost a week. There was a stuffed animal I didn't recognize on the pillow, next to my clothes. I looked over to Bradley. Is this what I think it is?

"I- I can explain! I was so sad after our breakup that I... started to sleep in your room. Just to feel the closure, I guess. Please, don't be mad! I can take my stuff and just go upstairs." I was going to hate myself later for saying what I was about to say next, but I couldn't kick the man out of this room. For the past week, he's been sleeping here because he wanted to feel close to me.

"Bradley, wait... you don't have to go upstairs. You can sleep with me here." He looked at me shocked, not believing his ears. "Are you sure?" "Yes. But it will be a tight fit," I joked for the first time since our break-up, too tired to act angry with him. He smiled.

We changed into our pajamas and climbed into the bed. First was Bradley and then I crawled on top of him, where I fell asleep. This might only be the beginning of him trying to win my heart back, but I could already feel it working.

That night, two of the broken pieces of my heart were glued together, making my love for him even stronger than before.

 

Chapter 29

The next morning I woke up to an empty bed. I sat up, looking around, trying to find where Bradley had gone too. When I didn't spot him, I got out of bed and went into the kitchen. There I saw Bradley, trying to cook something. When I looked closer at him, I could see he was reading the instructions out of the notebook with the receipts we created together. If I wasn't still mad at him, I would have given him a good morning kiss. Instead, I only went over to him and gave him a hug from behind, saying good morning to him.

He was pleasantly surprised by my affection, but he returned his attention to his cooking. I looked over his shoulder to see what he was doing. In front of him, I saw some eggs and ham. He was intensively reading the notebook and doing... an omelette? I chuckled. Of course he needed instructions for cooking something as easy as an omelette.

"Hey! Don't make fun of me. The only thing I did in the kitchen my entire life was eat. I never cooked nor showed interest when someone else was cooking before." "I'm not making fun of you, Bradley. I find it cute, to be honest. And it really matches your personality." He blushed at my comment, trying to hide his face while still trying to cook.

I let him be, not wanting to distract him any further. I sat at the nearby table, watching him cook. He struggled a bit, but when he gave me the plate with the food, it wasn't as bad as I expected it to be. The eggs were a little burnt, but they were still delicious. I ate up, my small portion not enough to actually make me full. I went back to the kitchen, tapping Bradley's shoulder in an embarrassed manner.

He turned around, looking me in the eye, wondering what I wanted. I gave him the plate, blushing a little, and telling him my request. "I would like to have some more... if it's possible." Bradley smiled at me and took my plate. He gave me a small portion of food on my plate, a sad smile on his face. "I'm sorry, but you can't eat more than that. You may feel good now, but if you eat too much, you might puke. Let your stomach adjust." "But I am so hungry!" He only nodded knowingly. "I know, sunshine, that's because your stomach ate real food for the first time in a week and likes it. That doesn't mean it's good for you."

I only signed, taking my plate and sitting on the table again, eating and glaring at Bradley who wouldn't give me more. He only chuckled, sitting down next to me and eating his portion. "I can live with you only hating me because of this. So, stop glaring in each your portion." His words had a sad tone to it, making me remember why I have been angry with him. Right.

We finished eating, the whole meal in silence, and afterward I left the house to go to the dorms to say goodbye to my friends who were leaving for Christmas break. I wasn't going home this Christmas, because my dad had to take the Christmas shift so he wouldn't lose his job. I didn't like his boss and I was mad at him for making my dad stay in the factory on Christmas evening, but there was nothing I could do. We would have our own little Christmas on New Year's, catching up.

When I got to the dorm, Bobby was still sleeping. PJ was already packed. "Why isn't Bobby awake?" PJ only shrugged, giving me a knowing look. "You know Bobby. He was probably smoking too much yesterday. His train leaves at three o'clock, so please make sure he wakes up at least an hour before the train departs. My train goes soon, so I have to go now. I'm taking Mocha home to introduce her to my dad." I felt sorry for Mocha. Pete was a tough guy. But if anybody could talk some sense into him, it was Mocha. I send her a quick prayer, and hugged PJ goodbye.

I sat in the dorm until noon, so I could wake up Bobby in time for his train. He wasn't even packed yet. As I woke him up, I could still tell he was a little high, so I let him do his own thing. I looked around the room, wondering what I would be doing for the next two weeks until the new year. I could skate more, and practise. But that would be a little hard with the weather. But what else? I could watch movies, but that wouldn't entertain me for that long.

In the end, I decided that I would practice drawing, just like Bradley taught me. I went out to eat something, remembering what Bradley told me about my stomach and big portions. I took a Turkey sandwich and an orange, hoping it wouldn't be too much to digest.

For the next few hours, I was at the Bean Scene, just watching the performances on the stage. The shows were all good, only one of the performances having something to do with Christmas itself. It was amazing how people could come up with such great ideas on such a short notice.

I was going home to Bradley, wanting to say goodbye to him before he left for Christmas break. Maybe even ask him how I should nutrition myself in the meantime. But I didn't make it that far. I got a call from Bobby as I was about to turn into the street of Bradley's resident.

"Hey, Bobby. What's up, man?" "Hey... Maxman. You have to help me. I didn't make it to my train on time. And I have to be home by seven, we're going to the church. And if I do not show up one time, I'm dead meat. The next train goes in two hours! Please, help me."

Bobby lived not so far away from here. A three-hour drive, maybe two and a half if one set his mind to it. His family was really strict about going to the church. They believed, that if they visited the church often enough, all of their sins would be eliminated and they could do whatever they wanted to in their free time. Bobby really adapted to this thinking, smoking and drinking every time he got, praying his sins away the next Sunday.

I looked at the clock. It was almost four. "Why didn't you call me sooner?!" On the other side of the line was silence, making me wonder if Bobby was even still on the phone. "Well... I was doing something-" "Bobby! I woke you up at noon! What were you doing?! You know what, I don't want to know. Give me five minutes, we will meet by my car."

I started running towards the main building where the dorms and parking lot were located. I got there on time, already seeing Bobby next to my car, relaxed.

"Are you not worried at all that you might be late?" "Nope. My life is a breeze..." I only shook my head in disapproval and unlocked my car. I sat in, waiting for Bobby to put his bags into the car so we could go.

The ride was long. I sped up so Bobby wouldn't be late. His job was to be the DJ of the car, playing songs we both liked, while I was the driver, thus I was the only one in our group who had their own car. But at the end of the first hour in the car, I regretted saying yes to driving him. He wouldn't stop yapping about his family and what he got them for Christmas. It was all nice and stuff, but I had to listen to his for two hours straight, almost losing my mind.

As we finally arrived at his house, I was relieved. He invited me inside to eat with his family and just say general 'hello' and such, but I didn't want you. I loved his family, but they were all like Bobby - yappers. When one started to speak, they couldn't stop. So, I declined and got on the road again, this time going back to college and actually trying to relax while driving.

But the silence was deafening. I even put on some music, but it didn't help. I still felt a void, not quite knowing where it was coming from. The music wasn't helping, silence was worst, so what was I missing? I looked over my car, scanning for any abnormalities. I didn't find any. But something about the passenger seat was not quite sitting right with me.

Visually it was alright, everything in its place, nothing missing. Yet I felt like something WAS missing. I thought about it for some time, the realization hitting me. Bradley. Bradley was missing. I missed him.

As I understood that my heart had longed for him since the break-up, another part of the broken pieces got glued back together, making the longing feel stronger.

I tried to get home as soon as possible, but when I arrived, it was almost ten PM, and Bradley most probably already left for Christmas break. When I got to the parking lot, I parked my car slowly, already knowing I missed the opportunity. I walked back home to the dark house, opening the front door.

Nobody was in the living room. I signed and went to my room to change into pajamas, sad that I didn't get the chance to wish Bradley Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year before he left.

I turned on the lights in my room, not seeing well in the dark. I jumped at what I saw in my bed.

What? Was my mind playing tricks on me? 

 

Chapter 30

I couldn't believe my eyes. Right there in the bed was Bradley sleeping, in one of my shirts and hugging a stuffed animal. My shirt was a little too small for him, but he looked like he didn't care about that. I smiled and quickly turned off the lights, not wanting to wake him up. I went up to his room and change into one of his shirts - they were more comfortable than mine. After I changed, I went back down to my room and slipped inside.

I admired Bradley for a little longer, taking a photo of him. I admired the photo as well, zooming in on his face. At this rate, my heart would be healed by Christmas, which was only a few days away.

I wanted to get into the bed, but I couldn't - the bed was too small. Either he had to sleep on top of me or the other way around. I glared at the stuffed animal in Bradley's arms, wishing it would be me who he was hugging.

I slowly took Bradley's animal, threw it across the room, and climbed onto the bed on the spot of the stuffed animal, making Bradley hug me. I smiled at my little victory, not caring about tomorrow's explanation. With a smile on my face, I fell asleep, having all kinds of dreams.

 

I woke up to a scream coming from Bradley. I quickly turned to him, trying to figure out what was happening. Bradley was still sleeping, having a nightmare. He was trashing around, talking from his sleep. "No... no... please... stop... MAX!" He screamed and woke up with tears in his eyes. He looked around the room in panic, not quite knowing where he was. When he spotted me, his eyes stopped at me, looking me up and down, relieved but unsure. He slowly reached over to me, grabbing my wrist. When he confirmed it was me, he hugged me fully, not letting me go.

We sat there in silence, hugging each other. He rocked a little, whispering to himself. I didn't hear all of the things he whispered, but I understood something. "It's OK... safe..." "Bradley?... Do you mind telling me what were you dreaming about-?" He stopped rocking, looking at me as if speaking about the dream would make the dream come true. But after a short pause, he nodded.

"The actions of yesterday. You came in as me and my father were fighting. In reality, he only slapped you once, leaving you alone afterward. But in my dream... in my dream-" "It's okay, you don't have to-" but he interrupted me, shaking his head. "In my dream... he didn't leave you alone after the first hit. He hit you again and again. And I couldn't help you... I was standing there, all of my limbs screaming for me to go and help you, but I couldn't move them. I couldn't move MYSELF. I was standing there, watching-" his voice gave up, a little cry coming out of him.

I hugged him tighter, angry at his dad for doing this to him. For giving him all of these nightmares. But also angry at myself for making him remember it again. What an idiot I am. I should protect him, not make him feel worse.

"Hey, Bradley, it's okay. Nothing happened to me. I am perfectly fine, see? I am not letting anybody hurt you and I am not going anywhere. Don't forget that." We shared the silence again, eventually drifting into the dreamland again.

 

I woke up before Bradley. Normally I would go to the kitchen to cook something for us or work out, but I wanted to savor every moment given with Bradley. I laid there, turning to him and kissing him on top of his forehead. I looked at him again, only to find him staring back at me already. I jumped a little back, surprised that he was awake. I thought he was asleep.

"Good morning, Bradley. How did you sleep?" He only smiled at me with a wicked smile, getting up on his elbows, looking down at me.

"Oh, sunshine, wonderful. Thank you for asking. And how did you sleep?" "Splendid. Should I go and make some breakfast?" Bradley only laughed at me, shaking his head. "Breakfast can wait. But my curiosity cannot. I need an explanation for something first. Do you wish to see me like this?"

I was confused at first, but then he reached out behind his back and showed me a piece of paper. On that piece of paper was Bradley. Drawn. Naked. By my hand. I turned frantically towards the dresser, finding that the bottom drawer was indeed open, with all of my drawings sticking out of it.

I looked back at Bradley, turning red and trying to explain. "I can explain! You know, I had these dreams-" "So you dream about me being naked?" Maybe I shouldn't have said that. That's on me. "Tell me, Max, what were we doing in those dreams of yours?"

... I'm sorry, what? "Well..." I gulped, clearing my throat. "We-" "Let me guess." Oh-oh.

GAY WARNING

Bradley climbed on top of me. "Where we clothed in this dream of yours?" I only shook my head, not being able to answer with words. "I thought so," Bradley chuckled, taking off his shirt followed by mine. I couldn't stop staring at him. He was so beautiful, taking my breath away. He was looking at me the same way as I was, tracing my scars with his hand, one by one, in a somehow sexual manner. I didn't think it was possible to make it so sexual. But here we are.

"I bet we were also doing something like this."

Suddenly Bradley put his head down, kissing my scars while looking me in the eye. At first, I couldn't take my eyes off of him, getting more and more turned on. How was he doing this? It were only simple kisses, yet I couldn't turn my attention away from him.

He slowly made his way up to my neck and my mouth, giving me the longest, most passionate, and most breathtaking kiss I ever experienced. I tangled my hands into his hair, pulling him closer. We were pressed on each other, no space left between us, yet it somehow wasn't enough for me. I wanted him closer. I wanted more.

Bradley broke the kiss, returning to my neck and giving special attention to the spots underneath my jaw, making me softly moan and marking me. When he was satisfied with the hickey he was working on, he moved to a different spot, repeating the process.

After my neck, he moved down to my chest, doing the same thing over again. The moans were now louder, making me turn red and facing away from him. He stopped sucking, grabbed my chin with his hand, and turning my head back, so I would be facing him again. "Sunshine, don't hide yourself. I want to see your face when we do this," he said, giving me a long kiss on the mouth again.

My face got all red, I got all flustered. How did he expect me to face him now?

But Bradley didn't care about that anymore. He returned to his activities from before, sucking harder and even biting, making a moaning mess out of me.

Once when my torso was fully covered in hickeys and biting marks, with me not being able to look straight anymore, he stopped. He looked at me and stroked my hair out of my face. He kissed me on the forehead, chuckling to himself. "You did great, sunshine. But that was only the warm-up." Then he proceeded to reach down, under the waistband of my underwear-

OPPS- (LAST TIME I SWEAR)

I woke up with a gasp, not believing my eyes. I still had him in my sight, doing all those things to me. I always thought I would be the one doing them, but I guess not. Not that I mind.

I looked over to the real Bradley, who was still asleep. Then I remembered the dream, scrambling towards the dresser, opening the bottom drawer. None of my drawings were missing. But where is the one with the naked- wait a minute. I never drew something like that!

I sat myself down on the floor, putting all of my drawings back, but burrowing them under all of the clothes, just for the security measures. Then I had to go to the bathroom to take care of something-

I proceeded to do some breakfast while humming the newest Powerline hit to myself. I danced a little around the kitchen, just enjoying the music and the smell of good food. I was making aesthetic breakfast bowls, feeling fancy today. I was so caught up in the good feeling that I didn't even notice Bradley walking into the kitchen. Only registered him as I heard the camera click behind me.

I turn around, almost dropping a bowl. There he was, the guy from my dreams and the holder of my heart. I blushed, not because of the photo he had just taken, nor because of the shirt he was wearing that was definitely too small for him, showing all of his muscles, but because of my dream. It will haunt me forever.

We had breakfast together, bickering a lot. But some important questions were answered as well. "Why are you not at your dad's right now? Shouldn't you be spending your time with him?" Bradley asked while inspecting what all kinds of food I used for making the breakfast. "Well, normally I would, but not this Christmas. He had to work and if he didn't show up, his boss threatened to fire him. And we need the money, so... we just sacrificed the Christmas, no big deal."

Bradley was in awe. "No big deal? What do you mean? His boss did that and you say 'no big deal' to him keeping your father from spending one of the most important days in the year with his son?!" Bradley was fuming, complaining about my dad's boss, even though he never met him. I couldn't help myself, I had to chuckle.

"What's so funny?" "Bradley, calm down. It's nothing serious, really. We will still celebrate it together, just not on Christmas Eve. We will celebrate it at New Year's." He accepted the fact that my family was not traditional, but he was still mad about my dad's boss.

Then was my turn to ask questions. "Why didn't you go home?" "My father disowned me yesterday after you left. He didn't want to do anything to do with me. He said he would still give me money, so his buddies wouldn't think that he doesn't like his only son, but he explicitly said not to get comfortable with it too much. He cut ties with me." I looked at Bradley, who was unfazed.

"Are you okay? Don't you feel bad or sorry?" He only shrugged, eating unbothered some fruit from the bowl. "It hurt me at first. I never wanted for him to hate. Everything I did, I did it for him. But it wasn't ever enough for him. I was never enough for him. So, when he hit you, that was the last straw. I lost all of my love for him. He doesn't deserve me."

I didn't think it was a healthy coping mechanism, but I was happy that Bradley finally realized his father wasn't worth his attention. At the same time, I got all fuzzy and warm on the inside from my thinking about how he felt when his father hit me. How much he cared, to the point that it decided his relationship with his father.

A piece of my heart glued back, leaving only one last part broken.

It wouldn't take long before he would conquer my whole heart again.

 

Chapter 31

We had a few days until Christmas left. We decided to spend time together, watching Christmas movies, baking, and just getting into the Christmas mood. At first, Bradley didn't want to celebrate. Not under my watch. Christmas was one of my favorite holidays if not my favorite. So I stopped him there on the spot, telling him how we would celebrate. As he heard my plan, he didn't protest. This is how my plan went:

At first, we needed the right decoration. I didn't have any at my dorm, and Bradley only had some Christmas lights from the parties of the last couple of years. So we used that. It was more than it looked like at first glance - the whole house was illuminated in bright colors. At this same time, it was the only house lit in the area, thus all of the students went home to their parents to celebrate. It was just me and Bradley for almost two weeks, alone.

We also got a Christmas tree. Bradley wanted to buy the biggest one he saw, but I wouldn't allow it. We decided on a middle-sized Christmas tree with some red decorations. We decided to keep it traditional and simple. We also got stockings, one for me and one for him. We didn't have a fireplace, so we placed it near the TV. We also brought some scented candles which lit the living room for the next few days almost nonstop.

Bradley documented our whole Christmas journey on his phone, making a little digital diary for us. We also posted some pictures online after considering it for two days. Bradley was scared and didn't want to go online at first, but when I told him how most of the people at the party thought we looked cute together, we posted it. We got a few mean comments, but the majority of the comments were positive and supportive. This really helped Bradley to feel accepted and better about his sexuality.

The next step of our Christmas journey where the movies. We both made a list of Christmas movies we hadn't watched yet and a list of movies we watched already and wanted the other one to see. I wasn't that surprised when I learned that Bradley didn't see almost any Christmas movies. His parents looked like the only thing he was allowed to watch were their old football matches. So we made a list of movies, ranked them, and then proceeded to watch them in that order.

The first time Bradley saw ‘Home Alone’, he was so scared for Kevin that it was hilarious. At the same time, he found it funny but didn't want to admit that, since it was a kid's movie. ‘Home Alone’ is a classic and one should be grateful they had the eyes to watch it.

Bradley said he really didn't like the Christmas rom-coms., but I could see right through his lie. He cried a couple of times and screamed at the characters when they did something stupid. He looked so invested.

The third step is relaxation. That was Bradley's idea. I thought we were relaxing quite enough by watching the movies, but apparently, that wasn't the case. He introduced me to yoga and spa nights. At first, I didn't enjoy yoga, I thought it was too girly for me. But as he showed me how to properly do the exercises, I was dying. Most of them were so hard, I couldn’t even do them, but Bradley did them with almost no effort, making my admiration for him bigger. He was so bendy.

The spa nights were amazing as well, I liked them the minute we did them for the first time. He made my nails, at first just shaping them and treating them, showing me how to properly take care of them. Afterward, we did the couple trend with eye-colour-nail-polish. I painted my nails light blue, he his dark brown, almost black.

Bradley wasn't sure about it at first, since we weren't a couple anymore and he didn't want to pressure me, but I insisted, already having a plan on how to get him back in my mind, clear as day.

We also made face masks. They were so annoying to me. The store-bought ones were always falling off my face, not staying in their place. But the ones we did together at home, the DIY ones, they were amazing. We usually connect the spa nights with a movie, and it was really funny how Bradley was just so invested in the movie he started eating the cucumbers meant for spa treatment. He didn't even realize it, blaming me later for forgetting to cut the cucumber. We took so many pictures with the face mask on, having a separate folder just for those.

And the last thing we needed for the perfect Christmas was food. I didn't want to be the only one that cooked, but that wasn't a problem. Bradley wanted to help me with everything he could while still taking notes as well. He really wanted to start participating in cooking more. He actually got better at cooking. But as we started baking, we figured out that that was his strength. Somehow he could always find the perfect balance between sugar and other spices. He was a natural.

We didn't just relax all the time though. With all the additional eating, we got more calories to burn. I returned to my workout routine and Bradley adapted one as well. We would often do challenges as in who could do more push-ups or sit-ups. I often won, but I couldn't keep up with yoga, for which Bradley bullied me. All in all, we spend the time happy together while still respecting each other boundaries.

We spent a lot of beautiful moments together, and in one of these moments, my heart healed - seeing Bradley all happy and relaxed, knowing we had all the time in the world and nobody stood in our way. I was ready to get back together.

 

I had to give Bradley a present for Christmas, otherwise it wouldn't count. I didn't want to buy him anything expensive, since all he ever got from his parents was money, and I was a broke college student. So, I went on the Internet. All of the websites I visited said the same thing - give them something they would enjoy. Wow, thanks for the help. I could figure out so much myself. But I didn't quite know what to gift him.

I thought about it for a long time. But one day it hit me - my drawings. It was something he liked and something we both shared. At the same time, it came from the bottom of my heart and that had to count for something.

I sorted all of my drawings and glued them into a notebook I found somewhere in my dorm. I painted the cover of the notebook in blue shades, writing his name on top in the most beautiful handwriting I could. I drew some stars and hearts on the sides of the cover, hoping I didn't overdo it.

I also put something special for Bradley on the last page of the notebook, hoping he would look through the whole thing in one night.

In the drawings was Bradley - the first drawings of him when I started learning, then followed by some better ones of his face. All of the cute moments I captured on camera, I tried to re-draw at some point, gluing them all into the book, hoping I wouldn't seem like a stalker. I did this in the evenings, not wanting Bradley to find out about it and possibly ruining the surprise. I put a lot of thought, time, and energy into this, making it perfect.

 

Then Christmas came. We had a big dinner together, with some fish and stuff. We even dressed up a little. We lit the candles, turning off the big lights. The dinner went amazing. The food was delicious. Bradley and I flirted at the table, letting our knees touch on ‘accident’ all the time.

It was time to open the presents. I really didn't think Bradley would get me something, but I underestimated him. He gave me a small box, making me wonder what was inside. He looked really nervous and was all flustered when I took the present into my hands.

I slowly opened the box, my eyes not believing what I was seeing inside. No… How?

There on the bottom of the tiny box were lying two tickets to the concert Powerline, to the VIP area. I almost dropped the box, my mind not proceeding what I was seeing. I turned to Bradley in disbelief, speechless. “Are you serious? Do you know how much they cost?!” I was freaking out.

“I know. But my dad is rich and you really like them… so I thought we could go there together, maybe on a date… but if it's too soon for a date, that's also totally okay with me-“ “I would love to go on a concert date with you, Bradley.”

I couldn't stop smiling. My dream was coming true! I could see Powerline live! With Bradley!

But now I was feeling self-conscious about my present for Bradley. It was nothing as fancy or expensive. What if he didn't like it? Would hate it?! Oh my God, what if he thinks it's creepy?

But it was too late now. I gave Bradley my gift. He took it from me and slowly opened the packaging. When he saw the actual notebook, a surprised smile appeared on his face. At first, I wasn't sure if it was a good smile or not, but the moment he saw the first drawing there was no doubt which one it was - the happy one.

He was looking through the whole notebook, admiring each one of my drawings, reading the small captions I wrote under each one. He was getting to the last page, making me nervous. Really nervous. Should I have written it there? Is it okay? Is it acceptable at this point in our relationship?

Bradley got to the last page, his gaze stopping on the text. He looked up at me with a look I couldn't decipher.

“Do you really mean it?”

Chapter 32

I grew a little uncomfortable at the look, rethinking my choices. Was it okay to ask that? What if I read the signals wrong? What if he doesn't agree?

But I didn't think all too long about it. I had my mind set, and even though I had doubts, I really wanted this. I breathed it in, looked him in the eye, and answered him. "Yes." I held my breath as I looked at him, trying to read his reaction. At first, nothing happened. I looked at him and he looked at me.

Suddenly, he stood up and jumped towards me. He stood in front of me, a warm smile dancing on his face. "Yes. I love that! I love to be together again!"

I released the breath I was holding, smiling at him, not quite knowing what to do in such a situation. Bradley was overjoyed. He grabbed me by my waist and spun me around, smiling at me. I smiled at him as well, finally joining our lips.

It was something magical. All of his love for me was in that one kiss - all of the passion, all of the pain of seeing me hurt, the patience of waiting for me. At the same time, there was something hot and urgent, letting me remember my dream. I blushed a deep red, breaking the kiss, having the images of the dream haunting me again.

Bradley only smiled a confused smile, raising his eyebrows. "What's wrong?" "Oh, nothing. Just this one dream-" I cut myself off, remembering where that sentence led me the last time I said it. The dream appeared again. I just shook my head, burrowing myself in the crook of Bradley's neck. "I'll tell you later," I mumbled into his neck, feeling embarrassed. Braley let it be, hoping the news would be good.

We spent the rest of the evening watching some more Christmas movies and eating all of the cookies we baked together. And around nine o'clock, my dad video called us, being on his break. He didn't know anything about our breakup and we didn't want to trouble him, so we kept it a secret.

When he saw Bradley with me, he was a little surprised. "Maxie, did you go to your boyfriend's house for Christmas?" "No, Dad. He stayed on campus with me." My dad looked disappointed in me. "You know, even if he loves you deeply, he should still visit his family on Christmas-" Bradley chirped in, not wanting my dad to think badly of me for forcing him to stay with me. "My dad wasn't very fond of me being in a relationship with your son, so he disowned me-" This time my dad interrupted Bradley. "Are you okay?! You are now officially part of our family. If they can't see what a great son they have, is their loss. You should come and celebrate New Year with us."

At first, Bradley politely declined, but after both me and my dad persuaded him, he agreed. Not like he had a choice anyway. I would have taped his hands and feet together, put him in the back of my car, and drove him to my dad's house if he said no. Glad I didn't have to do that now.

After the call, we finished watching a movie and went to bed afterward. I really wanted to sleep in the same bed as my boyfriend, but I was too shy to say this, still thinking about my dream. Bradley noticed this and decided he didn't want to wait any longer for the answers. "What's up with you? We're finally together, I cut off my toxic family, and your dad loves me. What is missing, mhm, Sunshine?" I almost melted at the nickname, the dream all to livid in my memory.

"Sunshine?" I blushed again, turning slightly away from him. Bradley chuckled, realizing what the nickname did to me. "Oh, sunshine~ What's wrong?" he asked, teasing, while getting hold of my waist, abusing my weak spot.

I figured it wouldn't bring anything trying to keep it away from him any longer, and I blurted out: "My dream... we did some... things together and you called me sunshine and now every time you say it, it reminds me of the dream." "Oh~ what are we doing in this dream of yours?" I pinched myself, not believing my ears. Bradley only looked confused and me, letting me explain. "You said the exact same thing to me in the dream... I had to make sure this one this time was real." "Am I that predictable?" I thought about it for a while, nodding. "Yep."

Bradley picked me up, I not expecting that, and carried me upstairs to his bedroom. "If I can't come up with something original, at least it should be unforgettable and real. So let's make this the best night of your life." I was flabbergasted. I wasn't sure would I was supposed to say to this, so I just stuck to silently blushing, mentally preparing myself for the night.

Bradley gently placed me on the bed, closing the door behind himself, crawling on top of me, trapping me between his hands. "Max, Max, Max... What am I supposed to do with you?" "Well, you can start by taking off my clothes 'cause that's what you did in the dream." Bradley did just that, but in a really slow and romantic motion, showing me he wasn't doing this because of the sex, but because of his love for me.

He unbuttoned his shirt and let it fall to the ground, followed by my own. He then took off his shoes and pants, leaving him there in just his underwear. He took the waistband of my pants into his hands, waiting for my approval. I nodded, blushing, wanting to look away while holding eye contact with Bradley, making this experience unique and romantic. He took off my pants, threw them on the floor, taking off my shoes. Only when those were off, did he allow himself to look at my body. I did the same, eyeing him up and down, inhaling quickly as I saw with what I was dealing.

God help me.

GAY WARNING!!! (THIS IS IT FOLKS, THE MOMENT YOU ALL HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR)

I looked at Bradley, who was looking at me like I was candy, his mouth slightly open, almost drooling. He looked me in the eye, having this needy look. He came over to me, kissing me slowly and passionately, making the kiss from my dream seem like nothing. "Wow. You are way better than dream Bradley," I said after we broke our kiss for oxygen. He glared at me.

"I am getting tired of this 'dream Bradley' guy. Until the end of this night, you wouldn't be able to remember who he is anymore. The only thing you are going to remember is me. The real Bradley. Your Bradley," he said protectively, kissing me roughly, letting a moan escape my mouth. He smiled against my mouth at the sound, deepening the kiss.

I couldn't breathe. All of my senses were overruled by this man, keeping his word and making me forget about anything but him.

From my mouth, he went down to my neck, licking, sucking, and biting. I couldn't contain myself. I was a moaning mess, arching my back like never before. I grabbed his hair, trying to get him closer to me than was humanly possible. He chuckled once again, the sensation making me shiver.

He moved onto my chest, at first making more hickeys on my poor body, but ended up sucking my nipples, making me moan his name. "Oh~ Bradley~" "This may be my favorite sound so far. How will I survive without you moaning my name every day?" His words didn't even come through, that's how high I was on this action.

After he stimulated my nipples long enough, he looked at me and waited for me to calm down a little. "I will prepare you for my member now. If you don't feel comfortable or want to stop, just tell me. I would never do anything that you didn't like. Are you ready?" I nodded, eyeing his so-called 'member', trying to figure out how it would fit.

Bradley hooked his fingers into my underwear, waiting for my consent. I nodded once again, feeling a little self-conscious about what he would see. As he saw it, his eyes sparkled. He hooked my legs on his shoulders, this position letting him see everything. He grabbed the lube from the nightstand, putting it on his hands, especially his fingers. He slowly inserted one of the fingers into my hole, slowly bending his fingers.

It felt weird, and uncomfortable, making me want to wiggle away. I was about to say something, when Bradley bent his finger once more, touching his spot that sent heatwaves over my body, unlocking the lust. A moan escaped me, letting Bradley know he found what he was searching for. He smiled, putting a second finger in, stretching my hole centimeter by centimeter. He kept on hitting that spot, making me feel wonderful.

Once I could take over his fingers without flinching, he removed his hands, making me feel empty. I whimpered at the loss of contact and warmth and looked up at Bradley. He wiped his hands clean, taking his underwear off. I was not ready. The sight made my mouth water and at the same time sent shivers down my spine, afraid how it would fit.

Bradley took a condom out of his nightstand, putting it on. Only like that did he position himself correctly, looking at my face, searching for any doubts. When he found nothing, he slowly put it in. I cried in pain, not being prepared for him. He stopped, stroking my hair and taking my hand into his. "I know it hurts, but you will adjust, just give it some time, amour." I did give it some time, and he was right. Once he put his whole thing inside me, making me adjust, I finally felt complete.

He slowly started thrusting in, building up the tension. I couldn't wait any longer. I wanted more. More friction. "More... please..." I managed to say between the moans. "What did you say, sunshine?" Bradley slowed down to let me speak. I only moved my hips in protest. "More! Please, Bradley. Give it to me..." I wasn't even embarrassed, not carrying at the moment. He chuckled, grabbing my hips and stopping their movement. "As you wish, freshman."

He pulled out almost all the way and then slammed into me at full speed, making me see stars. I moaned, loving the feeling of him inside me, wondering how I lived without it. He slammed and slammed into me, making me feel all of his love. It didn't take long and I felt the sensation indicating I would come soon. "Bradley~ Ah~ I'm gonna... I'm-" "Sunshine, wait for me, just a few more times. We will come together at the counter three. You ready?" I wanted to nod, but my head was not listening to me, my back arching.

"One." Thrust. "Two." Thrust. "Three!" Thrust. I felt the sensation intensifying, making me come at the feeling of Bradley filling me up. I collapsed, even though I was already lying down. My legs won't stop shaking. Bradley gently placed my legs on the bed, collapsing next to me. He threw the condom out, breathing heavily.

NO MORE SMUT

He looked at me, smiling and the sight of me. He rolled over, putting the hair out of my face, stroking my cheek. I looked at him, wondering what he was thinking about. "What are you thinking about?"

"You are really beautiful. Did anybody ever tell you that?" I chuckled at this goof, shaking my head in disbelief. "Of course, you would say something like that." I close my eyes, feeling really tired, and wanting to sleep. My stamina was not ready for this man yet.

"No, sorry sunshine, but you need to clean up first. Come, I will take you to the bathroom." He did what he promised. He took me to the bathroom, bridal style, going into the shower with me. He turned on the shower, gently washing the cum off of me. I looked at him with adoration, not believing I could have this incredible man for myself. He noticed me staring. "What?" "Oh, nothing. Just grateful that I landed such an amazing man like yourself." I smiled at the sight of him blushing, smiling as well.

"Well, I'm not going anywhere. So, you can enjoy me fully," he joked, splashing a little water in my face.

I smiled back. You have no idea.

 

 

THE END

 

Part 2 -->  Sunshine (this will be a short story consisting of their lives as adults in this universe. There is a new story coming out about them soon, just need a few days to start writing. Until then, enjoy part 2 :) )