Slacker [BXB] ✓

t h i r t y

So, apparently, Max has a knack for walking in on people talking about him.

It was after school on Monday. Coach had wanted to chat with him—basically thanking him for showing up to the homecoming game sober—before letting him go. Harvey had agreed to wait for him, which Max was grateful for. However, he also knows that if he takes too long then Harvey will not hesitate to leave him.

So he was kind of rushing to get to Harvey's car, but because he's usually a slow walker it was probably a normal pace.

Then he ended up walking behind a blonde that he could really do without ever seeing again.

He'd been ready to take a different route just so that he didn't have to walk behind the very pissed off looking girl, but—

Wait, pissed off?

The only negative emotions he's ever really seen on Lauren are condescending and irritated.

But not pissed.

Then he got curious.

He didn't technically follow her. After all, the route that she was going was the same way he usually took to get to Harvey's car. He just kind of... made sure that she was in his sights as the halls were almost completely clear (considering it was about ten minutes after the bell rang).

However, he did lose her. Come on, his eyesight isn't really all that reliable. She got way ahead of him because she was walking fast as hell, and Max was about to walk on past another hallway but he halted just in time—literally right before he rounded the corner—when he heard something that caught his attention.

"I just don't get why you're upset with me."

Oh yeah, he stopped altogether when he heard that, because guess what?

That's Barnes' voice.

"Because you agreed to be friends with him!"

No, there's no way...

So here Max is, peeking around the corner only to spot Barnes and Lauren standing outside the library...

Arguing.

"Lauren, I told you-"

"No!" And Max watches from his little hiding spot as she holds up her hand as if to block words from escaping Barnes' mouth without actually touching him, "I don't believe you! I told you that I don't like you two associating, so you stopped. And then he comes up to you at that party and you're immediately friends again, like my opinion means nothing! I don't like it!"

Max watches Barnes sigh, before he begins to rub at the bridge of his nose. He looks stressed out. Max wants to walk over there and hug him but he feels that would probably not go over too well.

"There's nothing going on between us, okay? We're just friends. I promise."

Oh but Max wishes they weren't.

Max is pretty sure that Lauren actually growls, glaring at him, "Please. I see the way he looks at you, Lewis! He even admitted it at the party, did you not hear him?"

Barnes scratches the back of his head. Max realizes that Barnes really fucking sucks at lying. He looks like he just got fucking caught, like it's the end of the world.

Well Lauren's not wrong. Max is definitely suspicious. Maybe even a bit on purpose. He really wants them to end it. It doesn't matter if he doesn't have a chance with Barnes—Barnes made that very clear.

Max's chest actually physically hurts for a second at the thought, and he internally curses himself. Since when is Max so fucking sensitive? Damn. He hates it.