Slacker [BXB] ✓

t h i r t y

"I don't want to have this conversation-"

"Oh we are having it! I don't want you two hanging out anymore. Please?"

And she raises her eyebrows at him, hands on her hips and her chin jutted out in a daring manner.

Yup, here it is. The moment where Barnes agrees. Well, Max can't say he didn't try. He did his best, but obviously the universe just does not want them to even be friends. Whatever, he'll get over it, eventually, maybe. Oh who is he kidding? He's probably going to cry for another week and try again. Fuck his life, he wishes he'd never met Barnes—

"No. Now I think we should head to the meeting, we're almost late." And Barnes walks into the fucking library, leaving both Max and Lauren shocked.

Lauren looks legitimately offended as she walks in after him with the same pissed off expression she had before, but Max can't do anything. He's frozen.

He slides down the locker until he hits the floor, and he can't move. Barnes. Barnes, for once, didn't do what his girlfriend wanted him to.

He stays in that position, staring at the opposite wall from him. He feels paralyzed with false hope.

Because that's all it is, false hope. Barnes ended it for a reason, there's absolutely no way a relationship between them could work, hell, friendship is pushing it.

Barnes wants to be friends, he wants to be friends, he wants to be friends, he wants to be friends...

They're going to be friends, that's it. Don't get your hopes up, Max, you know better.

Right then his phone begins ringing.

He pulls it out to see Zeke's name flashing on the screen.

"Hello?" Max answers after pressing the green button. He already knows what's coming.

"Where the hell are you? Harvey's about to just leave, ya know."

Max hears Harvey's voice shout from the background, "he's right!" And he sighs.

"Sorry, I had to tie my shoe... multiple times. I'll be right there." Wow, great excuse, Max.

"Whatever, hurry up."

Zeke hangs up and Max's arm drops to his side and he slowly works up the strength to get up and get out of there, thoughts of Barnes plaguing his mind, but really, when is there a time that he isn't?

-

"You know, I haven't really seen you a lot since you fell into that dumpster."

Max looks over at Zeke from his spot on the couch to see him standing in the doorway of their room. And Max is confused, "what do you mean? I've barely left the house." Because he hasn't. He hasn't left the house really at all recently, because he's been moping about shit he should have gotten over (he thought he'd gotten over) a while back.

Zeke rolls his eyes, "yeah but you've been all sad."

Max frowns, has he really? Is it that obvious? Sure, as soon as Harvey drove them home he flopped on the couch and put on a random cartoon, thinking about how miserable he is for basically no reason. But he didn't think it was that bad.

"Fine. What do you wanna do?"

Zeke shrugs, walking to the kitchen and probably making himself a bowl of cereal even though it's 5:00 in the afternoon. Max does that too, so he can't judge.

"Dunno. Go to Marco's?"

"That's not even funny."

Max can hear Zeke snickering from the kitchen and he decides that everyone in his life is an asshole. Except Lawrence.