Tyler only nods. He still doesn't like Brendon.
"You're still upset," Brendon notes. "Want a cookie?"
Brendon doesn't wait for a response as he pulls his school bag from under the table, setting it on the seat next to his, retrieving oreos.
Not just a small bag of a few, no, but a whole fucking unopened bag of them.
Brendon rips the seal open before pushing the cookies to Tyler, "Have some."
Tyler hesitates, half expecting Brendon to yank the cookies away from him. Brendon lets him take a cookie, and he smiles.
"See, we're cool!" Brendon says, digging through his bag, and Tyler can't believe that Brendon not only carries whole containers of oreos to school, but apparently cartons of milk too.
"Brendon, what the fuck?" Josh chuckles as said boy rips open the top of the half pint. Brendon looks to Josh, raising an eyebrow at his friend.
"What? Did you expect me to eat my oreos without milk?" Brendon says, grabbing an oreo and dipping it into the carton a few times before stuffing the cookie into his mouth before turning to Tyler. "Anyways, I haven't heard you speak yet."
Tyler blinks at the other boy before speaking shyly, "Uh- hi."
"He's so shy!" Brendon coos, a blush warming Tyler's cheeks as he plays with the hem of his hoodie—another nervous habit of his. "Forget Josh, I'm gonna be your new best friend!"
"He doesn't like you, you were mean to him," Josh teases, and Brendon's quick to defend himself.
"I was playing! And I gave him a cookie, so of course he like me," Brendon teases back, and that's when Josh turns to Tyler, who turns to face him as well.
"Tyler, do you like Brendon?"
"Say yes!" Brendon says in what some people tend to call a 'whisper-shout,' for lack of a better way to describe his tone, earning a meaningless glare from Josh.
Brendon and Josh arguing over whether or not the former is Tyler's best friend is honestly kinda ridiculous to Tyler, and he finds himself breaking out into a wide, amused smile. He ducks his head again to hide it, and the other two laugh fondly at Tyler's behavior.
Tyler doesn't understand why they're laughing, though; he feels embarrassed now, and his smile starts to crumble. Josh must've noticed as he leans closer to Tyler.
"We're not laughing at you, Shybutt," Josh assures him, voice low enough so it's only audible to Tyler. He blushes for the umpteenth time as the pet name returns, and Brendon coos as he observes from across the table.
"Awe, Tyler likes Josh!"
And—surprise, surprise—Tyler's entire face burns worse, and he just wants to get out of here before Brendon makes another straightforward accusation and possibly stripping whatever's left of his dignity.
"Shut up, Brendon!" Josh speaks up for Tyler upon noticing his embarrassment, but Brendon starts cackling again. "What's so funny now?"
"You guys totally like each other," Brendon teases once his laughter dies out, dramatically pretending to wipe a tear from his eye as he pushes the cookie container to the other boys, "Since I keep embarrassing you guys..."
They both take a cookie just as the lunch bell rings, and Brendon takes two out for himself before putting the cookies away.
"We're gonna wait for the crowd," Brendon says as he dips both of his cookies in his milk before shoving them both into his mouth. He continues to speak, despite his mouth being stuffed with food, "Because I'm tired of bitches stepping on me in the hallway."
Rip, Tyler thinks to himself.