Cause for Concern ✓

thirty one

FRIDAY. 10. DECEMBER. 21. (very unedited bc I am sleep deprived I am sorry in advance :))))

"DO you know where he is?" Max frowned, glancing at Carter as they slipped out of class long after the rest of their classmates (they had to stay behind for disrupting other students) and into the mostly empty hallway. "I feel like I haven't seen him all day."

"Yeah, I know where he is," Carter replied easily.

"Where?" Max asked, his frown tightening.

"Right there," Carter said, pointing at Cole who was stood with Nick DeMarco at the latter's locker, apparently having a pretty heated discussion based on Nick's exasperated huff and Cole's furrowed brow.

"Oh," he said.

Carter laughed and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Good luck tagging into whatever conversation they're having," he grinned. "Looks pretty intense."

"Not coming with me?" Max asked, though it was clearly more of a plea.

The way that Carter's eyes gleamed told him that he was hearing Max's desperate request loud and clear— and he was going to ignore it anyway. "Can't," he shrugged, still grinning. "I have places to be, people to see."

"Funny way of saying Tommy is on the back steps again and you miss him," Max teased, nudging into him playfully as they resumed their walk through the hall.

"I don't miss him," he laughed, throwing a side-eye glance towards Max.

"Then come and speak to Cole and Nick with me," Max said, studying him carefully as Carter looked anywhere but him.

"No," he replied breezily.

"Why not?" Max pressed, narrowing his eyes as his lips tugged into an amused smile.

"Because I already told Tommy that I was on my way to meet him," he huffed melodramatically, widening his eyes and shrugging his shoulders as though his reasoning was completely flawless and thorough. "Don't wanna disappoint him."

"Now this is wild, but hear me out," Max began, halting his step and grabbing Carter's arm. "I have this weird feeling— don't ask me why— but I have this weird feeling that you not showing up would actually do the opposite of disappoint him. Super crazy, I know."

Suppressing a grin, Carter gave a dry laugh and turned to face Max. "Hilarious," he muttered, failing to hide his smile. "Great way to convince me to speak to Cole and Nick with you."

"Think it's too late for me to go and find Danny?" He asked, gently shouldering Carter forward as they neared Cole and Nick.

"Way too late," Carter replied. "He left school to take Ava out for lunch almost ten minutes ago now."

"Fuck it," Max chuckled, nodding his head towards the two stood by the locker. "This is me."

"Have fun," Carter said, tapping his shoulder and easily slipping past Cole and Nick without either of them noticing him.

Max came to a stop in front of them. As he waited for them to acknowledge him, he watched Carter saunter further down the hallway, his chin tilted up and his shoulders back, right up until he was pushing the back exit open and disappeared from view.