Could It Be Us? | Maxley

➳ 3

CHAPTER 3

Bradley

How could I not study my eyes at him. When I first met him, he was cute in a weird, nerdy, but cool way. Now that I had the chance to see him entirely, he looked different. He dressed different, certainly. He got piercings done over the course of a few months. I saw how girls looked at him differently. After the X Games, girls floated to him, but since then, it seemed he's only gotten more popular.

Today must have been his lucky day because a beautiful girl our age walked up to him. She lobbed her hair over her shoulder, flickering her eyes at him. He blushed as she wrote her number down on a napkin. She handed it over, making sure she got contact between their fingers. She giggled, walking away. Bobby and P.J punched him in the shoulder, telling him congratulations. What a bunch of losers, I thought.

"He's not that cute," I whispered.

Had he even brushed his hair this morning? It was messy, every loose strand of his hair was going in different directions. It looked like he rolled out of your typical high school film and he was late for school. It looked utterly stupid. Instead of hating it, like I should have, I might have liked it a little bit. What could I say? I knew what good hair looked like. I saw it every day in the mirror.

I took a sip of my drink. Cold. I didn't care. My mind was too filled with Max to care about anything else. I headed outside. It was warm, nothing like the days leading up.

Tank's call came through after five minutes of me waiting for him to pick me up. "Tank, don't you fucking dare tell me you can't-

-I can't pick you up. But I uh, asked someone to take you back, okay? They'll find you." I huffed loudly into the phone.

"Tank! Not cool. Not cool at all."

"Oh, stop whining, baby. If anything you should be thanking me. I put up with your bullshi-

-Bradley," Max said plainly.

"I got to go Tank." I hung up. My eyes dragged from his feet to his lips. "What do you want?" I licked my own.

He sat next to me and kept avoiding my gaze. If it wasn't awkward before, it certainly was now. "Tank texted me, said you needed a ride. I'm driving you." I crossed my arms over my chest.

"With what car, freshman?"

"Don't you worry your pretty little head about it, Bradley. It's covered. Let's go, yeah?" Damn, damn, damn! Those piercings. At this moment, I prayed my face wasn't completely red.

"Don't say that ... but okay, fine. Show me." I followed Max to his car. It wasn't as great as mine, but it wasn't bad for Max Goof. It was better than that stupid van he was always in. Who owned it? One of his loser friends, I guessed.

"This is Shay, my baby," Max cooed.

"You're incredibly cute when you're being stupid-"

Max shifted his feet. His eyes found my mouth in an awkward silence. I parted my lips open. Max watched my lips, waiting for me to say something. I was waiting for me to say something too. Why couldn't I speak? "What," Max asked finally.

"I said," I repeated confidently. "You named your car Shay?"

Max's creased eyebrows raised back up in a swift movement. "Yes, she's so pretty, isn't she?" I nodded slowly. I think he can tell what I actually thought about it. "You don't think so?"

"Well, it's certainly fitted for you."

Max looked at me deeply. "That's a compliment from you, pretty boy." The way he said it wasn't attractive, it was actually quite funny. If he were anyone else, I might have laughed.

- - -

It was noon by the time we got back to the Gamma house. "This is it, Bradley. I'll see you around. I guess."

I nodded slowly. "Sure, freshman," (hopefully not) I said snarkily. "But-uhm-but," Max looked at me with his stupid eyes. It made me stumble on my words. His animated eyes, filled with such purity it made me want to rip them out of his head. I hated them. "Uhm-well-thanks. For the ride, I mean."

"Bradley," he said sincerely. "If you ever want a ride, I can give you one."

"..."

Max took a moment. "A car ride, Bradley, a fucking car ride!"

"That's what I was thinking too-a car ride. Don't assume dirty things about me."

"Well, when you don't respond I kind of have to assume you were thinking something else," he shot back defensively. It felt like we were playing tennis, and we kept hitting the ball back and forth. Except, I'm really good at tennis, so I'll win.

"You have a real dirty mind, Max." I called him Max. Shit. He was making me soft!

He leaned against the interior of his car. "Bye, Bradley." Good, he didn't notice. "And for the record, I do not have a dirty mind!"

"Oh shut it. Goodbye, freshman. Don't speak about this to anyone. It's bad enough I don't have a car to ride anymore since it was totaled. Think about what people would say if they saw me riding with ... well, you!"

Max licked his lips and played playfully with his lip piercing. "I get it, Bradley. I won't say anything."

I took a deep sigh of relief. "I thought you were a loser, freshman, but you're not too bad. This, however, does not make us friends."

"Got it. Not friends."

"I'm being serious! Go away! Somebody could see you talking to me."

He laughed, like, really laughed. It was stupid, too loud, yet I couldn't help but find it cute. God, I admitted to myself the worst things.