Roommates (Maxley)

Chapter 2

"All of these trophies are yours?" Max stares at them as if he's a kid looking at candy. There's a reward for everything, from spelling bees to certifications.

"Of course they are." Brad looks him up and down, eyes narrowing. He knew he had forgotten something, and it turned out to be that he had forgotten about meeting his new roommate. His previous one had graduated, leaving a much wanted vacancy that had now been filled by an unwanted guest. "I typically earn ten a year."

"Gosh, that's really cool." Max grins while grabbing his skateboard to mount on his walls, "You must be pretty smart."

"The smartest." Brad scoffs, jerking his head away as his cheeks flush. It was just a compliment, he gets plenty of those a day, no need to get riled over this one. A smug smirk spreads across his face as he watches Max unpack, "What are your accomplishments? You've got to have done something of value to end up here."

"I mean, I was valedictorian of my highschool and this place gave me the best scholarship compared to other colleges." Max sheepishly rubs his neck as he sits on his bed, "I'm still getting used to campus. This place is huge and the maps online are all super outdated."

"Oh, so you're a Freshman?" The smirk on Brad's face widens as he casually wraps an arm around Max's shoulder, "You're lucky you have me as a roommate. I know this campus like the back of my hand, I could give you a better tour than those guides wandering around."

"Really? You'd do that?-"

"No, I'm too busy." He snickers as Max's smile drops, a mischievous glint in his eyes. Why would he help a stranger? He had to focus on himself, and only himself. So why was his mouth moving on its own? His lips part to mumble, "But...I suppose I might have some time later. No promises."

"Well, if you do, I'll be here." What's with that stupid smile? It's making Brad's heart twitch. It's not even pretty, a big gap in the center that divides his grin into two toothy parts.

"I'll keep that in mind." Brad mutters while he moves away from Max as if he's allergic to him. "I hope you settle in well, Freshman."

Max tries to, but the first two weeks are rough, and that's a generous way of describing them. Brad wakes up at 3 AM every morning, 2 AM on the weekend. His lamp is constantly on, keeping the room bright as he studies every second of his night. He's also a neat freak who nags Max about his clothes being an inch too close to his half of the room, or God forbid Max leaves a takeout tray on his own bedside table. Fine, maybe he's a little messy but it's not like he leaves things around for days...just a few hours...or a day or two, but no more than two! It's not his fault Brad is so prissy and pretentious, constantly checking his hand mirror for any imperfection as if he's a stone statue sculpted by greeks. At first Max thought maybe he was just a little insecure, but then he realized that Brad is just egotistical and a pain in the ass. The only thing that keeps him sane are his classes and lunches with Bobby and PJ. He'd complain to them, they'd listen, occasionally tease him, and then they'd all return to their classes.

Well, today wasn't following the typical routine. Max arrived to lunch a little later than usual, his last class a lab with a long follow-up exam. He was already irritable, so bumping into Brad only ticked him off more. Brad was with his Frat brothers, all of them dressed in the same maroon jackets and shoes, all with the same cocky smile. Brad's eyes lingered on him as he passed, he wasn't used to seeing Max without his goofy grin. He follows him, ignoring his glare as he casually sits beside him at an empty lunch table in the back. At first Max ignores him, but after a few minutes of prodding and poking, he gives in.

"What do you want, Brad?"

"Oh, Freshman's feisty today." Brad says while snatching one of Max's fries. "What? I'm hungry."