How Long Will This Last? (Maxley)

Some People

"What the fuck!" Bobby yelled, mostly in shock rather than anger. He turned back around and fled before he could hear Max out.

"Wait!" Max called, untangling himself from Bradley and whispering a sorry to him before following after Bobby.

They stopped in the hallway. Bobby whipped his head around. "No. I'm not listening to you. Not this time," he said. "I don't care about what you have to say."

"Really?" Max tested, annoyance in his voice.

"Yes, Really."

"What the hell! I'm allowed to date who I want," Max argued.

"Don't give me that bullshit!" Bobby took a step towards him and jabbed a finger in his face. "You have been lying to us for who knows how long. It was bad enough when you were just friends with the guy, now it turns out you've been boning him too?"

Bradley appeared in the doorway, leaning calmly on the frame with his arms crossed.
"Why do you care so much?! Why do you hate him?" Max yelled. They forgot they were in the hallway. Most of the kids in the nearby rooms had probably woken up and were now listening to the crazy gossip.

"Because he's an asshole!" Bobby motioned a hand at Bradley. "He's a terrible person! I don't know how you can't see that!"

"Hey-!" Bradley tried to intervene, but Max looked back at him.

"Not now, Brad. You'll just make it worse," he told him. Bradley furrowed his eyebrows, almost confused. He felt like a child being scolded. And he didn't like it. He fell back to the comfort of his room and closed the door hard.

"You don't even know him," Max said. People down the hall were starting to peak their heads out of their rooms to see what all the fuss was about. Max lowered his voice.

"As if he wasn't ruining our lives all of last year."

"I mean you don't really know him. You don't bother talking to him if it's not an insult. You don't know what he's really like," Max argued.

"And you do?" Bobby questioned.

"Of course I do!" Max assured, but as he said it, doubt bloomed in the back of his mind.

"Then you can stay with him," Bobby said, ending their conversation. Max watched as he turned around, went into their room, and closed the door behind him. He sighed. People down the hall began ducking their heads back into their dorms once Max turned around.

Max knew he wouldn't be able to sleep in his own room that night, so to Bradley's door he went. He knocked. No answer.
"Brad?" He called, and knocked again. Bradley didn't respond. Instead, Bradley lay on his bed, hugging a pillow to his chest. He was turned away from the door. He wasn't asleep, but he wished he was so he didn't have to hear Max's voice and resist the growing urge to open the door.

Max tried to turn the knob, but the door was locked. His head slumped against the wood. "Come on, Brad," he pleaded one last time.

Unfortunately, Bradley wasn't as strong as he thought he was. He opened the door, an angry expression on his face. Max fell forward slightly when the door moved, not expecting Bradley to actually let him in.
"I thought I made everything worse?" Bradley said, folding his arms.

"I'm so sorry," Max offered. Guilt filled his chest as he thought back on his words.

"You mean to tell me that isn't true?" Bradley raised an eyebrow.

Max took a gentle hold of Bradley's arms. "Of course it isn't true. I shouldn't have said that. It was unfair. And I feel so stupid."

"You are stupid."