How Long Will This Last? (Maxley)

Stay Friends

The sun snuck through the cracks in the blinds and fell harshly on Bradley's face. He shielded his eyes upon waking up, looking around, trying to recall why he was passed out on the floor. The tv in front of him was still on, only the video game displayed was paused. He turned his head to find Max lying next to him, still asleep. The sun cast a soft glow over his features, and Bradley couldn't pull his eyes away.
"Are you gonna get up, or what?" A voice behind Bradley asked. He turned around, startled, to find Bobby lying in his bed, looking down at him.

Bradley blinked the sleep from his eyes. "What time is it?" He asked.

"Noon."

"Oh," Bradley said. There was silence. Because Max wasn't awake to lead the conversation, Bradley didn't know what to say. Maybe he shouldn't say anything. They were never friendly with each other after all, why should he force himself to make small talk?

But surprisingly, Bobby was the one to make conversation. "I heard about last night," he said, "sounded pretty crazy."

Bradley internally groaned. The whole school was probably talking about last night. He dreaded the thought of going back to classes on Monday, just to be given all those stares like how it was at the beginning of the year. Even worse, he didn't know how he'd face Tank again. But there was no way he could go back to the Gamma House, not in a million years.
Bradley lifted himself, propping his weight on his elbows. "It was stupid," he said. "I mean, crazier fights have broken out before. But I guess Tank being exposed like that wasn't what I expected."

"Why were you even with that guy? He's a total moron," Bobby asked, "well I guess you are, too."

Bradley rolled his eyes but held back from making a witty comment. "Being great all the time isn't as easy as you think," he answered.

"How would you know?"

Bradley realized talking to this guy was impossible, but he continued anyway. Probably because he had no one else to listen to his issues. "With so much pressure on my shoulders I guess I needed a way to take the edge off."

Bobby lay on his side, holding his head up with his hand. He stared at Bradley for what seemed like a long moment, running his eyes over his features. He finally spoke, "I don't get you at all."

Bradley pulled his eyes from Bobby's gaze and turned to look back at Max, who was still fast asleep. "Max does," he replied.

Bobby rolled his eyes. "Don't tell me you two are getting back together," he said.

Bradley looked to him again. "What do you mean? I thought you made peace with our relationship."

"Listen, just yesterday you guys hated each other. Well, you hated Max. He was depressed. Anyway, it'd be unhealthy to get back together so soon," he argued. Bradley thought about it, and hated to admit that Bobby was right. Who knew he actually had a brain up in his huge, bald head. He then added, "Plus, if you keep dating new guys like every week, people are gonna think you're some sort of whore."

Bradley's face turned red and he sat up straight. "It's not every week!" He defended.

"It might as well be!"

Bradley looked down at Max who still lay sleeping and gave a hefty sigh. "You're right though. Maybe, for the better of both of us, we should just stay friends."

Bobby yawned and rolled back onto his side, putting his back to Bradley. "I know, I'm so smart." To that Bradley only rolled his eyes.

Bradley walked down the sidewalk, a coffee in hand. The sun was high in the sky, but the autumn wind chilled him and turned his nose a slight pink. He got out of the dorm before Max woke up, knowing that was for the best. He needed to think about how to properly handle his problems for once. As much as he would've liked to run back to Max, Bobby was right; it wouldn't be healthy for either of them. And Bradley wasn't anywhere near ready to forgive Max. For now they'd ease their way back into a lighthearted friendship.
As for Tank, Bradley would rather not think about him. But some words needed to be said and Bradley knew if he didn't say them soon, he never would.
He eventually, reluctantly, made it back to the steps of the Gamma House. For a few minutes he just sat and stared up at the building, stalling for as long as he could. But stalling would do him no good, he knew that now. He knocked, using the few seconds of courage while he had them. It took a while for someone to answer, but after some time that one short Italian Gamma kid with the goatee opened the door.