Baby Fat

fifteen

"Why didn't you tell me?" Bradley takes a seat next to Corrie at the lunch table, throwing a brown paper bag—which Corrie assumes has Bradley's lunch in it—down on the table next to Corrie's ugly blue lunch tray.

"Tell you what exactly?" Corrie takes a bite of his ham and cheese sandwich. He doesn't even glance at Bradley. The sandwich is actually quite bland. Corrie feels like he shouldn't be thinking about it while Bradley's obviously here to have a heart to heart. But Corrie's hungry, and his ham and cheese sandwich is still bland even after two more bites.

Bradley scoffs, "you asshat. You know what."

"I'm sorry but I really don't recall." Corrie does know what Bradley's talking about, but he knows annoying Bradley is more fun. Nobody else is at his lunch table, big surprise. The jock guys are getting stoned outside of school, Hannah and Matt are always disappearing, and Devon has a stupid doctors appointment.

"God, Corrie, you're so fucking stubborn." Bradley pulls takes a drink of Corrie's water before taking a granola bar out of his sack. He opens the bar and takes a nibble.

"I really don't know what the fuck is going on here," Corrie defends. He's a lying, stubborn asshat. He'll always be the first one to admit it.

"You've been living at Devon's for two weeks and didn't even bother to tell me what the fuck was going on?" Bradley almost yells.

"I didn't know we were on speaking terms!" Corrie shouts back unnecessarily loud. Bradley rolls his eyes.

"Such a fucking liar. Why didn't you tell me? Why did I have to hear it from your boyfriend like some clueless, self-absorbed asswipe of a best friend?" Bradley snaps.

"First, how do you know he's my boyfriend? Second, because the issue of why I got kicked out is your father's fault!" Corrie bites back. He's finished his sandwich and is this close to punching the wall.

"Well, the hickeys all over his neck really gave the whole thing away, nice touch by the way. Marking your territory when you hadn't even told anyone you were dating." Bradley points out, less angry. "What do you mean it's my father's fault?"

"So now we have to tell each other about our love lives? I'd love to hear how you and Leo started to screw each other." It's Corrie's turn to roll his eyes. "And forget I even said anything, ask your dad about it."

"No, Corrie, tell me!" Bradley goes back to shouting. He just wants to know the truth, is that too much to ask?

"Just ask your dad, I really don't want to relive it," Corrie grimaces. He looks at Bradley and notices his face thinned out since he's last seen Bradley.

"Oh shut u—"

"What's going on with you? Are you sick?" Corrie asks, voice laced with concern.

"Stuff at home has gone to shit. Stuff with Leo has gone to shit. You and I have gone to shit." Bradley's eyes go watery; tears threaten to fall over the brims of his eyes. He wipes his eyes in case a few tears do fall down.

"Bradley, I don't know what's going on with us. We've drifted apart and I don't know why. You won't tell me anything and I won't tell you anything. We used to be attached at the hip. I used to be at your house everyday. What the hell happened to us?" Corrie looks Bradley straight in the eyes and thinks hard about life.

"I dunno, Corrie, shit happens. I wasn't the same person I was a few months ago. You aren't the same Corrie who slept with half the school's population either. Change happens." Bradley is still looking at him, head tilted. The whole world has disappeared around them. It's not like when Corrie's around Devon, where time stops and he just wants to hold them in that moment forever.