Baby Fat

twenty-four

Who knew that even with a lying, cheating, bitch-whore of a mother, life would still go on the same as usual. Bradley thought that for some reason life would be different. He would suddenly stop wanting his mother's approval, or his mother would suddenly give it to him. Even with her infidelity, he would still do everything for her. Even with her infidelity, she would never approve of him. People are just like that.

His mother sent his already crumbling world, crashing down. But she couldn't care less.

Bradley still had no clue if he should tell his father. His father doesn't deserve what Cassandra is doing to him. However, that doesn't change the fact that it's not his secret to tell. He has no clue what goes on in their marriage. Hell, his father could be cheating on his mother for all he knows.

With a grand sigh followed by a yawn, Bradley picks a few of his textbooks off the libraries table. He places them in his backpack, biggest to smallest as always. He zips his bag and slides his other books off the table into his arms. He places his backpack on his back and heads out. The library was the last place he thought he'd ever run into someone from school.

As he walks out he runs into a familiar face. A face with stormy grey eyes and that stupid, but irresistible lip ring.

"Bradley!" Leo calls. The librarian shoots them both a dirty look, and shushes Leo.

"Leo," Bradley forces a smile. "Didn't expect to see you here."

Leo smiles, causing Bradley's knees to wobble. "I was actually just heading out. Had to drop some books off. We should catch up. I feel like we haven't seen each other in ages!"

"Yeah," Bradley mumbles numbly. He really has no clue what to say here.

Leo nods his head and grins, dimples showing and everything. "Do you want to grab something to eat? I know this perfect little diner, maybe an hour away. We could catch up."

"Uh, yeah, sure." Bradley fumbles with his words. Seeing Leo has totally thrown everything for him off. The most frustrating part is that he doesn't even know why.

"Great!" Leo says enthusiastically. Leo opens the library door for Bradley and lets it go when they're both outside. "Your house isn't too far from here, right?"

"Ten minutes, maybe."

"How about we both drive over there, you drop your car off, and then we take my car to the diner," Leo suggests, but Bradley doesn't really think it's a suggestion so much as it's a request.

"Of course. We've got to be eco-friendly, and shit," Bradley's eyes go wide when he realizes what he's said. "Fuck. I meant stuff. Fuck, I meant fudge. Well, shit." Bradley's really not trying to be funny. If anything he's morbidly embarrassed by what just happened, but Leo's cracking up.

His eyes crinkle towards the end when he smiles hard enough. "God, I missed you." Bradley blushes, and turns his head so Leo doesn't see it. "I forgot why we stopped hanging out."

Bradley's tempted to say: because you were a huge asshat and slept with Whitney and had the goddamn nerve to bring it up to me the next day. But he doesn't, he just replies with, "yeah, me too."

Leo flashes a smile before getting in his car. Bradley follows suit with his car. He pulls out of the parking lot and Leo follows him. The ten minutes to Bradley's house feels like two, it all just whizzes by him.

Bradley pulls into his garage, right beside the three other cars. He gets out of his car and walks over to Leo's. He opens Leo's car door and hops into the passenger seat.

"Think you got enough cars in there?" Leo teases with a laugh. He looks behind him and pulls out of Bradley's driveway and onto the street. They start down the road.