Baby Fat

twenty-five

"Hey, Bradley!" a familiar voice calls out. Bradley's head turns sharply to the right. He looks over his shoulder and sees Devon running to catch up with him.

"Oh, hey, Devon," Bradley greets with a small smile. "I figured you'd be with Corrie by now. I mean schools been out for over an hour."

As they walk together Devon says, "oh, I had band practice, it ran long. What are you doing here still?"

Bradley readjusts his backpack straps as they walk through the hallway. "Working with Ms. Castillo on some writing stuff," he shrugs his shoulders.

"Corrie misses you," Devon says looking Bradley dead in the eye. "He's always asking when you'll be around to come see him."

"Oh yeah, I've just been busy, you know, doing stuff. Important stuff." Bradley mumbles awkwardly.

"What should I tell him then?" Devon asks with a sigh, rubbing his forehead. "He just wants to see you."

Bradley's eyes look at the ground and he sighs. He wasn't there before Corrie was diagnosed, he wasn't there during, and he doesn't even know if he wants to be there after. He feels guilty just thinking about his absence in Corrie's life.

"Maybe it's better that I keep my distance for the time being," Bradley trails off. Devon's previously neutral face went to shocked, mouth hung open.

"What do you mean? You guys are best friends! You're supposed to be there when everyone else isn't." Devon crosses his arms over his chest and gets this look that says You Better Be Joking. How Bradley got all of that from a look the world may never know.

Bradley just gives Devon a sigh. "I know that Devon. Don't you think that I know that? Right now I think it will be easier for him and for me if we keep our distance."

Devon rolls his eyes, "isn't your distance how we ended up here?" Devon gives a frown and walks away from Bradley. Bradley is left speechless.

He really doesn't know how he's supposed to respond to Devon's comment, because as much as Bradley hates to admit it, Devon is completely and utterly right. Bradley leaving Corrie alone is how they got to this place.

Rubbing his temples, Bradley heads over to his car to drive home.

•••

After a few days of hard thinking, Bradley knows that the right thing is to be there for Corrie. They made a promise to each other to be there through thick and thin, and even with all their secrets and their lies their promise is something that Bradley won't break.

Now, he may be regretting it only a little bit, but he's sitting in the parking lot of the rehab center with a brown, fluffy teddy bear. How lame, he knows. He had no idea what to bring Corrie, what he could even bring him.

What a great friend, right?

He pulls himself out of his car after a long pep talk. His feet practically drag with every step he takes. He's never, ever felt this way about seeing Corrie before, not even when Corrie was acting like the biggest douche Bradley's ever been around. What is going on with them?

Bradley makes his way into the lobby of the rehab center and is greeted by an overly peppy receptionist. "Hello, sir. How may I help you today?"

"Uh..I'm here to visit my friend..uh, yeah." Bradley mumbles awkwardly. He toys with the fur on the stuffed bear.

"Can I get the name of your friend?" she asks with a smile.

"Corrie Hughes," Bradley says smoothly with no fumbling. He hears her clicking from the keyboard.