Oscar (bxb)

5.

When Maxie got out of his meeting with his personal academic tutor, he'd realized he had four missed calls from his mother. He usually kept his phone off for this very purpose. She would just call him up at any point of the day, even when she knew he was at something important like school or an appointment. There would always be something to complain about.

Since he'd almost totally cut her off from his life, she started not to call as much. This was excessive.

Though he knew he should have just continued about his day, a sense of panic rose in his body.

His fingers began to fidget at his side when it got to the third ring.

He let out a sigh of relief when he heard his mother on the end of the phone.

"What in the hell do you think you're doing moving without telling your mum? What do you think you're playing at?"

And he instantly regretted his decision.

"I made my own decision. It was what I needed."

"So you've moved further away then, is it? What if I needed you to come back? What if something happened?"

"Then try your best to stay out of trouble," he said back, bitterness creeping in his voice. "My phone's almost dead, I have to go."

Just as she began to rant he cut her off and hung up.

What Maxie had learned far too late in the game was that if the only reason you kept someone in your life was because you shared the same blood, they weren't worth your time. No amount of misery and stress and pain was worth it.

Bad mood already set in place, he stormed off elsewhere.

He found himself going into town and locating the charity shops. These were some of his favourite places because they were never too crowded and he always found amazing books for really cheap. By the end of his exploration he'd come out with nine books for the price of one single book in a standard bookshop. His mood was brought up once again.

Only thing was that now he'd done his exploring, he wasn't quite sure how to get back home. He knew the general direction but figuring out a way onto a path he knew would be tricky.

His nerves got more severe as he went from having some sort of familiarity with his surroundings to none at all. He could have sworn it was that way... through streets and alleys, he couldn't even find the high street now, just cheap apartments and grubby old bards. He swore he passed an adult store too.

He thought he'd almost found his way and thought this alley would prove to be a good shortcut.

He didn't take much notice of the two people until he realized they weren't just having a walk around.

Maxie feared he'd just walked in on something far more intimate than that.

They two males were close together and their body language was tense.

Okay maybe I should find another way around, he told himself, although something peaked his eye. Someone.

He almost smiled in recognition till he realized this was probably something Oscar wouldn't want him to see, judging by the way his eyes moved about. Maxie moved out of sight but he couldn't help but peak. Wait, no he shouldn't be doing this... but what if this was a shady situation and he needed to get him out of it?

No, weak excuse.

He looked anyway.

He couldn't see properly but this was some sort of exchange.

The alleyway was between some sort of pub and a tall brick wall, it was narrow with very little space but a lot of privacy. Maxie had a bad feeling about this. He pulled out his phone. He'd have to google maps his way out of this one. He turned on his data and tried to type as quickly as he could as he barely had any battery (damn him for playing games of his phone while he waited for his PAT meeting). The path almost loaded but before he could find a sense of direction, his phone began to cry. "No, no, no..."

"What are you doing?"

"Agh, crap!" Maxie shrieked, putting his hands up and dropping his phone.

When his eyes settled on his Oscar's familiar face he exhaled and smiled awkwardly out of embarrassment. This time the other boy did not have a smile to return. His eyes were cold, his expression grave.

"I could see you watching me, why were you doing that?" He pressed, sternly. His accent was heavy now.

Maxie picked up his phone. "I wasn't, honestly. Well, I didn't mean to. I'm kind of lost, actually and I was going to ask if you knew the way back."

Oscar's expression softened but concern remained on his face.

Maxie's eyes noticed the money scrunched in Oscar's hands and stood up. He tried to make his face as nonchalant as properly. "I promise. Sorry."

Oscar shook his head and looked around them. "Its fine," he murmured in a low tone. "Why are you on your own?"

"I don't mind it much. Didn't really have anyone to go out with. Needed a walk too."

Oscar nodded but didn't say anything in return. He got out his phone out and began typing away.

"Probably should have just got the bus home from Uni. Clearly can't take care of myself," Maxie began to say, filling the awkward silence and the tense, uncomfortable atmosphere. "At least I got some books out of it."

Oscar's eyes rose and then noticed the plastic bag filled with books in his hand. "You like to read?"

"No I just bought these for decoration."

Oscar's brow quirked.

"That was a joke," Maxie added.

Oscar's eyes returned to his phone but Maxie swore there was a flicker of warmth in the boy's expression. "English humor is odd."

So is hanging around in alleys with strange men, he was tempted to say. He might have just misinterpreted it all but anyone could see it least appeared dodgy.

"I've called you an Uber," Oscar stated firmly as he put away his phone.

"Oh, you didn't have to. Thank you."

"Its fine just try not to sneak around in strange places again. Could be dangerous," he muttered before coldly making his own way in another direction.

This guy was far different to the one he'd met not long ago. His spark was dead, his upbeat attitude had dissolved. Maxie had been through enough shit to notice this kind of thing and trust his instincts. Clearly something was wrong but it wasn't his place to say something or do anything since he barely knew the guy.

Not my business, not my problem.

Having said that, worry lingered in his mind for some reason.