hate is a strong word (bxb)

23

Friday morning comes around all too quickly and the morning isn't that great for neither Ben nor Braxton.

Ben had overslept and missed his bus and had to beg Scar to take a detour to pick him up. Scar hadn't been too entirely thrilled to pick him up but did so regardless, seeing as he cared too much for his friend to force him to ask his dad for a ride to school.

"So, let me guess, you missed the bus because you were up too late and overslept?" Scar asked, and Ben nodded yes, "I told you that you should've gone to bed earlier."

Scar always seemed on edge when it came to any bad habit of Ben's. Overall, he could be described as a cautious person, and this principle didn't drop when it came to other people. He was just as scared for other people as he was for himself. Scar believed that if something could possibly go wrong, then it would.

"Sorry, dad," Ben felt his eyes becoming heavy once more. God, he missed the feeling of his bed.

"Excuse me for being the responsible friend," Scar said under his breath.

The two are silent for most of the rest of the car ride as Scar plays his music and Ben tried his hardest to not pass out right then and there. He manages to stay awake, but the second he gets into his first period class—English—he lets his head hit the desk softly and he falls right back into a nap. He must've only been out for a few minutes, though, because he's woken up the second that Braxton comes limping into the classroom.

"Wakey wakey eggs and bakey," Braxton sits down beside him and begins ruffling Ben's curly hair.

"Mmffff," Ben murmurs, not picking his head up.

"Wake up, wake up, wake up!" Braxton demanded, annoying the living hell out of Ben, who was just trying to take a rest before the teacher began to teach. When Ben doesn't lift his head or show any signs of so much as being alive, Braxton takes it as an invitation to continue speaking to him, "you weren't on the bus today. Really missed you."

"I overslept," Ben began to sit up in his seat, seeing as he wasn't going to be able to nap, "how's your foot?"

"It's ok," he answered, "I went to the emergency room last night and they said that it was only a sprain. I can walk on it a little better today."

"That's good, at least."

"So, yesterday, did your dad know what happened?"

"He didn't, but that was close—that was way too close," Ben said, "if he was just a little bit quieter, I wouldn't have even known that he was there."

Ben couldn't help but notice how casual their conversations were becoming. It was like they were barely even bickering anymore—and it just didn't feel too entirely natural to him. When did they stop fighting? It was as if Braxton had stop being such a prick.

"Next time, we'll have to be more careful then," he said.

"Next time?" Ben scoffed, "in your dreams."

"Trust me, it is in my dreams—quite often."

Or maybe Braxton hadn't changed at all. He was still making the same kind of annoying jokes that he always made, and he was as persistent with them as usual, so perhaps nothing really was different with him. This was quite concerning for Benjamin because if something wasn't different with Braxton, that meant that there was something different with Ben. That meant that he was beginning to actually, really, truly like being around Braxton—and that was a big issue for him. He wasn't willing to accept that, and he wouldn't.

"Braxton, you're disgusting," Ben rolled his tired eyes.

"You're always rolling your eyes; don't they ever hurt from that?" Braxton asked.

"Only when I'm with you."

Ben was terrified at the prospect of beginning to enjoy Braxton's company. He had to prove to himself that everything he'd been doing with Braxton was only because he liked fucking him, not because he really likes Braxton. He was going to prove it the only way he saw fitting. "Can I come over tonight?" he asked.

"Why?" he questioned.

"I'm just so tired right now, I think I need someone to wake me up."

"Remember how two seconds ago you were saying it wasn't going to happen again?" Braxton laughed.

"Do you want to or not?"

"Oh, you don't have to ask me twice."