hate is a strong word (bxb)

25

Braxton came to the bus stop the next morning with a black eye—a full-on black eye, and Benjamin felt a certain panic rise within him. He found the appearance to be odd, alarming even. He was with Braxton the previous night, so he couldn't help but become filled with curiosity about how he managed to get the black eye.

"The fuck happened to you?" Ben questioned as Braxton approached him.

"Nothing," he answered.

Though clearly, something would have to happen in order for Braxton to get a black eye, and it shouldn't have mattered to Ben, as it certainly didn't affect him in the slightest, but it still raised some intrigue. "What do you mean nothing? Clearly, something happened."

"If you really have to know, I got into a fight with my brother. But really, this is nothing. You should see him," Braxton laughed, but Ben could see clear as all day that Braxton was putting on some sort of façade to hide any negative emotions, "he started bitching about something and I was like well, if it bothers you so much, maybe you should stop being such a loser and move out. Because, you know, he's in his twenties and still living at home."

"And you got in a fight how exactly?"

"Because we started arguing some more after that, and I said some shit about him being a bum, and he said some shit about me being a faggot, and then I might've punched him, and then he might've punched back."

"He knows that you're bisexual?" Ben questions.

"My entire family knows," Braxton says, "it's no secret. And they're all fine with it... but then there's, well, Isaac. He's a dick."

"Sorry about that," Ben replies.

"Yeah, well, it's not your fault."

When Braxton and Ben arrive at school, they see Scar standing at the corner of the building alongside a girl—and even from a distance, both Ben and Braxton can see the two laughing. It was the real kind of laugh—the throw your head back and let out your ugliest laugh kind of laugh.

Ben could read his best friend like a book—and he knew his body language. Scar rarely looked relaxed, but at that moment, he somehow seemed to calm. Scar had told Ben that he had eyes for a girl before but refused to say who, and before even approaching them, Benjamin figured that she must've been the girl.

The girl says something and then walks off, Scar watching her as she goes, and Ben and Braxton came up to Scar right after. "So, what was that?" Ben questioned.

"Just a girl from chemistry—uh, Marianna."

"Oh, from Chemistry?" Braxton questioned suggestively, and for once, Ben was almost supportive of his antics.

"Yeah, I think that I did see a little chemistry there."

"Yeah, sure," Scar answers sarcastically.

"No, I'm so serious," Ben says.

"Doubt it," he replied pessimistically.

"But you don't seem so opposed to the idea."

"I'm not," he didn't even bother to hide his emotions as he spoke, "but it's not going to happen."

"You should just go for it," Ben suggested.

"Not everyone can be as daring as you are," Scar said.

There was certain pettiness between his words as he said them. Ben couldn't identify the emotion, really. Rarely did Scar ever make the extra effort to throw shade at people. He was more upfront on how he felt about things. So, Ben saw it fitting that he questioned the tone, "what's that supposed to mean?"