"You know, you get pissed off pretty easily." Zeke states from beside Max as they walk out of the doctor clinic place. Max just had his weekly X-ray, and they are now on their way to Gina's car.

She decided that, because it is her day off, she is staying at the house all day, so Max and Zeke are able to use her car for the remainder of the weekend.

"The hell is that supposed to mean?" Max furrows his eyebrows and turns his head to glare at Zeke.

Zeke shrugs, "I don't know, it's just real easy to rile you up."

They reach the car, and Max puts his crutches in the back seats, before sitting shotgun. Max doesn't have his license, because he never felt the need to get it. So Zeke or Gina or one of his friends usually drive him around.

Zeke slips into the drivers seat as Max responds with a "yeah whatever." Before lounging back in the seat and closing his eyes, like he usually does.

"Where do you wanna go? We have the car the whole day." Zeke inquires, and Max opens his eyes.

Where could they go? Max begins thinking hard on it. "I dunno, I'm pretty hungry though," Max responds, as it is the best he can come up with.

Zeke nods, "Okay. Taco Bell?"

They are both broke as fuck, so fast food is pretty much the only thing in their price range.

Max feels the strangest urge to instead suggest Marco's. He almost smacks himself in the face for it.

"Yeah. Sounds good." Max nods, ignoring his stupid thoughts.

Taco Bell isn't that far away from the clinic, so they arrive pretty fast. When they walk in, they order and get their food and sit down.

Everything was nice and harmless and relaxing, at least until Zeke decides to ask another question.

"So, what's going on with you and Lewis?"

Max almost spits out his soft taco, but is able to recover. He swallows it and puts the rest of his taco down, before taking a sip from his water. "N-Nothing is going on, why are you..." Max clears his throat. "...asking..."

Technically, nothing is. Max isn't lying, they are simply only hanging out because of Barnes' volunteer work. So why is he acting suspicious?

Max risks a glance at Zeke as he picks up his taco again, and winces when he sees the look he's giving him. Zeke only gives Max that look when he thinks Max is bullshitting him.

Shit. Sometimes Max wishes that Zeke didn't  know him so well.

"Gina told me that he was over yesterday." As expected, Zeke had returned pretty early in the morning, but Max was passed out on the couch and so he only vaguely remembers hearing the door close.

"Yeah. He was helping me with my homework."

Zeke gives him a disbelieving look. "You were doing homework?"

Max throws his arms up in exasperation, "Why is that so hard for everyone to believe?!"

Zeke starts laughing and Max crosses his arms over his chest, huffing.

Zeke eventually calms down, before raising his eyebrows and leaning forward. "Is there something you're not telling me?" He gives Max a knowing smile.

Dammit! Why does everyone act like they know something Max doesn't?

"What?!" Max's voice goes really high, "why are you looking at me like that?"

"I could have sworn you hated Lewis..." Zeke mutters, giving Max a nonchalant shrug.

Max frowns, before picking up his taco again. He takes another bite out of it.

"...But according to Gina, you and him were getting pretty cozy."

This time, Max actually does choke and ends up in a small coughing fit, before practically chugging the rest of his water to avoid conversation. When he sobers up, he realizes that Zeke is expecting him to say something.

"Nothing is going on! I hate Barnes! He's a fucking dick, I was threatening him! We weren't getting cozy..." Max slumps back into his chair. He doesn't know what to do. He is tempted to just stand up and leave and walk home, but he knows that Zeke will most likely not allow that to happen. They care for each other too much.

Max risks another glance at Zeke, and sees that Zeke has gone back to eating his food. "Whatever you say, Maxaroo."

Max rolls his eyes at the childish nickname, but smiles nonetheless.

-

The next day, things are weird. Max can feel the tension in the air as soon as they meet up in the office, and it only gets worse as the day goes on. Barnes only speaks to Max whenever absolutely necessary, and Max only speaks to Barnes when he needs help with school work or getting around.

Even Valerie notices, as during lunch she looks at Max. "Who peed in his cereal?" She asks.

Max rolls his eyes. "How the fuck am I supposed to know?"

Zeke sets his food down on the table. "Max and Lewis are having a lover's quarrel." He states, taking his seat beside Max.

Max turns and glares at him. "Dude, what the hell?"

Zeke shrugs. "What? It's true." He tosses one of his fries into his mouth.

"Wha- Max and Lewis are dating?" Amelia looks shocked, and Max realises that the whole table is staring at him in surprise.

Andy whistles. "Damn. And he's got a girlfriend too, scandalous." He reaches over and pats Max on the back, "good job, dude. Admiration."

Max is about to deny their accusations, but he's beaten to it. Valerie shakes her head. "Nah, Max could never land Lewis Barnes."

For some reason, Max feels offended. He scoffs and directs his gaze to Valerie. "Fuck you mean I couldn't land him?" He furrows his eyebrows. Max could so seduce Barnes. Max is fucking irresistible. Yup.

"He's too good for you."

Seriously, Max is offended.

"I don't know, I think it'd be kinda hot." Amelia shrugs.

Wait, what? Max furrows his eyebrows even more. "What?" He can't believe that she just said that.

"What? I can't be the only one that thinks that." She looks around the table, and Andy's girl of the week, Sarah, nods. "Maxwell Tucker and Lewis Barnes. Yeah, I can see it."

However, what really shocks him is when Valerie shrugs and says, "now that you mention it, it'd be pretty sexy."

Max is completely flabbergasted. He can't believe they just said that. Did every girl at this table really just agree that Max being in a guy on guy relationship with Lewis Barnes would be 'hot' and 'sexy'?

"What the fuck?" Max asks, looking confusedly around the table.

His eyes land on Zeke and Zeke shrugs in a 'what can ya do?' way that makes Max frown.

"No, really think about it though." Amelia leans forward, pointing her fork in the general direction that Barnes sits.

"Barnes is sexy in that good boy way, like he's probably fantastic in bed and you're scared is gonna get in your girl's pants because he's obviously gonna make serious dime when he gets older."

She then points her fork at Max.

"And Max is sexy in a rugged, slacker, kind of freaky dont-give-a-shit way. Like, you would so fuck him but you're scared that he'll like... knife you in the gut or some shit of you try."

Max can't tell whether or not that's an insult.

He then realizes that the entire table is laughing their asses off (and beginning to draw some attention) while Amelia looks dead serious.

Why does this happen?

Max has literally no idea what to do.

He hears a throat clear beside him, and he jumps. Shit, did Barnes hear any of that?

Judging by the questioning look he's giving all of them, Max decides that he probably just showed up. Praise the lord, because that would have made things even more awkward.

Barnes asks if Max is ready to go, to which Max gives a swift nod. The rest of the day goes on as it was before, and as Barnes hands Max's stuff to Zeke outside of the classroom of Max's final period, he can't help but think that this has to be about the weird situation on Saturday.

Fuck. How come every time Barnes suspects Max of being gay, he acts weird?

Just like last week, Max is pissed. Why Max is getting pissed about Barnes' apparent homophobia, he has no clue. But Barnes acting strange because he thinks Max may be gay really makes him want to break Barnes' legs with his crutches.

Damn, Max has been violent lately.

Tuesday and Wednesday go by the same way - minus the uncomfortable lunch conversation, and Max really wants this entire thing to be over.

-

On Thursday Zeke had to stay for a very late practice and Gina had to work a shift that is even longer than before.

Max, of course ends up doing homework. For some reason, lately whenever he's left alone, he'll actually voluntarily do his homework. He'd be freaked out, but he's too lazy to look into feelings like that.

Of course, as soon as he started, he immediately thought of pizza.

When he thinks about it, the last time he ordered pizza it was a few minutes before seven o'clock. Barnes probably actually gets off at seven.

It's 6:49, so maybe Max could...

No!

And even if he did, there's no telling if Barnes would even end up being the one delivering it. Like, last time it was Saturday! Today's Thursday, Barnes probably works different shifts on weekdays.

Barnes probably won't...

Max looks at his phone on the coffee table.

Well maybe...

No! Max smacks himself on the face with his binder, before grabbing his phone. He puts it under the couch and sighs. Out of sight, out of mind. He can't see it, he won't think about...

Max looks at the clock hanging on the wall.

6:51.

Max shakes his head rapidly. Nonono, that is a no. He needs to focus on his work.

He nods to himself.

Max looks down at his math, which is what he has decided to do. Fuck art. Math. More bar graphs, but this time he doesn't have to worry about colors. It's just a bunch of bullshit about likelihood.

Alright. Max reads the problem, but ends up having to reread it a few times. He can't understand it, or get it stuck in his head enough to answer it.

He decides that that problem is bullshit, and moves onto the next one.

And then that one also ends up being bullshit.

So he moves onto the next one, and the next one, and the one after that.

Max slams his homework on the table and sighs.

Without his permission, his eye(s?) decide to flicker to the clock.

6:58.

Fuck it.