Max knows that Zeke knows that Max knows something.

It started when Zeke came home from practice that same day, Max didn't acknowledge him and was instead staring at Lawrence with a blank expression.

Lawrence was asleep.

There wasn't really much to stare at.

Then the next two days, Max would only give him short answers, practically refusing to talk to him.

And then - worst of all - Max didn't go to Zeke's game. Instead, he made some lame-ass excuse about feeling ill and Zeke was left confused and frustrated because it was pretty obvious that Max was fine.

Zeke finally snaps when Max doesn't eat breakfast on Saturday.

"What the fuck is going on with you?!" Zeke - the guy who never loses his cool - finally loses his cool. He glares at Max and is clutching his spoon tightly in his hand.

Max decides to play dumb. "What do you mean...?"

They are currently sitting at the table and Zeke has his bowl of cereal in front of him. Max had sat down when Zeke told him to, and was about to get up after declining Zeke's offer to make him a bowl too.

Zeke leans across the table. "You know what I mean, you've been a pissy asshole since, like, Tuesday."

Max sighs, closing his eyes. Fine, Zeke asked. "Actually, I've been a pissy asshole since I was on my way past Coach's office to final block on Wednesday."

Max swears that Zeke has seen a ghost with how white his face goes.

It takes a moment but Zeke finally mutters, "I... didn't know you were listening," suddenly finding his bowl of cereal the most interesting thing in the world.

"Well I was."

Zeke sighs, and looks up. He meets Max's eyes and Max raises an eyebrow, crossing his arms and leaning back in his seat.

"How much did you hear?"

Max glares laser beams into Zeke's skull. "Enough to know that you turned down a huge football scholarship because of me."

Zeke frowns, "it wasn't because of you-"

"Pretty much." Max interrupts, his eyes still narrowed on Zeke, who has averted his.

"Max, I don't want you to think you're holding me back from anything..."

Max laughs humorlessly. "Really? Because I'm not the only one thinking it."

Zeke sighs."It's only our junior year. I'll get other offers."

Max straightens back up so that he is leaning over the table, his chin resting in his hand. "Yeah, and you'll turn them all down because they won't accept me," Max folds his arms on the table and furrows his eyebrows. "You won't get into college because I won't get into college because I'm just. Not. Good. Enough."

Max stands up, his chair scratching against the floor, "I want you to accept." He states, before walking out of the kitchen.

-

Max avoids Zeke the rest of the weekend, and practically slips into a deep depression. The only thing that lifts his spirits up at least a little bit is the fact that on Sunday, when he goes to go see Doctor Johnson, he is hit with really good news.

"You'll be getting your cast off in a week." Doctor Johnson tells him after he takes the X-rays, and Max feels like jumping for joy but he remembers his crutches.

Monday starts out pretty sucky, actually. Lawrence threw up in Max's shoes, so he's stuck with wearing the tight-ass ones from freshman year that barely fit him.

Then on the way to school, Harvey decides to comment on the elephant in the room and Max feels like offing himself right there.

Max is silent the whole day and Barnes asks him what's wrong but Max glares at him and mumbles a "fuck off, I'm fine." And that is that.

It isn't until two hours until Zeke gets home from practice that Max decides that he doesn't want to face him when he gets home, so he leaves.

He shoves his phone in one pocket and Lawrence in the other and he is out the door.

Lawrence won't give a shit. She's pretty chill for a kitten and Max isn't about to leave her at the house alone, since Miss Kennedy doesn't watch her on the weekends and she probably wouldn't be okay with him disturbing her slumber. Seriously, it's like six o'clock and she goes to bed early.

So he sets out with Lawrence purring, snuggled up in his pocket. Max had put her in a sock to keep her warm because it's kind of chilly outside and he doesn't want her to freeze. She seems pretty cool with it.

He has no clue where he is going, he just decides to leave the apartment and sets out in a random direction.

Around thirty minutes in, he is in the middle of a small plaza and looks down to realize that Lawrence is shivering.

Shit. The sock is not enough.

Motherfucker.

"Dammit, not my cat!" Max groans, before he realizes where he is.

He is literally two blocks away from Marco's.

Shit, he doesn't want to, but...

He looks down in his pocket to see Lawrence still staring up at him. She is shivering a bit harder, and he figures out that it will only get worse.

Goddammit. Why the hell did he think this was a good idea? Literally so many things could go wrong. What if she has to use the bathroom?

He hopes Barnes isn't working.

He goes as fast as he can on crutches to Marco's, and almost as soon as he steps through the door he realizes that it was beginning to rain.

How had he not noticed that?

He practically throws one of his crutches to the floor, and leans against the trash can as he fishes in his pocket to pull out a still trembling Lawrence, who is slightly wet and still in the sock.

"Are you okay, kitty?" He lifts Lawrence up in the sock so that she's level with his face. She just stares at him and he really does not know how to warm her up.

Fuck.

He clutches her to his chest and begins making his way to the front counter on one crutch. He doesn't even know how he makes it there, maybe just his motherly adrenaline. That shit can make you lift a fucking building.

"Do you guys have any rags or something? Like something warm?" He's doesn't look up, he's still staring at his poor kitten.

"What did you do to that cat?" He hears a stupidly familiar voice.

Max snaps his head up to look into green eyes.

He glares. "I need something warm!" Max then notices that there's a thing of napkins by the register.

He immediately lays Lawrence down on the counter and begins pulling out multiple napkins. He takes her sock off and his jacket and wraps her up, cushioning the counter with napkins.

After a few seconds he leans down, and feels her back.

Good, she's not trembling anymore.

He gets a relieved smile, before kissing her on the head and sighing. "I'm sorry, Lawrence." He mumbles against her head, and she looks up at him and gives him a small mew.

"You really need parenting classes."

Max glares up at Barnes. "I didn't know it would be so cold! I thought the sock would do it!"

Barnes raises a brow. "You shouldn't have taken her out in the first place."

Max rolls his eyes, "I get that now. Thanks."

Barnes smiles down at her.

Max looks around. His crutch is still in the doorway and there is literally no one in the whole place.

"Where is everyone?" He asks, looking over to Barnes. Barnes rolls his eyes, "We are kind of ten minutes from closing."

This slowly registers with Max.

Oh.

"Well she was shivering and I needed to get her somewhere!" He defends, picking Lawrence up, who is now not shivering and actually looks okay. Good. That means he can go.

"Well you can't take her back out there."

Max looks back to Barnes, and he realizes that he is correct. "Shit. I can't."

Barnes rolls his eyes, before holding his hands out for Lawrence. Max hands over the jacket wrapped cat and Barnes looks down at her. He begins petting her, and a small smile plays at his lips.

"What's going on over here?"