Friends with Consequences Ch. 08-09

Somehow, being called out for his terrible attitude brought Max a little awareness. "It wasn't exactly like that but you're not entirely wrong."

Lee wasn't one to feel empathy, but at that moment, he actually felt bad for Max. Pulling a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, he looked at his younger roommate and said, "I need to have smoke. Come chat with me, outside."

Max had never seen him smoke, but always assumed he was a smoker because of the smell on his clothes. Though he didn't want to get out of bed, it wasn't like his roommate to express a desire to talk, so he accepted the offer.

When they got outside, Lee put one in his mouth before offering Max. "Want one?"

The freshman didn't drink, and he definitely didn't smoke. "I'm good," he said, surprised that his roommate would even offer.

"Just take it. It's not going to kill you."

Max furrowed his eyebrows. "Cigarettes kill a lot of people. There's a warning label on the box and everything."

"I meant, it's not going to kill you today," the older roommate clarified. Seeing that he had drawn a small laugh out of Max, he decided to explain his own bad behavior. "I work all day. When I'm not at work, I'm in class. When I'm not in class, I'm studying. My senior year has been the busiest time of my life. Smoking just helps me with my stress."

Max looked at the cigarette for a moment. Feeling sorry for his stressed roommate, he decided to take it.

"So, tell me about this girl. You guys were dating, and then she left you?"

As bluntly as he put it, Max realized it was pretty close to the truth. "She was never technically my girlfriend, but I started to see her that way."

"You guys were having sex, weren't you?"

Getting a little red, Max decided to admit it. There was no point in hiding it any longer. "Yeah... we were."

The roommate just shook his head in disappointment. "I knew it. I could smell it in the room."

"What really?!" the shocked young man reacted.

Lee just smiled at the younger guy. "I'm just fucking with you."

Max let out a sigh in annoyance before continuing. "Well, we were friends with benefits, but then we stopped because she found... someone else. And now she's really dating him and we're not even friends anymore."

"Whose idea was it to be friends with benefits?" Lee asked, scratching his chin.

"Hers..."

Lee took a deep puff of his cigarette. "Ah, I see now."

"What do you see?"

After blowing out his smoke, the senior answered, "You're a pussy."

Max's head popped up in shock. "Excuse me?!"

"Yeah, you're a pussy. That's why she left you."

Shaking his head in disbelief, the younger student responded, "Okay, I didn't come out here to get insulted like this!"

"I'm not insulting you," Lee assured. "I'm just telling you why she didn't want to be with you."

"Okay... I'm pretty sure being called a pussy is an insult."

"Okay, maybe I did insult you. You got me! But just because it's an insult doesn't mean it's not true. I'm just trying to help you."

"Yeah, this is a big help," Max responded, rolling his eyes. "I feel better already."

The senior student made one final push to share wisdom with his younger roommate. "Look, man. I've been here four years now. Year in and year out, I get some freshmen with all types of freshman problems. Normally, I just try to stay out of that shit, but I just can't keep my mouth shut any longer. I can't just walk in every day and watch you stare at the wall or the ceiling in the same exact position you were the day before."

Luckily, Max now understood that his roommate was trying to help, in his own weird way. However, his frustrations hadn't been resolved. "So, what am I supposed to do?"

"I don't know what you should do, but you HAVE to do SOMETHING. It's not like that girl is going to come running back to you just because you're lying in bed all day, looking depressed."

Max took his eyes off his roommate and looked down at his feet. It was the first time someone really confronted him. Deep down, he knew his roommate was right.

"Didn't you used to go to the gym and play tennis or something?" Lee continued. "Try doing that again."

"It was actually soccer, not tennis," Max interjected.

Lee rolled his eyes and let out a little chuckle. "Yeah sure, soccer. Whatever pussy sport you were playing."

"There you go calling me a pussy again..." the young man commented, this time much more light-hearted.

"You know what I mean, though. You have to do something... ANYTHING. I'm not here that much because of my schedule, but you have to let me have the room to myself every once in a while!"

Max finally let out the question that tugged on his heart. "And what if she doesn't come back to me?"

"Who cares?" Lee answered, being completely honest. "You're probably better off finding a girl who won't leave you for someone else."

It was a harsh truth, but something the young man needed to understand. "Yeah, I guess you're right..."

"She can say whatever she wants about you guys just being friends with benefits. No matter how you spin it, she could have been with you, and now she's with someone else. I know you care about her, but she sounds like a pretty shitty person to me."

The freshman stood there silently, reflecting on his roommate's perspective. Through all the insults, there were a lot of things he needed to hear.

"I'm going to smoke another one," his roommate said, breaking the silence. "You can go back inside if you want. I'll leave you alone now."

Max looked up at the guy and nodded his head. "I think I will try a cigarette with you, if you don't mind."

"That's what I'm talking about!" Lee joked as he handed Max a smoke. "This is my first time convincing a minor to do drugs!"

Max started laughing as he took the cigarette and lit it up. With a little instruction, he took his first puff but began coughing relentlessly. "That's disgusting!"

--

Lee was right, the naïve boy had to move on. But understandably, his version of moving on didn't completely shut Linda out. He wanted to make himself more appealing, in case she ever came back.

Maybe if I start going to the gym, she'll find me more attractive, he thought. However, he knew he would never look like her current boyfriend. He's probably on steroids. And I don't even know what I'm doing in the gym. I usually just copy John.

Suddenly, he cringed when the name John popped into his head. I've been ghosting him for several months. He's probably pissed that I haven't responded to any of the invites. Man, I hope I don't see him there!

The one thing Max was worried about immediately became a reality. As soon as he entered the gym, he noticed John working out near the very front. He thought about turning around, but it was too late. His old friend had already noticed him.

"Max?!"

The shy young man froze, expecting John's call to be followed by anger and accusations. "Hey John..."

"Where you been, man? It's good to see you! I thought you died or something!"

Max raised an eyebrow, surprised his old buddy wasn't upset. "Wait, really?"

John's face became puzzled. "No, it's just like an expression or something. I didn't think you really died..."

Shaking his head, Max replied, "No, not that. I meant, you're not upset that I disappeared on you?"

"Hmm... not really," John responded after pondering for a quick second. "But we were wondering what happened to you."

"I've just been..." After thinking about it for a moment, the freshman decided he didn't want to get into everything that had been going on in his. "I've just been dealing with a lot of stuff."

John could see the look and Max's eyes and knew that he was dealing with something dramatic and stressful. Placing his hand on his friend's shoulder, he just said, "I understand, man. Life happens sometimes. But it's good to see you!"

A sigh of relief came over Max. It was nice to know he had a friend who understood, even without a big explanation. "Thanks, for being understanding."

"No problem man," John said is he started walking away. Then suddenly, he came to a quick stop and pointed at Max. "By the way, you're always invited to play soccer with us."

Max did everything in his power not to smile. "That sounds fun."

--

It was surprising to see how welcoming everyone was when he got to the soccer field. Up to this point, the most significant relationship he had was with Linda, who could be very unforgiving. It was nice to have people in his life who were understanding.

When they asked where he had been, Max could hear in their voices that they weren't interrogating him. It took something as simple as this to realize some of the issues he had with his former fuck buddy.

Linda was so high risk, high reward. Though the rewards were great, there was always a pressure to not do anything that would make her upset. Maybe Lee was right, he thought to himself. Maybe I am a pussy.

As Max started playing around, just to warm up before the game, he immediately noticed that any amount of a skill he acquired before ghosting his friends had already diminished. As unathletic as he already was, he was in even worse shape after being left bedridden for several months.

Hoping nobody would notice, he dribbled the ball, running towards the goal to attempt a practice shot. However, just before he could cock his leg back, he felt a bump on his side, sending him off balance.

After stopping himself from falling, he turned and noticed it was Allie who had hip checked him. As he fixed his eyes on her, standing there so innocently, he noticed how cute she looked with her black hair, big t-shirt, and little spandex shorts.

Putting her hands on her hips, Allie made a cute face and said, "Hey buddy. Long time no see."

"Oh, Allie!" Max replied, scratching his head. "You're a lot stronger than you look! You almost knocked me down."

The cute, short girl smirked at him, approving of his comment. "So, where have you been?"

Max was not romantically interested, but he didn't want her to know about the Linda situation. How lame would it be to say he hasn't been playing soccer because he had his heart broken by a girl he wasn't even dating? He just responded, "I've been really busy."

"Don't worry about it," Alie assured with a cute smile. "I was really busy my freshman year, too."

"You're not a freshman?" The timid young man knew he would never have a chance with her. However, hearing she was older than him confirmed she was way out of his league.

Looking a bit surprised, Allie responded, "I'm a sophomore. I thought you knew that."

"That makes sense," Max said as he looked in John's direction. "You guys have been playing soccer together since last year."

Though Allie was happy to talk to Max, she never intended for the conversation to go that long. Taking a step away, she tried to end it on a good note. "Well, I hope you start coming more often."

"Why? Did you miss me?" Max asked. As soon as those words left his mouth, he cringed. Did I really just say that?

It brought Allie to a complete stop. Thinking Max was too shy to flirt, she found his comments to be cute. "Of course, I missed you. You're the only one that's as bad as I am at soccer."

Max just smiled at her as she ran off with her own smile. Though he knew she was just joking, it warmed his heart to have a girl pretend to flirt with him.

When the game started, Max was just as bad as he thought he would be. However, that wasn't important to him. It was nice to get his mind off Linda, even if it was just for a moment.

As John scored a goal, he immediately ran up to Max and gave him a high five. Noticing the big smile on his friend's face, he asked, "Are you having fun?"

"I'm having so much fun!"

--

"I'm having so much fun!" Linda said as she took a shot with Patricia. They were at the frat house again, partying it up on weekday night.

"I'm having so much fun, too!" Patricia replied. "It's been great, dating frat guys! Now we can party whenever we want!"

"I know, right!" Linda responded as she clinked her glass against her friend's. "I can't believe I ever had doubts about being with Jake. He's been so great!"

Patricia looked over at her boyfriend. "Tommy's been great, too. I love going on double dates with you guys!"

Suddenly, Linda's smile disappeared. "By double dates, do you mean parties?"

Patricia noticed the subtle change and her roommate's tone. "Oh... Do you not like all the parties?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that! I do like the parties, but I just realized we haven't gone on many date-dates lately."

Patricia placed her hand underneath her chin and leaned in. "What do you mean by date-dates?"

"You know, like... take me out for dinner. Maybe, a movie..."

"Hmm," Patricia reacted, scratching her chin. "Maybe Jake just isn't that romantic?"

Hearing the word "romantic," shifted Linda's mind in a different direction. She started to blush, thinking about their romantically erotic experiences in bed. "Oh, he's definitely romantic!"

"See!" Patricia said, giggling with her friend. "I'm sure everything will be fine."

Still red from blushing, Linda just smiled as she remembered the hot times. "Yeah, I'm sure everything will be fine. It's really no big deal."

Suddenly, Jake walked in, interrupting the roommates with perfect timing. "How are you ladies doing?"

Linda ran up and wrapped her arms around her boyfriend's waist. "We're good!"

"You two should come out to the living room and join us."

"Are you guys taking shots?" Linda asked. "I could definitely go for another shot."

A little smirk came over Jake's face. "Actually, I have something much better than alcohol in the living room."

The freshman girls were confused, but eventually realized what Jake was alluding to.

"Oh..." Patricia said, with a gasp.

Linda's eyes became big and her heart raced. "Wow... that's... crazy..."

Jake raised his eyebrows, surprised by his wild girlfriend's hesitant reaction. "What's wrong? Do you not like this?"

"No... it's not that," Linda said, trying to catch herself. "I just didn't know... you did this stuff..."

"I don't do it all the time," Jake explained. "My work buddies and I just do it occasionally. It's kind of popular in the business world."

Linda folded her arms, not knowing what to say. She tapped her foot on the ground, wondering if Patricia was going to say anything. Unfortunately, her roommate was just as quiet as she was.

Jake put his hand on his nervous girlfriend's back and led her towards the table. "Ready to try it, Babe?"

Taking slow steps, the freshman looked up at her boyfriend and responded. "I don't know Jake... I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with this."

Nonchalantly, Jake brushed it off. "Oh, come on, Babe! It'll be fine! Besides, I thought you liked partying."

"I do," Linda responded, putting her head down as she listened to her heart racing.

Jake began massaging her shoulders, warming her up like a professional boxer. "I was also nervous my first time. But don't worry, you won't regret this."

Linda nodded her head. "Okay..."

"I'll show you how it's done," Jake said, leaning towards the table. "You just line it up and take a big snort, like this!"

--

As Max walked into his room, a surprised look came over his roommate's face. "Where have you been?" Lee asked.

"I went out and played... that 'pussy sport' with some friends."

Both of Lee's eyebrows raised as he tried to keep himself from reacting. Deep down inside, he was proud of the young man. "So, how was it?" he asked.

The night of fun replayed through Max's troubled mind. With a sigh of relief he responded, "It was... pretty fun."

The older roommate could no longer contain himself. He nodded in approval, proud of himself for giving such good advice. "Surprise, surprise!"

"I know," Max responded with a smirk. "You're a good friend." He then grabbed his clothes and headed towards the shower.

"Hey, Max!" Lee called out before the freshman could leave the room.

The freshman stopped in his tracks. "Yeah?"

"I'm not your friend," the senior responded. "I just wanted you to leave the room more often."

Max smirked before leaving the room. He was beginning to understand his roommate's tough exterior. Most importantly, he was just happy to have someone that wasn't afraid to tell him what he needed to hear.

--

I'll never forget what we had.

I'll never forget your name.

But the sooner I get past memories

The sooner I get past the pain.

My heart is still sad

And delicate like a feather.

You tore it all apart

I'm taping it back together.

You left me so fast.

No reason for hiding.

I may never win the war

But at least my heart is fighting.

Not fighting to win you back.

I've accepted my fate.

Fighting for a chance at love

Because yours was too late.

"This is your chance!" John yelled, passing the ball forward.

Max was able to get it before the defender and bring it towards the net. Still unsure of what he was doing, he closed eyes and kicked the ball as hard as he could.

Boom! The ball hit the back of the net. Clapping and cheering ensued as the young man's new group of friends celebrated his goal.

"Good job, Max! John said as he ran up and gave a high five. "That's your first goal!"

Max handed out several high fives. "I feel like I'm really getting the hang of the sport!"

"I'll say! You weren't that great at first, but it looks like you really got the hang of it."

"I really like it," Max urged, with a big smile on his face. "And I can't believe how good of shape I'm in."

"Yeah, you're way more athletic than you used to be," one of the other guys said, while giving Max a high five.

When the pickup match came to an end, Max grabbed his belongings and said his goodbyes like he always did. "See you later, guys! Thanks for inviting me out!"

"Hey, Max!" John yelled, stopping the young man before leaving. "Some of us are getting yogurt. Would you like to join us?"

"Uhhh... I don't know," Max responded. He was looking forward to going back to his room, despite having nothing planned. However, he enjoyed the feeling of being included by his new friends.

"Come on, Bro!" John urged with an encouraging tone. "We know you're a busy guy, but it won't take all night. Just stop by!"

Being in the best shape of his life and actually scoring a goal gave Max the confidence to hang out with his friends a little longer. "Yeah, I think I'll stop by," he said after thinking it over.

At first, Max thought John was just being nice by inviting him to play soccer. He also assumed John's friends were only tolerating him. With time, the timid freshman realized they actually enjoyed having him there.

It became even more clear when he joined them at the large table inside the froyo shop. The group was all smiles to have him there, and they spoke to him about more than just soccer. They wanted to get to know him.

People came and went, but eventually Max found himself sitting right next to Allie. Once he greeted her, he realized the short and cute girl was as willing to talk to him away from everyone else.

"Hey, Hot Shot," she said as she poked Max's side.

Max blushed. "Hi Allie."

"Nice goal out there," she said, placing her hands on her hips. "What happened? You were supposed to be my rival for the worst player out there."

Max scratched his head and smiled. "I don't know, I guess I've gotten a lot better since I started coming out consistently."