Chapter Text
To say Bradley was mad would be an understatement, he was absolutely furious.
He already wasn't happy about having to share a dorm room with someone, but that slight annoyance quickly turned to rage as he stood at the door of his dorm room, staring at the name listed below his. Max Goof. For a moment he wondered what he did to deserve this. Well...probably cheating to win the X-games, and almost killing Tank. He quickly ignored that thought and sighed as he walked into the dorm room. It was a nice dorm he supposed, but not without its flaws.
There was a small living space as he walked in, with an equally small kitchen connected to it. There were three closed doors branched off from the main living area, which he guessed to be bedrooms and a bathroom. He walked into one, and couldn't believe the size of the room. It was so small compared to the room he had back at the Gamma house. He grumbled angrily and began unpacking his things, dreading the insufferable year that he just knew was ahead of him.
Midway through unpacking his things, he heard the dorm door creak open. He took an angry, deep breath, setting the trophy in his hands down with more force than necessary. He debates just staying in his room until Max eventually walks in and says something to him, but decides against it. He turns on his heel and makes his way out of the room, opening the door to see Max right in front of it, looking as if he was just about to knock. He was wearing his usual red t-shirt and baggy jeans. He looked like a mess, Bradley couldn't believe he actually went outside like that.
"Wonderful to see you again, Freshman." He spat sarcastically. Max raised an eyebrow, "Not a freshman anymore, but..could say the same to you, Brad." He replies with the same amount of bite, a smirk playing on his lips, which causes him to notice Max's snake bite piercings. Those are new. Bradley quickly looks away when he catches himself staring too long, not even sure why he had focused on them.
"Don't call me that, Freshman." He snaps. "We need to set some..ground rules. If we're going to be roommates." Bradley grumbles, already hating how this is going. "Yeah, sure whatever." Max says with a shrug, clearly not taking it seriously. "Why are you sharing dorms anyways, Brad? You get kicked out of the Gammas?" He takes a deep breath, losing patience quickly. He decides not to say anything about Max still calling him Brad, knowing it was no use.
"That's none of your business." I say with a hiss, "Anyways. While we are roommates I do not want you speaking to me, looking at me, eating my food, making the dorm messy, or touching any of my stuff." The brunette says sternly, crossing his arms. "Really, Bradley?" Max responds, a dumbfounded expression adorning his features. "We're roommates, we're gonna have to look at each other. I know, we got off on the wrong foot. But the X-games are over, we aren't competing anymore. Can't we put that aside and at least learn to tolerate each other?"
Bradley stares the boy down for a moment, mulling over his proposal. Is he serious? "Fine. We can abandon the first two rules, but talking will be kept to a minimum." He finally said, his voice begrudging. Max sighed, clearly disappointed by Bradley's stubbornness, "Okay, whatever." He muttered.
Since its moving day, there are no classes. Bradley would usually spend a free day practicing on his skateboard, but he couldn't bring himself to get out and do so. It was likely he'd run into the Gammas at the skate park, and he'd rather avoid interacting with them. Instead, he busied himself with arranging his room, each item meticulously placed, trying to create some semblance of control in a situation that felt increasingly out of his hands .Bradley moved his trophy to a shelf above his desk, adjusting it multiple times until it was perfectly centered.
He meticulously arranged his books, lining them up by size and subject. Each motion was deliberate, a way to channel his frustration and keep his mind from spiraling into a pit of anger. He could hear Max moving around in the living area, his footsteps annoyingly carefree. The sound grated on Bradley's nerves, each step a reminder of the unwelcome presence of his new roommate. Couldn't he be quiet for just five seconds?
Once he decided his room was organized to his satisfaction he walked out, wanting to take a good look at the rest of the living space. Max had his bedroom door wide open as he unpacked everything, all of his belongings being messily thrown around the room. A pile of clothes had somehow ended up at the door frame, alongside some other miscellaneous objects. Bradley pushed them back into the room with his foot, a look of utter disgust adorning his features. How could someone be so messy?
Max had been excited for his Sophomore year, hoping he wouldn’t have to deal with Bradley Uppercrust “the third” this year. He had enough of him his Freshman year, and partly expected Bradley to transfer to another college after the X-games incident. That didn't happen however. No word other than dread could describe his emotions when he saw his roommate for the year. It could have been anyone else, why Bradley of all people? After a dreadful interaction with his rival he began unpacking his things messily and quickly, texting his group chat with P.J. and Bobby to complain while he unpacked. He hoped him and Bradley could at least come to somewhat friendly terms with each other, because if they didn’t he wasn’t sure he’d be able to survive the school year.
The first few days of school pass painstakingly slow. If someone had told him a year ago that he’d be stuck sharing a dorm with Max Goof, he would have laughed in their face. Yet here he was, trying to make the best out of an undeniably frustrating situation. Bradley spent most of his time in his room, only venturing out when necessary. He couldn’t avoid Max entirely, but he sure could try. On the second day, Bradley woke up early. He had his morning routine down to a science—wake up, shower, get dressed, and have breakfast—all without having to interact with Max. As he walked into the kitchen, he was relieved to see it empty. He made himself a glass of water, hoping it would help him to wake up. It was completely quiet and peaceful, just how Bradley liked it.
But the quiet didn't last, just as Bradley had finished his water and put his cup away, Max stumbled into the kitchen. He had on a tank top and red plaid pajama pants, and his hair was a mess. Bradley scoffed, his face slightly red from annoyance as he wondered how Max could leave his room like that. "Hey, Brad." Max said with a small wave, opening the fridge to grab some sort of soda, that Bradley didn't care enough about to figure out exactly what it was. "How many times do I have to tell you to not call me that?" He snapped, his fists clenching. "Who drinks soda first thing in the morning?" He commented with a hint of disgust, "So unhealthy." Bradley didn't listen to Max's response and he walked back to his room.
Pointless arguments and snarky comments like this happened day after day, quickly becoming tiring.Bradley stared at his reflection in the small bathroom mirror, trying to calm his simmering frustration. Every interaction with Max seemed to set him off, and he couldn't figure out why he let it get to him so much. With a sigh, he splashed some cold water on his face, hoping it would help cool his temper. He had to find a way to manage his anger, even though it was, in his opinion, completely justified, or this year was going to be unbearable.