Bradley walks into the kitchen, wearing somber clothes: black three-quarters sleeves shirt, black jeans, black shoes.

"Looking festive," Cassandra greets him. He rolls his eyes and continues to walk to the foyer off the living room. "Breakfast?" She calls out to him.

"I'll eat a granola bar in the car!" He yells back. He grabs his backpack and walks into the garage off the foyer. He gets in his car and drives to school.

When arrives he strolls to his locker before he goes to his homeroom, which he has with Hannah. He sits down in the seat he sits in everyday and his stomach grumbles from the lack of food. He pretends not to notice it.

When Hannah walks in, she doesn't sit by him like she usually does. Instead she walks towards Matt, the football player she's been messing around with, and kisses him on the cheek.

Bradley finds this peculiar, mostly because it's been two weeks since Matt started to actually acknowledge Hannah and she's already in love with him. Well, maybe, not love but definitely infatuated with him.

He doesn't say anything. He just sits quietly in his seat for the rest of the time and pretends to read a book while he's really just fantasizing about Leo—but no one has to know that.

By the time the bell rings, Bradley's managed to think about seven situations that lead to him kissing Leo. He knows none of them would ever happen, ever, but he still likes to think about it.

"Hey," Hannah calls out to Bradley from behind him. He's walking towards his locker and looks over his shoulder.

"Hey." He acknowledges and waits for her to catch up to him. She jogs to him and smiles.

"What class do you have again?"

Bradley does the combination for his locker and opens it. He grabs his Advanced Chem book, folder, and notebook before closing it.

"I have Advanced Chem. With you." Bradley rolls his eyes.

"Oh yeah, I totally forgot. I've been really messed up lately, I've been forgetting everything." Hannah laughs. She runs her temple with her hand and then rubs her eye. Bradley should be more concerned, but he isn't.

"I'll see you in class," Bradley says, slightly annoyed. It's been three of the four minutes they get to get from class to class and he really doesn't feel like being late.

Hannah nods her head before sauntering off to her locker somewhere on the other side of the school.

Bradley walks into Advanced Chemistry and takes his seat at his lab table. He waits for Hannah to arrive, seeing as she is his lab partner, but the bells rings and she never shows up.

He waits for a few minutes, knowing that Hannah is known for being late. Ten minutes into class, she still hasn't shown up. Bradley gives up hope at twenty minutes and starts the assigned lab, without her.

•••

By the time lunch rolls around, Bradley has seen Leo once and Corrie twice. He hasn't seen Hannah since the incident in the hallway—coincidentally, Bradley hadn't seen Matt in the class he had with him second hour.

"Where's all you food?" Corrie asks concerned. He's looking at Bradley's nearly empty tray with confusion.

This time, Bradley doesn't blow up. Nonchalantly, he lies, "I ate a big breakfast. Dad woke up early and made pancakes."

Corrie nods his head unconvinced but drops it.

Bradley pokes around with his food, cuts it up into small pieces so no one notices. When he goes to throw his food away, no one said anything.

"Have you seen Matt?" Jordan asks Corrie. Neither Matt or Hannah are sitting at the table. Bradley holds in his snort.

Jordan is really oblivious sometimes.

"Nah, man, haven't heard from his since homeroom." Corrie responds. He's obviously not as dumb as Jordan because Corrie smirks after he says it.

"Hannah?" Jordan directs his question at Bradley.

"Saw her passing period, she never showed up for Chem first hour." Bradley shrugs his shoulders as if to say What can you do?

Jordan is obviously upset over Hannah and Matt's disappearance. Bradley decides not to get involved and lets Jordan sulk over them in solitude.

A few of Corrie's sports friends leave before the end of the lunch period. They claim something about math tutoring—which is probably code for getting high in the boys bathroom. It's just Corrie, Bradley, and a sulk ridden Jordan.

"So, what's going on with you guys this weekend? Corrie breaks the ice. Jordan shrugs his shoulders and bites on his straw.

"I'll be with Mom and Dad," Bradley answers to fill the silence.

"Ballet stuff, I'm assuming."

"Unfortunately."

"You need someone to get you out of it?"

Bradley's very tempted to take Corrie up on his offer, but Bradley declines politely. "Eh, I was going to have to go one of these days. Might as well get it over with."

"Dude, you do ballet?" Jordan snarks. "That's so gay."

Corrie's head snaps over so fast Bradley thinks his neck might break.

"Excuse me?" Corrie snaps. "I wasn't aware of the fact that an activity has a sexuality."

"No, it doesn't," Jordan backtracks. He obviously thought Corrie was going to agree with him and laugh.

He's upset his master, Bradley thinks, poor puppy.

"Look man, I knew you were pretty clueless and insensitive when I became your friend. I didn't realize how ignorant you were though."

The bell rings and Corrie gets up and stomps out of the cafeteria. Bradley stands up and gives Jordan a sympathetic smile before leaving. Yes, Jordan is ignorant and self-righteous but Bradley does feel kind of bad for him.

Bradley can be empathetic if he wants to be.

•••

It's dinner time, and Bradley is really his regretting his decision to spend agree to dinner with his Mom and Dad.

He takes a few bites of his chicken before cutting it up into smaller pieces.

"Why are you playing with you food?" Cassandra scolds. "Have I taught you nothing about table manners."

"Sorry, I just ate a really big lunch," Bradley forces a smile onto his face. "I also ate some McDonalds' on the way home."

Bradley is such a good liar, he could be an actor. Graham nods his head but Cassandra's a bit more skeptical. She narrows her eyes before sighing and cutting into her chicken.

"May I be excused?" Bradley asks which is very odd. Cassandra stares at him with astonishment. Bradley never uses manners. She doesn't know if she should be happy or worried.

Perhaps Bradley's making a change, she thinks, people change all the time.

What she forgets, though, people do change. For better or for worse.

__________

☒ - unedited

Do you see where I'm going with this? Do you like it? Did you see it coming? Do you think something bad is going on with Hannah, if so, what do you think it is?

Please tell me if you see any mistakes, I'm the queen of typos.

Read, vote, comment, and please, please share! Tell me what you liked/disliked. Constructive criticism is very, very welcome!

Rant of the chapter: School is killing me already. I'm already failing math. Help me.

Dedicated to: @Acttivation for the wonderful support. I seriously can't thank you enough.

Next update: not sure but i'm trying here guys. i promise. just stick with me.

Teaser: chapters nine and ten are all about bradley, but i'm gonna change it up soon...

Quick notes:
[ 1 ] i've been gone for what, a month, and i have no explanations. so i have a question, would you like two long chapters once a month or short chapters about every week or so? it'd really jack up my plans for this book but i don't want to let you guys down.
[ 2 ] i thank anyone who's reading this book. it means the absolute world to me.
[ 3 ] comment what you think will happen after this. i haven't even gotten to the really juicy stuff yet.
[ 4 ] i'm really looking for an editor right now. i know there are lots of typos and shit that's messed up so if anyone is an editor/knows one i'd love for you to direct message me. thank you.

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