overnight at school

Wednesday arrived faster than Max had expected, and with it came the reality of returning to school. The long weekend, the strange freedom they'd shared, the kiss that felt like it belonged to a different world-none of it seemed to fit in with the routine of being back in class, surrounded by the usual noise of lockers slamming, students chatting, and the familiar drone of teachers talking.

As Max stood at the entrance to school, the weight of it all settled heavily on his shoulders. He hadn't expected things to change overnight, but there was something different now-something he couldn't ignore. The weekend with Josh had been filled with moments of honesty, vulnerability, and quiet connection, but none of that could survive in the world of high school where reputations were everything.

Max glanced at Josh, standing beside him. Josh was leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest, his usual bad-boy attitude firmly in place. He looked effortlessly cool, with his leather jacket and tousled hair, but Max could see the tension in his posture, the way his jaw tightened as they approached the school gates.

"Hey," Max said, breaking the silence as they walked through the front doors of the school. "You good?"

Josh shot him a quick glance, his expression unreadable. "Yeah, I'm fine," he muttered, his voice sounding distant. "Just... you know how it is."

Max knew exactly what he meant. The social landscape of school was unforgiving, and Josh had worked hard to build a certain reputation. A reputation that didn't leave room for anything personal, anything real. Especially not anything that involved Max.

They made their way through the hallways, the buzz of students surrounding them, and Max felt a knot form in his stomach. He hadn't known how to prepare for this-how to go from spending an entire weekend with someone, sharing a moment of closeness, to walking back into a school where everything would be scrutinized.

Josh's usual swagger seemed more pronounced today, his eyes forward, face impassive as he navigated the sea of students. Max could tell he was keeping his distance, not just physically, but emotionally too. It hurt more than Max had anticipated.

They reached their lockers, and Max paused to grab his books, but he couldn't help glancing at Josh again. Josh's expression was tense, like he was bracing for something.

"You don't have to act like nothing happened, you know," Max said quietly, trying to break through the tension.

Josh's head snapped toward him, eyes flicking briefly over Max's face before he looked away again. "We don't have time for that right now," Josh said, his voice low, but with a sharp edge. "We're back in school, Max. Things are different here. We can't just... do what we did. You know that."

Max felt a stab of disappointment at the words, but he nodded. He knew what Josh meant. The world they had shared over the weekend-the quiet moments, the kiss-didn't fit with the public version of who they were. For Josh, it was especially complicated. His reputation as the "bad boy" was something he had carefully constructed. Showing any vulnerability, any softness, wasn't part of that.

"I get it," Max said, trying to keep his voice steady. "I just... I don't want to pretend nothing happened. It wasn't just a mistake, Josh."

Josh's eyes flickered for a brief second, and Max thought he saw something-regret? A flicker of doubt?-but it was gone too quickly to be sure. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "We'll talk later, okay? Just... not here. Not in front of everyone."

Max didn't have the heart to argue. Josh was right; the school hallways weren't the place for this conversation. But that didn't stop the weight of unspoken words from hanging between them.

"Alright," Max said, his voice barely a whisper. "Later."

As the school day continued, Max tried to focus on his classes, but his thoughts kept drifting back to Josh. Every time he caught a glimpse of him in the hallway or across the classroom, he couldn't help but feel the distance between them. It was as if the moment they had shared-the quiet connection, the kiss, everything-had been swallowed up by the walls of the school.

The worst part was, Max wasn't sure what to do about it. He couldn't force Josh to be open about what had happened, and he didn't want to put pressure on him. But it still stung, this feeling of being pushed away, like the connection they'd shared had been erased with the flip of a switch.

At lunch, Max sat with a few other classmates in the cafeteria, his usual spot. It was the same group of people, the same banter, the same jokes. But Max felt like he was looking at it from the outside, as if he were in a different world. He kept glancing at Josh, who was sitting at a separate table, surrounded by a few of his other friends-the kind of friends who didn't ask questions and didn't care about anyone else's business. They all seemed to buy into the act Josh put on, the tough exterior that Max knew was just a shield.

Max tried to push the thoughts away, focusing on his food, but the nagging feeling in his chest wouldn't go away. The entire lunch period felt off, like he was in some kind of limbo, stuck between the world he'd shared with Josh and the reality of school.

The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch, and Max gathered his things, walking toward the exit. He wasn't sure what he expected-maybe Josh would try to catch his eye or say something-but there was nothing. Josh was already up and moving toward his next class, his back straight, his expression unreadable. The only thing Max noticed was how distant they had become in such a short time.

As Max left the cafeteria, he couldn't shake the feeling of loneliness that had settled over him. The school day wasn't even close to being over, but he already felt exhausted, emotionally drained by the distance between him and Josh. It seemed like everything had changed without him having any control over it.

He had no idea what was going on in Josh's head. But he couldn't ignore the fact that things felt different now-like the lines between them had shifted, and Max wasn't sure where they stood anymore.

The idea of waiting for later, for some private moment to talk, seemed unbearable. But what could he do? He had no choice but to go along with it-just like Josh was.

By the end of the day, Max felt more lost than he had all week. He just hoped that later-whenever that was-Josh would finally open up, and they could figure out what came next. Because right now, Max was left with a heart full of questions and a gut full of uncertainty.