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Braden woke up to Finn shaking him awake, and his back was very stiff. He didn't usually stay at motels, but since the concert was late they had to. "Time to get up." Finn said, walking over to Maria. "Damn, I forgot we didn't pack clothes." Finn chuckled, sitting down next to Maria.

"I guess we can just stay in these clothes." Maria sighed, sniffing her shirt. "Eh, it doesn't smell too bad, it'll do." She shrugged, walking into the bathroom. Braden sighed and ran a hand through his hair in an attempt to fix his bed head. "Next time we should plan a little better." Finn said, stretching his back out.

"Yeah. And next time we're not staying at a Motel 6." Braden said, getting out of bed. "Agreed." Maria said, walking back in from the bathroom. "I prefer the Hampton myself." Braden said, walking to the door. "You guys wanna go get breakfast?" He asked, looking at his friends. "Sure." They said in unison, following Braden out of the room.

The three friends left the motel and went to find a place to eat. They got in Braden's car and took off towards Denny's. Braden pulled into the parking lot and they all got out of the car. They walked in and sat at booth, looking over the menus. A waiter came over and took their drink order, and Finn struck up conversation.

Neither Finn nor Maria brought up what happened at the concert, afraid that Braden would snap at them. They didn't want to start a fight between them. The waiter came back with their drinks and they ordered their food. "So what do you guys wanna do when we get back to school?" Finn asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

"We should go shopping!" Maria yelled, causing a few heads to turn their way. "Do you always have to yell?" Braden chuckled, poking Maria's cheek. "Yes. I'm a very loud person, thank you very much." She said, glancing up at the waiter. He set their food down on the table and walked back over to the counter.

"Damn this looks good." Finn said, rubbing his hand together. "I need new friends." Braden sighed, eating a piece of bacon. "No one can replace us." Maria said, taking a piece of bacon off Braden's plate. "I will replace you if you keep taking my food." Braden said, swatting Maria's hand when she tried to take more bacon.

"Eat your own food." Braden said, gesturing to the huge plate of biscuits and gravy in front of Maria. "But I didn't order bacon..." She whined, taking a bite of her food. "Sounds like a you problem." Braden said, stuffing a fork full of pancake in his mouth. The three friends finished their food and split the bill, leaving a tip.

They left the building and piled in Braden's car, heading back to the motel. Braden parked the car and they went into the motel. They got their things out of the room, and checked out. After a long drive, and a few stops for bathroom breaks, they were finally back at the academy. Braden stepped out of the car and his friends copied him.

"I'm gonna go get changed." Braden said, taking off in the direction of his dorm. Braden swung the door open and saw a shirtless Colin getting dressed. Braden quickly averted his eyes to the floor and walked over to his closet. As soon as Colin saw his face, he knew something was wrong with Braden.

"You okay?" Colin said, trying to sound casual, but the concern slipped into his voice. "I'm fine." Braden said, taking his shirt off and throwing it on the floor. Colin's eyes were locked on Braden's bare torso, making Braden feel a little uneasy. 'Why is he staring at me?' He thought. "When did you get that tattoo?" Colin asked, pointing to the illuminati tattoo on Braden's ribs.

"A couple years ago. I was drunk at a street fair." Braden shrugged, pulling a shirt over his head. He changed into some dark gray skinnies and converse, and headed into the bathroom. He brushed his hair and teeth, and walked back into the dorm. Colin was now wearing a tank top and joggers with tennis shoes.

Braden's gaze traveled to Colin's lips, and he remembered the sight of him and Val kissing. The thought made Braden's stomach turn, and for a moment he thought he might puke. He shook off the feeling and left the dorm, slamming the door. Colin could tell that this was out of character for Braden.

He usually wasn't this moody. 'Did I do something to him?' He thought, trying to figure out what he did wrong. He shrugged and left to find his friends. He met up with Toby and Val, and they went to the cafeteria. They walked in and got their lunch, sitting down at their usual table. "So, you wanna hang out later, Colin? Just the two of us?" Val said, placing her hand on Colin's thigh.

Colin tensed up and moved Val's hand. "Uh, I have plans later." He said, taking a bite of his salisbury steak. Val pouted and started playing on her phone. Colin rolled his eyes and glanced over at Braden's table. He was sitting with Finn and Maria, looking kinda sad. Then they made eye contact. Saying it was awkward was an understatement.

Braden's eyes were a little puffy and his hair was a mess. Finn whispered something to him and he averted his gaze to his food. Braden sat there picking at his food, his appetite gone. Seeing Val and Colin sitting together was enough to ruin Braden's mood. He hated having a crush on Colin sometimes. 'Why did my heart choose him?' He thought, taking a sip of his soda.

Braden continued picking at his food as his friends finished eating, then they left the cafeteria. "Cheer up, yeah? It'll be alright." Maria told him, pulling him in for a side hug. "Maybe.." He mumbled. They decided to go to Finn's dorm so they could avoid seeing Colin, and took off in the direction of Finn's room. Finn opened the door to his dorm and came face to face with his roommate, Liam.

Liam was very good looking, with jet black hair and a small figure. Braden hadn't ever seen Finn's roommate, but he was happy with what he saw. Liam had a very handsome face, and Braden instantly noticed this. "Hello there." Braden said, holding his hand out to Liam. "Braden." He said, shaking Liam's hand.

"Liam." Liam said, giving Braden a kind smile. "Nice to meet you, Braden." "You too." Braden said, walking into the dorm. Maria and Finn followed Braden inside, and plopped down on Finn's bed. "Where were you last night, Finn?" Liam asked, glancing over at his roommate. "At a concert." Finn said, looking at Braden to see his reaction.

Braden rolled his eyes at the thought of Colin and Val. He pushed those thoughts out of his head and turned back to Liam. "Yeah. We all went." Braden said, smiling at Liam. "What band did you see?" Liam asked, curious of Braden's taste in music. "Panic! At The Disco." Braden said, smiling fondly. That was his favorite band, along with My Chemical Romance.

It was one of the few things he and Finn had in common when they'd first met. They were in Hot Topic one day, both looking at the same Panic shirt, when Finn knocked over a tub of pins. Braden, Finn, and the worker, Maria, all helped clean up the pins. They'd all been friends ever since the incident.

"I love Brendon Urie! He's so hot.." Liam said, glancing over at the poster hanging above his desk. Braden was a bit surprised when he heard Liam say this, as he didn't think Liam was gay or bi. "I know right. We were close to the stage, so we got to see his amazing face." Maria said longingly, also staring at the poster.

Finn narrowed his eyes at her and flicked her forehead. "You don't need him when you've got me." He said, holding Maria protectively. "Someone's jealous of Beebo.." Braden joked, glancing over at Finn. "Jealous and proud." Finn said, releasing Maria and standing in a superhero stance. "I question my choice in friends sometimes." Maria said, shaking her head at her idiotic boyfriend.

"You love us." Finn said, pulling Maria in and kissing her cheek. "Sadly." She said, pecking Finn on the lips. "I make poor life choices." She sighed, looking back at Braden. She nodded her head at Liam and started waggling her eyebrows. Braden rolled his eyes and blushed when Liam looked at him. Liam gave Braden a kind smile, and excused himself from the room.

He walked out of the dorm and started pacing back and fourth. "How can I make Braden mine?" He mumbled to himself. He continued walking down the sidewalk and found the vending machine, buying a Kickstart. He hadn't gotten much sleep last night, and he would need to be fully awake if he wanted to hook up with Braden.

He walked back over to the dorm and swung the door open, seeing Maria and Finn sitting on Finn's bed. Braden wasn't in the room, making Liam's face fall. "Where'd Braden go?" Liam asked, disappointment laced in his voice. "He went back to his dorm. He had something to do." Finn said, glancing at Liam.

"Don't hurt Braden. He's been hurt enough as it is." Finn said, giving Liam a warning look. "I'm not gonna hurt him. He's just cute." Liam said, sitting down at his desk. "I'll see what Braden's up to." Maria said, pulling her phone out. She clicked on Braden's contact and called him. After a few rings he picked up, his voice filled with sadness.

"What's up Maria?" Braden said, trying to sound casual but failing. "Braden, are you okay?" Maria asked, her voice softening. "I'm fine." Braden said, his voice breaking. "I'll be over in a few." Maria said, hanging up and jumping off Finn's bed. "Braden needs me." Maria said, leaving the dorm with a wave to Finn.

After a short walk Maria finally arrived at Braden's dorm. She knocked a couple times and let herself in, seeing Braden on his bed, his eyes puffy. "What's wrong, Braden?" Maria asked in concern, sitting down next to her friend. "Val and Colin were here, and Val was all over him." Braden choked out, laying his head on Maria's shoulder.

"Shh, shh, it's okay." Maria said soothingly, attempting to calm her friend. After a few minutes of silent crying, Braden was feeling better. "You can do so much better than him, B." Maria said, hugging Braden. "Thanks Maria. I can always count on you." Braden said, giving Maria a half smile. "Are you gonna be okay?" Maria asked, standing up and looking at Braden.

"I'll be alright." Braden said, nodding his head at Maria. She smiled and left the dorm, leaving Braden alone in his room. After contemplating about what to do, Braden decided to play some Call Of Duty to take his mind off things. Braden sat there and played for a few hours, and eventually it was dinner time.

He texted Finn to meet in the dining hall, and left his dorm. Braden speed walked down the sidewalk, hoping to avoid Colin's group at all costs. Thankfully he didn't see Colin, so he figured they were already in the dining hall. Braden met up with his friends and they all got their food and sat at their usual table. "So what have you been doing, Braden?" Finn asked, taking a drink of his soda.

"Binge playing Call Of Duty." He said, shoving a fork full of chicken in his mouth. "You should've texted me, I would've played with you." Finn said, taking a bite of his food. "I wanted to play alone." Braden said, taking a sip of his tea. The three friends continued to talk casually, and eventually dinner was over.

"See you guys tomorrow." Braden said, waving to his friends. He left the dining hall and headed back to his dorm. Braden swung the door opened and saw Colin and Toby sitting on Colin's bed, but there was no sign of Val. Braden nodded his head at them and sat down at his desk. He turned his computer on and browsed Twitter for something to do.

After a few hours of mindlessly browsing the web and playing random games, Braden went to go shower. He walked into the bathroom, turned the water on, and stripped down. He hopped in the shower and quickly cleaned his hair and body. Braden stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist, walking back into the room.

Colin found himself staring at Braden's bare chest, which looked very nice. Toby noticed his staring and raised and eyebrow at his friend. Colin snapped out of his daze and turned his attention to his friend. "You gay or somethin'?" Toby laughed glancing back up at the movie they were watching. Colin blushed and shook his head, fixing his gaze on the TV screen.

Braden changed into some boxers and loose athletic shorts and walked back into the bathroom. He brushed his teeth and went back into the dorm, jumping in bed. He kept thinking about Colin staring at his chest. 'Does Colin think I'm ugly?' Braden thought, closing his eyes in and attempt to fall asleep. He pulled the covers over his body, and eventually drifted off to sleep.

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Hello there! I finally updated! Sorry for the small wait, I've been working on a draft for a different story recently. Also, the updates may take longer since school is about to start back. Thanks for reading! Vote and comment? :P

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