There’s a frantic knock at my door.
Max
Lacey! Open up! Please!
Max
Hurry up, Lacey! It’s an emergency!
I open the door to my dorm room and Max rushes in.
Max
Please tell me you haven’t seen it.
Max gestures to my laptop.
Max
I’m sure someone sent it to you by now.
Max
Maybe it’s better if I show you myself.
He signs in on my laptop and pulls up an email.
"Max Cooper is Officially Hot."
Max
Scroll down. There’s a picture.
Lacey
Are you naked in this picture?
The tips of his ears turn pink.
Max
I was wearing a towel, but it’s cropped out.
Lacey
Also…are you flexing?
Max grabs my pillow and hides his face in it.
I can’t stop staring at the picture.
I had no idea what Max looked like shirtless.
Max
Someone hacked my phone and sent that photo to the whole school.
I tear my eyes away from the photo…
I try to remember my priorities.
He’s hurting, and I need to comfort him.
Lacey
This is awful, Max.
Lacey
It’s a total privacy violation.
Max
And that’s not the worst part.
Right on cue, there’s more pounding on my door.
Charlene
Max! I know you’re in there!
Charlene
Get out here! We need to talk!
Max
Remember that girl I went out with last year?
Max
Apparently, she saw the photo.
Max
And now she wants me back.
Like she’s going to bust the door down.
Max
Ugh. This is totally humiliating.
Max
I mean, I’ve been working out a lot.
Max was always a little chubby.
But recently, he’s been in the gym all the time.
And it's clearly paying off.
Max
Lacey? Are you staring at the picture?
I totally wasn’t checking out his arms.
Max reaches over and closes the laptop.
Max
What do I do about Charlene?
Lacey
Just be direct and reasonable.
Lacey
Tell her you’re not into her.
Charlene
Max, I know you’re in there with some girl!
Charlene
I’m breaking down this door.
Max
You think a woman like that listens to reason?
Charlene is about to split my door in half.
It sounds like she’s picking the lock.
Charlene
I’ve been looking for you all day.
Charlene
Then I saw you run in here.
Charlene
And I was worried you were hooking up with someone.
Charlene
Oh, it’s just Lacey.
Lacey
What’s that supposed to mean?
Charlene
I just thought he might be in here hooking up.
Charlene
And I know you guys are just friends.
I look at my terrified best friend.
Lacey
Actually, Charlene, Max was hooking up.
And puts his arm around me.
Max
Right. Lacey’s my girlfriend now.
Charlene
But…I always thought you two were just friends.
Max
Well…we were. For a long time.
Lacey
But then we realized that we were…
I look into Max’s blue eyes and smile.
Lacey
We’ve been best friends since high school.
Lacey
He’s always there for me.
Max
Yeah…us dating just kind of…
Charlene
And you love her?
Max kisses the top of my head.
Charlene looks seriously mad.
Charlene
No, I mean…you love…
Charlene
Like…you don’t want someone hotter?
Max
You’re seriously going to mock Lacey in front of me?
I’ve never seen him angry.
Max
Lacey’s the best person I know.
Max
She likes me for who I am.
Max
Who only wants me back because of that picture.
Charlene
That’s not true.
Max
How shallow can you be?
Charlene
I’m not shallow.
I raise an eyebrow at her.
Charlene
And she’s not your girlfriend.
Lacey
How would you even know?
Charlene
I know everything that happens on campus.
Charlene
If you two were an item…
Charlene
The gossip would have hit me by now.
Max
Well, we are definitely an item.
Charlene
That’s what I thought.
And kiss him on the lips.
I definitely startled him.
But then he starts kissing me back.
I put my hand on his cheek.
He’s really putting his all into this kiss.
Max and I finally stop kissing and stare at each other.
Charlene
Geez, get a room, guys.
Charlene rolls her eyes and leaves.
Max closes the door behind her…
Max
Thanks Lacey. You’re the best.
I touch my lips with my fingers.
Still reeling from that kiss.
Lacey
No problem. Any time.
Max
I mean…just because I look different now…
Max
Doesn’t mean I’m a different person.
Lacey
The abs don’t make the man.
Max
You’re the one who knows the real me.
Max
The chubby guy who loves sci-fi.
Lacey
And played tuba in the marching band.
Max
I’ll never live that down, will I?
Max
And…you’ll always see me like that, right?
I glance at the laptop on the bed…
Lacey
Um…I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can anymore.
And a shiver of desire runs through me…
As he pulls me onto the bed.
