Chapter Text
The X-Games fucked Bradley Uppercrust III up.
In less than twenty-four hours, everything was stripped from him. The one person he considered a friend, his reputation, and his winning streak were all gone. Not to mention he got his ass kicked to hell by Tank afterward. And it was all his fault, he knew this very well. So well in fact that it consumed his thoughts for around ninety-nine percent of the following day.
Not like the, Bradley Uppercrust III, could ever admit that out loud. He had enough dignity to know better. Nor could he forget, when everyone around him is talking about it as if he just murdered somebody.
Wait, he almost did. Ironic, isn’t it? But he didn’t murder anyone, nobody left the competition in a body bag, that’s something to be proud of considering everything that happened, Bradley thought on occasion.
But that didn’t matter to the people around Bradley, not even his fraternity brothers who swiftly kicked him out of Gamma Mu Mu after the stunts he pulled. Who knew that cheating and almost killing your closest lackey would result in such consequences? Bradley saw it coming, though. What he wasn’t expecting is seeing all of his stuff being thrown in garbage bags and out on the curb. That got a reaction out of him, especially when Tank himself was the one throwing them out.
“Now what the fuck is this?” Bradley quickly made his way towards the garbage bags. “I understand you want me gone but I wouldn’t expect you to stoop this low, Tank. I mean c’mon, garbage bags?” The regret of saying that came as quickly as the glare Tank had given him.
Fuck.
“You got a lot of nerve, Brad,” Tank retorted back, emphasizing the nickname he knew Bradley hated. “You’re lucky I don’t beat you to the ground right where you stand.” Bradley wanted to argue, he truly did, but considering the man already gave him a black eye and knocked a tooth out of him, he decided against it. Instead, he opted for a roll of his eyes as he grabbed the two large bags laid out in front of him. At that moment, there was so much he wanted to say. That he was sorry, that he truly did care for his (now ex) friend and wanted to help him. That he had no other choice at that moment, so he thought. But instead, he said something completely different.
“Fine, toy with the power you have. I don’t give a damn about you or those godforsaken idiots anyway.”
‘Fuck, why did I say that!?’ He quickly thought to himself. Despite that, he knew exactly why he said it, and there was nothing he could do about it. Tank could only scowl at Bradley before he took hold of the garbage bags on the ground and walked away, the garbage bags dragging on the ground as he trekked onwards. Did he know where he was going? Nope, but he’ll figure it out. He had some money left on his card, he could use it before his parents cut him off.
Oh shit, his parents are gonna find out about this.
How would they react when they find out that their perfect cookie-cutter son not only made a fool out of himself on live television but the Uppercrust name as a whole? That won’t be taken lightly, he thought. No, he knew. He knew that when his parents found out about what happened and how his reputation was tarnished, all hell would break loose and-
BOOM!
“What the-” Bradley didn’t have time to process what he bumped into to make him fall onto the ground. All he knew was that it hurt like hell and that Max Goof was hovering over him.
Hold on. Who?
Just his luck. He bumped into Max Goof after just getting kicked out of his fraternity. This truly is Bradley’s day.
“Shit, sorry man, I wasn’t paying attention,” Max rubbed his head and reached his hand towards Bradley, before freezing and realizing just who exactly he bumped into. Despite the slightly irritated look on his face, he kept his hand out for grabs. “Oh… Holy shit, dude, you look rough. You got like, the biggest black eye.”
“I don’t think I remember asking for your input, Goof,” Bradley clenched his teeth and ignored Max's hand, his own opting to grab onto his bags again. “How is it that you manage to skate so flawlessly on a skateboard yet lack spatial awareness when you’re on your own feet?” Max only rolled his eyes, his hands going back to his pockets before responding.
“I don’t think you have the right to say anything, considering you cheated during a skating competition and still managed to lose.” Bradley only scoffed and rolled his own eyes. He knew Max was right, it was idiotic of him. But of course, he wouldn’t admit that out loud. Instead, he kept his front with his responses.
“Congratulations, care to rub your victory in my face some more? Haven’t you had enough, Freshman?”
“I wasn’t rubbing anything in,” Max simply just shrugged. “If anything I was trying to help you out, I meant what I said. You look fucked up, Tank did a number on you… wait, those bags, did they kick you out?”
“And why exactly do you care?” Bradley snapped back. He truly had enough of this conversation, he was embarrassed as is and he truly didn’t need Max Goof out of all people taunting him. “You won the goddamn championship, you made a fool out of me, and-”
“Stop right there. I made a fool out of you?” Max only let out a laugh before retaliating. “You were the one caught cheating! Not only that, but you almost killed Tank and my dad! Hell, I don’t even need to be talking to you right now after the shit you pulled! I could've easily just walked away after you bumped into me!”
“So why waste both our precious time?” Bradley simply shrugged. “I could give two fucks, Freshman. So do both of us a favor and fuck off.” Max was upset, no, livid. How could Bradley be so insensitive after everything that happened? His fists were clenched before shaking his head.
“For once, we can agree on something. Hope the black eye treats you well.” And with that Max finally walked away, his fists clenching in his pockets. All Bradley could do was stand there to process the interaction he just had with Max. Part of him wishes he could scream at the top of his lungs and hurl a bunch of apologies at the other boy, to show him that he truly meant no harm, but deep down he knew that wasn’t true. He was looking out for himself, his reputation, his family name. Not like he has any of that anymore, all he has are the two big garbage bags in his hands and the bruise surrounding his eye. The thought of the bruise alone sunk in, and he grabbed his phone to look at it.
Holy shit. It was gnarly. And not in a good way. His left eye was all sorts of blues and purples with the surrounding irritated skin burning a ferocious red. That was enough to drive Bradley mad. How was he going to cover this up? He already looks like a fool after the X-Games, he doesn’t need more people seeing him with a black eye.
The Google searches he conducted on how to cover black eyes were questionable, to say the least. One source claimed doing yoga will make the bruise go away in 3-5 days. ‘How reliable,’ he thought. Another source claimed the use of sage would help with healing the skin. Bradley was getting nowhere at this point, like random herbs or more physical activity would make his black eye go away by the next day. Ironically enough, though, Bradley found something that just might be useful. Although he’d have to venture into unknown territory to get it.
---
Never in a million years did Bradley think he’d be walking into a makeup store, especially to buy products for himself. Sure, he had a long and tedious skincare routine, but makeup? Finding a hotel to stay the night was easier than walking in with the eyesore on his face. He stood in front of the entrance awkwardly, unsure of where to go next. Luckily for him, a staff member was quick to run to his aid.
“Hello! Is there anything in particular you’re looking for?” Bradley was slightly stunned by the kindness of the woman standing in front of him until he realized that was part of the job description.
“Yes, uh… I was wondering what I could use to cover this up?” Bradley was quick to signal to his eye, his teeth prodding at his lip. He was quick to remember that his front tooth was knocked out, so he was quick to stop. The employee didn’t seem to notice and instead gave Bradley a warm smile.
“Not a problem! I have a few recommendations for products, follow me!” Bradley was quick to follow, his eyes quickly darting around the store. It wasn’t very busy, but the atmosphere was pretty tame, and he couldn’t deny that the store had a faint smell of vanilla and cinnamon. He was quick to come back to reality when he could see the staff member grabbing several skin-tinted bottles and putting them up towards Bradley’s face, before selecting one and reaching to grab some concealer, color corrector, and translucent powder. “I grabbed you some products that will help you cover that up. Do you know how to use them?” He shook his head. Of course, he didn’t, he hadn’t touched any makeup in his life, excluding times when he’d mess around with his mom’s makeup when he was a toddler, but that doesn’t count. The woman chuckled before flicking her wrist. “No worries, if you’d like I could take you to one of the makeover chairs and show you how?” Bradley got nervous hearing the word ‘makeover,’ but knew it had to be done.
“Alright. Lead the way.”
---
It didn’t take long for the woman to finish up her demonstration on Bradley, explaining how every product worked as she used them. Of course, Bradley listened to her, he’d have to be able to do this himself when he left. Oddly enough, the sensation of the brush packed with product against his face felt… nice. It was soothing as if his left eye was getting some sort of facial. It was a weird thought, but it eased his mind. For a little while, he forgot everything that was going on in his life. The feeling was short-lived, sadly, as the woman quickly finished her work.
“Alright, sir! How did it turn out? It’s as if there’s nothing there!” The woman smiled while handing Bradley a mirror. His eyes widened at the sight of his own reflection, his shock so clear he had to blink a few times to fully take in what he was seeing. Just twenty minutes ago his eye was an ugly pool of blues and purples. Now, it was as if it was never there. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t impressed.
“Wow,” is all Bradley managed to get out of his lips. “Impressive. This does the job, thank you.” The woman only nodded in response and led him towards the register. He gladly paid, of course, the price isn’t what mattered to him. $120 worth of products was worth it if it meant he could cover the nasty bruise on his eye.
As Bradley walked back towards his motel, the smell of weed and tobacco hit his nostrils like a smack to the face. He was there earlier to drop off his trash bags, but the atmosphere didn’t quite hit him until now. The room was as depressing as one can imagine, one king bed with a tiny TV, bathroom, and cheap microwave. He could’ve bought a more lavish place to rest his head that night, but considering it was the closest place to his college campus (and that his father might just cut off his allowance entirely), it made the most sense. He sat on his bed and looked at the small mirror on the nightstand. He found it remarkable how much makeup could hide. He traced the area around his left eye, and while the pain was still there, the bruise was almost nonexistent. It made him curious, part of him wanted to figure out how much makeup could hide.
Not like he’d admit that out loud, of course. He knew better than that.