i think it wasnt so much of rusty being upset twoard max's situation and more the whole thing just made him worried about the choices he made,i think hes mainly just afraid of of jordan leaving him cuz he risked alot just to be with her that night and alot of what he risked it for was cuz of what max had told him so now that max and casey are over hes probably just worried

Rusty knows the situation well and he knows just how strongly Cappie feels about Casey. He even tried to "pimp" his sister out to Cappie after winter vacation in the first season, his new nickname was gonna be "perv." All of the advice Cappie has given Rusty over the last year and a half whether it be Jen K or Jordan/Andy has been related in some way to his feelings for Casey.

Also, I don't see Max/Rusty as a stronger friendship than Rusty/Cappie. Cappie has basically taken Rusty under his wing since the day he met him during Rush. Thats more than a year, while Rusty has known Max for about the entire length of a semester(if we are going by Chapters 3 and 4 are halves of semesters).

I think a bigger problem between Rusty and Cappie will be the newly reforming friendship between Cappie and Evan. Both Rusty and Evan strongly dislike one another for obvious reasons. Rusty will probably feel betrayed by Cappie if they start to become good friends again, because Cappie knows how much Rusty dislikes Evan.

Definitely should be interesting to see the fall out from the party and events around that time.

I'm glad someone made a post about this because during the finale Rusty looked almost hurt that something had happened between Casey and Cappie. I think there will be tension about the breakup between Rusty and Cappie because Max and Rusty were so close. But in the end Rusty and Cappie are brothers and Rusty will get the full story.

I think this will have an impact on the Rusty/Cappie relationship, in that it’s an opportunity to grow it. I too love the big/little brother relationship that Cappie and Rusty have, but as Rusty matures and adjusts to Greek life, and college life, it’s inevitable that it changes. I think the one thing that would be sad to see leave it is Rusty’s respect for Cappie, and Cappie’s affection for Rusty.

I think something that is always important to Rusty is the concept of fairness, and I think aside from the social aspects of Cappie’s character, what has drawn Rusty to Cappie and the KT’s is the sincerity of who they are. The situation with Max/Casey/Cappie may challenge Rusty’s perception of that, however, Rusty’s own experience of falling for someone who’s with someone else, might provide Rusty with an understanding that could further their bond. And, it’s not like Rusty doesn’t know Cappie’s feelings for Casey, and the confliction Cappie feels about her, too. Also, I imagine any injustice thrown Cappie’s way by Rusty would be tempered by Casey clarifying the reasons for her breakup with Max, because it wasn’t entirely about Cappie, he just played catalyst.

The more I think about this, the more I see a real opportunity to strengthen the bond these two have with each other. Rusty and Cappie are one of the core relationships on the show that is also related to Cappie and Casey, so I don’t think they would do anything overly dramatic to jeopardize that, since the thesis of the show is about the family you form in college.

Also, while there was some tension between Cappie and Rusty after the Jordan and Andy fallout, they were close enough for Rusty to recognize Cappie’s transference of emotion. Cappie also respected Rusty enough to own that truth, prompting Cappie to confront Evan with that truth. So, I don’t think that this is really a wedge between the two characters anymore. I saw it as a vehicle for growth, or perhaps a reflection of the real friendship between Cappie and Rusty.

Finally, I’d say that Max’s relationship with Rusty has already started complicating the relationship between Rusty and Cappie. I think it brought Cappie down to a closer playing field with Max, because it made Rusty realize that he’s important to Cappie, and not just in the general Cappie’s full of love sort of way either, in a more personal one on one relationship. But, Max does represent the other side of Rusty, the serious, studious, scientist, and I suspect the bigger issue for Rusty in the following year is making choices between the fun-loving KT life and that of the serious field of study he’s in. This may complicate his relationship with Cappie more than the Max/Casey/Cappie fall out.

I might just be overly optimistic, because it could go in the opposite direction. But I believe that even if it does veer off course for a while, they’ll reconnect in a satisfying way. I think they only thing that would do a disservice to this relationship is if the drama becomes too heightened and clouded with misunderstanding, because both Rusty and Cappie are truth-sayers, so I don’t see that as being realistic to their characters.