CHAPTER 7 | Memories

(^ A pic of our adorable and innocent Zacky boy. This is more or less how I picture him. Tell me what you think.)

9 days later

It was Thursday. I have been avoiding Mark and his minions these last days. I avoided all eye contact with him, and as soon as I saw him approaching, I'd run like mad with my friends. They were also helping me avoid him. It can be said that we all avoided him together.

I think I was even starting to lose interest in him. The less I looked at him, the less I was in love with him. Why to like someone who hates me? Moreover, knowing that that someone was another boy, and he was completely straight and wouldn't fall for me by any means.

The best will be ignore him and forget he even exists. It still made me feel a bit sad, but whatever. This was for my own good.

Right now I'm sitting in the cafeteria with Vincent and Jaida, waiting for Amber. I had noticed that Vincent had been quite flirtatious with Jaida, ever since he met her. Like he liked her and wanted her to be his girlfriend. That didn't bother me, though. But I don't know why I felt a slight feeling of jealousy towards him. I also liked Jaida, she was the prettiest girl in the school in my opinion.

A few seconds passed and finally I saw Amber entering the doors of the cafeteria, with that joyful aura and that smile she always has. She walked directly to our table and greeted us all.

"Hey guys, how is it going? Fine? Great! Look, I need you to help me with something really important." She said as she sat down and pulled out a notebook from her bag.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Well, I've got this really hard math homework with equations and all that creepy stuff, and I don't understand a single damn of it. I paid attention in class but even so I couldn't get it. Worst of all is that I have a test next week! So that's why I've come to you, Vin, so you can help me."

Vincent looked at her confused. "...You're telling me?"

Amber nodded her head.

"Uh, what makes you think I can help you with that?" He asked.

"Duh, because you're the nerdy one of the group. You wear those glasses and you always say smart things. You obviously know how to solve this thing."

Vincent gasped. "Excuse me? Are you stereotyping me?"

Amber raised her brow. "Stereo- what?"

Vincent rolled his eyes and I shook my head, laughing a little. Amber can be crazy and fun all the time, but sometimes she's a bit too dumb.

"You're saying I look like a nerd, and that I'm supposed to know it all about any subject. But the truth is: I'm not a nerd, I use these glasses because I just can't see well, I suck at math and I'm only good at English and History. So, sorry but I can't help."

"Ow, what a shame." Amber made a sad puppy face. "Now I'm going to fail the test, I will fail math, and I will have to repeat the year! I don't want to end up like Mark!"

Jaida laughed. "Don't worry. I can help you."

"Really?" Amber asked.

"Yeah. Not to brag but, I'm the #1 student in my math class. And I like math."

"Wow. I envy you." I said.

"We all do." Vincent agreed.

Jaida chuckled. "So, do you want me to help you or not?"

"Yes! Yes, of course." Amber then handed her notebook to Jaida.

She started explaining some things about how to solve the equations. Amber had her full attention on Jaida's instructions. Even Vincent and I were listening, to learn a little. And we were surprised at Jaida's way of explaining; she had no difficulty at all in solving the problems, she knew exactly what to do. She made it look easy.

"And this is the result." She concluded.

"Wow... I had never seen someone explain something so... good." Vincent said while he looked at Jaida with a hand resting on his cheek.

"I know! My teacher just talked and talked and never explained where those numbers came from, or how to find a simpler way to do it. And I was in the entire class like dafuq?? But now I get it! Thank you, Jai." Amber said with a wide smile.

"No problem. I like to help."

Then we continued talking about our favorite subjects and what we can do best. I only like English, Spanish and Music. What I do best is sleeping and playing video games, if that counts.

"Uh oh. I don't want to alarm you, but dickhead and his gang are coming." Vincent said looking through the window.

I turned and I couldn't help but feel nervous just at the sight of them approaching. Before I could say something, they were already inside, and a voice that I can only recognize as Herman's, yelled.

"Jeez, I'm hungry!"

Everybody turned their attention towards them. I didn't bother to turn, I just looked down at the table, as if they weren't here at all.

"Do you want us to run like mad away from them, Zack?" Jaida asked chuckling.

"Nah. Let's just wait until they get out first." I said.

"Oh, those guys. They're becoming more douchebags with each passing day." Amber commented. "Let me tell you that on my way here, I was so distracted looking at a chick with big boobs, not that I was checking her out or nothing like that, it's just that she looked so fake and-"

"Yeah yeah, you saw the girl. Then what?" Vincent interrupted.

"Ok, the point is: while I was walking I bumped into that chick Scarlet, and she said 'Watch it, slut', so, like the sassy bitch I am, I just laughed and told her 'The only real slut here is you, who has shared the same bed with almost all the guys in school.'"

"Did you really say that?" I asked surprised.

"Yeah. She just gasped and almost charged at me after that. But the angered look on both Scarlet and Mark's faces was well worth it."

"Then how did she become his girlfriend?" Jaida asked, already hooked to the story.

"Well, she's been attracted to Mark since the moment she met him. She says that from all the guys she has been with... Mark is someone special. She basically fell in love with him, which is kind of weird, since everything for her is about sex and not love. Anyway, rumors say that Scarlet stopped being a slut after she slept with him. Knowing how Mark is, however, he'll probably dump her sooner or later, because Mark's relationships don't last longer than... 3 months or less."

"Well, she can stop being a slut but can't stop being an irritating ass parrot." Vincent commented and we all laughed loudly.

"That's right." Amber said between laughs.

I regained my composure. Until I remembered something I wanted to ask Amber days ago. "Hey Am. But how do you know so much about them? Were you friends in the past or something?"

Now all curious eyes were on her. She smiled nervously and then sighed. "Ok, you caught me. I think it's time for you to know some things."

We kept looking at her expectantly now knowing that she had something to tell us.

"But let's go to a more silent place. There's too much noise and it's very hot in here. Come on." She said standing up and grabbing her bag.

We shrugged and stood up as well, walking towards the cafeteria's doors.
I don't know why, but I felt like someone had its eyes on me as I exited.

We followed Amber to the school's back yard, where some boys were playing football and others were running around.

We sat on the bleachers, except for Amber who stood in front of us, as if she was a story teller and we were little kids waiting excitedly for the story.

"Ah, fresh air." Amber commented as the wind played with her hair.

"Yeah, so Amber. What is this so important thing you have to tell us?" Vincent asked.

"Ok, first of all, I know many things about them because... I used to be in their group. So, yes we all were friends before."

My mouth hung open but I didn't say anything. Neither did the others, we just waited for her to continue.

"We used to have lots of fun back then. I was friends with Skylar, Rupert, Herman; and Scarlet, believe it or not, she was my best friend. We hung out all the time in different places, especially to parties. They even acted differently from what they do now. They were more friendly and weren't the jerks they are nowadays. I don't know what caused them to change."

"So... why did you leave the group, then?" Jaida asked.

"That's where the next thing happens..." She stays silent for a bit. "Mark... was my boyfriend."

"WHAT?!" We all said in unison, eyes wide and mouths hanging open.

Amber chuckled at our reaction. "CHAN CHAN CHAN CHAAAAN!" She sang a dramatic song and then laughed.

I was surprised at her confession. I never thought Amber and Mark were in a relationship.

"Yeah, when we were an official couple and had been dating for about 3 months and a half, I noticed Scarlet was being flirtatious with Mark, and I started feeling uneasy. So one day he just broke up with me, telling me he met someone else. And I was so mad at him that I slapped him hard and yelled 'Who is she?!' And that bitch appeared behind him so innocently, when she obviously knew Mark was my boyfriend."

She made a pause and sighed. I could tell by the look on her face, that the memory made her feel sad. I had never seen her that way.

"Anyway, I couldn't stay any longer with any of them, especially with those two treacherous bastards, and that's when I stopped hanging out with them. So yeah, I'm an ex-member of their gang and Mark is my ex."

So that's why she knew so much about them. Scarlet had stole Mark from Amber and that must have made her really sad and angry. No doubt she loved him a lot back then. I wonder if she still has feelings for him, or if she has gotten over it.

================

When classes finished, I exited the classroom and made my way through the halls to my locker. I opened it and I heard some girls gossiping about something. They were a few lockers next to mine, and I couldn't help but hear what they were saying.

"Stephanie, did you see Mark today? Oh my God, he's SO hot!" One of them said.

"I know right! I would kill to have a passionate night with him!"

"We all would, Stephie. We all would..."

"Can you believe he's been dating that slut Scarlet for almost 4 months now?"

"Yeah, that's the longest he's been with someone. Do you remember the one he was with before?"

"The blue haired one?"

"Yeah, Ammer or whatever. They only dated for 3 months!"

"Well, I don't think Mark is interested in living the rest of his life with someone, let alone with a slut like Scarlet."

"Yeah, he's surely planning on dumping her soon, and when he does that, it will be my turn to become his temporary girlfriend."

"Ha! You think. That will be me, of course."

"I bet I can have sex with him first."

"Oh yeah? Well, I bet I can do it first!"

"The winner will receive $30 bucks and the loser will do the other's homework for one month."

"It's a deal!"

I just rolled my eyes. I continued on grabbing some things until I heard something that caught my attention. And once again, I was listening.

"Hey, I've also heard that there are some fags in this school who like him and even fantasize about him. Can you believe it?"

"Hey, don't call them like that! They are homosexuals."

I didn't know if they were talking about me. At least, that Stephanie wasn't a homophobic.

"Whatever. It's disgusting."

"I think it's cute."

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! Don't say nonsense, Stephie. Come on, let's go."

They left. Such crazy girls. They make a stupid bet just to see who takes Mark to bed first. What was so special about him anyway?

Speak of the devil, I heard heavy footsteps coming my direction. I took a quick glance to my right to confirm it was him. And this time, he was alone.
He leaned on some lockers away from mine and just stood there. He was probably waiting for his friends.

Occasionally, he was greeted by some people who passed by. They said Hey Mark! And Mark responded with a simple Hi. Even the teachers greeted him, mostly females. I wonder if he ever gets tired of being so popular and greeting all those people back.

I was about to leave when I felt his eyes on me. He was surely giving me that hateful look again. I had been avoiding him for a week now, isn't that what he wanted? That I stayed away from him.

I don't know why I was still there. I already grabbed my things but I was still standing in front of my locker, pretending I was looking for something else.

I suddenly felt the urge to look back at him. His eyes on me was making me uncomfortable. And I don't know why, but I wanted to see his face again, after many days without doing it. I should leave now. But I couldn't. It was as if his gaze had me locked in that spot.

Don't look at him, Zack. Don't do it. Whatever happens, don't look back. You've been trying to ignore him these last days, and you can't fail now.

My conscience was telling me to ignore him and walk away in that moment. But my heart wanted to see him at least once before leaving. What do I do?

Oh, fuck it.

I turned my head slowly. And I was met with those grey irises staring directly at me. But what surprised me is that there wasn't hate in them. He had a neutral expression, but his eyes showed something I couldn't describe.

I had almost forgotten how he looked like. I found myself getting lost in his facial features, and just how perfect they were. He was the most attractive man I had ever seen. Just looking at him made my stomach flutter. He was like a god.

Who am I kidding? I could never lose interest in him. Never.

I started growing nervous. This is the longest we've been staring at each other. I know he told me not to look at him like some girl in love, and I was doing that in this moment. Not only me, but him as well. Maybe he will kill me after this, but whatever happens, I will always have this memory in my head.

The memory of us sharing looks for the first time.

"Hey Marky! What's up, dude?"

We both flinched at the loud voice of Rupert, and all of his friends approaching, breaking our little staring contest.

I sighed. I couldn't believe what just happened. I swear that while I was looking at him, I could feel some sort of energy between us. Something unexplained. And it broke as soon as we turned.

I couldn't stay here any longer. I closed my locker and started walking to the exit doors.
That was until I felt someone pull at my backpack harshly.

I stumbled and my head hit a hard rock chest. Then a strong arm was wrapped around me, preventing me from moving.

"Where do you think you're going, fag?"

That was Mark. He had me trapped in this position and I freaked out. I knew this was going to happen.

But, oh boy, I had never been this close to him before. My body was literally touching his. With my back I could feel his muscles flexing, with my head on his chest I could feel and hear the beating of his heart. His strong arm wrapped around me, so tightly, but I kinda liked it.

And his smell. Damn, he smelled really good. Like... blueberries. Such a cute smell for a tough guy like him.

Such proximity made me blush, and it also made my heart increase in speed. But why was I thinking about that right now? I was in serious trouble!

"Oh, I hadn't noticed the dwarf was here. Hey dwarf!" Rupert said.

"Ugh, you again? What did you do this time? I thought you would leave my boyfriend alone!" Scarlet exclaimed annoyed.

Before I could respond, Mark yelled on my ear. "What did I say about looking at me, uh?! I fucking told you to not look at me again! You stupid faggot!"

He was looking at me too! And he was the one who did it first. But I didn't say any of that out loud.

"I-I wasn't-"

"Shut the fuck up!"

He punched me hard on my cheek. I was released from his tight grip and I almost fell to the floor. I held my cheek as I heard them laugh.

"Ouch! That must've hurt." Herman said.

"And next time, it will be worse. You heard me?!" Mark shouted before he walked away with his friends.

I couldn't understand what was happening, especially with him.

First, he stares at me, he looks completely normal and all of a sudden he's yelling and punches me. As if I had started. What's wrong with him?!

Next chapter will be Mark's P.O.V.!! n.n