CHAPTER 20 | Thanks

Ok, we didn't reach 25 votes, BUT we're getting closer to 200 reads! Thank you ^.^ So here's this chapter for the few of you who are still reading ;)

Sometimes, at the end of classes, I liked having some time for myself, walking around the many peaceful places this school had to offer, and others that were just a little bit agitated, like the soccer field. This one is usually filled with the players who run and kick the ball all over it, giving certain commands to each other like Pass me the ball, and wanting to score a goal in their teams and simply have fun.

It's rare when you find the bleachers full as well, with girls and boys cheering loudly for their preferred teams, and even throwing things at them. It doesn't matter if it's not an important game what they're watching, they simply like doing it. It doesn't look like the players themselves care about who is watching them or not. I think they just play for fun, or to make those bodies of them bulkier than they're already are.

I must admit, this was one of my favorite places to hang around. Mostly because of the eye candy I get to receive from the many hot guys who wear those tight shirts and shorts. Then I remember how sexy Mark had looked that day before the party, when he was wearing those exact same clothes, and I couldn't help but look at the uncovered parts of his body every now and then. And oh, those tattoos on his neck and arm that made him look tougher and ruder than he is now.

My feet kicked the small rocks that covered the ground as I strolled around the place. A light, cold breeze hit my body, making me shudder. I hugged myself a bit tighter, digging my fingers in the small hoodie I was wearing. It was a cloudy and kinda cold afternoon. The players didn't seem to be affected by the weather, though, probably because of how much they exercised by playing soccer, and that made them feel hot. Literally.

After a few minutes of walking, I decided to leave. Before that, though, I caught a glimpse of someone sitting on one of the bleachers. Having a better look, I realized that was Mark. He was sitting with his elbows resting on both knees, his cellphone in one hand and he was scrolling down through I don't know what.

It was the second time I saw him sitting there, all lonely. The first time being yesterday when I was walking with Jaida around this same place, and he had called me. It was a bit odd. Mark wasn't someone to be alone, never. You always found him hanging around with his friends, with the soccer players, with other popular people, with me... Well, not always with me. But alone? I wonder if he had a fight or an argument with his friends. What if the crazy things Mark did at the party did ruin his reputation after all?!

It couldn't be that. He just looked normal, quietly scrolling through something on his phone with his thumb, occasionally cracking a small smile and then going back to his serious face. If something had ruined his reputation or anything of the sort, I think he wouldn't take it so casually. He would be crying his ass off like a drama queen.

Mark and I's relationship wasn't a 100% friends yet, we were actually more like acquaintances. I think we were slowly getting to know each other more and then finally become true life buddies. I still didn't have so much confidence to go over him, wrap an arm around his shoulder and say Hey bro, what's wrong? Why so lonely? Like a real friend would. So, maybe he doesn't want anyone interrupting whatever thing he's doing, so I'll just not barge in his personal issues and let him be.

"Zack!"

Or... Maybe not.

I hesitantly turned to that voice that I recognized so well. He was looking away from his phone at me. He made that same gesture with his hand, indicating me to go over where he was. How did he even see me? He was so immersed in his phone just a while ago. Maybe he heard the sound of the gravel being pushed by my feet and that caught his attention.

I walked and stood in front of where he was sitting, curious to know what he wanted to talk about this time. I took a quick glance to the screen of his phone to see he was browsing his Facebook and looking at some memes. I smiled lightly at that. I see he's a fan of memes as well.

"What are you doing here?" He asked looking up at me.

"Um... I was just taking a little walk over the school before I go home... You know, so I can get free of all the school stress for a while." I chuckled a bit.

"Oh." He muttered, nodding. "Do you have to go now?"

"Well, I was going to go now but I heard you calling me. I'm not in a hurry, anyway."

"Oh, ok." He said looking back at his phone. Was that all what he wanted me for? I think I should take this opportunity to ask him why is he sitting here all alone.

"...And you?" I asked, hesitantly taking a seat beside him, making sure to keep a safe distance between us, even if something inside me told me to get closer. "What are you doing here? Classes are already finished."

"I know, it's just that usually I stay here at school after classes end." He said locking his phone and tucking it in his jean's pocket. "When my friends don't have any plans for the day, I'd rather stay here for an hour or so as to not get home so early. I don't really like getting home so early, I get bored and I don't feel in peace." He explained. I raised a brow at that. "Ok, it's not like I have lots of fun out here either, it's just that... at my house, I think about things I don't like thinking about. Out here, I just like having a bit of time to myself, relax, smoke, forget about the problems of life."

Wow. I had never heard him talking about his problems. The look on his face as he looked in front of him showed some emotion, like whatever happened at his house didn't please him. Something was bothering him. That made me quite sad. What exactly his problems were intrigued me. I would like to know so I could find a way to help him, but I'm not sure if I should ask. He might not trust me that much yet. I wanted him to trust me.

"What kind of things do you think about when you're at your house?" I asked softly.

"That's none of your business." He snapped turning to me.

"Oh, o-ok. S-Sorry." I apologized, looking down at my hands guiltily and regretting having asked him.

I heard him sigh. "Hey, I didn't mean it like that." He said in a softer voice. "It's just... It's not that important, really." He chuckled a bit to enlighten the mood. "Only adult problems, and stuff like that, you know how they are. Come on, don't get all teary-eyed now."

He wrapped an arm around my shoulder and gave it a few pats. I gave him a small smile and he returned it as well, enjoying the sensation that his touch brought to my body. Only for a brief time, though, because then he unwrapped his arm and rested it back on his knee.

I don't know why I get so hurt or bothered with the slightest insult or yell that is directed at me. Even if it's only a joke. But I think I've always been like that ever since I can remember.

"So, better tell me, where are your friends?" He started, looking at me.

"They already left. I told them I wanted to take a walk around the school's gardens for a while, and they accepted."

"By the way, how's your girlfriend?"

My head snapped up at him. I raised a confused brow at that, thinking if I heard wrong. "Excuse me?"

"Your girlfriend." He repeated. "How is she? How are things going on with you two? And don't act as if you don't know what I'm talking about."

My confusion grew even more. Girlfriend? Who? When? Where? How? "Uuhhh, sorry, but I really don't know what you're saying."

"Oh come on, dude." He retorted. "Look, I might have a terrible memory, but there are certain things that are clear in my mind that I can't forget even if I want to. Yesterday, when I saw that girl... Jaida, my mind immediately showed me I had seen her that night of the party. With you. And you were eating each other's faces hungrily like heated animals."

Oh, so he saw us. What surprises me is that he remembers, or seeing Jaida made him remember it. I felt myself blush at the thought of him knowing about our kiss, especially by the way he described it. Eating each other's faces hungrily? I thought we were just kissing softly... Oh, this Mark always likes to exaggerate things.

"And I saw you two walking together yesterday around here, so, you're obviously dating." He concluded, not seeming very pleased at the idea.

Should I lie and tell him that he's right and Jaida is my girlfriend? So he would think I'm straight and he would accept me more. No, I can't do that. That meant having to pretend being Jai's boyfriend, making Vincent jealous and destroy our little circle of friends. Besides, Mark seeing me kissing a girl is enough proof for him to think I'm straight, so yeah. No lying this time.

"No, Mark. You're getting everything wrong. Jaida and I are just friends." I told him with a chuckle. He glanced at me a bit confused. "I mean, yes, we shared a few kisses here and there but, she's not my girlfriend, we're not dating, we're still friends and we both are ok with that."

"Yeah, sure." He said. Why does he look so displeased about this? I thought he liked the idea of me having a girlfriend. Which I don't have, and he thinks I have one, and that seems to displease him.

"It's the truth. We only did it to... well, just because we wanted to." I wasn't going to say that that was my very first kiss ever. I had already told him I had plenty of girlfriends at middle school, which was a complete lie. I had lost count of how many times I've lied because of winning Mark's acceptance.

"Besides." I continued. "I saw you kissing with that girl Natasha." Now they were the ones who were eating each other's faces hungrily. The image of them just made myself fill with jealousy. "And you two aren't dating, are you?" Let's not ignore the fact that he's still dating Scarlet and he cheated on her. Not that I care.

He laughed. "I was kissing Natasha?" He asked and I nodded. "Wow. Huh, not a bad choice even though I was drunk."

He said too casually. Well, it looks like cheating is not a problem for him. At all.

"So... you're still single?" He asked.

"Yes."

He nodded and smiled a little. "That's cool." He looked back in front of him, now looking a bit calmer. Seriously, who understands him? One day he doesn't like seeing me single, and the other he does.

"You know what?" He started, leaning his back on the seats behind him. "Believe it or not, I wish I could be single like you as well. If I'm honest, I don't really like being around Scarlet anymore." My ears perked up at that. I looked at him curiously. "At first it was nice. We said nice things to each other, we kissed a lot at the hallways, we had sex in and out of school. But as time passed by, I wasn't feeling the same energy with her as before. That happens to me with every single girl I'm with, you know? It's like- Wait..."

He suddenly stopped. He narrowed his eyes, his mouth parted slightly, he brought his arm to his nose and then...

"ACHOO!"

The loud sound of his deep voice as he sneezed made me jump. Then he did it again. He closed his eyes and put his arm back around his nose as he felt another one coming.

"Achoo."

This one came out with a slightly high pitched voice. A voice I never thought that would come from him, if it wasn't because he was right at my side. Anyway, that voice sounded so cute, as if it came from a little pretty child. The thought had me giggling uncontrollably.

He sniffed, clearing his throat. "Shit. I think I'm going to catch a cold." He said with his normal deep voice. He looked at a still giggling me with a questioning look. "What?"

I stopped giggling. "No, nothing." I gave one last chuckle. If him catching a cold meant hearing him sneezing with that cute voice, then I hope he catches it.

Ok no, poor Marky doesn't deserve that.

He looked back in front of him and stayed silent for a second. "What was I saying?"

"Um... about you losing interest in Scarlet?" I said, smiling evilly inside me. I don't know why the idea pleases me that much. It's not like he's interested in me. He's just interested in some other girl.

"Oh right." He said leaning back on the seats and placing his backpack on his lap. He rummaged through it, looking for something. "Yeah, I don't feel the same energy with Scarlet. It's like, every time I get a new girlfriend, there's some sort of flame between us. A flame that allows us to spend the nicest and sexiest moments of our lives. But with the time, that flame gets extinguished. I don't know if it's only me, but I get bored, the sex doesn't please me anymore, I want to dump her and just get a new one. It's like when you buy a brand new video game, and the very first days you start playing it for hours on end because you want to unlock every single feature you can. And after you have seen everything that game had to offer, you get bored of it and you want to get something new. I don't know if I'm explaining myself."

"Yes. I get you perfectly." I said. That has happened to me, at least with video games, but not with girlfriends since I've never had one. Anyway, I don't like his attitude towards girls at all. He's literally describing them as objects, as things that you only want to use for a few days and then send them directly to the trash can because they don't give you the same pleasure and satisfaction as before. That's what he meant. He treats them like games, he plays with their feelings and once he got everything he wanted, he goes to find another one, without caring about how much damage he can make to those girls. That's what he had done to Amber, too.

As much as I don't like Scarlet, I don't think he should be doing this.

"Then... If you want to get another girl... Don't make her your girlfriend." I told him, making him look at me. "I understand that all you want is to... have sex with them, but... If you know you don't want a life long relationship with them, then... Don't play with their feelings... Just saying."

He stared at me for a while, letting my words sink in. I looked down, preparing for something like You don't tell me what to do or something similar come from him.

"You know what? I think you're right." He said. I looked at him in surprise. He thinks I'm right? "Relationships are just so tiring. Spending money on useless gifts, on dates, being faithful, and when you want to break up, God, they make such a drama! I even risk receiving a slap on my beautiful face." He chuckled. I chuckled too, remembering how Amber had mentioned she had slapped him hard when he was breaking up with her. "So yeah, after Scarlet, no more strings attached. I'll start living a happy single life, and we could even go together to strip clubs and watch some sexy babes in there, uh?"

He winked at me and nudged my arm lightly with his elbow. I chuckled in response and muttered a small Yeah. I liked his wink, even if he just did it in a friendly way. Well, at least I think he'll stop playing with the girls' feelings.

"What's this?" Mark muttered as he pulled out a square-shaped object from his backpack. It was wrapped in a napkin and it looked smashed. He brought it to his nose to sniff it. "Huh, it must be the sandwich my mom made for me like... two days ago." He said as he started to unwrap it.

"Why didn't you eat it?" I asked.

"I must have forgotten she had made it. Besides, what would people think if they found out my mommy still makes lunch for me?" I rolled my eyes at that. He could simply say he made it himself. And he should be grateful his mom still cares about him as to make lunch for him.

He sniffed it one last time. "I think it's still edible." He shrugged before taking a big bite of it. I watched him carefully. The way his cheek bones and his jaw moved as he munched on it. The sound his mouth made while his teeth crushed the food.

Without me noticing, he looked at me questioningly. He swallowed and asked. "Do you want some?"

I looked away immediately, shaking my head. "N-No, thanks. I'm not hungry."

Out the corner of my eye, I could see him cutting a piece of the sandwich with his fingers.

"Here." He said, offering it to me. But I wasn't taking it.

"No, really. I-I'm not hungry."

"Come on, I saw how you were looking at it with hungry eyes. Take it."

If only he knew what I was looking at with hungry eyes...

"B-But, I wasn't looking at it- I mean-"

"Do you want me to shove it in your mouth or what?"

My eyes widened a bit at the double meaning of that sentence. If only he could shove something else... No, naughty Zack! Naughty Zack! It's not the time to think about that.

Not wanting to reject his piece of sandwich anymore, I finally took it between my fingers, grazing them ever so slightly with his. I gave him a small smile and muttered a shy Thank you. He said nothing and went back to eat what remained of his own sandwich.

I brought the little piece to my mouth and savoured it, almost moaning at how good it tasted. The bread was soft, the ingredients were ham, lettuce, yellow cheese, mayonnaise, tomato and onion. It was nothing out of this world, but it still tasted good.

Mark finished his own food even before I could swallow my little piece. Two more bites and the sandwich was completely gone. I was surprised at how much he could take into his mouth. He literally devoured it in record time. He even licked his fingers after he finished.

The side of his lip was stained with a little bit of mayonnaise. How much would I love to lick it off...

Good thing I didn't have to tell him anything because he brought the napkin to his lips and cleaned them.

"Did you like it?" He asked as he curled the napkin into a ball.

"Yes. It tasted good."

"Maybe I can give you one for yourself next time" He said with a small smile.

"Sounds good to me. Just make sure not to forget it." I chuckled.

He laughed and threw the napkin into a nearby trash can. Another breeze of cold air blew our direction, causing me to shiver and hug myself. Mark didn't seem bothered by it, though. He didn't shiver or hug himself, he just looked calm.

"It's getting late, isn't it?" He asked after a while.

"Yeah." I said as I looked around. The soccer players were already leaving the field, and more students from afternoon classes filled the spaces.

"I think we should be going now, don't you think?" He said as he stood up and lifted his backpack to his shoulder.

"Ok." I agreed, standing up as well.

We started walking down the hallways to the exit in silence. Before I noticed, I was walking out from school with Mark at my side. The two of us. I felt my stomach fluttering the entire time we walked. I could feel his smell, his warmness, even if we were a few inches apart. I only wanted to jump on his strong arms and let his warm body engulf me. But that wasn't possible, so I only had myself to warm up.

"So how are you going to go?" He asked when we were at the yard.

"Well, my aunt is still working, so I guess I'll go walking."

He looked down at me with a raised brow. "You can't go walking alone."

I could see a bit of concern in his face when I looked up at him. "Why not?"

"Well, because..." He trailed, placing a hand on his nape. "It looks like it's going to rain soon. And... You'll get