Chapter 7

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I sat up quickly. It was dark all over. I hurt all over. That's weird. I realized I was still in my clothes from the day before. That's weirder. Then I realized that I was still on the floor. I looked to my right, and Mark was still where he had fallen asleep the day before. Right next to me.

"AAACK!" I jumped to my feet, and stepped back. Did I really just spend the night on the floor? With HIM? This was all too weird. Wait, why am I being weird about it? Maru and I used to fall asleep the same way at sleepovers when we were little, and that was completely platonic, there was nothing weird about that. So, why shouldn't I be perfectly comfortable doing the same in this case? It's completely platonic. Yeah. I was just startled, that's all. I looked down at him, perfectly assured that we were just friends. He actually looked surprisingly peaceful. I didn't know why, but there was something about him... I just really wanted to hug him. I had no clue why, but I just REALLY wanted to hug him. So I sat down next to him and watched him as he slept. The steady rise and fall of his chest with every breath, his peaceful expression, the odd angle at which he was bent. That must be uncomfortable. He's at, like, a 90 degree angle. I should put him in his bed.

I went over to his bed and pulled the blankets down to the foot of the bed. I went back over to him and hooked my arms under his, and proceeded to drag him across the room. Then came the hard part: getting him into his bed.

After a lot of pushing, shoving, and pulling, I almost had it.

"Mornin'."

"AAACK!" I dropped him in surprise.

"Oof! Shhh, you'll wake the others!" He said, standing up. "What time is it?"

"Ummm..." I checked my phone, "4:20, why?"

He threw his hands in the air. "Git the fuckin' pot!" he goofed.

"Haha. No, if you get high, who knows what you'll do."

I jumped and turned. It was just Jack.

"Holy... you almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Oh, come on, man! It's stoner time!" Mark yelled.

"Shush. You'll wake up people in the neighboring rooms," I said, putting my finger over his lips. He licked it. "Ew, ya nasty!" I said, wiping it off on my shirt. "Jack, how long have you been up?"

"Since I was about 17," he said flatly.

"And you didn't help me get him into bed? You know I can barely lift him, he's '223 pounds of pure muscle'," I made air quotes with my hands.

"No, I didn't help."

"Why not?!" I threw my hands out to my sides.

"Cause it's fun to watch you suffer."

"You fucking sadist!" I said, pushing his shoulders.

"Thank you, I know I fuck. I'm a real fuckboy," he said swinging his hips side to side.

"You know that's not what I meant, dipshit!" I said, pushing him again.

"Ugh, it's too early for you guys' shit!"

"Shut, up, Maru."

"What time is it?"

I checked my phone again. "4:32."

"Too damn early..."

"Whatever." I walked over to the mini kitchen. "We should've bought some snacks or something. I'm starved."

"Yeah, I could eat."

"If we had some shit to work with, I could make breakfast." Mark came up behind me and looked over my shoulder at the empty void in the fridge. He was really close. I could feel him on my back. And he had his arm out, leaning on the freezer. He looks good from here. Wait, NONONONONO, stop it! Awkward situation! Abort, abort, ABORT!!!

I cleared my throat and stepped back. "Yeah. But, we don't have any shit to work with, so we'll just have to go out for breakfast."

Just then, I got a notification on my phone. One of my favorite WebToons had just been updated!

"Alright! Here's the SHITuation was just updated!" I went and sat down on my bed to read it. Mark came and sat next to me to read it over my shoulder.

"What in the actual fuck is going on?" he asked, pointing at my phone.

"Well you see, this girl, Robyn Darlyn," I pointed at the black-haired girl, "is you typical insane fangirl, basically Maru. And this boy, Ian Dust," I pointed at the tall, light-haired boy, "is her crush. And this one," I pointed at the dark-haired boy, "is his best friend, Edison, and he likes her, Irene," I pointed at the light-haired girl. "She's Robin's best friend. She's pretty nonchalant. She doesn't really care about much. But she absolutely LOVES cats. And so does Edison. But here's the thing: he's extremely clumsy and shy around her, and she's pretty clueless about that kinda stuff. And of course, Robyn and Ian have taken it upon themselves to help Edison get together with Irene. The only problem is, all of the plans that Robyn comes up with are all from anime dramas. So it never works out, since Edison is pretty much the exact opposite of the main protagonist of any anime drama. So he gets all awkward and blushy and shy and chickens out," I explained. "Oh," he said. "Like you when I said I liked it when you played with my hair."

"I - um - I-I, u-ummm, well, I-I mean, um," I stuttered, my facing getting redder the more I thought about that moment.

"Yeah, like that," he said looking at my face and smiling widely.

I buried my face in my hands and inhaled. "Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!" I groaned in awkwardness. How could I DO that to myself?! I flopped back onto my pillow. "I'm such an awkward mess! UUUUUUUUUUGH!!!!!!"

"Yeah, but it's funny," he laughed, laying down next to me. We lay there for a bit, just contemplating shit, no biggie.

Do I actually LIKE him?! No, that's not possible. It was just awkward. But I mean, I kinda liked it. His hair WAS soft. And is. I started playing with his hair.

"What's this for?" he laughed.

"I thought you said you liked it," I said, "and besides, your hair's so soft and floofy, how could I not?"

He just sighed and laid his head back down and closed his eyes, and I continued playing with his hair.

I don't really like him like that, he's just my friend. We're just friends. That's all it is. The blushing, the stuttering, the hair, the sleeping next to each other on the floor, the hugging, the teasing, the awkward groans, the whining about being awkward, the occasional thought about his generally AMAZING appearance, it's all platonic. Yeah, that's all it is. Just really comfortable friendship.

Are you SURE it's comfortable, if you're so awkward?

Yes, of course. We're just really close.

Mmmmhm. We'll see...

Whatever. Wait, am I hearing voices? Wtf?!

I shot up in confusion.

"Why'd you stop?" I heard Mark pipe up.

"What?"

"Playing with my hair. I liked it," he pouted.

"Oh, um... I thought I heard something. From outside. I was just confused. Whatever, it's nothing."

I laid back down and continued playing with his hair, but I couldn't shake the feeling of... what's that word... premonition...

***

I woke up a little while later.

Huh. For once, I didn't have some weird dream I can't remember. I actually feel like I slept well. That's nice. I stayed there, laying with my eyes shut. I'm warm. A little too warm for that to be normal. That's odd. Then I noticed an odd weight across my stomach. That's odd. I must have fallen asleep with my drawing tablet on my stomach. That reminds me: I need to record another speedpaint. I'm behind. Wait... I didn't work on anything earlier... Then I remembered what had just happened before I had fallen asleep. My eyes shot open. Oh shit! I looked to my right, and there he was. He had his head on my shoulder and his arm across my stomach. I had pretty much just cuddled my best friend. This was something that I could not let him find out about.

"Mornin' sunshine."

I gasped and looked to my left. Jack was sitting there, staring at me and Mark, with a cup of Starbucks coffee in his hand, and a smug look on his face.

"Not a single fucking word of this to anyone," I whispered, gently moving Mark off of me, so as to not wake him up.

Jack mimed zipping up his lips.

He's a good friend.

I need more people like him for friends.

Then I remembered Mount Unicorn Shit, and how expensive it had been.

Or maybe not.

I got up and got dressed and ready to go... anywhere really. I hadn't planned anything in particular. Oh, right, we all need to record today.

"Hey, Jack, do you have anything pre-recorded?"

"No, you?"

"No. Do you know if Mark does?"

"No, he doesn't either."

"And neither does Maru. You know what that means. Recording day! Whoop whoop!" I said quietly, so as to not wake the others. "Where's my drawing tablet..."

I found it and set it at the bar of the mini kitchen, plugged my headphones into my phone, put me headphones in, set my phone on the counter, and let Set it Off's albums Upside-down and Duality play on repeat. It really wasn't that bad. I was having a good time.

The song that sprang the album name, Duality, came on first, and it instantly sparked an idea of what I wanted to draw. I hit record and got started.

***

I woke up to Serenity's singing. And honestly, she wasn't that bad.

"... got your back in this town,

Knock 'em in the teeth now.

Out here, there's no negotiation,

No room to start a conversation,

Before you get a taste it's taken,

Never let ya guard down.

Get back,

Put your hands up,

Kinda messed up,

But it's tough luck,

And I'm sorry but I don't feel bad

For you.

Cause I know that

If you could switch this,

You'd be dishin'

The same shit,

So sorry, but I don't feel bad.

Now I know,

There's no one I can trust.

I used to think there was.

Tell me that I'm cut-throat,

I'm thinkin' got your eyes closed.

Feel the fear,

And swallow back the tears,

Let weakness disappear,

There's nobody but me here,

The killer in the mirror!

Killer in the, killer in the, killer in the mirror!

Killer in the, killer in the, killer in the mirror!"

There was a pause, then she started up again.

"Where did all the good people go?

They hide behind the bars on windows

In hopes they can forget we're close, tryna'

Get some of what they've got.

Cause I used to believe in justice,

A place where there was better judgement.

But now, I'm feelin' so disgusted by the

Have its and the have nots.

Get back,

Put ya hands up,

Kinda messed up,

But it's tough luck,

And sorry but I don't feel bad

For you,

Cause I know that

If you could switch this,

You'd be dishin'

The same shit,

So sorry but I don't feel bad.

Now I know,

There's no one I can trust.

I used to think there was.

Tell me that I'm cut-throat,

I'm thinkin' got your eyes closed.

Feel the fear,

And swallow back the tears,

Let weakness disappear,

There's nobody but me here,

The killer in the mirror!

Killer in the, killer in the, killer in the mirror!

Killer in the, killer in the, killer in the mirror!

Knock 'em in the teeth now,

Never let ya guard down,

Get some of what they've got,

Have its and the have nots.

Knock 'em in the teeth now,

Never let ya guard down,

When they step in your house,

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK 'EM ALL THE FUCK OUT!

Now I know,

There's no one I can trust.

I used to think there was.

Tell me that I'm cut-throat,

I'm thinkin' got your eyes closed.

Feel the fear,

And swallow back the tears,

Let weakness disappear,

There's nobody but me here,

The killer in the mirror!

Killer in the, killer in the, killer in the mirror!

Killer in the, killer in the, killer in the mirror!

Feel the fear,

And swallow back the tears,

Let weakness disappear,

There's nobody but me here,

The killer in the mirror!

Killer in the, killer in the, killer in the mirror!

Killer in the, killer in the, killer in the mirror!"

She was silent for a second, then started an entirely new song.

"Beware, beware, be skeptical,

Of their smiles, their smiles of plated gold.

Deceit so natural, but a wolf in sheep's clothing is more than a warning,

Baa, baa..."

I decided to tune her out. I saw Jack sitting on the counter, watching her draw on her tablet. That explains the singing.

Jack motioned to me and hopped off the counter.

Then I spotted Mark... on Serenity's bed?

"Why...?" I asked Jack in a hushed whisper, pointing at Mark.

"That's what I wanted to talk about," he said in the same low tone. "But you have to promise not to tell anyone, not even Serenity, cause she made me promise not to tell."

I nodded. "I promise."

"So, she woke up on the floor where they fell asleep, freaked out when she saw him, and then decided to try and get him back into his bed," Jack explained. "But he's too heavy, so he ended up waking up. All three of us were hungry, and since there were no snacks or anything, I was gonna go out and get Starbucks. Before I left, she got a notification for a web comic, and he read it over her shoulder. I left, I got coffee and some cookies, and when I came back, they were both asleep, she had her hand in his hair, he had his head on her shoulder and his arm on her stomach, they were cuddling and it was so cute," he smiled, "and so I sat down on the foot of the bed, and when she woke up, I was like 'mornin' sunshine' and she jumped like, ten feet in the air! And then she made me promise not to tell anyone. Well, not really promise, she just said 'not a word to anyone' and I pretended to zip up my lips, and then, one thing led to another, and she's over there drawin'."

"Wow," I said. "I ship it to an extreme unknown to mankind!"

"Same here," he said, walking back to the counter to watch Serenity draw. That reminds me: I should record that song. But where can I record it where they won't hear... AH! I remembered the recording room. How am i supposed to get there without the others noticing and following me there? Crap.

I attempted to sneak away without being noticed while everyone was distracted.

I made it without being noticed. Yesssss! I set up the camera and hit record, pulled out the lyrics, and belted it out...

***

There!

I looked over my masterpiece, well, "masterpiece." As in, okay-ish looking fanart. I pulled my laptop out of my bag, and set it next to my tablet and went straight to editing. I sped it up, so that instead of being two and a half hours long, it would only be about nine minutes long. I stitched the songs Duality, Wolf in Sheep's Clothing, and Killer in the Mirror together into one long soundtrack, and put the video recording to the audio. Poifect!

I took out my headphones and put my phone back in my pocket. I turned off my tablet, put it away, went back to my laptop and hit post before turning it off and putting it away too.

Then I heard something... odd. A noise. It almost sounded like a voice. I tried to trace it to its source.

"Uhh, what're you doing?" Mark asked when I started swiveling and cocking my head to find the direction of the noise's source.

"Don't you hear it?" I asked him.

"Hear what?"

"That noise. It almost sounds like a voice."

Mark looked at me like I was going crazy. Jack, on the other hand, cocked his head as well. "Yeah, I can kinda hear something."

I started following the noise. When I was getting closer, I knew it was a voice. And I knew who's it was, too. It was Maru's.

I came upon the recording room. I couldn't tell what she was saying, so I went in.

"...already quite late

I've got a million ways to go

Stop me from sinking back in the grave

I've got to shake this shell and break it into millions

Look outside, it's already quite late

I've got a million ways to go

Stop me from sinking back in the grave

I've got to shake this shell and break it into millions

Happy is the man who understands it's gonna burn

Happy is the man who understands it's gonna burn."

She pressed a button on the camera and ended the recording and stood up. I clapped, and Mark and Jack joined me in clapping.

She seemed to jump ten feet in the air.

"Holy... jeez, you nearly gave me a heart attack!" she she said, clutching her heart. "Um... how long have you guys been standing there?"

"Not long, why?" I said.

"I'm, uh," she nervously scratched the back of her neck, "I'm sorry you guys had to witness my horrid singing."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, I suck," she said, staring at her toes.

"No you don't! Don't say that! Your voice is so beautiful! Better than anything I could ever do, that's for sure!" Jack said, walking over to her and hugging her shoulders. And her face turned bright red. Odd...

I picked her up and hugged her, probably crushing her ribcage. "Yeah, don't down talk yourself gurl, you're awesome!"

"AAACK! Ser - Serenity - I-I... I can't - breathe!"

"Oh, sorry. Whoops," I set her back down. "You're just like a little kid, I can't help it."

"Hey!"

"You're just too adorable! You even blushed when he complimented... you..." I was hit with a wave of realization. Does she- I gasped, and a smile spread across my face. Jack just looked at me, back at Maru, and turned red. I gasped again, then ran and grabbed Mark by the shoulder and ran out of the room with him.

"AAACK!"

I stood in front of him and jumped up and down, squealing.

"What?" he said.

"Wow. You really are clueless," I said. "Maru! And Jack! Like," I put my fingers together.

He looked at me, completely confused. Then a look of sudden realization swept across his face.

"Ooooohhhhhh!" A devious look spread across his face. "OoooOOOOoooo!"

"You're gonna help, right? Like, get them together?" I asked, putting my hands on his shoulders and giving him a death glare.

"Oh, HELL yes!" he said.

"Alright!" I said, putting my fist in the air and quickly bringing it down.

"...need to record something anyway."

Jack and Maru came out of the recording room.

"What do you need to record? Cause Maru might be able to help," I elbowed her. She kicked me in the shin.

"Uhhh... I dunno, just, a let's play. But I don't have my usual set up. I didn't even bring my computer! "

***

I sighed and sat down with my laptop, uploading the song to my drive, and sending it to my boss.

I thought back to just a bit ago as i was editing the clip, and began to internally panic.

WhY aRe YoU fReAkInG OuT?

Oh i don't know, maybe i just got blushy in front of someone!?!?!?!?

I hOnEsTlY dOn'T uNdErStAnD ThE PoInT oF tHaT.

Aren't you bothered by this too? We are technically the same person.

YeS, BuT I WaSn'T ThE OnE DoInG tHaT. ThAt WaS Of YoUr oWn dOiNg.

Oh just shut up, Mirror. No one wants to hear from you.

***

"WHOO!

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