Students swarmed the school grounds and gates after school. Everyone was dying for the weekend to come and the school bell was what most of them needed.
Between the crowded students walked Mark alone. He didn't feel the usual excitement for the weekend. The only thing he could think of was the warmth Lea offered him. A small part of him felt ashamed for running away from Ian and accepting Lea even though Ian was always beside him. It was probably because he was too afraid of trusting Ian at the time, but if he talks things over with Ian, maybe he could set things straight.
He still couldn't get his mind off it. He felt considerably calmer and even though he fought it, he couldn't help the small smile creeping on his face as he looked downwards at the grass.
'You forgot me?'
Mark lifted his head and found Dennis leaning by a tree he just passed by beside the school gate.
It was never so easy to drop the smile once he saw him.
'What do you want?' Mark asked dryly.
Dennis feigned shock. 'What do you mean? I'm your soul-brother. How can we not go home together?'
'Watch me,' replied Mark and moved on, completely ignoring him, but Dennis held his shoulder before he went too far.
'Wait! You can't walk on me, new school rules.'
Mark face-palmed. He forgot.
'Besides, Cat got into a fight today and Sally's feeling a bit lonely.'
Mark raised a brow.
Katherine got into a fight?
That cannot be good news.
Mark asked what happened, but Dennis insisted he had no idea himself. All they knew was that Cherry came back to class whimpering in pain, bandaged and all, and Katherine never showed her face. They were, of course, details Mark should've noticed, but he was lost in his own world after what happened with Lea, mainly because of the newfound comfort, the hunger because he didn't eat anything the entire break and sleeping.
'I had to ask around,' said Dennis. 'It looks like she's got into trouble with a head teacher for violence and breaking school code.'
Their school could get lax sometimes. It was fine to not wear proper uniform outside class, for example, but breaking the school code wasn't as simple as other schools.
They probably wouldn't see Katherine until the week after.
Mark looked around but couldn't find Sally.
'Where's Sal?' he asked.
Dennis cocked his head towards the tree. Marked approached the tree and walked around it and found Sally sitting on the ground and leaning the tree trunk while reading a book on a hidden side of it. She looked engrossed in the book, but Mark knew otherwise.
'You can't find Cat?' he asked.
'I kept waiting for her after the bell but couldn't find her,' she said, her gaze still fixed on her book.
Dennis showed up beside Mark. 'Too bad, but she'll probably come back next week. Until then, let's hit a junk food restaurant!'
Sally closed her book and stood up. Even after standing, she didn't occupy much vertical space. Sally was short, a petite girl, and the boys were giants in comparison. She also gave off a vibe of breaking at the slightest touch, which was probably why they didn't see Katherine hug her before.
'I can't,' she said. 'I want to go home and study.'
Dennis laughed it off. 'When the weekend just got here...? Please, do not get me started on that.'
Sally's face fell. 'I don't have anyone but you guys to go home with.'
As a matter of fact, none of them had anyone but the other which may not sound too bad since they were a group of four, but it was Katherine who pulled them together. Sally had no social skills, Dennis had little luck with strangers because of his dense attitude and Mark rarely bothered speaking with anyone, mostly because he was sleeping.
'Then Sally, I'm happy to welcome you in our manly gathering,' said Dennis.
'I want to go home.'
'Mark, help me!'
Mark wanted to sort things out with Ian, but he remembered he came back home late in the last day of the week, so the house would be empty. The house would feel to ghostly and lonely then. He didn't want to go there.
Mark shrugged. 'I don't know. I don't mind either way.'
It took them half an hour and the grounds got emptier by then, but Dennis won in the end and they took off to McDonald's.
Sally didn't object anymore and only picked up her book to read. They were at a busy high street when Dennis decided to take on Katherine's role as The Romance Monarch.
'Say, Mark, I remember Cat saying something interesting,' Dennis started as he wrapped an arm around Mark, 'something about you having a thing for new kid.'
Mark groaned. 'Don't get too close.'
The street was packed, mostly because it was too narrow for a main street and everybody were in a hurry to get back home and relax for the weekend. Even the sidewalk was packed, and Sally, who insisted on walking a couple of steps in front of the boys, almost got lost a couple of times because of her size.
Dennis didn't take heed to Mark's warning. 'She said that before leaving the class and getting violent,' he said and raised his brows. 'I wonder what she did,' he added.
'Katherine is a romance queen and she will ship anyone she wants to ship,' said Sally, while poking her nose on her book. 'I actually pity Mark for this.'
'Lea's only been on campus for 4 days,' Mark said.
Dennis's mouth turned to an 'O'. 'You bothered counting?'
Mark was going to shrug, but then shot a lethal look at Dennis's arm. 'Can you get off me?'
'Well, I'm not a shipper myself, so I'm not prying anymore on this. Speaking of new kid... Where is she?'
Sally lowered her book and stopped walking. She was almost swept by the crowd, and she continued moving forward. 'Katherine said she offered her company to go home yesterday, but she said no,' she said.
Dennis widened his eyes. 'Now that's a mystery. I wonder why.'
'She probably knew other people on campus and she left with them,' Mark said.
Dennis shot him a confused look.
That was out of character lately.
Sally shook her head. 'She said she goes alone.'
Dennis would normally get excited about their new found mystery, but he was thinking about Mark's recent attitude.
'I told you,' Mark said. 'Get your hands away!'
He grabbed Dennis's arm tight, twisted it and threw Dennis over his shoulder on the ground.
Sally raised a brow, and Dennis agonized in pain on the ground. Mark's stunt caused quite the scene. The surrounding people kept a distant, probably fearing Mark's violence, and one man, with an interestingly neat suit and cologne wafting off of him, paused from his walk to give them a lecture about violence. They probably didn't fall into trouble with the police because it was too crowded for them to notice anything, and nobody took them too seriously and only saw them as children because of their school uniform, which most recognised wasn't from a school swarmed by delinquents.
They spent 10 minutes on the street with the man rambling on their ears. Sally took it seriously. Mark didn't care much. Dennis was in too much pain to pick up anything. When he finished his lecture, he straightened his posture, wished them a good weekend and walked away.
Dennis stood at last after the man left while rubbing his shoulder. 'Looks like Cat isn't the only one who's got violent today.'
He didn't think of the pain Mark caused him a lot, only how he just imagined Mark's change of attitude.
After the commotion was completely over and everyone forgot what happened, the trio couldn't contain themselves. They couldn't keep the cool act for two minutes. Sally beamed. Dennis laughed it off. Mark took seconds after before he himself exploded in a laugh even bigger than Dennis's.
Sally raised a brow, but Dennis never stopped beaming.
Mark quickly clasped his hand over his mouth.
'What's wrong with me?'
'Let it all out,' said Dennis.
'We won't judge,' Sally said.
They always saw through Mark's indifference and knew he had a heart too big for his own good probably, but they played along.
Dennis approached Mark and risked another throw by the shoulder. He wrapped an arm around him, but Mark ignored that.
'I don't know what's happening,' he whispered in his ear, ' but I won't pry. Let it out.'
He felt blessed.
In that moment he allowed himself to forget everything, including setting things with Ian and the revelation from the night before. In that moment, it was only him and the friends he was blessed to have, spending a carefree time together.
He dropped off the facade and let himself goof around with Sally and Dennis in the streets, earning confused glares from those around them.
###
A janitor mopping the floor while listening to music, a child fighting with his brother over a happy meal, completely overwhelmed fast food workers trying to pacify angry clients... It was a normal day at McDonald's.
Only, Mark was scowling because Dennis was late.
He'd been waiting with Sally for some time now on a table they chose beside a window, because windows are salvation. Sally didn't face a problem in finding something to do. She simply opened a book, and a word was never uttered from her mouth since. Mark, on the other hand, was bored out of his mind. He laid down on the table and stared at the street from the window, counting cars.
It didn't take long for his mind to fly to what he was told about Katherine.
Mark would drive her crazy, but she was still chill with other people. He remembered the day she went physical with him. It wasn't a pleasant experience. His body ached for two weeks.
Then he remembered the last time he saw her. It was when Mark and Lea were running away. Lea must've fallen into some sort of mess with her classmates.
It all boiled down to Lea in the end.
Mark messed up his hair in frustration and let out an exasperated sigh. Sally lowered her book and stole a glance from Mark, and then continued reading, not batting an eye to Mark's problems.
He resigned himself to stop thinking about it. It was his day with Dennis and Sally, even if she was dragged with them despite herself.
Mark jerked upwards when a tray was slammed on the table. He scowled at Dennis and Sally lowered her book.
'You're late,' said Mark.
Dennis's dumb smile never left his face. 'The line was long.'
Mark forgot about it once the aroma wafted towards him and his stomach tightened, reminding him that he didn't eat anything since breakfast that day. In the end, Lea stole his break.
Dennis seated himself beside Mark and reached out for a Big Mac. Sally grabbed a drink and resumed reading her book.
Dennis frowned. 'Sal, give yourself a break and eat.'
'I'm fine with only this.'
'Well, I'm not. You're not getting any bigger that way.'
Sally raised up her head to look at him and frowned. 'I'm not a child.'
Dennis gasped. 'You're not? I thought you were!'
Sally rolled her eyes and continued reading. Dennis didn't stay put. He kept spamming her about how she was a growing child while Mark stuffed his mouth with whatever he could get a hold on.
Soon enough, Dennis gave up on her, but since he was Dennis, he never shut up.
'Hey Mark,' he switched over to Mark and said, 'don't you feel good that test was postponed?
Mark swallowed his mouthful of burger and shot Dennis a reprimanding look. 'Does it make a difference? You'll forget about it anyway.'
Touché...
Dennis was sure Mark didn't have to mention this memory, but Mark couldn't help it. In the beginning, Mark sympathised with Dennis forgetting test dates and helped in his cramming, but it reached ridiculous heights and he let Dennis deal with his tests on his own eventually. He still ended up with good results, regardless.
Mark was reaching out for a helping of fries when he felt another presence.
He clenched his shirt and tried to control his ragged breathing as panic overtook his senses.
Whatever was there haven't been watching them or coming their way, but it was somewhere near. Mark let go of his shirt. They weren't in danger. It wasn't coming their way. There shouldn't be anything to worry about, he thought as he tried his best to control his beating heart.
Dennis and Sally noticed the odd behaviour and glared at him.
'What?' he asked and felt like slapping himself afterwards.
They exchanged looks, then Dennis reached out a hand for Mark's forehead.
'Now that I think about it, you were acting this way yesterday too.'
'You look pale, Mark,' said Sally, concern evident in her voice. 'Do you feel funny or anything?'
Yes, he did feel funny, but not in the way they imagined it.
'Maybe it's because I'm starving.' He came out with the lamest excuse out there and snapped Dennis's hand away from his forehead.
'I don't know man, but...' Dennis looked down at his palm.
It was sweaty.
Dennis knew when Mark was that shut in though, so he knew that there was no way Mark will spill any beans. When he could, he asked for help. When he wasn't keen on it, though, it was a losing battle, but Dennis wanted to probe in. There was his changing attitude lately. He looked less consistent with his attitude, and if he wasn't imagining it, it was as if Mark was afraid of something.
Then he remembered he told Mark he won't ask.
Sally didn't stop though. She insisted that Mark didn't look well, but he ignored her and sipped from his juice casually as if nothing happened.
No matter how much it bothered him, Dennis kept his mouth shut. Breaking his shell was hard and needed time. Besides, Mark wasn't a jerk. He'll ask their help if he needed it.
Sally did give up eventually. She opened her book in haste and ignored them both.
It was quiet after that. Mark was busy satisfying his stomach. Dennis played around with his cup and Sally read her book.
None of them spoke after that and continued eating in silence. After they were done and left the restaurant, Sally broke the silence by expressing her desire to go home. That turned Dennis on and he went on about how Sally needed to get a break and mess around since it was the weekend. Ian still wouldn't've got home yet, so Mark didn't object.
Kornwell wasn't a large city itself, so there wasn't much to do, but they bought a ticket to a random movie at the theatre, to which Dennis had to throw up after watching because of how grotesque it was. They went to the arcade and Mark and Dennis went wild with the collection available. They played till Sally physically dragged them outside for wasting money. It didn't make much of a difference. They were almost broke anyway.
For that, they spent time economically, which mostly included walking instead of using public transit and hang around in parks most of the time.
Needless to say, this put strain on Sally's body who wasn't as physically able as the other two boys.
'Can we go now?' she asked after the sun had set.
They sat on a bench beside a convenience store, licking ice cream. Sally wasn't in the mood. She stuffed her book inside her school bag and stared at the floor as the ice cream melted and trickled down. Dennis noticed that. He was one excited coconut, but he wasn't mean.
He nodded at her with a reassuring smile and her face lightened up.
Then her stomach growled.
It was silence after that and Sally's bright face fell gradually every second as deadly aura emitted and surrounded her.
Comments (0)
See all