"Be my boyfriend."
"WHAT?!" Mark shouted.
"Unless you wanna go to prison, that's totally fine with me. I'll just head down to the police station and--"
"OKAY OKAY OKAY. WAIT. Before we do any of this, explain to me why the hell I need to be your boyfriend."
"It's simple. My parents want me to marry this rich girl, but I don't want to. She's a stuck up bitch who gets anything she wants. If I marry her, my father's company will make a lot of profit. Although I'm not sure if it will work, I'm gonna pretend that I'm gay and "come out" to my parents. It's just pretend dating. But, we will have to get a little physical if needed."
"Why can't you just tell them you don't wanna marry her?! Why do you think this plan is gonna work?!"
"You don't think I've tried already? Hopefully they'll either kick me out of the family, or accept my "sexuality." Either one is totally fine by me."
"Ugh...you're such a weirdo."
"Thanks. Anyway, swing by my place at 7:30. I'll be telling my parents that a friend's coming over. I won't be breaking the news to them just yet. Remember, if you don't come, that picture will be at the police station!"
"Whatever, you bozo."
With that, Mark walked out of Hot Topic. He had enough drama for the day. It was time to go home.
******7:15 that night******
Mark hopped on his skateboard and made his way towards Jackson's house. He seriously did not want to go, but he had no choice. He finally arrived at his destination. Jackson was already waiting outside.
"Oh wow, you're actually on time," Jackson said with a smirk.
"Obviously," Mark replied.
"My parents are already in the living room. Let's go inside."
Jackson grabbed Mark's wrist, causing him to pull away quickly.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Mark hissed.
"We gotta make this believable! It's not like we're making out in plain sight. Chill out."
Mark groaned, but allowed Jackson to take hold of his wrist. They walked upstairs towards the door and opened it. He saw Jackson's parents sitting on the couch.
"Mom, Dad! This is Mark Tuan, my best friend!" Jackson cheerfully said, still holding Mark's wrist.
Best friends, my ass, Mark thought.
Jackson dragged Mark to the sofa across his parents. They both sat and Jackson scooted in very closely to Mark. Jackson was almost sitting on his lap. Mark tried to inch away, but Jackson kept moving closer until there was nowhere else for Mark to go. This made Jackson's parents raise and eyebrow.
"So....Mark. I heard you were VERY close with Jackson," Jackson's mom said.
"Oh, um...not real--"
"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! We're closer than SpongeBob and Patrick!" Jackson shouted, clinging to Mark's arm making a pouty puppy face.
Surprisingly, Mark thought that was kinda cute, but immediately brushed away the thought.
"Well, Mark, here are some snacks. Have some pistachios," Jackson's father said, pushing a glass bowl to him.
"Here! Mark, go 'ahhhh'" Jackson cutely said, wanting to feed Mark. Mark looked at Jackson in disgust. Jackson stepped on his foot, reminding him of the consequences if he didn't comply. Mark opened his mouth unwillingly.
"Is it good?" Jackson asked, his face inches away from Mark's. Mark's heartbeat quickened. He was unsure of why, but terminated the thought once again.
The rest of the night consisted of funny conversations and forced actions between the two. Mark didn't think it was so bad. He thought it was amazing that he hadn't lost his temper yet.
"Well, you better get going, Mark. It's getting late. Your parents might be worried," Jackson's mother said.
"I'll see him out!" Jackson yelled.
The two left the couch and exited the door. Mark collected his belongings and put his shoes on. He began walking down the stairs. Not knowing that his shoelace was untied, Mark stepped on it, causing him to trip. Luckily, Jackson was standing behind him. Jackson wrapped his arms around Mark's waist tightly in a bear hug before he could fall over. They stayed this way for a moment.
Without knowing why, Mark's heartbeat quickened, and he felt his face flushing. He believed it was just from embarrassment.
"Be careful next time, silly," Jackson said chuckling.
"O-okay..."
