𝐋𝐈𝐀𝐑 - marcus baker

three

"Lin, can you take me to the skate park? TJ is meeting me there," Devin asked as he opened my door without knocking.

"When?"

"Now?" he gave a cheesy smile.

I sighed before nodding and shooing him away. He shut the door behind him and immediately yelled "Yes!"

I chuckled at his excitement as I grabbed my phone and put on my shoes.  Our parents weren't home, so that left just Devin and me, and when that happens, I was in charge.

After jogging downstairs, I grabbed the keys to my car. Already knowing Devin is outside waiting, I walked outside. I locked the door behind me and he threw his skateboard in the backseat.

The drive to the skatepark wasn't that long, maybe ten minutes.

When we got there, it wasn't packed at all. I saw TJ almost immediately as he successfully completed a trick.

"I'll be back in a few hours, text me if anything happens," I said to my brother as he opened his door.

"Got it," he smiled.

As he got out, TJ met him on the side of the car.

"Hi, Aylin," he smiled widely and waved at me.

I simply waved back as I put my foot on the brake pedal, ready to put the car in reverse.

"That boy over there says hi," he continued as he points at a concrete table not too far away.

I looked up and squinted even though it wasn't that far. Marcus was staring the entire time. He smiled, making me cross my arms.

"I think you should talk to him, Lin. I mean, how bad could it have been?" Devin suggested as he looked at me through the window.

I didn't talk to Devin in any serious manner, so he had no idea why Marcus and I stopped talking.

I stared at Marcus before deciding that Devin is right. Maybe throwing cheese at him was a bit too far.

"Fine."

The two boys only smiled before they ran off to the skatepark.

I turned off the engine before mentally preparing myself. Before I knew it, I was making my way toward Marcus.

I sat in front of him while his friend sat next to him.

"If you want, I can clean your shirt. It was wrong of me to throw cheese at you even though you made the worst comment you could have made in that situation. Oh, and also I'm still mad at you and we're not friends I just feel bad," I gave a mini-rant, not letting him speak until I was done.

"No thanks," he began but his friend slapped his arm.

Marcus feigned pain as he grabbed his arm to apply pressure to his not-so-serious wound. His friend began to whisper in his ear. I could hear him but not enough to make out any words.

"I take that back. You have yourself a deal, you can pick it up later today."

I gave him a questionable look, confused as to why his friend talked him into it. 

"Actually, you can give me a ride home and grab the shirt then," he smiled mischievously like he had won something.

I didn't want to drive him home, but it was the least I could do. I did ruin his shirt. And it was a nice one.

"We're leaving now," I said sternly as I stood up.

I turned around and walk toward my car without making sure he is following. I get into the car and see that, unfortunately, but not surprisingly, he was following my lead and getting into the passenger seat. I started the engine once we're both buckled and drove away.

This drive was not what he expected it to be. It was awkward and boring. Bothered, he starts up a conversation.

"I'm sorry, Aylin. I shouldn't have said that. It was mean and gross. Sorry."

I don't think I've ever heard Marcus apologize for anything. I mean, sometimes he would do it because his mom made him or he was being sarcastic, but he was rarely genuinely sorry.

"It's fine."

"I really am sorry."

I didn't reply after that, so he turns the radio on. At this point, the atmosphere in the car was painfully awkward. I drove at the speed limit as he stared straight ahead.

Eventually, we got to his house where I parked on the street. I decided to wait in the car since he never clarified what was supposed to happen.

"You can come inside, I have to look for the shirt."

Marcus seemed a bit down, though I was fairly confident it was because of my short answer to his apology. To be fair, he deserved it, he made me feel that way for months without an apology.

I followed him into the house where his mom was laying on the couch.

"Oh! Aylin? How have you been? You haven't been over in so long!" she exclaimed as she got up to hug me.

I used to come over a lot before everything went south, and I'm guessing Marcus never told her that we stopped talking.

"Hi, Ellen," I chuckled as I hugged her back.

"You're staying for dinner right? Clint asked about you the other day."

I looked at Marcus, waiting for him to tell his mom something. He gave me a weird look before deciding to say something.

"She can't stay, Mom. She just came over to grab something,"

Ellen frowned before nodding her head, understanding that I can't stay. I waved at her as I followed Marcus upstairs to his room. He opened his door and stood to the side, waiting for me to walk in first.

His room wasn't messy and he had more posters than before.  When I got closer I noticed they weren't posters, they were paintings. 

"Did you paint these?" I asked him as I touched one of them.

I only took my eyes off the painting when he says, "Yeah."

He looked a bit embarrassed that I asked so I continued talking, "They're beautiful."

Not knowing what to say, he just stared at me with a smile on his face.  We stared at each other for a few seconds before he sat on his bed.

"I already cleaned my shirt.  I just wanted to spend time with you," he confessed.

Normally, I would be mad that he lied to me, but I wasn't.   Instead of getting angry, I sat beside him on the bed.  Nervous, I put my hands in my lap as I twisted the rings on my fingers back and forth.

"Can we talk about everything?  I genuinely don't know why you stopped talking to me," he asked shyly.

I looked up at him as I start to remember everything that happened.

"You were bragging to all of your friends.  You told them all how you 'got in my pants' like I was some toy.  Like that's all I was good for," my eyes began to water as I began to remember how I felt that day.

"So that's what this was all about?  I'm sure you told your friends too, Aylin.  Why wouldn't I be allowed to tell anyone?  You're the only one allowed to tell your friends what happens?" He looked confused as to why this was an issue for me.

"I told them, but I didn't brag about how I 'fucked right when we got home from the dance and lasted two rounds'," I quoted a text he sent to the group chat of his friends, "You weren't just a number to add to my body count, Marcus."

Knowing he said that he begins to get defensive.

"Okay, well then if it meant so much to you why did you just cut me off?  You should've talked to me.  This isn't my fault."

"You're not going to turn this on me, Marcus. You are in the wrong, and until you realize that, I don't want to talk to you. Bye," I say sharply before beginning to walk away.

I grab the doorknob, ready to leave when Marcus decides to continue talking.

"See you at the party, Lin," he says in a cheerful tone, and without looking at him, I knew he was smirking.