We all stood in absolute astonishment. No one around me could believe the words that had just come out of Mark's mouth. Ashley looked like she was about to faint, James had his head in his hands, Mason was crouched down in a frog position, and Emily was pacing back and forth. I was kicking the tile with my converse and twisting back and forth uncomfortably. The words replayed in my head over and over.
It wasn't an accident. It wasn't an accident. It wasn't an accident.
Mark had purposefully tried to injure himself, or possibly even kill himself.
By now Ashley was on the floor crying to herself, but everyone else seemed to be awaiting my reaction. I couldn't seem to understand why Mark would do that. He had a picture perfect family and amazing athletic abilities.
"Why'd you do it?" I asked. My voice echoed around the white hospital room. Everyone's eyes were on me now, and Ashley was being comforted by James. Mark looked furious, but I couldn't take him seriously with the white and pink bandage around his head.
"Something happened to me, I don't know why I cheated on you Taylor, but I knew that you'd never forgive me so I didn't have much of a choice." he said, his voice wavering.
I didn't have much of an option on what to do here, nor did I know what to say. I looked around at my friends who all had their eyes bouncing back and forth from me to Mark.
"I.." I began, but I was at a loss for words. I bolted out the door and ran to the only place that I could go right now.
~..~..~..~..~
I knocked on the door to Alex's room, and opened it to see him sitting upright happily eating pudding. He waved to me and I entered just as another nurse left his side. His mom was on her phone across the room and nodded to me as I entered.
"What's up tater-tot" Alex asked, spitting pudding all over my shirt. I quietly wiped it off as he burst out laughing.
"Not much," I mumbled, and Alex stopped laughing.
"I didn't think you were going to be here today?" He said, picking up his phone and scrolling through Instagram.
"I wasn't planning on it," I replied. "Mark-"
"Cracked his skull, yeah I know" Alex said, taking the words our of my mouth.
"How did you know?" I asked curiously.
"He called me earlier today when he got in," he said.
"Why would he call you?" I asked.
"I don't know,"
I pondered the statement for a moment, maybe because they could meet up? That didn't really sound like the Mark and Alex I knew.
YOU ARE READING
Penalties
Teen Fiction"I didn't want anything to do with love. My routine was strictly eat, sleep, soccer on repeat. That's how it had been for the past 10 years of my life. But that was until I looked at Mark Larsen in a different light and suddenly my black and white w...
