Friend-Zoned

[66]

Mark nearly screamed like a little girl when someone grabbed him by the shoulder and pushed him around. His first thought was he was gonna get hit directly in the face. When he saw who it was, his second thought was Jack would probably walk halfway home without realizing Mark wasn't following him anymore.

"Alright, tough guy. What the fuck is your deal?"

Mark blinked, looking behind him, Jack having disappeared out of the school exit.

"Look, Princess. I don't have time for this right now. If I don't get back, Jack will never notice me gone. Poor guy pays so much attention to everything else he doesn't notice the people around him." Mark smiled a little, as if the idea of it was funny.

"It's about Jack, so you're to stay right here until I'm done with you."

Mark's face quickly fell into a frown. Signe had no right to be sticking her nose in his and Jack's business. Much less their relationship. "What could you possibly want to talk about?"

Signe tugged on the opening of her jacket, securing it tighter around her. "What's up with you being all protective over Jack, doing stuff with him, but you're still 'just best friends'?" Mark snorted, "What're you saying? How the hell do you know what goes on?"

"Jack told me. Didn't hold back either. He really likes you, Mark, but you keep shooting him down. Do you know how much it hurts, knowing you love someone who's basically lying?"

Mark shrugged, ignoring her questions as much as possible. "I'm not talking about about this. What I choose to do is none of your business. What happens between me and Jack is kept between us and us only."

"Who said you was doing stuff with him?"

"You accused me, that's who!"

Signe placed her hands on her hips, scoffing. "Jack never mentioned you doing things with him. Just said you've held hands before, and gave him a few cheek kisses. That's all you've done, right? Right?"

Mark narrowed his eyes, face darkening in colour. "Right." His hand instantly went up to twist and mess with his nose ring.

Seeing as Signe didn't know Mark as well as Jack, she didn't know that him messing with his face piercings were an anxious and nervous habit.

"That's not platonic! You definitely like him. No, you love him. Don't you? Just admit it, moron."

Mark froze, nearly pulling the silver jewel out of his nose. He took the hand that was plucking at it and balled it into a fist at his side, clutching on to Jack's (surprisingly heavy) bag on his shoulder with his other hand. "What? No way. We're just friends. That Irish loser can screw every guy around here for all I care. I am not gay."

Signe raised her brows in surprise. She expected denial, but not a random outburst. Mark snorted, opening his mouth to say more when his phone rung in his pocket. He yanked it out, his angry demeanor disappearing when the text reminded him of something. Or someone.

MySmolBean🖤:
Hey?
> Uh, sorry to scare you but you're gone?
> I'm like, five minutes away from home now.
> I'm not coming back.
> Where the fuck are you, bitch.

Mark chuckled, rolling his eyes at how Jack was sending text after text only minutes apart, despite knowing Mark had seen them. "Sorry, princess, but my damsel in distress is looking for me."

Signe frowned, huffing at the laughing sarcasm in his voice. "You're doing him dirty, Mark. That boy loves you to Pluto and back. And you're taking it to your advantage."

Mark looked at her for a moment, eyebrows furrowing in consideration. Guilt settled for a minute or two, before shrugging. "I've not done a thing to hurt him. Jack's fine."

Mark turned away and headed out the door and down the stairs. The guilt making him even sicker. Because he knew he actually did care for Jack, so, so much. And it scared the shit out of him. He knew Jack loved him more, enough to give up his life to actual get it in return.

Mark was absolutely aware he might be using Jack, but he truthfully didn't see him as some sex object. Mark would be fine with actual dating. He wanted to fix the idea that he was using Jack. Mark just didn't want to get hurt in the process.

...

I'm sad to say the next chapter is basically a BJ chapter. Whoops....