"Best Friends"

Plans

They didn't sit long at the table before Xilef encountered them, a scowl evident on his face upon seeing the pair.

"He-hey Xilef." Dark greeted the male tersely as he sat down, Mark nodding acknowledgement as he took a seat as well.

"I see you guys worked out over the summer." Xilef remarked through gritted teeth, a forced smile plastered on his face.

"Yeah, and we've gotten a lot better at singing and are smarter." Mark bragged, smirking triumphantly as Xilef's smile flickered briefly to a frown before he recomposed his facade.

"Whatever, I'll see you two in science." Xilef growled as he stormed past, punching Dark in the back of the head on his way.

Dark flinched slightly in pain, yet didn't make a sound as he gently rubbed the sore area.

Anti on the other hand was livid.

"Imma fucking kill him!" Anti snapped furiously, catching Dark off guard since he rarely ever got mad as he started to scramble off of his seat.

"Dude chill." Jack told him as he grabbed his arm, keeping him from leaving despite his struggling.

"Fine." Anti huffed, slumping down in defeat and picking at the remnants of his food.

Once the bell rang, the group dumped their trays before going their separate ways to get to their next classes, Mark and Dark walking together since they had the same class.

"Welcome students, my name is Mrs. Willow and I will be your physical science teacher for the year." A woman with long light brown hair and hazel eyes announced to the class once everyone had found a seat.

Mark and Dark sat in the front of the room next to each other, Xilef choosing to sit behind Dark to pester him.

"Alright, none of you probably know this yet, but who can tell me what are the three Newton Laws?" Mrs. Willow asked the class, scanning the room of expressionless faces for an answer.

Both Dark and Mark raised their hands simultaneously while Xilef struggled to rack his brain for the answer.

"Dark?" Mrs. Willow prompted, choosing him since he had risen his hand first.

"First, an object in motion stays in motion. Second, the acceleration of an object is dependent upon two variables, the net force acting upon the object and the mass of the object. Third, an object in motion stays in motion unless acted on by an outside force." Dark listed off confidently, earning a wide smile from the teacher.

"You didn't stutter." Mark whispered to Dark in surprise.

"I o-only st-stutter when I-I'm nervous." Dark admitted sheepishly.

The rest of the class flew by in a blur for the pair as they answered questions left and right, seeming to impress the teacher immensely.

Meanwhile, Xilef glared hard at the two as he scribbled down notes, refusing to let his reputation of being the most athletic and intelligent in the school drop.

Mark and Dark split up to go to their separate classes after science, both continuing to be the smartest in the class in all other subjects much to their pride.

The bell signaling the end of school rang before too long, allowing Dark to escape to the bus and go home.

"Hey Dark!" Anti yelled excitedly as he ran into him on the way outside, nearly tackling Dark to the floor in a hug.

"He-Hey Anti." Dark chuckled, ruffling the teen's hair with one hand as he hugged him back.

"I'll see ya later!" Anti promised Dark as he sped off towards Jack and Signe, leaving Dark to his thoughts as he stepped outside.

Dark arrived at his bus just in time to see Mark taking to Amy, his face burning a light red hue as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his flushed neck with one hand while he spoke.

Mark froze when he noticed Dark watching them, his blush deepening as he said goodbye to Amy before hopping up the stairs of the bus.

Dark's gaze followed Amy as she left, noticing that she was equally red as he took a seat by Mark.

Mark and Dark talked together on the bus ride home about the plans they had to advance each other's relationships, both teens eager and scared at the same time.

"Ya know, I have another good idea to sweeten things up." Mark remarked as they walked off the bus.

"Y-yeah?" Dark prompted, curious about what he had in mind.

"There's this back to school dance this weekend at the school, and I've heard that Anti hasn't found anyone to come with him yet." Mark stated with a mischievous grin.

"Yo-your point?" Dark countered warily as they paused outside the door of their house.

"Whoever asks first has to pay for tickets for the other person and their date." Mark declared.

"Add d-dinner." Dark told him confidently, hoping he knew what he was doing.

"Deal." Mark smirked, offering Dark a hand to shake.

Dark hesitated slightly before shaking his cousin's hand, sealing the deal as they walked inside.

"Hey Mark and Dark, how was your first day at junior high boys?" Dark's dad called out from the kitchen.

"It was good!" The pair yelled back as they retreated into their rooms to play video games.

Dark couldn't focus on the game he and Mark were playing, which was Rocket League, as he thought about how he would ask Anti to the dance, and more importantly, if he would say yes.

"Dude, you suck." Mark laughed as he scored another point, the replay showing Dark's car simply watching the ball sail into the goal without him trying to stop it.

"So-sorry, I'm a-a bit p-preoccupied." Dark admitted in a mutter.

"Dinner!" Mark's mom shouted upstairs, causing the two to drop their controllers and dash downstairs.

They ate hastily before getting ready for sleep and going to bed, both planning how to win the bet as they slept.