The Little Things [Book 1]

Chapter Thirteen: Obstruction

Mark was resting against his locker, his phone before his eyes. Thomas had been avoiding him like the plague for three days, ever since that car ride. He had expected a response, just not something like this. His eyes ran over the screen and he reread the conversation he had had with Sam over text.

Mark: I need to end things with William.

Sam: I'm glad you realized that. What the fuck were you on?

Mark: Nothing. I don't know what happened exactly. I don't know where that came from.

Sam: Break up with William. Don't cheat on him.

Mark: I wasn't going to.

They hadn't texted at all ever since. They had talked on the phone, but with Sam's classes, it was hard to find time to hang out during the week.

As Mark stood there, a girl from the yearbook committee came up to him with a wide smile. Her name was Miriam. Or wasn't it? He was almost sure it was Miriam. Or maybe not.

"Hello Mark," she said and stood before him.

"Hey," he replied, still trying to remember her name. It had to Miriam.

"The first game of the soccer season is this afternoon, and we were wondering if you could go and take some pictures? You know, for the yearbook..." she said with a sweet tone. While her tone was nice, the glim in her eyes told him that getting out of it was close to impossible.

"What time is it?" he asked her and her smile got even bigger.

"Hey, Mira," Thomas greeted her as he and Rachel walked past them. The girl, Mira, greeted them back, not noticing Mark cursing himself.

Mira. He had been close. Mira, Miriam. Details, whatever.

***

"So, are we doing something tonight?" William asked Mark over the phone as Mark walked out of school when last period finished.

"There's this soccer match I have to photograph. For the yearbook," Mark said, getting into his car.

"Oh," William sounded confused. "I just thought... I thought you didn't care about school..."

"I don't," Mark replied and started driving, while connecting his phone to the car's system.

"But you're in the yearbook club and you're attending matches. How come?" William sounded more surprised than annoyed, but Mark could clearly make out annoyance in his tone.

"I don't know. This guy told me to join the club when I told him I'm into photography-"

"And that made you join? What's that guy to you?" Now William was jealous. Well, shit.

"He's no one. It's not... How about you come with me to the match and then we go to my place?" Mark said with a sharp exhale.

William stayed silent for a few moments, but then he agreed on that plan. Mark really needed to end it. He understood that three months were enough to grow feelings –deep feelings- but he couldn't understand what William's deal was. He always got so jealous.

The first time Will had gotten jealous was back in their third week, when Mark had gotten a panic attack in front of him. After half an hour of talking about Mark's past, from his diagnosis, to his coming out, to the whole story with Jack, the only thing William had focused on had been Jack. He acted so threatened by him it had weirded Mark out.