My Middle School Crush (BoyxBoy)

Chapter 19

(A/N: I am not a doctor, a nurse, a medical student, or even a medical enthusiast due to watching Grey's Anatomy. The medical information mentioned will probably be widely inaccurate. Refer to a professional for medical advice, not an author on Wattpad. Thank you :). Also, this is closer to 4000 words. Get ready for some reading~ )

Chapter 19: The Proposal (Starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds)

One, two, three, four. One two three four. The dull thuds of Mason's shoes hitting concrete were the only thing filing up his brain. He had learned in the past several days that anything else would just cause annoyance.

Another stalemate had been induced, this one far worse than the last. Unlike last time when Mason didn't know if Mark liked him or not, now Mason had to sit on the fact that Mark was at least attracted to him, but didn't want to do anything about it. Which was arguably worse.

Jasmine had been laughing softly at a small joke Daniel had made but turned back when she saw that Mason was starting to trail behind them. Mason was one of the liveliest in their friend group. He loved to make jokes, tease others, and just be involved in whatever was going on. Suddenly he was hanging back and keeping his distance. It didn't make a lick of sense.

"Hey, Mason!" Jasmine called out, pulling Mason from his dark funk. "Why don't you join us?"

Mason's gaze shot up and a soft blush filled his cheeks. He hadn't realized he had slowed down so much. Mark, Jasmine, Daniel, Clark, and Santiago all stood staring back at an embarrassed Mason.

"Uh, yeah, sorry." He laughed awkwardly, rubbing a hand through his hair. "I got a little dazed for a second."

Mason jogged to catch up to the group, briefly catching Mark's eyes. Mark had seemed a bit guilty but Mason swiftly ignored him. If Mark didn't want to give him a clear answer, Mason didn't want to speak to him unless forced. Yes, he could be a petty bitch.

Jasmine made a small face at Mason's answer. Mason already knew that she was about to tease him.

"Dazed?" She asked rhetorically, chuckling softly. "What had you dazed? Were you thinking about that cute guy from your nursing class?"

Clark's eyes flashed in recognition and he grinned evilly.

"Oh, I remember that guy. Gabe, was it?" He said, smiling at Mason. "I also remember that he was super into you. Is it mutual?"

"Oh shut up." Mason complained, giving Clark a small shove in the shoulder. Clark decided to be extra dramatic and promptly fell right into Santiago's arms. They all laughed at how unnecessary it was and continued on.

They were heading to a restaurant downtown that they heard sold everything 5 dollars or less. Jasmine, who was completely satisfied with a fifty dollar salad, was the first to ask if the food was legit. But Daniel, the guy who suggested this restaurant in the first place, insisted that eating their food would be all the proof she needed.

The food was fantastic. Mason joked that it was like a buffet at the end because everyone was so excited to try the food that they ended up just sharing all of their plates. During all of the talking and laughter, an annoying thought kept making its way into Mason's mind.

Mark.

Specifically how he wanted to talk about Mark. If this was a situation with any other person, Mason would feel perfectly entitled to gossip with his friends and ask for advice. He wanted to get their feedback and know if it was just him who found the entire thing frustrating as hell. But he couldn't. Mason knew the value of being able to out yourself. Even though it would be to some of their closest friends, Mason would not be the guy that forcibly outed someone else. He couldn't.