Someone on Mark's Side
by Tie-B
Chapter II
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Home Improvement characters.
Many thanks to http://www.hiarchive.co.uk. I couldn't have written the flashback parts accurately without their comprehensive scripts.
---
That night, Mark was tossing and turning in his sleep. His memories were playing back in his head.
He saw the conversation he and his Dad had back when Brad got that strange haircut. *
"Ice cold pop for my favorite son" Tim said as he handed the drink to Mark who was coming out from under the hot rod.
"I'm your favorite son?" Mark asked.
"Well, You're my last hope," Tim answered, "My one son looks like a sumo wrestler and the other one is in there putting moves on his mother."
"Dad, I hope you'll never get mad at me like you did at Brad . . ."
The events fast-forwarded to last week, when Brad and Randy were fighting about that Hey Yo! article Brad wrote. **
Mark was walking towards the fridge with a copy of Brad's Hey Yo! article. "Mind if put Brad's article on the refrigerator?"
Jill was surprised by Mark's brotherly gesture. "No, I think that's so sweet that you're so proud of him."
"Actually, I'm doing it to annoy Randy. See, the more they fight, the less they rag on me," Mark explained. Jill wasn't really smiling anymore.
Mark couldn't remember whether he really was doing it to annoy Randy, or he was really proud of Brad or he just wanted to show he was on Brad's side in hopes that Brad would side with him someday.
Then, he saw yesterday's incident.
"Heh. Dark clothes again? What is with you?" Brad's voice rang in his head.
"I just like dark colors, okay?" he replied, annoyed.
"Dork and dark do sound alike," came Randy's voice, followed by laughter from both Brad and Randy.
Normally, Mark would have let it slide. He would have thrown it away to be forgotten in some emotional closet. This time however, it was different. The closet felt full. All those years of torture of being picked on were about ready to burst out. This time it wouldn't slide.
"Lay off! I don't tell you guys what to wear," Mark shot back.
Fast as ever came Randy's reply, "Maybe that has something to do with the fact that we've got a life and you don't Mark."
Randy went up to look up at Mark's face when he said that, and that's when Mark snapped and gave him that punch.
Brad was startled by the sound of Randy hitting the floor.
"Mark! What's gotten into you?!" he yelled as he got up from the couch and headed towards his younger brother's aid. Mark wondered to himself if there ever was a time Brad helped him out like he was doing to Randy right now. Never. Mark could make out several different occasions where Brad helped Randy, but none of a time where Brad helped him, the youngest out.
Mark decided that his oldest brother deserved a kick for that. And that's exactly what he gave him. At least he tried to give him. As Brad was about to kneel down to try and help Randy up, he sensed Mark's movement and blocked Mark's right foot, keeping it from hitting his chest. He didn't see the left one coming though, and it hit him in the shoulder.
Normally, a kick with the force Mark put into it would have knocked a regular kid staggering sideways. Too bad for Mark, Brad wasn't a regular kid. He didn't even seem to budge. Aside from being well built from all his soccer, Brad was also four years older. It would take twice the force to be able to actually hurt him bad.
Mark was serious about beating them both up. The kick made Brad realize that. Not wanting to end up like Randy, he got up and parried Mark's backhand. Mark's next punch would have landed on his chest, but Brad was able to turn to the side to make it land on the side of his shoulder.
"You're going too far Mark..." Brad said through clenched teeth.
"No! I'm just giving you what you deserve!" Mark seemed to be full only of anger as he threw his next punch.
Brad just ducked under it and retaliated with an uppercut.
Mark could have sworn he heard something crack. Maybe it was his chin or maybe it was Brad's knuckles. The pain shot from he point of impact, and through his teeth like a bolt of lightning.
Tim and Jill walked into the room.
"Mark, wake up. Time for school!"
Tim's voice knocked Mark out of his dream. Sluggishly, he got up and headed for the showers, grumbling.
---
Mark avoided his brothers that day. Before leaving the house Jill explained to him that Randy had a broken rib and was still at the hospital. Maybe it was guilt, but he couldn't look at his mom straight in the eyes. Mark also caught the bus to school instead of riding with Brad.
As his teachers droned on and on about the lessons, Mark spent most of his time at school thinking things over.
He thought about going to Randy later to say sorry, but he decided against it. He really wanted to, but he just couldn't swallow his pride. He wanted Randy to feel sorry for all those years of teasing and mocking. Besides, if he went there, it's either Randy would just ignore him or poke more fun at him.
He also thought about his next karate belt, which was blue. He was supposed to get promoted this weekend, but that didn't sound possible now, not after what he did. He wondered how far behind in lessons he would be if he ever got back to karate. At the rate he's going, all his classmates would already have their black belts.
"Utterly depressing," Mark mumbled to himself as he slumped down his desk. His head made quite an audible thudding sound as it hit his desk.
Mark rested in that position for quite a while until he felt uneasy. When he tilted his head up a bit, everyone in the classroom was staring at him.
"Mark Taylor, is there something wrong?" his Algebra teacher asked.
"Ummm... No ma'am. It's nothing..." Mark lied to himself. No karate isn't what he would dismiss as "nothing". Sending one of his brothers to the hospital with a punch wasn't "nothing" either.
"Well, I'd appreciate it if you do not bang your head on your table again. It's disrupting my class," snorted the teacher. She smiled, amused at her own wit before droning on about perfect square trinomials again.
Mark didn't listen to the lesson, or any of the other lessons by the other teachers. All he could think about was what he did.
He got revenge on Randy, but the price of that was something he really liked doing.
He thought that getting even would make him feel better. In some small way, it did.
What Mark couldn't figure out was why something so good could feel so bad at the same time.
---
Mark had finished his lunch and was already at his locker, gathering up his stuff for the next class, which was English. As he pulled out the novel he was writing his report about, he saw another person he wanted to avoid that day.
Lauren, Randy's girlfriend was coming down the hall. And she was heading towards Mark.
Mark only noticed that his big fat history textbook fell out of his locker when it hit his foot.
"OW!"
Swiftly, he bent down to pick it up. He wanted to avoid Lauren after what he did to her boyfriend. He was ready to put the book back and make a dash out of the hall, but he was too late.
"Hi Mark," came Lauren's voice. She didn't sound mad, but Mark was still too afraid to look her in the eye. It was guilt again.
"Umm... Hi Lauren," he replied, scratching he back of his head, looking at the floor instead of Lauren.
Mark was expecting her to give him a big slap in the face. He hoped that it might relieve the guilt a bit. He just stood there waiting for a few seconds.
But the slap didn't come.
Maybe she hadn't heard? No, that was impossible. Randy would have phoned her while he was at the hospital last night. Maybe he was unconscious and couldn't call her? No, not possible either. He would have recovered by then. Why wasn't Lauren ripping him to shreds right now? Mark was confused more than ever.
"Mark, are you okay?" Mark caught a glimpse of Lauren's smile. It was a normal smile, not one you'd find on a sadistic killer. That eased him a little bit.
"I guess so..."
"Don't worry. I'm not mad about what you did to Randy," Lauren reassured him, seeing that Mark was really down and stressed out.
"I just want you to come with me to the hos-" Lauren was interrupted in mid-sentence by another student being slammed into the locker between her and Mark by another student clad in a black leather jacket.
Both Mark and Lauren knew that jacket as well as the guy wearing it. It was Jason, Brad's obnoxious friend.
The other guy, neither of them knew. Mark had seen him around a few times since last week because his locker was right across Mark's. He figured it was someone new who had just transferred from somewhere.
Lauren let out a small yelp as Jason pulled the other guy back at the shirt only to slam him again the locker. Whoever that guy was, Jason sure was ticked off at him. Mark and Lauren backed off from the chaos in opposite directions.
---
* & ** events from the actual series.
by Tie-B
Chapter II
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Home Improvement characters.
Many thanks to http://www.hiarchive.co.uk. I couldn't have written the flashback parts accurately without their comprehensive scripts.
---
That night, Mark was tossing and turning in his sleep. His memories were playing back in his head.
He saw the conversation he and his Dad had back when Brad got that strange haircut. *
"Ice cold pop for my favorite son" Tim said as he handed the drink to Mark who was coming out from under the hot rod.
"I'm your favorite son?" Mark asked.
"Well, You're my last hope," Tim answered, "My one son looks like a sumo wrestler and the other one is in there putting moves on his mother."
"Dad, I hope you'll never get mad at me like you did at Brad . . ."
The events fast-forwarded to last week, when Brad and Randy were fighting about that Hey Yo! article Brad wrote. **
Mark was walking towards the fridge with a copy of Brad's Hey Yo! article. "Mind if put Brad's article on the refrigerator?"
Jill was surprised by Mark's brotherly gesture. "No, I think that's so sweet that you're so proud of him."
"Actually, I'm doing it to annoy Randy. See, the more they fight, the less they rag on me," Mark explained. Jill wasn't really smiling anymore.
Mark couldn't remember whether he really was doing it to annoy Randy, or he was really proud of Brad or he just wanted to show he was on Brad's side in hopes that Brad would side with him someday.
Then, he saw yesterday's incident.
"Heh. Dark clothes again? What is with you?" Brad's voice rang in his head.
"I just like dark colors, okay?" he replied, annoyed.
"Dork and dark do sound alike," came Randy's voice, followed by laughter from both Brad and Randy.
Normally, Mark would have let it slide. He would have thrown it away to be forgotten in some emotional closet. This time however, it was different. The closet felt full. All those years of torture of being picked on were about ready to burst out. This time it wouldn't slide.
"Lay off! I don't tell you guys what to wear," Mark shot back.
Fast as ever came Randy's reply, "Maybe that has something to do with the fact that we've got a life and you don't Mark."
Randy went up to look up at Mark's face when he said that, and that's when Mark snapped and gave him that punch.
Brad was startled by the sound of Randy hitting the floor.
"Mark! What's gotten into you?!" he yelled as he got up from the couch and headed towards his younger brother's aid. Mark wondered to himself if there ever was a time Brad helped him out like he was doing to Randy right now. Never. Mark could make out several different occasions where Brad helped Randy, but none of a time where Brad helped him, the youngest out.
Mark decided that his oldest brother deserved a kick for that. And that's exactly what he gave him. At least he tried to give him. As Brad was about to kneel down to try and help Randy up, he sensed Mark's movement and blocked Mark's right foot, keeping it from hitting his chest. He didn't see the left one coming though, and it hit him in the shoulder.
Normally, a kick with the force Mark put into it would have knocked a regular kid staggering sideways. Too bad for Mark, Brad wasn't a regular kid. He didn't even seem to budge. Aside from being well built from all his soccer, Brad was also four years older. It would take twice the force to be able to actually hurt him bad.
Mark was serious about beating them both up. The kick made Brad realize that. Not wanting to end up like Randy, he got up and parried Mark's backhand. Mark's next punch would have landed on his chest, but Brad was able to turn to the side to make it land on the side of his shoulder.
"You're going too far Mark..." Brad said through clenched teeth.
"No! I'm just giving you what you deserve!" Mark seemed to be full only of anger as he threw his next punch.
Brad just ducked under it and retaliated with an uppercut.
Mark could have sworn he heard something crack. Maybe it was his chin or maybe it was Brad's knuckles. The pain shot from he point of impact, and through his teeth like a bolt of lightning.
Tim and Jill walked into the room.
"Mark, wake up. Time for school!"
Tim's voice knocked Mark out of his dream. Sluggishly, he got up and headed for the showers, grumbling.
---
Mark avoided his brothers that day. Before leaving the house Jill explained to him that Randy had a broken rib and was still at the hospital. Maybe it was guilt, but he couldn't look at his mom straight in the eyes. Mark also caught the bus to school instead of riding with Brad.
As his teachers droned on and on about the lessons, Mark spent most of his time at school thinking things over.
He thought about going to Randy later to say sorry, but he decided against it. He really wanted to, but he just couldn't swallow his pride. He wanted Randy to feel sorry for all those years of teasing and mocking. Besides, if he went there, it's either Randy would just ignore him or poke more fun at him.
He also thought about his next karate belt, which was blue. He was supposed to get promoted this weekend, but that didn't sound possible now, not after what he did. He wondered how far behind in lessons he would be if he ever got back to karate. At the rate he's going, all his classmates would already have their black belts.
"Utterly depressing," Mark mumbled to himself as he slumped down his desk. His head made quite an audible thudding sound as it hit his desk.
Mark rested in that position for quite a while until he felt uneasy. When he tilted his head up a bit, everyone in the classroom was staring at him.
"Mark Taylor, is there something wrong?" his Algebra teacher asked.
"Ummm... No ma'am. It's nothing..." Mark lied to himself. No karate isn't what he would dismiss as "nothing". Sending one of his brothers to the hospital with a punch wasn't "nothing" either.
"Well, I'd appreciate it if you do not bang your head on your table again. It's disrupting my class," snorted the teacher. She smiled, amused at her own wit before droning on about perfect square trinomials again.
Mark didn't listen to the lesson, or any of the other lessons by the other teachers. All he could think about was what he did.
He got revenge on Randy, but the price of that was something he really liked doing.
He thought that getting even would make him feel better. In some small way, it did.
What Mark couldn't figure out was why something so good could feel so bad at the same time.
---
Mark had finished his lunch and was already at his locker, gathering up his stuff for the next class, which was English. As he pulled out the novel he was writing his report about, he saw another person he wanted to avoid that day.
Lauren, Randy's girlfriend was coming down the hall. And she was heading towards Mark.
Mark only noticed that his big fat history textbook fell out of his locker when it hit his foot.
"OW!"
Swiftly, he bent down to pick it up. He wanted to avoid Lauren after what he did to her boyfriend. He was ready to put the book back and make a dash out of the hall, but he was too late.
"Hi Mark," came Lauren's voice. She didn't sound mad, but Mark was still too afraid to look her in the eye. It was guilt again.
"Umm... Hi Lauren," he replied, scratching he back of his head, looking at the floor instead of Lauren.
Mark was expecting her to give him a big slap in the face. He hoped that it might relieve the guilt a bit. He just stood there waiting for a few seconds.
But the slap didn't come.
Maybe she hadn't heard? No, that was impossible. Randy would have phoned her while he was at the hospital last night. Maybe he was unconscious and couldn't call her? No, not possible either. He would have recovered by then. Why wasn't Lauren ripping him to shreds right now? Mark was confused more than ever.
"Mark, are you okay?" Mark caught a glimpse of Lauren's smile. It was a normal smile, not one you'd find on a sadistic killer. That eased him a little bit.
"I guess so..."
"Don't worry. I'm not mad about what you did to Randy," Lauren reassured him, seeing that Mark was really down and stressed out.
"I just want you to come with me to the hos-" Lauren was interrupted in mid-sentence by another student being slammed into the locker between her and Mark by another student clad in a black leather jacket.
Both Mark and Lauren knew that jacket as well as the guy wearing it. It was Jason, Brad's obnoxious friend.
The other guy, neither of them knew. Mark had seen him around a few times since last week because his locker was right across Mark's. He figured it was someone new who had just transferred from somewhere.
Lauren let out a small yelp as Jason pulled the other guy back at the shirt only to slam him again the locker. Whoever that guy was, Jason sure was ticked off at him. Mark and Lauren backed off from the chaos in opposite directions.
---
* & ** events from the actual series.