Disclaimers and summary on first chapter
Notes: Now I love RENT more than I love most people, but 50 chapters worth of this nonsense? My goodness. . . what have I been doing this whole time?? I suppose if I want to make it easier on myself, it's actually more like two stories in one, so I suppose it's only been 25 chapters for each one. No wonder I'm doing so horrible in American History and Physics (despite the fact that they're both equally boring and pointless), all I do in them is write chapters for this!
Ah, but it's worth it. ;) Enjoy!
Chapter 50 -I'm Not Gonna Leave You-
+Mark's POV+
Roger isn't in school today. After second period I steal a room pass from an empty classroom and walk to the front lobby. I wave it at the guy watching the door.
"Getting something from my car." I tell him.
He waves me past and once I'm out I shove it in my backpack, could be useful again, and start walking in the direction of Roger's house. I don't get there till it's almost lunchtime. The car is gone and so is his mom's, so I don't hesitate to knock on the door. He doesn't answer it.
"Roger?" I shout to an open window on the second floor. Not his, but maybe he can hear me. I knock on the door again, pounding loudly. Finally I hear him coming down the stairs. He doesn't open the door.
"Roger?"
"Go away, Mark. You shouldn't be here."
"But no one's here. It's alright, let me in."
He doesn't. I wish I could see him, but his door is solid, there's no window on it or anything. I lay my hand flat on it.
"C'mon, Rog. It's me. It's alright." I say softly, but loud enough that he can hear me. Finally I hear the lock click and he hesitantly opens it a little bit.
"Marky, you really shouldn't. . ."
I push on the door gently. "Roger, open the door."
Sighing he steps back and pulls the door open all the way. I step inside and drop my bag on the floor. I go to him and wrap my arms around his waist. He touches me gently, pushing me off him.
"Roger. . ."
"Really, Mark. That hurts."
I let go of him and step away. He closes the door. I notice that it's dark in the house, all the drapes are closed, thick drapes that hide the light and he is bathed in shadow.
"Are you. . ."
"I'm fine, really. But you should go, Mark. I don't want you here right now."
I cross my arms. "Well too bad! I just walked here from the fucking high school and I'm not fucking leaving until you tell me what the fuck is going on and why you're avoiding me!"
Even in the darkness I can see him glaring at me, see his fists clench at his sides. "Isn't it obvious, Mark? My father came back." I see one of his hands go to his side quickly, his face contort into a subtle wince.
I step towards him, reaching out, though he ignores it. "Roger, look, I'm sorry. Please. Whatever I did. . ."
He pushes me backwards. "Why did you tell him, Mark?" He bellows. "I was telling you not to! Why him? Why out of anyone not to be worried about telling it was him?" He doubles over in pain, clutching at his stomach.
"Roger, I'm sorry! I wasn't thinking!" I move towards him again. "What did he do to you?" I ask him in a hushed voice, finally getting close enough to touch him. I rest my hands on his sides, running them gently over his skin. He glares at me.
"You can't just be sorry. . . you can't." He sniffs, wipes at his eyes angrily.
"Roger. . ." I lay my head against his chest cautiously, not wanting to hurt him. He wraps his arms around me, pulls me to him in a hesitant and gentle embrace.
I pull back a little, look up at him. "Let's get out of here, go to the city."
He's shaking his head. "Can't, Mark. I can't go now. He's not like my mom, he'll kill me."
"Stay with me. Stay with Maureen. You have to get out of here."
"I can't leave her, Mark. He's worse to her."
I watch the way walking hurts him, his sudden grabs at his stomach and raise an eyebrow.
"Not like this, but, well, it's all in her head. I don't know. . ."
"Emotional?"
"Yeah, like emotional abuse. He'll yell at her and push her around and then an hour later he's apologizing and saying how he didn't mean any of it. And she falls for it every time. I can't leave her with him Mark."
I shiver at the word abuse. I lay my hand on the side of his face but he winces and pulls away.
"Don't. That hurts."
"What doesn't hurt?" I ask him.
He laughs bitterly. "Not much."
I move close to him, kiss him gently on the lips. "Does that hurt?"
"Yeah."
"Oh." I start to move away, but he catches me and pulls me back to him. He kisses me the same way, gentle and slow.
"Yeah, but it doesn't matter."
"Can we at least go upstairs? I feel bad making you stand like this if you hurt so bad."
He shrugs but starts to walk towards the stairs, my hand in his as he pulls me after him. Upstairs he lies down on his mattress and I lay beside him.
"What are you going to do?" I ask him.
"Try to convince her to kick him out or leave again."
"Leave again?" I ask him, nervously.
He smiles at me and kisses my cheek. "Only if we have to. Don't worry, baby. I'm not gonna leave you."
Even though he's got a black eye, a horrible looking bruise on his cheek, and a very painful looking cut on his lower lip he looks wonderful. I move closer to him, take his hand.
"I love you."
He smiles bitterly. "It's good to know someone does."
+++
Notes Continued: I was kind of going to add more, but this seemed like a good place to end a chapter, so end it I did. Maybe I should concentrate on making them longer so there aren't so damn many! Lol. Hope you've enjoyed. Hopefully I'll update again late on Monday. Kind of busy tomorrow. But you've gotten 50 chapters out of me you greedy children, so please don't be sore if it's not till Tuesday. ;)
Notes: Now I love RENT more than I love most people, but 50 chapters worth of this nonsense? My goodness. . . what have I been doing this whole time?? I suppose if I want to make it easier on myself, it's actually more like two stories in one, so I suppose it's only been 25 chapters for each one. No wonder I'm doing so horrible in American History and Physics (despite the fact that they're both equally boring and pointless), all I do in them is write chapters for this!
Ah, but it's worth it. ;) Enjoy!
Chapter 50 -I'm Not Gonna Leave You-
+Mark's POV+
Roger isn't in school today. After second period I steal a room pass from an empty classroom and walk to the front lobby. I wave it at the guy watching the door.
"Getting something from my car." I tell him.
He waves me past and once I'm out I shove it in my backpack, could be useful again, and start walking in the direction of Roger's house. I don't get there till it's almost lunchtime. The car is gone and so is his mom's, so I don't hesitate to knock on the door. He doesn't answer it.
"Roger?" I shout to an open window on the second floor. Not his, but maybe he can hear me. I knock on the door again, pounding loudly. Finally I hear him coming down the stairs. He doesn't open the door.
"Roger?"
"Go away, Mark. You shouldn't be here."
"But no one's here. It's alright, let me in."
He doesn't. I wish I could see him, but his door is solid, there's no window on it or anything. I lay my hand flat on it.
"C'mon, Rog. It's me. It's alright." I say softly, but loud enough that he can hear me. Finally I hear the lock click and he hesitantly opens it a little bit.
"Marky, you really shouldn't. . ."
I push on the door gently. "Roger, open the door."
Sighing he steps back and pulls the door open all the way. I step inside and drop my bag on the floor. I go to him and wrap my arms around his waist. He touches me gently, pushing me off him.
"Roger. . ."
"Really, Mark. That hurts."
I let go of him and step away. He closes the door. I notice that it's dark in the house, all the drapes are closed, thick drapes that hide the light and he is bathed in shadow.
"Are you. . ."
"I'm fine, really. But you should go, Mark. I don't want you here right now."
I cross my arms. "Well too bad! I just walked here from the fucking high school and I'm not fucking leaving until you tell me what the fuck is going on and why you're avoiding me!"
Even in the darkness I can see him glaring at me, see his fists clench at his sides. "Isn't it obvious, Mark? My father came back." I see one of his hands go to his side quickly, his face contort into a subtle wince.
I step towards him, reaching out, though he ignores it. "Roger, look, I'm sorry. Please. Whatever I did. . ."
He pushes me backwards. "Why did you tell him, Mark?" He bellows. "I was telling you not to! Why him? Why out of anyone not to be worried about telling it was him?" He doubles over in pain, clutching at his stomach.
"Roger, I'm sorry! I wasn't thinking!" I move towards him again. "What did he do to you?" I ask him in a hushed voice, finally getting close enough to touch him. I rest my hands on his sides, running them gently over his skin. He glares at me.
"You can't just be sorry. . . you can't." He sniffs, wipes at his eyes angrily.
"Roger. . ." I lay my head against his chest cautiously, not wanting to hurt him. He wraps his arms around me, pulls me to him in a hesitant and gentle embrace.
I pull back a little, look up at him. "Let's get out of here, go to the city."
He's shaking his head. "Can't, Mark. I can't go now. He's not like my mom, he'll kill me."
"Stay with me. Stay with Maureen. You have to get out of here."
"I can't leave her, Mark. He's worse to her."
I watch the way walking hurts him, his sudden grabs at his stomach and raise an eyebrow.
"Not like this, but, well, it's all in her head. I don't know. . ."
"Emotional?"
"Yeah, like emotional abuse. He'll yell at her and push her around and then an hour later he's apologizing and saying how he didn't mean any of it. And she falls for it every time. I can't leave her with him Mark."
I shiver at the word abuse. I lay my hand on the side of his face but he winces and pulls away.
"Don't. That hurts."
"What doesn't hurt?" I ask him.
He laughs bitterly. "Not much."
I move close to him, kiss him gently on the lips. "Does that hurt?"
"Yeah."
"Oh." I start to move away, but he catches me and pulls me back to him. He kisses me the same way, gentle and slow.
"Yeah, but it doesn't matter."
"Can we at least go upstairs? I feel bad making you stand like this if you hurt so bad."
He shrugs but starts to walk towards the stairs, my hand in his as he pulls me after him. Upstairs he lies down on his mattress and I lay beside him.
"What are you going to do?" I ask him.
"Try to convince her to kick him out or leave again."
"Leave again?" I ask him, nervously.
He smiles at me and kisses my cheek. "Only if we have to. Don't worry, baby. I'm not gonna leave you."
Even though he's got a black eye, a horrible looking bruise on his cheek, and a very painful looking cut on his lower lip he looks wonderful. I move closer to him, take his hand.
"I love you."
He smiles bitterly. "It's good to know someone does."
+++
Notes Continued: I was kind of going to add more, but this seemed like a good place to end a chapter, so end it I did. Maybe I should concentrate on making them longer so there aren't so damn many! Lol. Hope you've enjoyed. Hopefully I'll update again late on Monday. Kind of busy tomorrow. But you've gotten 50 chapters out of me you greedy children, so please don't be sore if it's not till Tuesday. ;)