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Chapter Thirteen
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There she was.
Wearing the regular black skirt and white shirt, her heavy arm warmers and hose covering her inflicted wounds. It had been a week since the cutting incident and Ellie Nash was back in classes. He observed her as Ashley Kerwin talked to her. The two girls walked down the hallway in the distance. They stopped and hugged a moment before Ashley left into the streaming crowd of busy students. His best friend's hazel eyes scanned over to his dark brown eyes. Their faces blank and they did not move.
Sean Cameron walked over to her, taking her away and Marco watched again as his best friend began walking away. In Ms. Hatzilako's science class, Marco read the handout about a new project. It was in-class with a partner chosen by the teacher. The name written down beside his was Ellie Nash.
He looked up as the redhead sat down beside him, ignoring him completely. They started without saying anything and worked separately. Then the time came when Marco asked, "Ellie, pass me the beaker." She acted like she didn't hear him and he said a little more forcefully, "Do you want to get a good grade on this or not?" She gave up and handed it over, but it slipped from her fingers and fell to the floor, breaking into pieces. Ellie rushed to the floor frantically and accidentally scratched her bare finger against a jagged piece of glass. She hissed in pain and Marco saw the cut. Ellie noticed him looking and waited for something to happen. He reached into a nearby drawer and pulled out a Band-Aid, gently wrapped it around her finger.
She made eye contact with him after and whispered, "How did you know?"
"Her secret stash of first aid stuff was always in that drawer. Only a few of us know about it."
A smile appeared on her face and they began picking up the glass carefully and throwing it in the garbage. Both of them worked on the project together without problems and it seemed all was forgiven and forgotten between them. When the bell rang, ending the class hour, Ellie hugged him. He asked quietly, "How have you been doing?"
She said genuinely, "Better."
Marco touched her arm and left her. While a six minute break time passed. He went into the senior edge of the hallway and smiled as his eyes found Dylan, who was leaning against his locker. He looked so comfortable where he was, and so at ease. His friends were a few lockers down, joking around and tossing a football around, purposely hitting each other in the head.
The blond boy saw him and grinned, "Marco... hey."
"Hey, what's going on?"
"Not much. My parents went to my game. You should have seen my Mom, she was crazy. Louder cheerleader than Paige." Marco let out a laugh and Dylan added, "I wish you could have been there." Blue eyes peeked over at him and Marco leaned his head on a locker, trying to look innocent. It worked. Dylan fell under his charms. The blond pulled him to his side and kissed the top of his fashionably tousled head, "You can make it up to me by coming over tonight and eating dinner."
Marco smiled. "I can do that."
"Good, then I'll drive you over after school. See you." The senior gave him a final grin before taking off.
Marco was about to turn away when the guy named Stan walked over, cracking his knuckles. He frowned down at Marco. "I wouldn't get too cozy seeing Dylan." He put on an emotionless face.
"Why not?"
"He's leaving next year, going to college and all, he doesn't need to be tied down by a relationship with a tenth grader. I'm only looking out for my friend. I won't see him being held back from his dreams by a puny runt who knows nothing about him." The last sentence hit him hardest and Stan left, glaring at him. A bit shaken, Marco left too.
On the drive over to the house, Dylan had noticed his quiet manner and asked smiling, "Something wrong, Kitten?"
Marco cringed at the nickname and murmured, "Dylan, you'll be leaving next year. And I'll still be in high school." He didn't have to explain further. The other boy could see it in his eyes.
"Yeah, I'll be leaving. It doesn't mean I have to stop dating you."
The younger boy wanted to believe him so much that he pushed aside any second thoughts and turned to him, "Really?"
"Yes, come on, dinner's gonna start without us."
Marco smiled and they exited the car, entering the large house. Paige had gone to the movies with Spinner and Hazel. A fully recovered Mr. and Mrs. Michalchuk greeted Marco with a different friendliness and curtsy, so different from the coldness and indifference he had experienced firsthand. Where he sat was across from an empty chair.
Mrs. Michalchuk said to her son, "Stop, honey, we're waiting for another guest." Dylan looked confused.
"Who? Everyone's here." The front door burst open and his parents rushed out into the hallway. Marco leaned out of his chair, poking his head out to see the top of a red head.
'Oh damn, not him.'
He stretched out a little more and lost balance, his chair and himself crashing to the floor with a thunk.
His boyfriend ran from the other side of the table and took his hand, heaving him up, "Are you alright?"
Marco saw that everyone was staring at him and he mumbled, "Yeah." Dinner finally started and Marco was sitting right across from Mikey Gerry. This guy was giving him strange and pointed looks and Marco was getting very uncomfortable around him. As dinner ended and dessert was being made, the younger boy went to the bathroom to wash his hands. He had left the door open slightly and saw that Mikey was standing in the doorway, watching him in an almost rapacious way. Marco nodded his head towards him, heart pounding with nervousness. This guy was seriously creeping him out.
"Hello, Marco. I guess you didn't expect me to show up, huh?"
"Y-Yeah."
Mikey looked thoughtful. "You don't have to worry about me taking Dylan. I'm not interested in him. I mean, I'm gay, but he's not my type." Marco was relieved.
He smiled to himself as he placed away a hand towel. "So, who are you interested in?" Marco regretted asking immediately. Mikey's green eyes flashing.
"You."
"Uh..."
Before Marco could move another inch from the sink, as the other stepped inside, Mikey had placed his lips over his. Marco's stomach lurched in panic and disgust. He couldn't move in an inch pinned up against a wall with a guy he didn't even like. By some horrible chance of fate and unknown to both of them, Dylan had passed by, staring in on the scene. To him, it looked like Marco had been enjoying it. It sickened him to see his boyfriend being touched and kissed by someone else, instead of lashing out in anger, he stormed away.
Summoning the strength, Marco shoved Mikey away and snapped, "What the hell do you think you're doing? I'm dating someone, just... stay away from me!"
He raced out of the bathroom and tried to find Dylan. Maybe he could the beat the shit out of Mikey for him. Mr. Michalchuk was in the kitchen, holding out a large tub of pudding, "Dessert's ready."
"Have you seen Dylan?"
"Yes, he's in the living room with Tom."
'Tom? TOM? The Tom that was related to that slutbag Mikey?'
Mr. Michalchuk added absently, "Oh, go ahead and ask Tom if he wants to stay for dessert." Marco sprinted into the living room and could have died right there. His Dylan and Tom were kissing! He placed a hand over his mouth in horror and held back the urge to throw up that threaten to spill from his throat. The world was spinning... this couldn't be true. Dylan loves him... doesn't he?
Just as Marco was considering going back to the bathroom, to actually vomit, Mikey came in and exclaimed, "What the hell's going on?"
The two boys pulled away, Dylan looking aghast and Tom looking shocked. The blond saw Marco and murmured, "...Marco-"
"I can't believe you."
"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry," he stammered, "when I saw you and Mikey, I just..."
The younger boy asked in a whisper, "...You saw that?"
Dylan looked angry. "Yeah. Yeah I did. I can't believe you would go behind my back like that. How long have you seeing Mikey?"
Marco yelled, "Never! He kissed me! I wanted nothing to do with it!"
"Yeah, right, from where I was standing, it looked like you weren't too upset about!"
"YOU SHOULD TALK! I WANTED TO THROW UP WHEN I SAW YOU!"
"SO DID I!"
"YOU REALLY THINK I'D GO BEHIND YOUR BACK TO SEE MIKEY? HOW DENSE ARE YOU, DYLAN? YOU'RE THE ONE WHO WAS JUST MAKING OUT WITH YOUR SO-CALLED 'FRIEND'!"
"I DON'T HAVE TO TAKE THIS FROM YOU! I DIDN'T WANT TO KISS HIM!"
They continued screaming things at each other and Marco finally had enough. He ran home. Flying past houses and brush, tMarco reached his house. He pounded up the stairs and went into his bedroom, throwing open his desk drawers. All the writing he had of Dylan and pictures of them together, in his fury and resentment, he ripped them into pieces. Hot tears rolled down his face as Marco threw them away and collapsed, crying until he gagged.
This had to be the end. There was no way that this could be ordinary pain. The words... agony, torture, and suffering... couldn't describe how he was feeling.
Marco couldn't breathe, couldn't think straight.
He fell asleep, on the carpet of his bedroom, gasping and choking on this betrayal.
A/N: Just so if you are wondering how Tom got there, he was picking up Mikey. WHAT's GONNA HAPPEN NEXT? Ahh, I'm gonna be flamed! -hides-ducks-
