Title: Something New
Rating: PG-13 for themes and language
Characters: In this chapter: Marco, Dylan, Marco's parents, Carlos, Paige, Ellie, Sean, Jay, Towerz
Pairings: Marco/Dylan, Spinner/Paige, Ellie/Sean, not sure of any others.
Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own Degrassi. If I did, this all woulda taken place right after Pride premiered. =D
Author's Note: Haha, I must be the worst updater ever. I mean, I bet I set a record with how slow I am. Gosh. Sorry, guys. Well, anyone, I hope you enjoy this chapter. I enjoyed writing it. As always, please review!
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"You don't have to come with me," Dylan repeated once more, pulling open the heavy wooden door and standing aside so Marco could go through first.
"I know," Marco answered, walking through and then waiting up for Dylan. He had a somewhat secret, permanent smile on his face, which was obviously contagious because every time Dylan glanced at him, he broke out into a grin as well.
"Hello, Dylan," a middle-aged secretary greeted him, familiar with him for the countless number of times he'd come to the office due to ridicule. She smiled brightly up at him, but then frowned as she pushed her thick-rimmed glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Something wrong?"
"Hi, Mrs. Rieselman." Hesitating, he looked down at Marco and then back up to the concerned secretary. "Everything's… okay. I just need to, uh, talk to Mr. Raditch."
"All right, boys, you can go right through. Door's open."
"Thank you." They followed her long fingernails to an open door, but Dylan paused anyway and rapped on it with his knuckles. From inside the office at his computer, Raditch looked at the boys. At the sight of the older one, he set his mouth in a straight line and beckoned them in.
"Mister Michalchuk, Mister del Rossi," he greeted them, nodding. They sat down in uncomfortable chairs in front of the desk. Bouncing his legs slightly up and down, Marco felt nervous for some reason. Was Dylan going to actually tell Raditch that some immature kids spray-painted the word "homo" on his locker? Thinking it over, he realized he would never have the guts to do that. Dylan, on the other hand, was much braver.
"What seems to be the problem?" The principal looked tired already, as though he'd gone through this one too many times. Which made Marco think he probably had.
"Locker troubles," Dylan replied nonchalantly. He was a pro at this.
"What is it this time?"
"Homo. Spray paint." The words came out of Dylan's mouth so easily that Marco stared in wonderment. Raditch, on the other hand, looked unfazed.
He sighed, "I see." Turning his attention to Marco suddenly, he raised an eyebrow. "Were you involved?"
"Uh, well, n-not really."
"Marco and I think we know who did it," Dylan threw in, and the principal looked relieved.
"Who?"
"Ja-"
"It wasn't Jay!" Marco blurted, and Dylan looked at him in surprise. He raised an eyebrow and sort of shrugged off a bit.
"Y-you know who did it?" Dylan asked slowly, looking baffled.
"Uh, uh, well, n-no…" He was a terrible liar.
"Mr. del Rossi, I'd like to remind you this is a great offense. Dylan has gone through this many times before, though I'm sure you can't imagine the extent of it." If Marco's body wasn't completely tense, he would have snorted, or chuckled, or at least done something. Instead, he remained silent as Raditch continued, "And I do hope you aren't trying to protect anyone."
"I don't know who did it," Marco said, adverting his eyes to the ground. "I just know it wasn't Jay and them."
"Why didn't you tell me this before?" Dylan asked him, completely blocking out Raditch.
"I was, um, a little caught up in the moment, I guess." Uncomfortably, Marco looked at Raditch out of the corner of his eye. The principal was obviously not trying to interfere, but he looked a little embarrassed himself. "I c-can't get Jay into trouble for something he didn't do, though. I… I'm sorry."
He looked so miserable that Dylan couldn't even possibly attempt to be angry with him. "It's all right," he said, nodding slightly. "So," he went on, turning to face the principal, "I just really need that cleaned off."
"Yes, of course," Raditch replied, standing. "We'll find out who did this. Go on to class. Mrs. Rieselman will write you a note."
"Thanks."
Absolutely silent, Marco and Dylan left the office after picking up their notes. Neither knew what to say. "Are you all right?" Dylan finally asked, looking at the younger boy seriously. Somewhat bewildered, Marco glanced up at him. "I mean, the kiss didn't freak you out or anything, did it?"
"No!" Marco said quickly, fervently shaking his head. "It was great."
Looking relieved, he said, "Good." And then after only a slight hesitation, "I'm going to hang out with Tom Friday night."
If there was one thing that could have sunk Marco's self-confidence, that was it. He lowered his head to the ground, eyes pointed downwards, and silent. But when Dylan continued speaking, he felt much better.
"And I want you to go with me."
"Ar-are you sure? You don't have to invite me just because you feel sorry for me…" Immediately, he stopped talking. He was afraid Dylan would take back his offer. Laughing, Dylan nodded, his golden curls bouncing in his eyes.
"I'm positive, Marco." He smiled widely. "Uh, we better get to class." Almost snapping out of a trance, Marco realized he was right and nodded.
"Where you headed?" Dylan asked.
Marco pointed to a hallway ahead of them, and Dylan nodded.
"I'm going the opposite direction."
"All right. Uh, talk to you later?"
"You're welcome to sit by me at lunch."
A smile tugged at Marco's lips, though he tried his best to remain nonchalant. "I'll think about it," he teased, and then resumed walking.
"See ya."
"Bye." Marco made his way through the deserted hallways, until he reached Miss Kwan's room. He entered the room and handed her the note, then sat in his usual seat by Ellie.
"Where were you?" she asked in a quiet whisper, raising an eyebrow.
Rather than answering her question, he surveyed her with a large grin. "He kissed me!" he mouthed silently, and her jaw dropped slightly.
"How was it?" she asked, excited for her best friend but somewhat jealous of Dylan. She still had feelings for Marco - she always would, she presumed. Of course, they were somewhat burned down and hardly ever surged inside her, besides now.
"It was amazing!" He paused, a look of amazement dawning on his boyishly excited face. "I went to the office with Dylan," he continued, and her arched eyebrow rose further.
"To do what?"
"Someone vandalized his locker," he told her, but he had a strong notion to tell her it was Carlos and Tim. He couldn't, though. Just couldn't bring himself to do it.
"Oh," she replied softly, looking somewhat disappointed.
Marco opened his mouth to say something else, but from the front of the room, Kwan snapped, "Marco, Ellie! Stop talking, unless you'd like some more work to do." Shaking their heads, they returned to the worksheets on the desks in front of them and began diligently working.
Quite suddenly, Kwan called attention to her by speaking sharply. "Has everyone been keeping up with their journals?" There was a murmur in the class of scattered yes's and several students nodded their heads. "Good. Please take those out." Marco swiveled around in his seat and dug into his bag, emerging with the notebook. He had nearly forgotten it that morning; he was halfway out the door before he remembered he had left it on his desk.
Racing up to his room, he was horrified to discover that it had been left open, where anyone could have read it. He was very thankful no one had.
"Now," Kwan continued, and a silence fell upon the class once more, "I have read everyone's entries. I am very interested in them - but rather than me telling you what I feel, I'd like a peer to do that. So, everyone will partner up and read one of their entries to their partner, and then discuss them." Eyes widening, Marco's stomach did a flip-flop. He tore through the journal madly, but discovered that each and every entry was about the topic he would rather keep to himself.
To his dismay, Spinner, trying to be a good friend, sauntered up to him. "Wanna be partners?" he asked, and then looked over at Paige as she nodded her approval.
"Uh, uh -" Marco stuttered, scanning his brain for a liable excuse.
At that exact moment, unfortunately for Marco, Ms. Kwan overheard Spinner and she stepped forward. "That's a wonderful idea, Gavin." Marco was stuck. She winked at him as she passed, and Spinner sat in the seat next to him.
"You wanna go first?"
"No," Marco said quickly, "you can." It helped that Spinner was a slow reader - maybe they would run out of time, therefore leaving him without a chance to go. Either that, or he had time to devise a plan.
"'Kay." He flipped open his entry, and began reading tonelessly.
"Me and the guys had band practice today. We finally got a name, and it's kicking: Downtown Sasquatch. Uh, I'm not exactly sure what it means or why it's our name, but Craig came up with it so it's cool. Oh, speaking of Craig, I still can't believe he got Manny pregnant. It was like last year that she could have passed as his sister but she "matured" more now. But Ash dumped his butt, because he was a cheater, I just think it's too bad he got caught…"
Marco unfocused his attention at this point, and stared down at his journal. Glancing over at his shoulder, he willed Ellie to look up. She could help him. But she was reading something about her mother's alcohol reformation, while Jimmy listened, nodding. He looked over to Paige, but she was explaining by way of journal entry about her amazing date the other night with Spinner to Hazel. Sighing, he returned to his partner.
"And I'm pretty sure Jimmy and Hazel are hookin' up now, 'cause they're like all over each other. That's pretty cool, I guess, since Jimmy hasn't had a girl since Ashley. Me and Paige are cooler than ever. We went to a movie the other day, but I don't even know what it's about. Let's just say thank God for a dark room and back row seats. Her brother Dylan…"
Marco's head snapped up at the mention of Dylan, and he began listening intently to what Spinner had to say.
"…has been hounding me big time. He's trying to be the protective brother 'n' everything, but man he's got to lay off! He loves to treat me like I'm stupid. I dunno, but it don't bother me. Anyway, now that him and Marco are hanging out more, he's laid off some."
Marco could hardly suppress a grin, but Spinner looked up. "That's all," he reported. Once again, Marco's stomach gave a great jolt. "Your turn," Spinner continued pointedly, when Marco didn't do anything.
"Right." Gulping, he meekly opened his journal. That's when a brilliant idea hit him. Smiling inwardly, he turned to a blank page, and began talking, acting as though he were reading a journal entry.
"Not a lot has been going on in my life. I went to the park yesterday to play soccer with Carlos. Some of his friends were there, and Carlos and I were on separate teams. We killed their team - and I had a hat trick! My mama also took me to the mall a couple of days ago, to buy new shoes. I got brown ones, with laces."
He paused, looking up at Spinner. His face was contorted into a look, mixed of boredom and surprise that he wasn't hearing Marco gushing about Dylan. Thinking his plan was foolproof, Marco continued talking.
"I went to dinner at this Italian restaurant with my parents. I ordered a large plate of spaghetti, with extra meat sauce. What can I say, I love pasta. It was really good, and the restaurant had the best breadsticks ever there. My dad also brought home this movie. It was all in Italian, with subtitles. The plot was great though - a, um, um," Marco hesitated for only a split second, before catching himself, "a poor waiter at this restaurant that fell in love with the beautiful daughter of the owner, a very rich woman… It had a very nice ending, too."
Sighing happily, he closed the journal and squeezed it against his chest. Spinner zapped out of his stupor, and murmured, "Sounds like a fun day." Marco stifled a chuckle until he glanced up, and saw Kwan frowning down at him. Okay, so she'd heard his made up entry. He quickly adverted his eyes, and he felt his cheeks grow hot.
Kwan's eyes darted into his back, and he could feel them burning holes. He didn't know what to do. But thankfully, the lunch bell rang and he slumped into the crowd of people as he left the classroom.
After Marco paid for his food from the line, he glanced around the cafeteria nervously. He saw Dylan sitting at a table with a couple of extra seats near him, though he was surrounded by his hockey friends. It was obvious they were having a heated discussion at the moment, and just by lip-reading he knew it was about some professional goalie. Tray in hand, Ellie came up behind him. "Sit with me?" he asked, nearly whimpered in a fake voice, as he motioned towards Dylan.
Sighing, she indecisively glanced between her best friend, and Sean, who was sitting alone. She'd avoided him since he'd confronted her about her scars, but she was still undeniably smitten with him. "Pleeeease?" Marco begged, frowning.
Finally, she gave in and begrudgingly followed him, as he nervously approached the table. When they finally arrived next to the table, they heard Dylan say, "Marsbury is the worst goalie there is! I mean, you'd think he thought the point of the game was to let the pucks go by!"
Glaring at Dylan, the kid across from him shot back, "He's won so many games for his team it's not funny. The only time the other teams score is when it's safe enough to concentrate mainly on offense."
"Even when they're down, though, their defense sucks…" threw in the boy to the left of Dylan, and Dylan conceitedly nodded his agreement.
He began to make another point, but he glanced up and saw Marco, who looked completely clueless, standing by Ellie. "Oh, hey guys!" he said, smiling. He then turned to his hockey buddies, pointing them out as he said their names. "This is Brad, Jeff, Michael, Ty, and Scott." He then flourished his hand at the younger students. "And this is Marco and Ellie."
"Oh yeah," smirked the kid named Michael. "We've definitely heard about Marco." It was hard to tell who blushed more - Dylan or Marco. Did he tell them about the kiss? What if they tell other people? What if it gets to Carlos?! Marco worried.
"Have a seat," Dylan continued, despite his red face, pointing to the open seats near them. They gratefully accepted, and listened intently while the hockey discussion continued. At one point though, Dylan turned to Marco.
"What do you think, Marco? You're a Maple Leafs fan, right?"
He was trapped. He'd already said he was, and there was no going back now. "Um, yeah," he said, looking around nervously.
"Marco and I both think that their offense is strong, but they do need to focus on defense. Especially McCabe, he doesn't rotate enough," Ellie said matter-of-factly, saving Marco's butt. He gaped at her, though numbly nodded his agreement.
Looking impressed, Dylan and his hockey buddies grinned. "You guys are so right. I never really paid enough attention to McCabe, but now that I think of it… he doesn't rotate enough."
"So, Marco," Ty began smugly, resting his head on his hands. "You're a Grade Ten?"
He nodded.
"How'd you meet Dylan?"
Marco was annoyed. He felt like they were Dylan's parents, interrogating him before he could leave the house with their son. He was more embarrassed than anything, and Dylan was embarrassed for him. "Lay off of him," he scolded his friends, shaking his head in a laughing way.
"We're just curious is all," Jeff said.
"Yeah, we're looking out for your best interests. What do you plan on being when you grow up, Marco?" Brad asked, stifling laughter.
"I dunno," he answered sheepishly, shrugging his shoulders. Rolling his eyes, Dylan shoved Brad away with his elbow.
"Don't listen to them," Dylan advised, shaking his head. "No offense, guys, but Marco and Ellie here actually have more than one brain cell. Much too complex for you all."
"Look at him, sticking up for the guy already," Jeff laughed. Joining in the laughter, Dylan rolled his eyes. Marco continued to blush. Ellie giggled slightly.
"Wait, your older brother isn't Carlos del Rossi, is he?" Ty said suddenly, eyes growing slightly wide. The other guys, obviously not having made the connection between the brothers, looked at him uncertainly as well.
"Yeah," Marco sighed. "Yeah, he is."
The whole table grew silent, as Dylan looked uncomfortably at all of his friends. Scott opened his mouth to speak, closed it, looked at Dylan, then at Marco, and finally spoke.
"You mean, he doesn't care that you're…?"
"Uh, actually, he, um, doesn't exactly know…" Marco said, staring hard at the table below him.
They all raised an eyebrow discretely to Dylan, who simply shrugged it off. "Marco will tell him when he's ready. Until then, keep it quiet," he instructed, and the guys nodded once more.
"Well, it's not like he gets to choose who is brother is," Ellie defended her best friend. "Marco hates him probably just as much as you guys do."
"Yeah. That sucks. I remember him and his friends kicked the crap outta Ty last year," Michael laughed, and Ty hit him hard in the shoulder.
"It was like, ten on one. You can't blame me."
"You were down and crying in like five seconds!"
"You think the Buds' defense is bad, you shoulda seen Ty's!" Brad joked, doubling over in laughter.
"Funny," Ty said dryly. "Really hilarious."
They continued on talking for the rest of the lunch hour, each enjoying themselves fully. Marco was really interested in what they had to say (despite all the hockey mumbo-jumbo that he didn't understand). They all were pretty great guys.
Marco went home that day in a fairly good mood. Carlos asked him about Marco keeping his secret many times that week, but besides that, there were few fallouts. Carlos obviously trusted him enough that he kept mostly out of his business. Marco was relieved to find there was no way Carlos knew about his own secret. He and Ellie sat with Dylan almost every day, and the conversations were new and exciting each time. Friday, the day he would spend with Dylan… and Tom, came relatively soon.
Marco opened his locker that morning, getting all of his books for the first few classes. After he collected them, he turned around quickly, and ran right into Dylan.
"Sorry!" he apologized, bending down to pick up his books that had fallen. His stomach still got that jittery feeling every time he looked at Dylan.
"It's okay! Um, I just wanted to clarify our plans for tonight."
"Yeah, sure."
"So, I'll give you a ride?" Dylan asked. "Right after school?"
"Yeah, I'd rather not go home." Because Carlos is there, and I don't need the grilling.
"All right. We're meeting Tom for dinner fairly early, and then on to the independent film festival," explained the older of the two, smiling brilliantly.
Marco contemplated a question he'd been meaning to ask. Finally, he gave in and said, "Uh, Tom does know I'm coming, right?"
Hesitating slightly, Dylan slowly nodded. "I mentioned it."
"Is… he bringing anyone?" Marco asked doubtfully.
"Nope. Just us three. That doesn't bother you, does it?" He searched Marco's face, looking somewhat guilty.
"No," Marco lied, his heart falling. "That's fine." He was somewhat excited still, of course, because he'd be with Dylan. He was slightly worried, though - he knew Tom still had feelings for Dylan.
"Good. See you later!" He gave Marco's shoulder a slight squeeze, and then disappeared into the mob of people. Marco watched him walk off, with a big smile on his face.
[Journal Entry 7]
Marco del Rossi
So, I met Dylan's friends earlier this week. They're all really nice. Ellie and I sit by them and Dylan at lunch a lot lately. It's great. I've gotten to know Dylan really well. I've never felt like this about anyone - I don't know if it's love, but I think it might be. Life's pretty good right now.
Carlos has no clue. I'm really happy about this. He was thanking me a lot the other night, for not telling about him messing up Dylan's locker. I told him, in a discrete way, how pissed I was at him. He asked why, and all I said was, "That was a low thing to do." Yeah, I could've, and should've, defended Dylan better, but I can't let Carlos know.
I'm going out with Dylan and his ex-boyfriend Tom later today. I'm so nervous - what if Tom and Dylan end up hooking up?! I can't let that happen. I guess if I want to keep Dylan, I'll have to play dirty. Which is what I'll do, as a last resort. I don't know, maybe they're both completely over each other. We'll see tonight!
[/Journal]
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Please review! Thanks guys!
Rating: PG-13 for themes and language
Characters: In this chapter: Marco, Dylan, Marco's parents, Carlos, Paige, Ellie, Sean, Jay, Towerz
Pairings: Marco/Dylan, Spinner/Paige, Ellie/Sean, not sure of any others.
Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own Degrassi. If I did, this all woulda taken place right after Pride premiered. =D
Author's Note: Haha, I must be the worst updater ever. I mean, I bet I set a record with how slow I am. Gosh. Sorry, guys. Well, anyone, I hope you enjoy this chapter. I enjoyed writing it. As always, please review!
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"You don't have to come with me," Dylan repeated once more, pulling open the heavy wooden door and standing aside so Marco could go through first.
"I know," Marco answered, walking through and then waiting up for Dylan. He had a somewhat secret, permanent smile on his face, which was obviously contagious because every time Dylan glanced at him, he broke out into a grin as well.
"Hello, Dylan," a middle-aged secretary greeted him, familiar with him for the countless number of times he'd come to the office due to ridicule. She smiled brightly up at him, but then frowned as she pushed her thick-rimmed glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Something wrong?"
"Hi, Mrs. Rieselman." Hesitating, he looked down at Marco and then back up to the concerned secretary. "Everything's… okay. I just need to, uh, talk to Mr. Raditch."
"All right, boys, you can go right through. Door's open."
"Thank you." They followed her long fingernails to an open door, but Dylan paused anyway and rapped on it with his knuckles. From inside the office at his computer, Raditch looked at the boys. At the sight of the older one, he set his mouth in a straight line and beckoned them in.
"Mister Michalchuk, Mister del Rossi," he greeted them, nodding. They sat down in uncomfortable chairs in front of the desk. Bouncing his legs slightly up and down, Marco felt nervous for some reason. Was Dylan going to actually tell Raditch that some immature kids spray-painted the word "homo" on his locker? Thinking it over, he realized he would never have the guts to do that. Dylan, on the other hand, was much braver.
"What seems to be the problem?" The principal looked tired already, as though he'd gone through this one too many times. Which made Marco think he probably had.
"Locker troubles," Dylan replied nonchalantly. He was a pro at this.
"What is it this time?"
"Homo. Spray paint." The words came out of Dylan's mouth so easily that Marco stared in wonderment. Raditch, on the other hand, looked unfazed.
He sighed, "I see." Turning his attention to Marco suddenly, he raised an eyebrow. "Were you involved?"
"Uh, well, n-not really."
"Marco and I think we know who did it," Dylan threw in, and the principal looked relieved.
"Who?"
"Ja-"
"It wasn't Jay!" Marco blurted, and Dylan looked at him in surprise. He raised an eyebrow and sort of shrugged off a bit.
"Y-you know who did it?" Dylan asked slowly, looking baffled.
"Uh, uh, well, n-no…" He was a terrible liar.
"Mr. del Rossi, I'd like to remind you this is a great offense. Dylan has gone through this many times before, though I'm sure you can't imagine the extent of it." If Marco's body wasn't completely tense, he would have snorted, or chuckled, or at least done something. Instead, he remained silent as Raditch continued, "And I do hope you aren't trying to protect anyone."
"I don't know who did it," Marco said, adverting his eyes to the ground. "I just know it wasn't Jay and them."
"Why didn't you tell me this before?" Dylan asked him, completely blocking out Raditch.
"I was, um, a little caught up in the moment, I guess." Uncomfortably, Marco looked at Raditch out of the corner of his eye. The principal was obviously not trying to interfere, but he looked a little embarrassed himself. "I c-can't get Jay into trouble for something he didn't do, though. I… I'm sorry."
He looked so miserable that Dylan couldn't even possibly attempt to be angry with him. "It's all right," he said, nodding slightly. "So," he went on, turning to face the principal, "I just really need that cleaned off."
"Yes, of course," Raditch replied, standing. "We'll find out who did this. Go on to class. Mrs. Rieselman will write you a note."
"Thanks."
Absolutely silent, Marco and Dylan left the office after picking up their notes. Neither knew what to say. "Are you all right?" Dylan finally asked, looking at the younger boy seriously. Somewhat bewildered, Marco glanced up at him. "I mean, the kiss didn't freak you out or anything, did it?"
"No!" Marco said quickly, fervently shaking his head. "It was great."
Looking relieved, he said, "Good." And then after only a slight hesitation, "I'm going to hang out with Tom Friday night."
If there was one thing that could have sunk Marco's self-confidence, that was it. He lowered his head to the ground, eyes pointed downwards, and silent. But when Dylan continued speaking, he felt much better.
"And I want you to go with me."
"Ar-are you sure? You don't have to invite me just because you feel sorry for me…" Immediately, he stopped talking. He was afraid Dylan would take back his offer. Laughing, Dylan nodded, his golden curls bouncing in his eyes.
"I'm positive, Marco." He smiled widely. "Uh, we better get to class." Almost snapping out of a trance, Marco realized he was right and nodded.
"Where you headed?" Dylan asked.
Marco pointed to a hallway ahead of them, and Dylan nodded.
"I'm going the opposite direction."
"All right. Uh, talk to you later?"
"You're welcome to sit by me at lunch."
A smile tugged at Marco's lips, though he tried his best to remain nonchalant. "I'll think about it," he teased, and then resumed walking.
"See ya."
"Bye." Marco made his way through the deserted hallways, until he reached Miss Kwan's room. He entered the room and handed her the note, then sat in his usual seat by Ellie.
"Where were you?" she asked in a quiet whisper, raising an eyebrow.
Rather than answering her question, he surveyed her with a large grin. "He kissed me!" he mouthed silently, and her jaw dropped slightly.
"How was it?" she asked, excited for her best friend but somewhat jealous of Dylan. She still had feelings for Marco - she always would, she presumed. Of course, they were somewhat burned down and hardly ever surged inside her, besides now.
"It was amazing!" He paused, a look of amazement dawning on his boyishly excited face. "I went to the office with Dylan," he continued, and her arched eyebrow rose further.
"To do what?"
"Someone vandalized his locker," he told her, but he had a strong notion to tell her it was Carlos and Tim. He couldn't, though. Just couldn't bring himself to do it.
"Oh," she replied softly, looking somewhat disappointed.
Marco opened his mouth to say something else, but from the front of the room, Kwan snapped, "Marco, Ellie! Stop talking, unless you'd like some more work to do." Shaking their heads, they returned to the worksheets on the desks in front of them and began diligently working.
Quite suddenly, Kwan called attention to her by speaking sharply. "Has everyone been keeping up with their journals?" There was a murmur in the class of scattered yes's and several students nodded their heads. "Good. Please take those out." Marco swiveled around in his seat and dug into his bag, emerging with the notebook. He had nearly forgotten it that morning; he was halfway out the door before he remembered he had left it on his desk.
Racing up to his room, he was horrified to discover that it had been left open, where anyone could have read it. He was very thankful no one had.
"Now," Kwan continued, and a silence fell upon the class once more, "I have read everyone's entries. I am very interested in them - but rather than me telling you what I feel, I'd like a peer to do that. So, everyone will partner up and read one of their entries to their partner, and then discuss them." Eyes widening, Marco's stomach did a flip-flop. He tore through the journal madly, but discovered that each and every entry was about the topic he would rather keep to himself.
To his dismay, Spinner, trying to be a good friend, sauntered up to him. "Wanna be partners?" he asked, and then looked over at Paige as she nodded her approval.
"Uh, uh -" Marco stuttered, scanning his brain for a liable excuse.
At that exact moment, unfortunately for Marco, Ms. Kwan overheard Spinner and she stepped forward. "That's a wonderful idea, Gavin." Marco was stuck. She winked at him as she passed, and Spinner sat in the seat next to him.
"You wanna go first?"
"No," Marco said quickly, "you can." It helped that Spinner was a slow reader - maybe they would run out of time, therefore leaving him without a chance to go. Either that, or he had time to devise a plan.
"'Kay." He flipped open his entry, and began reading tonelessly.
"Me and the guys had band practice today. We finally got a name, and it's kicking: Downtown Sasquatch. Uh, I'm not exactly sure what it means or why it's our name, but Craig came up with it so it's cool. Oh, speaking of Craig, I still can't believe he got Manny pregnant. It was like last year that she could have passed as his sister but she "matured" more now. But Ash dumped his butt, because he was a cheater, I just think it's too bad he got caught…"
Marco unfocused his attention at this point, and stared down at his journal. Glancing over at his shoulder, he willed Ellie to look up. She could help him. But she was reading something about her mother's alcohol reformation, while Jimmy listened, nodding. He looked over to Paige, but she was explaining by way of journal entry about her amazing date the other night with Spinner to Hazel. Sighing, he returned to his partner.
"And I'm pretty sure Jimmy and Hazel are hookin' up now, 'cause they're like all over each other. That's pretty cool, I guess, since Jimmy hasn't had a girl since Ashley. Me and Paige are cooler than ever. We went to a movie the other day, but I don't even know what it's about. Let's just say thank God for a dark room and back row seats. Her brother Dylan…"
Marco's head snapped up at the mention of Dylan, and he began listening intently to what Spinner had to say.
"…has been hounding me big time. He's trying to be the protective brother 'n' everything, but man he's got to lay off! He loves to treat me like I'm stupid. I dunno, but it don't bother me. Anyway, now that him and Marco are hanging out more, he's laid off some."
Marco could hardly suppress a grin, but Spinner looked up. "That's all," he reported. Once again, Marco's stomach gave a great jolt. "Your turn," Spinner continued pointedly, when Marco didn't do anything.
"Right." Gulping, he meekly opened his journal. That's when a brilliant idea hit him. Smiling inwardly, he turned to a blank page, and began talking, acting as though he were reading a journal entry.
"Not a lot has been going on in my life. I went to the park yesterday to play soccer with Carlos. Some of his friends were there, and Carlos and I were on separate teams. We killed their team - and I had a hat trick! My mama also took me to the mall a couple of days ago, to buy new shoes. I got brown ones, with laces."
He paused, looking up at Spinner. His face was contorted into a look, mixed of boredom and surprise that he wasn't hearing Marco gushing about Dylan. Thinking his plan was foolproof, Marco continued talking.
"I went to dinner at this Italian restaurant with my parents. I ordered a large plate of spaghetti, with extra meat sauce. What can I say, I love pasta. It was really good, and the restaurant had the best breadsticks ever there. My dad also brought home this movie. It was all in Italian, with subtitles. The plot was great though - a, um, um," Marco hesitated for only a split second, before catching himself, "a poor waiter at this restaurant that fell in love with the beautiful daughter of the owner, a very rich woman… It had a very nice ending, too."
Sighing happily, he closed the journal and squeezed it against his chest. Spinner zapped out of his stupor, and murmured, "Sounds like a fun day." Marco stifled a chuckle until he glanced up, and saw Kwan frowning down at him. Okay, so she'd heard his made up entry. He quickly adverted his eyes, and he felt his cheeks grow hot.
Kwan's eyes darted into his back, and he could feel them burning holes. He didn't know what to do. But thankfully, the lunch bell rang and he slumped into the crowd of people as he left the classroom.
After Marco paid for his food from the line, he glanced around the cafeteria nervously. He saw Dylan sitting at a table with a couple of extra seats near him, though he was surrounded by his hockey friends. It was obvious they were having a heated discussion at the moment, and just by lip-reading he knew it was about some professional goalie. Tray in hand, Ellie came up behind him. "Sit with me?" he asked, nearly whimpered in a fake voice, as he motioned towards Dylan.
Sighing, she indecisively glanced between her best friend, and Sean, who was sitting alone. She'd avoided him since he'd confronted her about her scars, but she was still undeniably smitten with him. "Pleeeease?" Marco begged, frowning.
Finally, she gave in and begrudgingly followed him, as he nervously approached the table. When they finally arrived next to the table, they heard Dylan say, "Marsbury is the worst goalie there is! I mean, you'd think he thought the point of the game was to let the pucks go by!"
Glaring at Dylan, the kid across from him shot back, "He's won so many games for his team it's not funny. The only time the other teams score is when it's safe enough to concentrate mainly on offense."
"Even when they're down, though, their defense sucks…" threw in the boy to the left of Dylan, and Dylan conceitedly nodded his agreement.
He began to make another point, but he glanced up and saw Marco, who looked completely clueless, standing by Ellie. "Oh, hey guys!" he said, smiling. He then turned to his hockey buddies, pointing them out as he said their names. "This is Brad, Jeff, Michael, Ty, and Scott." He then flourished his hand at the younger students. "And this is Marco and Ellie."
"Oh yeah," smirked the kid named Michael. "We've definitely heard about Marco." It was hard to tell who blushed more - Dylan or Marco. Did he tell them about the kiss? What if they tell other people? What if it gets to Carlos?! Marco worried.
"Have a seat," Dylan continued, despite his red face, pointing to the open seats near them. They gratefully accepted, and listened intently while the hockey discussion continued. At one point though, Dylan turned to Marco.
"What do you think, Marco? You're a Maple Leafs fan, right?"
He was trapped. He'd already said he was, and there was no going back now. "Um, yeah," he said, looking around nervously.
"Marco and I both think that their offense is strong, but they do need to focus on defense. Especially McCabe, he doesn't rotate enough," Ellie said matter-of-factly, saving Marco's butt. He gaped at her, though numbly nodded his agreement.
Looking impressed, Dylan and his hockey buddies grinned. "You guys are so right. I never really paid enough attention to McCabe, but now that I think of it… he doesn't rotate enough."
"So, Marco," Ty began smugly, resting his head on his hands. "You're a Grade Ten?"
He nodded.
"How'd you meet Dylan?"
Marco was annoyed. He felt like they were Dylan's parents, interrogating him before he could leave the house with their son. He was more embarrassed than anything, and Dylan was embarrassed for him. "Lay off of him," he scolded his friends, shaking his head in a laughing way.
"We're just curious is all," Jeff said.
"Yeah, we're looking out for your best interests. What do you plan on being when you grow up, Marco?" Brad asked, stifling laughter.
"I dunno," he answered sheepishly, shrugging his shoulders. Rolling his eyes, Dylan shoved Brad away with his elbow.
"Don't listen to them," Dylan advised, shaking his head. "No offense, guys, but Marco and Ellie here actually have more than one brain cell. Much too complex for you all."
"Look at him, sticking up for the guy already," Jeff laughed. Joining in the laughter, Dylan rolled his eyes. Marco continued to blush. Ellie giggled slightly.
"Wait, your older brother isn't Carlos del Rossi, is he?" Ty said suddenly, eyes growing slightly wide. The other guys, obviously not having made the connection between the brothers, looked at him uncertainly as well.
"Yeah," Marco sighed. "Yeah, he is."
The whole table grew silent, as Dylan looked uncomfortably at all of his friends. Scott opened his mouth to speak, closed it, looked at Dylan, then at Marco, and finally spoke.
"You mean, he doesn't care that you're…?"
"Uh, actually, he, um, doesn't exactly know…" Marco said, staring hard at the table below him.
They all raised an eyebrow discretely to Dylan, who simply shrugged it off. "Marco will tell him when he's ready. Until then, keep it quiet," he instructed, and the guys nodded once more.
"Well, it's not like he gets to choose who is brother is," Ellie defended her best friend. "Marco hates him probably just as much as you guys do."
"Yeah. That sucks. I remember him and his friends kicked the crap outta Ty last year," Michael laughed, and Ty hit him hard in the shoulder.
"It was like, ten on one. You can't blame me."
"You were down and crying in like five seconds!"
"You think the Buds' defense is bad, you shoulda seen Ty's!" Brad joked, doubling over in laughter.
"Funny," Ty said dryly. "Really hilarious."
They continued on talking for the rest of the lunch hour, each enjoying themselves fully. Marco was really interested in what they had to say (despite all the hockey mumbo-jumbo that he didn't understand). They all were pretty great guys.
Marco went home that day in a fairly good mood. Carlos asked him about Marco keeping his secret many times that week, but besides that, there were few fallouts. Carlos obviously trusted him enough that he kept mostly out of his business. Marco was relieved to find there was no way Carlos knew about his own secret. He and Ellie sat with Dylan almost every day, and the conversations were new and exciting each time. Friday, the day he would spend with Dylan… and Tom, came relatively soon.
Marco opened his locker that morning, getting all of his books for the first few classes. After he collected them, he turned around quickly, and ran right into Dylan.
"Sorry!" he apologized, bending down to pick up his books that had fallen. His stomach still got that jittery feeling every time he looked at Dylan.
"It's okay! Um, I just wanted to clarify our plans for tonight."
"Yeah, sure."
"So, I'll give you a ride?" Dylan asked. "Right after school?"
"Yeah, I'd rather not go home." Because Carlos is there, and I don't need the grilling.
"All right. We're meeting Tom for dinner fairly early, and then on to the independent film festival," explained the older of the two, smiling brilliantly.
Marco contemplated a question he'd been meaning to ask. Finally, he gave in and said, "Uh, Tom does know I'm coming, right?"
Hesitating slightly, Dylan slowly nodded. "I mentioned it."
"Is… he bringing anyone?" Marco asked doubtfully.
"Nope. Just us three. That doesn't bother you, does it?" He searched Marco's face, looking somewhat guilty.
"No," Marco lied, his heart falling. "That's fine." He was somewhat excited still, of course, because he'd be with Dylan. He was slightly worried, though - he knew Tom still had feelings for Dylan.
"Good. See you later!" He gave Marco's shoulder a slight squeeze, and then disappeared into the mob of people. Marco watched him walk off, with a big smile on his face.
[Journal Entry 7]
Marco del Rossi
So, I met Dylan's friends earlier this week. They're all really nice. Ellie and I sit by them and Dylan at lunch a lot lately. It's great. I've gotten to know Dylan really well. I've never felt like this about anyone - I don't know if it's love, but I think it might be. Life's pretty good right now.
Carlos has no clue. I'm really happy about this. He was thanking me a lot the other night, for not telling about him messing up Dylan's locker. I told him, in a discrete way, how pissed I was at him. He asked why, and all I said was, "That was a low thing to do." Yeah, I could've, and should've, defended Dylan better, but I can't let Carlos know.
I'm going out with Dylan and his ex-boyfriend Tom later today. I'm so nervous - what if Tom and Dylan end up hooking up?! I can't let that happen. I guess if I want to keep Dylan, I'll have to play dirty. Which is what I'll do, as a last resort. I don't know, maybe they're both completely over each other. We'll see tonight!
[/Journal]
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