Mark didn't listen to his mother.
Despite the fact that his little brother had "adjusted" well and even Cindy had started down a road to a good relationship with their step mother, Mark wouldn't do it.
He didn't want a relationship.
Not with Sarah.
Not with Lee.
And most especially not with Roger.
Over the next two and a half months, bad went to worse...even Roger's original plan to "kill Mark with kindsness" was thrown to the wayside, not that he had honestly expected it to last all that long in the first place.
Mark threw chewed gum on the guitar.
Roger threw chewed gum in Mark's underwear drawer.
Mark stole Roger's homework.
Roger stole Mark bookbag.
Trip.
Punch.
Fight.
Scream.
And so it went on.
Eventually a temporary truce exsisted over Thanksgiving break, partially because it was a holdiay, and mostly because both needed to come up with new ideas.

For Thanksgiving Sarah had gone all out, and none of the boys had been allowed anywhere near the kitchen for the last forty-eight hours. Not to mention, Mark had already been subjected to both his dad's parents, but Sarah's parents and brother as well.

"Dinner's ready." Sarah's voice echoed into the backyard where Mark had exiled himself to take pictures.

Mark took a safe spot next to his granfather, while Roger was at the opposite end next to his uncle.

Dinner progressed with the normal topics, the weather, the parades, school, and so forth until dessert.

"Sarah, honey, you really went all out this year." Mark's grandmother commented.

Sarah smiled sweetly back, "I really wanted something special this year, the whole family being together and all...and..."

She paused to look at her husband who nodded, "And, Jerry and I also have a very special announcement...I'm pregnant."

There was a silence as Mark's head processed the news.

He shot out of the chair, "What the hell?"

But he wasn't the only one. His father stood from his spot, "Mark! Roger! Whatch your mouths."

But the two teenagers were already storming their way up the stairs and into their room.

"What the hell?" Mark repeated out loud.

"Why are you asking me? Do you think I went up to them, 'Hey, how 'bout you two have another kid, 'cos this house doesn't resemble hell enough.'"

"This is hell."

The boys went on fuming for at least ten minutes before Roger finally locked the door and opened the window, grabbed his guitar, and started the climb out the window.

Out of curiosity...Mark leaned out the window to see where he was going. Roger landed on the ground and looked back up at the window...

"So are you coming or what?"

Mark turned back towards the door, but quickly changed his mind, grabbed his camera and started out the window.
By the time he hit the ground, Roger was already waiting at the gate.

"Hurry up," he hissed back to the blonde.

Mark caught up with Roger and slowly followed him out of the neighborhood and to the bus station. Roger pulled out a wad of cash and a card, and got two tickets.

"Where are we going? How did you pay for those?"

Roger shrug, "Discount, allowance, paycheck...what's it matter?"

The bus ride wasn't too long and Mark soon found himself walking up the stairs to an apartment building.

"Roger, where are we going?"

Still he wouldn't answer, but knocked on a door at the end of the stair case.

A man answered, mid-forties mildly well kept,

"Roger, what are you doing here? And who's this?"

He stepped aside to allow both of them into the apartment.

Roger set down his guitar near the door, "Um...I had to get out for a bit...and this um, this is Mark."

The older man's eyebrows raised, "I thought you two weren't getting along?"

"We aren't." Roger shrugs.
Mark simply nods.

"So what happened this time?"

The older man question spurs Roger.

"Mom and Jerry decided to make a special Thanksgiving annoucement: They're having a baby."

He pauses as the man gives no repsonse. "You're okay with this, dad?"

Dad? Now it makes sense, Mark thinks still standing by the door clutching his camera.

Roger's father, simply shakes his head, "Your mom called and told me last night. Come on, Roger, you know...having kids...it what married people do...how do you think you and your brother got here?"

"I know...it just..." Roger couldn't find the words.

"It's final." Mark had found his voice. "No turning back. It's real. Its happening. And what if it happens agian...the whole not working out. Just another kid who gets torn."

Roger just nods.

The phone interupts the silence, and Roger's father answer it.

"Hello...Sarah...yes, Rog's here...Sarah, calm down...Mark's here too...yes...I'm sure its Mark...wait...a minute Sarah, just let me handle it, alright? I'll bring them back when they're ready...Tomorrow morning, I'll try. Yeah...yeah...okay...I'll call you before we leave here...yeah, alright...talk to you later."

He hangs up the phone and turns his attention back to the two teenage boy who have infiltrated his living room,

"Mark, you do know you can sit if you want...they want you back home by tomorrow morning...in the mean time...how about you show me what you were working on, Rog?"

Roger slowly got his guitar, and Mark had no choice but to watch.
As the afternoon progressed, Mark saw a Roger he didn't know...had never been willing to know before.

"Mark, do you play anything?" Roger's dad had taken an interest in Mark, asked questions Mark's own father never thought to aske.

"I used to...the piano...and the drums, but not anymore..."

"Yeah,...he's too into his camera." Roger commented from the couch.

"Here, you want to learn?" Roger's father offered the guitar he had been holding.

"Um...no thank you..."

"Oh, come on, if I can teach Roger...I can teach you."

"Alright..." Mark reluntantly took the guitar, and Roger swiped the camera...

Maybe Mark wasn't so bad...Roger thought...maybe...