Mark poked his lunch around the plate. Not only did he have a week left of being grounded, but school wasn't shaping out how he had hoped. He had met people, yes, but nobody he'd really want to get to know beyond their first name. And after practically failling his first test in algebra, classes didn't seem al that promising either.
"Why do I always have to come rescue you from your chronic lonelisness?" Roger sat his own tray down across from Mark, as the custom had gone.
"I don't have chronic loneliness."
"Oh, that's why this it's so hard to find a seat with all the people sitting here and all."
Suddenly, a large holler interupted the cafeteria, "Fight Oppression."
A older student ran shirtless from one end of the cafeteria to the other and out into the hallway.
"Why didn't the teachers do anything about it?" Mark asked.
Roger laughed, "From what I've heard they've gotten used to it."
"Why don't they just kick him out?"
"I think it's because they secretly find it just as amusing as he finds it serious. But that's Tom for you, he's good at that kind of thing, he's a genius too, gifted IQ or something like that..."
"You know him?"
"Not really, elementary school a little, and then I didn't talk to him until after last years homecoming game when he jumped the mascot in the middle of half-time."
Before Mark could respond, Roger's friend, Stuart appeared, "Roger, come here...I've got some good news."
Mark watched as Roger walked off for a few moments and then comes back grinning widely.
"What made you so happy?"
"This band Stu knows is looking for a lead singer and they want me to do a trial gig this Friday."
"Only one promblem with that."
"What?" Roger looked up, clueless.
"We're grounded."
"Oh, right. Shit...well, I guess I'll have to..."
"Find away around it?" Mark finished.
"That's not what I was going to say."
"Yeah."
"Okay, so it was. So, what are we gonna do?"
"We? Oh no...not gonna happen...you got yourself in it, you can get out."
Roger kept pleading and yet Mark didn't step down. The whole week was able to keep his ground, until the afternoon of the gig; Mark sat there on his bed while Roger sat picking out a song on the guitar...a slow sad sound. Frustrated Mark threw his head back, "Fine! Come on."
Mark grabbed by Roger's arm and pulled him down to the kitchen.
"Sara. I know we're grounded, but I want to get a head start on this project for school...and I really need Roger's help navigating the library? Can we go?"
"Library?"
"Straight there. Straight back. We won't even look at the other buildings."
"Okay."
"Thanks, Sara."
"Thanks, Mom."
Mark grabbed his bookbag on the way out so it would look believable.
"Damn that was good Mark, even I believed we're going to library."
"We are."
"We are?"
"Well, I am...you're just going to spend an awfully long time looking for books." Mark grinned.
Later that night Mark sat at the table deeply entrenched in a book.
"Hey, Mark. I came to pick you guys up...where's Roger?" Mark looked up in a panic as he heard his dad approaching.
"Oh, he was off to find me some more books, but I think he's gotten distracted...you know Roger."
"Yeah. Why don't you go find him, I'll just sit right here."
"Sure no problem, dad."
His stomach slowly twisted. He was going to kill Roger. Well, first his father was kill both of them, but then Mark would kill him. He slowly made his way to the back and went back and forth through several aisles trying to figure out what he was going to do.
"Mark."
"Roger, what the hell took you so long?"
"I saw your dad parked out front...I had to climb in the bathroom window. Come on lets go..."
The two made their way back before Mark shoved them into another aisle. "We can't! You smell like cigarette smoke."
"We'll just say someone was smoking."
"Rig---in a library? Here take this." Mark pulled off his jacket and handed it over. "Put it on."
Roger pulled his arms through the sleeves as the began again.
"Here we are, Dad. Sorry we took so long. I was looking in the wrong section."
"Hey, Jerry." Roger greeted, aware of the surprise on Mr. Cohen's face, but wasn't sure if it was due to his being there or the fact he was wedge into Mark's jacket.
"I just came to pick you guys up, Sarah's got dinner ready." As the walked to the van Jerry looked at the two boys carefully, "You know boys, when Sarah told me where you were I thought you were just using it as cover...I'm sorry for doubting you two."
Mark and Roger just smiled.
