Chapter Two

A/N: It has been soooo long since I updated this story but here is Chapter Two!

WARNING: I use some insults in this chapter that I do NOT believe or condone, for a bullied character.

As I walked downstairs, I saw Mark and my mum at the foot of the stairs. Mark was dressed smartly in dark jeans and a grey, long sleeved shirt. He looked surprised when he saw me, his playful smirk fading away. It did not take him long to recover .A bright smile appeared on his face, for my mother's sake I was sure. "I'm so happy I get to dine with two beautiful ladies tonight." His smile faded away when Will walked downstairs to stand next to me. Mark reached out and grabbed hold of Will's hand, my poor brother wincing as Mark squeezed his hand too tightly. "And it's good to see you again, mate."

"Oh, Mark! Such a charmer you are!" My mum laughed, and then frowned at Will as he yanked his hand free of Mark's hold. "Will! Don't be rude, say hello and be polite."

"Mum, you do realize you've invited a psychopath into our house?" Will threw his hands up in the air. "I refuse to go along with this utter farce of a dinner and will be staging a peaceful protest in my room. Jane, you are welcome to join me. Goodnight." He stormed upstairs, my mum placing a hand over her mouth in shock before she chased after him.

She looked back when she was halfway up the stairs. "So sorry about this, Mark. Jane, I need to have a chat with your brother. Take Mark into the dining room and the two of you can start eating."

"Right through here, then." I led the way into the dining room, as I glanced back I saw Mark's eyes were trained on my body. He did not stop looking when he saw I had caught him. Instead he winked at me. I could feel heat rushing to my face. I felt uncomfortable, but more ashamed that a part of me liked the way he had looked at me. No boy had ever looked at me like they were admiring me before. "Actually, I've just forgotten something upstairs." I ran upstairs to get my cardigan, and on my way back I saw Will being embraced by mum while she half-heartedly told him off.

I took a deep breath, wrapping the cardigan around myself securely before walking back down. Mark had already dished up some of the chicken pie, mash, gravy and vegetables. He was tucking into the food, like he was in his own home. He patted the seat next to him when he saw me. "Come and sit with me. Your mum's cooking is well good, isn't it?"

I made up a plate of food and sat down next to Mark, pointedly ignoring him while I ate until I could not stand the silence anymore. "Look, Mark...Why did you come here really? Just to mess with my brother some more? Because your plan failed. Will is stronger than you give him credit for."

Mark set down his knife and fork and turned in his chair slightly to face me. "Do you think I'd waste my time coming round here to see that twerp? Nah. I came to see you again, Jane." He brought his hand up to my face and gently tugged on one of the curls framing my face. "For a smart girl sometimes you can be so unaware."

He could not mean what I thought he meant. "That's a good joke. You know, for a few hours today I thought maybe, just maybe, that you had a small amount of human decency." I tried to move his hand away from my hair but he quickly twisted his grip around so he was holding my hand instead. His grip was firm and I could not pull my hand away. The warmth of his hand felt nice but it also felt wrong somehow. I wondered if that was because he was not Jay. "Mark, stop teasing me. Please, I'm not having a good day and I can't handle this right now."

"You come downstairs in that little purple number, looking so fit and you're saying I'm the one teasing you?" His eyebrows furrowed slightly as he gave me a sceptical look. "Come off it, Jane."

"Jane!" It was my brother, and he sounded dismayed. I reluctantly looked back over my shoulder and saw him standing there with Mum. The expression on Will's face was a mixture of disgust and shock.

Mum's eyes were very wide, and she seemed stunned. "Oh, petal. Is there something you and Mark want to tell me?"

"I really like your daughter, Mrs McKenzie. And she likes me too." Mark stated confidently. "She wanted to keep it a secret, but I told her I couldn't lie. Not to you, Mrs McKenzie."

"Wait just a minute – "

"He's a liar!" Will practically screamed, interrupting me as a red angry flush slowly appeared on his face. "He's mad, mum, I told you he is. Jane would never look twice at a hooligan like him. And he used to date Charlotte, she's this gorgeous blonde - Jane is not the kind of girl he goes for although she is very pretty and far too good to let herself be ruined by dating a bully like Donovan. This is some kind of twisted revenge on me, because I fancy-" Will stopped suddenly, choking on his words. "I mean, this is ridiculous. Jane, care to explain what the fuck is happening here?"

"Language, darling," Mum admonished Will. "Go and sit down, I'm going to go and warm up this food in the microwave. Now, William," Mum snapped, losing her patience when she saw that he was just standing there not moving. "Otherwise you can forget about going out with your friends this weekend, young man."

"That's not fair, mum," Will's shoulders slumped as he reluctantly walked over to the table and sat down opposite me and Mark. As soon as mum had gone into the kitchen, he glared at Mark like he wanted to kill him. "Leave my sister alone, Donovan," He hissed angrily. "Jane, stop touching him."

"Make me, you little prick," Mark replied quietly yet menacingly, glancing around to make sure my mum was not watching before he used his free hand to flip Will off. "You're lucky your sister and your mum are here, otherwise you'd be dead right now. Don't you ever disrespect me, especially not in front of my girl."

"Mark, let me go," I urged him but he stubbornly set his jaw and refused to let go of my hand. "You're taking this joke too far now, can't you see that?"

My mum appeared with two hot plates of food; she set one down in front of my brother and sat down next to him with her own plate. "Keep eating, everyone." She looked at me and Mark in a way that faintly bordered on disbelief. "Mark. You aren't playing a trick on Jane, are you? I have to admit that my son is right about it not making sense for you and Jane to be together. My daughter is somewhat of a shy introvert and you're in one of the cool groups at school, I imagine."

It hurt that my mother just assumed Mark would not be interested in me. Yes, it was unlikely but it was not impossible. "Mum!" I exclaimed sharply. "Is it so hard to believe that a good looking, popular guy would like your plain bookworm of a daughter?"

"I would never say you were plain, you're beautiful to me, petal," My mum seemed taken aback. "I'm so sorry, Jane. If you and Mark like each other, that's fine by me."

"Yes, we do like each other," I lied.

My brother looked at me like I had betrayed him. "You don't mean that, Jane."

It cut me deeply to hurt him, but if I was going to follow through on my plan to make Jay regret what he had told me then fake dating the school's resident bully could be helpful. The way Carli treated Simon flashed into my mind and I felt guilty all of a sudden. If Mark did really like me then I would be using him. So I told myself my brother was right, that Mark was just playing around with me to mess with Will's head. In which case, I was not harming Mark at all. "I...I do mean it, Will."

"May I be excused from the table? I'm not hungry anymore," Will pushed his plate away and when mum nodded at him he quickly disappeared upstairs.

"It is getting quite late now. Can I give you a ride home, Mark?" My mum asked, as she started clearing away the plates. "I hope you enjoyed the dinner, despite the interruptions. Will must be a little jealous, poor little lamb. He's never really had much luck with girls, unfortunately."

"Dinner was delicious, Mrs McKenzie, thank you," Mark stood up, pulling me onto my feet as well. Our hands were still joined together, except now I had entwined my fingers with his. "Don't worry about me; I'm getting a lift from a mate. Do you mind if I say goodbye to Jane outside?"

"Ah...As long as it's a short goodbye, that's fine." My mum waved a finger at us. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do, Jane."

"Goodnight, Mrs McKenzie," Mark led me over to the front door, and I hesitated before I let him pull me outside. He finally let go of my hand, and although it was what I had wanted, I missed his touch. "I know you think I'm playing around but this is for real. You don't like me yet, but in time I know you will." He leaned down, his eyes focused on my mouth as I felt his breath on my face. I turned my head and his lips brushed past my cheek. Mark stepped back, a frown settling on his face. "That's not very nice, Jane. But...it's okay. I can be patient."

I knew I should tell him off for trying to kiss me, but I could not do it. A part of me had wanted to know what it would be like to be kissed, but I stupidly still pictured Jay's face in my mind giving my first kiss. "It's time for you to leave, Mark," I replied coolly, acting calm although I was sure he could see right through me. See that I was so confused. "Goodnight."

Mark smirked at me. "Sure, Jane. I'll see you tomorrow, then." It sounded like a threat and a promise at the same time. "Goodnight."

I walked back into the house and shut the door, sighing heavily as I went up to my room. I had the feeling it would be a bad day tomorrow.

The next morning I waved at Carli from across the common room as I crossed the room to where she was sitting with Louisa. I frowned when she saw me but kept talking to Louisa like I did not exist. "Hello...?" I sat down next to Carli. "Earth to Carli?"

"Did you hear someone say something?" Carli asked Louisa, sweeping her fair hair away from her face. "It's boring here; let's go outside for a little bit." She stood up and Louisa stood with her. Carli gave me a frosty stare before she linked arms with Louisa and walked away with her. As she went she whispered something in Louisa's ear that caused Louisa to look back at me then they both burst into laughter. I did not understand what I had done wrong, but after a few minutes I realized. Yesterday I had just left Carli alone in the common room; I didn't even tell her I was going home early from school. I felt bad for forgetting, and it hurt to see Carli shutting me out but yet I did not think what I had done was that bad.

Will and his friends had done much worse things to each other, and their friendship always endured. Then again, there was a sense of realness to their friendship that I knew deep down I did not have with Carli. It had felt good at first, to be friends with someone so popular who surprisingly seemed so sweet but over time I had found out Carli had a mean streak which she kept hidden for the most part. I took out my phone and sent a quick message to her saying sorry for what I had done.

I knew she had read my message, but she continued ignoring me and she made sure I could not sit near her in the few classes we shared. By lunchtime I was thoroughly miserable. I did not even attempt to sit at Carli's table, there would be no point. So I found myself sitting with John. I had met him on my first day at Rutledge, he was one of the other newcomers to the school. We had not interacted much since then, my brother had no time for him and I was too busy maintaining my friendship with Carli. "Thanks for letting me sit here."

"No problem, Jane. I mean, there are always free seats at my table." John replied, biting into his second dismal looking overcooked hamburger. "These burgers are tiny, don't you think so?"

"I guess. I don't really eat school burgers. They always look a bit..." I stopped talking, not wanting to continue as John stopped chewing and stared at me blankly. "Nevermind, you just enjoy your burger." I finished off my homemade tuna sandwich and drank some strawberry smoothie.

"Thanks, Jane. I will," John commenced chewing his burger, and then smiled at me. His face now had a drip of mayonnaise running down his chin. "That was really tasty. Not as nice as my mum's, but she gets her meat from the local butchers and handmakes the burgers."

"John, you've got a little mayo there," I pointed to the corner of his mouth. "You might want to wipe your face."

"Ah..." John brushed the mayonnaise with the back of his hand, but only succeeded in making it worse, the mayonnaise smeared over his mouth and chin. "Did I get it?"

"Almost, John. Let me help you," I picked up a paper napkin and leaned across the table to clean his face. "Just stay still for a moment..." I was stopped by a hand grabbing hold of my wrist. I looked up to see Mark standing there, his friend Jake at his side. "I thought you weren't at school today."

"Get lost, you fat prick," Mark snapped. "Don't come near Jane again or you're gonna regret it, yeah?"

"Mark!" I exclaimed angrily, pulling my wrist free from his hold. "Leave John alone."

"It really stinks here. Never heard of body spray, Big John?" James remarked scornfully as he waved his hand over his face. "Did you even take a shower today?"

"I better go," John muttered, quickly scurrying off and leaving the rest of his food uneaten.

"Are you happy now? You've really upset him." I sighed, feeling guilty for Mark's presence at the table which had caused John to suffer. "What do you want?"

Jake laughed. "Yeah, I've never seen him leave a plate full of food. He's always stuffing his gob full of food, the big slob."

"Jake, I'll catch up with you later." Mark sat down next to me and Jake walked away. "Yeah, I bunked off the first few periods. But I came back just to see you."

"Can you just leave me alone?" I snapped at him, keeping my voice low. "Yesterday was just a mistake. I must have been out of my mind. Lying to my family and forgetting who you really are."

"Who I really am?" Mark asked, sitting back in his seat and crossing his arms. "You don't know me, Jane."

"I don't want to know you," I replied coldly, getting up from my seat and pretending his words weren't having any effect on me. "Just stay away from me." I walked away from the table but Mark followed me out of the cafeteria. "I told you, just stay away from me."

"No, Jane. Let me talk to you...please?" Mark pleaded, holding his hand out to me with a rueful look on his face. "I'm sorry I was acting like that before. It's stupid but I was a little jealous."

I stared at Mark thoughtfully. He seemed so different to how I usually saw him, and I realized that I was seeing behind his self-confident, stony persona. He seemed vulnerable all of a sudden and I relented, taking hold of his hand as we continued to walk. "There's nothing between me and John. He's a nice guy, and I just needed to sit with someone at lunch. Carli's mad at me so I couldn't sit with her. You know it's funny... I always thought you liked Carli."

"Nah, she's not my type." Mark quickly denied. "Look, just because I dated Charlotte, it doesn't mean I only like blondes. Didn't you notice me looking at you when I saw you around school? I mean I tried to hide it but I know I didn't do a good job of it."

I looked away, feeling heat rise inside, bringing a pink flush onto my face. It was a lot to take in. All along he had been staring at me and not Carli. Me, Jane McKenzie and not Carli D'Amato. "Mark..."

"Jane?" I stopped walking when I heard the familiar voice. It was Jay, and he was staring at us with disbelief written all over his face. "So it's true then? You and him?"

"It's none of your fucking business, Cartwright," Mark snapped, releasing my hand and advancing upon Jay in a threatening manner. "Get out of my face. Now, you little twat."

I wrapped my arms around Mark from behind, holding his waist. "Just leave it, Mark. Don't worry about him." I leaned around Mark's side, anxious to stop Jay getting hurt. "Go, Jay. Just go, he's right – it's none of your business."

Jay shrugged, acting nonchalant but I could tell he was a little nervous. "Yeah, whatever. I ain't scared of him, yeah? Just got better things to do, that's all." He muttered something inaudible as he walked away, his eyebrows furrowed from the deep frown that had settled on his face.

I let go of Mark but he caught hold of my hands. "Don't move yet. It's nice, us being so close together."

He was right. It was nice to be pressed up close to him, the scent of laundry detergent and smoke which clung to his skin was a comforting one. Yet it also felt wrong. There was no enticing scent of Lynx Excite, which I always noticed with Jay. I hated Lynx generally, because guys tended to think they should spray half the can on themselves but Jay always used just the right amount. "We should get to class." I let go of Mark and he turned to face me.

"I guess so," He replied, sounding unenthusiastic. "Give me your phone for a sec, then."

I took my phone out of my bag and handed it to him. "Are you putting your number in?"

"No..." Mark looked down at the phone, his fingers running across the touch screen at a fast pace. "I'm calling myself to get your number. And...It looks like you just sent me a friend request on Facebook."

I snatched my phone back. "Mark, I didn't give you permission to look at my Facebook."

"It's not like you've got anything to hide from me, have you?" He replied, with a smirk. "But sure, I won't do it again. I promise."

"Well, okay. Make sure that you don't. I have to go; I don't want to be late. " I hesitated, and then hugged Mark quickly before I left.

"I'll see you soon, Jane!" Mark yelled after me as I went, causing some other students to stare at us.

When I walked into my Sociology classroom, Carli beckoned me over to her table with a bright smile. "Come sit with us, babes."

Louisa, who was sitting opposite Carli, scowled at me. "Carli, I don't think there's going to be space. Remember, you invited Helen to come and sit next to you."

"What? No, I didn't," Carli replied, her smile becoming strained. "Shut up, Louisa."

"Ow!" Louisa exclaimed, reaching under the table to rub her leg. "You just kicked me."

"Oh, did I?" Carli replied with an innocent expression. "I'm sorry, it was an accident." She stood up from her seat and ushered me over to sit next to her. "So what's happening with you and Mark Donovan?"

Although I was relieved Carli had forgiven me, I knew it was just because she was curious about me and Mark. And I knew she would not apologize for shutting me out. But she was my best friend at Rutledge. I needed her, more than she needed me. So I returned her smile. "Well...it all started yesterday..." I omitted a lot of details about meeting Mark, knowing Carli and her way of using people's words against them later on and I told her I wanted to help me create a new look. I told her it was for me and to impress Mark. I did not mention Jay, or my crush on him. Carli had a low opinion of him and besides Louisa would be the first person she would tell. As Louisa disliked me, she would have spread it all over the school. And the worst part would be that Mark would find out. I could not let that happen.

Thanks for reading :)