Chapter 10
Chapter 10
Marcus sat there covering his face, sobbing silently in the most intense pain–no sound coming out.
But the next day he showed up at my dorm again with breakfast.
He blocked my path. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know Chelsea did that to you…”
I walked straight past him toward Ethan, who was waiting nearby,
I let Ethan openly take my hand and said coquettishly, “I’m craving bagels today! Did you bring some?”
Ethan smiled and held up his other hand. “Everything bagels from that place off campus, with cream cheese. Right?”
Marcus threw down the breakfast and screamed at me: “JOY!”
“You’re breaking up with me over some guy you’ve known for DAYS! You’re gonna regret this!”
“And I’ll be waiting for you!”
Marcus started skipping classes, camping out at my dorm, sitting in the back of my classrooms.
Like he was waiting for Ethan and me to break up.
But Ethan and I just got closer. He’d privately act all clingy and jealous with me, kissing me breathless and begging for hugs.
I was addicted to this gap between his cool exterior and sweet private side.
We became the most envied couple in our department.
Marcus didn’t last long before his dad angrily dragged him away and forced him to attend classes.
But he still wouldn’t behave and kept skipping.
Marcus’s dad did call me once, asking me to talk sense into Marcus.
I told him what had happened, and he knew he was in the wrong and stopped calling.
Later I was busy with schoolwork and busy being in love with Ethan, so I didn’t have time to think about Marcus.
It wasn’t until winter break that I heard Marcus’s name again.
Dad was full of sighs–Marcus had been skipping so much that he failed his finals and had to repeat the year.
His parents were too busy with work to deal with him, so they’d sent him to military school to straighten him out.
But Marcus tried to slit his wrists there and had to be brought home.
His parents were going gray with worry, quitting their jobs to take him to doctors everywhere.
He’d gone from being everyone’s “perfect child” to a cautionary tale.
Over Christmas, Marcus’s parents came begging to my dad, asking me to visit Marcus.
But they were told I wasn’t home.
At that moment, I was at Disneyland with Ethan watching fireworks.
Under the brilliant display, Ethan’s winter pine scent surrounded me.
“Little crybaby, remember at Lover’s Peak when you said you’d repay me?”
I smiled back. “I remember. What do you want as repayment?”
8.3%
Chapter 10
My heartbeat was drowned out by the crowd noise.
He gently kissed my forehead. “I want to stay by your side and watch you be happy for the rest of your life. Is that okay?
I froze for a moment, then buried my face in his chest.
Muffled, I said: “Okay,”
