Chapter 2

Jack's POV

Unfortunately, I only managed to get three hours of sleep. My dreams and thoughts kept me up.

I couldn't stop thinking of past events. They haunt me to this day.

I winced in pain as I sat up, a pain in my side throbbing. It felt like I was stabbed. I looked at the clock, I had two hours till I needed to leave the house. Well, at least I have plenty of time to get ready.

I quickly got up, wanting to avoid any slow, painful, movement. I quietly snuck myself to the bathroom, stripping off my shirt and looking in the mirror. There was a dark, purple bruise on my side.

It had hurt as bad as it looked. Looking at the rest of my torso, he remembered nearly all the scars on his body. Most of them from him.

Him.

Yesterday night replayed in my mind, and I felt myself get anxious.
"Shit, please not now. " I whispered to myself, closing my eyes and trying to breathe slowly. I opened my eyes again, and looked down at my body.

Disgusting.

Everything about me, disgusting.

I looked back in the mirror, looking at my face, and smiled.

That's all I can do.

Smile.

Be happy.

I took off everything, hopping into the shower and washing my body. Wincing at the sting from the wounds.

After he washed himself up, his stood in the shower with his eyes closed. Relaxed. Thinking.
Thinking about Mark. Was he really okay? He looked kind of... Beaten down? I don't know. I felt like I was looking in a mirror when I looked at him. Of course the reflection was a beautiful human being, not actually me.
I mean the emotion he looked at me with. A smile plastered on his face, but not in his eyes.

After a few more minutes, I turned the shower off, wrapped a towel around my waist, grabbed my dirty clothes and walked out to my room. I threw the dirty clothes in the hamper, and started putting on clean clothes. A short sleeve red shirt, and a dark blue hoodie, following a pair of jeans and black converse. I used the towel to dry my hair a bit more before combing it and topping it off with a white beanie.

I took some makeup that I bought days before to cover up the bruises that were noticeable. The bruise on my cheek, and the fingerprints around my neck.

Afterwards, after I was all done, I checked the time. 20 minutes till I had to leave. I gathered all my bag, and my phone, before I walked out the door. I wasn't leaving, no. I sat down on my steps, and waited to meet up with Mark. I wanted to walk with him to school, maybe get to know him a bit more better.

I waited.

And waited.

I checked my phone, it's been 15 minutes. Just as I was about to get up and head out, I heard a door slam loudly, and stuff fall looking over to the sound, which was towards Mark's house, I saw him.

He was on his knees, picking up papers, notebooks, and everything else that would be in a school bag.

I got up and ran over to him, immediately getting a look as I knelt down and helping him pick stuff up.

There was so much stuff.

We both stood up, and I handed the stuff to him. "You okay?" I asked, worried. Why was everything seemingly thrown out the door?

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little bit clumsy."

He's giving me the same excuse that I do.

"I feel that," I laughed a little, which he smiled at me.

It reached his eyes a little. I saw it.

I knew I wasn't crazy. I've already been able to tell between the real, and the fake smile.

"Well, " I started after a few seconds, watching Mark put his stuff in his bag. "Let's start walking shall we?"

"Oh we have to walk?" He asked, slightly confused.

"Yeah," my accent slid a little bit, and I winced slightly at the sound of it, turning to motioning for us to start walking. "It's not too far. "

He walked besides me, both of us silent.

Till he broke it.

"Your voice is weird. " he blurted.

I felt my whole mood go down even more if that was possible.
I knew I should've hid my accent better.
Shit.
Why does this happen.
"Why do you say that?"

"It sounds fake, like you're using a voice that isn't your own," He said, looking at me.
I looked at him, surprised. So it wasn't for my Irish accent. It was for how fake it sounded?

"So I can talk normal?" I let myself talk normal, feeling myself tense up at his reaction. 

"Holy shit!" He looked at me, and right away my eyes widened. Fuck. I fucked up. I fucked up, "You're Irish!? That's amazing! I knew something was up!" He sounded... Excited? Whoa.

That's the first. I usually get ridiculed about how I talk. I was happy by his reaction.

"Why are you in California?"

Boom.

There goes my happiness.

I had to come up with a lie. Quickly.

No one knows why I'm here.

No one will ever know why I'm here.

"My father got a job here. So we had to move. " I felt my chest tighten.

No.
No.
Not right here.

Control it.

I held my breath, and didn't look at Mark.

It must've been a few minutes because a hand waved in front of my face. "Earth to Jack, are you alright?"

I snapped out of it, letting out a huge breath. "Yeah! Yeah I'm fine. " I said quickly.

He waited a bit, quiet again as we reached the school.

"I have a feeling that that's not right... Just by your reaction.. But I won't push you. " He smiled at me. I couldn't help but look at him and smile back.

"Thank you, Mark. " I said, looking at my phone one more time, "Come on, let's pick up the speed, I'll show you around the school before class starts." We both walked faster, I tried going ahead, but then he walked ahead, I then begun running slowly, but faster than he was walking, and then he started running as well.
We both laughed as we got to the school, "I won!" I said, smiling widely.

"No you didn't! I won!" Mark said, smiling widely.

It reached his eyes, and that made my heart warm up. 

"Awe, look the leprechaun got a little friend. How cute. " people said, walking by us.

"Oh, and Mark?"

He was staring at the people who made the rude comments, but looked at me and smiled lightly.

It was gone from his eyes.

"Yeah?"

"With me and you being the only ones in the school with a not normal hair color, you're bound to get made fun of. Hanging around me is gonna get you made fun of as well. This is a warning, if you want, you don't have to be my friend here. We can be friends outside of school. " I said, a serious expression on my face.

"Nonsense. I don't care what people say about me. "

I couldn't tell if that was a lie or not, I really hope it was the truth.

"Alrighty then! Let's go in so I can show you around!" I exclaimed, as we entered the school.