14: By that Evening

I let my eyes roam around the room I'm in. There was no light coming into the room that I could barely see, but I knew I'd laid on a bed.

When I landed my feet on the floor, I heard someone groaning.

My hand immediately searched for my phone and found it in my jeans pocket. I hit the guy I heard a groan with the flashlight coming from my phone.

Even though his face was all covered by his hand, I still recognized who is it under those.

" Mark?! Jesus! What are you doing here?!" my voice was mixed with restraint in the middle of my whispering.

" What time is it? " he asked, not answering my question.

I immediately pulled a pillow which was the closest object I could feel, and knocked him on it, " What. Are. You. Doing. In. Here? "

He was already seated on the mattress and covering himself, but I didn't stop slamming him with the pillow.

" Sue!... Let me explain!"

My one arm was left in the air while the other was pointing the flashlight from my phone, waiting for him to answer.

" Shit. Does your pillow have something on it? I'm having a bruise--"

I was about to smack him again with the pillow since his word aren't related to what I asked.

" Wait!" he said, covering himself, " I took you home, and you were asleep in my car, remember? So I brought you into your room,"

" Can't you just wake me up or something? Wait for me to wake up,"

" I tried, but you won't just open your eyes. And I already finished three matches of a game, but still, you're asleep. I don't know if what you ate has sleeping pills on it,"

" How did you get in, in the house? "

His lips implied something behind me, and I saw my bag laying there, " There was no one home, so I search for your keys,"

I searched my bag for the keys to the house after, he told me his story. Then I let the flashlight roam around the room, and I'm in my room: my desk, cabinet.

" Also, I waited for your Mom. She's going home pretty late, huh? "

" You waited for my Mom?" my eyebrow raised at him while holding my bag open.

" Yeah, I saw a note in the living room and said she's going home late. And yeah, " he shrugged shoulders, " Are we... okay?"

I didn't give him an answer since I'm occupied processing all the explanations he explained. He didn't move a single muscle while I remained busy in bed.

I leave him, giving a kick on his legs, " Can I stay?... For a night? I'll be home before you knew it,"

I listened to him but didn't give any answers.

" Thanks!... I guess, "

Only the word 'thanks' is what I get to hear from him, and the rest was in a whisper.

I checked Mom's room, and she was with her blanket, facing the given moonlight in the window.

I went to the kitchen downstairs while holding my phone in one hand. It's still 1:29 am.

Susan: I'm home already.

Susan: Well, I came home around 6 pm? I just woke up.

Susan: Goodnight and good morning, see you at school today :)))

I usually receive texts from him when he's reminding me that I should text him or ask if I got home or flood me with messages when a situation like this happens. But I think he's busy at work.

I grabbed a glass of water before sitting at the dining table. My mind can't still think right. Why all places in this house, he sleeps in my room? I mean, can he take the couch, and I can let him in my room. My heart jumped from my chest after seeing his figure on the mattress. I thought someone was laying beside me.

The silence broke in the kitchen when my phone beeped, so I dropped the glass of water. Anytime I can drop my phone because I was excited, he was still awake and message me back. But it was only someone spamming my inbox.

A sigh was left before I walked back into my room. When I opened the door, my soul left my body.

" Mark!"

We both are surprised after meeting at the door.

" Sue? Shit," he murmured.

" What are you doing?!" I asked, slapping his shoulder.

" I'm going to the bathroom when you show up,"

I pushed him out of the room and was about to shut it when he asked where's the bathroom.

" Downstairs, on your right," I explained, holding the annoyance I'm keeping inside. I keep getting jumpscare in every corner I go.

I put my phone beside the pillow so that in case, I hear a notification, I, can read it while I let myself fall asleep.

But I guess, I'm only waiting for nothing, and I won't let myself fall asleep because I kept thinking about him. He left a hug from me, I can't read him open as always, but yesterday was not his usual.

Maybe he was just tired maybe he has a lot of problems running inside his head. Maybe... Maybe.

I FIRST LOWERED MY HEAD to see if Mark was still under my bed. But even the mattress he used was not there anymore. I saw it beside the door standing with the pillow above it.

That made my day a little. I grabbed my phone and found a note sticking on the screen.

'Already left

-M'

There was left evidence that he used my sticky paper. It's lying in the middle of my desk. After combing my hair, I went downstairs with a towel on my shoulder.

" Morning, Mom," I greeted her while I swing on the railing.

She put back the mug she was holding on the table after I greeted her, " Your friend left pretty early,"

" Mark?"

Did they even catch up with each other? What time did that man leave?

" Yeah, he was so gentleman yesterday,"

My head tilted back as I walked to the cabinet to start making milk.

" I was putting the keys on the hole... and I was surprised he opened the door, " Mom started telling the story with a little demo of how she inserted the key while drinking her coffee.

I'm just listening to her story because I still felt want to attach to my bed. Since I only had another three hours of sleep after spending two hours of screentime. I may have regret on that thing.

" We had a little talk since I recognized him. He's the one you're talking about right? Beside Peter?... And--" she was cut off when she took another sip, " --And I told him you--"

Mom and I head turned to the living room when we both heard someone beeping outside our house. I seep through the curtain only to find Mark's car outside, after he roll down the window of his car, he waved at me. I knew it was Mark, who else would come horning outside?

I guess I won't have any problems when it becomes to fares going to school.

I immediately run to the bathroom. Almost tripped over the couch but managed to save myself before my face squished on the floor.

As usual, I wore jeans, and since it was Thursday, I wore the shirt with the word 'Thursday' imprinted on it.

After I went downstairs, the lights were all off. The door was left a slit open as if the only thing left to do was to lock the house. Mom has already gone off to work without saying goodbye.

As I stepped outside, I caught Mom outside the car, talking with Mark!

What else could she say to him? He can't. Mom is too talkative with every person she'll meets. The keys also shaking while I'm locking the house and taking Mom away from Mark.

" Mom, you have work remember? "

" Yeah, right, see you, Mark... " she waved his right hand on him, " Take care of my daughter she's too clumsy--"

" Mom!"

" Okay, okay, " she surrendered, " Bye,"

I kissed her on both of her cheeks after she pulled me closer. I watched her before going in beside Mark.

" What did she tell you?" I asked after closing the door.

" Nothing. We don't even have one minute,"

" Good, " I said in relief.

" Why? I like talking with her, though,"

" She's running late," I excuse that made his head nod.

After we arrived at school, I was expecting Pete on the bench where he usually waits for us or where we usually wait for him. We're already running late before classes start, but he wasn't there.

I give a nod to what Mark said while I was busy walking toward the bench. I watch his car being driven away with him.

The bell inside is already ringing, and Mark has already come back from the parking lot, but there was no sign of Peter.

" Mam, we're already closing the gate. Aren't you going in? " the guard asked.

" Huh? Yes, okay," I answered.

THE RAIN WAS POURING HARD, even after lunchtime, and it was already time to go home. And the whole day I haven't seen Pete, even his shadow. I know this school seems wide to be roamed around in one day, but he knows where to meet us every time we get our free time.

" Did you wait long? "

I heard a voice ask me beside. I'm just watching the rain splattering on the sidewalk, waiting for it to stop pouring.

" Are we going home? It's still raining I don't know if we can survive under the rain,"

" Survive? " he asked in disbelief, sitting beside me, " It's not like a deadly disaster,"

" Shut up," I smack his face away.

The way he looked at me as if he was looking not only at me, but it felt like until the inside.

Yes, I'm tired, but it's that too obvious? I'm Tired of looking for Pete I haven't seen him the whole day and doesn't reply to my messages either.

" What? "

" He isn't coming? "

I shake my head.

" Do you want to go home? "

" I wish, look at the rain," I said, turning my head on him.

" I don't have an umbrella with me either," he said, also watching the rain.

We both went silent, and I thought he was going to rest on the bench with me. Wait for the rain to stop or just lessen a bit, but I guess he had other plans running inside his head.

He stood up, let his back face the rain, that one more step backward he's out of the roof.

" You're going to be wet, "

" Come on, it's just rain, " he reached out for his arm.

" Just rain? I will not help you if you get sick," I said crossing my arms.

But he won't stop there. He pulled my arm, which made me go under the rain with him.

" Mark!" I exclaimed.

I immediately grabbed my bag that was left on the bench to place it above my head while he was enjoying every shower of the rain.

" You're crazy,"

It's starting to get cold since the wind is also playing with us.

" It's just rain, Susan, " he said.

I can say he's dancing with his arm wide open and his head is looking up in the sky, catching the drops of the rain.

I feel like the people start to stare at us. We were already wet, and the only place we could go to stop is the parking lot.

So I let the rain shower my head and started pulling his arm on the sidewalk, running with him as if we were wild dogs running free.

" Where are we going? "

" Enjoy the rain?" I said, unsure.

He stayed behind me while I led the way and was the one pulling him forward. I was already giggling beneath the rain. We're crazy.

But I saw a glimpse of Pete's figure at the gate, standing as if watching us like what he usually does. That made me stop to take another glance if it was real or if I'm just imagining things again.

" What? " Mark asks when he also stops.

The figure was already gone at the gate. I guess it was just another imagination,

" Nothing, " I answered without looking at him.

We both catch our breath after locking ourselves inside his car.

" We're soaking wet, idiot,"

" Yeah," he said, chuckling.

I move the aircon's direction on mine while he stretches his arm in the back seat. He placed the duffle bag he got from the bag on his lap and give me a towel and for him was a handkerchief.

" That was fun," he said, drying himself.

" Do you want me to throw you outside to enjoy the rain even more? "

" With you? Okay," he said without hesitation

I just ignored what he just said and wipe the water that covered my body. I noticed that his hair was a lot more soaked than mine, so I leaned forward on him and start massaging his hair to remove the water dripping from his hair.

After I got the wetness out of his hair, I saw how stunned his face is.

" Hey! " I snap him out of his senses, chuckling.

" Sorry, " he shakes his head then minds his business.

I placed the towel on my seat so that I would not wet his car even more. He start driving after he wrapped the handkerchief he used on his hair looking like a gangster in the street which made me laugh at him.

" You look stupid," I complimented.