It's Hard to be Lee

5. Getting to Know Mark Fuller

Hanging out with Mark was easy. They had already been doing that. Getting to know him was like pulling teeth. She asked him to come over to her place to study together and he agreed. They had to work in her father's den and study because she was not allowed boys up in her room. Of course, her mother met Mark first, and she offered them snacks, but they both declined.

She secretly wanted to find a way to make out with him. A simple kiss. What was so wrong with that? She was fourteen, she had kissed a boy before it was no big deal. Some girls her age were doing more but she was not going to discuss that, she was not ready for that nor thinking about it.

All she wanted was a little more than just holding hands and hugs from the boy she liked.

And Mark was pretty hot, he could have other girls, but he picked her. Blonde, blue-eyed, yes, the typical gorgeous, all-around wholesome white boy. Like in one of her romance stories she liked to read on Wattpad. Normally those guys were the most popular boy, or they were an athlete, or they hated everyone and were moody and a bully. That was so not Mark. He was kind of quiet, and she was the opposite of kind of quiet.

"I can't believe we have a science test this week already." Mark sat at her father's desk, already cracking his book open, while she absentmindedly stared into space. "We've not been in school a whole month yet."

She shrugged, uninterested in studying. "This is high school. Everything is harder."

"I didn't go to Larkin Middle. Joe and I went to Donovan Prep School."

She blinked her eyes, watching him, waiting for more. She was not from the area at all and had no idea what he was talking about.

"I don't even know what that is."

He gave her one of his adorbs grin, those blue eyes twinkling at her. "All boys private school."

"Ha!" She laughed at the thought of something unholy. "No way! No girls at all?"

"That is what all boys mean."

She playfully pushed him.

"Did you have a lot of friends?"

"No. I don't make friends that well." Mark focused back on his book, but she wanted to talk more and get to know him.

"Come on Mark, I want to know all about you. Forget studying. What about your sister? Obviously, she didn't go to Donovan Prep."

Mark did not say anything, he pulled out his tablet to look at notes he jotted down. Maybe his sister was a touchy subject. She knew about his sister because she was a senior at Larkin High and she met her several times already. Sara was her name and she was eighteen and quite the opposite of Mark. Really petite, brown eyes, brown hair, and wild. She invited Lee to an upperclassmen party and raved about all the alcohol that would be there. She declined of course, and Mark was almost embarrassed that she asked.

There had to be a story there.

She looked down at her notes. Suddenly, she was not in the mood to study anymore. She wanted to talk. She had to break through to Mark somehow.

"Soooo...did you have a lot of girlfriends before?"

His face went crimson and she thought that was the cutest thing.

"Lee...You're my first girlfriend."

"No way!"

That explained everything. Maybe if she was his first girlfriend, that was why he had not kissed her yet. He had never kissed a girl before. Now she was super stressed. She would be his first kiss, that is, if he wanted to kiss her at all. Maybe they would have the type of relationship where no kissing was involved.

"Sorry." He rubbed his hand through his blonde locks, the reddening in his face finally going away. "I know I'm not super smooth or anything. You probably had lots of boyfriends."

She giggled because that was funny. How many fourteen-year-olds had lots of boyfriends? She was not that type of girl. "Not lots. One."

"Oh."

"It was cool, having a boyfriend...it's just like having a friend that's a boy...except you think they're cute...and have feelings for them other than just a friend."

Mark smiled at her. "I have feelings for you Lee."

She smiled back at him. This was the perfect opportunity to get a kiss, but-

He still did not make a move on her! She was not the type of girl to just make the move first. She liked Mark enough to just keep things as they were. Nice and innocent. Why was she so obsessed over a kiss?

"Lee, I don't have many friends outside of Joe. In fact, he's the only friend I have. It's a new school for me as well and I grew up in this area my whole life. My parents didn't think much of public school, but I convinced her I needed to go. For my parents, and my sister, money, and status is everything. I'm not like that."

Now there were getting somewhere.

"My sister was kicked out of her private school twice by her sophomore year, that's why they put her in Larkin. I told them I didn't want to continue on at Donovan Prep so they let me attend Larkin, but they were so fearful it would make me like Sara."

"Like Sara? How?"

"She's into the whole party scene. Drinks, smokes, drugs, boys. My parents can't control her." He stopped talking for a moment and then quickly added. "I'm nothing like that Lee!"

"No, no, I didn't think you were."

"It's so easy for us to give into all that with the peer pressure nowadays."

Wow, he talked like an old person. Sure, teens did teen things, no one wanted to be a bore. But why was he so scared to let loose a little? Again, she was not going to be the one to pressure him. She would just let things be and enjoy spending time with him.

I like you just the way you are Mark. You know what, we do need to focus on studying for this test. Keep me focused, maybe I'm not as smart as you."

"Then your beauty makes up for ut."

She playfully pushed him again.

"I'm actually pretty smart, thank you very much!"

After her little talk with Mark, getting to know him better she relaxed. Mark was the perfect boyfriend for her. It was good that he was not pretentious over his wealth and flaunted it like others at school did. There was still so much to learn about Mark, Larkin High, and just how everything worked around those parts. She was far, far from St. Louis and it was time to act like a Californian.

Hi readers!

Getting to know Mark is like pulling teeth! Well, hopefully, Lee can make this relationship work...or maybe leave it in the friend zone.