99 Steps

Step 1: Say Hello

Jack looked up at the unfamiliar face in front of him. He seemed to be a little older, but not too much older - maybe just a year or two.

'You're doing it again.' Jack dropped his eyes, ashamed of doing one of his old habits again. He would think about things way too much, and then he would let it bother him.

"Hey, I'm Mark. I'm guessing you're Sean?" The man had a deep voice and a kind smile, but that didn't make Jack want to look at him. He just continued to play with the sleeves that came down to his knuckles, watching the birds as they fluttered around outside.

"Well." Mark looked out the window too, following the same group of birds with his eyes.

"We'll be spending the summer together?" Jack nodded, not wanting to talk to this man. Sure, he seemed nice, but so was his own mom, and he tried to reach out. She just called him names and sent him away.

"Sean, tell me about yourself." He seemed so professional, yet he seemed so... so inexperienced.

"I prefer to be called Jack." Jack was nervous, no doubt about it. He didn't want to be here. He wanted to be somewhere else, somewhere dark and quiet.

"Oh, you could have told me sooner. Um, Jack." He smiled again, nodding his head.

"How did you get Jack from Sean?" He tilted his head sideways a little bit. Jack knew, he just didn't want to tell. He felt like he already said so much, so he just shrugged.

"Oh, okay. I think Jack fits you better anyways, Sean seems like a name for a very outgoing guy who sleeps around." Jack glanced over from the window, looking at Mark. Mark didn't notice, he was giggling at his own joke.

'Why does he have to be so damn happy?'

"Well, I'm Mark. I just volunteer here, you're actually the second person I've been assigned, I just hope you like me more than the last person." Mark almost looked sad for a second, but smiled up at Jack.

"What happened to the last person?" Jack nearly surprised himself, by looking Mark in the eye and talking, he felt like he was prying for information.

"Uh, sorry, you don't have to answer that. it was a stupid question." Jack looked back out the window, but the image of Mark's brown eyes was burned into his brain.

"No, it's fine. I asked you some questions so you can ask me some. I mean it's only fare, right?" He ran his hand through his hair. "She was just really rude, she spread rumors, and she used -" He looked up suddenly, stopping. "I'm sorry, I don't actually know what you're here for? I mean I just don't want to seem like an ass and keep talking about it. They don't tell us why the people we get assigned are here. Everyone kinda agrees that it helps up build a bond and we aren't forcing them into something that they don't want to be-"

"Everything."

"Uh, Um. I'm sorry, what?" Mark tried to look him in the eye but he stared out the window.

"Everything. Cutting, drugs, alcohol, depression, anorexia," He blinked back the tears that threatened to spill, "Everything."

"Shit." Mark looked down, the air in the room felt heavy, strings of awkwardness strung themselves from corner to corner.

"Is there somewhere else we can go? Somewhere we are staying?" Jack's voice was still quiet, but it was quick and panicked, making Mark worry.

"Yeah, let's go. We'll go back to our cabin first, and then I'll show you around, and we can just do whatever you're comfortable with." Mark stood up walking to the door of the meeting room, holding it open for Jack to walk out first. Mark was standing there for a while though, because Jack was weak from a lack of food.

"Thank you." Jack whispered as he walked by, but Mark couldn't hear him. In fact, that was the way Jack thanked everyone, and nobody ever heard him, they all assumed he was being rude. Mark didn't mind though.

Even when Jack watched the ground, walking next to Mark, he could see his brown eyes and his perfect smile. Mark walked their shoulders brushed up against each other every now and then. Jack didn't mind though, it was reassuring in a way. It was comfortable, not forced.

The two teens where the same height, but Mark seemed taller, just because he was more confident with himself. Jack, well Jack was the opposite of confident. He was fat, stupid, ugly, he had scars - ugly scars, he was clumsy, and he could never do anything right.

Mark had asked Jack what he wanted to do, like if he wanted to try and eat something. However, Jack didn't reply. He kept his head down, walking in sync with the brown eyed man. He figured that the other teen was thinking about a lot of stuff right now, so he left him be, leading them to the cabin they would be sharing for - well, for however long it took.

I suck at writing sorry, go read some of septicbaby's stories. They know what they're doing.