Relapse (Markiplier)

5: Meet Cheryl

"(Y/N), there's someone I want you to meet. I think... I think you'll really like her!" Mark said to me. We were walking down the hallway to his apartment, and when he said that, my heart dropped into my feet. Of course, the first thing I thought was,

'Girlfriend?'

"Uh, great! Is she... Is she here?" I asked tentatively.

"Yeah, she's hanging out here, at my apartment. I wanted you to meet her, so she waited here 'till after our breakfast date." Hearing him say date almost made me happy, and then I remembered that Mark had a girl waiting for him. In his house. 

When Mark opened the door, the first thing I saw was a wave of long hair, flying through the air as the girl turned her head. She abruptly got up, came over to us, and gave Mark a hug and saying,

"Hey, Marko!" Before turning her attention to me.

'Marko? What kind of nickname is that?' I thought. Okay, so maybe I'm a little salty. A lot salty. Mark got a girlfriend and he didn't even have the decency to tell me? Rude, in my opinion. I may be upset, but I'm still his best friend. 

"Hiii! You must be (Y/N)." The girl said to me, wrapping me in a hug. I stiffened, not expecting it, but I didn't want to be rude so I hugged her back.

"Yeah, that's... That's me. And you are...?" I replied.

"OH, sorry!" She laughed. "I'm Cheryl Rivera. It's great to finally meet you! Mark has said so much about you... All good things. I've heard you guys are, like, totally good friends." Cheryl enunciated that last word, and it was like twisting a knife in my back. It's painful to hear that after 5 years of loving this man, and I even had hope that he liked me back... He's got another girl. She has long black hair, large brown eyes, and pretty features. Her outfit looks like it's straight out of Vogue, and her makeup probably was done professionally.

"So, do you want to play some games, or something?" Mark asked. Thank God he interrupted that 4 seconds of silence that followed Cheryl's sentence. I didn't know what to say.

"Of course!" Cheryl exclaimed. "What do you want to play, Marko?" There she goes again with that nickname. I want to punch a wall.

"Well, I was thinking we could do a little more MEC. (Y/N) and I have been playing non-stop." A smile spread across my face. Even though I'm supposed to be angry with him, just hearing him say my name can make me happy.

"MEC it is." I agreed. "We need to do that mission near home base, if I remember." I said as we set up the game. Well, Mark and I set up. Cheryl sat on the couch and waited.

"What's MEC?" Cheryl asked. "I don't know these abbreviations." My mouth almost fell all the way open. With the way Mark's life kind of REVOLVES AROUND GAMING, I was certain she'd at least be familiar with some games.

"It stands for Mirror's Edge Catalyst, Cher." Mark replied. I shivered, hearing another nickname. Mark started at my sudden movement, and looked at me strangely.

"You okay, (Y/N)?" Mark asked. 

"Yeah, Mark. Just fine." I replied stiffly. I got up once I saw the logo flash on the screen, and I returned to the couch, sitting on the far side from Cher. I didn't want to be rude, but it's hard not to be upset. For them to have established nicknames, they must have been dating for some time. And he never told me. That's what's upsetting.

And I promise, as I was turning around, I saw Cheryl smirking, and then she stopped once I got up.

Minor Time Skip

"Oh, Marko, you didn't tell me you were so good at this game!" Cheryl exclaimed. We had been taking turns, so Cheryl could get a chance to learn the mechanics. We'd gone down the line, Cheryl first, then Mark, then me, since that's the order we're sitting in. And of all the cool things we've both done, Cheryl gets excited when Mark lands a simple jump.

"Well, I kind of own the game, Cheryl. I play a lot..." Mark turned and gave Cheryl a strange look, and then finished a mission before handing me the controller. I gladly took it and headed toward the next mission. 

"Nice move, (Y/N)!" Mark exclaimed.

"Thanks, Mark." I said, giving him a genuine smile.

"Yeah." Cheryl said flatly. "That was cool." I could almost see the sarcasm dripping from her voice. The smile dropped from my face, and I turned my attention back to the screen. I blinked a few times, hard, trying not to think about how much it hurts. How much Mark is hurting me...

"Cheryl. Be nice, please and thanks. Apologize to (Y/N). She didn't deserve that." Mark stated. Ugh, is she five? Does she really need someone to tell her when to back off and just apologize?

"Fine." Cheryl said. "Sorry."

"Look at her, Cheryl." Mark said. Seriously, is he babysitting her or are they dating? Because funny enough, I can't tell which one.

Cheryl leaned over, far enough to where I could see her, and then placed her hand on Mark's thigh. Mark flinched and gave Cheryl the same strange look. She then said,

"I'm sorry, (Y/N)." Practically spitting out the words before sitting back on the couch. 

And her hand remained on Mark's thigh. 

Enough is enough. I hand the controller to Mark and pick up my purse, and I don't even feel bad about lying to my best friend when I say this. 

"Mark, I need to go. But I hope you have fun with Cheryl..." I would have said more, but my chest felt like it was collapsing from trying to hold in a sob and a cascade of tears. But I refuse to give Cheryl the satisfaction of seeing me cry, so I mustered up my coldest glare and shot it at her. I didn't give Mark the chance to say anything before I turned on my heel and walked out.

"(Y/N), wai-" A bang, then silence. Ha! The door cut off what he was saying. How cliche.

I cross the narrow hallway to my apartment, quickly letting myself in. I drop my purse on the table. Before I can move, a tear joins my purse on the table. My shoulders droop, and my entire body just melts onto a chair that sits at my kitchen island. And I simply cried. I put my head down, covered it up with my arms, and cried into the darkness.

Mark's POV

Initial Thought: (Y/N) has never closed the door on me before.

Second Thought: What just happened?