Trust Your Instincts

-22- You're Not Alone

A/N Hey guys, I know I haven't really done any A/Ns before chapters in the past, but I thought it'd be best to warn you that there are slight mentions of self harm in this chapter, so if that's something that might distress you, please read on with care! It's not anything hardcore, but I'll add this in just as a warning! Enjoy the chapter! :)

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Ken was alone at lunch. Mark was sitting with Jack, Josh, Isaac and Felix again, much to Will's annoyance. He didn't even say hi to Ken when they met in the hallways, apparently he was pissed off at all of Will's group, Ken included.

Ken sat and played dismally with his food. He was sitting with Will and the rest of them, but he didn't talk to them. He didn't smile when Slim Jim told a joke. He didn't nod in agreement when Will talked about the plan, because he wasn't taking part, and so he switched off whenever it was the topic of conversation. That was their problem, not his.

He looked over to Mark, desperation in his stare. They made eye contact for half a second, but Mark just glared at him, and got back to his conversation with Felix.

Ken got up from the lunch table. He had barely touched any of his food, but he wasn't really in the mood for eating. He didn't receive any acknowledgement from the others at the table when he began to leave the table, but when he was far enough away he heard Will's voice.

"Now that he's finally gone, we can talk about the plan." Will said lowly and snickered. Ken sighed deeply and rolled his eyes, before throwing his food in the trash and heading towards the toilets until the end of lunch.

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Mark had proven to be quite good at hiding his feelings for Jack. He managed to hang back a little, so that he didn't come off too clingy. He joked with him still at the lunch table, but Jack mainly spoke to Josh, and Mark pretended not to be bothered by it. He knew he should be grateful that Jack and Isaac weren't pissed at him anymore, but deep inside he felt his envy for Josh growing. Jack adored him, he spoke to him all the time, and Mark wanted that kind of attention. It took everything in him to hold himself back though, to bury his feelings.

He hadn't spoken to Will or Blake in the week and a half since Jack had told him what happened. He hadn't even spoken to Ken. It hurt him a little, that he was distancing himself from the one person who hadn't once left his side, but he was angry, beyond angry at all of them, and Ken knew the plan, was part of the plan. He didn't know how vital Ken was in it, but he took part, and more importantly, he kept it from Mark.

That didn't stop the fact that it pained him to see Ken sitting alone, at the end of the table where his old friends also sat. Ken sent him the occasional guilty and depressed glance, but Mark stayed strong in his stubbornness.

Jack surprisingly found it harder to watch Ken look so depressed. It had been ten days and Ken seemed to be getting worse. His eyes were red and bloodshot whenever Jack saw them. He had dark circles around them, and what's worse is that Jack could've sworn he saw dark red marks on Ken's forearm when his sweater sleeve came up slightly in their biology class. He tried to tell himself that it wasn't what he thought it might be, but pity flooded his mind whenever he looked at Ken nonetheless.

It was Friday lunchtime and Jack was talking to Josh, as he usually did. It was normally either Josh or Isaac. He looked up from his conversation, his eyes falling on Mark, who stared over Jack's shoulder, glaring angrily at something momentarily, before turning back to Felix and continuing his conversation.

Jack turned around to see what Mark was looking at. As he looked up he saw the table that Will and his friends always sat at. At the end of the table sat Ken, playing with his fork, looking deeply saddened. Jack's heart sank slightly, confusing him. He hated Ken, he hated them all, but Ken looked so lost, so weak, so vulnerable.