Bully || Septiplier

Chapter Twenty-Six

I'm sorry
also thanks for 10K wtf

JACK dreaded the sound of the bell ringing. When it eventually did ring, casting a eerie screech down the hallways, he felt a pit open up in his stomach and his mood dropped. He looked worriedly over at Mark, who was standing at his own locker a few meters away - their eyes met.

And then Mark was walking over to Jack, looking distraught. When they were close enough to each other, Mark let out a breath. "I don't want to, Jack."

"I can sneak you to my house-"

"No, the school will know." There was another stretch of silence between the two, even through the chattering of the other students as they made their way and exited the building. Jack looked at the ground. He didn't know what to do - but he didn't want Mark to go back to her. He would hurt her, and Jack couldn't let that happen. But what could he do?

Then there was a click, and the secretary's voice rang through the speakers. "Mark Fischbach, please report to the office." Jack's heart skipped a beat, whereas Mark's probably stopped altogether.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Immediately, Jack regretted saying it, because what if she saw them together? What would she think? But when Mark nodded, he only pressed his lips together and nodded in return, as if clarifying it.

The hallway was empty at that point. They took their time walking to the office - at one point, their hands found one another's and their footsteps were in sync. "I don't want to go back," whispered Mark.

"I don't want you to go back, either," Jack replied quietly.

The walk was fast - too fast. The moment they reached the office, Mark's hand fell back to his side, as did Jack's. They couldn't risk her seeing them together like that. Even as they stood there, now facing each other as if to say goodbye, it was clear that neither of them were about to make any moves. They only stared into each other's eyes.

"Call me if you need to, okay? Text me, let me know you're okay."

"Okay," mumbled Mark. He looked scared. Jack frowned, not liking it.

"And Mark?"

"Yeah?"

"Please don't let her take you away from me again." Without context, any onlooker would find that sentence strange and unknowing. But there was a certain extent of pain in Jack's voice, a certain sadness in Mark's eyes.

"I won't." And then, without any other thing said, he walked away and into the office where his mother was.

**

Everything seemed lonely and distant without Mark. Jack lay face down on his bed, phone beside him - his pillow still smelled like him. As did his blankets. He was only there this morning, Jack recalled, but it felt as if it were an eternity away.

When he got home, his mother was upset. Apparently, the school had called her, too, to let her know about what had happened. She gave him a short pep talk about not getting into fights, reputation and the risk of seriously getting hurt - but she didn't understand. He already was hurt, if not physically than mentally and emotionally. Call him cliché, but he couldn't stop thinking about Mark - the thought of him was almost aggravating.