East Chapel Academy

Chapter 36-Marcus

"Hey, Marcus, are you okay?"

I sat on the hallway floor with my head in my hands trying to figure out what just happened. Everything just happened so quickly. 

I looked up to see Sam and Nick standing over me with their gym bags thrown over their shoulder. "No, I'm not fine. Nia and I just broke up."

"Are you serious?" Sam asked in disbelief. "But you just got together."

"What happened?" Asked Nick.

"She caught me kissing Whitney," I said shamefully.

"Dude, what the fuck?"

"Please, tell me you're joking," Sam said angrily.

I shook my head. "It's more like she kissed me and Nia saw before I could push her away." I was going to push her away, I swear I was.

"Okay," Nick sighed pinching the bridge of his nose. "I think you need to start at the beginning because none of this is making any sense. Why were you alone with Whitney in the first place?"

"Yes, please, explain yourself," said Sam sitting next to me on the floor.

"I was waiting in the library, because Nia and I were going to meet there after class. But Whitney showed up. to get out class." She slinked from behind a bookcase, and came towards me.

"Hi, Marcus," she had said.

"Oh, hi, Whitney," I said immediately standing up to keep myself from being cornered by her. I didn't want to make any type of conversation with her but it would be rude if I just ignored her. But now I wish I would have.

"How was Paris?"

"Oh, it was great," she smiled, what I used to think was so beautiful now made me sick to my stomach to even think about. She batted her long dark lashes at me. "You look so sexy today, did you do something different to your hair?"

"Uh, no," I said awkwardly. But unbeknownst to me she was getting closer. She then wrapped her arms around my neck and instinctively I put my hands on her hips to keep her from getting any closer.

"Oh, Marcus, you make me so happy," she sighed. "I'm so glad we're still going to prom together."

"But Whitney," I tried to tell her that we weren't, but she placed her fingers to my lips.

"You're going to love my dress," she went on. She toyed with my hair making goosebumps rise on my skin and not the good kind like Nia gives me. I need to get her off of me. "I've missed you."

And then it was like I was frozen. Stupidly frozen, and watching Whitney leaning in to kiss me and doing nothing about it. Her lips connected to mine and I didn't kiss her back, I didn't do anything at all.

I heard a gasp come from behind a bookcase. It was only then that I broke away from her, and I saw Nia standing next to one of the bookshelves watching us. And I'm sure the broken look on her face was going to haunt me at night.

"Nia," I said stepping towards her, but she didn't even wait for me to explain before she bolted. Fuck!

I pushed Whitney away and grabbed my backpack before chasing after her. I only caught up to her in front of the front exit doors where she had stopped.

"Please, just leave me alone," she said without turning to look at me.

I tried to explain myself but she didn't believe me. "I didn't kiss her."

"But you sure didn't pull away," she argued, angrily. "And you literally had your arms around each other, and you can't say you didn't because I saw you. Was this just some weekend fling for you? Was I just someone for you to be with while Whitney was a way?"

"No, no, of course not," I tried to assure her. "You're my girlfriend."

"You weren't saying that when Whitney had her tongue shoved down your throat."

"I don't know what's going on," I sighed. I can't wrap my head around any of this.

I don't know who I'm more mad at Whitney or myself.

Myself. I know Whitney is a walking nightmare, I should have known that something bad was going to happen as soon as she came from behind those bookshelves.

"I should have left as soon as I saw her," I sighed frustrated.

"God, man, this sucks," Nick said processing everything I'd told him.

"Seriously, we went through all this work, and now it's completely gone to shit," Sam said, upset, "That was my best, and most successful, plan."

Nick and I looked at him. "Sorry," he apologized. "But maybe Nia just needs some time to cool off."

"He's right, Marcus," Nick agreed. "When Whitney and I have arguments she needs time to herself before she wants to talk to me."

"But she was crying," I told them. It hurt me thinking about her brown eyes wet with tears. "She said she didn't want me to call her. I doubt she's ever going to want to speak to me again."

"She's going to have to talk to you sometime, you're lab partners," Sam pointed out.

"I don't know," I grunted leaning my head against the lockers. "I don't know how I'm going to make this up to her."

"You guys will figure it out," he said confidently. But I wasn't sure if he was right, he hadn't been there. He hadn't seen how torn apart she looked, and he definitely can't feel how bad I feel. Everything feels so hopeless right now, and I don't know how to fix it.