Baby Steps (Mark McMorris FanFic)

Chapter 22

You'll hate me even more :)

I pushed my way into the cabin and made my way upstairs. My eyes were hot and my vision was blurry, but that didn't stop me from throwing off Mark's sweater as I made the climb up. Surprisingly enough, I didn't trip for once. I guess fate had hurt me enough for one night.

Once I reached the top floor, I draped the black sweater over the balcony railing for Mark to find himself, because I didn't think I would ever be able to speak to him again without my heary shattering.  Desperately, I searched for an empty room where I could spend some time pitying myself with no unwanted guests. I carefully opened the door to the first bedroom, and quickly slammed it shut. I did not need to see any more of Damon making out with some random chick. The next room was occupied by a girl, maybe a few years older than me, and her friend, who was busy puking into a trash can. No thank you. Finally, I reached the last room on the floor. Thankfully it was empty. I stepped in and shut the door.

Looking around, I came to the conclusion that the room I was in must have been the office. I couldn't believe how neat and organized it was. Everything was either white or silver, all of the tables and chairs were made of a sleek, glassy, see-through material, and the walls were decorated with perfectly-placed, abstract paintings. In other words, it was breathtaking. I took a seat on one of the hard chairs facing out the window. It was in this chair when I finally broke down.

I should have known that I'm not good enough for him. This is all my fault. He only sees me as a little sister, if anything at all. Maybe he just pitied me for being so lonely and pathetic. He's probably being nice to me because he feels bad. God I am so stupid. I couldn't stop the negative thoughts racing through my mind. I felt like I should have been blaming Mark, but the only person I was mad at was myself, for falling for him in the first place. Quiet tears drifted down my cheeks, and I quickly wiped them away with the back of my left hand. I need to get it together I thought, scared that someone was going to find me in the midst of my meltdown. Ironically, just as I wiped off my tears, a quick rap came on the door.

“Uh, um, just one sec, I'm coming out so you can come in this room!” I called, red from embarrassment. Before I could get up, the door opened. Whoever it was there was in a real hurry to use the room. “Yep, I'm coming!” I assured them. I scurried toward the door, but the visitor blocked my exit.

“Sit.” Said a deep, serious voice. Squinting through the dark room, I could make out the person before me. It was Craig.

“Hey Craig, uh sorry, I was just leaving.” I tried to explain, attempting to glue a smile back onto my face. But this was Craig. He wasn't going to put up with my bullcrap.

“Liz. I saw you come in from outside, without Mark. And I saw how upset you were. And judging from the fact that you're up here alone, hiding from everyone is a sign that you are not okay. So talk to me.” I didn't know what surprised me the most about Craig's statement-That it was so thoughtful and caring, or that he sounded incredibly sober.

I sighed, and tried to reassure him. “Craig, I'm fine, really. I just got a bit tired and wanted to relax for a minute.” I said with a laugh. “In fact, I'm going downstairs right now, come dance with me!” I grabbed his hand and attempted to pull him to his feet, but he didn't budge. “I said sit.”

At this point, I knew there was no fooling him, so I sat back in my chair. “Craig, it's nothing. Just stupid, girly stuff.” I was no longer trying to convince Craig. I was trying to convince myself.

Without blinking an eye, he responded “It's Mark and Coco, isn't it?” He looked directly at me, showing no emotion. He wanted an honest answer.

Turning an even deeper shade of crimson, I admitted my secret. “No, well, yeah, kind've. But I'm not mad at them or anything I'm just...I don't know.” He could sense my struggling, so he finished my sentence himself. “You're mad at yourself.” I nodded.

Then Craig did something completely and totally unexpected. He reached over and grabbed my hand, taking it into his. “Liz. I know we've only just met, but I already know that you are an awesome, amazing girl. You're the sweetest thing, and you're so funny. When Mark told me about you, he couldn't shut up about how perfect you were. I didn't believe him, until I came and met you. You're everything that he said you would be. And Liz, I'm telling you this because I really like you. Mark has a major crush on you-or at least, he did the last time I talked to him. But he's stupid. And really immature. He cares for you more than you could imagine, but he's a dumb, hormonal guy. He gets distracted by boobs and butts, especially nice ones. And I know he was scared to make a move on you, just because he didn't think you saw him as anything more than a teacher, or a big brother. What I'm saying is, Mark likes you Liz, but he's just too stupid to do anything about it.”

Craig stopped talking, and I just sat in shock. Who knew that a snowboarder with long hair and a party attitude could be so deep? I mulled over his words for a few moments, trying to make sense of everything. I eventually gathered myself up enough to formulate somewhat of a response.

“So Mark...liked me?” I asked in disbelief. Craig just nodded in reply. I took a deep breath, holding back even more tears. “But he didn't really like me.” I concluded. Craig opened his mouth to cut me off, but I didn't give him the chance. “He thought he liked me, because I was the best thing that he could find at the time. But now that he's back with his crowd, his gorgeous, famous crowd, I don't even exist to him. I see how this works.”

I made a bolt for the door again, this time in rage rather than embarrassment. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Craig scramble after me. I started to run, but he was faster. He flew in front of the door and blocked it, grabbing me by my shoulders.

“Liz. I can't tell you what Mark is thinking, because clearly, he's not thinking at all. I have no clue why he would even consider giving up a wonderful girl like you, just to have some little barbie doll for the night. I just don't know. But to me, you're better than any other girl in this house.” And with this he pulled me into a strong embrace.

At first, I was shocked. Craig was hugging me. I didn't know whether to smile or to break down again. So, I decided to just put my arms back around him and just let myself be comforted for a moment. One McMorris was better than none, right?