Futility [Completed]

Three: Stagnation

"I hate youth, it's a cruel world to live on"- Marcus

Marcus woke up on his desk, he fall asleep while doing his school projects. Marcus still wondering why he hate school. He also hate waking up early and always do the same thing, every day.
"Marcus Kerr! Breakfast is ready!" I heard my mom's voice calling my full name and yup it's really morning for me.
"Well, I don't hate my life literally. I am just 19 and I just hate the fact that I am in this stage. Between childhood and adulthood. Why Youth exist anyway? Why this is the center of everything?" I lost in my thoughts when I realized I was finished with my uniform and my things. After I eat, I say my goodbye to my parents. When I got outside my house, I saw Gray outside waiting with his car.
"Why are you here?" I asked him.
"Hop in" I go inside his car.
"I will send you and Karu to school today" Gray said and smile at me
"Why?" when I said that he looks at me again,
"What do you mean why? Because I want to" after that he ruffles my hair.
"Gray! Stop I already fixed my hair" I complain at him and he just laughed out loud with my reaction.

Karu saw Gray's car entering the garage, she says goodbye to her brother. Sharp who just came home from his work.
"Karu Wait" she looks at her brother.
"Here, buy---" Karu cut his words.
"I still have money, keep it" she kissed Sharp's cheeks and wave at him goodbye. When she went inside the car she greeted Gray and Marcus. It was a great morning for her while wearing the school uniform. After 30 minutes Gray drop both of them in front of their school gate.

"Karu, don't wait for me later, you can go home first later. I still have lots of projects to do. Okay?" Marcus said and left Karu. She waves at her friend and stares against his back.

"Mr. Kerr" Marcus heard Mr. Tan's voice. He went to him after the bell rings. He is Marcus last teacher for today.
"Look, Marcus, it's all failing grades. How will you enter college with this grades?" He said with his disappointed voice.
"I will study hard" Marcus said to his teacher with a low voice.
"What is happening to you? Do you have any problem at school or at home?" He asked and Marcus immediately shakes his head.
"It's the first time you failed" Mr. Tan added. Marcus keeps his mouth shut, he doesn't know how to solve this. It was a big problem for him and it gave him stress.
While Marcus was walking on his way home. He saw Andrew and his friends, on some part they are the reason why his grades failed. They keep bullying Marcu for being a nerd and alone sometimes. It has a big effect on Marcus especially with his mental state, he knows he was too weak with that kind of treatment that he never feel when he was with his own friends.
"Hey! Marcus!" I was about to leave and going back again when Andrew called my name. I don't know what to do, my feet won't move and when I face them Andrew punch me in my face and they all run away.

While I am lying on the floor and hug myself because of the bruises that Andrew's fist left in my body, I saw my phone ringing and Yuan's name appear as the caller. I don't want to answer it, I don't want to be a burden. When I try to stand up, I heard a familiar voice.
"You really don't want to answer my call?" it was Yuan's voice who finally revealed himself at the corner.
"What are you doing here?" I was trying to stand up properly.
"You let them beat you up? I thought you are strong and end up on this state"
"Is he scolding me?"
"I'm okay," I said when he grabbed my hand and help me to walk.
"Kid next time, punch them like how you punch Sharp and Min when you tease them" I show a weak smile at him.
"Don't show me your smile, I know you want something so what is it?"
"Bread" I show to him my bunny smile, I know he can't resist it.

Yuan and Marcus went to Karu and Sharp's place and surprisingly they are all here. Karu look shocked when she saw Marcus face with bruises in his lips and cheeks.
"Is this the reason why you don't want me to wait for you and go home together? To have a fight with them?!" Karu said while she tries to clean Marcus bruises on the face.
"Answer me!" She screams.
"Hey! Why are you like that? I didn't get injured--" When Marcus tries to defend himself, Karu scream at him again,
"Then why!"
"I already said to you this morning that I have--" Karu cut his words.
"Then why you let them do this to you? I am going to report this"
"Karu! I don't want any trouble okay, it's just a bruise. Nothing is serious?" Karu calms but it's not the end.
"But... when they did this to you again I will going to report them"
"Then I will not going to show to you if that's going to happen again"
"Hey!" She shouts again
"You two, stop that" Gray said and Karu continue to clean his bruises.

Marcus was busy looking at his friends, they are busy on their own world. He looks at Gray who was busy earlier with his coffee and now his attention was on his camera next to him is Yuan still busy on his phone then on his left Marcus saw Hence and Min playing together they trying to annoyed Othello who was trying to sleep and lastly he saw Sharp who was busy staring outside looking at the seashore. By the way, the house has a nice view of the beach.
"Ah!" Marcus glared at Karu, she roughly cleans Marcus bruises.
"I just did that because you look quiet" Marcus wait for more than ten minutes and she asks her.
"Are you done? I am getting bored" Marcus complained.
"Yes!" Karu answers him with her smile, suddenly Marcus stares at her.
"What?" because the stare of Marcus is always a challenge for Karu she becomes nervous and didn't know how to react.
"Why are you blushing with my stare?" suddenly Marcus whisper at her and he smirks. After that Marcus left Karu dumbfounded.
"With whom I will ask that question?" Marcus said to himself and Sharp caught his attention, Sharp is still looking outside and stared at the window. Marcus decided to stand beside Sharp, he lost on his own thoughts and he didn't notice Marcus presence beside him.
"Why does youth exist?"I said to Sharp while I also look at the dark sky of 8 o' clock in the evening, he suddenly looked at me confused and I felt that the others heard what I said.
"Ya! Are you okay Marcus?" Min suddenly asked me and I know he heard what I said to Sharp. I faced them and ask them.
"No, I want to ask each of you. Why does youth exist?"They look at each other and trying to think of an answer to my question. A moment of silence before Othello speaks up.
"Because everything in our life is a stage. We need youth to enter adulthood to be able to enter another side of changes. We are in between, without youth you will not grow."He said that while his eyes shut as if he was avoiding our expression to what he said.
"Do we all need that? Is there's a shortcut to becoming an adult?"I asked them again, I am really confused,
"End it! That's the only way to stop the flow and the changes" Yuan explained.
"Then, death?"Sharp unexpected answer.
"What is that Sharp!" Hence throw pillows at him. Yuan replied with a laugh,
"Marcus, stop that will you? Are you sick?" Gray stands up, asking me and suddenly he starts to throw pillows at me.
"No, I'm not sick!" I shout at him as I try to block the pillows form him.
"Then, stop worrying okay?" Gray said to me when he stops to tease me and show me his calm smile.
"Come on we need to go home, it's already night. I bet everyone is tired" Gray added.

I was inside Gray's car, I heard Yuan decides to sleep at Sharp and Karus's place. After Gray and I sent the rest to their street, he finally sent me home.
"Bye! Marcus", Gray said to me and I say goodnight to him. I enter the back door of my house and I know my parents are already sleeping.

When I got inside my room, I cry in silence. I am tired of being with them and trying to look okay. I don't want to bother them, but it is really hard for me to graduate. When I go to my desk I saw a note, it was from my mom.
"I know it's hard, but you are already on the finish line. Cheer up, my son!" I smile on what she said to me then I suddenly got some text messages.
"Cheer up! You can do that. *Wink*", it was from Hence.
"Hey! Clean your wound again, you can't damage your handsome face again", from Karu and Sharp.
"Look, I'm sorry I can't save you to those bastard. Next time we will teach them a lesson", from Othello.
"Dude! You're not Marcus if you can't beat them, Like what you are doing to me and Sharp", from Min.
"I will treat you some ice cream this Sunday, just do well on your studies", from Yuan.

I wait for Gray text message but he didn't text me. Well, I start to fix myself and prepare to sleep when my phone got a beep sound.
"Hey study hard! I want some graduation pictures", it was from him. I smile and I close my eyes and ready to study hard again.

After Gray text Marcus he continues to paint. He ends up with a "Chrysalis" but then it's just a plain black and white painting.
"Why does Youth exist?" Gray remember what Marcus said earlier.

"Why Youth exist? I think Youth is the survival stage. We will see who will grow up and enter the world of adults and who will lose and left in the beautiful world of childhood and never grow up" Gray's personal answer from that question.

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[unedited]