Dares with the Boy Who Doesn't Care

Chapter Twenty-One(Jamie POV)

Can I come over?

I receive the text from Mark for the, I don't know, hundredth time. He always manages to leave off the "and stay the night" part, but of course I always let him anyway.

I know how hard things are for him at home. His parents divorced when he was around twelve years old and he's been living with his mom ever since.

The problem is they hate each other. Mark hates her because she can't seem to shake her sleeping around habit, a problem she's had since before the divorce. She hates him because , in addition to his introverted personality compared to ner extroverted and flity one, he can't seem to let her up about it. He's disrespectful and controlling and she's wild and carefree. Staying in the same house is almost impossible for them.

●●●

"I'm beyond exhausted." Mark says dropping a doufle bag onto my floor.

"I would be too." If I didnt have insomnia. "Did things get physical or...?"

"What do you think?" He asks me like I'm the abusive parent.

We have a lot in common. Even though our personalities conflict often, we stick together because of the similarities and of course the secrets.

"Where?" I ask, mentally preparing to use my medical training. One of the many things I picked up out of boredom.

He shakes his head and I knowingly don't pry.

"Don't worry. You'll be able to move out of there soon." I say squeezing his shoulder.

"I have a photoshoot in 10 minutes, I'll be back though."

"Okay then let's go." I say inviting myself.

•••

Minutes later we're out on the express way. I hate the fast driving, in fact it makes me nauseous. Mark knows this so he slows down. I close my eyes and try to think about anything but car sickness.

**3 years ago**

"Wow Cameron I'm three years older than you and I don't even read these things." Robin says pulling out a very X rated magazine from inside of Cameron's sleeping bag.

Cameron simply grins back at him, no shame.

"And Noah where did you think you were going? You know we have plenty of food here?" He opens up Noah's luggage revealing an entire doufle bag's worth of snacks.

"Oh can you pass me another Honey Bunny?" Noah asks with his mouth still full of food.

Robin sighs but grants the gluten his wish, throwing the processed sweet his way.

"Leo your sleeping bag is way too big for you! I could fit in there."

"Of course, it's Leo everything's too big for him." Cameron says and we all laugh even as Leo sends pillows our way.

"Shut up!" He protests in a high piched voice, which of course makes us laugh even harder.

"Mark you could probably fit in there too!" Robin continues, this time referring to Mark's height.

For a fourteeen year old Asian, Mark is pretty damn tall. Much to Leo's dismay, I don't think he's going to stop growing anytime soon and I don't think Leo's going to start.

"Jay, take care of these idiots for me. I'm going over to Daniel's." He said.

"I'll be back." He said.

That was the only time my brother ever lied to me.

**Present Day**

"Remember," Mark starts. Yeah, that's all I ever do.

"When we use to be able to go anywhere, to do anything without getting some type of backlash for it."

"I don't." I say truthfully.

He chuckles sounding the same as when we were kids. "We'd do the dumbest shit. Playing with fire basically."

"We still do though. You still do."

He smirks at me and I have to hold onto the overhead hanger because I feel like the car is speeding up.

"But where are the consequences?"

"Just wait." My grip tightens. "Keep your eyes on the road." I say through gritted teeth.

He slows down and I let go of the hanger before breathing in and out deeply.

"Wait, you're going to be late. You can drive carelessly, I'm okay."

"It's not like they're going to start without me."

So he was just doing all of that to fuck with me.

•••

I busy myself with Angry Birds until he comes back. Though I swear that I hate the game, I actually got a new high score. If I'm bored enough I can excel at anything.

Our phones ring at the same time and after checking mine, I see it's a text from Noah.

I can't take this anymore, I'm telling her everything.

It doesn't alarm me until I realize that it's forwarded. Mark received the same text. He's looking down at his phone now too.

He scoffs.

"But you wanted her to find out, didn't you?" I ask, I know him.

"You're right. Boredom loves drama-"

"And misery loves company."

He chuckles again. Twice in one day, we both beat our own records today. "What makes you so sure she'll get upset about this?"

"She will, if he tells her everything."

"I forgot Ella told you everything. More than she told me."

I stay silent after that.

There's nothing that I can say that can make him realize I didn't have anything with Ella. Her thirstiness just wasn't attractive to me like it was to him. Sadly,  she went for the wrong guy and both of them ended up getting hurt. Her because I couldn't bring myself to have any real feelings for her and Mark because she was the same way towards him.

•••

By the time we arrive back home I have a terrible headache. I decide to skip dinner and head straight to bed. My matresss welcomes me as it adjusts to my shape. It's conveniently called "Memory Foam".

"What do you think they're doing right now?"

"I don't care, and stop talking to me I have a headache."

"He's really starting to take a liking towards her."

"Do you like her?" I ask half out of frustration and half out of boredom, just to tease him.

He takes a moment, slowly licking ranch off of his index finger. Non-fat of course, he's on a model diet. So basically he starves himself, eating once a day like right now. I don't see how carrots and celery are supposed to accommodate for a balanced nutrition, but that does explain why he's always on edge. I don't even remember the last time I saw him eat a sandwich, or even a piece of bread.

"No I don't, do you?"

I laugh laying my head back down on my pillow before remembering that I have a headache, which is starting to turn into a migraine.

"Hurry up and go to sleep. Your loud horse-like carrot chewing is killing me."

He starts chewing even louder, what a douche.

I decide to just put in my ear plugs and a mask.

Things fade to black

And the nightmares come back.