Chapter Text
The first rumor that Mark heard about the new guy, was that he looked really, and I quote, "weird". Which wasn't much to go on.
This enlightening new information came from his best friend, Wade, as they were walking to their first class bright and early on Monday morning. The two had been friends ever since they were little kids and they had a running joke about their height difference. Wade boasting about having to kneel down to hear that Mark said and Mark resorting to calling names.
Mark lived in a small town which meant that anything new was on the tip of everyone's tongue. Rumors spread like wildfire, hence the first thing that came out of Wade's mouth was the groundbreaking news.
"I heard his name's Jack," he announced as they waited outside their history class. "According to Bob, he's moved over from Ireland with his Mom. At least, I think it was Ireland, maybe it was England. I can't remember."
Mark shrugged, not caring much either way. "I wonder why they're coming over to America. That's a long-ass journey."
Wade shrugged, heaving a low sigh. "I dunno. Nobody I've talked to knows much. Maybe they wanted a change of scenery or something?"
Mark hummed in agreement as they finally shuffled their way into the classroom. The chatter of their classmates suddenly seemed to increase tenfold and they quickly grabbed two seats beside each other before their teacher, Miss Fletcher, clip-clopped into the room in her too-high, high heels.
Her pale blonde fringe always flopped into her eyes, wisps of hair falling out of her messy bun as she clapped her hands to get the teenager's attention. "Alright everyone, welcome back, I hope you all had a wonderful summer." There was a low hum of agreement. "I'm glad to hear it. But before we get started I would like you to give a warm welcome to our newest student, Sean McLoughlin." She gave a big smile and looked towards the door. A few beats of silence ticked by, during which every pair of eyes fixed on the peeling white paint of the classroom door.
"Come on, Sean, there's nothing to worry about," Miss Fletcher promised, clearly prepared to go out and fetch the student herself when he finally walked through the door, hands shoved deep into his pockets and eyes glaring at the floorboards as if they had done him a personal wrong.
"Good, Sean," she said, clearly glad the awkward situation had defused a little. "Do you want to tell us something about yourself?"
Mark raised an eyebrow at Sean's appearance when he eventually raised his head to shoot daggers at the class, lips pressed together in a thin, stubborn line.
It was safe to say that in this town, anything overly 'different' was avoided like the plague. Yet here was this boy, his brown hair shot with bright green and his eyes such a piercing blue that Mark imagined they could freeze a person in place with a single look. Mark had rarely seen someone who stood out as much as this boy, sticking out like a sore thumb in a sea of browns and blondes.
Mark gave Wade a nudge with his elbow. "I thought you said his name was Jack?" he whispered, watching the new boy out of the corner of his eye. Sean was now glaring defiantly at Miss Fletcher who waited expectantly for his answer.
Wade shrugged, confusion evident on his face. "I swear that's what Bob said. Maybe I heard it wrong or-"
"Does he even speak English, Miss?" came a shout from the back. Mark closed his eyes with a sigh. He would know that voice anywhere. Ethan, the class douchebag. Wonderful. A glance behind him confirmed it. Summer had done little to fix Ethan's less than handsome features, the band tee he wore stretched tight over the muscles he'd developed to make up for his face. He was kicked back in his chair, his arms folded casually behind his head. "Like, are you sure he's not retarded?" Definitely Ethan.
Sean's eyes zoned in on the speaker as Miss Fletcher sent a few sharp words his way for being an asshole. Mark watched in surprise as Ethan actually paled at the pure fury behind Sean's glare, though he tried to hide it by tightening his jaw and glaring back hotly.
Mark watched as Sean turned to the teacher and spoke for the first time, voice barely above a whisper. "No, Miss. Can I just sit down?" His voice had a distinct accent, an Irish lilt tugging at every word.
A loud snort could be heard from the back of the classroom. "What kind of an accent is that? Learn to speak English properly, idiot."
Mark did his best not to shoot a glare at Ethan, like he could see a few of the girls doing, their eyes wide in outrage. They were damn right, Mark thought, but it wasn't worth the risk.
Miss Fletcher let a drawn-out sigh leave her lips, but didn't even bother to say anything to Ethan, instead waving a dismissive hand at the class. "Go sit down McLoughlin."
Sean trudged over to the only empty table in the classroom which was to the right of Mark and Wade and nearest the window. All alone he pulled his books from his bag and sat staring out of it, completely ignoring Miss Fletcher when she began to speak again; stuck in a daydream.
Mark watched as something hard and round, not unlike the rocks outside, was thrown and smacked the green haired boy in the back of the head. He watched as Sean's hands curled into fists, his shoulders tense as he kept his glare on the window. Anger issues maybe. Mark didn't know.
There was something about the new guy that made Mark's curiosity spike. He wasn't quite sure what to think about that just yet. Maybe it was the hair that did it.
Suddenly Sean's blue eyes were focused on Mark, defensive and full of second-hand anger. "What the hell are you looking at?" he spat, surprising Mark who snapped his gaze away, instead focusing on the book in front of him which he had open at a random page.
"Fischbach. McLoughlin. Could I please have your attention?"
Wade shot him a curious look as Miss Fletcher looked at them both expectantly. "Well? I hope I'm not interrupting anything. I know Sean is new but this is still class and you should be listening. Could one of you boys be so kind as to tell me the answer to my question?"
Mark bit his lip, knowing full well that he was heading for a detention, one way or the other. Right or wrong. He didn't even know the question he was supposed to be answering.
"12?" Sean attempted, followed by a shrug. Obviously, he hadn't been listening either but had decided to make a stab at the answer anyway. A few titters of laughter spread through the class as Miss Fletcher's face screwed up in annoyance.
"Wrong, Sean. Cavemen did not discover fire 12 years ago. Pay attention next time, please."
"Stupiiiiid," came a jeer from the back. When Mark turned he saw Ethan had his hands cupped around his mouth. "No one wants you here. Go back where you came from, stupid bitch!"
Mark's eyebrows nearly hit his hairline. Sure, he'd expected Ethan and perhaps a few others to throw some cusses at the new boy, maybe poke some fun at his accent or hair. But he hadn't expected the sheer resentment in Ethan's tone. After all, the poor boy had barely been in class for ten minutes.
Mark began to speak, hoping to get Ethan to shut up with a sharp word or a rude gesture, however, at that very moment Sean snapped, "Fucking suck a dick."
The atmosphere in the room changed, immediately, becoming thick with tension as all eyes, except for perhaps Miss Fletcher's, shot to Ethan's slowly reddening face. His breathing sped up and his hands clenched into tight fists, quivering with barely withheld rage.
"How fuckin' dare you." He growled out, deep voice breaking the silence in an almost predatory snarl. "If you-"
At that very moment, the bell for next class rang, high pitched and shrill, effectively breaking the thick air of danger that Mark only noticed when it was gone. Sean practically jumped out of his seat, had his books shoved into his bag and was stepping out the door before Mark had even registered that it was time to leave.
Wade was watching the doorway through which Sean had disappeared. "He's got guts, I'll give him that."
Mark nodded absentmindedly, gathering his books up and was about to leave alongside his friend when Miss Fletcher called him back, giving Wade a wave of her hand to tell him to move on. When the door clicked shut behind the last person, Miss Fletcher slumped a little in her chair, her smile slipping from her lips.
"Mark. Talking in class, really? I thought you were more mature than that," she began and Mark prepared himself for the rant that was sure to follow. His aunt wouldn't dream of giving him special treatment just because they were related, a fact he had learned a very long time ago.
"Sorry, the new guy was just asking me a question and I-" he began, trying to formulate a decent excuse when she held up her hand, stopping him in his tracks.
"Look, Mark, you're a good kid and want to help Sean, I get it. But all the same, I would prefer you to stay away from that boy, at least for now," Miss Fletcher said quietly, hands clasped as she leaned forward to place her elbows on her desk. "He could be all kinds of trouble. I don't know his story but it can't be a good one when his file has been locked in the principal's office. Please, just don't mix with him. It will save both your mother and I a lot of worry."
Mark frowned, more than a little confused. She never acted like this. This was not the kind and compassionate woman that he was proud to call family. The woman who would try her very hardest to convince him to make new friends and try new things every single day. This was...he didn't know what this was. "Why? What makes you think he's so bad?"
He watched as she bit her lip and avoided his eyes. "Mark, people like that." She swallowed. "They don't get far in life. And if there's one thing that I don't want to see, it's you being brought down because you made friends with some outcast." Shaking her head, she began to write something down on a piece of spare paper. "You're a good kid, you get good grades and you have good friends. Don't make the mistake of letting one person take all that away from you, okay?"
Slowly Mark nodded, taking the piece of paper from his aunt's hand. "Sure, whatever you say," he muttered, before walking out of the room. His shoes felt like they were made of lead, each step heavier and harder to take as his brain whirled with questions. It wasn't until he was standing outside his next class that he actually made his decision.
He should at least give Sean a chance. That much wouldn't cost him anything.
He glanced towards the desk that Sean sat at, all alone, silently hovering over his books. Why was he trying to read a textbook? How fucking bored was he? Mark supposed if you were eager to stay away from people, reading a textbook was a good way to do it.
The thought struck him that maybe Sean didn't want a chance.
Mark let out a soft sigh. Well, there was really only one way to find out. Carefully ignoring the look Wade sent him, Mark cautiously walked towards the empty seat beside Sean, praying he wasn't making a massive mistake and sat down.