Promises

Chapter 16 Part 1.3

Few hours had passed and it was already evening.

Marco had pulled on his shirt, till he heard the doorbell ring. He turned his head to the door then to his signature red jacket on his bed. He grabbed it and put it on. He took one last look at himself at the mirror and headed downstairs.

"Ah, there he is!"

Marco tilted his head down to peek into the living room, where his friends were sitting around each other in a circle. Marco chuckled and placed his hands in the pockets, making his way to the living room.

"Hey. How are you guys?" Marco asked with a smile.

"We're fine. How about you?" Jackie asked, looking at him with a half-smile.

Marco's smile faltered but remained.

"I'm okay." Marco assured.

They smiled at each other as they held their gaze.

"Well well, I'm starving! Let's get some of Mrs Diaz's tacos." Ferguson said rising to his feet.

Everyone chuckled and trailed behind to the kitchen. As they got their share, they went back to the living room and sat back in a circle, Marco included. Their meal together was pleasant and lively, filled with laughter and the people who care for him, which was what Marco needed.

"Janna, I heard you accepted into a University." Jackie asked as she chewed on her food.

"W-What? Who told you that?" Janna stammered, causing her to drop her fork on the ceramic plate. Marco looked over to Janna who had a hint of pink on her cheeks.

"Pony told me."

Marco turned to Jackie, who was taking another bite.

He looked back to Janna, who was eyeing Pony while Pony was avoiding her gaze and continued chewing on her food. Marco raised both eyebrows and lowered one of them.

"Which University are you going to?" Marco asked, taking a bite on a piece of meat on his fork. Janna looked over to him and shifted her gaze.

"Uhhh...it's not somewhere great." Janna trailed off. Marco looked over and she had her head down, playing with her food.

"Come on, tell us. We didn't expect you to be interested in getting into University." Marco prompted leaning forward.

"Well...I actually didn't want to go but it's only fair that I should." Janna commented, picking up her food and stuffed it into her mouth.

Everyone looked up and stared at her, who was nonchalant about their reaction.

"If you didn't want to go, why are you going then? What university is it anyways?" Alfonzo asked, lowering his plate to his lap.

"Ah, you all are so nosy. Back off." Janna said, picking up the peas and carrots.

"Aw come on, Janna. You made us curious about it. Come on, what was the University that made you change your mind?" Jackie begged, smiling with her eyebrows furrowed.

Janna looked up and stopped chewing, locking eyes with everyone, awaiting an answer from her. Seeing as how they aren't letting it up, she let out a sigh and settled her plate down.

"Well, I did get myself into this..." Janna muttered and leaned back, propping her hands behind her. She took one last look at everyone and furrowed her eyebrows, looking down at her unfinished plate.

"I didn't wanna go to University because..it's lame and full of nerds, like you guys." Janna ended with a smirk. She looked up to see the disapproval faces of Alfonzo, Ferguson and Jackie. Her smirk fell and she looked back at her plate again.

"But...Star felt that I would do well wherever I go, and thought university would be the best in showcasing who I am." Janna trailed off, staring hard at her plate. " Even though i protested, she assured me that she will be with me...so i applied, with her help of course, and it's near where she was going..."

Alfonzo and Ferguson raised their eyebrows and looked over to Marco, who was frozen in place, staring at Janna. Janna sniffled and rubbed her sleeves across her nostrils.

She looked over to her friends and lastly, Marco, who was still staring at her with a blank expression. She curled one corner of her lips and sat up straight.

"That's all you're getting out from me. Don't get your butts twisted about it already." Janna mumbled, picking up her plate and scoping up the filling on her plate, stuffing into her mouth.

Alfonzo and Ferguson watched Janna and Pony as they held a straight mouth, staring down. Alfonzo shifted his gaze to Marco, who was now staring down at a spot on his plate. He cleared his throat and lifted his plate.

"Uhm, I got accepted into the University I wanted: Cal tech. Ferguson too! Orange Coast College, right buddy?" Alfonzo said quickly looking over and nudging at Ferguson.

Ferguson looked over to Alfonzo then to Marco. He perked up and continued his meal.

"Oh oh, ya ya. I'm so excited to go there. It's one of the best universities in Los Angeles for culinary. I'm super stoked." Ferguson quickly said looking at everyone.

"That's great guys..." Jackie looked over to Marco. "Marco...which did you apply for, hmm?" Jackie asked sheepishly.

Marco lifted his head to Jackie and glanced at his friends. He sighed and played with his food.

"Stanford." Marco said, bluntly.

Everyone looked up at him with their eyes widened.

"Isn't that further out from here?" Alfonzo asked, staring at him.

"Ya it is..." Marco trailed off as he stared at his food.

"Did you apply to the one we visited that other time? University of California?" Alfonzo prompted.

"Ya. While I was at it, I applied to Stanford."

Alfonzo let out a long exhale and took a bite.

"Did they both offer you?" Marco looked over to Pony as she held a worried look.

As he stared, he shifted his stare at his plate again and nodded.

"Why did you apply to Stanford?" Janna inquired, looking over to Marco.

The sudden clatter of metal against ceramic startled everyone, stopping whatever they were doing and focused on Marco, who held a straight mouth, staring at a point on the carpet. Despite the silence around them, their stares were loud enough to echo throughout the room. Marco roughly placed his plate down on the rug and got up from his spot. He marched his way out of the living room.

"Marco?" Alfonzo called out as the rest watched Marco stomp up the stairs.

A door slammed, making them shudder. Alfonzo sighed and the rest looked to each other with a frown.