SPIDER-MAN: MARK LEE

3

Not long after, a new presence joined. "Hey guys~ What's up?"

It was the one and only Mark Lee. He stood by the edge of the table with an innocent and feeble smile, both his hands clutched firmly on the straps of his backpack.

That smile. It made me fall even deeper. I kept falling and each time was harder than the last.

At times, I felt strange to feel like this. Was it even possible to like someone, whom you don't talk to a lot? Was somebody's presence enough to make you feel like this?

I could already feel Naomi smiling for my behalf because of his presence.

Donghyuck did not seem to care about Mark at all, and merely sneered at his presence. "You dare come here all smiley and innocent, when you promised me you'd be there for Chemistry class because of our presentation." He looked up and shot his friend an angry scowl. "I had to present alone. You're gonna repay me for that."

Mark tensed his lips, feeling slightly intimidated by Donghyuck's behavior. "Oh dude, sorry. I was busy with something. You would know."

I believed that his explanation was not enough to convince Donghyuck. I understood that Donghyuck's behavior was influenced by the whole situation with Naomi. This made me feel sad because I knew he was genuinely upset.

I kept my eyes fixed on Mark. It was at that moment that I observed a scratch on his cheek. The scratch was still very vividly red, indicating that it was fresh. Strangely enough, this reminded me of my previous interaction with Spiderman. I remembered that Spiderman had the same scratch in the same spot.

I was filled with great curiosity, and I couldn't restrain myself. "What happened to your umm... cheek?"

Mark's eyes widened as he gently brushed his fingers over his skin . "Oh this?" He questioned. "Uh, well, I got scratched by Donghyuck's cat yesterday."

Donghyuck winced at his spot. He questioned, "Ehh? My cat?"

I raised one eyebrow and glanced at my best friend, then looked back to Mark. "He doesn't own a cat." I remarked.

The two boys exchanged a quick look. It was evident from their wide eyes that they were feeling a tinge of concern. Their behavior only made me more suspicious, and their refusal to break the silence, combined with their shocked expressions, did nothing to alleviate my doubts.

Donghyuck turned to face me again, wearing a confident and resolute expression. "Yes, I do."

"No you don't. You never told me."

He once again expressed his annoyance by rolling his eyes. "Yes, I do. My brother got one a few days back. You know Taeyong, he adores animals. Our house is practically a zoo now."

Gaslighting in its most skillful form. I had my doubts about their justification, possibly due to their hesitation and stumbling in expressing themselves.

I looked back at Mark and wondered if everything could be mere coincidence. Why was the scratch in the exact same place as Spiderman's? Even though he said it happened yesterday, it was clear that the scratch was recent. Additionally, he wasn't there during Chemistry class. Was it plausible?

Mark noticed that I was gazing at him with a doubtful expression etched across my face, resulting in an increase in his apprehension.

In my search for additional evidence, my gaze shifted down his ass. Mark's face turned red and without wasting any time, he quickly sat down beside Donghyuck.

Oops.

I inhaled deeply and dismissed my thoughts

Thinking that Mark could be Spiderman was perhaps the most absurd thing I had ever done. It was utterly ridiculous and quite hilarious. I couldn't simply affirm this theory of mine, especially without any evidence.

Only then, I realized something else. The four of us were together.

As mentioned, it wasn't something usual as we tend to separate. It was actually quite surprising to think of the fact that Donghyuck and Mark had been friends since Freshman Year, and likewise to I and Naomi, yet we never managed to mesh this group together. It was always a goal of mine and Donghyuck, but we failed. Now this was our last year, so it was our last chance.

Donghyuck cleared his throat and then looked at his friend, wanting to catch him up on what he had missed. "Anyway, we were actually just talking about Jules' experience with Spiderman and Venom. Crazy right?"

Mark's eyes augmented slightly as he directed his gaze toward me. "Dude that's crazy. How was it?"

Dude and bro. Those two were the most frequent reference he used on me. I was sure it was just part of his vocabulary now.

I disconnected my gaze with his and shrugged my shoulders. I then continued playing with the salad bowl I had. "Nothing special... I mean I'm just glad I'm alive, thanks to that Spiderguy."

I was pretty good at hiding my genuine feelings for Mark. I always acted like he was a mere guy that my best friend hung out with, when in reality, he wasn't a mere guy, he was somebody who could make my heart stop by just acknowledging my existence. Even Donghyuck praised me for being so surreptitious.

So although I sat here, talking to him with a blank face, the situation didn't match with what my stomach was experience: There was a flock of butterflies.

Mark smiled at himself and nodded.