The Happy Pill

"Bullies"

Jack's eyes lit up and a smile graced his lips.

"Really?! You wanna be MY friend?" he said, dumbfounded.

"Well, yeah, why wouldn't I?" Mark responded, confused. What wasn't there to like about the boy? He was cute, innocent, and always excited. Kind of like a puppy, Mark thought, a very attractive puppy. Woah, there was so much wrong with that thought, Mark. He thought, mentally slapping himself.

"Well, people tend to find me...odd" the Irishman whispered, sadness lacing the word "odd". Mark had a feeling that he'd been called much worse than that. "I do find you odd, but in the best way possible" he said, surprising himself with the sincerity. Jack looked down at his shoes, his cheeks turning pink and his ears tinting red. Mark found it absolutely adorable. Sean opened his mouth to speak, but he was interrupted by a loud, obnoxious voice.

"Hey, faggot! What are you doing with other faggot?" sneered Thomas Duffley, the biggest asshole Mark has ever met. And that's saying something, because Mark has met a lot of terrible people. Instinctively, Mark stepped in front of Jack, shielding him from Thomas' scrutinizing gaze. " Aww, Markimoo, protecting your boyfriend, are you? Well, I suggest you let me see him, unless you want trouble." His voice gave an unspoken threat, let me see him or we'll beat both of you. Just to prove his point, he had his gang of dumb (yet dangerous) followers stand around the three of them. Their eyes' digging into Jack's quivering form, standing around him like hungry vultures that have spotted fresh meat.

"I-it's ok-kay Mark, I'll be fine." Jack's small voice came from behind him. Reluctantly, he let Jack stand in front of him, face-to-face with Duffley. Thomas let out a hmm and began to circle Jack, poking and prodding at random places on his body. The boy would flinch every time the other's finger would make contact with his body. He had a controlled look of horror on his face, and he tried to stand tall, look intimidating. But it wasn't working, not next to Thomas' towering frame.

"I have come to a conclusion!" Thomas stated, standing back after a bit more prodding. "You are a faggot. I mean," he laughed "LOOK AT YOU. You're wearing purple pants! Retard. You have no muscle and a fat ass stomach. Fat ass. And these!" he grabbed Jack's flower crown from off his head. Jack made a noise of protest and lunged for his property. "Who wears flowers in their hair? A faggot. You're such a baby, no muscle and no backbone. Such an easy target, it's almost pitiful." He concluded, slowly ripping Jack's crown apart.

With each flower on the ground, Jack could feel his happiness ebbing away. He was going to a dark place in his mind, a place he'd promised he'd never return to. But his flowers, his one source of happiness, the things that made him feel pretty, were being torn apart in front of him, and so was his heart. He could feel the warm tears stream down his face, and the lump in his throat threatened to choke him.

Mark on the other hand, was burning with rage. His cheeks were red and his mouth was filled with the metallic taste of blood. He was biting his tongue to stop himself from saying something that would definitely make the situation worse. Mark looked down and noticed Jack's tears. His rage vanished in an instant and was replaced with sorrow. Seeing Jack cry was heartbreaking, such a pretty face should be smiling, not drenched in tears.

"That's enough, Thomas. Leave. Jack. Alone." Mark said through gritted teeth. His voice was dangerously calm and very, very deep. He surprised himself with the intensity of his tone. For a second, Thomas looked scared, but then he returned to his usual cocky self. "Ya know what, Marki? You're right. After all, we have the rest of the year to spend with our new friend, Jack." The way he said Jack's name made both Jack and Mark shiver. It was full of malice, and it made Mark nervous. He put his arm around the smaller Irishman.

Thomas pretended to coo as he walked away. "See you lovers later!" he said with a wink. His gang began to move away from around the two boys, and the punk felt like he could finally breathe.

As soon as the last of the jocks left, Jack fell to his knees in front of his destroyed crown.

Tears slowly slid down his cheeks and his eyes were dark with sadness. All Mark could do was sit down next to the boy and wrap him up in a hug. He silently promised himself that he'd never let go.