The Only Exception // (GOT7 Markson)

17

Mandy pursed her lips and stood up, she reached for the closest magazine and promptly rolled it up, smacking me in the back of the head as hard as she could.

The whack wasn't painful, just incredibly uncalled for.

"What the hell?!" I said, shielding my head from her.

"Get your shit together, Jackson." She said with a brash remark. "Stand up. Go make this right."

I rubbed my hand over the pulsating lump near the back of my head.

"What am I supposed to do? He won't even talk to me." I said, already giving up.

She pulled on my pant leg, ushering me to stand up. "Figure it out." She commanded, pushing me towards the bedroom door as soon as I was standing.

"Can I at least shower?" I pleaded, knowing that I wasn't going to change her mind.

"You have five minutes." She said, "I'll make lunch."

*
As I combed my hair and slicked it to the side, I looked into the mirror and stared deeply into my own reflection.

C'mon Jackson. Think of something, anything.

Mark still wasn't returning any messages or calls. I assumed he had me blocked, rightfully so. The only link I had left to him was Tyler, and as much as I was angry at him, I needed him.

I sat down at the kitchen table next to the soup and salad that Mandy had prepared, already dialing Tyler's number.

After a few rings he answered.

Tyler: Jackson, before you freak out, just know that I was drunk. I didn't mean anything I said in my messages. I was plastered and lonely.

Jackson: Where's Mark?

Tyler: Huh? I don't know, in his room. Why? Can't you just call him yourself?

Jackson: I need to speak with Mark, please.

Tyler: You know, now that you mention it Mark came home late last night. He looked super upset. I haven't seen him that upset since he thought he failed his anthropology final. Except this was way, way worse.

I shut my eyes tightly, gripping my cell tensely. I took a quick breath and exhaled, exercising all of my patience.

Jackson: Tyler, can you please give Mark the phone? I need to speak with him. It's important.

Tyler: You fucked it up, didn't you?

Jackson: No, I just want to ask him-

Tyler: He knows about you and I, doesn't he?

Jackson: No. It's just that-

Tyler: Oh my god. This is too good. Did I interrupt your guys' romantic night?!

Jackson: No.

Tyler: That's why he was so upset. He said he was going to study with friends, but I knew that was a lie by the way he dressed and didn't bring any books with him. He went to see you didn't he?

Jackson: Please, just let me talk to him.

Tyler: I can't believe it. Now he knows the truth. I tried to warn you Jackson, he was going to find out sooner or later. You should've listened to me.

Jackson: Tyler... let me remind you of all of the dirt I have on you. Do you really want your mommy and big brother to know what you do on your spare time. The kind of boy you are?

Tyler: HA! Go ahead Jackson. Do whatever you want. Mark won't believe a single word you say, and I'll make sure you aren't even able to talk to him or my mom. Starting now.

Call Ended

I slammed the phone onto the table, nearly shattering the screen, my jaw clenched and my fists in tight balls.

"What is going on?" Mandy questioned with large eyes.

There wasn't anything I could do, nothing more Mandy could say now would make it better either. I knew Tyler was right.

There's no way Mark would talk to me again after that. I was as good as dead in his eyes now; Tyler would make sure that I never spoke to him again either, and there was no point in going after Tyler's reputation either. It wouldn't solve anything. He had called me on my bluff – his mother wouldn't believe a word I said, a perfect stranger like me, especially with all the things Tyler had most likely told her about me.

I was done. We were done.

"Go home Mandy." I said calmly.

She shook her head quickly.

"Now." I spit out lowly.

Fear found its way onto her face. She backed up a few steps.

"You officially have the rest of the month off. I'll cover you for it all. Go, take a vacation. Just leave." I said coldly.

Mandy was scared, I could tell. She grabbed her jacket and then made her way to the door, closing it quickly behind her.

When she was gone I drew the blinds, shielding myself from the sunlight, allowing darkness to fill the apartment.

Alone, I found my way to the liquor cabinet, poured myself a stiff glass of bourbon and slammed it back without flinching. Everything was numb now. The only thing I could focus on was to not focus on anything.

I poured another shot, drank it just as quick. There wasn't anything I could do to change his mind.

Third shot, I was beginning to feel a little less guilty.

By the fourth shot I had given up on using a glass and switched to drinking straight from the bottle. My entire apartment smelled like Mark, reminded me of Mark, had Mark attached to it.

I grabbed the couch we laid on at the base of its legs, using all my might to flip it across the room where it slammed into the flat screen, knocking it over and shattering the screen.

Wall-E still managed to play through the cracks on the monitor, so I poured the remaining bourbon directly on the screen until it flickered with electricity and burnt out.

As I stomped towards the room, my head feeling lighter and lighter, I knocked over the hallway lamp, shattering it instantly against the tile, ceramic shards lining the floor.

I slammed the bedroom door behind me and fell back into the bed. Mark's scent was the only thing I could smell on the pillow.

As I stared at the ceiling, my head spinning from the alcohol flooding my veins, I reached for the spare phone in my nightstand. Almost impulsively I opened the Grindr app.

Three men were within a five-block radius of me. I scoffed as I opened a message thread with each of them. I wasn't normally into threesomes, so I opted to have each of the men individually over the next three hours.

I made plans with the first one that was also the closest to me, and then placed the phone next to me on the bed. I stared at the ceiling again with a blank expression, an absolutely numbing feeling coming over me. Nothing mattered anymore.