Street Youth Rising ~Septiplier~

Unforgetable Night (4)

-- Mark --

Upon leaving the small apartment, I was really having second thoughts about tonight. This whole thing is new to me and I'll admit that I am nervous. I mean, when was the last time I had stayed out this late without calling my father to let him know that I was okay? Never. I had always kept to my strict curfew and if I feared I would ever be late, I always called thirty minutes ahead of time. I never stayed out late without permission. It was clear that I wasn't going home to ask. If only I could call him. Then again, I didn't have a phone at my disposal. Well...

"Can I borrow your phone?" I asked him.

"Left it at school in my locker for this. Didn't want any phone calls interrupting my time with you." He says to me, grabbing my hand and dragging me closer to him as we walked. My heart fluttered and I leaned my head on his shoulder. Still, the thought of my dad worrying haunted me. So I asked for another way of contact.

"Jack," I asked, "Can I borrow a few quarters?"

"Gotta use a pay phone?" He asked. I nodded and he racked into his pocket, pulling out some change. I smiled warmly and walked to the gas station across the street. I went up to the nearest pay phone. I stuck a few of the quarters into the coin slot and dialed the number. Jack stood beside me as I gave a name of the caller.

One ring, two rings, and finally my brother picked up.

"Mark? Where are you?" Thomas asked.

"I'm spending the night with Jack." The half lie slipped off my tongue like water, just as cool as if I were telling the truth.

I looked at Jack and shrugged, a way of asking if I had made a good excuse. Jack cocked an eyebrow at me and gave a crooked grin - his way of showing the he was impressed with my new ability to lie without stumbling over my words - and he gave a shrug in response.

Good enough for me, Jack.

"Couldn't you have at least scheduled this with dad and I? That would have been a little more convenient." Thomas told me over the phone. I could hear the exasperation in his voice as he spoke. He seemed highly annoyed that I suddenly upped and decided what I was going to do without consent of my family. I, however, countered that with the only good argument I could think of.

"Well I figure that spending the night with Jack would be alright. I've never really spent the night with a friend and you guys are always telling me I need to hang out with more people. Jack and I, we are friends, after all." I told Thomas. Thomas sighed in defeat, my argument seemingly good enough for him. I was just happy I no longer had to answer to him anymore.

"Alright. We want you home tomorrow by three in the evening. If not, we're coming to get you and your ass will be grass. Dads the lawnmower." Thomas told me. I gulped slightly, letting out a nervous laugh. My dad was a kind man, but when he was angry, hell hath no fury.

"No problem." I told him. "I'll be home by then."

"I'm holding you to that, Mark Edward." Thomas said. Then I heard the dead tone and Thomas hung up. I sighed, sticking the phone on the receiver.

"Well?" I heard Jacks voice by my ear.

"I have to be home by three tomorrow evening or my 'ass is grass'." I air quoted.

Jack looked at me and I could already see the rebellion in his eyes. He was about to give me a short lecture on freedom and the life of a rebel like himself. About how he doesn't care wether or not he has a curfew, he'd disobey it anyway because he's not a child anymore. About feeling the adrenaline rush though his veins when he took risks I would not even dare to dream of. I honestly didn't feel like listening to him drone on, and something in him seemed to understand that, because he didn't immediately throw in. We stood there for a minute, and finally he let out a loud "please" as though no one mattered and we could do whatever we wanted - not that this wasn't already the case with us. He just had to say it to remind me, I guess.