Christmas ball, a year ago
After parking the car, Mark dialed Alana's number and let her know he had already arrived. He still did not dare to cross the threshold of her house with her parents there, because their first meeting was not very successful. Accidentally running into them, Mark's entire bearing showed he considered himself superior. At first he didn't care, because he did not plan to be serious with this girl, but over time, everything changed. More often now, Wood thought about how to establish a relationship with them, but for now, he put all those ideas on the backburner.
And now he didn't want to think about anything besides tonight and his plans with his girlfriend. He prepared his room in anticipation, dreaming that her first night with him would be unforgettable. But as soon as the silhouette of his beloved appeared in the doorway, his good mood dissipated like smoke.
Getting out of the car to meet Alana, he wanted to make sure what he saw was only a distortion through the windshield, but everything turned out to be true. While appreciating his girl's appearance, as she was far from a simple gray mouse, Mark involuntarily clenched his fists, fighting the jealousy growing inside.
Alana looked great: her large blonde locks shone golden despite the cold lighting of the street lamp. Her dark-toned evening makeup perfectly matched her green eyes, and burgundy lipstick made her lips even more appetizing, constantly attracting his eyes. Mark stared at his girlfriend, holding his breath. He was constantly surprised he was loved by an angel, and at the same time upset that others also saw her beauty.
Barely restraining his growing irritation, Wood nodded to Alana's parents, who were anxiously watching their daughter, and hurried to seat her in the car. Immediately getting into the driver's seat, Mark did not hesitate: he turned on the ignition, changed gear and abruptly took off towards the school.
Despite his face being a mask of indifference as he tried hiding his true emotions, his beloved's bare knees infuriated him more and more every second. Even the briefest glance at them sent his blood boiling. His movements were sharp and nervous, and he gripped the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles turned white. When the young man slowed down at the traffic light, silently looking at the road, Alana turned to him.
"What's wrong with you?"
But Wood didn't say anything to her, scanning the area around them and thinking about the next turn up ahead. In the morning, the guys decided to remind him about the bet, ruining his whole mood. Mark wanted to spend time with Alana on his own, and not because of some conditions imposed by others. And he did not envision parting with her, already making plans for their life together in Boston or Cambridge. However, they had to make an appearance at the school ball, because this year, for some reason, the school decided to choose a Christmas ball king and queen from the graduating class. Wood knew Wilmore would get elected, because he immediately declared his unwillingness to take part in this circus. And Mark didn't want to come, but Alana convinced him he needed to support his friend.
Was Wilmore his friend? Now Wood doubted it...
Mentally torn in two, Mark got startled by a slight push on his shoulder and Alana's excited female voice. They missed the traffic light signal, and now they were standing at a red light again.
After taking another look at the exposed, nylon-clad beautiful legs, Wood could no longer hold back: he grabbed the hem of her beige coat and pulled it up sharply, eyeing the length of her tight black skirt, which rose to mid-thigh. Exhaling sharply through his teeth, Mark flicked Alana's coat back over her exposed thigh.
This blatant behavior offended Alana, and she immediately objected.
"What happened? Why are you twitching like that?"
"Because you dressed like a whore!"
"What did you say?!"
Mark could not pull himself together, like all the times before, when a girl's defiance upset him. He felt like a real moral freak, realizing these words hurt her very much. Previously, Mark would snap at Alana for any little trifle, but the more he got into her, the faster rude words were replaced by imperious touching and demanding kisses.
At first, his behavior scared Alana, but then falling in love completely blinded her, teaching her humility. She justified his peculiar display of feeling by the fact he had not had a relationship before her and he simply did not know how to behave differently. But now Mark had crossed all reasonable boundaries... Resentment, like an icy wave from the Atlantic Ocean, doused her with a charming splash, piercing her to her very bones with a frosty cold. Without holding back her tears, Moore reached for the handle, intending to exit the car. Yet, this man's hand grabbed her coat sleeve and abruptly pulled the girl back.
"Are you going somewhere?"
"Home..."
"Do you hope to get there in this form? I'll drive you back after the party, get over yourself."
While the couple figured out their relationship, the red light lit up for the second time, but Mark didn't care about it. Pressing the gas pedal, the car took off. They spent the rest of the way in complete silence, each busy with their own thoughts. However, after parking the car in the school parking lot, neither of them was in a hurry to get out.
Alana was worried about her inability to present herself properly, thinking that she really overdid her makeup and would look like a laughingstock in public. She worried she might embarrass Mark, and that was why he reacted like that. The guy himself, on the contrary, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel, glanced at his friends waiting at the entrance to the school, not wanting to bring Moore into their company.
"Alana, I, uh..." Try as he may, Wood still couldn't ask for forgiveness. Despite racking his brain, he could not come up with anything that sounded right to him.
"If you don't want to go there, we can leave."
"We're already on fire, there's nowhere to retreat..."
"The ceremony will be at the very beginning. I can wait for you here," Alana offered, still thinking her appearance caused of their strife. "I thought I could imitate the style of your previous girlfriends, but..."
"You're stupid..." Mark interrupted her, slowly sliding his gaze over her body, catching an excited look. "You don't need to imitate anyone, because I already love you, mouse..."
Out of the corner of his eye, Wood noticed movement next to the car, and when he turned around, there was a knock on the window.
"What do you want?" Turning to the distraction, Mark tried to turn around in such a way as to cover Alana. He instantly realized it looked stupid, because she would still have to get out of the car.
"We're already frostbitten, are you coming?" Ken bent down to look at his friend's companion, but Wood closed the window right in front of his nose.
After opening the door, Mark got out and said they did not need babysitters, and when they deem it necessary, then they would come. Wilmore just grinned at his words and stepped back, waiting for the moment he could meet Alana's eyes through the windshield. Winking at the girl, he turned around with a satisfied smile and went inside with the other guys.
Ken knew about his friend's feelings and constantly teased him about it, belittling the dignity of the mouse, hoping to bring Wood back down to earth. And now Mark was ready to swear Wilmore did it on purpose, to stir up his jealousy again.
With a convulsive sigh, he returned to the car, having decided to make his position clear.
"Have you ever wondered what I want?" He took her hands and put her palms to his cheeks, and when he felt the caressing movements of her thumbs, he almost lost his head with pleasure. Having known true love and becoming intoxicated with it, he could no longer give it up. Love was like a drug, causing an unhealthy dependence on his partner; Mark was afraid of losing these feelings, afraid because he had a constant reminder of this... "I want you to belong only to me, mouse, breathe only me, look only at me, Alana. I want you to be completely mine, every cell, every point of your body. I want there to be no one in your life but me!"
Running his fingers through the girl's loose curls, he slid his hand behind her head and leaned closer, until they were forehead to forehead.
"Mark..."
"You're damn beautiful right now, Alana, and I'm already tearing my head off from jealousy. So, remember a few rules, mouse: don't leave my side, don't talk to anyone, don't smile at anyone and don't make eyes at anyone, understand? As soon as the coronation takes place, we'll get out of there and spend time together..." These words were a languid whisper, like a hypnotizing snake charmer, and from so close, she literally lost her head. As soon as she heard the instructions, she agreed, after which her lips were sealed with a fervent kiss, neither of them not caring at all about her smeared lipstick.
However, as soon as they crossed the threshold of the gym, Mark instantly stood rooted to the spot. He needed to get rid of some emotional ballast, and what could relax a person better than strong alcohol? Approaching the pre-set table, he took two paper cups disguised as non-alcoholic punch and drained them each in one gulp, without even offering one to his other half.
"Wow," came a whistle from behind them. "Who is this stunning lady? And without a chaperone!" Mark turned at the snide voice and met Wilmore's appraising gaze as he stared at Alana, and then turned his attention back to Wood. "But no, there is another here. You've been delaying for a very long time. Everything will start soon."
"So what? Personally, I'm not interested..." Mark hid Moore behind his back, demonstrating to his friend a hostile attitude and a complete lack of mood.
"Hmm," Ken grinned maliciously and looked at his friend. "I'm sure you'll change your mind."
After Wilmore left, Mark turned to the guy at the table and ordered another round.
"You're going to get so drunk!" Alana was indignant, realizing that at this rate, they would not go anywhere.
"Don't bother with your moralizing... Just stay close."
Looking around the hall, Wood met the eyes of his buddies and went over to join them once his thirst was quenched. Thinking a high blood-alcohol level would help him relax, he did not expect the opposite effect. The foggier his head became, the more acute his jealousy was. Mark did not know how to cover Alana properly, and it was getting to the point of absurdity. It seemed like an eternity before the ceremony would start, and the alcohol went straight to his head. Suddenly, the light in the hall went out, leaving only the illuminated stage. The principal came out to give a welcoming speech and then opened the envelope with the voting results.
Taking advantage of this twilight environment, Wood stood behind Alana and, gently hugging her, buried his face in her neck, planting a series of brief kisses there. He could not wait to leave this place and be alone with his beloved.
"I want to leave. Will you come with me?"
"My heart's where you are. Why are you asking such silly questions?"
Ignoring the people around him, Mark closed his eyes and buried his nose in Alana's hair, greedily breathing the beautiful fragrance, as if trying to inhale it before dying. He was so immersed in this, he did not immediately understand why people were calling his name from all sides.
"What?" asked Wood angrily and tried his best to tear himself away from his girlfriend.
"You were chosen king," Stephen said softly, as if he could not believe his own words.
"Impossible! I didn't take part."
"Come on, man! Go try on the crown!" Ken put his hand on his friend's shoulder, which Mark immediately shrugged off with a sharp movement.
"Mr. Wood," the principal's cheerful voice sounded, "please don't keep your queen waiting."
"My queen is here! And let the one who is really the 'people's' choice get up on the stage. Eh, Wilmore?"
"You're paranoid." Ken looked defiantly at his friend, while incomprehensible whispers began around him, because after Wood's candidacy was withdrawn, someone else should have received the crown.
"And yet I insist," said the principal. "Mark, let's not ruin a lovely evening. Please come up on stage."
Wood, tightly interlacing his fingers with Alana, moved towards the stage, but stopped, recoiling back. Turning around, he saw how the blond asshole, who had already begun to annoy Mark, grabbed Moore by her other hand, pulling her back. Someone else was touching his girlfriend, and Mark's blood boiled in his veins anew...
"Let go of..." Wood straining through clenched teeth, grabbing his friend by the hand.
"You're embarrassing yourself," Wilmore replied in the same manner. "Stop dragging her around like she's a dog on a leash. Or are you afraid that someone will wag their tongue?"
"You piece of filth..." Mark shook Ken, intending to teach him a lesson, but Alana stepped between them, literally pressing her lips to Mark's lips, and whispered to him.
"I'll be here... I'll be waiting for you, and we'll leave as soon as you get off the stage!"
These words cooled his ardor. He could have easily left the event, but this trick would have gone sideways for him, since the principal was on good terms with his parents, and Mark already had enough problems.
Leaving Alana with a light kiss, Wood turned around and headed for the stage to the sound of cheerful music, but the absolute silence of the crowd. The spotlights were blinding, but even in his drunken state, Mark focused his gaze on the spot where his company remained. The principal did not bother with another speech, and everything went well, exactly until the future king saw through the bright, cold lighting how Wilmore tried in every possible way to attract Alana's attention, despite the constant tugging of his friends.
Each touch caused him pain, his heart raced and his breathing became shallow. Wood literally broke into a cold sweat. All this emotional excitement against the backdrop of the alcohol in his system made him fidget, and he got disorientated. But the last straw was Alana's smile when Ken whispered something in her ear, getting unacceptably close to her... With each passing second, the white light dimmed, turning into a bottomless haze...
***
The annoying buzzing vibrations from his phone seemed to rock his brain, each sending a stabbing pain through his head. Wood winced in discomfort and tried to straighten up, but was faced with an incomprehensible obstacle. Wincing from his headache, Mark could still open his eyelids, and looked around in disbelief. He was lying in an uncomfortable position on the reclined driver's seat in his car, parked on some embankment.
Having gathered his strength and overcoming a strong sense of weakness, he went outside to orient himself. Some kind of chaos had taken hold in his head, where his thoughts were mixed into a solid mass, leaving him unable to piece together the events of last night...
Where the hell is Alana and how did I get here?
Mark was on Staten Island, on the waterfront opposite Lower Bay. How he got there remained a mystery, because the school was in a completely different area, many miles away. Unable to get a handle on anything, he dived back into the car to get his phone, and saw the bunch of missed calls and messages, all from everyone but her...
As soon as Mark tried to open the unread messages, hoping to find answers to his questions, his mother's name appeared on the screen as an incoming call came in. A feeling of dread scratched him inside, like a rusty nail. For a few moments, his hand trembled over the red button to reject the call, but in the end, he accepted it.
"Where the hell are you?" the angry voice hissed in his ear.
"Did you miss me?" came his sarcastic reply. His mother's voice was the last thing he wanted to hear in the morning.
"Go home quickly. We had a visit from the police..."