𝟯: 𝗦𝗨𝗦𝗣𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗘𝗦
As soon as the school bell rang, it indicated the commencement of the thirty-minute break, and chaos ensued as all students became alert. The rush towards the canteen was like a stampede, driven by two motives: To get food and to get good seats.
Unfortunately, the newer students lacked a strong chance to obtain either. Thankfully, as Seniors, we were somewhat esteemed and obtained both initially. We held the highest position in the hierarchy. This was something I could never comprehend, particularly because the majority of Seniors were extremely impolite to the younger students without any apparent reason. Nevertheless, I simply disregarded it and took advantage of the situation. I assumed that was simply the way things worked in High School.
Normally, I would spend my free time with either Naomi or Donghyuck, but on this occasion, I had the opportunity to hang out with both of them.
"No way." Naomi was incredulous and her mouth dropped open when she heard about my near death experience. A smile slowly appeared on her lips as she processed the information. "That is crazy~ I can't believe you encountered Venom and Spiderman, while I was here stuck in Chemistry class."
I absentmindedly used my fork to explore the salad in front of me due to boredom and paid little attention to Naomi. I raised one of my eyebrows and questioned her. "Why are you complaining? I almost died."
Naomi pouted, her arms folded across her chest. "Oh, come on~ It's only natural to feel exhilarated when faced with Venom and Spiderman. Don't blame me."
Donghyuck, who was sitting opposite to us, covertly glanced at his crush, a slight frown on his lips. "Huh? Do you have a liking for Spiderman?" I could distinctly perceive the envy in his voice.
Naomi smiled and gave a nod of agreement. She stated, "Yeah duh~ Spiderman is literally every woman's dream guy. He's got a fat ass too." She justified her opinion while playfully shrugging her shoulders.
I couldn't resist smiling.
Donghyuck's face contorted in pure disgust. He expressed his displeasure with a disgusted exclamation. "Eww!" He gagged. "What if I say he farts like 50 times a day? Not so dreamy anymore huh?"
Naomi grimaced. "Uhh... Jeez, why are you so offended? Jealous much?"
I suspected that Naomi was already aware of Donghyuck's feelings for her. I mean, it wasn't like Donghyuck tried concealing it either, he was very obvious with it. Therefore I never understood the whole point of me being his Cupid, because there was indeed no point of trying to set up a girl whom already liked another boy.
You could say the same with my situation with Mark Lee. There was no point for Donghyuck to force something, that wasn't there in the first place.
That was lame. We were both losers.
Donghyuck slammed his fork on the table and pouted his lower lip. "Okay. Yes, I am jealous. I believed it was already quite apparent." He scoffed and shook his head. "Regardless, I'm confident you won't even like him in real life."
Curious, I looked at Donghyuck's sulking face. "What is up with you? I could've sworn I saw you talk about Spiderman with heart eyes last night."
Donghyuck refrained from continuing the argument and expressed his displeasure silently while eating his food. In the meantime, Naomi observed with satisfaction, her face adorned by a subtle triumphant grin. I dismissed the situation and diverted my attention to my own meal. My mind was occupied solely by recollections of my interaction with the two vigilantes of Queens.
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.