Unedited
I hated writing this chapter for some reason, and it's pretty uneventful, but it sets up the drama for next chapter!
Either way, I hope you guys enjoy.
Sang's P.O.V.
The next morning, Marc gently shakes me awake.
I groan and shove my face further in the crook of his neck.
He laughs softly, "Come on, my little coffee bean. You have school today and we need to get you home."
"Can't I just skip today?," I pout, even though he can't see my face.
"Hmmm....," Marc adjusts me so I'm now laying on top of him, my thighs straddling his hips. "You drive a hard bargain. We can just hide out in here all day."
I nod and just lay there.
In this moment, I feel completely comfortable and safe. I don't want to leave it. I don't know what's waiting for me at home or school.
After a few minutes, I groan, "I have to go don't I?"
He sighs, "As much as I would like to kidnap you for the day, I think you do."
I nod and roll off of him before I can change my mind. I rub my eyes before I stumble around to find my stuff.
Marc gets up and switches the lights on.
He goes into the bathroom first to get ready.
When he comes out, I go in and start getting ready for school. When I finish brushing my teeth and brushing my hair, I get dressed.
I could've waited to get ready, since Marc is dropping me off at home, but now I'll have spare time before school.
As I'm about to walk out of the bathroom, I smile at the raven Raven drew in my hand last night. It's slightly smudged now, so I wash the rest of it off.
I walk out and Marc is nowhere to be found. I collect my stuff and walk out of his room.
I hear noises coming from the kitchen, so I head that way.
Marc is standing in the dimly lit kitchen, making a cup of coffee.
He eyes me as I walk in and set my bag by the island.
When he's done making his coffee, he takes a sip and groans, "Damn, I'm good."
I laugh and he looks at me over his mug, "You want some?"
I shake my head, "I'm good."
Marc nods, then gestures for me to go over to him.
When I do, he pulls me into his side.
I lay my head on his chest and sigh, "It's not too late. I could still skip school."
Obviously I'm not skipping school, but the idea is nice.
Marc laughs and sets his coffee down.
He grabs me by the hips and hoists me up before setting me on the counter, "Don't tempt me."
He picks his coffee back up, "So, are you caught up with everything you missed during your suspension?"
I nod, "For the most part. I have a couple more days to catch up, but I don't have much left to do."
"Good," he pokes me in the side. It tickles, making me jump and then laugh.
He raises an eyebrow and a look of realization crosses his face. He doesn't say anything as he suddenly grabs my waist with one hand before using the other to tickle my side.
I squirm and try not to laugh to loud, considering Axel is asleep not too far away.
"Marc," I gasp for air, "Stop!"
He eventually relents, letting me breathe.
The mood suddenly changes as I stop laughing.
Marc is staring down at me so intensely, I almost stop breathing. I stare back into his eyes, unable to look away. He's so close that I can smell the faint smell of coffee on him. His eyes flicker from my eyes to my lips.
Anxiety fills me. Marc doesn't make me uncomfortable by any means, but I have no idea what to do now. Does he want to kiss me right now? Am I just imagining things?
He grips my chin lightly, searching my face for something, although I'm not sure what.
"Sang," he says lowly, "Tell me if you want this."
I almost can't bring myself to answer, my stomach twisting into knots. "Want what?"
I need him to say it first.
"Do you want me to kiss you?," he asks.
Before I can even think about it, I nod.
"Say it," he says, his voice dripping with authority this time.
"Kiss me," I tell him, "I want you to kiss me."
My heart is practically beating out of my chest. I'm not sure where I get the courage to actually tell him that.
Then his lips are on mine and I freeze.
I really want to enjoy this moment, but I don't even know what to do.
As if he senses my thoughts, Marc pulls away slightly, "You're thinking about this too much. Just relax. You trust me right?"
I nod, unable to speak.
He slowly places his lips on mine again and this time I close my eyes and try to clear everything from my head.
Any doubts and fears I push away and just focus on Marc, right here and now.
And it feels magical.
He grabs my hips to pull me closer to him as he deepens the kiss. I wrap my arms around his neck, wanting this moment to last forever.
Eventually, he pulls away, allowing me to take a breath.
He sighs and presses his forehead against mine, "As much as I don't want to, I have to get you home."
I frown, "I know."
Marc helps me off the counter and I get my things. He hands me the traditional bagged lunch, which I thank him for. He grabs my hand as we head down to his car.
When Marc starts driving me home, it hits me. I just had my first kiss. I don't know what it means for us though.
I like him. A lot.
But I get the same feeling with the others too.
Maybe I am a whore, just like my stepmother said.
Marc notices my silence, "What are you thinking right now?"
I feel guilty. And just last night I promised him I would be honest.
"I really liked kissing you," I answer.
He grins, "I really liked kissing you too. But why do you look so upset about it?"
I drop my face into my hands. I can't tell him this. I couldn't stand it if any of them looked at me the way my stepmother does.
"Look at me," Marc demands.
I look up and he takes his eyes off the road quickly to make sure I've done what he said.
"Tell me. I guarantee it's not as bad as you think," his tone is softer this time.
I take a deep breath to ready myself. "I'm just confused. I liked kissing you. But, the way I feel when I'm with you," I pause and try to find the correct words, "Is the same way I feel when I'm with the others..."
I don't want to look at him. I wait for his response, expecting the worst.
Instead, he laughs. He actually laughs.
"Shit, you had me scared for a second, Sang," he clears his throat, "I promise you shouldn't be freaked out about that." His eyes are glued to the road, but I see the faintest smile on his lips.
"So you don't think I'm a whore or something?"
"I never want to hear you say that again," he says, "Of course I don't."
"But isn't it weird? Or wrong?," I ask.
"Absolutely not. And I promise you that the others would tell you the exact same thing. You should explore your feelings. I swear the others won't care, as long as you're happy."
I don't know exactly what to respond to that. Is he telling me I should kiss all of them?
He pulls up to our spot in my neighborhood, "Just trust us. And yourself."
I feel unsure, but I nod anyways. I give him a quick peck on the corner of his lips, before telling him goodbye.
I sneak up to my room, feeling more confused than ever.
———
School was uneventful, but good.
The boys walked me from class to class and I had no marriage proposals or creepy guys grabbing me in the hallway.
As soon as I got home earlier, I checked in on my stepmother, who was passed out.
Now, I'm trying to play Nathan in a video game and I'm actually doing pretty well, even though I'm pretty much winging it. The others surround us, waiting to see who will win this time.
"Come on," Luke says, "Kick his ass!"
I laugh and suddenly Nathan knocks into me. Not hard, but enough for me to mess up.
"Hey!," I exclaim, "Cheater!"
My voice cracks at the end, and suddenly I'm having a coughing fit.
My throat does this thing every now and then from the lemon juice and vinegar. When I speak too loud, my voice gives out for a minute or two. Sometime it makes my throat scratchy, and I cough a lot, like right now.
Nathan frowns, "Are you sick?"
I shake my head and croak out, "No, I'm fine."
"You're not fine," Kota says, "What's wrong with your throat?"
"It's just an itch," I tell him.
Kota can see that I'm lying. He walks over with his phone in hand, the flashlight on.
Everybody else watches in silence, which is not typical for this group.
"Just let me see, Sang," Kota says. His tone is soft, but I can hear the authority in his words.
I look around at everyone, wanting nothing more than to disappear.
I do as he says and open my mouth. He squints as he looks into my throat.
He looks at me with an emotion that I am unable to decipher, "What the hell, Sang?"
"It happened before I even met you guys," I say, hoping he wouldn't be so upset. My voice is already coming back, it's not that big a deal.
"What's wrong with her?," Silas asks.
I look to see North beside him, who is scarily silent right now. The others wait in anticipation.
"Her throat... it's burned," Kota says.
Kota crouches down in front of me and grabs my hand, "What happened? Were you forced to drink something?"
"Lemon juice and vinegar," I tell him quietly.
But it's loud enough for everyone else to hear, and suddenly there's so much yelling. I can't make out what anybody is saying.
Kota yells, "Everybody, sit down and be quiet. Now."
They all surprisingly do as he says. I avoid looking at anybody but Kota, scared at what I would see.
"Sang, I need to know who did this. Your dad?," Kota asks.
I shake my head.
I know it's coming. North is the only one out of this group that knows it's my stepmother.
"Your Mom?"
I hesitate before nodding.
Kota stands up, "I'm calling Dr. Green."
"Wait, no," I tell him, "There's nothing he, or any other Doctor, can do for me at this point. I'm fine, my voice is back to normal."
"Maybe there isn't anything he can do and maybe you are fine, but I'd rather be safe than sorry, Sang."
Kota walks further away, calling Dr. Green.
"Doc, we need you here at my house now," I hear Kota say into the phone, "No it's not us, it's Sang."
There's a moment of silence and then Kota says, "Yeah, bring him too. As soon as you can."