"No, your phone number." Phone number? He thinks I have a phone?

Oh god Oh god Oh god Oh god Oh god

I could either tell him the truth or lie to him. And I think he would be able to tell if I lied to his face. I'm a really bad liar.

"I don't have a phone" I answer with a 'it's really alright' expression. But he sees through it.

"I'm sorry." Mark answers. He looks guilty. Like, going to cry guilty. I need to get him a pack of tissues.

"Geez, it's okay. It's not your fault." I reply. He smiles and the bell rings. I head away a little bit but he notices my bare back and frowns.

God this guy's trying to make me spill my secrets. "And your backpack..." What ever happened to being late for class?

My mask falls, and I'm staring at him with the same cold blue eyes that I wore my whole time in the orphanage. He must be scared of me. Seeing how my personality changes so fast. Seeing how I can become so cold and dark. But he doesn't know why I do this, why I try to block out my life. Why I was depressed, why I am scared.

"It's at home." I answer, flatly.

"No it's not." Mark argues. This guy doesn't care about my temper. He doesn't care if I am cold and empty. I gulp. Deep down I know it's gonna come out. Actually I kind of wonder how he can't tell that I'm from the orphanage, it's kind of obvious. I look 16 and I show up on a Monday at a random time in the year out of the blue. Beat up and dirty. Depressed and poor.

"I'm from the orphanage" I say, and his eyes fill with hurt, pain, and worry. Gosh. I don't even know the dude. Then I turn my back on him and sprint to class.

~~~~

After class ends, Mark somehow finds me again. "Hey. Perri!" he calls out, and I turn around. Try to forget about previous conversation. Try to forget about previous conversation. Try to-

"You never gave me any way to contact you." he says, quietly.

"Well you seem kinda like a stalker." I reply, sorta embarrased once his face turns into a horrible guilt.

"Um" I say again, as an awkward silence follows. I always say the wrong things. That's the reason that I always got extra beatings. "I wasn't being serious." I finished.

"It's okay." Mark replied, sounding completely not okay. He starts to walk away, but then I stop him.

"It's apartment number 217." He smiles, and then walks away slowly. I don't know what it is about him, but I feel like he already likes me. Is that weird?

It's not weird though. Cause I already like him too.