"Theo, man. What's the matter? You've been acting weird all day." Marcus asked, swinging his arm around me and throwing me a towel.

I wiped my face and shrugged off his arm to which he stepped back and threw himself down onto the leather couch that was in the gym.

I towel-dried my face and pulled my top over my head, throwing it to the side.

"Theo. Are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, what do you mean?" I asked, not facing him. Instead I tossed the empty bottle of water into the trash and swung open the door to which he followed me out through.

"There is something wrong. You're not acting like how you normally would." He said and I picked up the packet of cigarette's and the lighter from the counter.

"How do I normally act?" I turned to him, whilst cupping the cigarette as I lit it.

"Like a grumpy ass."

I inhaled the smoke and and walked over to the couch. "I'm glad you watch me. I'm flattered."

He rolled his eyes. "Dickhead. I don't watch you."

"You do."

"I'd rather watch Marilyn get fucked by Josh. That would make me sick."

I narrowed my eyes. "You make me sick. What kind of fucked up thought was that?"

He shrugged. "That was the first thing that came into my head."

Idiot.

"Never say that again. Please." I took a hit from the cigarette and Marcus laughed.

He grimaced and shivered. "Yeah. I'm never going to."

We sat in uncomfortable silence before my phone pinged, making me look down at it. Could it be..? No.

"That reminds me," Marcus said.

"What? That my phone buzzed?"

He rolled his eyes and stared at me with an emotionless expression. "No." He breathed. "I forgot to tell you that Stephanie called me."

I looked at him and inhaled more of the smoke. "She did?"

Fuck sake.

"Yeah. She wanted me to tell you that she wants you back or some shit."

I chuckled and tapped the bud of the cigarette; making a bunch of black ash and orange ember fall from it into the ash tray. "She called you up?" He nodded. "To say that?" Marcus nodded again and snatched my phone from beside me. I lifted up the screen and saw it was a message from my Father. He was coming back soon from a business meeting. It still wasn't clear on what he did. He never told me.

"Why did she call you?" I asked and switched off my phone with a sigh.

"She said you blocked her. She seemed pretty desperate for you to know that she wants you back. I don't know what happened between you both, other than that you both were the talk of the school. But maybe you were wrong about he-"

"Are you saying I should take her back?" I asked with a scoff. From the corner of my eye I saw Marcus scratch his neck and lean backwards onto the couch.

"Up to you. Just- things might be a lot better for you if you two were together." He said. "I've just heard the talk around the school about you and, it's not fair what they were saying. But I think just to make your life easier, you both should try and work things out."

I scowled and burnt out the end of the cigarette. I nearly threw my phone to the other side of the room. "What kind of things are these dicks saying?" I asked and let out a rushed breath of air.

Marcus gave me a wary look but I narrowed my eyes at him to which he let out a sigh. "It's noth-"

"Tell me."

"What they say doesn't even make sense-"

"Marcus."

He rolled his eyes. "Fine." He sighed. "They're saying you had problems in your last school."

I coughed.

Fuck.

"What problems?" I asked but Marcus just shrugged. The tense look was wiped from his face; painting a very much calm and relaxed one.

"Nothing. They didn't say anything more than that." He said and stood up, tugging on my arm.

"Get off me." I groaned but he was pretty persistent. "Off." I warned but he continued. "Marcus if you don't get your fat fingers off me in the next ten seconds, I'll slam dunk you into the hoop out there."

Marcus turned his head and looked at the basketball hoop outside. But I took the time to kick him and scramble off the couch and to the stairs.

"Oi! You motherfu-"

"Boys!" A voice made me still and I could already guess who it was. Was it that time already?

I turned around to see my Father stood in the hallway; briefcase in his grasp and his glasses on his face. He also looked pretty fucking mad.

When wasn't he?

"What on earth is going on here?" My Father asked and I could see Marcus look at me. I turned to Marcus and gestured for him to go upstairs. Which he did in silence.

"Back so soon?" I asked, slipping back into my shirt. I could hear him laugh. Then he placed his briefcase down onto the floor beside the door and step forwards; but keeping a distance between us.

"Did I bring you up to be so rude, son?" He asked, shaking his head in disappointment. Did you bring me up at all? I wanted to asked but I knew I would get my neck in.

Seeing that I wasn't going to say anything, he continued. "Who was that?"

"My friend."

"Your friend? Remember not to get too close, son. You know what can happen. You know how people can be." He warned with the point of his finger. I scoffed.

"Yeah. I know."

"Good." He said in a blunt tone and a straight face. "I'm going to my study. If you need something, get Julie to come in and tell me." He said and I nodded my head. I was about to head upstairs when he stopped me. "Oh and son,"

"Yeah?"

I was half-expecting to hear him ask me how I was. But that would be a stretch too far for him. Wouldn't it?

"Make sure you, and you're little friend, don't interrupt me."

Then he was off. Walking to his study that I could hear in the distance that the door to it was slamming shut.

"Yes, Father." I said wistfully under my breath and walked upstairs into my room. Marcus was on the phone, sat on my bed.

I let out a sigh and kicked off my shoes.

My arms were killing me...and fuck my knuckles were bruised.

"..Okay. See ya there." Marcus said, hanging up the phone and I looked away from him.

I was going for a shower.

"A load of the guys, and Stephanie, are going to the beach. Wanna come?"

"Sure." I said, walking into the bathroom and slamming the door shut.

A warm shower was what I needed. To relax my tense muscles, but also before putting up with Stephanie's bullshit for a day.

A/N: