Chapter 69 Friends To Foes

Chapter 69 Friends To Foes
Lucas POV 

A few months after Mark and his family relocated permanently to Canada, we lost contact with Mark. 

It was difficult for us to accept that the Mark had disappeared from our lives for good. 

We tried all we could to reach out to Mark, but all to no avail. 

We searched for him on all social media platforms, yet we couldn't find him.

We waited for months, hoping that Mark would someday reach out to us and explain the reason for his long absence.

No word was heard from Mark anymore. Parker and I assumed that Mark intentionally cut off after meeting new friends in Canada. 

Mark, Parker, and I all shared big dreams. Too bad, we were unable to achieve the dreams we all craved as teenagers. 

Seeing me dressed as a cop ain't what I could have envisioned his future to be like. I am sure that Parker will be asking the same question if he were alive.

Mark has always hated the cops and anything related to the profession. A thousand times, we've asked him the reason behind his hatred for them, but he refused to tell us.

In his words, “You folks will never understand in a thousand years to come if I decide to explain to you,"

“I had to return to Medford some few years ago after the death of my parents,” he explained to me. 

“They were murdered by some unidentified armed men right in our living room. I had to run for my safety,” he spilled.

“Oops, sorry about that. I had no idea your parents are dead,” I extended my condolences to him.

He's starting to get so emotional. I won't be surprised if the tears start dropping from his eyes. 

I was inclined to ask him if he managed to find out the reason his parents were murdered in cold blood. On second thought, I realised it would be a wrong move. 

This certainly isn't the time to throw in such questions at someone who might still be mourning the loss of his parents.

The young man hasn't moved on from the unfortunate incident. Any silly question from me and his heart will be shattered completely. 

I was getting so hooked up in the conversation that I completely forgot the journey that lies ahead of me.

I am eager to leave, but I lack the skill to end the conversation without sounding rude to him. Mark makes it easier to be around him.

He still hasn't lost his sugar-coating skills. If I were a lady, I would be tripping for him already. 

“So why did you choose to be a cop when we had other professions to choose from? For crying out loud, you read business studies in school? I can't see the correlation between that and being a cop. You never liked them a bit,” I asked the much-awaited question.

There must be a reason why he took this path. Apart from having a wealthy father who was willing to sacrifice anything to secure his son's future, Mark was the smartest among us. 

Oftentimes, Parker and I tip him to assist us with our tests and other assessments. We were so sure that he'd thrive in the labour market, with or without his father's influence. 

Mark didn't respond to the question. I was starting to hate myself for prying into his private life.

I was about to apologise for going out of line when Mark requested that we swap phone numbers for a possible link-up to discuss further.

“I hope you don't mind?” He asked me when he noticed the oddity around my face.

Perhaps, he was expecting me to give up the phone number immediately. 

“Why not? I'd love to chill out with you, too,” I had to play along. 

I wasn't sure if it was a good idea, but I had to stay in character. The plan is to block his number when I return to the warehouse.

“I'd definitely keep in touch with you. We have a lot of catching up to do,” he said to me. 

He was so excited to have my number. A total stranger might walk in and start suspecting that Mark has won a lottery or something. I can tell that he misses me a lot. 

I thought that was the end of our conversation until he asked me a disturbing question, “Where's Parker?”

“Parker, who?” My voice faded. I itched my hair and pretended not to hear him clearly.

“Yes, Parker. Your brother, of course.” He repeated his question to prove that the first time wasn't a fluke. “I am surprised we didn't mention his name in our conversation.”

“He was very daring to me in school too. There's no way I would have forgotten about him like that. That won't speak well of me,” Mark kept mounting the pressure on me. 

While our conversation lasted, I was hoping that he wasn't going to ask me about Parker. Now he is not just asking about Parker, he's requesting his phone number. 

“Do you mind sharing his contact with me? I would love to reach out to him,” he said.

“Don't you think it will be great for the three of us to link up together for old-time's sake? It won't be fair enough to leave him out of the fun moment,” He suggested. 

“Sure, that would be great,” I nodded in agreement. “I am sure he misses you too,”

“Just give me a second while I call out his number for you,” I agreed with a frown on my face.

If he were smart enough, he'd know that I am not in the right frame of mind to do this with him.

“Okay, thanks, mate. This means a lot to me,” he appreciated me and dialled Parker's number right in front of me.

It didn't take too long for Parker's phone to start ringing.

“What a Son of a bitch he is. He didn't wait for me to leave before dialling the number. What the hell is he up to?” I asked within me. I was careful enough not to let him hear me. 

I am this close to asking if Parker's spirit has possessed Mark's body because that's what this seems to me right now. 

It's more than just a coincidence to me. Everything is happening so fast before my eyes like a scripted show. 

First, he engaged me in a prolonged conversation. He utilised the opportunity to discuss what we missed out on all these years.