Chapter 2: Chapter Two - MARKUS

For the first time ever, Markus wasn’t able to concentrate in his physics class. His teacher had asked him a question, and Markus had no idea what. It turned out it had been a simple question that he could have easily answered, but his mind was elsewhere.

Ever since he had met Gracie at a New Year’s Eve party the previous month, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her. As soon as he’d left the party, he’d looked her up on social media. Markus wasn’t stalking Gracie or anything creepy like that. He was just curious about who her friends were and what type of music she liked…and if she had a boyfriend. He had been relieved when it appeared she wasn’t currently dating anyone. Markus had also been surprised. Who wouldn’t want to spend all their time around someone like her? Her laugh was infectious, and she had a carefree and optimistic vibe about her.

Well, usually. Not this morning.

When Markus had seen Gracie with Mrs. Krump, she had looked so sad. Like she might be on the verge of tears. He couldn’t leave her like that, not when he might be of some help. He had a positive relationship with Mrs. Krump and had thought his opinion might mean something.

Except, Gracie hadn’t seemed grateful when he had spoken on her behalf. He’d just saved her from receiving a zero on an assignment she’d already done, but she’d acted like it didn’t matter.

Of course, it seemed clear now that Gracie had no idea who he was. Their brief meeting at the party hadn’t affected her like it had him. That was a bit disappointing, but not exactly a surprise.

Markus thought on this for the rest of the morning. When lunchtime came, he grabbed his brown paper sack from his locker. He wished the weather was nice enough that he could eat under the large oak tree behind the school; however, considering it was only February and he was unfortunate enough to live in Lakeview, Minnesota, the air was still bitter cold and frozen snow still covered the ground.

Markus decided to take his lunch to Mrs. Krump’s classroom instead. He didn’t feel like eating in the cafeteria alone, despite being surrounded by people. Besides, Mrs. Krump always had interesting stories that helped pass the time while he ate.

Markus was lost in his thoughts when he rounded a corner and nearly ran into Alexa Parker. His lunch fell from his grasp as Alexa stumbled over him. “Oh, I’m so sorry,” he said.

She rewarded him with a large smile. “Hey, Mark.” She bent down, picked up his lunch bag and handed it back to him.

He and Alexa had worked together building a home through a local charity organization, and since then, he’d thought of her as the closest thing he had to a friend. Markus was about to ask if maybe he could eat with her, but then realized she wasn’t alone. Her boyfriend, Charlie, stood nearby, as did three other girls. Two of them looked vaguely familiar, but then his gaze landed on the third.

Gracie.

Markus mumbled something about having something he needed to do, but Alexa touched his sleeve before he could hurry off.

“We’re just heading to lunch. Would you like to join us?”

Markus stared, unsure what to say. He had convinced himself that he enjoyed eating with teachers. It was fun. Right?

Who was he kidding?

Markus glanced at Gracie. Her lips pulled up into a half-smile. It made his breathing shallow, and he didn’t need any more convincing than that.

“Yeah, okay.”

Markus trailed behind the group, still not quite feeling a part of it, and he wondered if he’d made a mistake. To his surprise, Gracie slowed her pace to match his.

“I feel that I owe you an apology,” she said after a moment.

Markus’s head snapped up, and he met her gaze. “For what?”

“That was really nice of you, sticking up for me with Mrs. Krump. I wasn’t very nice back.” Her gaze dropped, making her appear shy.

“It wasn’t a big deal,” Markus said.

Gracie watched her feet as they entered the cafeteria. “No one else would have done it.”

Alexa, Charlie, and the other two girls jumped into line for their food, but Gracie instead walked toward a table in a back corner.

“Aren’t you going to get lunch?” Markus asked.

“I brought my own.”

Markus followed her, hoping she wouldn’t mind. Alexa had invited him to eat with them, after all. Gracie sat down and pulled a sandwich out of her backpack. It didn’t seem like enough, but rather than point that out to her, he pulled out an orange and a bag of chips from his own bag and placed them next to her on the table.

“Would you like these? I always pack extras.”

Gracie chewed on her lip, like she wasn’t sure what to make of the gesture. “Thanks,” she finally said, picking up the orange, but then avoided his gaze as she took her sandwich out of its plastic bag. They ate in silence for a moment before she looked up. “I’m Gracie, by the way.”

“I’m Markus.” He tried his best to mask his disappointment. They had already introduced themselves a month earlier.

“Have we met before?” Gracie asked, starting to peel the orange Markus had given her. “I mean, before this morning?”

Markus hesitated. Should he admit that he remembered the exact time and place? “You do seem familiar. Could have been at a New Year’s Eve party I went to.” Because he was cool like that. Gracie didn’t need to know that it was the only New Year’s Eve party he had ever been to, and he’d only stayed for twenty minutes.

Gracie tilted her head. “Maybe. I was just trying to figure out why you’ve gone out of your way to help me today.”

She really didn’t remember him. At. All. Even when Markus had told her exactly where they’d met. His heart slid further into his stomach and he looked away.

“Mrs. Krump is all bark, but most people don’t know that,” he said.

Grace snorted, like she didn’t believe him. “I don’t know about that. Almost everyone I know has been in detention at least once because of her.”

“She’s just trying to help.”

“Are you sure you aren’t a teacher in disguise?” Grace asked. She gave a small laugh, but it seemed more like she was uncomfortable.

Great. He’d done it again. He was his father’s son, more than he’d like. In ten years, he’d probably have his PhD…and an ex-wife. Just like his dad.

“No, I’m just good at playing the system,” Markus said, trying to sound more like a normal teenager. “You play to their egos, and they make life easier for you. That’s all.”

“Okay,” Gracie said, though she didn’t look entirely convinced.

Anyone who knew Markus for more than five minutes wouldn’t believe a word he’d just uttered. But the funny thing was, it was completely true. The problem was, he played the system so well that he was now on track to go to a university he knew he would hate, for a degree that was going to make him miserable. His father had been priming Markus his whole life.

And now Markus was stuck.