Nikolas shot a glare at Markus but otherwise civil for the first time. He was confused and frustrated and angry, so driving his precious Challenger with its satisfying roar of an engine would surely calm him down some. He sighed one last time before closing his locker again, grabbing his bag, and stalking out of the locker room without a word towards the nerd. They'd be better off not acknowledging the sign, or each other for that matter. Nothing would come of it.
Markus found himself watching Nikolas leave, gaze lingering on the other boy’s head for a moment before he shook himself. Lily. You have to call Lily. He fumbled for his phone, trying to even out his breathing and the panic that was threatening to crawl it’s way up his throat. “L-Lily? Oh thank god. I need-the usual place? We need to talk.”
Nikolas spun his keys around his fingers as he walked, clicking his piercing against the roof of his mouth in an erratic pattern, likely unconsciously following his heartbeat, as he often did. If he was quick, he would be able to catch the start of the races just in time. More time spent at the tracks, more money to snatch from those losers. A lot of them were worthless druggies, so he didn't feel bad about taking their money. It was their fault, he reasoned, for challenging him, a champion at the tracks.
Lily met Markus at the top of the stands in the school’s stadium, the place they always met. It was the only place that was quiet, where they could both be comfortable and themselves, and looking out over the whole field left Markus feeling slightly like he could take on the world.
“Mark? Are you alright? You sounded really weird on the phone-“
“It happened. And it was-Nikolas.”
Nikolas was in his car by that time, driving to the tracks and talking to Tessa on speakerphone. "Look, dude," the girl said calmly though not without a hint of amusement, "Sure, it's slightly fucked up that the guy you beat on a daily—not cool by the way, Nico–"
"I know," he ground out, jaw clenching again. How she could be so calm when she was just basically abandoned was beyond him, but at least she was feeling alright, however much was to his expense.
"–is your soulmate, but that doesn't mean you have to be pissing and moaning about it. Try to make it work. I'm sure he's good for you."
"Yeah," he said with a harsh bark of laughter, fingers raking through his thick hair, "I'm sure the poor bastard wants to be stuck with someone as damaged as I am."
Lily blinked, once and then twice, before her multicolored eyes widened in shock. “Oh. Oh. Mark, that’s-not good but at the same time it is? Finding him is at least. But-“
“Between it bein’ Nikolas, the guy who beats my ass every day, and Elise-“ Markus rambled, pausing as he mentioned his foster mother. “She’s gonna kill me Lily. My glasses are broken and my soulmate is a guy and what the fuck am I supposed to do-“
“Breathe, first.” Lily said gently, placing a hand on his shoulder. “You need to breathe. And then, when I’m sure you’re not going to suddenly give yourself asthma and then have an asthma attack, I’ll help you think.”
"Beat yourself up and I'm gonna do it for you," Tessa tactfully responded, and Nikolas couldn't help but feel a smile twitch at his lips when he imagined her sitting back and picking at her nails. It was such a Tess thing to do. "Just trust me. Take a few chill pills before school every day, stop worrying about me for once, and leave the poor guy alone. He'll continue to hate your face if you keep shoving your fist in his."
"I–"
"Shut the fuck up and let me talk," She cut him off sharply, and he clamped his lips shut. "I know you feel bad about it, but what matters is you making an attempt to stop. If you weren't such a Spencer, then I think Markus will come 'round. Eventually."
"He's not gay."
"He will be. Trust me."
“Breathe. Right. I think I can do that.” Markus nodded, closing his eyes and sucking in a deep breath of cool air. He exhaled slowly, tuning into Lily as he guessed she was opening her mouth to speak. He knew his friend.
“Okay. Let’s think about this. How do you cover up a glowing chest?” Lily started, wrinkling her nose and furrowing her brow in thought. “I can get you some dark hoodies. That’ll help cover that up. And as for Elise…don’t tell her. Hide it if you can. Or at least…tell her it was me. She likes me, right? So just tell her that, and we can pretend until you’re out of there and don’t have to worry about her. Okay?”
Markus nodded hesitantly, leaning in to pull her into a bear hug. “You always save the day. Thanks, Lils.”
"If you say so," Nikolas mumbled, then rose his voice to a dramatically cheerful tone as he spotted the tracks, "Love ya, gotta go!" Tessa sighed, then blew a kiss and hung up the phone. Nikolas pulled into the tracks, then grinned in excitement as the heavy bass thumped through the air, loud enough to challenge the roar of his car's engine.
Tessa clicked her tongue as she gazed at her phone, then glanced at the box sitting on her bed. "Time to play the game," she said to herself with a smirk, then dialed a number that's been unused for quite some time. "Yo fucker. How's life?" she greeted when the other person picked up.
"I wouldn't say always, but it seems like it happens decently often enough." Lily said, returning the hug with a huffed laugh. When Markus's phone started ringing, she pulled away, raising an eyebrow at him. "I'm gonna go see what's left in the vending machine. I got my paycheck last night, and tips were good this week. See you!" With that, she was gone, using the seats instead of the steps and taking them two, three at a time. Leaving Markus to answer his phone.
Pulling the cheap and shitty flip phone from his pocket, he answered the call as he lifted the phone to his ear. "Howdy right back atcha, asshole. You know it ain' ever good, but whatever. The fuck d'you want?"
Tessa grinned despite his reasonably shitty day and swiveled back and forth in her chair, legs swinging. "So, I may or may not possess an entire box and a half full of shit I stole from you from once upon a time ago. You may or may not want to swing by my current residence to sort through. I know you have school right now, so you don't have to come right now. Just wanted to let you know." She picked up a pencil and twirled it through her fingers while she swiveled in her chair, waiting for her former foster brother's response.
"Jesus, no wonder all my shit is gone all o' a sudden. You been stealin' it long enough to have a box?" Markus asked, raising an eyebrow even though she couldn't see it. "Wait, don't answer that. I'll swing by after school. Send me an address? "
Tessa giggled maliciously, then told him the address of Nikolas's place—though Markus didn't need to know who it belonged to just yet. "Can't wait to see you again," she said, meaning it. She might've run away due to the treatment of that horrid woman, but she had liked Markus. He was one of the few foster siblings she had actually liked.
"Me too man. Things're so bleak without your loveable assholishness around the place." Markus fiddled with the frames of his glasses, wondering if he could get ahold of some tape to fix them up somewhat. Elise would be a bit happier with that, at least. "She's gettin' worse, now that one source o' income is outta the house."
"Sorry man," Tess said, pulling a leg up against her chest and resting her head against her knee. "I just had to get out of there. I feel bad for leavin' ya to that psycho." She paused then sighed. "And it's not like I could come back. I got kicked a week ago. Happy 18th birthday to me," she drawled oh-so enthusiastically.
"Nah, don't apologize. Just gotta hold on for a year-ish, then I'm out too. Speakin' of birthdays though, I got somethin' that might make ya feel better." He said, the grin evident in his voice. "Least make it not a shitty event. I'll bring it by today."
"Oh? Now I'm intrigued." She smiled as if Markus was there with her, hearing the grin in his voice. She was happy for them both, happy that her two favorite people were soulmates. They didn't realize it just yet, she knew, but the time would come when they wouldn't be able to leave each other's side. It was probably wishful thinking, but she had a gut feeling.
"Good. That means you're gonna listen when I give you the present, instead of making fun of me for wrapping it in newspaper." He rolled his eyes at just the thought, setting aside his glasses and kicking his feet up on the row of seats below him. "Besides, this one's gonna be the best yet. I swear."
"That was one time," she sighed, then let out a small laugh. "You have my full interest, Markus. I can't wait to see what it is." She smiled happily, also looking forward to Markus seeing Nikolas in his natural habitat—and likely a little calmer. She was bound determined to get them together.
"One time was one time too many, Tessa." He teased, shaking his head. Talking to Tess was something he had missed, once she'd been kicked out. Blunt honesty and that underlying niceness. She really was something, but she was one of three foster siblings he had ever really connected with. "You're gonna love this one."
"Now I just feel like you're overselling it, Markus," she accused playfully, setting the pencil down in favor of turning on her laptop and stereo. She turned on some music for background noise, then turned it down so it didn't drown either of their voices out. "Am I really going to love it?"
"If you don't, my confidence in my gift picking abilities is gonna be severely lowered." He said, shrugging a shoulder. Lily made her way back up the stairs at the same pace she had on the way down, two drinks and a bag of chips in hand. "Yeah, I really think you will. I got lucky with this one."
"Let's hope so," she said, her bright grin evident in her voice. "Now I feel like I need to get you something in return. You sound so confident." She chuckled and tapped her fingers on the desk along with the beat of the heavy metal song, so at odds with her happy mood.
"I ain't got a birthday comin' up for almost a year, Tess. Don't worry your head about it. This is your birthday gift, after all." He said with a laugh, accepting the drink from Lily with a nod of thanks. "You sound weirdly happy. Should I be worried?"
"Nope," she said, popping the p. "I'm free from the system, I'm living at a nice place rent-free, I have full access to comfy clothes, aaaannnd I'm talking to my second favorite foster brother, so… I think I have a valid list of reasons why I'm happy."
"Wow, only second? I gotta step up my game, don't I." He said, sighing dramatically. "You're livin' the dream though. Everything I've got is two sizes too small or too big. Thank you Elise. What's bein' free like, without someone playin' the 'I put a roof over your head even though I didn't have to' card?"
"Oh, I still get that," Tessa said, looking at her nails and rolling her eyes. "All I have to do is feed him some coffee and it's all good. I'm still trying to get a job, looking into maybe modeling or dance, at least part-time until I can find a steady career I want to get into. Still no license or permit, though. Dis bitch ain't driving anytime soon. 'Too likely to blow something up with the heavy machinery,'" she said, rolling her eyes as she quoted Nikolas.
Markus snorted, shifting the phone to his other ear. "Whoever this guy is, he's ain't wrong about that. Weren't you the one who managed to make that toaster explode that one time? I still don't get how you managed to hide that from Elise. I'm…glad you're happy though. This is no place to live, for sure. You deserved to get out more than any of us."
Tessa scoffed and spun around in her seat. "Oh fuck off. I was bored and left unsupervised with a creative plan in my head. Not my fault physics decided to shit all over it." She stuck her tongue out at him as if he were right there, then her voice softened slightly as she smiled and picked at her leggings. "Thank you, Markus. I just wish I could get you out as well."
"Bored and unsupervised sounds about right for most of your crazy schemes." Markus said with a laugh, the sound rare but absolutely worth hearing when one got the chance. "I'll get out eventually, Tess. Dontcha worry. Just gotta wait for my time, right?"