Page 13 of Only Forever

Chapter Four

Friday morning was gray and rainy, a departure from earlier in the week, which had been sunny and warm. I debated whether or not to go to the mall as I had intended, because I had some things to return from last week when I had gone shopping with my mom. The dreary weather made me want to snuggle under my covers and sleep more, instead of venturing out.

I decided to push through my laziness and made myself shower and get dressed. I wasn’t really hungry, but I knew my stomach would start growling soon if I didn’t eat something, so I had a granola bar and coffee.

I hadn’t heard from Jason yesterday, and I wondered if he would call today. It was funny how things had changed so fast. A couple of weeks ago, Jason had barely been a blip on my radar, just an acquaintance that I greeted every now and then. And now, I was on pins and needles, waiting to hear from him.

It started raining harder on the drive to the mall, and I was grateful for the indoor parking garage so I wouldn’t have to get wet or tote an umbrella around with me inside. I was able to get my returns done quickly, since it was still before noon and there weren’t many people at the mall yet.

I decided to treat myself to a cinnamon roll at the food court afterwards. The cinnamon filling inside was warm and gooey, and the bun was smothered with cream cheese frosting. I had to stop myself from moaning loudly after the first bite.

“Hi, Daphne.”

I looked up, mid-chew, and saw Marcus standing in front of me. I quickly finished my mouthful of cinnamon roll.

“Oh, hi Marcus,” I said.

He pointed to the corner of his own mouth, a grin on his face. “You have a little bit of frosting there.”

I hurriedly wiped my mouth with a napkin, smiling sheepishly. “Thanks.”

I was surprised when he sat down in the seat across from me. I didn’t know Marcus very well. He and Jason had become close some time in middle school, way after Jason and I had drifted apart. Marcus seemed nice enough, but I had never really had a conversation with him. Still, I remembered how he had helped break up the fight at Dan’s party.

“How are you?” I asked, feeling awkward after we had just been sitting in silence for a few beats.

“Pretty good,” Marcus replied, looking completely at ease. He leaned back in his chair. “How’s spring break going?”

“It’s okay. I haven’t been doing much. Just hanging out at home.”

“Same.” Marcus looked like he was trying to hide a smile. “Have you spoken to Jason recently?”

I started feeling paranoid. Had Jason said anything to him about us? Why was he trying to hide a smile?

“A couple of days ago,” I replied, trying not to sound suspicious. “Why?”

“No reason,” Marcus said, but I could still see that he was trying not to smile. “Lucky him, he gets to enjoy the sunshine while we’re stuck in the rain.”

“Do you know what you’re doing after senior year?” I asked, trying to change the subject. Luckily, Marcus cooperated and we started talking about college. He was planning on going to the local community college for a few years to save up money, and then hopefully transfer to a university. I didn’t know much about Marcus, but I knew he was from a single mother household, like me. I admired how upbeat he sounded about his plan to work full time while going to community college. He also wanted to stay home for a little longer for his younger brother.

Marcus was easy to talk to, and we seamlessly changed topics from the woes of senioritis to the awful teachers we had in common at Sherman High. I could see why Jason was such good friends with Marcus. I had never realized how friendly he was, and fun to talk to.

“Unfortunately, I’ve gotta go,” Marcus said after checking the time. “I promised my mom I would go grocery shopping for dinner.”

“It was nice talking to you,” I said sincerely, as he got up. “Enjoy the rest of spring break.”

“You too,” he said. He waved as he walked off, and I gathered up my trash to throw out. I decided to head out as well, since I had returned all my things and there was nothing I needed at the mall.

It was dark and gray outside, even though it was still afternoon. Rain was still coming down steadily, and had no looks of letting up anytime soon.

My heart sank when I tried to start my car but the engine wouldn’t turn over. My car was usually reliable, but it was also old as my mom had purchased it used. I had no idea what to do since I didn’t know why my car wasn’t starting. It couldn’t be my battery since I had just recently had it replaced. I knew it would be expensive to call a towing company. We didn’t have anything like Triple A and I didn’t want to bother my mom at work. I tried starting the car again and again, desperately praying that it would start and just get me home.

I sighed and rested my forehead on the steering wheel. I had no one to call to give me a ride home. Chloe, Tracy and Monica were all away, and we had no family in town. I was debating whether I should call an Uber home and deal with my car later, or stay with the car and try to find a reasonably priced towing company, when I heard a knock on my window.

I looked up, surprised to see Marcus. He had a look of concern on his face as I opened the car door, since I couldn’t roll down the window.

“Is your car not starting?” he asked. He pointed behind him. “My car is parked a few rows down, and I heard you having problems with your car.”

“Yeah, it’s not starting.” I sighed in frustration. “It’s going to cost an arm and a leg to get it towed.”

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