"I brought you up better than this."

☆

The air was so thick that Mark felt like he was choking as he remained in that small office, with the teacher and now his mother. She sits by his side. Her posture was perfect as her attire as she sat cross legged, with her foot tapping the side of the table leg. "There must be some kind of misunderstanding. Mark would never do such a thing." She looks to her right to her son, wanting him to clarify the situation, but he silently keeps his head low. 

"I appreciate it is difficult to believe, but he admitted it. I don't think he would lie..." The teacher begins but is again cut off mid sentence. 

His mother leans across the table, placing her palm on the surface.  As if to speak out of his earshot. "Like I said, it must just be a mistake.  Maybe the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Mum it was me." Mark dares to speak, though his head says low. 

She turns and looks at him once again, emitting a laugh as she shakes her head. "Don't cover up for them. Whoever it is..."

"Why? Do you think I'm not capable?" He finally looks up at her. He could feel his heart beginning to race. "Maybe I'm not who you think I am."

"Mark!" 

"It was me mum. I did it ok? Let me receive my punishment so I can get this over with and forget about it." He folds his arms as he again looks away. 

"I brought you up better than this."

"You brought me up to be the best." He argues back. "He was better than me. That's why I did it." His words are met with his mother's silence. It was now his turn to beg the question. "I messed up. Just face it that I'm not as perfect as you think I am. Are you ashamed of me?"

"I think he has been the one hit on the head." His mother looks at the teacher, emitting a laugh as a response to her refusal to listen. "Let me and his father have a talk with him and that should do the trick." She pats Mark on the arm as she begins to get up from her seat. "Come on. Let's go." 

"Please sit down Mrs Lester." 

"Dr Lester '' she corrects. Not abiding to the request. "I said I would take it from here.

"We have school procedures, Dr Lester. Violence against another student cannot be overlooked." The teacher gestures to the seat once again. "Please." His mother keeps in the urge to exhale her own frustrations as she sits back down. 

"What procedures are these?" She speaks coldly. 

The teacher turns to Mark. "Mark, I will have to suspend you for a week." Mark gives a slight nod whereas his mother stands up at the news.

"This is outrageous!" She bangs the palm of her hand on the table. It causes Mark to flinch in his seat. "This will ruin his future. You will ruin his future." She pokes an angry finger across the table. 

"Mum, don't make things worse. I know what I did. I will deal with the fallout. He stands up next to his mother. "May I be excused to get my bag?" 

"Yes Mark." The teacher nods, with Mark turning to open the door to leave. 

His mother watches him go. Her tact changes as she now leans over the table a little more towards the teacher. "Ms.... "

"Mrs Hill."

"Mrs Hill.  Maybe we got off on the wrong foot. Perhaps we could come to some kind of arrangement. I hear schools are always in need of some kind of funding. Maybe a donation...."

The teacher emits a small chuckle. ''If you want to donate to the school funds I'm not going to stop you but the consequences remain.' 

Dr Lester stands up straight, adopting the look of injustice she had shown previous. "I'll see myself out." She utters loudly as she steps out of the room into the now empty corridor. 

***

Mark heads back to his maths class in order for him to collect his belongings, when the bell rings. The sea of students heading in his direction feels like a difficult tide to break. He pushes his way through the masses, each person he passes, not really paying much attention to him. Maybe it's all in his head. His own belief of being that important. Did they really care that he was the best? What he did with his life? Who he loved? Or more to the point, should he even care about what people thought?  He stops fighting against the crowd as he stands in the busy corridor. People pushed past, knocking his shoulders as they went by. He felt like he deserved each knock to his body. Until he was the only one left. He carries on his way to the classroom when he hears his name. "Mark. Wait up." 

He turns to see Gus hurrying towards him. A big smile on his face. "You are a legend." He places a hand on Mark's shoulder, but he shrugs it off. 

"Get off me." He grits his teeth. Feeling repulsed by the boy by his side. 

"What's the matter? I didn't make you fess up.  You chose to do what you did." Gus says defensively. And there it was. The naked truth. Gus hadn't made him do anything. Mark was responsible for it all. His actions, his life, his choices. He got what he deserved, but also in that moment, he felt a sense of freedom. 

He turns to Gus and again graces him with a smile. That same look which made the other feel a sense of unease. "You're right. It was my choice. Like right now, I choose to not be friends with you anymore."

"What?" Gus frowns. He tilts his head to one side in wonder. "What's going on with you? What are you really hiding?" He looks Mark up and down. 

Mark gets into Gus' face. "That's my business. But let me ask you. If Bay was me, what would you do? Would you defend me? Turn on me. Would you have my back? Would you be my friend?”

Gus laughs, he shakes his head. “But you're not gay, so it doesn't matter right?” 

Mark stays stoics. His question was answered. Gus was a friend with conditions. Something he felt he knew all along. “What if?” He utters, raising an eyebrow. Daring to see what would happen. Gus pushes Mark back. A defence mechanism more than an attack as he takes onboard the words. He turns away, hands in pocket, leaving Mark alone, friendless but at least slowly but surely, he is breaking free.