Mark grabbed his things out of the back of Carl's Jeep before slamming the hatch shut with an audible click.
His car, which Simon had driven home in, was parked outside the garage. The lights inside the house were on, telling him that at least one of his parents was home.
"I'll see you guys later," he bid farewell to Luna and Carl. "Make sure to text once in a while," he reminded Carl, a subtle way of telling him that he would always be there for him if something were to happen. Though Mark wasn't sure what he could do with so many states in between them if something that Carl couldn't handle were to happen.
"Yeah," Carl replied. Luna glanced between the two of them, a confused expression marring her delicate features.
Mark went inside after that. His mother was in the kitchen preparing a late dinner. His father was sitting at the island flipping through a newspaper.
