—(Mark)—
We walked to the park, talking about random things. Scott told me about the school, some of the people I might meet, and a bit about Beacon Hills. It was nice to get some inside information, and Scott seemed genuinely interested in getting to know me.
I wanted to inform Scott of my tendency to sometimes snap at people, but I didn't want to scare him off on the first day I had a friend here. Scott was starting to breathe a bit heavier, and I grabbed his arm and guided him to a bench where he could catch his breath.
"I was fine, you know," he wheezed out.
"Yeah, sure you were," I said with sarcasm.
"I was!" he exclaimed.
"Uh-huh," was my only response.
"So, what made you move to Beacon Hills with your family?" I froze for a moment because it's not with my family; it's just me. How was I supposed to respond with, 'Hey, yeah, my family let me move away by myself at the age of 16 because they're scared of me. But it's not really up to my parents but my alpha, who has legal guardianship over me.'
"I'm living alone for the moment," I tentatively responded, waiting for his reaction.
"HOW? You're 16!" he nearly shouted in my ear, causing me to give him a dirty look.
"Sorry," he meekly said.
"Well, technically, I'm emancipated from my parents, but I still need to check in with my legal guardian often," I gave him the plain rundown.
"Guess this is something you don't want to talk about, right?" he said to me.
"Yup," popping the 'p' to give that line of questioning a firm lock.
"Hey, since we are getting to know each other better, I think it would be best if you knew that I am prone to snapping at people and kind of losing my shit on rare occasions," I quickly said, waiting for him to walk back his offer of friendship.
"Ah… Do you mind telling me some of your triggers so I can try to avoid them?" he fidgeted a bit.
"Loud noises, invading my personal space, and physical contact are the three major ones that are likely to put me on edge," I counted them off on my fingers.
"Oh! So that explains why you got a bit snippy with my mom in the morning, right?" he sounded like he had just solved the world's greatest mystery.
"Yeah, that was more of a weak response, to be honest. I was in a good mood, so I didn't react the way I normally would when something like that happens."
"So, the chance of you joining the lacrosse team at school is low."
"Ha, yeah, they're lower than bedrock. Why would I want to join the lacrosse team anyway?"
"Because I'm on it, and so is Stiles, who is late as always." I gave him a deadpan stare for two reasons. One, I didn't believe that this skinny kid, whose thighs were about 3 quarter the size of my biceps, could be on a field team. And secondly, I hated people who were late when a time had been set.
"What? I am the backups' backup goalie." And there it is.
"I think I'm leaning towards joining the swim team or the track team. Contact sports are a no-go for me at the moment and probably for the foreseeable future," This way, I can keep myself busy with meets and burn even more energy.
"Damn, you would have killed on the field."
"Yeah, I think so too," in the literal sense. I could see myself wolfing out while on the field. I still had trouble controlling myself when I shifted fully.
I saw a 1980 Jeep pull into the parking lot before blowing something under the hood. Damn, what dumbass can't keep their car running well?
"Well, there's Stiles." Ah crap, I think Scott caught a glimpse of the disgust on my face before I schooled it.
Stiles, who's a bit taller than Scott but still shorter than me and equally if not a bit bulkier than Scott, which isn't saying much. While I look like a senior with a bodybuilder, they look like the sophomores that they are. Which is cool.
Before I was turned, I was 5'6 and as skinny as them. I used to be part of the intellectually gifted crowd—nerd—but after the bite, I let my grades drop and got into fights. One of the main reasons my friends left me. I became a sort of delinquent, and they were honestly scared I would turn on them, which made me hate them a bit since I always tried to keep the real bullies away from them after I got to my current size.
Scott was waving his hand in front of my face before I smacked it away.
"Damn, that hurt." Scott rubbed his hand a bit. "You spaced out there, man, with an angry look on your face."
"Sorry, that happens. For future reference, you'll have a better chance of snapping your fingers to be risk-free of injury," I said in an apologetic tone.
"Alrighty, Stiles, meet Mark."
Stiles held his fist out, and I bumped it.
"Scott was not lying when he said that you were a big guy," Stiles mentioned.
"I'm not big; you guys are just small," I said in a teasing tone.
As a group, we moved over to the tables at the park and took a seat. I quickly gave Stiles a rundown of my situation and my triggers. I hated that I had to tell them about my anger issues, but I didn't want to snap and have them not know the reason for the sudden shift in personality. My anger is not something that I can fully manage right now. James said that it will get better the more in touch I am with my wild side, but I'm still learning to accept myself.
I heard snapping again and turned to Scott, who was a good distance away from me.
"You spaced out there again. Stiles was trying to warn you that the lacrosse coach, Finstock, will do everything he can to try to get you to join the team."
I groaned. "I'll just have to give him the contact info for my therapist, and they'll explain the many reasons why it would be a bad idea for me to join the team."
"Besides, I've decided that I'll join the Swim team," I mentioned.
"Wow, so sure of yourself that you'll be able to get on the team," Stiles offhandedly mentioned.
I looked down at my body and then back at him. "Yes," I said in a deadpan tone. "If I can't make the team for some god-given intervention, then I'll join the track team. And if that doesn't work out, the debate team."
"The debate team? Don't you have to be smart for that?" Stiles said aloud before a panicked look crossed his face.
"Yes, you do, and I am not all muscle, you know." I gave him a shit-eating grin that promised pain.
Stiles, you, my friend, are walking a fine line. Three strikes already: poorly maintained car, doubting my ability to join the swim team, and finally, basically calling me a muscle-brain. I may not be as smart as Noah, but I was no slouch either.
This reminds me that I need to call Noah this weekend for his birthday. I might even be able to surprise him if our parents agree to my plan.
I told the guys that I was going to head back home and I asked Scott if he wanted to walk with me or wait for Stiles to fix whatever was broken in his Jeep before getting a ride home. He decided to wait for Stiles.
The rest of my day was spent playing with Noah online before I told him that he should probably go to bed.
—(Stiles)—
Meeting Mark was...interesting. The guy's huge, and not just in height. He looks like he could bench-press Scott and me without breaking a sweat. It was a bit intimidating at first, especially when he looked at me like he was sizing me up.
I tried to play it cool, extending my fist for a bump. He returned it with a bit more force than necessary, but hey, I didn't flinch. Scott wasn't lying about Mark's size; the dude's a tank. I joked about him being big, and he shot back that we were small.
As we sat down, Mark gave me a quick rundown of his situation, his triggers, and his anger issues. It was a lot to take in, but I appreciated the honesty. I mean, if I were in his shoes, I'd want my friends to know what set me off too. It made sense, and it wasn't like I didn't have my own issues to deal with.
When he spaced out, Scott had to snap him back to reality. It was kind of funny seeing Scott's reaction to getting smacked away, but it also made me realize just how on edge Mark was. This guy's been through some serious stuff. I also knew I had to be careful not to set Mark off.
I made a crack about him not being able to join the swim team, not expecting him to take it so seriously. But then he deadpanned that he'd join the track team or even the debate team if it came to that. I laughed and made a stupid comment about having to be smart for debate. When I saw the look on his face, I realized I might've pushed it too far. Note to self: Don't underestimate Mark's brain just because he's built like a tank.
When he mentioned leaving, I was kind of relieved but also a bit disappointed. I wanted to get to know him better and figure out what made him tick. But I guess that would come with time. As he walked off, I couldn't help but feel a mix of curiosity and caution. Mark's different from anyone I've met, and I have a feeling he's going to shake things up around here.