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Jackson POV

I run through the hallways.

I hear teachers calling my name but I don't stop.

I run.

Mark.

What happened to him?

His nose was bleeding.

His hand was bruised.

He ran with a limp.

What the fuck happened to him?

Did someone hurt him?

"Jackson stop!"

Someone did right?

I'll kill the fucker who hurt him.

Not literally.

That person would probably be hospitalised but not killed.

I burst out of the school doors.

I can't see him

"Fuck."

Where did Mark go?

Shit. I need to go find him.

"Jackson!" BamBam comes through the school doors.

Yugyeom and Namjoon follow after him.

"Dude, what the hell?" BamBam bends over to catch his breath.

Namjoon and Yugyeom are breathing heavy too.

They were running after me.

"What's up with you? Why were you running like that?" Namjoon looks concerned.

"Yeah, first Mark is your new friend and now you're running across the school like a maniac." Yugyeom chimes in.

Mark.

Where did he go?

I start to look around.

Did he go home?

No.

He hates his home.

Shit. Where could he be?

"Jackson! Snap out of it man!" Namjoon appears before me.

"What?" I'm confused.

"What are you doing? You keep looking all around us. And you look terrified. Did you lose something?"

Yeah I did lose something.

Mark.

I groan.

I push my hair out of my face.

Where could he be?

Wait a minute.

Could he be-

"Sorry guys. I'll tell you what's wrong later." I wave to the guys and I run full throttle to my car.

"Your bookbag Jacks!" I hear BamBam yell.

"Keep it! I'll get it tomorrow!" I open my car door, I start the engine, shift gear, and I'm speeding out of the school parking lot.

I'm breaking a lot of laws right now and I don't care.

I need to find out what happened to Mark.

I told him I'll protect him.

I turn in my neighborhood.

He's at my house.

Right?

I don't know where else he would go.

It's my best shot.

I pull up to my house.

I rush inside once my car is parked.

I run through every corner every crack every room

He's not here.

"Dammit!" I punch the wall.

Mom's going to murder me for this hole in the wall.

Why is this bothering me so much?

Maybe he'll come back home.

Both him and his cellmate are depressed. To prevent them from suicide we pair them up so they won't feel lonely.

Chanyeol's words ring through my head.

Prevent....suicide...

I race to my car again.

No no no.

I'm not going to let Mark kill himself.

No. I'm going to save him.

No matter what.

I speed down the roads. All the cars around me go by within a second.

I'm driving too fast.

The odometer reads 100mph.

I honestly don't care if I get a ticket.

Mark is more important right now.

I park my car in the parking lot of our community park.

This park has a waterfall where countless of people try to commit suicide.

There's been 12 deaths at the waterfall.

I feel like Mark might want to be number 13.

I run through the park.

With all this running my calfs are starting to burn.

Pain is gain in my book.

I finally reach the waterfall. It's a gorgeous thing to look at. But in all reality it's not so gorgeous.

I walk over to it. That's a big drop.

Shit. Am I too late?

Fuck.

Where is he?

"Mark!"

Why did I call his name?

He's not going to hear me.

I fall to my knees.

I feel lifeless.

I told him I'll always protect him.

I told him I'll always be there for him.

And yet he's gone.

It's only been 3 days of all this shit.

And here I am getting emotional.

Wow.

I don't know why but I start to cry.

Tears flow out of my eyes.

I'm sorry mom.

Jaebum.

Jongin.

Chanyeol.

Youngjae.

Mark.

I'm sorry.

I failed.

You were right Jongin.

Why did we even bother to ask for help from a highschooler.

Why did you ask a highschooler for help?

"Damn, I'm such a failure." I put my head down.

"No you're not." I feel slim fingers on my shoulder.

I don't even need to hear more of this voice.

I already know who it is.

Strawberries.

I stand up and engulf Mark into a hug.

"Oh thank God! I thought you jumped into the waterfall! I thought I lost you!"

Our positions are now reversed.

Now I'm crying into his shoulder while his slim fingers comb through my hair.

"It's okay Jackson. I'm here. I thought about doing it. But then I realized if I jump I couldn't spend anymore time with you. I want to be with you forever Jackson." I pull away and look at Mark.

He looks exhausted yet again.

His eyes are bloodshot.

His nose is red and it's not even cold yet.

His eyes are glossy from crying and his eyes are filled with pain.

"It's okay Jackson." He smiles a weak smile. "I'm okay."

No he's not.

He ran away for a reason.

I can see the blood on my sweater from his nose bleed.

"You're not okay." My voice is stern.

Mark flinched.

"Y-yes I am. I-I'm fine."

"No you're not!" I grab his right shoulder.

He yelps in pain.

He falls to the ground.

"What's wrong Mark?" I touch his right shoulder again.

He yelps again and he starts to cry.

"It.....that hurts." He finally says.

His shoulder hurts?

I pull the sweater down revealing his bruised swollen shoulder.

"Mark."

"It's okay Jackson."

"Who did it." I'm so angry.

"It's not that big of a deal."

"Yes it is Mark. Who did it."

He doesn't respond.

He needs to tell me who did it.

"Why was your nose bleeding earlier Mark." My voice is stern.

Mark whimpers.

"Why did you run with a limp."

Mark looks at me with fear in his eyes.

"Jacks-"

"Tell me Mark!"

He jumps.

He cries more.

Jackson calm down.

You're scaring him.

I hug Mark again.

"I'm sorry Mark. I didn't mean to scare you." I hold Mark in my arms as he cries.

We sit on the grass. Mark's head on my shoulder. His slim body curled up against mine.

The only thing I can hear is the flow of the waterfall. The water hitting the rocks below.

It's nice.

It helps calm me down.

Mark's cries stop too.

A cool wind blows.

Mark shivers and curls his body deeper into mine.

He really is like a puppy.

And silence.

Comfortable silence.

"Yoongi."

"What?" I look down at Mark.

What about Yoongi?

"Yoongi, Taehyung, and Jungkook." Mark continues.

"Yeah? What about them?" I'm honestly confused.

Mark buried his face in my chest.

My chest feels warm.

It's his tears.

"They-" His voice is low and soft.

He trembles.

Not because it's cold.

Because of fear.

I'm worried.

What's wrong?

"They what Mark?"

"They hurt me. Just like how t-t-they always hurt m-me."

Huh?

"They did this to you Mark? They hurt you like this?" I can't believe it.

How they always hurt me

"They've been bullying you?"

Mark doesn't respond.

I take my hand and lift his chin to look at me.

"Have they been bullying you?" My voice is as normal as it can get. It's hard to sustain my anger.

He nods.

I examine his face.

I don't think that's all they did.

"They only bully you physically?"

He shakes his head.

"They bully you physically and mentally?"

He nods.

It still feels like he's not telling me everything.

"It's okay Mark. You can tell me what they do to you." I reassure him.

I kinda wish I didn't say this.

I can't even control my  anger and disgust after what he told me.

"They," Mark says.

"They bully me mentally, physically, and." He pauses.

"And." He trembles.

More tears roll down his cheeks.

He plays with his shaking hands.

"And what Mark?" I grab his shaking hands.

They're cold.

He won't stop shaking.

What did they do to him?

"And." Mark starts to speak again.

He looks me in my eyes and then back down to his hands.

Mark finally says it.

"They bully me mentally, physically and."

"Sexually."

Woah that took a twist O_0Do you like this book? Tell me how you feel about this book. I just want some feedback.Thanks for reading! Baaaaaaayyyyyyyyiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeee