Page 82 of Revealing Mark

“What the hell are you talking about?” Matthew yelled before shooting a glare at me, which stopped me in my tracks.

I had no idea why he was yelling. Mark looked across to me and I felt my stomach dip. His eyes said everything.

“I care about your sister,” he murmured in front of my entire family, including my furious brother, while our eyes held.

I was stumped and unable to process what was going on.Sarah made a move to approach Matthew but he shook his head at her and she halted.

“What do you mean, man?” Matthew was breathing hard and I was unable to look away from the unfolding drama.

Mark was telling him about us. Why?

“You know what I mean.” Mark shrugged, looking at him. Realization dawned on the horrified features of my brother. I found myself moving to put myself in the way of my brother, to stop him from doing something he might regret doing in the heat of the moment, but my father grabbed my arm.

“Don’t get in between those two,” he said firmly. “Let them sort it out.”

“You and Tracy?” The silence that followed was deafening. Then my brother turned to me. “Is this true?”

I nodded, feeling all eyes on me.

“How could you?” my brother exploded. I tried to pull free from my father but he held me firmly so I was unable to stop what happened next.

Matthew swung and hit Mark in the face, and I gasped at the sound. Mark had stood still, making no move to defend himself, which he was more than capable of doing.

My brother rubbed his hand and Mark touched his face, working his jaw. “That I deserved.”

“Matthew,” I yelled, urgently trying to defuse the situation before it blew out of proportion.

“Don’t ‘Matthew’ me,” my brother spat at me. He raked a hand through his hair, trying to contain what he was wrestling with.

“You can say and do what you like to me but you be careful what you say to her,” Mark warned. His tone was quiet but deadly.

“You’re not supposed to fool around with your best friend’s sister.” Matthew shot him a look that told him to back off.

“It wasn’t planned.”

My brother turned his back on Mark before swinging back to glare at his friend. “I know what you’re like.”

“She’s different.”

Matthew looked between the two of us before he threw his hands in the air and stalked off. Sarah followed closely behind and I was left with the aftermath of Mark and my family.

I didn’t know what to say but, when my dad released me, I rushed over to Mark. He let me tilt his face so I could take a closer look at the bruise already starting to develop where he had taken the hit.

“You didn’t even try and defend yourself,” I muttered angrily. “You need ice.”

I left him there to go back in the kitchen. My hands trembled as I got a kitchen towel and put some ice in it.

My parents had vanished along with my sister, leaving just the two of us standing in the yard.

He winced when I put the ice against his cheek.

“Serves you right,” I muttered. I don’t know why I felt so annoyed.

His eyes held mine and I wavered.

“Why did you do that?” I whispered, feeling the intensity of his gaze.

“You know why.”