The crickets chirp, making the silence between us even thicker.

"What did you want to talk about?" I ask him.

I watch his eyes travel behind me and to the ground, and then he pinches the bridge of his nose.

"I'm so sorry, Brianna." He says.

I would never accept his apology if the way his voice sounded wouldn't have been so heart shattering. His voice cracked and you could practically sense the tears rolling down his face.

I wanted to scream.

I wanted to remind him of how much he messed up my life.

How much he ruined me.

How much he hurt me.

But by the way he sounded, it seemed like he already knew.

He knew he hurt me. He knew he ruined me. The tears and hiccups and sniffles proved that he knew that he messed up.

So instead I stood there silent.

Something so strong, so tough, and so cocky, has been caught in its vulnerable state and if you make one wrong move, the wall around it will solidify once again, and you will be kicked to the curb like dog shit.

So that's why I stood there, no anger in my eyes.

I stood there and watched him cry his soul out, as his mind realized the effect of what he had done.

His sobs become quieter and after ten minutes, he is able to look up at me, eyes still glossy.

"My life has been so lonely. So sad, and so horrible, ever since the day I found out."

I frown.

"But not because you kept it secret from me. No. It's because I made the decision to judge your life, and judge your past. I made that dumbass decision. I should've been understanding. I should've talked to you. But instead, I called you out in front of everyone. My life has been a living hell this month because I decided to make your life miserable. But all it did was ruin me. And I regret it so much."

I look up at him, but he looks at his shoes, as if looking at me will make him shatter all over again.

"I am so sorry Brianna." He says again.

There is another minute of silence, as he sobs again.

Then, he locks eyes with me, looking tired and weak, and ultimately, defeated.

"I did not come here so you would accept my apology, or so we could return as friends. I don't expect you to forgive me because what I did was really messed up. I just came here to explain myself. But I'm not gonna force my explanation onto you."

He cautiously grabs both of my hands, and I watch.

"Will you please, just listen to my explanation?" He asks.

I wondered what it would be. Was it peer pressure? Was his place on the school social hierarchy so important to him that he didn't want to risk losing that place? Did he feel the need to keep up the bad boy act?

I could've wrote a book called "Why He Did It", full of reasons why I think Marcus did what he did, because there could be an endless amount of reasons.

But the one that he would tell me that night, would be one that I would've never guessed.

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HEY WAIT A SECOND THIS AUTHORS NOTE ISNT OVER!

haha jk yes it is

ok bye now

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