The cafeteria was its usual chaos — trays clattering, voices bouncing off the tile, the smell of mystery meat and overcooked fries. Gabriel and I had claimed our usual corner table, the kind of place that gave us a good view of the room and no one dared crowd us.
Mark slid in beside us with his lunch, looking more comfortable than yesterday. Still a little wide-eyed at the sideways glances from the rest of the room, but he was settling.
That’s when he showed up.
One of the knuckleheads from yesterday — the same jackass who thought shoving Mark around was a good idea — shuffled up with a tray in his hands. His steps faltered halfway, like his instincts screamed at him to turn back, but he forced himself forward. I could already smell the fear on him. Sharp. Sour.
He set his tray down at the edge of our table. “Uh… hey. Mark.”
Mark looked up, cautious but polite. “Hi?”
The guy rubbed the back of his neck. “I, uh… just wanted to say thanks. For last night. You really helped me figure out that… spreadsheet thing.” He stumbled over the word like it was foreign, then forced a sheepish grin. “Would’ve been lost without you.”
I didn’t say a word. Didn’t need to. Just fixed him with a stare — the kind of stare that promises bones will snap if a wrong syllable comes out. Gabriel leaned back, casual but coiled like a spring.
Mark, though… he smiled. Gentle, genuine. “You’re welcome. You did great once you understood it. Just keep practicing, you’ll get better.”
The kid nodded quickly, relief washing over him, and bolted back to safer ground.
Mark returned to his fries like nothing happened. Gabriel raised an eyebrow. “Okay… what was that? Why’d you go easy on him after he treated you like trash yesterday?”
Mark shrugged, soft-spoken. “Because it was the right thing to do. My dad always says… forgiveness is strength. Hate just eats you up.”
I nearly choked on my soda. Forgiveness wasn’t exactly my go-to. Neither was Gabriel’s. But there was something in the way Mark said it — not self-righteous, not naive, just… solid. Like it was bone-deep in him.
Gabriel grinned slowly. “Man, I gotta meet this dad of yours.”
Mark blinked, then smiled back. “You should. Both of you. Come over for dinner. My mom will cook enough to feed an army, and my dad… well, he’ll probably try to talk your ears off. But they’d like you. I know they would.”
I leaned back, chewing on that idea. A family that big, that open… it felt foreign. Dangerous, even. But looking at Mark, seeing how anchored he was in it — maybe it was worth stepping into his world.
Gabriel nudged me with an elbow. “Dinner at the Harcourts. What do you say, Thane?”
I smirked. “As long as your dad doesn’t mind a couple of wolves at his table.”
Mark laughed, not knowing how close to the truth I was. “Trust me, he’ll welcome you like family.”