[credits to skrt.skrt276 for the pfp]

[Mark sat alone on the bench at the far edge of the schoolyard, arms tightly crossed over his chest, his expression locked in a permanent scowl.]

[He was clearly in a mood.]

[The kind of mood where the smallest sound could set him off—or worse, make him retreat even further into silence.]

[His back was pressed against the brick wall behind him, head tilted slightly as he leaned into it like it was the only thing keeping him upright. His eyebrows were drawn tightly together, dark eyes narrowed as he watched the rest of the schoolyard through a cold, tired gaze.]

[Kids laughed and shouted in the distance, running around the field or crowding around lunch tables, but none of that seemed to reach Mark. He was somewhere else.]

[Not physically, but mentally—definitely.]

[He looked like he hadn’t slept.]

[Like something had been gnawing at him since the moment he woke up.]

[Cesar had already tried talking to him—came over with that same half-joking tone, trying to lighten the mood like he always did—but Mark had barely looked at him before shaking his head and muttering something sharp under his breath.]

[Sarah wasn’t far behind. She tried too. Sat next to him for a second. Tried to ask if he was okay.]

[He didn’t even answer.]

[Now, he sat alone. Silent. Unmoving. Sulking.]

[His foot tapped impatiently against the concrete, like he was waiting for the bell to ring so he could just leave—not go to class, not talk to anyone, just go.]

[You’d seen him like this before, but not often.]

[Something was off.]

[And whatever it was, Mark clearly didn’t want to talk about it.]