Energizer

eight

I fidgeted in my seat, quickly moving my gaze to meet Marcus, "Nothing.
My voice was calm, and I waited for him to speak.
He held eggs on a plate in one hand, bagels in the other. I examined his face and noticed his expression was very worried.
"Sure, it was nothing," He said while it looked like he was holding his breath. He sat the plates on the table.
"It really was nothing. My mind wanders a lot," I quickly said, trying to cover the situation up.
"Were you looking at that?"His head gestured towards the book bag, "I know that money is sticking out like a sore thumb."
Quickly, I shook my head, "I told you, I wasn't thinking about much of anything."
I noticed his plate, and he was almost done with his food. Maybe he eats when he's stressed.
"I would tell you the story of the money, but we'll save that for another day," He quickly said with a hint of arrogance. Marcus shoved his plate away, leaning back against the chair. His head lowered a bit, and for the first time ever, I felt a little intimidated by his posture.
"Okay, I guess you don't have to tell me now," I agreed. I didn't want to start anything now, especially because my eyeballs hurt. I shrugged, biting into a warm bagel. It felt good eating something warm, rather than cold leftovers from days ago because you're too lazy to cook.
"I promise, you'd best hear it another day. After all, we're still just kind of getting to know each other," His tone was much calmer. It almost seemed like he was just knocking the cash off. Maybe it wasn't anything serious after all. My head nodded back and forth, my jaw working to chew this delicious bagel I had obtained. At this point, I didn't care what Marcus said or had to say. It's just money, it circulates the world. Anyway, he did mention something about finally getting enough for school so I figured it was some extra cash.

"You're right, you can tell me another time. No biggie," I agreed once more.
He peered up at me once again, smirking, "Right."
Mid chew, I placed the bagel on my plate and cocked my head to the side, looking him in the eyes. Marcus suddenly looked very different. He looked mean and unfriendly, like he did a few minutes prior.
"What's up with you today?" The words came out slurred and muffled, probably because I was stuffing half a bagel in my mouth a second beforehand.
In response, Marcus shrugged. He was still leaning back against the chair, arms crossed.
"There's really nothing 'up' with me today," He used his fingers to air quote the word 'up', rolling his eyes as he proceeded with the motions. I had to laugh, not because it was funny, but because I didn't really know why. I noticed him smile, even though it was a pretty pathetic attempt at a smile. Marcus stood up, walking behind me. His hands curved around my shoulders and soon he started to massage them. "You need to lighten up," He whispered quietly. One eyebrow rose on my forehead. I kept devouring the last pieces of my bagel. Me? Lighten up?
"I don't really think I do, you know, I'm a light type of person."

Marcus laughed before I could finish the sentence. He removed his hands from my shoulders. His face started to drift around my shoulder, and before I could do or say anything, he kissed my cheek and walked back to his chair.
"What, are you trying to seduce me with breakfast?" I laughed quietly and tried not to think about the hot feeling that was slowly spreading across my cheeks.
"Nah, you're just cute," Marcus shrugged and lifted his wrist to check the time on his watch. I wiped my mouth with a napkin, tossing it onto the plate like the old dusty books I keep on my bed stand.
Marcus was one of the very few people who still wore a watch, besides the old men who walk down the street in a group every other day. They're like a gang, but old. Probably a harmless walking group but I don't know that for sure.
"I think it's time for me to head out. I'm glad you enjoyed my little impromptu breakfast," Marcus said while he stood up. He pushed his chair in as I looked up at him with a somewhat sad feeling, because he was leaving, and I always enjoyed company. He was starting to look like his usual non-agitated self.
I stood up with a half frown, hugging him. He smelled good despite cooking breakfast.
"I'll come see you soon, okay?" Marcus backed away and kissed my cheek once again.
"Alright," I answered apprehensively even though I knew he would come to visit again real soon.
My gaze moved from his face to his backpack, where I could still see the money. Suddenly, the money bothered me and I got a slightly uneasy feeling once again. Why was this bothering me so much? My mind just told me that he always like to have enough cash on hand.
Once Marcus finally let go, he shuffled over to his backpack. I turned around to pick up my plate and heard his movements -- The short zipping sound followed by the sound of his book bag being slung over his shoulders. I didn't really want to watch him grab his book bag, so I turned back around to put my plate in the sink when it was over.
"I'll see you later," Marcus motioned a short nod then pressed his hands to his lips, blowing me a kiss as he smiled.
I guess he's alright. He made me breakfast and stayed with me all morning while I slept. He's been very touchy-feely though, and that leads me to think he wants me. As I was bringing the remaining dishes to the sink, the drying rack caught my attention. He washed all the dishes I had hiking up to the ceiling.
"Aw man, he's really trying to impress me," I spoke softly while beginning to put the dishes back in their spots in the cabinets. My phone started to vibrate and ring in the other room, making an awfully loud ruckus as it fell off the bedside table and smacked onto the wood floor. It wasn't worth my time to check, so I continued opening and slamming cabinets.

Later that night, I went outside to enjoy the sounds of summer. Marcus's car had been gone for a while. In fact, I didn't even see him leave. The air was humid yet crisp, a faint smell of rain. Grasshoppers and toads sang in the background. Dusk had just fallen, letting the moon shine a bright spotlight over the houses. However, an equally as bright spotlight started to make its way down the road. I watched the car slowly chug while the high beams switched off.
It was Marcus, I knew it.
He had someone in the passengers seat, so for a moment I tried to tell myself that wasn't actually his car.
I stuck close to my porch and hoped with everything in me he wouldn't notice I was outside. My mood was not social at this hour of the night. Usually, I would be painting and thinking at this time. My body's clock does not like social interaction past a certain hour of the night, but there are a few exceptions.
A tall, slender woman in high heels stepped out of the car. She flipped her wavy brown hair behind her shoulder, still laughing. Her laugh seemed fake. She wore a skimpy red dress, where her butt nearly hung out. Even I could tell in the dark from a few houses away. I didn't like her.
Marcus appeared, walking behind her. His car beeped once as it locked, and the lights faded off. He didn't even look my way.
My brain turned confused fairly quick, and my mind replayed what I just saw.
Did Marcus just bring home a prostitute? I only thought that happened in movies.

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