Mark arrived at the bus stop a little earlier than normal. He had gotten ready in a rush and then headed straight there. He looked down the street, in the direction Suzy always arrived from without fail.

He looked at his phone to check the time. His eyebrows came together in confusion. Suzy was usually there by then. He pocketed his phone and watched as the bus came into sight. He looked left and right, looking for some sign of Suzy, but there was none. The bus stopped in front of him and the small group of others who took this bus on an almost daily basis. He waited for the others to board the bus before him. As he climbed in he cast one final glance down the street, but still the girl was no where in sight.

The rest of the day went on as usual, only Suzy wasn’t there. Mark didn’t feel worried, she probably just caught a cold or something. He hoped it had nothing to do with that Jiyeon girl. He didn’t want Suzy to be hurt over some petty bullying by a girl who looked like she couldn’t even competently do simple equations.

On the walk home from school Mark sight of a familiar ponytail in the window of a convenience store. Mark ducked into the building and looked over the rows of aisles. The girl turned to the side to reveal an unmistakable profile. Mark smiled without realizing it.

“Don’t you think that’s too much cheese, Jinyoung?” Suzy asked. It was then that Mark realized that the girl wasn’t alone. By her side was a boy their age. He shook his head at the girl and answered with a brief, “No.”

Mark backed out of the store, feeling like he was watching something he shouldn’t. But before he could exit completely he felt an arm wrap around his shoulder and push him back into the store. Mark looked from the corner of his eye to see Jackson. They rode the same bus, but had different stops.

“Let’s get some ice cream and then go down to the river,” Jackson said without even a simple greeting. “Amber’s going to meet us there in a bit.” Jackson led Mark towards the freezer with the ice cream in it. “I can’t remember what kind she likes...”

Mark kept his head down while Jackson perused the ice cream. He could hear Suzy and that guy talking and laughing and for some reason he was jealous. He hated to admit it. He had no reason to be jealous. She could have friends that weren’t him and they could be guys. She should do whatever she wanted. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that he rather her not to talk to other guys.

Jackson finally finished picking out his ice cream, but before they could go pay for it and leave the store, he happened to spot Suzy and her friend.

“Hey, Mark, isn’t that Suzy?” Jackson asked in his most obvious and loud voice. Mark looked up and followed Jackson’s pointing finger. Suzy had stopped talking and was looking in their direction as well. She had an easy smile on her face. Jackson started for her, dragging Mark along with him.

“Hey, guys,” she said.

“You weren’t at school today,” Jackson started. “Everything okay?”

“Oh, yeah. I just had an appointment,” Suzy replied. “Everything’s fine.”

“That’s good. Do you wanna go down to the river with us? Amber’s going to be there too. And you can bring Jinyoung,” Jackson said, nodding his head towards that guy that Mark didn’t know.

Suzy exchanged a glance with Jinyoung and they agreed to come along with them to the river.

Mark watched from a few feet away as Amber and Jackson tried to push each other into the river. They were laughing and shouting, their happiness enveloping the riverside. While the two had each other gripped in a tight hold, their attention focused on getting the other to fall into the cold river water first, Jinyoung tip-toed over to them and shoved them hard. The two squabbling friends both lost their footing and stumbled into the water.

A smile came to Mark’s lips naturally as the two splashed around trying to come back to their senses. While Jinyoung was gloating, his arms crossed over his chest and a smug smile on his lips, Suzy came up behind him and shoved him as hard as she could. He stumbled, but didn’t fall. But he was close enough to Jackson and Amber’s reach.

The mischievous duo exchanged a quick glance before lunging themselves at Jinyoung and pulling him into the water to join them. Before she was the next to end up in the river, Suzy dashed away, running behind Mark. She gripped the back of his shirt and peeked out from behind him to watch the trio in the water.

Seeing that the three had begun to wrestle around in the water Suzy relaxed and let go of Mark’s shirt.

“I have something for you,” Mark said as he turned around. He reached for his bookbag that was at his feet and dug around until he found the recorder he had found earlier. He handed it to Suzy who seemed hesitant to take the device from him. “It has never been used and we’ve had it for years. Don’t worry, no one’s going to miss it. At least if you take it it’ll have a purpose.”

Suzy reached for the recorder, a small smile on her lips. “Thank you, Mark.” She turned it over in her hands, inspecting it.

“It’s nothing,” Mark said, waving a hand through the air as if to dismiss her thanks.   

/////

a/n:  I don't have any idea how to get this story to go in the direction I want it...