The days went by so quickly, and Mark could barely notice that another week of testing was over. Time was slipping out of his hands and the boy could not do anything to hold it, it just flowed like water through his fingers.

Just after the day Mark saw Jeno and Jaemin in Jinah's room, seemingly talking about a serious matter, he reported everything to Renjun, detailing in detail what he had seen and what he had felt for himself and his friends, and even if his Chinese friend was the wisest of the group, not even Renjun knew what to do, so they decided that they should ask them what was really going on, instead of creating absurd theories.

Jeno and Jaemin acted as if nothing had happened, as if Mark had never entered Jinah's room and had not noticed anything. However, Mark could not simply ignore the fact that something was very wrong going on, but as Donghyuck had spoken to him during those days, if Jeno and Jaemin did not feel the need to talk about their problems, they should not force them to do so.

Mark tried to read a book that Taeyong had given him as a gift when he returned, and that place on the third floor of the school was the quietest place after his own room, but this subject could not leave his head, so every time that he was trying to think of something else, naturally Jeno and Jaemin flew over his ideas. He read two lines and understood absolutely nothing about it, and consequently could not finish a page of his book, drowning in his own thoughts.

That's because Mark avoided thinking about Minah and Donghyuck. Lately they have come much closer than before, but nothing had progressed, and Mark did not know whether this was good or bad. It was a fact that he did not like to see Minah with Donghyuck, and he was happy that his best friend's feelings had not changed in relation to the girl. Donghyuck still did not like Minah. And strangely Mark felt happy about it, and he was not at all guilty of feeling that way, which was partly disturbing.

It was customary to see the two of them together, one time Minah had lunch with them during the break. Renjun, Jeno, and Jaemin had liked to talk to her, but Mark did not say anything, he just read her book, trying to ignore the girl's presence on the table. Curiously, that was going to levels that Mark could no longer control. The situation was completely out of his emotional control, it was normal for him to wake up every day and enter the school feeling distressed.

Not only about him, but Donghyuck (at least in Mark's eyes) looked happy again, though he and Mark had not talked much recently as Donghyuck spent more time with Minah than with Mark.

The strange thing was that Mark seemed more and more accustomed to Donghyuck out of his daily life. During the intervals Mark no longer bothered to ask where Donghyuck was, during classes they did not look at each other or even talk, Mark tried to give his attention to class. The only time they could talk was when they came home. They lived in the same building, so they walked back together, but even so they did not say much. At most, Donghyuck asked how his family was, or his school life, and Mark would not be interested in anything about Donghyuck's life, since he did not want to get into the subject about Minah.

Eventually, Mark became accustomed to the idea of ​​not having Donghyuck so present in his life, although this sense of anguish had dominated much of his life. Mark had simply settled into his new environment without his best friend.

And the days for the camp were coming, and it was funny when the boys got word that Donghyuck had registered them without their permission, except for Renjun who loved the idea, the others were angry, but soon after they accepted the proposal, there was nothing the ice cream that Donghyuck paid for it, would. Bargaining was one of Donghyuck's strengths.

When he reached the tenth page of his book without understanding anything about the story, Mark gave up reading, it seemed that his brain had made a great effort to get there. His eyes read the words, but his brain processed nothing at all.

Mark wondered where he was going now, the interval without Donghyuck could be a boring thing, although Jeno, Jaemin and Renjun were there. Soon Jeno and Jaemin would disappear, and Renjun would stay with Chenle. So he preferred to be alone on the third floor rather than being alone and surrounded by unknown people watching him.

His eyes closed as he imagined how depressed he had become so quickly, imagining a thousand things and possibilities of how it had become so suddenly. His friends, one by one, were closing in on his own world, and he was getting lonely. It might have been exaggeration in his head, but it was what he was feeling at that moment.

"So this is where you hide." Mark opened his eyes quickly as Renjun's voice sounded close. "Mark Lee, I know you too well." Mark smiled uneasily, and Renjun walked over to him, sitting down beside him. Although they did not say anything, Mark was comfortable with Renjun's presence. However, at that moment Mark needed Renjun to speak, give him any advice about his life, silence frightened him, and made his anguish even greater. His eyes burned as he thought his best friends were pulling away from him, and he could be alone. "All right, Mark," Renjun said suddenly, making Mark relieved that he was saying something. "You can talk to me."

Mark sighed, and fought hard that he would not start crying there, even though his heart was tight. He bit his own lips in order to hold back his insane urge to cry, a will that invaded his chest as soon as Renjun arrived.

"I'm scared, actually." Mark made a great effort to speak without his voice being cut off. "After all, I'm afraid to walk away from you. Of Donghyuck. And it all started because of Minah, who simply stole Donghyuck from us, and there's no point in saying anything, we know how bad she's done to us."

Renjun laughed, sometimes Mark could be very selfish.

"Do not blame Minah, she's not to blame for it." Renjun contradicted Mark, and he was astonished at his frankness. "But I'm not here to hear that."

Mark sighed, a little impatient. "And what do you want to hear?" He asked.

"I want to tell me what you're feeling. Be honest with me this time."

Mark sighed, lasted a few long seconds. It was the first time they'd been asking him about this for a long time. He needed to control his tears and organize his own feelings. Then he remembered what Taeyong had told him: 3 could not solve everything by himself, he needs his friends for it.

"I'm feeling so alone." He started, his voice low, taking courage to himself to speak these things. "Somehow I started to feel lost and not knowing what to do. I wake up happy, and suddenly, when I get to school, I feel distressed and empty. I just wanted Donghyuck to realize this, and ask me what's going on, but he does not notice me. He are too busy with Minah. And because of that, we're falling apart, because everyone is going to get further away from me." Mark confessed, making Renjun laugh. The Canadian hid his face between his bent legs, and waited for his friend to say something.

"You know..." Renjun started. "Donghyuck came to see me, he was very wounded. He told me that you had suddenly walked away from him, and that now he was feeling alone, not knowing who to talk to about his feelings." Mark lifted his head, and looked at Renjun. "Donghyuck is very confused about Minah. Donghyuck may be that extrovert, but he's just a kid, and he's going through it for the first time, so he does not know how to feel. And he is afraid now that his best friend has abandoned him."

Mark was in a comfortab