Chapter 12
Mark just sat there in the room, staring off into space. He didn’t know what to do, and he didn’t know what to think and what to feel. He just stared at the wall before him in complete solitude. He was in a hotel room in Sligo. He never left the country, as some of the papers have reported during the morning. It was already nightfall, and he did absolutely nothing that day. Which was very unusual for him, he always had something to do with every minute he had because of the band. He woke up in the afternoon with a major headache, and all that he remembered was that he went to a club and thankfully, no one had recognized him. He was having a few drinks with Patrick, Toni’s friend. The night that Toni and him had a fight, he didn’t know whom to turn to, and he immediately remembered him. He dropped by Patrick’s house and they went out to talk and to have a couple of drinks.
There was suddenly a soft knock on the door, disturbing Mark from his trance. It was Patrick. “Mark, you have been doing this for a week and you are utterly driving me insane!” he said as he walked in the room. “You don’t know how difficult it is to spend the day with Toni while I try to comfort her and listen to her go on and on about what’s she’s already told me a day ago and the day before that. Of course that’s while I try hard not to tell her where you are! Then I go here in the evenings to listen to you go on and on about what you have told me for more that a hundred times already! I’ve practically memorized both of your heartbroken speeches about each other. Don’t you think you should go back home because everyone is so worried about you and I have to pretend I don’t know anything! Or at least don’t you think Toni does deserve it for her side to be heard?” “She started it! It wasn’t my fault!” Mark said grumpily, like a child who had a fight with his playmate. “Oh no… here we go again!” Patrick said, feeling so helpless, as Mark began to tell him all over again why it wasn’t his fault. “I’m sick and tired of this! I’m not taking this anymore. I’m going home, and I’m going to tell your friends and your parents where you are. And personally, I don’t care if you get angry because I really can’t stand this anymore!” Patrick said as he began to leave. Mark tried to stop him but his head still hurt terribly from his hangover. Patrick slammed the door, making Mark’s headache worse. He went to the bathroom, walking in zigzag patterns. He splashed cold water on his face. “Urgh! Gross!” he said with so much disgust as he looked in the mirror. No wonder no one had recognized him last night. He was a total mess! He decided to drink a cup of coffee and he took a shower. He left the hotel just in time to see Kian, Shane, Nicky and Bryan walking through the hotel doors, with his parents in tow.
For once in the whole week, Mark was having the time of his life. He had danced with a couple of pretty girls, had a few drinks and chatted up loads of women. And the night was still young. He didn’t care what the press would say or write about him the next day. He just wanted to have fun.
Mark walked over to the bar, taking in a few more drinks. He knew he was drunk, and he turned around, almost falling of his chair as someone tapped him on the shoulder. “Hi Mark. How are you?” the girl asked. Mark peered at her, his vision was blurred. “Magda?! What are you doing here?” he said, obviously annoyed. “I was out with my friends and I saw you here so… I just wanted to say hi that’s all.” She smiled. Mark got up to leave, but he nearly fell to the floor. Magda caught him just in time, and with a bit of a struggle she placed his arm around her as she helped him walk out of the building. She led him to her car, and seated him at the front passenger seat. She drove him home, and both of them were completely silent. Mark was looking out the window, and he was thinking of Toni. Part of him wanted her to hold him close and tell him everything was going to be okay, but part of him never wanted to see her again. He never could figure out what was wrong. Every time they were together, everything just goes wrong. He couldn’t bear the pain. His mind was a bit clear now, but he was still heavily drunk. The car stopped, and Magda helped him out of the car. “Where are we?” he asked. He really didn’t want to be with Magda, he was just too drunk to protest and put up a fight. “I brought you home.” Magda said quietly, helping him get up to the steps and in front of the door. It began to rain, and the sound was almost deafening for Mark He was able to stand on his feet at this point. “Thanks.” he said as he looked for the keys to his house. He was about to open the door when Magda stopped him. “Wait!” she said. “What?” he asked, irritated. “Mark, I know this isn’t the right time but I just have to tell you, I still love you even after all this time.”
It was raining so hard but Toni, Alessia, Sandra, Helen and Patricia still drove toward Mark’s house, after much persistence from Toni. They had agreed with the other four lads to go to Mark’s house and wait for him there while they go and get him at the hotel. Patrick had called them up and told them that he knew where Mark was all along and how he was so sorry for not telling them sooner. “Stop the car!” Toni shouted. Helen immediately did so, and asked why, but before the other four girls knew it, Toni was out of the car. “It’s Mark!” she shouted to them as she ran towards the house. She was still a few feet away and she saw he was talking to someone. It was raining down so hard on her but she didn’t care. She just wanted to get to Mark and apologize. She didn’t care if he didn’t forgive her right then and there, she just wanted to explain her side.
Toni suddenly stopped dead on her tracks. He was talking to a girl. She continued to walk much more slowly, careful not to slip on the sidewalk so she could take a closer look. The rain blurred her vision, but she saw he was talking to Magda. “Oh my gosh…no! It can’t be!” she whispered. She was in total shock. She turned and ran away, not daring to look back. She knew what she saw was real, not an image that the rain caused. Mark wasn’t talking to Magda, but he was kissing her. Kissing her with so much intensity that she felt that he just tore her heart out from her and pounded it into a million pieces.