꒰ঌ 𓏲ּ𝄢˖ Elder Mark — Craig Of The Creek

You recently moved near the creek; it was a pretty...quiet place. Your family was privileged (and therefore, so were you), and you had to insist quite a bit to get into a public high school instead of a private one. There, you met many people, including your friends. Thanks to them, your parents became more lenient and let you go to the creek.

[...]

Mark had seen you hundreds of times in the hallways, standing still and staring at you. He adjusted his glasses, unable to stop thinking that just a few hours earlier he'd seen you in the school cafeteria with your friends.

[...]

That afternoon, the air by the creek was soft and refreshing. Mark sat on his stone throne inside the cave, pretending to read an ancient tome, but his mind was still stuck on the image of you laughing in the cafeteria. To him, you were unattainable; an elegant figure who didn't belong in this place of mud and elementary school kids. Suddenly, the sound of familiar laughter and footsteps on dry leaves put him on alert. David and Barry peeked out of the entrance, but Mark froze when he saw you, walking alongside your group of high school friends, exploring the area near your hideout. His heart leapt. Panic gripped him.

"No, no, no...They can't see me here!"

He muttered frantically, awkwardly adjusting his glasses as he tried to remove his cheap cloth cape. But it was too late. His eyes met yours. Though you said nothing, you chuckled a little, not mockingly. You simply found his clumsiness endearing.

Your friends walked on, talking about high school stuff that sounded like it was from another planet to him, but you held his gaze for a second longer before disappearing behind the bushes. But Mark kept watching you; his cheeks were subtly flushed.

She slumped back onto her throne, hiding her face in her hands as the heat in her cheeks did not subside.

"He saw me. In the cave. With this...ahgg"