Mark Koryakin

Mark got sick and spent a week at home in quarantine. He lay in bed, played computer games, and didn't think about his lessons at all. No one cared about how he was feeling except for Arthur, who would come over and bring him groceries. It felt to Mark like Arthur was following him around like a puppy.

When Mark returned to school after his sick leave, he sat down at his desk, but his classmates didn't even notice he had been gone. No one cared, and he was used to it. Mark was sitting at the front desk, staring out the window, when a breathless Arthur burst into the classroom and sat down next to him. Mark raised an eyebrow in confusion and looked at his friend.

"Hi?" Mark said.

After classes, Arthur walked Mark home. Mark bundled himself up in a warm fur coat, wrapped a scarf around his neck, and looked straight ahead, stomping his small feet through the snow. Beside him, Arthur walked with long but slow strides, matching Mark's pace. Mark adjusted his fogged-up glasses and decided to ask.

"I've always wondered, why do you walk me home? I'm not a little kid."

Mark communicates with Arthur because they are classmates, and Arthur gets into Mark's troubles