The Point - Chapter 10

The next day, Mark checked in on Zach at the weight room even though he didn?t have time to work out. He seemed to be in good spirits. His two sidekicks were there, too. Maxi was absolutely going at it like a crazy man. Mark couldn?t help but notice Maxi?s appearance. Maxi was shirtless as he was clearly trying to mimic Zach. Maxi was starting to get some definition and, most importantly, he had shaved his entire upper body.Mark shouted, ?I barely recognized you, Maxi. Keep going like that and you will look better than him.? Mark glanced in Zach?s direction.Mark took off to have a talk with Coach. He needed to update Coach on some of the things that were going on.Mark knocked on Coach?s door. Coach invited him in and Mark took a seat. Mark let Coach know about how he encouraged Lee to spend time with Trey and things seemed to work out very well. He said that he knew that they were having some fun in the treatment room and asked Coach if he had seen any of what went on there.Coach said that he couldn?t show him the video, because it was four hours long. Apparently, they had a rather long, romantic encounter that looked to be rather personal. Mark was completely satisfied with that answer. He explained that Lee was being a gentleman and wouldn?t admit that there was more than a kiss involved.Mark also asked about Ant being absent from practice and if Coach had heard from him. Mark expressed concerns since Ant and Justin seemed to be breaking up. Coach said that he hadn?t heard anything and that isvecbahis he was hoping that Ant would be there today.Then Mark took a long, deep breath, ?Coach, I need your advice about Zach.??Son, I will be happy to listen and give you some guidance. But these are your decisions to make. I believe in you and your ability to make the right decisions for the right reasons,? Coach answered.Mark explained, ?So, yesterday we got in an argument. Zach is upset that I have been seeing other people, even though I told him that I was going to. My hooking-up with Justin in particular didn?t sit well with him. So after practice, we had a private meeting in the equipment closet. He told me that he was in love with me.?Coach chimed in, ?Zach told you that??Mark continued, ?Yeah, I am not sure if it?s real, though. I think that he believes that. But, he has been bottled up for so long that I think that anything would feel like love right now to him. Then he actually told me why he has been so distant. I don?t want to reveal exactly what happened to him, because that would feel like a betrayal. But apparently, his first experience involved him being submissive with an older teammate that he had fallen for. The teammate then publicly exposed their little encounter that very same day to the entire student body. Ever since that incident, Zach has tried to be like him so nobody could hurt him. Well, until now.??Son, you can?t beat yourself up about that. Love isn?t always sunshine and roses. It hurts too. isveçbahis giriş Sometimes disproportionately. But if you can make it through the pain together, then you know that you have something special,? Coach added.Mark?s voice got low, ?Zach is doing a great job with Luke and Maxi. You would be really proud if you saw them lifting together. Thanks for listening, Coach.?Mark got up and headed for the door, ?I am more proud of you, son,? Coach boasted.Mark closed the door and headed for the locker room. He was still quite early.Mark was alone in the locker room. He went ahead and got his uniform on. Still, nobody had shown up. He went out to the court and warmed up a bit. He saw a couple of the guys heading into the locker room. He waited a bit, and then headed back.Lee, Justin, Devon, and D.J. were there. Mark went directly to Justin. He asked him if he had heard from Ant. He said that he hadn?t.Mark was pacing around the locker room. Nobody was sure what was going on with him, but they could see that he was upset.As time ticked on, Chris and Jamar showed up, followed by Zach, Luke, and Maxi. Mark was getting more and more agitated. Trey showed up next, leaving only one.It was almost time for tip-off. There was still no sign of Ant. Mark had a terrible feeling that he just couldn?t shake. He ran up to Justin and asked for Ant?s phone number. He then ran to Coach?s office and told him that Ant was a no-show again. He told Coach that he had to try to get in contact with him and that isveçbahis yeni giriş he would be on the court as soon as he could. He didn?t wait for an answer. He just rushed out and headed out of the nearest door where he could get a better signal.He dialed Ant. There was no answer. He paced for about five minutes. Then he called him again with the same result. Mark was worried, and he feared the absolute worst. He started to run in circles around the small circular yard, but in his over-stressed condition, he wasn?t breathing properly. He ran until he fell over coughing, wheezing, and crying. He pulled his phone out again. This time, he got an answer.?Who is this? Why are you calling me?? Ant shouted into the phone.?Ant, are you alright?? Mark asked.?Yeah, I am fine. Who is this?? Ant asked again.?It?s Mark,? he said in an exhausted fashion. ?Ant, I am so glad to hear your voice.?Ant responded, ?Mark, are you alright? You don?t seem quite right.??I am great, don?t worry about me. Where have you been? We all missed you,? Mark questioned.There was a brief silence, ?It didn?t work out with Justin. We broke up yesterday. I just can?t come back,? Ant exclaimed.?So, you are doing okay then?? Mark followed.?I am not okay, but I am well if that?s what you are asking,? Ant responded.?Ant, we want you here. We need you here. You are one of us,? Mark pleaded.?Mark, I appreciate that you called. I can feel the concern in your voice and it means a lot to me. I can?t come back, though. I loved him. I really did. Do you how it would feel to have to be around the person that you love and to have to see them every day? To have to see him move on like you don?t matter? To see him be with other guys? I can?t do it. I just can?t,? Ant stated.