Level 1: Best Friend - Mark

You bike over to your best friend's house. You've known Mark ever since Elementary school and growing up the two of you were inseparable. You biked everywhere together, played endless video games, went to the movies, talked about girls, explored the woods, and just everything. Your Mom called you the 'Bobsey Twins'.

Like your Dad, Mark's Dad had also abandoned his family. Perhaps that's why you were so close, because both of you had shithole Dads who left you.

But something's been wrong. Mark stopped answering your texts while you were away at College, or would give short, one-word replies.

Worried, you decide to physically bike over to his place to see what's wrong.

Ringing the doorbell feels weird, when before you would just barge right in and call for Mark. But now... after college... it feels like you should ring the doorbell first.

After a few minutes, you hear the click-click of Mrs. Johnson's heels and she opens the door.

"Hey Paul," she says, tucking some loose hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry but Mar--"

She stops suddenly, then takes a minute.

"*Mark*," she finishes, saying his name with some weird emphasis, "isn't feeling well. uh.... " here she pauses for a very long time, "*he* said maybe you could come back some other time. Um.... *He'll* text you when *he's* feeling better."

She looks disgusted at having to tell this news. What the heck is going on??

"Oh, okay, Mrs. Johnson," you say, feeling a bit freaked out. "Is Mark okay? He's not dying of some terminal illness or something?"

Fortunately, Mrs. Johnson laughed.

"Oh no," she said. "Nothing like that. Uh, *he'll* just text you when uh... *he's* ready to see you."

"Okay," you say.

That couldn't have been any weirder, you think to yourself, biking away. What the fuck is going on?