"Okay," Whip said. "I'll meet you there."
His friends departed for the basketball court. Whip teleported to his room to change.
In the middle of dressing, he paused. Then he finished dressing, teleported outside of Mark's room and knocked on the door. The door was flung open.
"What do you want?" Mark scrowled.
"Just... just we were going to play some hoops, and I wanted to know if you wanted to join us," Whip replied, a little thrown off by Mark's attitude.
"Not interested," Mark replied.
He started to shut the door but Whip caught it.
"Why?" Whip asked. "If you're not in class, of the caf, you're here. And doing what? C'mon man, you're always cooped up inside."
"Am not. I have to go out for sport. I hate sport," Mark said pointedly.
Whip sighed.
"Okay, okay fine," he said. "I just... I just don't want you to feel like you're not invited. Y'know, becaus eyou are."
Mark laughed.
"Suuuure... and whose idea was this?"
"Mine."
"And do the others know anything about this?"
"Well, no..."
"See? Whip, you are just going to face the facts. I am the single most unpopular kid in this entire school. The others pity you because you're stuck having danger room sessions just with me. If you start inviting me on a social basis, they're going to shun you too."
"I'm sure it's not -"
"But it is like that, Whip. It is. Trust me, you haven't been at this school long enough. Just go away."
And Mark shut the door in his face. Whip lifted his hand to knock again, thought better of it, and shoved his hands in his pocket before teleporting away.