Mark Collins

Mark is one of the main characters in the #LoveHacks series. He is also a potential love interest. He is first seen in Book 1, Chapter 1.

Appearance
Mark has blue eyes, brown hair and beard and slightly tan skin. Usually, he wears a blue checked shirt with red and yellow accents.

Personality
Mark is very analytical and tends to overthink situations. Cole has described him as "a creature of routine". He often represses his emotions and has had bouts of "soul-searching" in reaction to traumatic events, such as his breakup with Amy. This is one of a series of at least nine patterns that Cole has observed Mark to have, another of which includes watching the film Space Jam (1996) on repeat, and another which includes playing racquetball.

He can be prone to jealousy, shown when Main Character starts dating Ben. He is also somewhat of a pushover, as when his brother Isaac moves in at his apartment and he defends him despite his older brother's previous record of exploiting his patience.

Background
Eight years prior to the start of the plot, Mark met Main Character in Professor Vasquez's American Literature class. He was streaking with a group of other freshmen as a dare after losing a bet at a sorority party, but stopped and took a seat behind her instead, wanting to sign the attendance sheet to pass the subject. Vasquez entered and, upon seeing the naked man, ordered him to leave immediately. He did so, but not before getting Main Character's number.

Five years later, Mark was wandering the halls of an apartment at 85 Guerrero St., looking for a C. Coleman. He met a man who had introduced himself as Hidalgo St. Pierre, and was immediately met with a barrage of hypothetical but very specific questions regarding Coleman. Hidalgo was then met by a woman named Sabrina, who had began seducing him. Mark quickly intervened, making up a lie which drove Sabrina away, where Hidalgo, who admitted that he was the Clarence Coleman Mark was looking for, thanked him earnestly.

Later, the two of them entered the Double Tap, with Cole buying drinks and Mark looking for a booth. He ran into one particular booth at the same time as Sereena, who was with Brooke, and both argued over who gets it. Horatio, the present bartender, suggested a drinking game for the booth, which lasted all night.

Sometime later, he, Cole, and Horatio went to Venice Beach. As Horatio read a book solemnly, Mark and Cole became inebriated. Theresa Holland passed by the three men and conversed with Horatio, but the two drunk men intervened to flirt with her. While Cole babbled about beer, Mark, who brought his laptop, bragged about being "professional" while flaunting the device. He and Cole argued and wrestled sloppily, according to Horatio, before the latter escorted them back to their hotel room.

Later, Horatio found his drunken friends missing and looked for them, only to find Mark and Cole slumbering on the roof of a police car. Unlike Cole, Mark is comfortable bringing up this incident, but like Cole, he too had an inaccurate recollection of the event.

Book 1

 * Chapter 1: This Story Will Change Your Life
 * Chapter 2: Telltale Signs Your BFF Is Into You
 * Chapter 3: 3 SF Spots to Visit Before You Die
 * Chapter 4: You've Been Breaking Up Your Friends All Wrong
 * Chapter 5: Do's and Don'ts of Double Dating
 * Chapter 6: 6 Things Only Country Fans Will Understand
 * Chapter 7: What The Media Hasn't Told You About Finding A Job
 * Chapter 8: She Dates A Bad Boy. You Won't Believe What Happens Next!
 * Chapter 9: 9 Things Only Attractive People Get Away With
 * Chapter 10: We Need To Talk About Rich Guys!
 * Chapter 11: 11 Times Geeks Gave Us Life!
 * Chapter 12: We Dated Three Guys At One So You Don't Have To!
 * Chapter 13: 13 Dating Fails You Have To See To Believe
 * Chapter 14: Don't Plot Sabotage Without Reading This First
 * Chapter 15: Why Sports Dated Have Us Hooked
 * Chapter 16: 16 Secrets For The Perfect Breakup
 * Chapter 17: 17 Things Never To Do At A Work Party
 * Chapter 18: The Ending Will Blow Your Mind!

Book 2

 * Chapter 1: What Happens Next Will Shock You
 * Chapter 2: The Hot New Company Everyone Is Talking About
 * Chapter 3: These Cosplays Are Better Than The Real Thing
 * Chapter 4: 4 Things Cowboys And Bartenders Have In Common
 * Chapter 5: 5 Party Hacks All Millennials Should Know!
 * Chapter 6: The 6 Best Spots For A Guy's Night Out!
 * Chapter 7: 7 Things That Happened (And Stayed) In Vegas
 * Chapter 8: 8 More Things That Happened In Vegas
 * Chapter 9: Forget Everything You Know About Weddings
 * Chapter 10: 10 Surprising Foosball Tips
 * Chapter 11: 11 Signs You Grew Up With An Older Sibling
 * Chapter 12: 12 Things You Wish You Could Forget About Last Night
 * Chapter 13: 13 Times Burning Sands Was Lit
 * Chapter 14: The 14 Job Offers Millennials Get
 * Chapter 15: 15 Tips For When Family And Work Collide
 * Chapter 16: 16 Things Teens Don't Want You To Know
 * Chapter 17: So Your Roomie's Moving Out... Now What?
 * Chapter 18: This Series Finale Will Have You Shook

Main Character
Main Character and Mark have known each other since college, having first met in Professor Vasquez's American Lit class. They became best friends, close even when Mark began dating Amy. On the night of his 21st birthday, he ditched his birthday party and took a drunk Main Character on her quest to get nachos (because it symbolized a win for her since she felt the universe was against her that day) and promised to always be there for her. They lost touch after graduation when Main Character moved to New York. In Chapter 1, they reconnect in San Francisco. Mark's romantic feelings for Main Character aren't revealed until Chapter 11 when he tells Brooke, but he hasn't had the courage to tell Main Character herself how he feels. It is the players' choice to remain friends or to see where things are going in Book 2, Chapter 1, and to officially be with him in Book 2, Chapter 18.

Isaac Collins
Isaac is Mark's older brother. They don't get along for a number of reasons but mostly because of their conflicting personalities. Whereas Mark believes in hard work, Isaac just pushes him around, such as making him squeeze 300 lemons in exchange for lemonade. However, in reality Isaac is jealous of Mark's success, admitting that he is living in his younger brother's shadow. He and Isaac have not lived under the same roof since high school.

Cole
Mark and Cole are roommates. They have lived with each other for a long time—so long that Cole knows "every single one of [Mark's] idiosyncratic habits". They bicker often, are competitive, and disagree on a number of things, but in seriousness, Cole looks out for Mark and has his best interest in mind. This is shown after Main Character doesn't make it to Mark's apartment after her date with Ben to share notes, in which Mark had planned to confess his feelings to her. Cole is there to talk with him and drink scotch.

Evan
Evan and Mark used to work on the same team until Mark became leader of another team. Evan has been bitter ever since.

Amy
Amy is Mark's on-and-off-again girlfriend. They have been dating ever since they were in college. Their relationship is troubled, since she doesn't get along with his friends and they both argue often. Mark has wanted to break up with her, and was finally able to do so in Chapter 5. after a failed scheme by his friends and a disastrous double date with Main Character and Brock.

Brooke Williams
Mark and Brooke are friends. He often visits her and Sereena's apartment during his "patterns".

Sereena Patel
Mark and Sereena are friends. He first met her when both arrived at a particular booth in The Double Tap at the same time, where she nicknamed him "Polo Shirt". There was one time where Sereena angered Mark by using only facial expressions.

Horatio Santos
Mark and Horatio are friends. He first met him when he quelled his argument with Sereena. Both of them and Cole are close, often going out together and looking out for each other, such as when Horatio wanted Mark to dump Amy for his own good or when Cole and Mark gave Horatio flirting advice.

Trivia

 * Mark is shown on the covers of #LoveHacks, Book 1, and #LoveHacks, Book 2.
 * Mark has the habit of running his hand through his hair when he feels stressed or exasperated.
 * Mark's guilty pleasure is the TV show The Crown & The Flame, just like Brooke.
 * Mark is afraid of monkeys. He says they freak him out because of a "bad experience with The Wizard of Oz."
 * His favorite drink is a pilsner.
 * Mark, his ex-girlfriend Amy, and Main Character met at Grantmore University, where they all attended together.
 * When he was in college (precisely twenty years old), he created a game called Dopey Cat.
 * Mark has a crush on actress Zooey Deschanel.
 * The name Mark is of Latin origin and means "consecrated to the god Mars" (god of war) or "warlike".
 * The surname Collins is of Irish and Scottish origin, which means "cub" or "young one".