gossip ;; 2jae [Editing]

Chapter 14

> Important Note: In the story, Mandarin is in bold. <

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Just wanted to warn that there's a graphic description of violence/fighting within this chapter. Blood is also mentioned, so if you have any questions before reading or want an abridged version please comment here or contact me.

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|||| - Another Point Of View - ||||
• Wednesday •

Forty minutes before the first bell, with way too much coffee in his system, Jackson was just barely dragging himself to his locker after saying 'good morning' to Jinyoung and Youngjae. Throwing the door open, he quickly stuffed the books inside the compartment into his bag, catching something bright in the corner of his eye: a neon yellow post-it note.

Know how your parents are, so I hope the colour wakes you up lol. Good luck on your presentation!!!

- MT <3

Jackson rolled his eyes fondly. Whoever convinced his parents that 'starting an important day early' was a good idea should've explained that 5:30 in the morning was not 'early' for normal people (Jackson could pretend he was 'normal people' for the time being), it was the middle of the night. He was no Youngjae, who probably woke up at 4:41 AM sharp every morning. But, Mark was right, the not-- the colour did energize him.

With some degree of pep in his step, Jackson shut his locker, folding the sticky note and slipping it into the back of his phone. He'd just managed to relock his locker when the doors at the front of the school opened and both him and the person entering the building froze. There, staring back at him, was the love o-- his bestie, Mark, his buddy.

Moments of silence dragged on until Jackson got an idea, shooting Mark a mischievous grin. "We're soaring, flyin'," he began loudly from his end of the hall.

Breaking Free. The lyrics were very fresh in Mark's mind since Jackson had 'forced' him to watch the entirety of the High School Musical trilogy the night before. The karaoke version, mind you, and Mark hadn't known a single lyric to any of them-- okay, maybe the third movie, but the rest? Mark has had them memorized cue by cue for years now.

"There's not a star in heaven that we can't reach," he scream-sang back.

"If we're tryin', so we're breaking free," Jackson shouted, both boys starting to walk towards each other.

"You know the world can see us." Mark let his bag slip off his shoulders and onto the floor as he walked, gaze focused solely on Jackson, his destination.

"In a different way than who we are."

They must have looked silly, standing in the middle of a hallway, screaming even though they were now only a foot apart. The thought brought a smile to Mark's face, which Jackson instantly returned.