translucent [markson]

[Five] Coincidence

The last day before school started was a mess for both Mark and Jackson. As more students moved in, more people continued to approach the two -- separately, of course -- to try and start a conversation. The two just really wanted a break from it.

In Mark's case, they wanted to get to know the "new kid." With the rumors spread about how smart Mark was, he was some genius that people wanted to get on the good side of. Students would knock on his dorm door and immediately start talking about how amazing they thought he was. At first, Mark was very flattered and embarrassed. Never had so many people been so kind to him in such a short time. However, it got old quickly and Mark learned to see past their initial meeting. He knew that most of them intended to use him as help for potential assignments in the upcoming school year, and he was no toy.

For Jackson, they were all old news. Since people had perceived him as a playboy, they assumed he was the cool, bad boy type. While some avoided him at all costs, others tried to befriend him just to say they were friends with someone "cool." The people that usually avoided him still showed up at his dorm, attempting to warn Yugyeom to stay away from Jackson. Each time that happened, Yugyeom would just play along, as if he hadn't known Jackson since he was eight. It was a source of entertainment for the two, being that there wasn't much else to do without having to go into town.

Since their first meeting, neither Mark nor Jackson had spoken to each other. Jackson wanted to get to know him, just as many other students had, but he knew the reality. With all the people approaching Mark, it was without a doubt that he was told to keep clear from Jackson. It really shouldn't have disappointed him, since that was what he was used to. New students, especially those who were driven and passionate about school like Mark, avoided Jackson like he was the plague.

After what Mark had heard about Jackson from BamBam and other students, Mark really didn't like what he knew about him. It surprised Mark that someone like BamBam was friends with someone like Jackson. All Mark saw in Jackson anymore was some fuckboy who needed to pull his shit together. He didn't know what got Jackson into the school, but, frankly, he didn't care. The judgemental and rude part of him told him that he probably bought his way into getting accepted or something.

Unbeknownst to the other, they both snuck past their classmates to get out of campus and go into town. Jackson planned on heading to the cafe he would always go to during the school year. Most days, he would go there to study, because his previous years at JYP academy involved him rooming with an older student who thought Jackson was a brat. Staying in his room was suffocating, and his roommate would always try to distract him. Fortunately, he graduated, and Jackson was lucky enough that Yugyeom was assigned as his new roommate.

Coincidentally, Mark was heading to the same place. Jackson had taken BamBam and Yugyeom to the cafe before, and BamBam really liked the place. When Mark said he wanted to go out, BamBam suggested the cafe because he thought Mark would like it and, since he only knew of the area what Jackson had shown him, it was the only place he was familiar with. He wanted to go to the cafe with Mark, but Mark never told him when he was going.

As the two approached the cafe's entrance, they ran into each other. Quite literally. Jackson was coming the opposite direction, having taken a detour to look at some stores, while Mark was coming from where Jackson would have if he went straight from the school. Both were looking down at their phones -- Mark at directions and Jackson at his texts -- so neither could see the person in front of them. That is, until they bumped into one another.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry... Mark?" Jackson apologized.

"Oh, hey, Jackson," Mark mumbled, half-masking the distaste and disrespect in his voice.

"Were you heading in here?" Jackson gestured to the cafe, a friendly smile on his lips.

"Uh, yeah..." Mark answered with hesitation, hoping Jackson wasn't going to the same place.

"So was I!" Jackson opened the door and motioned for Mark to enter. Mark shrugged and walked through, breathing a thanks to Jackson.

"I... I haven't been here before. What would you recommend?" Mark didn't want to talk to Jackson, but he felt overwhelmed by the situation in front of him. Ordering food was something that always made Mark the slightest bit nervous, especially when he was still new at Korean.

"Well I usually like to get that." Jackson pointed at the boards above the counter, at a chocolate drink he and Yugyeom loved. "But I think you'd like something more like that." His hand moved to point at a smoothie that, for some reason, reminded him of Mark.

"It sounds good. Thanks for the suggestion." Mark quickly ordered and snatched the last open table.

"Can I sit with you?" Jackson stood in front of him, a notebook now in his hands.

"Sure." As much as Mark had wanted to say no, he didn't want to be an asshole. It just bothered him that Jackson chose to sit with him, even when there were other people he recognised from school at the cafe too. Jackson seemed to be familiar with the cafe, so it would make sense that he knew other regulars there. Surely he had another friend that he could have sat with?

"How are the dorms?" Jackson asked while opening his notebook.

"They're really nice. Less students than I expected, though."

"It's a really selective school -- which I'm sure you know." Mark nodded and glanced at the pages of Jackson's notebook. The pages were full of writing that Mark couldn't read. It wasn't that the writing was illegible, but it was written in a different language.

It was silent a few more minutes. By then, both of them had received their drinks and were doing their own thing. Jackson continued to scribble in his notebook and Mark messed around on his phone. The silence was slightly awkward, but neither knew what to talk about.

"So, Mark... Should we look at each other's schedules? We can check if we have classes together." Mark nodded, and both of them pulled up their schedules on their phones. They put their phones in the middle of the table so they could see the two schedules side by side.

"Math, science, and English..." Mark mumbled. Those were the classes they had together.

"Nice. I assume your 'thing' is math, right? You have a lot of math classes."

"Yeah..." Mark was only half-paying attention. Their level of math was advanced, even for their gifted school. How could Jackson be as smart as him?

"Are you doing any sports or after school stuff?"

"I'm doing gymnastics."

"That's cool. I've always wanted to do gymnastics. I do fencing."

"So you do fencing and your 'thing' is..." Mark glanced at the schedule again. "Language?"

"Yeah. Honestly, it's kinda lame. To me, anyways." Jackson really didn't want the conversation to end, because he knew it might be their last genuine one. Once the school year fully kicked in, students usually got meaner and more ruthless. Mark would only grow to dislike Jackson more. And Jackson knew Mark didn't like him from the start anyway.

"It's not lame. Most people at our school can barely speak their first language. Though, I'm not really entitled to say that, considering I'm only meh at Korean." Both of them laughed, grabbing the attention of other people in the cafe.

"Your Korean is really good, don't say that."

"Thanks..." Mark glanced around awkwardly, before abruptly standing up. "I should get going. Nice talking to you."

It was when he watched Mark walk out the door that Jackson decided he'd do what he could to get Mark to like him. Mark seemed like such an amazing person, and he hadn't felt the need to befriend someone since meeting Yugyeom and BamBam. He wanted to hang out with Mark in the dorms and tell him silly jokes. He loved the sound of Mark's laugh the split second he heard it, and he wanted to do his best to be able make it sound again.

He never thought that the next time Mark laughed would be at him.