When Bad Meets Worse

Chapter I

When Jackson receives his acceptance letter from some high school, April immediately bursts out in a thundering laugh.
"Hahaha... what did I say man? You spent a year preparing for the test, but end up getting the same thing as what I got with a month's effort."
Jackson rolls his eyes and watches his best friend roll around on his bed laughing to death. Jackson secretly wishes she dies of...uh... laughing too much.
Realizing Jackson isn't going to give much of a reaction; April birdies her head back into previewing concepts for high school.
After a few moments of silence, April figures Jackson might be sad and gets up to pat him on the shoulder.
"Come on, don't be too sad, that school isn't the best, but at least it's a high school eh? God's gotta care about you at least a bit to let you into some high school." April says easily, the ending of her sentence echoing off into yet another round of laughter. She never finishes a joke before bursting out laughing herself.
Jackson's poor ears are rebelling, and he decides he can no longer stand this torture. Closing the book filled with incomprehensible math symbols, he turns to face April.
"If you wanted to see me seething in anger, then I'm sorry, I may have to disappoint you." Jackson leaves the calm sentence and walks out the room.
He walks to the kitchen and pours himself some water. He did expect better results, and was a little disappointed at the school he was accepted into. But then again, they are all schools, what's the matter whether they are good or bad? Jackson quickly decides that this fresh start for him is good enough.
"Dude, when you leaving?" Jackson pushes the door open, and sees April playing in her phone.
"Come on, I never come over these days. How can you be so cruel?" April complains, her lips turning into a cute pout.
"It's getting dark; you should get home before murderers start walking the streets."
"Why don't you walk me home?"
Jackson finally understands April's reason to show up at his house. They grew up together, but April started coming over less and less during the year of grade nine, when Jackson moved out.
"No." Jackson says, his voice suddenly stern.
April only bites her lip a little at the Jackson's abrupt change of tone. She had expected him to answer that way all along.
"You sure you don't want to come with me to visit your dad?" She says as she walks to the hall to put on her shoes.
"Not yet."
"Fine," April sighs, "but he told me to tell you, he misses you a lot."
Jackson's moving hands pause for a moment from cleaning of the table of snack wrappers. He murmurs an "oh" before continuing.
※
Going into high school is doubtless something all kids anticipate, with exception of the military training. It's something freshmen have to do for a week, to boost some discipline and get students ready for the new year.
Jackson and April are in the same alas. Again. He notices with shock that they have been in the same classes every year except grade nine. How unfortunate.
April has been following him the entire day, since he is the only person she knows.
"How about you go make some new friends eh?" Jackson yells to shut April up in the bus.
"I will I will, just wait till me get there." April laughs. She notices Jackson's workbook in hand, he's using it to block out April. April grabs it and tosses the book out the window.
"Dude. That was ten dollars."
"Stop torturing yourself." April laughs, patting him oh the shoulder.
Ignoring Jackson's twisting expression, she continues on with her talking.
Jackson face-palms and begins to question life.
They are in the midst of August; the sun right now is pretty much a ball of fire. Freshmen are dressed in army training uniforms, and have been frying under the sun for two days now.
April has already made friends with many of the other girls. Pain is really something that brings people together. They are the C class, and there aren't many people. The crowd is rather loose and comfortable.
The comfort doesn't last for long when their teacher, slash general, decides they are enjoying themselves a little too much. Class E is combined with class C to save some space, but it also makes their formation to crowded to breath in. The E class is the class for people doing sports seriously, so the girls are all fangirling over the boys' muscles. Jackson glances over to April's spit, she grew up treasured in her little shell, there's no way she'd live through this. As expected, April's face has gone pale, and beads of sweat roll down her forehead.
As childhood friends, Jackson cares, at least a bit, for April. He gives her a questioning look, to ask whether she's okay. April mouths the words "I'm dead." Jackson laughs and returns a "fighting."
But ten minutes later.
"Oh my god are you okay?! Hey, wake up!" A few gasps and scream rise from behind. Jackson turns right away, only to see April passed out on the ground.
"Sir, I'll take her to the nurse's office!" Before Jackson can react, a boy with silver blond hair picks up April, so she's lying in his arms.
"Hurry!" The general guy nods.
As long as that kid doesn't die, Jackson will be fine. But seeing her hopping about at noon made him feel betrayed for worrying so much earlier.
"Why are you here again?" Jackson is eating alone at a table.
"I felt bad 'cause you looked so lonely, so I figured..." April smiles evilly, pretending to be caring.
"Sure, who knew our April was so kind. Just watch out for yourself, I swear if you mess something up on the last day." Jackson laughs.
"Are you kidding me? I fainted yesterday and you didn't even come, are we still friends?" April slaps Jackson hard on the back, causing him to cough out his lunch.
"I did go! But some guy got there before me. Jackson coughs out a response.
"Ohhhhh. So you care about me but your feet are too slow." April laughs. "But... that guy, he's cute eh?"
Jackson nods half-heartedly. He didn't actually see the guy up close. All he caught was a glimpse of his really really pale skin that almost blends in with the colour of his hair. Jackson starts wondering how he can have such pale skin and still be in sports. Maybe it's a winter sport.
"Dude. He's so hot. I asked him out, guess what he said?"
Thanks to April Jackson coughed his lunch out, again.
"You are so gross." April murmurs while looking around to check if anyone was watching.
"April..." Jackson huffs, still trying to level his breathing from the shock. "You are so desperate."
"No I'm not, I haven't dated in a long time." April drags the "g" on the word "long", her face determined. "More importantly," she adds. "He said yes! See? I got his number."
Jackson leans over the table to talk e a good look at the slip of paper.
"Choi...young...jae?" He reads it syllable by syllable.
"He wrote it." April takes another bite of her sandwich, "I know, I'm amazing."
Jackson doesn't reply right away, he puts down his chopsticks and gets up. Honestly, he didn't want to get into her business, but as a brother, he's a little worried what might happen with that boy-crazy kid.
"Up to you." Jackson smiles, picks up his plate and leaves.
※
Jackson has already become friends with the guys in his dorm. They are not to close though, Jackson is usually the one on the side watching while the others messed around.
"Have you seen the people in class E? Athletes are athletes after all. They are all so tall and big."
"I know right?! Even the girls are so strong. It makes me feel so weak"
"So? All they are good at is sports. Their grades suck and they are horrible people all together." Just as the rest of the dorm is admiring the E class, a sharp voice suddenly breaks through.
"What do you mean?"
"Haven't you heard? That Youngjae guy, he's in 10E."
"Youngjae? Like, Choi Youngjae?"
"Yeah, that one, gotta be careful next time you see him."
"What would he do anyway? I never did anything to him."
"Still, it's a little sketchy having him in the school."
"Dude, I don't think he bites."
"You never know."
......
Jackson is laying on his bed with a book in hand. His ears are only half open. Listening to what seems like really bad background music to him, he realize how talkative these guys can get. Like really really talkative. He never heard about Youngjae before. Jackson didn't think there would be a guy like his old self in the area. He makes a mental note to give April a thumbs up next time he sees her for getting a boy that quickly. Speaking of them, when April passed out, Youngjae went to her first. Maybe he likes April back. They might actually get somewhere with this.
"Jackson, will you stop reading for a second."
"Yeah, stop pretending to be a good kid."
Jackson freezes for a few seconds before closing the book. If other people don't want him to do something, then he won't do it. It has become his recent way of life.
"Hey," Jackson lays back on his bunk, using his folded arms as a pillow, "this Youngjae kid, is he nice?
"Nice? Are you kidding?" One of the boys says laughing, "He's everything but nice."
Everything but nice, Jackson used to be something like that.