Oh Boy: A Jackbum Story

1. Regret

Jackson almost never gets sick. He exercises regularly, eats well, and washes his hands almost every hour. Why? Because when he was younger his mother told him mold would grow on his hands if he didn't, and if he ate that mold, he would die. Does he still believe that? No, but it hasn't stopped the habit. Unfailingly, this habit has kept him healthy through most of his high school life, so why this is the fourth morning he's hurling into the 2nd floor bathroom at 9am has him stumped.

Not that he's thinking about it too hard right now, currently dry heaving, toilet paper pressed to his lips, eyes shut tight. This is the worst part, the part where he tries to catch his breath, breathe through a tube that burns with acid and hopefully keep anything left over in his stomach, down. It eventually stops but he waits a moment by the toilet—just to be safe.

After washing his mouth out in the sink and checking his reflection to make sure he doesn't have any on his shirt, he texts Mark, just the vomiting emoji and Mark sends him back a frown.

Mark: I just think you should go to the doctor, you look bad man.

Jackson: Maybe you're right, but I really think it's just the flu.

Mark: You think it's the flu? THEN STOP COMING TO SCHOOL.

It's uncharacteristic of Mark to shout. In all their years of friendship Jackson has probably only heard him do it twice, and both those times were at his nemesis, Jinyoung. He's right, though. It's just that he doesn't feel consistently sick, he wakes up every morning feeling fine and then right around this time he has to puke and afterwards, he's fine again.

Like now, walking back to class, he feels only discomfort. Normal discomfort after heaving, but his stomach isn't cramping anymore, and his head isn't swimming so he would call that a win. He doesn't look the best, and he knows it, because the second he's through the classroom door, his teacher frowns at him, and not because he's always needing to use the restroom.

Despite Mark's suggestion, he didn't plan on going to the doctor. Figuring he'd get over it, but his teacher snitched to his mom and he ended up in the car after school on the way to the hospital anyway.

He's had the same doctor since he was in diapers, a kind woman now in her 50s who smiles at Jackson sweetly when she comes into the room. She looks rather cheerful today, probably not because she's seeing Jackson, but he likes to interpret it that way.

Jackson's mother used to insist on coming into the exam room with him, every time, for a variety of reasons. For one, she wanted to know what they were talking about, and she wanted to make sure Jackson wasn't trying to downplay any injuries. That hasn't changed much since turning 17, only a few weeks ago, but today, his mother sits down in the waiting room, and tells them not wait up. She's on the phone with her tennis club, or maybe the country club, a call too important to end just to make sure her son doesn't have cancer.

He jumps up on the exam table with a smile when she gestures at it. One he hopes will set everyone's mind at ease, his own included.

"So how is school? It's almost over right?" She picks up a little chart and looks it over as she asks.

"Yeah, it's been good!" Really good. They haven't lost a game yet this season and most of it is due (in Jackson's biased opinion) to the power team that he, Jinyoung and Namjoon create. "I'm trying to be captain next year"

"Oh well, I hope that doesn't mean I'll be seeing you more" She chuckles, casting Jackson a look full of playful warning. The amount of times Jackson has been here, and downstairs in physical therapy, for sports related physicals and injuries since he started walking is many. "Now the nurse tells me you're in here because you feel sick, what exactly is wrong?"