i'm here

Jackson's POV

"Damn. Why is it so cold in here?" I zip up my leather jacket.

It's freezing in Platnium.

"Yeah it is." Jaebum rubbed his hands together. "But the cool air calms the patients."

I nod.

I'm finally here.

The place that I've only heard stories about, here I am standing dead center in the lobby.

Platnium.

"It's nice right?" I look to Mom then I start to look around.

This? Nice?

This is gorgeous!

You wouldn't expect this place to be mental institution.

Even though the colors are basic the architecture definitely makes up for the lack in the color.

My thoughts were cut off by a scream.

I jumped.

Again.

"Isn't it lovely Jackson?"  Jaebum had a knowing smirk on his face.

"It was. But then I heard the scream."

"Get used to them. You're gonna be here a while." Jaebum started to lead us down a hall.

Mom walked beside me.

"Ah Jackson. Thank you for doing this. I don't know if it'll work but it's worth trying. I'm so glad you said you'll help." Mom gave me a hug. I could see Jaebum observing from ahead.

I can hear her sniffling.

"Mom? Are you crying?" She shook her head.

Why is she crying?

"I just really want to help him. He's a great kid. When we talk I enjoy it so much. We laugh and have fun. But then I know that it will only last for a second before he goes back to the Mark everyone is scared of." She wipes her eyes. "It would be great if it was just the Mark I know."

I never knew mom would get this emotional. I'm shook.

"Mom." I grab her by the shoulders and stare at her intently. "Even though I still don't know exactly what I'm doing, I'll try my best to save the Mark you know." She smiled.

"Thank you Jackson." We hug again.

Someone clears they're throat.

"Oh! Sorry Jaebum. I got emotional and stuff . Excuse us." Mom wipes the rest of her tears. "Shall we continue?"

"We shall." And Jaebum lead the way yet again.

This place is seriously huge.

How do you not get lost?

After what felt like forever we made it to some type of office.

There were 2 men.

A tall one with huge ears. And another tall one but he had sort of dark skin.

"Jongin! Chanyeol!" Mom ran to the men and gave them hugs.

"Hey Ping." That deep voice from the phone.

Ah so the tall dark one is Jongin.

"You must be Jackson." The other man came up to me.

"Yep. That's me. The greatest." We shook hands.

He chuckled.

"I'm Chanyeol. I'm Doctor Kim's assistant."

"Cool." I have no idea what else I can say.

I'm still unsure about this situation.

"Jackson! The son of the year!" Jongin gave me an aggressive hug.

"Hey Jongin." I couldn't help but laugh a little at his excessive force.

"So," We all turn to Jaebum. "Where's Mark? Is everything ready?"

"Well..the room is ready but Mark isn't."

"How is he not ready?" Jaebum looks angry.

"10 minutes ago or so he had a seizure. He's fine though. He's in his cell sleeping." Jongin scratches his neck.

"When will he wake up?" Mom asks.

"Soon."

Damn. He had a seizure.

Is he really all right?

Why do I feel so bad for him?

He's been gone for a week.

I wonder how he looks...

"Can I see him?"

They all look at me.

Surprise written all over their faces. It's like I just told them I murdered someone.

"What? Can I not see him?"

"Y-you can. I didn't expect you to say that though. I mean I thought you two don't know each other that well." Jongin looks confused now.

"We don't. But from what Jaebum's been telling me I guess we have to get close eventually." I shrugged.

This is why I'm here right?

"I talk to Mark try to get answers out of him and I guess I become his friend. That's what it seems like to me."

"Yes Jackosn that's the spirit! Keep his trust in you." Jongin pats me on the back.

"It's not that simple though." Chanyeol speaks up all of a sudden. "Jackson can't just talk to him to get answers.  He needs to talk from the heart. Mark is smart. He knows when things are fake. When he calls us liars it's not too far off. We do lie to make them, the patients, feel better." We all nod.

Chanyeol continues.

"What I'm saying is that Jackson, you need to just have a conversation with him. Don't ask him anything too personal. Just talk to him and make him feel comfortable. This is going to be a long journey. If we want to do this right we have to take our time."

"You're gonna have to be friends with him. Actual friends."

I stared at Chanyeol. Jaebum should've brought Chanyeol with him. He's really good at explaining this.

"Actual friends? Like hanging out and stuff."

"Yes. And talking at school. Eating lunch together. Sleepovers. Anything that friends do for each other."

Holy hell. At school too?

"So I have to risk my reputation just to help him?" I like the way I stand at school.

It took a lot to boost from a little dork to one of the most popular guys in school.

"Jackson. Who gives a damn about your reputation!" Jaebum shouted.

I don't like how he's raising his voice.

"I do! I don't want to give that all up!"

"Fine then. Keep your fucking reputation and let a boy rot away into his mind. A mind corrupting and destroying him."

I groaned.

"Why is this so difficult!" I pulled my hair.

"I asked you if you were sure you wanted to do this!"

"I didn't think it would go this far!"

"Just cause your snobby reputation is threatened." Jaebum rolls his eyes.

"Watch it Jaebum." I really want to  punch his face.

It looks like he feels the same way.

"Woah woah there fellas. Calm down." Jongin got in between us. "This is not a fighting topic. Look Jackson it's all up to you."

"We'll give you 2 choices." Chanyeol joins in. "The first choice is that you don't talk to Mark and you keep your reputation in school but you leave Mark here lost in his mind that's clawing at him everyday. And we'll never know what's happened to him. Was he abused? Was he bullied? Who knows?"

"You can try to talk to him yourselves."

"No Jackson. He'll only talk to you."

I gulp.

"What's choice 2?" I muster up the courage to speak.

"Choice 2." Chanyeol looks me straight in the eyes. "You talk to Mark. You may or may not lose your reputation in school. But you make a new friend. You help him experience  happiness in his life. You listen to all his past. You be there when times are tough. You get to help him change his whole life around. Who cares about a lost reputation when you can give birth to a new life!"

Chanyeol takes a breath.

"It's up to you Jackson. Your decision."

My decision.

Shit.

Do I take my carefree life away and help Mark?

Do I just want walk away from this?

Mark.

He can't be that bad?

Mom said she and Mark would laugh together.

It would great if it was just the Mark I know.

Mom wants the Mark she knows.

I want to meet that Mark.

But would my friends approve?

I look up.

Mom has fear in her eyes.

Jaebum has anger in his eyes.

Jongin has compassion in his eyes.

Chanyeol has determination in his eyes.

And me

I have everything in my eyes.

"Jackson? Whats your choice?" Jaebum's voice echoes through my head.

I told Mark to wait for me.

He's been waiting long enough.

"I wanna see him." My voice cuts through the silence.

I turn to look at the Platnium emblem on the wall.

"I want to go look at my future. It's in a cell asleep." I turn back to everyone. They're all smiling.

"I'm going to become his friend. I'm gonna let him use my shoulder to cry on. I'm gonna show him one hell of a life."

"Your really going to sacrifice everything?"

"Yes mom. I am. I want to help him. Y'all told me so much! I'll feel like a dick if I don't help. It is what it is." I sigh.

I can't back down. If I lose my reputation oh well. At least I can look back and tell myself that I did the right thing.

Jongin and Chanyeol squeeze me into a hug.

"You really are a great young man." Jongin pats my head.

"I'm glad your helping. Trust me. You won't regret it." Chanyeol smiles.

I smile back.

"Lets go see him." Jongin makes his way to the door.

"Turn your phone on silent Jackson. I don't want to rile up anymore patients tonight."

"Okay." I turn my phone on silent. I see a bunch a texts from BamBam.

Wow what does he want?

He'll have to wait.

I put my phone back in my pocket.

"Lets go."

"Ah really. It's too cold in here." We've only been walking for a minute and I feel like my toes are about to fall off.

"Today it's actually pretty warm." Chanyeol says with a calm expression.

"It's colder than this! That's insane." My teeth start to chatter.

Everyone else laughs at me.

"Shut up. I'm not used to this."

We finally come to a big silver door.

"Is this Mark's cell?" I look the huge door up and down.

"Yeah." Jaebum nods.

"It's quite big."

"He has a cellmate."

"Wouldn't he attack him?"

"Today was the first day he did." Oh is his cellmate that Youngjae guy?

"Why does he have a roomate?"

"Both him and his cellmate are depressed. To prevent them from suicide we pair them up so they won't feel lonely." Chanyeol explains.

"Ohhh. Makes sense." I'm learning so much today.

Jongin walks to the door and puts some code in.

The door pops and it automatically opens.

The technology is crazy here.

Jongin peeks his head through the door.

"Ah Youngjae. You okay? You're scared. Doctor Im is back." Jongin ushers Jaebum over. Jaebum goes through the door.

I hear a squeal.

Someone is excited.

"Come on Jackson. Come in."

I walk in the room and I'm engulfed in white.

White walls.

White beds.

White floors.

What the fuck?

I shield my eyes. It's so bright.

"Damn. Why is everything white?"

"White symbolizes innocence and purity. We  try to make our patients feel like they're in a bright innocent place." Jongin elaborates.

"It's too much." I cover my eyes.

"I think it's beautiful."

"Of course you do mom."

"Over here Jackson." I see Chanyeol by a bed. Someone's lying down.

Jaebum is with Mark's cellmate.

It must be Mark.

I walk over.

I gasp.

Mark.

He looks so thin.

And he's so pale he almost blends into the white blankets.

His black hair is the only dark thing in the room. It's long and messy.

He looks peaceful yet stressed.

He has a furrowed brow.

"Damn." Is all I can say.

"He doesn't eat. We try. We don't take him outside because he might escape. And his hair. Ha! He won't let us get near him to cut it." Jongin looks down at Mark too.

"How do I-"

"Save him? Like Chanyeol said. It's gonna be a long journey."

I sigh.

"Here sit." Mom gave us chairs. We all sit around Mark's bed.

It's silent.

All you can hear is Mark's breathing. Our own breaths can't compare to his.

"So your him?" I look up to the unknown voice.

It's Mark's cellmate.

"Huh?"

"Your the one that Mark hyung talks about so much?"

"Yeah. I guess." Damn he even knows?

He nods. He whispers something to Jaebum. Those two seem close.

More silence.

"Why isn't anyone talking?" I'm getting frustrated with this silence.

"Sorry. What do you want to talk about? We already told you everything. We just need him to wake up so we can this show on the road."

"Show on the road? Really Jaebum?" Chanyeol shakes his head.

Jaebum shrugs and it looks like he was going to say something but a noise interrupted him.

It's whimpering.

Who's whimpering?

I look down to Mark. He's shaking and whimpering.

"No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no." Why is he saying no?

I look at the doctors.

"We don't know either. We don't know what he went through. It must've been traumatic." Chanyeol shrugs.

Wow.

Mark will only tell me.

Shit

What happened to him?

"No! Don't touch me!" He starts to kick his feet and swing his arms.

Jongin goes to him and attempts to calm him down but Mark screams even louder.

"Don't touch me you bastard!"

I stand up.

"Mark?"

He stops moving.

His screams stop.

I take his hand.

Lord he's freezing.

"I'm here Mark. It's okay." I squeeze his hand and I stroke his hair.

This is weird. It's like we're close even though we're not.

But hey. I don't want him to freak out again.

I'm going to help him.

He opens his eyes.

This reminds me of when he passed out in the gym.

"Jackson?" His voice is so small.

I smile.

"I'm here Mark." He starts to cry.

I feel kinda sad.

He sits up. We never break eye contact.

He touches my cheek.

"It's really you." I nod.

He squeezes my hand back.

He looks from our entwined hands to my face.

He starts to cry harder.

It kinda hurts to watch him.

He looks so broken and lost.

He shakes and shudders.

He whimpers more.

I hug him.

He gasps.

I rub his back.

"It's okay Mark. I'm here for you." And he cries harder and louder into my shoulder. His hands grip my jacket tightly.

I hug him tighter.

I inhale his scent.

He smells like strawberries.

It's a nice scent.

I look up and I see everyone: Jongin, Chanyeol, Jaebum, Youngjae, and Mom all staring, shocked looks on all of their faces.

I smile.

They don't say anything.

Neither do I.

Only thing you can hear is Mark's crying.

"Jackson?" He buries his face deeper into my neck.

"Yeah?"

"Are y-you going to l-l-leave m-me?"

"No. I'm not going anywhere." I feel his tears run down my neck.

Jongin hands me a tissue box.

"Here. Wipe your face." I clean his face. He wipes starts to wipe my jacket.

"You don't have to do that." I take the tissue from him.

"But-"

"It's fine." I smile at him.

He stares at me for a long time.

Then he smiles.

Whoo! Another chap. This is hella long. But whatevs. Anywho, do you think Jackson and Mark will become good friends or will Mark think he's working for the "liars"?Thanks for reading!Baaaaaaayyyyyyyiiiiiiieeeeeeeeee