• Hey guys, just a quick question. What do you think of the poster for this chapter? I took a break from making them for a while, and I just got back into it but i'm not sure how these are turning out. Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter~

It was about four in the morning when my phone buzzed for the eight time. The first one had woken me up at two. There had to be someone out there who thought I was a terrible person because these texts were getting more hurtful. One even called me a e, which I most certainly am not. There was only one person I’d even remotely hurt recently, but Gi-Eun didn’t seem like the kind of girl to get revenge, especially not in this way. Although, I didn’t really know her that well, so it’s a possibility.

Jackson was fast asleep in his bed. I could still see the magazine on the floor by the bathroom where I’d thrown it at Jackson and missed. Whoever this person was, they hated me. How could I know what I’d done if I didn’t know who was sending the messages? I didn’t really know who could help me, I didn’t have any techy friends. I threw away the thought of trying to sleep, it was already four, and uni started in three hours, so I got up.

I walked to the bathroom and slipped on the magazine on the floor. I looked over at Jackson to see him still sound asleep even though I’d rammed my foot into the wall. I picked it up and brought it with me while I showered. I placed it next to the sink, and that’s where it stayed all twenty minutes of my shower. That’s where my eyes stayed too. Curious about what else could be inside.

When I finally got out and started to dry my hair, I knocked it to the ground. It opened itself up to a page in the middle. It had just what Jackson had said was in it. There was double page spread with around half a dozen pictures of two bodies dotted around each page. In each picture, one body was pastel green and the other was pastel red. Each different picture had a label and description beside it in small font.

My face flushed. I could feel it without even checking to see it in the mirror. These are the positions he had been practicing. Holy hell, my heart was racing. I took a closer look and bent down to retrieve it from the floor.

It wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be. I’d only ever seen people in movies do this: look at dirty magazines in a locked bathroom. Maybe trying a few out wouldn’t hurt.

I saw one at the top of the first page but that required the other person to hold my legs, so I looked to the next and it looked as if the green pastel man was sitting on top of the red pastel man. Wouldn’t that be uncomfortable? People were heavy, why would anyone want to have someone sit on them?

The next one looked okay. The green pastel man was standing and the other was knelt before him. Why would you need to- oh, my God?

Oh, my goodness gracious. This was wrong to look at! My mum had told me a story about my cousin who had one of these. Her dad had beat the crap out of her with it. Then again, I think that was a straight magazine.

I didn’t want to look at these anymore. I put it down on the side and lent on it, it slipped over the surface of the countertop and took me with it. Why am I so clumsy?

My body hitting the toilet and then the floor made quite a loud racket. So loud, in fact that Jackson woke up and came right in to see me on the floor with his magazine, completely .

“Oh wow, sorry Mark!” He said in his groggy voice, averting his eyes and fumbling to find the towel that was hung on the wall. “What are you doing?”

“It’s hard to explain.” I laughed my dignity away. Bye dignity, have a good day at school. Jackson threw the towel at me and turned around until I’d secured it around my waist.

“Where you doing some practicing?” He grinned at me.

“There’s a possibility of that, yes.” I said.

“Now we’re even, I guess.” He said, turning back around to walk out of the room.

“What do you mean?” I left the magazine on the floor, where it belonged and followed Jackson back into our room.

“You walked in on me practicing, and now I have too.” He got back into bed and closed his eyes.

“Yeah, but you didn’t get a bruise out of it.” I said, rubbing my side. My elbow had started to ache too.

With Jackson’s eyes closed I took the towel off and started to dry myself.

“What time is it? It’s still dark.” He asked. I checked, his eyes were still closed, so I started getting dressed.

“It’s half four.”

First my boxers, and then I sat down to put socks on. Jackson’s eyes were open again.

“Jackson!” It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen me topless before, but it was different now. Were you supposed to be so open with each other when you were more than friends?

“What?”

“I’m shirtless!”

“It’s not like I haven’t seen your chest before.”

I then felt silly for thinking I needed to cover up in front of the person I felt closest to.

Once I was dressed, I had nothing to do and Jackson had gone back to sleep. His regular breathing was so inviting I could feel myself getting sleepy, so I decided to take a walk around campus. My only class today was a two-hour lecture, and then I could come right back and sleep.

I left our room and walked around the building’s corridors a few times. When I grew tired of reading the recycling rules, and the health and safety plan on the walls, I headed back. I was just coming down the stairs to my floor when I bumped into Yugyeom. It was still only five in the morning.

“What are you doing up?” I asked, bitterly, still annoying with him. Yet I felt conflicted. I couldn’t really be annoyed when I didn’t know him.

“I could ask you the same.” He laughed, and staggered back. “I’m going up to my friends room to tech him something before class. He’s a great guy but he’s a bit slow.”

“Oh, I see.”

“SO why are you awake?” he smiled at me with his perfectly straight teeth.

I thought about the magazine and I could feel my face go red. “I couldn’t sleep, and I’ve got class soon.”

“Ah, that old chestnut. Well, I hope you find something to do with your time. Wish me luck, I’m going to spend an hour teaching this idiot code.” He started to walk past me.

“Wait, code? As in, computers?” I asked.

“Yeah, I take IT.” He stopped again, looking at me with a smile.

“You wouldn’t happen to know anything about phone hacking, would you?” I knew there was a small possibility that he might know about more than one type of technology.

“Not if you’re a cop.” He said and broke into a small laugh, and then “I’m only, kidding. What do you need?” when he saw my confused expression.

“I’ve been getting these texts from a withheld number. Do you know how to find out who it is?”

“Yeah, I can sort that out for you. But it’s gonna cost you. See ya!” And with that he bolted off up the stairs.

What did he just say? Cost me? I hope he didn’t mean ual favours. Because I’d barley done that with myself, let alone with someone else.

I tried to shake it off and be happy that I’d found someone who could help me, even if it was Yugyeom. If I had to sit in a room with someone who I believed to be trying to take Jackson away from me to find out who had been sending me these horrendous text messages, then I would. I wouldn’t like it, but I would do it.