Chapter 23: Best friends dress each other for a week

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JB's pov.
At Amber's request, JB's doing a video where he picks Mark's outfits for the week and lets Mark make his sartorial choices. There's another pair of best friends in this video, but JB doesn't recognize the guy who's supposed to be Jackson's best friend. Or does he?

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JB’s at work on Monday, checking his schedule when he remembers he has a video to do with Mark. Actually, it’s Amber’s video, some “Best friends dress each other for a week” thing that she only pulled Mark and JB into at the last minute because she said she needed more people. Figuring it’s pretty harmless as far as videos goes, he had agreed, and that’s how JB finds himself waiting in a studio with Mark, Amber, and a guy he doesn’t quite recognize at 11 in the morning.

Amber’s engaged in conversation with the guy, so JB chats briefly with Mark, asking about the progress of the editing for the video series they had previously filmed. Mark replies that it’s only about 10% done because he’s caught up with editing for other videos, looking slightly stressed but otherwise his usual calm self. JB doesn’t press for more, leaving Mark to play his cellphone game in peace because he knows his friend isn’t keen on talking so much so early in the day. He doesn’t feel like playing with his phone himself though, so JB turns his attention to observe the guy talking to Amber.

The guy talking to Amber looks strangely familiar, JB thinks, thin and lanky, slightly tan with a side swept tousled fringe that contrasts nicely with his shaved sides. His hair is a dyed honey blond, and he has plump lips which look like they might be coated with a thin layer of lip gloss. JB’s wondering whether the guy is a Buzzfeed colleague, because he’s quite sure he’ll have noticed someone who looks as gay as this guy does and he doesn’t really remember seeing this face around office. But there’s something in the back of his mind telling him that he’s definitely seen this face before, so JB’s still pondering when Amber leaves the room, leaving the guy to sit in a corner. Beside him, Mark stands up to walks around, bored, fiddling with the cameras.

A short while later, Amber returns with a confused Jackson in tow, and the noise of Jackson entering the room snaps JB out of his thoughts.

“Amber, why am I here? I didn’t sign up for any video – OH. OH MY GOD!”

Jackson’s initially loud protests change into excited exclamations as he runs towards the honey blond guy and wraps him up in a tighter hug than what must be comfortable. Amber’s amused, chuckling away, but JB’s just confused. Turning around, JB takes in Mark’s equally clueless expression, before he brings his gaze back to the two guys hugging excitedly and rambling nonsense at each other. JB catches bits of “Oh my god, why are you even in LA?” and “It’s a surprise!” before Amber claps her hands together and announces that they can do their catching up later because she has a video that needs to be filmed.

Jackson looks a bit chastised when he hears that, but he remains grinning from ear to ear. JB notices how easily Jackson slings an arm around the honey blond guy’s shoulders as he settles down to listen to Amber. Remembering the title of the video they’re doing, JB figures that the unknown guy must be Jackson’s best friend although it doesn’t really lessen his confusion about the whole thing.

The unknown guy introduces himself as Bambam, and he tells them that he’s actually a college student (so, JB was right, he’s not a Buzzfeed colleague. Doesn’t explain why JB thinks he looks familiar though…), but Amber had asked him to appear on this video because he studies fashion, and what better candidate to put on a video where you dress others up than a fashion major? Beside him, Jackson’s still grinning like a crazy guy, and Amber wraps up Bambam’s introduction by telling them that they will all be going to a thrift store now to get clothes for the week. Mark gives JB a pained look like he doesn’t really want to go shopping, and JB manages a sort-of smile, patting his friend’s (freshly dyed pale purple) hair in sympathy.

They all pile into Amber’s car, mostly so they can film while driving. JB gets shotgun because he’s the tallest, and he watches Mark sitting quietly beside an animated Jackson and Bambam from the rearview mirror.

“So, Bambam, you’re Jackson’s best friend?” JB asks, just for something to do. The car’s mostly filled with Jackson and Bambam chatting rapidly after they had finished explaining where they’re headed to for the camera, and JB had thought it was too strained a silence for the rest of them (or maybe just him and Mark, because Amber’s clearly comfortable, humming as she drives).

“Yup! I’m his best friend since high school. How I managed to stand him for so long is a mystery though,” Bambam quips, and receives a mock jab from Jackson.

“Aw, Bam, and here I thought you love me as much as I love you,” Jackson says in a teasing tone although JB’s not quite sure if it’s entirely a joke with the look Jackson gives Bambam. (But then again, who’s he to say he knows what Jackson’s looks mean?)

Mark speaks up just then, asking how the two got to know each other, and the conversation in the car becomes a bit less lopsided as Mark joins in the chatter. JB shifts in his seat, contributing to the conversation when he has something to say, but mostly just staring at Jackson and Bambam’s interactions. If JB ends up paying more attention to the casual touches they exchange than trying to figure out the question of why he finds Bambam familiar, well… he’s the only one who knows.

Amber provides each of them with a budget of $50 to buy the outfits for the week, which JB thinks is too little until he realizes how cheap some of the items in the thrift store can be (although he thinks he’ll still have to really search for good deals to fit everything within the budget). Mark shrugs when JB asks him if there’s anything he won’t wear, and JB decides to have a little fun dressing his friend, because, why not? It beats having to look at Jackson being chummy with Bambam (why that gives him an uneasy feeling in his stomach he doesn’t know, so JB ignores it). Setting off to find something more advantageous for Mark, JB does a quick vlog to explain the “concept” he has in mind for dressing Mark, just to make the video sound a bit more professional, although he’s feeling anything but right now.

As they browse the large thrift store, Amber goes around with another camera to interview them about their styling choices for their best friend, and JB overhears Mark saying something like he wants to see JB in less preppy clothing, so he’s trying to find more street fashion, maybe something sleeveless or a leather jacket. In the aisle just beside Mark’s, JB chuckles quietly from where he’s hidden by the stacks of clothing, because that sounds too much like what he used to wear in college. He looks at the items he had picked up for Mark, tighter fitting than what his friend usually dons and with a touch of someth