Jackson wasn't sure if he was ready for what would happen tonight.

It was exactly half past eight, he was looking at himself in the mirror one last time, checking his clothes. As always, the Wang boy was wearing black pants a little tighter than he was used to, slightly torn in the thights, a gift from Jinyoung. A shirt with the same color and a leather jacket, the look being completed by a pair of social shoes.

His favorite cap — that had a 'WANG' written on the brim — was tied in his pants, in the place that should go his belt. He added several rings and his crown necklace that had the numbers 852 written. Jackson didn't know anyone else prouder than him, and he knew that all this self confidence attracted people.

His platinum hair was pulled back, he thought he was a little bit too social for the party, but he didn't mind it. Normally he would be lazy, letting his blonde bangs fall on his face without caring about it, but in today's party he probably would meet the mysterious boy, he had to impress.

"Time to face it, Jackson" he spoke at his reflection in the mirror, doing a lot of poses and expressions, being satisfied with his looks. Before he could continue his minute of self admiration, his mother knocked on the door, rushing him.

"Jackson! Junior is waiting downstairs for minutes! Get ready!" she couldn't help but say it jokingly. "The girl that you're crushing will run away if you take that long"

Jackson wanted to deny to his mother that had a third person involved, but then he realized it was useless. The boy never took more than ten minutes to get ready, and when he got so much time trying to look good it was for someone special for sure.

Instead of starting to talk back and take even longer just for arguing with his mother, Jackson just laughed and left his room, he didn't even know for who he was taking so long.

He ran down the stairs, saying goodbye to his mother on the way to the door. When he opened it, he saw Jinyoung's mother's car, with the latter as a driver.

"How do you convince your mother to let you drive?" it was the first thing he asked when he entered the car in disbelief.

"Geez, I'm a good driver! And isn't that far from home"

Jackson just rolled his eyes, letting himself get comfortable in the back seat.

"There was a time when I was in the front seat" he commented in a fake offended tone.

"Bambam wasn't our friend back then, just accept it"

Jinyoung laughed out loud with the face that Jackson did, waving to his friend's mother before turning the car on, following the way down the road.

"But what if we get caught? Like, dude... This would be really bad"

"Jackson" Junior spoke between laughs. "You know that I have a driver's license, don't you?"

The chinese eyes widened when he got the new information, then he leaned forward, looking directly at his friend.

"What do you mean?! When did you get it?"

"I took it last year when I was visiting Mark hyung in California" he shrugged as if it was nothing. "He was taking his, so I took the chance"

"Mark hyung..." he thought for a few seconds, and then connected the dots. "Oh! He didn't study with us, then? Is he a foreigner?"

Bambam laughed out loud, it was funny how the oldest friend of the three managed to look like a child with so many questions and doubts — and the best of it: he always wanted answers.

"Yes, he is. He was born in Los Angeles, but his parents are Chinese. Or Taiwanese, I have no idea" he giggled, stopping at a red light. "And no, he did study with us before, but he traveled for a few months and I went to visit him. Family problems, I guess"

Jackson made a face of understanding, it made sense now that he didn't see Mark enough to remember him by the school. Then, the light turned green and Jinyoung returned to drive, the blonde's questions also returned.

"But... I hardly see him through school"

"Oh, that's because he's older than us. He studies in another building. In the breaks, he helps students to study certain subjects that they're doing bad"

"Hm... Is he participating in any club?"

Jinyoung shook his head, looking for a place to park, what didn't take long to find as he drived there.

"I have no idea, to be honest. Mark hyung doesn't talk much about himself, what I know I learned watching him"

Jackson realized that Junior had given that issue as closed delicately, since he didn't know much about the boy, wasn't of any use trying to answer his friend's questions.

"But why this sudden interest in hyung, anyways?"

The elder shrugged.

"Curiosity"

While the two friends talked to each other, Bambam watched them with a smile, shaking his head. He got out of the car first, walking to Jinyoung when he also came out, holding his hand while enlacing their fingers.

"Enough of talking. Mark's gonna be at the party anyway, Jackson can ask questions to him" he smiled, poking his friend.

"Bambam, you're a very bold boy. Someday I still drag you on the asphalt"

In response, he just laughed loudly, continuing to walk to the school, managing to hear the loud music coming from the gym. A few seconds later, they were already there, greeting the guard at the gate.

"The sad thing of these school parties is that we can't drink" Bambam said, sighing. "At least not to the point of forgetting our name"

"Look at your age, silly" Jackson gave him a light slap on the shoulder, laughing. "Drinking to forget everything isn't funny. And I'm keeping an eye on you two, because Jinyoung is the only one who can drive here"

"Here comes Mr. Responsibility..."

Junior complains in a loud tone, but then he stopped walking along the way, looking around with a confused expression.

"What is it?"

"I... I'm hearing a parallel music to the party's music..."

Jackson and Bambam also stopped to concentrate in what they heard and, indeed, there was a piano melody in the background of the electronics that played in the gym next door. The eldest's eyes widened when he realized who it could be.

"Guys, I need to go there! I see you at the gym."

Before his friends could give any answer, Jackson had already left running towards the building, his curiosity consuming him inside in a way that he didn't remember having ever felt before.

As he approached, he recognized the music. It was different from that day, but still he was sure he was hearing For River in a more lively and full version, which gave him mixed feelings inside.

The first feeling was as if he had been betrayed, the boy had said that he only played that melody for him! And now the whole school could hear it. The other feeling that dominated him was too confuse for him to understand, and in the moment he was too busy to try to understand himself.

When we finally arrived at the door that he had been used to see every day, the music had ended. For a moment, he didn't want to find out who was it, afraid to be disappointed, but he wanted to be wrong. Why suddenly he had created so many expectations on the boy?

Before he could knock on the door, it opened, revealing a boy he vaguely remembered the face — a few seconds later, the name came to his mind, Choi Youngjae.

"Uh... Hello?"

The boy closed the door behind him.

And Jackson found himself disappointed for some reason.

"Are you... the one who was playing the piano?"

Youngjae nodded, slightly tilting his face to the side, confused. He could expect many things, but Jackson Wang stopped in front of him as if he had run a marathon to save his life wasn't one of them. "Can I help with something?"

Jackson felt that something was wrong. If he was indeed the secret admirer, why was he acting so naturally? It was like... nothing. Like he had never put a wall of secrets between them.

"Well, you know... The sheets we exchanged during all these days, the songs you played to me" he began to speak cautiously, moving his foot restlessly.

"Oh..."

Youngjae then smiled, reaching out to Jackson hold his hand, and he did so.

"Let's go to the gym, have a drink and talk, right?"

And however wrong it seemed, a fire of hope was burning in the Chinese's body. Maybe he was just expecting too much.

xxx

When Jackson entered the gym with Young