Confession

Mark isn’t sure what to do in this kind of situation. When he was down and broken, all he needed was a shoulder where to cry and a warm hug, so this is the thing that he offers Jackson at the moment.

The younger is hugging him now like his life depends on it while crying his sorrow.

It pains his heart to see the other down like that.

He still remembers when he had seen Jackson for the first time: he was all fluffy, smiling and cracking jokes at everyone. With time he noticed that Jackson isn’t all about jokes and losing time, he also was very serious about his studies, a thing that rarely you see with the popular kids nowadays, and now he kind of regrets that he hasn't seen those qualities on Jackson from the beginning. He feels bad at the thought of hating Jackson at some moment in the past.

“What am I going to do now?” Jackson asks in a moment when his cry stopped but in two seconds, just before Mark wanted to answer, he started again.

He wants to encourage Jackson, to tell him that he still has Mark and his friends, but right now, Jackson needs time to sort out his thoughts, but first he needs to calm down.

Now, he kind of feels bad for taking on the offer of finding out about Jackson’s dad, but he never thought in the first place that his mission will turn like this. He blames himself a little for letting Jackson find out but in the end it was bounded to be found.

Life, sometimes it’s too complicated or so people thinks, but in the end, like he likes to recall from a quote, “Knowledge, like air, is vital to life. Like air, no one should be denied it.” It’s better to feel pain than to live in a lie all your life.

When he felt like Jackson has fallen asleep, he carefully tags him under a warm blanket and leaves to find a glass of water and a pill.

It’s so sad to see Jackson so broken and fragile, when all he remembers is a hyperactive boy, following him around.

“Mark, honey,” His mother calls from the kitchen. “How is Jackson?”

Mark sighs, leaning over the cupboard, running his fingers through his newly dyed hair. “He is asleep now but he is crushed. I feel so bad, mom.”

“Oh, Mark, don’t let him see you this way, will crush him even more.” She kindly says while making some cookies. “Be strong for him, ok?”

“I am but what would he do now?” Mark asks, sighing for million times today. “He keeps asking me that and I don’t really know what to answer.”

His mother lets down the spoon she was holding and makes her way toward her son, taking his hands in hers. “Tell him that he has you, his friends and the persons who care for him. Tell him to be strong for the person who matters in his life and to keep going because life is just one and he should live it at fullest with bad and good.”

“It’s easier to say than done, I know it very well,” Mark says, smiling at his mom.

“I know you do, but look how well you turned, time will heal everything.” She says letting go of his son's hands turning back at her food. “I am backing cookies; tell him to sleep here overnight and go tomorrow to school and to not be ashamed for whom he is.”

“Thank you, mom,” Mark says, kissing his mother cheek, stealing a candy from one of the cookies. “You are the best.”

He grabs a bottle of water from the fridge and turns back to his room.

Of course, his mom knows about Jackson’s father, she was turning back from shopping when the police cars were leaving with Jackson’s dad. She had seen Jackson cry and of course, being the intelligent mom she was, she caught on.

Let’s not forget that the news spared faster but thanks, God, no one at school knows that the principal is Jackson’s father, and he hopes that will stay the same.

Jackson is still sleeping when Mark returned, but you could see on his face that he is tormented.

*Who are you?*

Jackson isn’t sure how he woke up this morning or how he managed to get down from the bed and come to school, but he knows that thanks to Mark he is standing and ready to face the world.

“Hold my hand, and every time you feel like crying thigh your hold,” Mark says, kissing Jackson softly on the lips. “Ready?”

Jackson can only nod his head while holding Mark’s hand like there’s no tomorrow. For now, his heart feels more lightly but when they will have to separate for class, he isn’t sure that he can hold his head high, even though Mark is seating two rows in front of him.

“After school is done, we can go to my place, sit down and think about everything, but until then, let your mind empty, ok?”

The school is buzzing with the news, everyone talking about the principal and his illegal business.

Jackson just wants to shout to stop, stop tormenting him, but for his happiness and pain, the students don't know that, so he just holds Mark’s hand and keeps going.

Let’s say that he had gone through first half of classes, but when the lunch came everything falls out.

It’s hard to keep the mask in place for his friends, it’s hard to ignore the complete buzz about their principal and it’s hard to look people in the eyes and continue t