“Jackson, your mom’s calling for you.”

“Okay, tell her I’ll just finish my work out.”

Working out was a daily routine for him. His body was one of the main reasons why people adored him. With his physique, he was sure Mark Tuan would easily fall for him. Soon, the treadmill stopped. His phone rang, and he soon answered.

“What’s up?”

“Hey, man. Guess what, I have a surprise for you.”

“Can’t that wait until tomorrow, Henry?”

“It can’t, man. You’ll love this.”

“Look, Henry” He said, wiping off his sweat. “Mother’s calling for me, I need to go. Dad isn’t here, so I can stay in the house without any problems.”

“But, Jackson-“

“You’re making my heart flutter, dude. Never knew you cared for me that much.”

“Shut up, . Fine, tomorrow.”

He chuckled, ending the phone call. His dad was gone for a two days for a business meeting back in Hongkong. He loved it when his dad was away. He didn’t want to be in the same house as his father. He had his reasons, reasons that should never be known, especially by his family.

He frowned, as he trailed down the stairs. Wait, that voice. His dad was supposed to be in a plane, right now. Why was the man here?

“Jackson honey” His mom said. “Your dad’s here.”

“His flight got cancelled.” His sister excitedly added. “Dad, don’t forget about our charity event this weekend, okay?”

“Of course, Tzuyu.”

“It’s nice to see all of us here”

As much as he wanted to make his mom happy, he’d rather be far away from home right now. It would’ve been better if his dad went on with the trip, but this stupid rain had to ruin everything.

“Jackson, where are you going?”

“Henry’s” He said indifferently. “Group study”

He could hear his sister snort. “Group study, right.” She said, rolling her eyes. “You know, dad, Jackson and his friends love playing pranks and making bets.”

“Shut up, up tight loser.”

“Stop it, you two.” Their mom said. “Jackson, do you really have to leave? We rarely have a complete family.”

This family was never complete. “Project’s due tomorrow” He hated lying to his mom, but he would rather stay at a friend’s place than here.

---

“What are you doing here, man?” His friend asked. “Wait, let me guess, your dad’s home.”

He sighed, shaking his head. “I don’t want to talk about it.”