It's kind of surprising how easy it was to find Jackson again.

Mark thought it would take a little more than a few clicks through social networks to figure out how to contact the younger but in the end it took him no more than 30 minutes to find some former classmates of Jackson in his sister's friends list who was able to provide him with the boy's profile link.

He still feels disappointed about the lack of information he found on the other's profile though, no pictures and no updates except an annual “Happy new year” message.

He really wanted to know what the boy looked like today, just any information about his current life would have been fine but Mark figures he's just got to wait and see.
 

Their conversation has him smiling like a fool though.
It's odd how a short simple chat brings back memories and the urge to see the boy again.
Even with a couple simple words he feels like he can picture Jackson again and he just wants to know if his assumptions about the boy are right, whether he's still the loud, dorky fool from back then or if he's actually grown up.

It kind of, just a little, feels like he's going behind his sister's back by contacting Jackson out of the blue.
He's not sure why they broke up back then but he's certain they don't hold a grunge against each other or else he'd probably think twice about the whole thing.
The only thing he's certain about is that his sister hasn't talked to Jackson since they parted and that up until today Mark kind of wishes they never broke up in the first place just so he could have spend more time with the boy.
It sounds stupid to think like that now, especially since he almost forgot about Jackson's existence but it's not like he ever really forgot, the boy just kind of slipped his mind for a while when Mark was busy living his life.
It's sad but that's what happens in life, sometime you meet people who you really like and they stay with you for a while before they suddenly disappear as you move on and sometimes when you're lucky you get a chance to see those people again.

Mark feels like he got really lucky though he can't really tell whether that's true.
He's got to see Jackson again and see it they still click like before especially now since Lydia isn't there to build a bridge between the two of them, though Mark wonders if after the first meeting they ever really needed a third presence to connect.
It's just a gut feeling, one he's had 5 years ago already, that, against all odds, Jackson and him simply get along.

As said before they just kind of naturally clicked, Jackson's dorky and loud personality seemed to make up for the quiet, introverted side of Mark and together the two of them made an odd but compatible couple.

He remembers they could talk for hours even though their interests seemed to barely match but it was easy to talk about anything, really, especially since both of them had great determination about the things they enjoyed and it seemed like they simply liked hearing the other talk about their goals.
They shared opinions on many levels and topics and even when they disagreed they kind of managed to agree with the other's opinion while still holding on to their own.

There are too many memories to really pick a certain one that shows just how well they got along.
Mark could probably count a thousand occasions where they simply shared a gaze, a raised eyebrow and understood each other without the use of a single word.

And then, there are all the times that Jackson made Mark crack up and laugh from the top of his lungs, times that decreased steadily in the past years.
Mark can't remember to have ever met anyone who was as easy going and outspoken as Jackson but still so complex that he could never be sure about him.
Jackson would always run his head against a wall, always say what was on his mind despite the consequences but he still had a considerate part to him that allowed him to be sensitive to other peoples emotions when necessary.
Mark never really understood how he managed to be two, three, four characters in one.
He got this kind of endearing self-irony that either pulled you in or threw you off.
Jackson was someone who could get along with anyone, whereas not anyone could get along with Jackson.
In a way it makes Mark proud to think that he was one of the people who were close to the boy, he wonders if it would still be the same now after five years.

Five years ago, it's a long time and still Mark remembers how Jackson was a jokster back then, sometimes embarrassing himself to the point where Mark would almost but never completely feel sorry for him because as embarrassing as it was it was also always very hilarious to watch.

Just like the pool party and red wine incident he mentioned in their conversation earlier.
It's just another of those scenes that popped back into his head as he's though back on the past.
 

He can particularly see Jackson's dumb grin as he lay on his back by the poolside, tipsy and probably a little high as well, swinging a bottle of red wine in his hand as his head rolled left to right on the cool tiles.
Mark remembers the sound of the boy's slurred voice and the choked giggles that passed his lips as he held the bottle above his head with an unstable grip.
Thinking back he's probably never again seen anyone as wasted as Jackson at that time.

He remembers Lydia getting mad at him for it and the way Jackson laughed it off before tilting the bottle in his hand to send a swap of red wine down over his head and onto his chest.
He guesses his intention was to aim for his mouth but the boy ended up particularly bathing in red alcohol.
What he remembers even more is the way Jackson's eyes stayed half lidded and glassy, how he pointed a finger towards Lydia and beckoned her over while ordering,
“ it up!”
Mark clearly remembers the way heat crawled up his neck and ears at the deep sound of those words.
Somehow, at the age of 15 everything can turn kind of ual in the blink of an eye, especially with alcohol involved and thinking about it today Mark feels almost embarrassed for Jackson if it weren't for the sparks of excitement he'd felt at that time, he was intoxicated as well after all.
To get to the point of the incident, Lydia never gave in to Jackson's request but unfortunately some other girl, one of his sisters classmates if Mark remembers correctly, saw it as a great opportunity to get her hands on someone else's boyfriend.
Long story short, after a quick across Jackson's jawline the girl as well as Jackson found themselves taking an involuntary dive into the pool which the two escaped with much difficulty.
Needless to say that Lydia didn't talk to Jackson for about a week afterward but the story of Jackson's red wine bath and dive made rounds within their circle of friends within hours and Mark feels sorry, just a little, because Jackson will never get to live it down.
 

He really misses it, the easiness of those days and all the laughter and the feeling in the pit of his stomach that made him feel content and warm.
He knows they were young back then, maybe too young for some of the stunts they pulled but it doesn't matter because the memories are just so precious.

Jackson played a big role in his life once, it kind of took some years to realize but that's how it was.