Mark

I could feel my heart beat decelerating slowly. My vision was getting more and more blurry by the second.  All I could see was tons of blobs surrounding me, getting closer and backing away several times. I could feel all the air in my lungs scattering away but never returning. Then everything went dark.

I don't when it started. According to my mom, it was when I was still a baby. Every parent's worst nightmare of finding that their baby wasn't breathing had come true. How the doctors didn't spot that I had some rare cardiovascular condition before I was born beats me, but ever since that day, I've had to live my life being careful. The worst part was I never know when I have to be careful. It's not like it happens when I overexert myself or when I get scared. Sometimes my heart just decides it needs a break from doing its one job.

Shortly after my seventh birthday, my dad died in a work accident and since there was no work available in my hometown in Taiwan for a single mother, she made the decision to make the big move to Los Angeles. We had moved again before the start of my junior year in high school after my older brother went off to college. Things were still hard for my mom and she depended on him a lot, so we moved to be closer to his school. It worked out for him, too, because he didn't have to spend money on room and board.

"Mark! Let's go! I have to be to work in half an hour and it takes at least 15 minutes to get to the school!" my mom shouted at me from the end of the staircase. I sighed, feeling slightly frustrated after not being able to find the shirt I wanted to wear for 10 minutes. I still hadn't unpacked everything even three days after we arrived at our new place, mostly because I didn't feel like it.

"You know," I said finishing buttoning up my shirt and walking down the stairs at the same time, "it'd be a whole lot easier if you'd just let me drive myself to school." She gave me a disapproving look as I stepped into the kitchen.

"You know why I can't let you do that," she said as she continued pouring some coffee into her travel mug.

"Mom, I have a job and nothing to spend my pay on. I could buy my own car at this point," I reassured her as I watched her twist the lid on her mug.

"I know, but I have other reasons behind my rules," she said as she handed me my lunch bag. "God forbid your heart stops while you're driving." I sighed in disappointment and she looked at me with sympathy, coming over to place her hand on my cheek. "I can't imagine how it must make you feel, sweetie, and I'm sorry. But there are just some things that are too dangerous for you to do. Driving is one of them."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it." I rolled my eyes and sighed again. She rubbed her thumb against my cheek a few times and then continued gathering her things for work. I followed her out the door a few minutes later after grabbing a granola bar and a banana for breakfast. 

I always had to be careful when most of the others kids near my age were doing the complete opposite. Just for one moment in my life I wanted to not have to constantly think about my heart. There were times when I thought dying would be worth a moment like that.

We pulled up to the front of school and my mom temporarily put the car in park. I stared at the huge brick building and I could feel my nervousness sinking into my veins. So much for it being easy the second time. 

I started to breath heavily when my mom put her hand on my shoulder and said, "Honey, are you okay? Are you having another..." She paused, searching for the right word, "episode?" Although I could understand why she'd be nervous, I rolled my eyes at her and shook my head. "Just making sure. I did tell the school and they were supposed to advise the nurse, so if anything happens, go there."

"Got it," I said as I opened the car door hesitantly. She waved at me once I was on the sidewalk, driving off once she saw me enter the building safely.

My first stop was the main office to pick up my schedule. After briefly skimming over it, I thanked the office secretary and found my first period surprisingly easy. The one part about starting at a new school on the actual first day of classes was not having to do the painfully awkward new student introduction. I probably already stuck out like a soar thumb, so I definitely didn't need to make myself even more noticeable. 

I found it easier to just blend in and some small part of me had even grown to like it. I had decided a long time ago my life was just too uncertain to make friends. There would be no having to explain my sporadic hospital trips, why I couldn't do certain activities with them or eat certain foods. It was just better this way. 

I took the bus home after my last class of a rather uneventful school day because my mom would most likely be working late. When the bus pulled up in front of my house, I stepped off and walked up to the door, unlocking it with my spare key. I grabbed a drink from the fridge before going up to my room to start on homework. I managed to finish all of it by the time my mom came home, so I helped with her dinner. We called it a night after watching some television together and then I went to bed to prepare to repeat the day tomorrow.

Jackson

I decided to skip school yesterday because when I woke up and I realized I over slept a little bit. A little bit was more like an entire hour actually, but I knew it would be too much of a hassle to try and get there. The next day, my dad actually woke me up before I could oversleep again, so I was forced actually show my face in school.

So, I threw on some clothes that were in my very small clean clothes pile, grabbed a quick breakfast, hopped on my bike and left. On my ride there, I pondered why school was necessary for people who already knew what they wanted to do with their lives. I could understand if that future required education, but being a professional fencer didn't require me to be able to solve complicated equations. My mom always said I needed to have a plan B, but I always said that if I put in enough time, hard work, and dedication into my plan A, I wouldn't need a plan B.

I walked into first period and immediately something felt off. The vibe in the classroom had shifted, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what had caused that shift. I went to my usual spot next to Min and sat down before turning to her.

"What did I miss yesterday?" 

She looked up from her phone and gave me a bewildered look. "Since when do you care about makeup work?" she replied with a grin and a chuckle.

"Since never. I only ask because something feels off. I can tell and it is bugging me. A lot," I explained while looking around with narrowed eyes. 

"Oh, some new kid started," she said pointing to the back of the room. When I looked to where she was pointing, I saw some kid with dark brown hair with his head down and earbuds in. He seemed quiet and serious even from where I was sitting, yet that was what made me want to bother him. I didn't think it was good for anyone to be so serious, especially while they were only in high school.

 "Then I suppose I should go introduce myself," I said. 

"Bold of you to assume he wants to know who you are," Min replied, prompting me to roll my eyes at her. I didn't say anything else to her before I walked over to him, taking a seat at the desk directly in front of him. He noticed me right away, his eyes slowly going wide as he lifted his head. He stared at me for a moment before pulling one earbud out.

"Is there something I can help you with?" he asked. His voice was a little softer than I imagined it would be, but it sounded nice to my ears.

I laid my bent arms on his desk and smiled at him. "Yes, there is actually," I said.

A/N

After much debate, I've decided to go back and edit my first fanfiction lol. I can't even imagine how painful this may be, so please just bear with me and we'll make it through this together lol