Youngjae

The rest of the semester flew by and before I knew it, the day of the talent show arrived. It was only 6:30 in the morning and I was already nervous as I stared blankly up at the ceiling. I wasn't nervous to perform in front of people--that was something I had done before. It was more like I was nervous to perform in front of one specific person.

Believe me, I tried calling and texting him, crafting these elaborate speeches about how I've been in love with him for years. But every time I got ready to hit call or press send, I chickened out and turned my phone off. Still, I knew I couldn't keep it a secret for much longer. So, I decided to confess to him the only way I knew I could without backing out.

I got up from bed after about 20 minutes and went to the bathroom first. As looked at my reflection in the mirror, I tried to hype myself up as much as I could, reminding myself that even if everything blew up in my face, at least it would be out and I wouldn't have to carry the weight of my secret on my back on anymore. I finished getting ready and then headed to the kitchen, where I saw breakfast was already done.

"Good morning! You're just in time for your nutritious breakfast. Have to get a good start before your big night," my mom said smiling. I just smiled and nodded, trying not to let my nerves show too much.

"You excited for tonight, son?" my dad asked as he put his napkin on one of his pant legs.

"Uh...sure," I said with a few more nods. "A little nervous."

"Well, I'm you'll do great." He patted my back in an attempt to comfort me. Little did he know I wasn't worried about how I would perform. My mom sat down last and before she started eating, she put a small gift box on the table and pushed it toward me.

"We thought you could use a little gift before opening night," she said. I took off the lid and inside was a pin that belonged to my grandfather. My eyes immediately began to tear up. "We were saving it as one of your graduation gifts, but we figured now would be better. Besides, he would have wanted you to have it." I smiled and a single tear fell from my eye.

"Thank you," I said trying to hold back any more tears from falling. My grandfather was the one who got me into music in the first place, so being able to hold his favorite jacket pin in my hands put a lot of things in perspective for me. I couldn't let the possibility of rejection ruin my love for music. So, I just had to go out and perform and accept the results.

Jackson

I was excited for the talent show, excited for Youngjae mostly. The semester was already shaping up to be a good one, so I thought seeing him perform and do what he did best would be a great way to end it. 

Well, that was until I walked into the kitchen that morning. 

My parents were sitting at the table with their cups of coffee, both of them with strange expressions on their faces as they read over a letter that must have come in the mail.

"What's that? Is that my cell phone bill? I've been really careful this month," I said as I went over to the fridge for a drink. They shook their heads, but the same, somewhat concerned expression remained on their faces. "Then what is it?"

"It's a letter from the agency that sponsors you for fencing," my mom said.

"Oh, well what does it say?" I asked.

"You better read it yourself," my dad said, holding the letter out towards me.

"Well, can I do it when I get home? I don't want to be late picking up--"

"Jackson, just read it," he said, now sounding serious. Eyebrows furrowed, I took the letter from him and read it. I skipped over the introduction, but when I got to the second paragraph, I swore stopped breathing. I looked back at my parents, now completely understanding why they looked the way they did.

Therefore, we'd like you and your family to return to Hong Kong. Living arrangements are already taken care of along with schooling for your senior year.

"C-Can't we just tell them no?" I asked. "Surely, they can't just expect us to pick up and move on such short notice."

"Apparently, they can." My mom sighed. "They already booked the flight and everything. We leave in a week." I sat down at the table and sighed in distress.

It figured. Just when my life was starting to feel the most complete it had ever felt.

Mark

Jackson pulled up to my house a little later than he usually did, but I wasn't totally worried because punctuality wasn't always his strong suit.

"You're lucky you didn't come a minute later or else I would have just walked," I said teasingly after I opened the door and sat down, buckling up my seatbelt.

"Sorry, I overslept a little bit," he said, grinning apologetically as he looked at me.

"That's what alarm clocks for. You should use them," I said, patting his hand. He held on to my hand like he usually did when we drove to school, but his grip felt tighter this time. It wasn't so tight that I was uncomfortable, but it definitely planted a few seeds of worry in me.

I didn't say anything because I'm pretty sure blood could still reach my hand. I didn't ask what was wrong either. All that mattered to me right now was that he was here.

Youngjae

The entire school day seemed to go by like one big blur before I found myself backstage getting ready to go on. I looked out at the crowd as they watched the act before me perform. I saw my parents and little sister first. Then I saw Bam Bam, Yugyeom, Jackson, and Mark. Bam Bam saw me and waved excitedly, and the others did too when they saw me. I waved back. I saw Jaebeom next, sitting a few seats away from them on the other side of the aisle. My heart began to race. I went back behind the curtain before he noticed me.

"It's time. You're on," someone said to me not long after the person before me came off stage. I nodded, trying to catch my breath before I walked on. The crowd was quiet except for a few whispers as I sat down at the piano I had practiced so many times on. I looked at the pin I was wearing and took a deep breath.

"Here goes nothing," I whispered to myself. I didn't look up as I positioned my fingers on the correct keys. Then after a few more deep breaths for extra luck, I began to play.

I tried not to imagine what Jaebeom's face might have looked like as I played, but I knew it would be nothing short of shocked, maybe annoyed even. 

Once I finished, I looked right at Jaebeom. He looked right back at me. I couldn't exactly read his face from where I was on stage, but I think his reaction was clear enough when he got up and left not long after the clapping commenced. It hurt, just like I thought it might. But it was out there and I felt lighter as I let go of a long exhale.

There were about seven more acts that went on after me, and then the principal called all of us back out on stage to announce the winner.

"Before I announce our winner, I'd just like to say thank you to all of you who participated and to everyone who showed up to support our contestants tonight." The crowd clapped once again and he continued once they stopped. "But we can only have one winner and I think it's safe to say that this person surprised us all tonight with their outstanding performance. The winner of this year's talent show and the record deal is...Youngjae Choi!" 

My mouth dropped open and I became paralyzed. I heard the crowd start cheering as they clapped. Someone came up to me and handed me a small, golden trophy, congratulating me for my win. I finally smiled and bowed several times.

It still hurt and it probably always would, but I was still proud of myself and believed I could move on and make peace with it day by day.

Jackson

Once we exited the auditorium, we all waited in the hallway for Youngjae. We practically jumped on him when he walked over to us after visiting with his family, patting his back and congratulating him on his big win.

"I knew you'd win," I said. "All hell would have broken loose if they called anyone else's name." I laughed and patted his back.

"Thanks, guys. I would have been happy even if I didn't win, but winning certainly helps," he said, earning a small laugh from us.

"How about we all go get frozen yogurt to celebrate? And because I've been craving it, but mostly for you," Bam Bam said.

"Good idea. I'll buy," I said.

#######

After we had frozen yogurt, I took Mark home. I hadn't spoken to my parents since I parted ways with them after the talent show, but I figured they would understand if I didn't come home that night. When I pulled up along the curb in front of his house, I noticed that his mom's car wasn't in its usual spot in the driveway. 

"Is your mom not around?" I asked in slight confusion.

"No, she got invited out by some old friends," he answered. "It took a while, but I convinced her to go instead of staying home with me." I just nodded, humming a little as I temporarily looked away. "So....you want to come inside?" he said after a few moments of silence passed. My head quickly turned back in his direction. I gulped nervously. It wasn't like I hadn't been over to his house before, but we had never been left alone together.

"S-Sure...if that's okay with you," I said.

He chuckled. "I wouldn't have asked if it wasn't," he said. I just laughed in slight embarrassment and then hesitantly reached for the keys to turn the car off as he unbuckled his seatbelt. Once I was sure the car was locked, I walked around the car to meet him on the sidewalk, where he smiled at me, took my hand, and then led me inside.