"There's Nothing Like Us"

A large boom could be heard from outside the door before JB got the chance to approach. Urgently, he rushed up to the door and began knocking frantically.

"Hey, Mark! Are you alright in there? Open the door, it's JB..."

There was a clunk sound and the door knob twisted, the door opening to reveal a powdered face Mark. Upon seeing his friend unharmed, face and clothes covered in a white powdery substance, JB had to bite his lip to keep from laughing.

"Yah... Go ahead..." Mark encouraged.

JB burst into a fit of laughter at how ridiculous Mark looked. Mark rolled his eyes and turned to go back into his room, JB following behind and closing the door on his way in.

Inside the room, Mark went back over to his work station, where he had bottles upon bottles of different ingredigents to mix together scattered around the flat surface. Along with that, his spell books for his classes and an alarm clock. Across from his newly form diasterous mess on the desk, he grabbed a towel to wash his face off.

JB, getting over the sight of his friend, took a seat at Mark's multi level black desk, opposite of his work station desk. There was a bit of silence as Mark cleaned up and JB gazed around Mark's room. It wasn't often that anyone came to visit Mark's room. The only person that JB knew that would really come to his room was BamBam. 

Mark's room was just like any other room at the school. There was a bed, desk, work station, and a bathroom. The decor in his room was pretty plain, nothing too personal. It matched Mark's personality JB noted. Not a single picture of Mark or family or friends. In fact, there wasn't much of anything in his room at all. Just white walls and a black and gray color scheme throughout with the bed duvet and desks.

He must be a minimalist, JB thought.

"So, what's up?" Mark asked, noticing JB's curiousity growing. Being awaken from his own thoughts, JB struggled to find the words. Mark rephrased his question, "I meant like, why'd you come visit me?"

"Oh, um." JB paused, gathering his thoughts, "I was about to head in to work... I was wondering if you wanted to tag along and fill out an application. I could put in a good word for you. I'm sure Mr. Ju wouldn't mind having a warlock within his employees..."

JB paused, seeing the look on Mark's face. After considering the idea and realizing that he would need his credit to even become a full fledged warlock and graduate, Mark nodded his head in agreement.

"Great," JB responded before getting up, "I'll wait outside in the hall, you should wash up and change... You smell like ."

JB left with Mark standing in awe. He looked down at his dusted clothes, left with evidence of his failure. JB was right, the potions that Mark had mixed incorrectly, usually left a bad odor behind. One of the side effects of not being able to mix appropriately. 

Disgusted with the way he look, smell, and how things were going overall with his potion mixing, Mark hopped in the shower. Hoping that he would be able to wash away any sign of his failed attempt to mix. All of his worries, his past, the future, all of it, just washed down the drain.

This is a step for a new start, Mark thought as he cleaned behind his ear.

-

As he said he would be, JB was waiting, sitting on one of the benches in the hallway, outside of Mark's room. Seeing his friend, Mark locked his door and headed over towards him.

"Are you ready to go?" Mark asked, "I hope I didn't make you late or anything..." Mark felt apologetic as they began to walk down the hall towards the steps that led to outside.

"No, you're cool, I came over early, just for that reason alone," JB smiled smuggly.

Mark stopped walking and looked at JB, incrediuosly, "So, you're saying you knew I'd be in my room ing up potions and need to clean up before we went to your job..."

"Well..." JB began, "When you say it like that..."

Mark continued walking, shaking his head, leaving JB behind.

"Hey, come on Mark..." JB jogged to catch up with his friend. "I didn't mean to make it sound like that... it's just what I had in mind. But, I mean, I did plan for it, just to be on the safe side..."

Mark sighed, "You know... It's fine Jaebum. And, I mean, you're right to have that kind of idea in your head. I mean, I am horrible at mixing... I'm sorry for getting upset over some stupid like that. I don't know why, but I've been so touchy about school lately... Hell, I even snapped at Bam the other day..."

"Seriously? Your precious little BamBam?" JB said in a mocking tone, lightening the mood.

Mark jokingly shoved JB, "Shut the up man," Mark and JB laughed together for a moment, until Mark went back to the subject at hand, "But yeah," Mark sighed heavily, "I don't know... Maybe I'm just not meant to be a full warlock, just an fledgling."

"Hey... don't talk like that. You know when it comes to spells, you are well beyond your years. There's not one spell that you don't know, or that you can't come up with," JB paused as the two friends waited at a stop light to cross the street. 

"Now, I'll admit, you are pretty bad with potions, but," he put emphasis on the but, "this is your first time trying this out, so I mean, cut yourself some slack. You're making this too stressful. I mean think about it. How many people in this world are like us? We were chosen, we are the lucky ones. This, while we're young, should be the best time of our lives. There's nothing like us and the things we can do. Live in each moment.... And, hey, one day, when you're full-fledged, you'll look back and laugh at all this dumb that you went through to make it. In the end, it will all be worth every angry moment, every cuss word, every bit of frustration and tears. You just have to get through this little bump in the road..."

Mark, truly listening to JB's words, nodded his head. He agreed one hundred percent and just needed to hear someone say it to him other than himself. He needed for once that parental figure that he had never had to tell him he was worth it, that he was somebody, and was going to do amazing things.

This is why JB is considered the father out of the bunch, he thought. Mark was touched to have a friend that cared enough to tell him the truth, when he was messing up potions and when he was doing well. Especially a friend that cared enough to still take him to fill out an application and give a recommendation after he had cussed him out so harshly moments before. He was grateful for his life now and the people in it. "...You're right, JB."

"I know. Now. Let's go get you a job. Then, you'll be one step closer to graduating. Don't worry man, I got your back."