Chapter Text
Silence.
The sounds that would've otherwise been deafening are dulled to a muted buzz that rings in the back of the mind, like a faint echo. It was taunting, like a carrot on a stick, dangling in front of the eyes like a siren's song.
All he could hear was the blood rushing through his ears as he wove down his lane, his arms slicing through the water in sharp, precise motions. His eyes narrowed as he neared the end. This was it. He was almost there. The final push. He gritted his teeth and started to speed up. His legs paddled behind him just fast enough for him to reach out and touch the end of the lane.
His head bursted out from under the water and whipped off his goggles and swim cap to read the score board while wiping water off his face.
"Jackson Wang comes in first at 9.12 seconds, breaking his former record of 9.14 and qualifying for nationals."
The spectators erupted in cheers as he punched his fist into the air as he whipped his goggles at the water. His team jumped into the water with him, knocking the lane dividers with their force. They all screamed his name before one of them dived under the water and boosted Jackson onto their shoulders before lifting him up.
"Jackson! Jackson! Jackson!"
He loved hearing them call his name. They were able to take such a common and plain name and make it sound like it actually was worth something. Like it was a name that was worth being chanted.
He felt immortalized.
-----
John Locke, born 1632, coined the term Tabula Rasa or the blank slate. The concept was founded on the idea that the human mind was born a blank slate and the more that one experiences in life, the more is written on the slate.
Mira threw her pen against her notebook and rested the heels of her palms against her eyes, groaning at the way they burned. She just needed to make it through the next 12 hours and she'd finally be done for the semester.
She straightened her back and rested her hands on her neck before rolling it back slowly, working out the knots that formed from hours of hunching over then desk when her phone chimed with a notification. Rubbing her eyes, she grabbed her phone slid the notification open before her Facebook page opened up.
'Im Jae invited you to an event.'
CELEBRATION PARTY FOR WANG'S NATIONAL QUALIFIERS TONIGHT AT 10!
Mira scrolled the invite list and stared at the hundreds of people that the invite was sent to, this wasn't just a small house party, this was a full blown bash. She rarely kept up with the university's athletic teams. There were too many of them to keep track of. Every now and then her and one of her friends would watch a game or two but never anything else and never swimming.
She set her phone down before turning back to her notes, she stared at the page for a few minutes before reaching for her phone again. She had locked herself in her friend's apartment, who had finished her finals early and had left to visit her family, for the last week because it was closest to the campus library and she was sure that her brain was about to explode.
She could use a break and what better way to cut loose than with a bunch of kids looking for the same sort of escape from the textbooks as she was?
"Fuck it." She mumbled to herself before slamming her textbook shut and walking to her friend's closet. She glanced at the small bottle of pills next to the bedside table before facing the closet.
She was going to end up pulling an all-nighter anyway, she might as well make the most of the time when everyone else was awake.
-----
The music was blasting, the crowd was dancing, and the liquor was flowing as everyone dressed in the school's colours celebrated Jackson's win. He was on top of the damn world, making rounds and getting high fives from everyone who knew his name.
He was Jackson Wang.
There wasn't anyone who didn't know his name.
"Hi, Jackson. Congratulations on the win." A group of girls called, giggling as he passed.
He shot them a wink and a killer smile, "Looking good ladies."
He wandered around the house that he shared with a few of his teammates before finding them gathered in the main room chatting.
"There he is!" Jaebum called out when he saw him approached.
Jackson's held his fist up and everyone broke out into cheers. Jaebum threw his arm around Jackson and pointed at him, "This man is a fucking legend. Breaking other people's records weren't enough so he started breaking his own."
"So what now?" One of his teammates asked. "You're done finals and you made the qualifiers, you're off season until school starts in 3 weeks. Planning on visiting your mom?"
Jackson shrugged, "I'm actually planning on hanging around campus, get in some extra practice, you know the drill. I'll probably visit her near the end of the vacation."
"Holy fucking shit."
The guys standing around Jackson and Jaebum all turned to follow Jaebum's line of vision to the door. "I can't believe it. She's actually here."
"What's wrong man?" Jackson mumbled while taking a sip of his beer.
"Is that Kang Mira?" He blurted out while pointing at a sultry looking girl dressed in black standing in the foyer.
One of the freshmen swimmers looked at Jaebum in confusion, "Who's Kang Mira?"
"Who's Kang Mira?" Jaebum balked in shock, "Only this university's Golden Child. The type of student that every school wants to be a member of their alumni."
The freshman knit his brows as he watched her pick up a shot glass and slam the contents down her throat with a group of other students before letting out a cheer and high fiving them all, "She doesn't really seem like a Golden Child type."
Jackson had heard her name in passing but had never seen her before. She had a really sexy vibe even though she probably had the most skin covered up in the entire house. Long dark hair, lidded eyes, lush lips and a smile that looked like a daring smirk. She looked like someone who spent nights on a bender, not doing her readings.
He watched, intrigued, as someone poured a bit of salt on the juncture of her hand between her thumb and her index finger. She then picked up a glass, that he could only imagine was of Tequila, and downed it in one go before licking the salt off her hand. His brow raised when her tongue ran over her lips as the other students cheered around her like she was a celebrity.
Yeah, she didn't seem like the type at all.
"Professors love her, TAs want to bang her and she gets the highest grades in all of her classes. She might not dress or act like the Golden Child, but everyone knows that she is. It's like the unwritten rule of the Arts and Science department that just spread to the whole school. "
"I heard that she showed up to an exam hung over and still got the highest mark."
"I heard that during rush week, a recruit was dared to steal her bra and when she found him in her room she punted him in the dick so hard he had to go to the emergency room."
"Oh, so she's a badass."
"She doesn't fuck around." Another one of the swimmers chipped in, "She doesn't do the whole girl next door, bubbly, bright, cheerful kiss ass routine, in fact, on the first week people thought she was a slacker until they saw her grades. Teacher's like her because she skips the bullshit. I swear her whole brain works in a weird way."
"So like, are guys part of her fan club or are they just always this hard for her?" Jackson uttered sarcastically.
Jaebum laughed boisterously, "Basically."
"You sound smitten." Jackson teased.
Jaebum shook his head frantically, "Oh hell no. I'm not dipping my foot in that pool of crazy."
"Crazy?" The freshman asked in confusion.
"Philosophy majors are bat shit crazy." Jaebum said in confirmation. "They spend their time digging into the human psyche. Looking for some sort of hidden meaning in something that isn't there but they're so busy figuring other people other that their own bullshit starts to build up until they're a fucking wrecking ball. I swear to god, their minds are a black pit and mos of them, guys and girls alike, are unstable as shit. They're also wildly opinionated which is fine and well until you have a different opinion to theirs."
Jackson laughed before winking at a girl who waved at him, "You sound like you have experience."
Jaebum rolled up his sleeve to reveal a set of stitches, "This is what happened when I told a Philosophy major that I didn't like Hobbes' Leviathan as much as Locke's Essay Concerning Humane Understanding."
"Why the fuck did you even know that?" Another teammate asked.
Jaebum grinned, "Me and Jackson are minoring in Philosophy. Which basically means that we're crazy, just not as crazy as the majors."
"Holy shit." The freshman said in awe."How'd she do that?"
Jaebum rolled his sleeve back down, "Swiss Army blade on her bedside table. See? Bat. Shit. Crazy."
Jackson licked his lips and looked over at her again as if sizing up a challenge, she had abandoned the shots for a bottle of beer and was walking around the dance floor with a rhythm in her hips, "I like crazy."
"Go for it." Jaebum said with a fist bump, "I will bow down to you if you can make crazy happen. It's a long drop down to crazy, Jackson. Hold on tight, my friend."
-----
"In The Prince by Machiavelli, he argues that a good leader should not depend on Fortuna. He believes that there should be a balance between Virtù and Fortuna. One must not rely on their luck but rather make their own long lasting success." Mira mumbled into her beer, reciting her notes quietly to herself.
She checked her watch. She had about two more before she had to head back and finish studying. She looked around and sighed, what was she going to do for the next 2 hours. There was a banner tied on the staircase banister saying Go Wolves! with a small poorly painted face of the said animal.
"Huh." She muttered to herself. "We're the Wolves? Wolves can't even swim well."
The crowd was singing and dancing between taking sips of alcohol and she could only smile, bobbing her head to the music.
"Wolves! Wolves! Wolves! Awooo!"
Her smile fell and she resisted the urge to roll her eyes. That chant was plain barbaric. She always figured that humans tried their best not to act like they were raised by wolves.
"They can get a bit hectic around this season, especially when someone brings home a win."
Mira turned to the voice blinked at the man, probably her age, with sharp blonde hair and then skin that stretched over taut muscles under a tank top. He stared at her with sharp eyes while holding onto a red cup, "I can see that."
"I've never seen you around before. Risking sounding cliché but…are you new around here?"
Mira's smile was knowing like she could pull apart his attempt at flirting with her eyes. She could tell he was pretending not to know who she was and it was flattering. Well, she knew what she was going to do to kill time, now, "And if I was? What next? What's your next move?"
"Move?" He asked while stepping close to her.
She bit on her lip and tilted her head to the side, "How are you going to convince me to let you kiss me and go to your bedroom with you?"
"Now what makes you think I'd want that?" He questioned with an easy going smile.
She mirrored his smile down to the hidden smirk behind his smile, "Humour me, then. What would you say?"
"Socrates views sexual desire to be a poor response to physical beauty. Instead, it should be a built in response to the beauty of a person's soul." His voice was deep, buzzing against his throat as he spoke.
Her smiles looked like they held secrets that were beyond their current existence, "It's quite a beautiful coincidence that you think I'm new but know enough to know to reference Socrates to me."
"Guilty as charged, but can you blame me? It seems impossible to see the Golden Child at a swim team party that I almost didn't believe you were actually you." His eyes were heavy with something that riled her up.
"The Golden Child, huh?"She said while taking another sip of her beer. His eyes followed her mouth and the way it brushed against the glass like rose petals. "You're cute."
He smirked, taking in how fucking attractive she looked, "So basically you're saying my Socrates line worked."
"I'm basically saying that you're really good at flirting and I think you have a lot of experience." She snorted.
"So? What do you say? Why don't I show you what skills come with years of experience." He said while offering a hand.
Mira's lip hitched upwards, intrigued with this man's confidence, before taking his hand, "Why not. I have 2 hours to kill anyways."
-----
Jackson slammed his bedroom door shut and had Mira pinned against it in 10 seconds flat before kissing her like he had something to prove. He hands moved everywhere he could reach but hers stayed firmly planted on his cheeks until he pulled away.
"Do you really want this?" He panted against her mouth as she shed her jacket on the ground.
Mira's brows raised for a fraction of a second, almost in surprise. "I figured you to be more of a taker than an asker."
"No." He breathed out, pressing his hips to hers, "I don’t take. Women give themselves to me, willingly."
There was a dark glint in her eye that had him faltering because it was the same look that he had whenever he was sealing the deal. She bit down on her lip and eyed him playfully, "I'm impressed. You're actually a semblance of a gentleman in your own cocky, overly egotistical way."
Jackson's eyes narrowed at her back handed compliment, "You sound surprised." He grumbled as he lifted her up by the waist so that her legs could naturally bind around his waist. She draped her arm around his shoulder and pulled his face close to her neck.
Jackson grinned against her skin and pressed his lips heatedly against her neck. Mira leaned her head back and stared at the wall across from where she was pressed against and saw a wall decorated with trophies, medals, and badges.
"You're the guy that this party is for, right? Like the swimmer guy?" She said through heavy breaths.
Jackson had to bite back his scoff, everyone knew who he was. Did she really come to a party not knowing who or what it was for? "Uh…yeah. I am." He said before licking at her skin, making her shiver at the sensation.
She hummed, running her fingers through his hair, "You know, I never understood why people like you so much."
He paused and pulled away, thinking he misheard her, "What the hell?"
"I mean, it's not like you saved a country or found a cure to a disease or even won the Olympics. You're just a fast swimmer. Why do people treat you like some kind of god? I mean, I'm not trying to be rude, but I bet there are more important people at this school that the student body should be looking up to. Actual progressive people. Not just a less impressive version of Aquaman."
Jackson's lips hitched up in a snarl, "As if you're any better? The Golden Child? You're a philosophy major, what good to humanity are you going to do with that shit? Why should people praise you?"
"Exactly!" She exclaimed, excitement in her eyes, "That's exactly what I'm talking about."
He stared at her, completely befuddled, "Wait, what are you talking about?"
"However, I guess the only real difference between us is that you thrive on the attention everyone gives you whereas I just barely tolerate it." She said, matter-a-factly.
He leaned his head towards her, "Stop acting like you know me."
"But I don't know you." She said, her voice lilting melodiously, "And judging by how I'm hooking up with you at a party, you can assume that I don't want to know you either."
Jackson's eyes twitched and he can feel irritation boil in his veins. He set her down on the ground and let go of her before rubbing his eyes, suddenly sobering up. "I think you need to go home."
She blinked at him, curiously to why he suddenly decided to stop. She obviously couldn't speak for him, but she was having a good time. Her eyes wandered past his shoulder again and felt a sobering shock hit her when she saw a bra sitting on his desk.
What the fuck was she thinking?
"You're right. This was almost a huge mistake. I just dodged a major bullet there." She said with a breathy laugh.
Jackson scoffed, "What?" He balked.
She picked up her jacket, "The last thing I need to do is ruin my reputation by becoming another girl on your wall of conquests."
"Fuck off." Jackson muttered. "Get off your entitled high-horse. This is my celebratory party, I don't need to deal with this shit."
"And tomorrow's my last exam and I don't need to deal with this shit either." She spat back.
"Good." He barked. "You are fucking insane."
She grinned and wiped at her lipstick, "Why, thank you. You sure know your way into a lady's pants."
"Let's make a deal never to see each other again." He growled.
She laughed, almost amused at his bruised ego, "Then let's make a fucking deal to stay the hell away from each other."
"Perfect." He seethed before shaking her hand and storming off.
"I need a fucking drink." Jackson muttered when he came downstairs and found Jaebum standing in the kitchen.
"Woah. I thought I saw you heading to the bedroom with Mira. Why are you down here?"
Jackson let out a loud laugh. "You must've gone temporarily blind. My standards haven't dropped that low."
Jaebum looked over at the stairs where Mira was walking down, fixing her jacket and pulling her hair from beneath before smiling and chatting with some of her classmates. Jaebum had seen a lot of girls leave Jackson's room alone, looking heartbroken when they realized their relationship won't be anything more than a hook up but Mira was fixing her hair casually while typing away at her phone, probably check her texts and emailing her TAs.
"Well, good." Jaebum said while looking at Jackson. "She didn't really seem your type."
Jackson snorted, "What? Smart?"
"No." Jaebum said simply, "Bat shit crazy."
Jackson's lips quirked as he glanced at Mira who was holding her phone up, frowning as she tried to get a stronger signal until a girl tapped her on her shoulder and pointed at the door. It must've been her ride to her place because the both of them turned and walked out the front door.
Jaebum shrugged, "What did I tell you about Philosophy majors? Crazy."
"Either way, she's not my problem now." Jackson muttered. "Never was."