Chapter Text
Exer attempts to sort through his racing thoughts on how exactly he is going to explain to Pamela really slowly, that she was...right about him.
Exer swallows at his own statement, her voice running through his head as she points at him accusingly on that stage.
"He does...witchcraft!!!"
His thoughts get interrupted by quick footsteps coming up behind him.
Jackson enters the hallway with Pamela close behind, the music from the school party is muffled by the distance of the closed doors and the eerie space.
"Exer." Jackson's voice speaks up; Exer takes a calming breath and turns to face them as Jackson continues. "She's here."
"What the-?" Pamela stands there, looking at Exer in both surprise and utter confusion. "Exer?"
Exer attempts to put on a brave face, but he can't help the way his mouth forms into a frown or the way his eyes gleam with guilt and remorse.
Pamela continues in complete confusion. "Why are you here too? What's going on?" Jackson moves to stand next to Exer, facing Pamela. Then glancing at Exer, saying.
"Do I start or do you?" Jackson had that same irritated and tired look, even with the makeup he used for his costume that covers his whole face, shadowing a darkened black look under his eyes...his light grey eyes...Exer snaps out of whatever daze he was in from Pamela's voice.
"Start with...what?" Pamela asks, still confused and now wary.
Jackson begins explaining. "Pam, you were right, Exer has-" before getting cut off by Exer, looking at Pamela with guilt and anxiety.
I'm really doing this.
"Pamela, listen...what I'm about to tell you is shocking...I've hurt you and I'm terrified of what could happen next. But I need to stop hiding and tell the truth, starting with you...because it's the right thing to do."
"What?"
Exer exhales and continues. "Pamela, you were right...I..." a beat. "I have magic".
Pamela's lips part in disbelief, eyes widened. "Y-you...w-what?" She stutters out.
"Yes..." he confirms, wincing at his own confession.
"N-no...no...that..." she points at Exer, disbelief and panic rising in her chest. "That can't be true...because what I saw was my imagination..." Pamela's breathing heightens, trying to backtrack. "It was my jealousy, it was-"
Jackson interrupts, on a roll of justice and determination, turning to Exer. "No, Pam. It wasn't and he can prove it". Exer looks back at him with anxiousness, his heart thudding in his chest. "Right?"
Exer's gaze turns to a nearby door at the end of some lockers. "The door." He states, almost a reluctant mumble.
Pamela shakily follows Exer's gaze, turning to look at the door. "W-what?"
"I'll open it from here."
"Sounds great." Jackson looks at the door too. "Don't take your eyes off of it, Pamela."
A sigh escapes Exer's mouth, stretching his arm to face his palm towards the door and focusing on the target.
His amber eyes slowly fade into a bright and glowing green colour, trying to open the door with his mind. He tries again and again and again. Exer groans out in frustration, still focusing on the door. "Ughh!!!"
Jackson grows impatient and confused. "Hey, what's the matter?!"
"I...I don't know!" Exer feels his body vibrate with his frustration and force.
"Man, just open it!!!" Jackson raises his voice.
"I...I can't!!!" Exer grits out.
"What do you mean you can't?!" Exer clenches his teeth at the question he can't answer.
"Exer, you can clone yourself, but you can't open a damn door?" Jackson asks in disbelief, Exer squints at the door in an attempt for it to work. Until Jackson has had enough, impatience and a lack of trust making himself push Exer forward to the door. A bad attempt to encourage him, a very bad one.
"Just do it!!! Jesus!!!" Jackson shouts in anger directly into Exer's ear, causing him to lose control.
"Aghhhh!!!" Exer shouts out. Buzzing noises filling his head, like a painful migraine. Objects of student's belongings fly out of nearby lockers circling Pamela, like she's trapped in a twister on the spot.
Pamela stands still, frozen in place as she stares at the newfound cage of things whooshing around her. Her mouth gaping open at the unbelievable situation she has gotten sucked into.
"Pamela!!!" The two boys cry out in panic; a tear rolls down Exer's cheek at the midst of things. The risk of hurting Pamela or Jackson and the dire need to get back in control of his own power is unbearable. "Ughh!!"
"Exer!!! Stop it!!!" Jackson gasps out a plea desperately, his lip quivering with panic and helplessness.
"That's what I'm trying to do!!"
"Stop it!!!" Jackson pleads again.
After a few beats, there's a loud BAM, Exer slumps to his knees gasping for air as he manages to stop the now controlled magic. "Ah! Shit!!!"
Jackson is crouched next to Exer looking over towards Pamela in panic and concern.
"Pamela!" Jackson's voice is still raised from the earlier panic. "A-are you okay?!"
Pamela stares at them. Terrified and frozen, before gasping and making a run for it.
"Ahhh! Pamela!!! N-no!!! I'm sorry!!!" Exer cries out, his hands and knees holding him up on the floor from the amount of energy he's used to control himself. "I didn't mean to-"
Jackson starts running after Pamela, cutting off Exer in directed agitation. "You never mean anything, right?!" Jackson reaches out to grab her. "Pamela! Wait!"
He successfully holds her, but she tries to pull away. "Aghh! No!!"
"This is what I've been trying to tell you!" Jackson clarifies desperately, trying to make her understand. "I knew about it too!!! Since the first day! That's why I-"
Pamela cuts him off, getting out of his grasp. Looking at him with pain and confusion. "Then why the hell didn't you tell me before?!"
Jackson goes still, guilt rushing him like a tidal wave. "I...uhmn..."
Pamela's confused expression changes into hurt anger, while Jackson's expression changes into a deer in headlights. "Jackson, I told you all about my past on our date! Why didn't you say anything then?!"
Jackson tries to think of an excuse. "Well, uhmn...I didn't because I wanted to prove it...f-first..." Jackson almost cringes at his reasoning.
Pamela is close to tears. "You wanted to prove it...first?" Jackson's heart drops, he knows he's messed up now.
"Pamela..."
"Leave me alone..." Pamela turns to run again, tears streaming down her eyes at the betrayal.
The sound of thunder becomes clear outside the school building, Exer is now slowly walking up behind Jackson. "Jackson..." Jackson's expression grows cold. "Is she okay? Please...tell me I didn't hurt her-"
I...
Jackson clenches a fist.
We...
Jackson scowls to himself.
He made her cry.
"You..." Jackson turns to Exer. "You did it on purpose." Jackson accuses blindly, focusing his attention back on Exer with a sneer.
"What?!" Exer looks at Jackson in surprise. "No...no!!! Jackson!" Exer's face grows more hurt as he tries to talk to him. "I swear! I didn't -"
Jackson interrupts him, shouting. "Bullshit!!!" Exer is taken aback, but Jackson continues to spit more anger at him. "You just wanted to make me look bad again! But I won't let you get away with it again, Exer..."
Exer catches a glimpse of an object outside the window they're standing Infront of now, shooting through the air towards them. "Not this time!" Jackson's words seem muffled by the strange distraction. "You hear me?!"
The object gets closer as it gets more visible for Exer to be able to make it out, it's a cardboard box with... Jackson's name written on it? "hey, I'm talking to you!" Exer can barely hear Jackson now, looking out the window in shock, very unsettled at the strange sight.
"Are you even listening to me, you-!" Exer pushes Jackson out of the way, tackling him down to the ground and landing on-top of him.
The cardboard box travels at such a speed that it crashes through the window, the sound of glass shattering around them and the sound of the box impacting the ground echoes in their ears. Landing in the between the lockers and the two boys. Random crayons, a teddy bear, a diary and other variations of stuff that the box held, falls out and lays sprawled across the floor.
Jackson grunts, feeling both of their weight flop into each-other. Jackson lands on his back, hitting the cold solid floor of the echoing hallway.
Jackson's eyes lock with Exer's, a hint of vulnerability in his own. He lays there, catching his breath after getting the wind knocked out of him. His heart doesn't settle from the adrenaline of the impact.
Exer pushes himself up, hovering over Jackson's body with concern in his expression and blood running down from the cut on his cheek. Jackson quickly looks away in a huff, shielding himself from any type of weakness with Exer.
Exer gets off Jackson with a sigh, kneeling Infront of Jackson. Who is now sitting up, almost disappointed that the weird moment ended.
The adrenaline is making me overthink. My heart is still racing, even after the chaos that just occurred. But it isn't as unnerving, almost a flutter. Exer thinks to himself.
Jackson looks at the box with half-hearted annoyance, his heart still continues to race. "W-what the hell did you do now?!" Scoffing at Exer playing the same old mind games.
Exer looks at Jackson, slightly shaking in shock at the continued accusations. "M-me?!"
"Do you see another magic kid here?" Jackson rolls his eyes and moves to kneel at the scattered objects from the box. "Where did you get all of this stuff? There's a teddy bear..? What the-"
Jackson gasps, his heart dropping for the second time in the span of 5 minutes. He picks up the familiar stuffed bear.
"W-wait...this bear is...mine." He starts picking up and looking at the different, familiar childhood memories. "And this is mine... And this too! Exer?! Why the fuck are you messing with my stuff?!"
"I..." Exer is dumbfounded by the whole situation.
"How did you know about this box?!" Jackson frantically picks up his stuff, shoving them back in the box.
"I don't know what you're talking about! I didn't do it! I swear!" Exer promises, getting up. "Or did I?!" Exer's mind racing again with inner turmoil. "I don't know anymore!!"
Jackson stands up, looking at Exer with growing rage. Yet again. "Stop lying to me!"
"Jackson, I am not lying!"
"Bullshit!" Exer has never heard Jackson swear so much and it's like a punch in the gut every-time. "I'm not falling for it! I know you did this on purpose!" Jackson's face scowls again with his anger and pain.
"I can't believe I thought you'd change after tonight...you're still just the same asshole you've always been!" He swallows the lump in his throat, taking a breath before finishing. "And now Pamela will never forgive me, and it's all your fault!"
Exer looks at Jackson in disbelief at the misplaced accusation, he tightens his fists in defiance. "You know what, Jackson? I'm tired of this! I just told Pamela the truth! Yeah, maybe I should've done it sooner, but I still did what you asked me to do! So lay off!"
Jackson steps closer to Exer with an angry smile that just wants to scream and laugh. "Lay off? Did you ever lay off?! Are you this afraid of losing all that fake popularity?!"
"Seriously?! Do you really think that's what's I'm afraid of?! I never asked for this, Jackson!" Exer catches his breath, his heartbeat ringing in his ears. "And now I have to live every day terrified of what might happen if the wrong people found out about me!"
"Please! It's the 80's! They aren't hunting witches anymore!" Jackson says, completely brushing it off, they both get closer. Getting in their personal space bubbles and testing the other's limits, neither backing down with pained and angry expressions.
"Oh yeah?! Do you really believe that?!" Exer looks directly into Jackson's eyes, silently pleading. "That I'd just be 'okay' if everyone found out? You've been pushing me to the edge for weeks now for stuff I barely have control over! And it's just so...fucking hard!"
Exer takes another breath. Tears threatening to spill over again, he thinks about his dad. "And what about my dad? He's gone through so much already, I can't put him through more!"
Exer presses his hands to his head in agony, shaking once more from the pressure. Taking a step back.
"I've made so many mistakes! But no matter how much I try to fix them, I keep making things worse! I never know what to do! And there's no one who can help me or at least listen! And you just...won't stop pushing!"
Exer lowers his hands, letting them fall back down to his sides. "I'm just so...lost."
Jackson looks at Exer, conflicted. Until...BAM! they both turn their gazes to the diary that Jackson didn't even notice was still on the floor, the pages start flipping through itself.
"W-what...?" They both stare at it in confusion and fear at the unexpected action of the inanimate object.
Exer suddenly feels a surge of his own magic electrocuting him. "GahHHH!!" The buzzing comes back, stronger than before and screams in his ears. Green mist surrounding them.
"Exer!!!" Jackson calls out, but Exer feels too far gone in his own magic to hear the boy next to him as it holds a tight grip on him.
"What's happening?!" Stuff starts flying around again, green zapping in different directions.
Jackson steps back in fear and confusion. "Exer!!!" Jackson's own possessions swirling around, almost hitting him. "Stop this!!!" Jackson yells out uselessly. "Exer!!!"
-----
When Exer eventually comes to, they're surrounded by darkness. Screams and shouts echo throughout the school. Exer collapses, sitting against the wall in pain. "Ughh..."
Jackson lays on his stomach, his hands protecting his head. "Agh...is it over...?" Jackson struggles to sit up, shakily. "Please, tell me it's over!" Jackson's ears ring, shouting his question.
The darkness of the night that pours into Exer's vision, feels consuming. "N-no...no! I can't make things worse!!" The dread fills his mind and all he can manage to do...is to run, just run and don't stop until you're away from endangering anyone else!
"I need to get out of here!!!"
Jackson watches Exer run away, his guilt and vulnerability etched on his face and something else...heartbreak...? He knows he should follow him, but he quickly realises that he might not be able to get up just yet.
He feels like his legs will give out if he gets up now, he feels so helpless. Jackson turns his attention to the old diary, still open on the floor.
-----
Jackson kneels Infront of the diary, looking at it like it's some type of ancient artifact. He gets flashed with a memory of his mother handing it to him when he was younger, her voice echoing in the back of his mind like a sweet melody of clarity.
"Jackson...this is for you."
"Oh?"
"I thought it could be a nice gift for my creative child."
"Creative?"
"Whenever you don't feel like talking, you can use it to express anything you can think of..."
Exer runs through the woods. Huffing as he's losing breath but barely noticing, just needing to run. To escape.
"You can write...you can draw...maybe a feeling, maybe a thought...or even dreams..."
Exer stops at a clearing in the woods.
"Your mind is more powerful than you can imagine!"
Exer's eyes glow green, clenching his teeth together painfully.
"So let those emotions go."
"ghhHHHH!!!" Exer cries out, squeezing his eyes shut as he lets his magic rip out of him, shooting up into the sky. Like fireworks.
"Ohhhh...and what is it?"
"It's your diary..."
Exer stands Infront of the lake he stopped at, looking up at his work of magic.
Jackson picks up his diary, looking at a drawing of a green figure standing Infront of a surface of water. Along with trees at the sides of the page and fireworks at the top of the page.
My diary...