"Numbers Change" - A Community fanfic

Chapter 2: New Beenz

It was day 6 of the MeowMeowBeenz Empire. The ranking system had rendered Fives as gods, and Fours as their faithful aides. The sectors for Threes and Twos were by far the most populated. There, people coexisted in gray monotony. Nothing however, was worse than being a One. An outcast, banished to the Outlands, with very little hope of climbing above the disgrace and despair.

The higher your rank, of course, the more value your ranking of others has. And it made Matthew sick. He was no longer allowed in Building 1 after 7pm, he couldn't go where he used to, he couldn't eat what he used to, and he couldn't see the people he used to call friends, as they had ascended to Fours. He was a lowlife, just like the rest of Twos and Threes. Still, it was better than being a One.

Perhaps the only good thing that had come of this was his newfound friendship with Paul. He was kind, funny, and oh so handsome. Even though Paul now had 3 ½ MeowMeowBeenz, he still made time for Matthew, who had gone back down to a mere Two.

Matthew lived in quiet, subdued politeness, and he hated it. He lived in fear, as a single bad rating could send him down to a One, and he would be sentenced to a life in the Outlands, away from modern comfort, and of course, away from Paul.

But being with Paul helped Matthew forget about all that. With Paul, it almost felt like everything was back to normal. Almost.

"What's bothering you, bro?" Paul nudged Matthew's shoulder. "You seem anxious. Well, more than usual."

"Same stuff." Matthew sighed. "I'm just worried about ranks. And then I get frustrated at how much the ranking has consumed my life. And then I worry my frustration will show through and I'll get voted down."

"Hey," Paul said softly."This rating system sucks. But at least we have each other, right? And you're not going to end up in the Outlands. I'll make sure of it."

Matthew smiled at Paul. He just wanted to stay here forever, in this moment. "I suppose worrying doesn't really help anything, does it?"

Paul rested his head on Matthew's shoulder. "I suppose it doesn't. And who knows? Maybe we'll end up being Fours together someday."

Just then, a distant shouting could be heard across the common area.

"WE NEED TO STAND UP TO THE SYSTEM! COME ON, PEOPLE! DOWN WITH MEOWMEOWBEENZ!"

It was Britta, one of the Greendale 7. She was standing on a table, doing her usual spiel on fighting the power. She had yet to gain any traction the past few days, and her speeches were more annoyances than anything. Matthew just hoped no Fours passing by overheard.

Just then, a security guard stationed at the entrance to the common area walked briskly toward Britta.

"New orders. All rebellious outbursts are to be quelled." He said. "If you have a complaint, you can take it up with the Fives."

Britta looked aghast at the security guard. "I AM A PSYCHOLOGY MAJOR. You can't silence me! Words are my weapons!"

"Okay, well, weapons are my weapons." The guard held up a stun-taser. "I suggest you get down from there now."

"Hey now, is there a problem here?" Paul quickly got up and strode over to the table.

"Yeah, your friend here thinks she's gonna start an uprising against the Fives." The security guard looked over tiredly.

"You can't defend this corrupt oligarchy forever." Britta made a face at the guard.

"How about we just put our weapons--verbal and literal-- down. We can just... pretend like this didn't happen. No need to tell the Fives. I do thank you, though, for keeping the peace." Paul swiped on his phone, giving the security guard a 5 MeowMeowBeenz rating.

The guard shrugged, and went back to his post.

Britta got down and muttered something about mustard. She sneered at the guard, and brushed past him.

Matthew secretly wanted to go up there and stand with Britta. He was sick and tired of MeowMeowBeenz. Paul of course, just wanted to keep the peace. He didn't want the Twos and Threes to be seen as unruly, or defiant. Matthew also knew, in the back of his mind, that Paul wanted to maintain his rank.

"Sorry about that." Paul slung his arm around Matthew's shoulder. "Where were we?"