Systematic Survival

9 - An Old Friend

As Matt was trying to figure out his money situation, a large figure stopped in front of him.

"Wait a minute, is that you Matt?"

He looked up and saw a tall muscled body towering over him. Even his shadow looked built.

'Shit! It's Chad.'

The person who bullied him the most in high school was standing right in front of him, looking as smug as ever. A chill ran through Matt's spine as he recalled how Chad made his life miserable back in high school. It's trauma that wouldn't just disappear.

Chad was always popular, had a lot of money since he was born into a rich family, and always seemed to be good at everything. Even though he was hurt by him, Matt was jealous of his life. He often compared himself to Chad whenever he had thoughts about not being good enough. This man was probably the main reason Matt ended up the way he was.

"Oh, h-hey Chad." He stuttered, just wanting the conversation to end as fast as possible and run. He could technically just walk away, but he didn't want to even consider making Chad angry. Just the thought made him tremble.

"You're still built like a stick! Do you even know what a treadmill is?"

Chad laughed and then put his arm on Matt's shoulder, putting him in a chokehold.

"Hey I know, why don't we work out together? It'll be fun! Reminds me of when we used to hang back in school."

Matt knew Chad well and this was another setup for humiliating him. You'd think Chad was an idiot if you only judged by looks, but his grades used to be even higher than Matt's. There was no way this was just a friendly invite.

"Sorry, I don't have a pass. I guess I'll be going!"

Matt tried to go but Chad held onto him tighter.

"Why don't you have a pass? You could really use one or else you'll be a stick man the rest of your life and never get any girls!"

"It's too expensive," Matt muttered.

He instantly looked sheepish after he said this. He knew it would just be more ammo for Chad.

"Can't afford it? No girls, no money, a twig for a body. Wow, you really are a loser just like you used to be."

Chad laughed, amused by his new prey. Then his face lit up.

"Hey, why don't I buy you one, and then you can repay me later?"

This was typical Chad behavior. He loved extorting people. It felt like he ate misery for breakfast. Matt knew this wasn't going to end well if he didn't find a way to leave right now.

"No, I really have to go but thanks!"

With one quick push, Matt slipped out of Chad's grasp and sprinted as fast as he could. It definitely didn't look subtle that he wanted to get out of there, but he didn't care.

'I can't believe I still have to deal with that guy's shit. Of course, he'd be hanging out around the gym.'

After having run about a mile, Matt started to calm down from his stressful encounter. His mouth grew into a grin as he had a thought. He had the system. It was going to be different now. If only he could get stronger.

'I actually have something he doesn't for once.'

Realizing this, he started to make his way home, more motivated than ever.

'I'm gonna get strong using this system and then no one is gonna push me around. I'm actually gonna do something with my life. Not just be someone Chad can push around.'