Not The Life I Wanted

Teach Me

~~~~After Summer, Beginning of Next School Year ~~~~

The beginning of sophomore year, the time for Max to officially put his plan in motion. He had spent bits of his summer free time here and there working the plan out in his head, writing down a broad list of the steps in mind. It wasn't the most important thing in the world by any means, but it felt like an intriguing way to occupy his time off during the school year.

He and the guys had just finished settling back into their dorm room when Bobby suggested they grab a bite to eat. They made their way down the street, deciding to hit up the spot where his dad had performed his iconic disco dance with Ms. Marpole. The nachos there were delicious after all.

The group entered the establishment, seeing the building in a new light as it was the least crowded they had ever seen it.

Bobby titled down his sunglasses to get a better look. "Yooo, where is everybod-ayy?"

"It's still pretty early," Max pointed out, "it'll prolly start filling up in an hour or two."

They took a seat at the booth next to the wall, chilling out for about 15 minutes before they heard a whooping noise coming from the front entrance.

"Who's gonna win?!" a familiar deep voice rang out.

"The Gammas!" a group of voices called back.

Max smirked and rolled his eyes, looking at Bobby and P.J. They shared similar expressions. 'Perfect timing,' he thought secretly.

The door slammed open, Tank entering first, with Bradley and the rest of Gamma Mu Mu in tow. They were all conversing amongst themselves, clearly excited. "Max! Hey baby!" the larger man exclaimed once the sophomores entered his line of sight.

This caused Bradley head to snap up, alarmed. He and Max made eye contact with each other. The older boy made a face that conveyed a thousand threats made real if Max were to dare double cross him.

Max took this moment to initiate phase one of his plan, A.K.A "Get Bradley Uppercrust To Wanna Talk To Me." It was the first step of several, but Max was willing to give it a go as long as he didn't have to put too much effort into it.

The sophomore then proceeded to give Bradley a warm smile. The effect was almost instantaneous. The Gamma's face shifted from passive aggression to sheer bewilderment before he finally collected himself, visibly shaking off his surprise.

"Max," he gave him a curt nod of acknowledgment.

"Hey guys!" Max waved back at the two Gamma leaders, "what's all the excitement about?"

The two departed from the rest of their fraternity, heading over to the sophomores. "Gamma Mu Mu just qualified for final rounds of a local pool tournament. Bradley here came in clutch!" Tank replied, cheerfully smacking his aforementioned teammate in the back. He visibly winced, but only enough for someone who was paying close attention to notice, that someone being Max.

"And pray tell what illegal tactics did he use to come in clutch?" P.J. mockingly asked.

Tank gave him a bit of a dumbfounded look, as the question clearly brought him back to reality concerning who he was playing with. Bradley quickly saved the interaction with an interjection.

"Don't worry, kid. I've gone cold turkey nowadays. Fair and square is the only strategy I know!" he grinned, still giving off a sinister vibe in his attempts to be reassuring, "Besides, it's the only strategy I need!"