No Control

Deception

   The world is filled with cold-hearted individuals who will do anything it takes to get what they want. But can we truly blame them for their actions? Have we not done something similar to that? Have we not deceived someone to accomplish our goals once before, whether it was for a good cause or a personal gain? If you believe the world is not all that bad, then you may have been one of those people who have been deceived more often than others. Manipulation is often deemed as a selfish act of one's character. Though, if it weren't for manipulation, how do you think celebrities or people you look up to make it to the position they're in now? The protagonist in this story realizes he has widespread support that he could use at his disposal.
   Drawing near the end of his sophomore year, Jay was still determined to rebuild his empire for the next school year. He knew he would have to do something grand to ensure the stability of his reputation. Primarily, many students used cunning techniques to use others in their schemes. Taking this into consideration and experiencing manipulation various times, Jay used his downfall as a plan for his uprising. Using his sorrows and downfall as a front, Jay started to deceive not only his friends but others who didn't associate with him often. He painted the image of being the sympathetic underdog, which worked almost too perfectly. The plan worked as follows.

Step One: In order to gain from his loss, he would have to use his utter defeat as propaganda. Using the time frame of his recent breakup, Jay walked around school mopping and looking sad. His friends and acquaintances looked troubled because they hardly ever saw Jay upset, and he knew this. People came to check on Jay, and of course, he'd give them the sob story of his previous downfall. Though he already had influence in his newfound empire, he needed more. He wanted to establish and maintain order in his domain.

Step Two: Would this plan make Jay look weak? This is a question he pondered on himself. For a temporary time, yes, although he'd look weak in the eyes of some, this wouldn't last long. Sympathy was what Jay was aiming for when he told others about his downfall. Jay's friends help benefit him the most. His friends checked on him more often and eventually created a closer bond that made them want Jay around more. The temporary weakness was practically resolved in a short amount of time.

Step Three: Jay examined the people his friends usually associate with. Some popular, some not popular, and some in between both those categories. After his friends wanted him around more, they introduced Jay into their friends. This plan worked just as he expected it to. If he could get his friends to introduce him to more people, Jay could gain more influence. Eventually, the people who didn't associate with Jay often started to create a bond with him as well. At this point, everyone wanted his attention.

Step Four: With all of this influence gained, it was time to test this new power he acquired. Jay had deceived his friends and had a few situations he needed to take care of. Now was the perfect time to put this power to use. Jay had schoolwork and sports to focus on, so anything else he wanted or needed to be completed would have to wait. That was the case until he started using his new power. If he wasn't able to get to the store after school, he'd ask someone to get it for him and bring it the next day. If he missed an assignment, someone would give him the answers. If someone so much as irritated him, he'd have some on standby. Most of Jay's requests were mainly simplicit things for the most part.

Step Five: With his plan working great and the school year drawing near to its end, the last part of the plan was to make sure his mark would hold until the next school year. He wanted to keep his empire intact and keep all his relations so he wouldn't lose power or influence. In order to make this work, Jay had to deepen the connection between him and everyone he had in his empire. He had to make time with each individual before the school year ended to strengthen their connection. This would both create a stronger relationship between both parties and help Jay attain more power.

   At first, Jay was hesitant about the idea of manipulation. He never wanted to hurt innocents or get them involved in any plan for retaliation or personal matters. He then remembered various times he fell victim to others' plots when he had absolutely nothing to do with. He knew all the downsides of not using innocents to his advantage and knew he might hurt others if he went through with this plan. Ultimately, Jay decided to use innocents to his advantage. Once someone carried his objectives, he'd check with them and reward them passively to avoid suspicions of them being used. Guilt followed as he started to deceive people, but soon it left as Jay continued to do it more often. This was another one of his passive traits weighing heavy on his shoulders.
   Jay was too apologetic and always felt some kind of guilt. If he wanted to move forward, he had to drop any excessive habits that proved to have a negative effect. If he was too apologetic and felt guilty, he couldn't bring himself to manipulate others. And he later realized that he still wasn't able to make his own decisions. However, if he used this tactic, he would have the upper hand. He also realized how much this could help him dodge trouble. After several practices of deception, Jay finally felt less guilt and apologetic. He actually started feeling power. His manipulation skill was working, and he was getting what he wanted. "I've got to take back what's mine. If I have to use people to get back my power, then that's what I have to do. Keep it clean and keep it moving.".
   No one ever suspected Jay was deceiving them. He usually remained humble and respectful to all, and everyone still thought he was a kind person who was coming out of his shell. They didn't realize it, but Jay was far beyond that stage. He didn't degrade anyone of their worth either. He never looked at anyone as his tools, but whenever he saw an opportunity, he took it. He saw the power behind deception and compared his use to others' use.
   Many believe deception is a negative behavior of one's nature. They assume that those who manipulate are those who are only looking out for themselves. In life, almost everything is propaganda. Persuasion is manipulation. It doesn't matter how you look at it. Elections are used to persuade you into what you can benefit from. Advertisements show you the perks you could have if you shop with that company. Yes, you and everyone else will benefit from those things, but you're being deceived by someone who is most likely benefiting more than you are. Some tasks may require us to be a bit devious even if it's for the common good. Deception may seem like an unjust act, but if we truly open our eyes, we're being deceived in our everyday lives. Whether that deception is a campaign or an advertisement.