Against All Odds

Ep.9: Life Lessons with the Gang

It was a regular school day, and Sasha was sitting in her usual spot, casually chatting with her best friend, Harper. Harper was leaning back in her chair, examining her nails like they were the most interesting thing in the world. A bit of a hot mess and wonderfully self-absorbed, Harper had a unique ability to make any situation about herself, yet somehow, Sasha found her endearing. The two made an unlikely but balanced pair.

“So, I was thinking of dyeing my hair this weekend. Maybe a little teal, like Miku. What do you think?” Harper asked, flipping a lock of her hair with a dramatic flair.

“Harper, didn’t you swear you’d never go near hair dye again after the last disaster?” Sasha replied with a smirk.

“Okay, that was one time,” Harper said, waving her hand dismissively. “Besides, Miku vibes are worth it.”

Just then, they overheard their teacher reminding the class, “Alright, everyone, remember it’s ‘Life Lessons Day’! We have some local volunteers who’ll be teaching you today.”

Sasha’s stomach sank, and she muttered, “Oh no… I completely forgot today was Life Lessons Day.”

“Oh, this should be good,” Harper whispered back, grinning. “Maybe we’ll get some influencer who’ll teach us how to get a thousand followers in a day.”

But as the door opened, Sasha’s heart sank further. There, strolling in casually as if they owned the place, were Ethan, Tanner, Tyler, Shane, and Gordon.

“No way,” Sasha muttered, facepalming.

Harper’s eyes widened in excitement. “Sasha! It’s your crew! This is gonna be epic!”

Sasha shot Harper a look. “Or it’s going to be a disaster.”

The gang took their places at the front of the room, each looking slightly out of place in a high school classroom, but not particularly bothered. Ethan glanced around with his usual gruff expression, Tanner waved enthusiastically at the students, Shane nodded thoughtfully, Tyler stayed mostly hidden in his hoodie, and Gordon looked calm and composed, as if he’d done this a hundred times before.

Sasha leaned over to Ethan and asked, “Why are you guys here? How did this happen?”

Ethan shrugged, clearly unconcerned. “A teacher came into the café, exhausted from searching for volunteers, and he noticed us sitting around. He offered us a few quick bucks if we’d fill in. So here we are.”

Before Sasha could respond, the teacher announced, “Alright, class, please welcome today’s Life Lessons speakers!”

There was polite clapping as Ethan stepped up first.

---

Ethan’s Spy Strategies 101

Ethan took a deep breath, looking around at the students with his usual stoic expression. “Alright, kids. I’m here to teach you some strategies that could save your life—or at least get you out of a tight spot.” He gave a slight smirk. “You could call it ‘Spy Strategies 101.’”

Some students snickered, but Ethan continued, unbothered. He launched into a detailed explanation of basic cover strategies, casually mentioning his life as a spy while giving tips on blending in. “For instance, my cover as a taxi driver is perfect. People overlook cab drivers. No one suspects anything.”

Sasha raised her hand, clearly unimpressed. “Ethan, are you really blowing your cover here?”

He shrugged. “Sasha, these are high school kids. They’ll think I’m joking, and they’ll forget it by the end of the week—just like half the stuff they study here.”