Authors notes: Zzzzzz...Huh? are you still reading this dumpster fire? You all are too kind.
Seriously though. I appreciate every single one of you taking the time out of his/her life to check this out. Thank you, guys. You all have magnum dongs.
Oh, and for those of you that won't quite understand Nikki and Sarah's family dynamics. Sarah and Nikki have a third, unmentioned and older sister here.
Lincoln made it up to the rooftop somehow without breaking a sweat. The swagger of climbing such long stairs without even panting and walking straight and confident is something he was sure a lot of people would gladly trade their possessions for. After all, endless endurance because of the gamer body is something that might make world-renowned athletes green on envy. Game characters didn't traditionally get tired after all except if the plot wanted them to.
That wasn't the case for him though, as it was another itty-bitty reminder that he wasn't human anymore. At least, not fully.
His walk cycle was just unconsciously made too perfect and synched on his part even if he didn't mean it to be so. His thought process felt too uninterrupted and clear to the point where he could recall the brand of shoes everyone in the school was wearing. As far as he knew, he was never this good at remembering and gathering his mind. Even before he became an alcoholic in his previous life.
Something that cannot be ignored where the blatant lust looks girls, teacheresses and some non-straight guys kept throwing at him anywhere he passed by. Of course, he wasn't into dudes whatsoever but it was something he couldn't help but notice regardless. He knew those charisma points did something to his appearance that he'll make sure to check out later in a mirror or something.
Lincoln pushed the little door that led to the rooftop and walked in. There, he found his best friend pacing with both hands behind his back. Intending to interrupt whatever early midlife crisis the bespectacled boy was having, he cleared his throat.
Clyde stopped pacing mid-stride. His whole body went rigid and his eyes widened in fear behind his glasses. He turned around and gave a relaxed smile as soon as he saw who interrupted him.
"Oh, Linc! Perfect! Take a seat please." Clyde called loud enough for Lincoln to hear and gestured towards the direction of a plastic chair.
Lincoln shrugged and did just that.
"What's this all about?" Lincoln said while looking towards Clyde who was pulling another chair in front of him. "...Is this about Lori?" He asked again hopefully when Clyde didn't reply to him.
"First thing is, are you okay with missing 2 periods? Because let me tell you, buddy. This will be a very very long and stressful discussion." Clyde said while sitting on the chair. He grabbed his school bag from behind him, he opened the front zipper and put his hand inside the bag; pulling out an expensive and vintage-looking Ace Savvy themed cigar packet. He pulled out a red warped cigar with the word "A", written in white bold font with the symbol of the ace behind it. He put it in his mouth and lit a lighter under it.
Lincoln suddenly was hit with a sudden realization.
1- Royal Woods elementary school was for some reason mixed with Royal Woods middle school.
2- This was a part of a collection of an incredibly rare, golden age bundle of merch that was made by ACE comics back in the late 40s in WWII to raise money for the military to buy and manufacture more equipment.
It was so rare and obscure, he knew about it because saw it in the display window of a comic book museum he went to when he was 17.
And Clyde was smoking it casually.
[Passive skill: Gamer's mind]
It hasn't been a full day and I'm starting to notice changes. God fucking help me if there's more insane shit like this.
"How the fuck did you get your hands on this, Clyde?" He said, "And since when did you start smoking?"
Clyde replied with a little chuckle "Since Chloe left me"
Lincoln blinked and stared blankly. Clyde rolled his eyes.
"Chloe. The girl I went to the dance with. Short brown hair, cute little beret. Dude think" Clyde said, holding the cigar between his fingers and sending his friend a flat look.
"Ahhhhh- that Chloe." Lincoln said and snapped his fingers in realization "I think I saw her on the way here."
"You did?" Clyde asked in a hopeful and desperate voice, he gripped his cigar tighter.
How she looked like she was an emotionally drained mannequin was left unsaid. Lincoln wouldn't want to sully his best friend's already shitty mood after all.
It's a bit ironic how he would have been over the moon with this charm a lifetime ago. Yet, he wasn't kidding when he said that his previous isolated life coupled with his no-fucks-given attitude made him keep people's view of him at the back of his mind. Ultimately making whatever attraction Sarah and these girls had meaningless to him. He couldn't get himself to appreciate it.
"Yeah, but we didn't talk or anything dude," Lincoln said casually while shrugging which made Clyde's shoulders drop in disappointment.
"Anyways, I'd want to get into the bottom of why you two broke up but I have a feeling like I'd be getting down a rabbit hole. So I'll ask this again. How did you get your hands on this, Clyde?" Lincoln said before continuing "And don't start making things up because I'm sure as hell this." Lincoln waved his hand at the pack of cigars in Clyde's hand. "Isn't sold at Walmart"
"Well, this. This is why I am actually having this conversation with you, bro." Clyde said and took another whiff from his cigar. "I fucked up and I want your help," Clyde said calmly.
"We all have our bad days and-" Lincoln was beginning to reply only to be stopped by Clyde who raised his palm towards his direction, the cigar still hanging from his jaw.
"I made mistakes. A lot of mistakes. I was cheating on Chloe with a girl I met at a comic con. I fought with her and made her cry." Clyde hung his head, the glasses' reflective lenses obscuring his eyes. "But all of this is fucking nothing compared to the real kicker. After I left her in the fucking street at night; crying and calling out for my name, she was picked up by a man." Clyde's voice cracked at the end with both anger and anguish.
"..." Lincoln's stomach was curling in disgust.
[Passive skill: Gamer's mind]
"She- she was so vulnerable. And I-I left her like this, man. She wanted comfort. Comfort from anyone and she was hurt because of it. Fuck-" Clyde took off his glasses and wiped his tear-stained eyes and cheeks with his shirt.
"I'm so fucking sorry, babe," Clyde said while remembering Chloe's mom talking about the nightmares his ex suffered from every night from the incident, the glass dropped from his hand. Clyde abandoned it on the ground and started sobbing in his hands.
He was surprised when Lincoln stood up and pulled him into a brotherly hug.
[Max reputation reached with Clyde Mcbride]
[Title: In all but blood.]
Brother-like figures instinctively trust and follow you.
"It's okay, man. Let it all out." Lincoln said calmly while patting Clyde on the back. Eventually, he broke the hug.
"This little walking shit stain of a man you talked about. Is he in jail yet?" Lincoln asked with a sneer.
"He was given house arrest because he paid the bail." Clyde sniffed and wiped his eyes with his sleeve. "The rich fucker happens to be the environment minister or something," Clyde muttered so vehemently, it actually worried Lincoln a bit.
"Look, bro, I want you to promise me something. Look after Chloe, alright? I don't deserve to be anywhere near her. Not after what I did." Clyde practically begged.
"Hey now, What kind of man would I be if I saw a person struggling like that and chose to do nothing when I could just because? I'm currently drawing a mind map as we speak. And you know better than to underestimate my planning ability." Lincoln said while chuckling good-heartedly.
"I guess" Clyde tried chuckling too but it came out as hollow "Thank you, bro. You're a real keeper."
"Anytime, dude. l have to leave now. You coming?" Lincoln dusted his shirt and asked, preparing to leave.
"Nah, I'll just stay here for a while. Pretty sure whatever scolding dad and dad will give me won't do shit with me when I'm in this state." Clyde said while gesturing to himself.
"Bye Linc." He said and waved with his free hand
Lincoln waved back and turned around to leave. Before he remembered something.
"Hmmm. You still haven't told me the deal with cigars yet." Lincoln turned his head around and asked.
"...Look, I'll tell you later, okay? This little heart to heart left me a little drained," Clyde said while rubbing the bridge of his nose.
Lincoln nodded slowly and started walking in the direction of the door. He checked his phone's clock only to find that half of the school's time was cut because of his conversation with Clyde.
"Hopefully Mrs Johnson won't mind me interrupting her class." Lincoln thought. "Then again, based on how she was staring at me earlier in the hall, I feel like I won't be walking into landmines."
"Fucking creep." Lincoln shuddered at the memory of his teacher "accidentally" throwing her books on the ground and bending over to get them.
If it weren't for the [Gamer's Mind] he would've lost his shit and called her out right there. He opened the door to be greeted by the dark, descending stairs and glowing texts.
Ping!
Mission: Ode To Revenge.
Avenge Chloe.
Requirement: Murder Charles Sewage in his house arrest without being caught.
Rewards: [Henge technique]. [Shadow step]. [Major regeneration]. ???
Failure: Imprisonment. Chloe never gets closure. [Loner Outlaw path unlocked].
A devious smile stretched on Lincoln's face, shattering his poker face.
Philanthropist Marc Anthony once said 'If you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life.'
It's almost funny how much this applies to the gamer system and its missions, really.
If one were to get the lasso of truth and tie it around one of Sarah Chesire's classmates, they'd tell about how spoiled rotten, Sociopathic, promiscuous and morally dubious she is.
She never took care of her studies. She often bullied her eldest sister because of her body weight. She blew her parent's money on designer clothes, parties, drugs no one her age has any business of knowing.
When her older sister, Nikki, decided she wanted nothing to do with the lavish lifestyle she and the rest of her family lived, She got high grades and decided to accept the invitation of the prodigious Chavez Academy in the Great lakes; Moving away and deciding that she'll find her own person and live her own life dissociated of the rest of her family.
That made Sarah's already short fuse blow.
She demanded her older sister to stay, standing in front of the door and crossing her arms as if it would change her sister's decision. When her normally polite sister had enough and shouted back at her, she cried.
She didn't particularly cry because her sibling was leaving. She cried because for once in her very short life, she didn't have it her way. That her beauty and wealthiness weren't enough.
Today was the second time.
When she spotted that extremely cute white-haired boy walking calmly in the hallway she knew that no one deserved him other than her. That her, someone who is at the top of the school's matriarchy is supposed to have the best of the best. It's the way things are supposed to be.
So she decided she would lay her claim on him and display her dominance over the rest of the girls by talking to him. That way, she'd be hitting two birds with one stone. Except, it didn't go this way.
It didn't go HER way.
At first, she half expected the albino to start stuttering or blushing from her approach. She was fully expecting him to faint when she offered him a handshake. Boys certainly did from less.
Like when she rejected and humiliated them for example. She delighted in the miserable expressions they made.
Instead, he smoothly shook back her hand without hesitation and she finally got to see him up close. Her heart thumped intensely.
Everything about him was perfect. His neat, white, fluffy looking hair. His androgynous, angular face. His sharp, intelligent and wide green eyes. His slightly tanned smooth skin. His fragrance. His-
She realised she was unconsciously licking her lips when her mind conjured inappropriate images of him. Alarms rang in the back of her head when she was snapped out of her thoughts to find him looking back at her with a disturbed expression, pulling his hand slightly from her palm. She cursed like a sailor internally.
Then he just had to ask about her older sister.
Her earlier nervousness coupled with the topic of her goody-two-shoes sister being brought up swiftly shattered the cheerful act she was putting on. When the boy explained himself, she wanted nothing but the earth to swallow her.
At that point, the boy looked beyond uncomfortable even after she tried to salvage his impression of her with a little bit of truth about her life.
By that point, whatever interest the boy had in the conversation died and someone calling from the background was just the excuse he needed to bolt away from her.
She glared at the nerd who dared to interrupt her which made him simply flip the bird at her and scurry off.
She was not going to let him go away. He was HERS.
She calmly and collectively said if she could see him around to which he eagerly replied 'yes' to. She then asked for his phone number and he gave it to her.
She didn't stutter. She didn't make an embarrassment out of herself. This is all a big misunderstanding.
And the WENCHES that kept looking at her and shaking with laughter in their seats better understand this real quick if they don't want their daddies dearest out of the job by the end of the week.
Sarah glared at the classroom in an attempt to intimidate them into silence. It worked. She stopped her gaze in front of her again and sighed dreamily with half-lidded, putting her arm on the desk and her cheek over her palm.
She didn't miss Maggie's glare from the corner of her vision.
"Yes?" Sarah turned her head around and looked at her friend with a raised eyebrow.
Maggie took a deep breath, her chest heaved and turned her head around to glare at her "Friend" from under her bangs.
"Oh, we're having a staring contest now, baby girl?" Sarah replied, finding Maggie's 'Glare' cute.
"What. The. Hell. Was. That." Maggie strained, Her hands clutching tighter on her desk.
"I think I finally found my soulmate. After searching for so long." Sarah sighed again. He noticed her stare and hid under the desk which caused her to pout.
"I don't know about that, blonde. It certainly looked like my bro hated your fucking guts from where I was standing." Lynn snorted from the desk behind her. She was ignoring the lesson in favour of drawing Mr Bolhofner with giant dicks for arms that shot lasers.
"What was that, you over glorified beefcake?" Sarah said, nervousness starting to crawl into her voice. Some people could be bought, intimidated or threatened. Some could be dealt with diplomacy.
Lynn Jr. wasn't any of these people.
Lynn looked up from her doodle and chuckled with a mix of a smile and a grimace.
"Over glorified beefcake? Can't say I heard that one before." Lynn said, pushing back her seat and standing up. She made her way towards the blonde girl's desk and stood next to it. She turned around to face her, bending over and placing a hand on her desk.
"What do you think you are-" Sarah was cut off by Lynn slamming her fist on her desk.
"Look, girlie. I try my best to not be an ass. And honestly? Hurting a child would be stepping too low even for me. I say child because while yes, you're my age. The way you speak and act is akin to the way my younger's sisters act. Nothing personal." Lynn tilted her head sideways to look at the girl, her bushy ponytail hanging loose from the other side.
"But like my shirt, there are red lines. Red lines I turn ape shit crazy when someone crosses. My brother happens to be one of them." Lynn explained easily.
"I'll not beat around the bush. I know your type. You pick boyfriends and girlfriends and throw them away when they don't fit you anymore like autumn clothes. So take this as a warning. Come in contact with my little brother and I'll smash your head bloody, 'Kay? Again, nothing personal. I don't hate you as a person but you better not piss me off. Others still have stitch marks from trying to do just that." Lynn chuckled and patted Sarah on her shoulder as an old friend would. She went back to her seat.
Sarah grumbled and started daydreaming again.
She might've not gotten what she wanted today. But she won't stop until she has Lincoln.
That she swore.