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Burgie : You're right, it's definitely something he needs! Desperately.


Song Listened To :

Black Sheep ft. Brie Larson by Metric


*Chapter 57*

With a pop of a scuffle of all sorts of different kinds of feet, Gideon rushed his class desk, the one designated to him for the first two months of Pre-A. In the scurry to grab the freshly printed pieces of paper securely sealed and slipped into each student's personal desk, the ruffle of opened and unwrinkled papers could be heard unfurling by everyone in excitement. Gideon sharply but his lip in cute excitement and opened the folds of his own individualized piece of paper. Casted across it was his own personal information, his class list for the final two months of Pre-A he'd be doing, eight different classes in which he'd practice traveling too. A moment everyone was excited for, the class suddenly riled into a cute frenzy of trading schedules and seeing just who had classes with who. Gideon and Chase nearly body slammed each other in the rush to get into each other's personal bubbles and unload their new schedules into each other's lives.

"Dude, dude, PLEASE tell me when have classes together," Gideon rushed in smiling happiness, he was absolutely certain that at least half of his schedule would mock Chase's, and though Gideon was floored to be having this conversation, he felt a weird switch up happen with Chase.

"Hopefully," Chase eased sincerely, though he didn't seem to have as much gust as Gideon did. He almost nervously glanced over his shoulder, in the direction of Zee and his quietly skulking little group, which consisted of Nemi and three other gamers. They traded schedules and bickered amongst each other, though as Chase and Gideon traded papers, Chase softly glossed Gideon's schedule and grit his teeth in a soft slope of sorrowful knowing, "Ooo.. Yikes."

"What's wrong?" Gideon staggered with a little smile that began to sag, and as his golden eyes scanned Chase's schedule, he felt his heart suddenly sink in a sag of cold dread; him and Chase didn't share a single class together, not even the divided lunch hours. Gideon frowned and urgently peered into Chase's gentle blue eyes, though he almost began to look guilty of something beyond Gideon, "We... We don't even get the chance to hang out but maybe before or after school... Man, this blows."

"Seriously," Chase mumbled gently as he scuffed his lizard paw on the ground, twiddled his thumbs and gently handed Gideon back his schedule, to which Gideon traded back Chase's as well, "Guess we'll have to wait until actual Academy to have classes together."

"Yeah, we can better coordinate, then, right?" Gideon urged hopefully with a smile and a nod, though Gideon furrowed his brow and began to feel a weirder sense of dread, the way Chase was reacting to the news of not having a single hour with his best friend was different than what Gideon ever would expect; it was one of sheepishness, nearly as if this was a potential death sentence to their friendship that neither boy signed up for.

"Yeah, you can like... Get your oldest sister in on it and stuff, right?" Chase wondered dryly as he rubbed the back of his head, to which Gideon nodded.

"Yeah, absolutely, I mean... I don't think she can promise we'd actually have ALL classes together, but I'm sure she could pull some strings," Gideon urged with a smile, though before they could carry on their conversation, their teacher sharply instructed everyone to take their seats so they could begin the first subject's lesson of the day.

In the scurry to reach their own desks, Gideon and Chase had unfortunately been previously separated due to too much talking during class. It wasn't until his very wave of emotion did Gideon finally take note that Chase had been moved much closer to Zee's and Nemi's area of the classroom. Not directly next to them, he still was much closer and within talking range. Gideon gently sat down in his seat, zipped his black hoodie up a bit and shivered in Pre-A's frigid, air conditioned classroom, and as his eyes suspiciously eyed Chase from across the way, he held his breath and took note that Zee had whispered something very brief to Chase, to which Chase flagged his hand and looked to be mildly dismissing Zee, though Gideon couldn't be sure. Now swathed with suspicion, Gideon sagged into his seat and allowed his eyes to gloss the class's white board in confusion.

Although their teacher began today's lesson, Gideon dissociated in total, daydreaming confusion. Although not able to properly manifest anything visible or tangible, he made do with sinking inside his mind and allowing his imagination to take him away. Well aware this wouldn't bode well for any note taking, homework or impending pop quizzes, he crossed his bigger arms and now fully skulked in frozen confusion, in his chair. Well aware he'd likely do his best to make new friends, in his traveling classes and such, he largely frowned and wondered if he'd have a lunch hour with Callum. Now that Callum was pushing his one year mark, Gideon wondered if he would be deemed cool or mature enough to finally sit with Callum and his friends before he very shortly went off to Academy side in just a few short weeks. A million different anxiety inducing scenarios flitted through Gideon's vision, to the best of his ability, and before he knew it, it was time for lunch.

In their typical routine, Chase and Gideon walked together to their lockers. Directly next to each other, Gideon was thrilled that at least they shared the same locker space, and any chance they could say hello to each other, in between classes, was still very much a possibility. Grateful to have these assigned lockers until they moved to Academy side, Gideon did everything he could to view that silver lining and magnify it to the best of his ability. Although the two had been chit-chatting, Gideon felt his stomach turn in weirdness as the day went on. Chase's eager, excitable conversing began to dwindle, he began to look more and more disinterested in anything Gideon had to say, and though Gideon wanted to chalk it all up to the sad fact that they didn't have any classes together in just a few short days coming, he wondered if maybe Chase was distancing himself for a reason, as if to somehow make the pain of not being able to hang out with him, every day, much easier. This was something that made Gideon's skin crawl, a trigger of abandonment Gideon was already well-versed in, something he was desperate not to continue experiencing from the people he loved.

"You think you have any classes with Zee or Nemi at all?" Gideon wondered quietly in sharp, smiling irritation as both boys scuffed to their lockers, switched the turn-dial and heavily unhooked their locks.

"I'm not even sure," Chase mumbled in indecisiveness, he sheepishly shrugged as both boys rummaged in their lockers for lunch money and any forgotten snacks they could bring to the cafeteria, "I overheard Nemi talking about a class she had first hour, and I think we maybe have that class together."

"Nemi would be so cool if she wasn't so terrible," Gideon muttered assuredly, Chase eyed him and tapped his fingers to the gaping door of his own locker.

"Yeah, she's... Really pretty," Chase mumbled with uncertainty, as if to test the waters; Gideon wildly furrowed his eyebrows.

"Oh no, don't tell me you actually have the hots for her, dude," Gideon barked with a hefty chuckle, to which Chase almost looked off in dejected embarrassment. Gideon bugged his eyes and leaned in a little, "You DO, don't you?"

"What of it, man? So what," Chase muttered, though Gideon choked a surprised laugh.

"No, man, anyone but her, c'mon, you see how mean she is," Gideon urged in hot excitement, surely thinking this would rock Chase from his wavering opinions, though before Chase could open his mouth and cough up either a confirmation or denial, a sharp voice to Gideon's left popped their bubble.

"Hey, mop-head, my guy!" Zee barked, and with a firm swipe, Zee dunked the few books out of Gideon's careful grip and thrashed them to the ground behind Gideon's figure. Gideon sharply flinched in surprise, it was clear he wasn't expecting any form of physical bullying to come from Zee, and as Gideon's eyes sharply peered down to his books on the ground, Zee quickly pressed on, "Let's trade schedules, maybe we can hold hands on the way to class."

"His hands would crush yours," Another one of Zee's friends, who hung close by, muttered, though everyone jolted in tension as Gideon grit his teeth and, in a lightning quick swipe, Gideon grappled the chest of Zee's shirt and jostled him in the act of getting firmly in his face.

"I warned you not to mess with me," Gideon's deep voice darkly growled into Zee's face, though Chase, Nemi and a few other of their friends urgently pried both boys apart and ushered them hushed notions about not getting caught fighting, lest they get suspended or expelled.

"Guys, come on, it's not worth it," Chase urged in sharp quietness as he hand his hands on both Gideon's and Zee's chest, though Gideon's figure was much larger, much taller and much more intimidating.

"You would've been blasted to smithereens, Zee," Nemi muttered through mean giggling as she covered her mouth and began to sharply whisper in a gossipy manner to another one of her girl friends hanging close by.

"At least I'd look good goin' down," Zee huffed with a nasty smile straight into Gideon's fiery, narrowed gaze, "When're you gunna get that hair cut, Giddy?"

"It's none of your business," Gideon stabbed firmly, his fists were clenched at his side as Chase gently lowered his hands and nervously flinched as Gideon glowered his attention straight into Chase's soul, "YOU don't think I need a hair cut, do you?"

"Me?" Chase ogled nervously, though Zee put his hands on his hips and sarcastically beamed Chase a wide grin.

"Yeah, Chase! Let's ask the best friend, surely your opinion means more than MINE," Zee stated in gleeful, sarcastic snide, to which Chase apprehensively peered into Gideon's gaze of angered desperation.

"W-Well, I mean..." Chase eased a sheepish look and scrunched his shoulders, he gently gestured to his temples and staggered on a few words, as if firmly siding with Gideon wasn't wise, though adamantly siding with Zee, what he seemed to want to do, would let Gideon down way too sharply, "I-I mean... The sides are becoming a little-"

"DAMN, right from the horse's mouth!" Zee barked loudly as he swung his arm over Chase's shoulders, and with a jostle, Zee meanly peered to Gideon as Gideon stood in defeated, frozen confusion, "Chase and I have five classes with each other, starting next week. Hope you don't mind, uh... If I steal him away from yah. Y'know... Get him acclimated with the cool crowd."

Gideon huffed a noise of confusion, gestured his hand and opened his mouth to begin ushering the group notions of frustration and confusion, though Chase hesitantly closed his locker and was tugged in Zee's direction, not before shooting Gideon a dry, apologetic look of defeat. Gideon sagged his shoulders and watched as Zee, Chase and company melted away from Gideon's lonely vicinity, and as Gideon's hearing broadened in hyper-awareness, he could suddenly feel a swathe of curious onlookers peer his way in whispering confusion. Gideon inhaled a shaky breath, glossed his eyes about in sharp embarrassment and bent down to fetch his books, which were haphazardly thrusted to the ground, due to Zee. Gideon clumsily turned into his locker and began to pile his books into the nook, his hands heavily shook, his heart surged with anger and sadness, his golden, wet eyes dart about the darkness of his locker in cold, isolated confusion and with a gentle close, he sealed his locker and began to push through the light crowd that had gathered for what they thought was going to be an all-out fight. Although it wasn't exactly his hour to visit Flint, he pushed down the few corridors in search for Flint's office.

"Look, I know it's lunch, I know I'm not due to coming here until seventh hour, but I really just need to talk to SOMEBODY," Gideon urged as he clacked Flint's hefty door behind himself; he desperately tried to remain collected due to avoiding scaring Flint like last time.

"Gideon, my guy, come sit," Flint mumbled loudly as he happily chewed away at a delicious sub sandwich he set down on the wrapper, away from important paper work. He politely continued to chew, wiped his paws on his napkin, took a few hefty gulps of his frosty fountain soda and collected himself as Gideon sat down in the typical cushiony chair with a huff, "Y'okay? What's going on, no lunch today?"

"I... I think Chase just abandoned me," Gideon muttered in dejected, near-smiling confusion, as if he could still hardly believe what was going on. Flint flattened his ears, shook his head in tender concern and opened his mouth to begin inquiring to Gideon what other information he could give, though Gideon shakily continued on, "Zee threw. my books down, made his stupid 'haircut' comment again, and Chase full-on agreed with him, and then they all like walked away into the sunset together."

"Wait, one thing at a time, I'm confused," Flint blurt a nervous laugh and flagged his paws gently, though Gideon huffed a hard sigh, held his temples and aimlessly peered to the floor in numb confusion.

"I just... I don't know what I did to constantly be clawing for camaraderie, like... It's a constant for me," Gideon barked, his golden eyes stabbed into Flint's in hard desperation, "What do I have to do to not be forgotten, or let go of, or disregarded? Is it written on my forehead? Flint, WHAT am I doing wrong!"

"Gideon, easy, it's okay," Flint gently cooed with a friendly smile as he shook his head, though he flinched as Gideon sharply stood, clenched his fists and furiously began to pace between the larger gap between where he was sat and Flint's closed office door.

"Novus is literally my ONLY friend, at this point, why do I always have to clamor for friendship, for warmth?" Gideon's urgent gaze pierced Flint as he firmly pressed his fingertips into the broad of his own chest in rising desperation, he bent over for emphasis as a vein began to bulge in his forehead, "My ONE friend I trusted to have my back, no matter what, just up and left me at the drop of a hat. We don't have a single class together, starting next week, and to top it all off, I won't have that single class hour to meet with you, at all."

"Gideon, you know where my office is, my door is always open for you," Flint warmly assured, "C'mon, bud, it's... It's okay. This kind of thing unfortunately happens, sometimes, especially you youngin's here at Pre-A. You'll understand once you're-"

"OLDER?" Gideon suddenly barked as he clenched his fists harder and now dug a very heated, impatient glower deep into Flint's soul, a glower so molten that Flinch caught a breath in the back of his throat and flattened his ears in nervous submission.

"Gideon," Flint eased as he gestured his paw slowly, a cue that begged Gideon to calm, and though Gideon huffed a hot and heavy sigh through his nose, he looked off and dart his fiery gaze all over the far wall in electric, livid searching. Flint nervously sat and shook his head, "I'm sorry... I realize you're no longer a child. Sometimes the people we deem friends have different waves in their own lives, Chase is a very impressionable young guy. I'm wondering if he maybe just agreed with Zee, and Zee took that as a social contract signed and just kind of swept Chase away without him really being on board with it."

"Well, he put up a HUGE fight to get out of Zee's arm," Gideon barked sarcastically, he looked off and stewed, steam nearly came out of his ears, he furrowed his brow and glossed furious hatred all along the floors, "I'm never opening up to anyone like that, ever again. I can't afford friends if this is all it's going to get me."

"Gideon, not everyone is like that, sometimes people ease in and out of your life for a reason," Flint eased wisely as he bobbed a nod, he was grateful Gideon's gaze had somewhat softened, "Some people come to teach you hard life lessons, while others stick to you like glue and lift you up. It's a lesson in discernment you'll hone and master, but... Sucks to say, it takes a few rotten eggs to really perfect that craft, y'know?"

"It doesn't matter, I'm just... Gunna stick to myself, from now on," Gideon huffed in a final downswing of defeat as he firmly sat back down, slumped his elbow into Flint's hefty desk and rested his chin in his bigger hand, "Gunna manifest myself a house on the clouds and just... Tell everyone to fuck off."

"The dream," Flint barked a sweet little laugh and shook his head in ironic agreeing, and though Gideon looked entirely just set on isolating himself, defeated in his own little conclusions, Flint flatted his ears in a sag and side-eyed Gideon as his aimless, fiery eyes glossed Flint's desk in teary searching. Flint narrowed his gaze in tender curiosity and felt confusion hit his heart. Although he was a bubbling vat of his own life trauma, his own problems and his own vices, Flint inhaled a readied breath and somehow felt a kick of vicariously living through Gideon hit him square between the eyes. Flint shook his head and felt a very real amount of sudden seriousness coat the room, "Gideon, I'm going to be honest with you... You and I lead extremely similar lives."

"...What? Really?" Gideon huffed, he lightened and peered into Flint's eyes with renewed hope as Flint sorrowfully nodded and twiddled his thumbs, the claws on said thumbs quietly clacked together.

"Yes... I'm the youngest of my clan, everyone around me was either getting married or having babies and doing silly cookie-cutter things while I was growing up," Flint shook his head, his voice was quiet and cautious, as if this was sensitive information he likely didn't want to expand on, either, "I had no one. I didn't have a Novus, or even a Chase, a lot more things have happened in my life that made me truly believe I was chopped liver to everyone around me. Is that how you feel?"

"Yeah, entirely," Gideon huffed sorrowfully, "I mean... I'm sure my family cares, they just don't really express it much at all. I feel invisible."

"Being self programmed into a clan of much older, advanced individuals is not easy. When I first became a counselor here, I didn't think I'd ever find a student I could relate to, but... Your story mocks mine almost to a T," Flint smiled into Gideon's eyes and shook his head with a gentle, playful eye roll, "Except, I don't have as awesome of powers, like you do."

"I'm glad I can come by, thank you for... Well... Leaving your door open for me and letting me burst in on you," Gideon mumbled in soft gratitude, as if the weight of anger was now seeping away and he began to feel the onset of guilt plague him once more, for interrupting Flint's lunch and alone time away from work.

"It's always open for you, bud," Flint reassured, he narrowed his gaze and peered to his desk in hot contemplation, as if he desperately wanted to say something but was totally battling with himself. Silence passed for nearly fifteen seconds before Flint narrowed his gaze even harder and gave Gideon a curious, secretive little smile, "Gideon... You wanna know why Game Over doesn't ever have applicants that are self-programmed gamers?"

"What? They don't?" Gideon wondered, the mildly jarring subject change had Gideon peering hard into Flint's eyes, as if to desperately wonder just where this was going.

"They don't... It's because self-programmed gamers are proven to be much stronger, combined ability with the strength of two gamers in one," Flint gently listed, his voice dipped to that of speaking to an adult audience, Gideon froze and felt his skin crawl with delight over the fact that they both had such power. Flint smiled and shook his head, "It's not like it's not allowed, but... It's a trend I've noticed, watching the show. They're all User made gamers from around the globe."

"That's weird, I never thought about that," Gideon rubbed his chin and glanced about before he eyed Flint, "Why do you mention it?"

Flint looked down in debate and kept his ears at a taut sag on the sides of his head, though as the slits of his pupils eased into Gideon's with a hook of scheming tenderness, Flint huffed Gideon a dark secret and sagged deeper into a vat of trust with his own pupil.

"Because I was en route to signing up for the next season," Flint mumbled tenderly, to which Gideon widened his eyes in hot caution and felt his stomach dip in terror. Flint shook his head, heaved a nonchalant sigh and gestured about his office, "But... Mr. Favor took me in, gave me a job, saw my desire and skill to help aid and I finally found my purpose. I've never been happier."

Gideon froze and peered hard into Flint's eyes, his skin crawled in confusion, and though everything coming out of Flint's mouth was teetering on the edge of danger, Gideon somehow felt comforted by all of this.

"It took me reaching into darkness to be yanked back. Someone saw goodness in me and reminded me where I needed to be," Flint mumbled gently, though he raised his eyebrows with a cocky smile and opened a drawer of his desk, one of which he began to rummage, "Now, whose to say if I had actually filled out all the papers, went to the internet, sought the dark web and marched up to the Game Over arena, that I'd win or lose... I'd like to think black sheep come out on top, in the end. Whatever that looks like."

Gideon held his breath in rising surprise as Flint slowly pulled out a thick packet of forbidden papers, the very thing that was damn near impossible to retrieve unless you really knew your way about the internet. With a gentle thump in the middle of Flint's desk did the claws of his paw lay out a clean application to Game Over, a whole application full of signed off rights, waivers, all sorts of terms and agreements of basically signing your life away for the one tiny chance that you come out on top. Gideon clenched his teeth to keep his jaw from dropping and firmly eyed Flint in hot surprise as they held tight, the room filled with toxic, delicious secrecy, and it was here did Gideon feel a strange sense of bravery and purpose begin to brew in his heart like molten deviousness.

"I'm not saying to fill this out and go rushing off, Gideon. I'm not even telling you to consider just the weight Game Over consists of, the sacrifices and everything it all entails, but..." Flint sighed and eyed all of the wording, the crisp papers he had planned on signing but gave up on. He shook his head and lulled his eyes closed, "I was given these in my darkest hour, and it helped pull me back to what's important. If these papers will do the same for you, I want you to take them and really source what you believe is worth living for."

"... Dying for, you mean?" Gideon barked with a sarcastic chuckle, "I'd step foot in that arena and be sliced clean off the map, for good."

"But if you won?" Flint's velvety voice eased in delicious, delirious delight that had Gideon's eyebrows lifting in contemplation. Flint huffed a laugh and shook his head, "You may be Prince of Sugar Rush, but... For anyone that actually WINS Game Over? You rule the world. You're not just simply in charge of one singular little Arcade Game in a forgotten California Fun Center. You're on the web of infamy forever. The top of the leaderboards."

Gideon eyed the application in hot suspect and held his breath. Never in a million years did he even think about this option, never in a million years did he even believe it all to be genuinely true. He finally narrowed his gaze in rightful suspicion and shook his head with a smile.

"Flint, isn't that show staged?" Gideon retort gently, to which Flint shook his head and sorrowfully peered down at the application, though a strange, bittersweet, nostalgic smile sprawled his friendly face.

"No, it's not... I've been there," Flint huffed shakily as his eyes got lost in all of the 'sign here' boxes, signatures needed to basically sign away your whole life, and then some, for the chance to live like a god for the rest of eternity, "I only give this to you because... It was given to me in my dark hours, it really shaped me up and helped me figure out what was right for me."

"You think these papers will help me?" Gideon wrinkled his nose and seemed too scared to even so much as touch anything that came straight from the Game Over arena, though Flint shrugged and shook his head.

"Whether you find your worth inside your Sugar Rush bubble, or inside the winner's circle in Game Over, it's worth discovering, is it not?" Flint tenderly wondered, to which he shrugged and began to gently bring the papers back into his possession, "This is a lot for you, all at once, I can tell... Why don't I just hold on to these papers until-"

"No, I want them," Gideon rushed in a spike of desperate certainty as he flung his hand out, to which Flint froze and held the papers delicately to his chest. Gideon heaved a shaky sigh and shook his head, "Just... To have. A last resort. I-I like the option."

"I'll give you these papers if you promise not to-"

"I won't tell anyone, there's no way in hell I'd let anyone know I had these papers, you kidding?" Gideon huffed shakily, as if he had come across a secretive gold mine, as if he was now the ultimate dark horse in this narrative, he gently gestured for the papers and gave Flint a look of mild desperation, "I promise this stays between us."

"...I know you'll make the right choice," Flint's tender voice ushered as he delicately laid the thick packet in Gideon's hand, once and for all, and as Gideon brought the papers to his person, he eagerly peered down to the mess of legalities and scary words and signature boxes in a rush of terrified excitement. Flint choked a laugh, relaxed and began to reach for his drink in a final ease of nonchalance, "Though, User forbid you actually DID sign up... I'd bet my whole entire life savings that you'd win."

"I don't know," Gideon mumbled with a shy, devious smile as he shook his head and peered into Flint's equally as scheming little grin, "I'd really have to practice my skills."

"Yeah... Your skill of being able to manifest literally anything at will, it's gunna be a long and brutal road of training for someone like YOU, my guy," Flint staggered with a hard laugh as he rolled his eyes in smiling sarcasm, he took a few hefty gulps of his fountain drink.

Gideon chuckled and held the thick packet with both hands, though as his eyes trailed the scary paperwork in his grip, his heart raced with invigorated, excited and terrified uncertainty. Knowing damn well he wasn't about to go running off to Game Over, he still felt a weird sweep of unlimited power course through him, the raw fact that he had his golden ticket to such a show of arms was enough to make him feel like a million bucks. Although due to tucking these papers away and making sure they never saw the light of day, somehow even so much as having these papers to his name was just what he needed to feel confident that he was, indeed, a force to be reckoned with, he was finally recognized by someone who seemingly understood. Feeling like a million bucks ripped at every edge, Gideon somehow smiled in wallowing comfort knowing a dark cast of scheming goodness had easily glossed over him, and it was here did Gideon understand that he truly was his own one and only best friend.