"Here, have a pair," said Xavier, who sat between Ziggy and Ghost. His opened lunchbox had four slices of bread and two roasted eggs. Before his long hands reached John, Ziggy had already presented his rice on the lunch box cover. "Hold this," he said.
"I got him," chimed the instigator Caspa as he received all the food, placing it in front of John. "Wait, after I mix the noodles, I''ll give you my share," said Caspa as he took the noodle spices out of his pockets.
"Here, take mine," said Ghost, noticing how everyone was making him the bad guy.
John stood in place, stunned. Ever since he arrived, he never said a word about food. Since when had his "favor" been worth so much? It''s not like he was going to complain if they refused to give him some. Suddenly, his heart could no longer contain his emotions. Scooping everything up, he began filling his mouth.
Laughing off, Caspa continued to say, "Hand over your lunches; I''ll do the sharing today." His hands extended, grabbing everybody''s lunch. But he paused at Ghost, who had retrieved his from the lunch circle and now had it in his hands.
"Here, you can have mine," he said, looking at John on his left.
"I-m good, already full," John''s muffled voice escaped through his stuffed cheeks. But that only made Ghost personally scoop out his rice and pour it into an empty lunch lid.
"Anyway, did you see that hat trick from Haaland that won City the match last night?" said Caspa, shifting the conversation.
"Yeah, I was up all night, didn''t even write those geo notes," said Ziggy, "That game cost me ten bucks."
Xavier scoffed, shaking his head. "I told you to sell all those blue jerseys while you still had the chance."
Ziggy rolled his eyes as John interjected, methodically setting down his lunch lids. "I''d rather make money so I can watch the game live in the stadium than be all hyped up like a kid watching Tom and Jerry."
"What do you know? You don''t even like sports," said Ghost.
"But money is more important, and you need education to make it," John replied.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
"Or an elf," Ghost mumbled.
"Nah, the real money is in the streets. Ever see the money on that power series?" Ziggy countered.
"You mean drugs? That''ll end you in bars quicker than a granny can…" Ghost began, but Xavier cut him off.
"That''s the low-level stuff Ziggy''s talking about—the street side. The real players don''t touch the goods. They control who moves it."
"So basically, what? You''re saying there''s a market?" John asked.
Ziggy nodded. "A big one. And it''s booming."
Ghost scoffed, shaking his head. "Yeah? And how many people end up dead or rotting in jail over this ''booming market''? Y''all need to quit this fast-cash nonsense before you end up in some documentary."
"Egan did it. The other guys just weren''t smart and ruthless enough. We ain''t built like that; instead, we should spend more time working math problems," John argued.
"See, it''s better to just pass and get a job," Ghost said.
"But getting all those girls and hosting those parties…" Caspa chimed in, a dreamy look in his eyes.
"Yes, boy… that''s the spirit!" Xavier exclaimed, offering a smooth handshake. But Ghost and John silently shook their own hands. That method was just full of risks. Besides, where were they going to find a distro (drug wholesaler)?
…
"There''s the bell; we should leave before Woo-hat comes down," said Caspa.
"Who cares about that energetic fool?" Ziggy scoffed.
"Eeh…I don''t want to be seen picking up papers," said Ghost, standing up.
"Here, I have to visit the bathroom," Xavier said, passing his bag to Zeg Egg.
"Me too," said John, following right after.
"I guess I should hurry back and finish those notes before the geo lesson starts," Ziggy muttered to himself.
…
"What was that? You made me look mad," Ghost said, grabbing Caspa into a vice.
"What are you talking about?" Caspa squeezed a laugh.
"You were supposed to back me up!" Ghost hissed.
…
"Bro, I''m telling you, I''ll be the Gustavo of this empire," said Xavier, zipping his pants.
"Boy, with your grades, you''re only fit to be Pink-man," John retorted.
"And even that might be a challenge, hah," continued John.
"Fuck you," Xavier muttered.
"But seriously, we should use these people''s addiction," Xavier continued, lowering his voice.
"Man, lower your voice. One, you have no supplier. Two, you have no ties with the street, " John whispered back.
"Biggest goddamn dealer in Southern Africa, ha! First, get your periodic table right," John scoffed.
"Right now, you''re too green," John continued, walking away, not noticing that Xavier had already halted his steps. "We should work more on those chem exercises, and maybe you might just reach 60% before consultation day," John continued as he grabbed the railing. Finally noticing the silence, John swiveled his head backward, only to find Xavier standing at the base of the stairs, mumbling some inaudible words.
"Come on, we still have afternoon lessons before home time," urged John.
"Nah, I have to see this girl first," Xavier said, raising his head and smiling.
"Oh… good luck," John said with an all-knowing smile as he began climbing the stairs, not realizing the way up was down. And that someone had already found this universal truth before him and would only realize it after many months would have passed.