Chapter 77 – Gossip

I'm walking through the insanely opulent halls of Fairchild's School of Excellence, taking my sweet time getting to my locker while eavesdropping on people around me.

Everyone's speaking in hushed tones, like they're discussing state secrets instead of high school drama. The newest hot topic? Jack's suspension and his two friends' expulsion.

The conversations around me blend together into this weird symphony of gossip, and thanks to my enhanced senses, I can pick out individual voices even when people are trying to be quiet. It's like having a radio where every station is tuned to the drama channel.

"—heard he got caught drinking—"

"—no way, it was drugs—"

"—my friend said he beat someone up—"

I make my way leisurely toward my locker, headphones in but not actually playing anything. It's the perfect cover for eavesdropping. Not that I need the cover, since nobody notices me anyway.

A group of girls is clustered near the water fountain, and I tune in as I pass.

"Hey, did you hear?" The first girl is practically vibrating with excitement.

"About Jack getting suspended? Literally everyone's talking about it."

"I know, right? But do you know what actually happened?"

"Didn't he like, beat someone up? Sarah said she walked past a classroom and saw some short kid on the floor."

Okay, well, that's... partially accurate? I mean, technically Jack's friends beat me up, and I was definitely on the ground, so I can see how someone peeking into that room might have gotten that impression. But still.

"Wait, really? Because I heard from his friends that he just got caught drinking at some bar downtown."

What the? I pause, pretending to check my phone while I process this. So that's the official story they're going with? Jack just had a little underage drinking problem?

The first girl leans in closer. "Okay but what about his friends though?"

"Oh my god, I know. They got expelled for blackmailing some girl."

"For sex, right? That's so fucked up."

I feel my stomach twist. So that's how this is going to go. Jack gets a slap on the wrist: suspension and military service, which honestly might just make him more of an asshole, while his two friends get expelled and possibly face actual legal consequences for the blackmail.

Don't get me wrong, those guys deserve everything coming to them. They were absolutely complicit in the whole thing. But Jack was the mastermind, and he's getting the lightest punishment because... what? His family has more money? More influence?

I shake my head and keep walking, trying not to dwell on the unfairness of it all.

I reach my locker and start grabbing my books for first period, my enhanced hearing picking up conversations from all directions like some kind of gossip radar.

From a group near the lockers to my left: "I heard it was because he was flirting with one of the teachers."

From somewhere behind me: "Nah, he got caught running some whole cheating ring. Like selling test answers."

And from a guy who sounds way too confident: "My cousin's friend works in the office, and he said Jack's just doing like, voluntary military service. He's not even in trouble."

The variety of rumors is actually kind of impressive. It's like a game of telephone, except instead of one message getting distorted, there like twelve different messages all competing for dominance.

I slam my locker shut and start heading toward my first class, still cataloging the ridiculous theories people are spinning.

"—caught vaping in the bathroom—"

"—something about a fight with Luke—"

"—heard his dad is making him work at one of their factories—"

What really gets me, though, is that his friends' situation never changes. Every single version of the story includes them getting expelled for blackmail. Nobody's questioning that part, nobody's creating alternative theories. It's just accepted as fact.

I guess when you're rich enough, you can control the narrative. Make sure the parts that really matter stay hidden by throwing up a smokescreen of conflicting stories about yourself. And by the time anyone figures out the truth, everyone's already made up their minds based on whichever version they heard first.

Man. Being rich must be great.

Okay, that's probably not the lesson I should be learning from this situation. There are definitely other takeaways here. Like how rumors are unreliable. Or how people are easily influenced. Or how you can obscure the truth if you flood the zone with enough conflicting accounts.

But honestly? I'm still stuck on the money thing.

I slide into my seat in math class and pull out my notebook, but my brain is still churning over everything I’ve heard.

After a minute, I force myself to focus on something more productive.

I spend way too much time in class thinking about random irrelevant topics. It's kind of wasteful. If I actually focused on my classes, maybe I'd get ahead of the curriculum and could spend class time doing something else. Like working on my side project.

The thought crystallizes into intention, and I feel that familiar ding in my mind.

Ding! Quest log updated.

New Quest: Academic Excellence (Math)

Objective: Understand current math topics and progress beyond the standard curriculum

Reward: 1 Evolution Point

Nice.

For the rest of the class, I'm more focused than I've ever been. Fully locked in. Taking notes, doing practice questions, and whenever I grasp a topic before it's fully explained, I read ahead in the textbook.

When the bell rings, I get the notification I was hoping for.

Ding! You've completed the quest: Academic Excellence (Math)

Rewards: 1 Evolution Point

Another day, another Evolution Point.

I'm packing up my stuff when my phone buzzes. Then buzzes again. And again.

I pull it out to find a barrage of texts from Selene.

Selene: heyyyy!! ?

Selene: whatcha doing??

Selene: hows school!!

I stare at my phone, watching the three dots that indicate she's still typing.

Selene: how was math?!?!

Selene: ADAMMMMM where are youuuu

I type back quickly before she sends another dozen messages.

Adam: dude I'm literally trying to text you back

Adam: schools fine?

Selene: yay!!! Hi Adam! Love you!! ?

I stare at that last message, my thumbs hovering over the keyboard. What the hell was that about?

Adam: love you too

Well, whatever. I smile despite myself and pocket my phone. It's nice to know Selene's thinking about me, even if she's being weird about it. I'll just chalk this up to Selene being quirky.

In English class, I do a repeat performance of my math class strategy. We're assigned a reading, and I get the same mental ding.

Ding! Quest log updated.

New Quest: Academic Excellence (English)

Objective: Understand current English topics and progress beyond the standard curriculum

Reward: 1 Evolution Point

I breeze through the assigned reading, then keep going through the next two chapters while everyone else is still on the first. I even take notes on themes and symbolism.

When the bell rings, another Evolution Point drops into my system piggy bank.

Ding! You've completed the quest: Academic Excellence (English)

Rewards: 1 Evolution Point

I gather my stuff and head for the door, already thinking about what quest I should generate for the next period.

Then I step into the hallway and freeze.

Bianca is leaning against the wall directly outside my classroom door, arms crossed.

"Sup dork." She pushes off the wall as I approach.

I can feel eyes around us snapping to attention. Bianca's presence tends to do that. She's legitimately one of the most attractive girls at school, and her whole goth aesthetic isn’t exactly subtle.

"Okay, what? How are you here?" I ask, genuinely confused. "Don't you have class right now?"

She shrugs, already falling into step beside me. "Left early. Come on, I'll walk you."

Oh.

I get it now. The spam texts from Selene. Bianca showing up to escort me between classes. They're checking in on me.

I just chalked up Selene's texts as her being weird, but I guess the whole Jack situation really rattled my sisters. And now... what? Bianca's acting as my personal bodyguard? Walking me between classes like I'm in witness protection?

I move closer and lower my voice. "You guys remember I said I'd tell you if anything else happened, right?"

Bianca rolls her eyes. "Yeah, not good enough. You're stuck with us."

Ughhh. Well, whatever. I guess spending more time with my sisters is always a plus. And honestly, I don't really mind it. It's kind of sweet, in an overprotective, slightly suffocating way.

But staying invisible at school? Yeah, that ship has sailed, crashed into an iceberg, and sunk to the bottom of the ocean.

I'm already hearing murmurs from around us as we start walking.

Two guys walking behind us, not even trying to be subtle: "Holy shit, isn't that Bianca? Dude, look at her ass… Oh, and who's that guy with her?"

I grit my teeth. Man, if I wanted people to stop perving on Bianca, I might have to beat up half the school.

"I don't know, man. Are they like... dating or something?"

I wish.

A group of girls walking in front of us keeps sneaking glances back. I tune into their conversation.

"God, Bianca's so hot."

"Right? I love her whole vibe."

Okay, I wasn't expecting the girls to also be thirsting over my sister, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Bianca's objectively gorgeous, and the whole goth aesthetic probably appeals to like... everyone.

"Have you seen her art? Her Instagram is insane."

"I know! I literally have one of her pieces as my phone wallpaper."

That makes me smile a bit. At least some people appreciate Bianca for her actual talents instead of just objectifying her.

"You should ask for her autograph or something."

"Wait..." One of the girls takes another peek at me, and I see her eyes widen slightly. "Who's that guy with her? Is he new?"

"I don't know, but he's kind of cute?"

Oh! Sweet. I'm not going to lie, that was great for my ego. It wasn't only Luna and my sisters! I actually look nice enough for people to take notice! Yippee!

I force myself to stop eavesdropping on random conversations and turn my attention to Bianca.

"So how was your first class?"

"Fucking terrible. I hate school."

"Jeez, you kiss mom with that mouth?"

"Shut the fuck up, dork."

I grin. "You know, you swear way more when Mom's not around. I should record you sometime. Save it for blackmail material."

Her hand immediately drifts toward my hair in a very threatening manner.

"Okay, okay! I won't!" I duck away. "Chill! Don't touch the hair!"

That breaks her. She smiles, then lets out this soft chuckle.

I smile back. This is actually kind of nice, just walking with my sister, trading threats. I suppose I wouldn’t mind doing it more often.