Locking In With My Life System

Chapter 26: Maidenless

As the first period ended, the students filed out of the classroom to reach their next class.

Aiden on the other hand, shook his head in amusement as he moved over to his locker to retrieve his textbooks.

-

[Ding!]

[Exclusive quests failed!]

⸢Exclusive Quests

› Surprise, Motherfucker!

└ Get a perfect score on the pop quiz! – [1 LP Lost~.]

-

Though he’d given it his all, and he had ultimately gotten a 75 on the pop quiz, Aiden wasn’t too bothered that he’d lost out on the opportunity to gain more Life Points.

Sure, it sucked, but he’d done his best. That, he had started believing, was what truly mattered when all was said and done.

That said,

’You’re employing tildes now?’ he couldn’t help but cock an amused brow, his gaze resting on the ’~’ sign.

Waiting a bit, seemingly hoping the darn thing would actually come clean and not pretend like it didn’t hear him, Aiden soon let out a resigned sigh.

Casually, he opened up his locker, pulled out his textbook and headed to the next class.

...

...

...

The bell for the lunch break rung and the students poured out of their classes and into the hallways as they headed to the cafeteria.

Aiden was no different as he also made his way out... well except for the fact that he had to stop by Dr. Kowalski’s office first.

"Yo Aiden! You coming?!" Larry called out to him from afar upon spotting him amidst the crowd.

"Yeah! I’ll be there in a minute or two! Save me a spot if you can?!" the youth reciprocated.

"Sure thing!" Larry responded as he and the rest of the gang proceeded to make their way to the cafeteria.

Casually strolling down the halls though, Aiden managed to spot a familiar resident nerd quietly slipping into the computer room amidst the hustle and bustle.

’Wonder what he’s always up to...’ Aiden couldn’t help but ponder to himself.

Though Theo Brooks wasn’t bullied... not anymore at least... his social life on campus had long gone to shit in their freshmen year when he puked into Clarissa’s designer bag and got some of the vomit all over her designer shirt too.

An incident that had earned him the infamous name, Technicolor Theo--’Technicolor’ being an implied term for the various shades his vomit had had--or TT for short, for most of his sophomore and junior year.

Though the entire thing had mellowed out considerably in their senior year... perhaps because most of his peers had grown out of it and felt it was a rather childish to call him by, some occasionally still did.

In any case, for as curious as Aiden was about what Theo was up to, he himself had things to do and places to be.

Soon enough, he rounded the corner that led him to Dr. Kowalski’s door.

Offering three rapt knocks on the door as he called for her, a response came immediately.

Promptly, Aiden walked in, the middle-aged lady all smiles as she greeted him and then presented his schedule;

"You begin next week,"

"Which means you’ll also have to leave school after 4:30pm." she added as she watched him review the schedule.

"Is that okay by you?" she asked.

"Yeah. Sure." Aiden smiled in appreciation as he stood up from the chair and said;

"Thanks, Doc."

"You’re welcome," the lady nodded softly to which she then gestured pointedly;

"Remember, if the workload gets too much, don’t hesitate to come see me. We can always find a way to ease things up a bit."

"I will!" Aiden simply said and bade her goodbye with a small wave as he made his way out of the office.

Considering he’d upgraded his Mind attribute quite a bit, an upgrade he had already noticed had him cutting down his reading sessions by more than thirty minutes, Aiden was rather confident he’d be able to keep up with his AP classes alongside his normal curriculum.

Added to that, Aiden was pretty certain he’d be chanced to upgrade it again at some point or the other. Sooner rather than later, he hoped.

Casually making his way over to the cafeteria though, the young chap was quite glad to see that there was no queue, so to speak.

Those few minutes he had spent at Dr. Kowalski’s office had been enough for him to bypass the mini rush hour Silverlake High was well-known for during lunch breaks.

Soon enough, he grabbed his meal from the caterer.

However, just before he left for the table he and his buddies were usually seated at, he leaned over and said to the middle-aged woman with a genuine smile of admiration;

"Thank you, Mrs. Rodriguez. I bet the food’s sure to be delicious today, too."

Clearly surprised to have heard that, the chubby, middle-aged Latina took a while before she responded as she watched his back recede into the packed cafeteria;

"You’re... welcome..."

It was clear the lady hardly ever got complimented for her job, much less her cooking... hence her surprised reaction.

However, as someone whom had worked at a restaurant over the break, Aiden had come to have a high level of respect for chefs and caterers.

Afterall, he had seen firsthand, just how much effort went into prepping the meals at the establishment. That respect, was what had translated over to what he’d just done.

In any case, Aiden soon spotted his buddies seated on one of the five tables they usually settled into for lunch.

The only difference though...

Daisy was around, her dirty-brown hair tied into a messy ponytail.

Petite and very cute, she was currently smoothing out Casper’s hair, her honey-brown irises glinting in amusement as she giggled quietly.

Obviously, that was as a result of whatever it was the rambunctious youth had told her.

"Why are you guys seething?" Aiden on the other hand, couldn’t help but ask of Benjamin and Larry whom were currently glaring daggers in mock resentment at their blonde-haired buddy.

"You do realize homecoming’s just a month and week away?" Benjamin turned to face him, a concerned expression on his features.

"So?" Aiden remarked, opting to troll his buddies by playing dumb.

"What do you mean ’So’?! We have to find dates before the--" Larry suddenly paused when he noticed Aiden was levelling him an amused stare.

In sync, not just his, but Benjamin’s eyes also creased into an annoyed squint as they remarked in unison;

"I know what you are."

"Pray do tell, what am I?" Aiden demanded as he folded his arms onto his table, his gaze informing the duo that he was ready to play the game with them till the very end this time.

"Maidenless."

The reply came so fast, Aiden almost broke character... only for him to catch himself at the very last minute;

"Interesting diagnosis..."

Then he shot back, his fork lazily gesturing at the duo as a smug smile tugged on his lips;

"Counterpoint, though... I won’t be the one panicking over dates and twenty-dollar corsages."

This time, Benjamin and Larry looked on in mock horror!

Then,

"Guys he’s getting stronger! He’s building up resistance!" Larry suddenly cried.

Benjamin on the other hand, turned and whispered to Clyde whom had been quietly eating all this while with an amused smile tugging on his lips;

"What do we do?!"

"How am I supposed to know? You should know better than to roast him when he’s wearing that confident smirk on his lips." the youth lazily replied.

"Besides," he tilted his head, his lips twitching as he added;

"I already have a date so uh... best of luck to you guys."

"Traitor!" Benjamin exclaimed.

"Heretic!" Larry echoed.

In unison, Aiden, Casper, and Daisy burst into genuine laughter, all three thoroughly entertained by the duo’s predicament.

When the laughter had eventually died down though, Daisy turned her attention back to Aiden, curiosity evident in her voice;

"You’re really not interested in asking anyone to the dance?"

"Yep." Aiden took another forkful of his meal.

"Not even if there are a couple of willing maidens who’d like to go with you?" she asked, a knowing smile playing on her lips.

For a brief moment, Aiden genuinely considered it, all of his buddies looking on in a mix of stunned pride that some of the girls Daisy knew were interested in their homeboy.

Aiden was really moving up in the world if that was the case!

Back to the youth in question though...

He simply shrugged a moment after, his response unfettered;

"Yep."

"You ungrateful bastard!" Larry exclaimed.

"Do you know how many guys would kill to be in your shoes?!" Benjamin cried.

Before Aiden could so much as defend himself, the duo simultaneously lunged across the table, each wrapping an arm around his neck in an exaggerated attempt to strangle him.

"Waste not... the blessings, the heavens... have bestowed upon you!" Benjamin dramatically chastised in between mock strangles.

"He’s beyond saving, Ben. His maidenlessness has become a lifestyle." Larry mourned while wiping a fake tear, a distraught look on his features.

In response, Aiden simply played along, making exaggerated gagging noises that had not only his buddies and Daisy laughing, but even nearby students looking over in genuine amusement.

Meanwhile, as that event was playing out, a reclusive nerd alongside many others all over the world had stumbled upon a rather peculiar yet interesting TweetTalk post...