2026-07-07 19:02:41Well yes. Get out of here Loser. Your time is up. Go join your people on the streets."
Christopher heard the taunts behind him as he walked slowly away from the crowd who were staring at him in disgust. This was supposed to be a happy night, but now he had been hit by two blows in one…well, three if you include his dismissal from the school. The music from Emily Rodriguez's birthday party drifted through the Virell Academy grounds Lights wrapped around every tree in the courtyard, catering staff moved through the crowd with silver trays, and the DJ they had flown in from the city had the kind of setup that cost more than most people's yearly rent. Christopher Hayes stood at the edge of it all, watching. He had spent three weeks putting together the small wrapped parcel in his hand. Three weeks of skipped lunches and careful saving, stretching his scholarship stipend down to its last thread. It was not much… well, he knew that. She said she liked simple things. She had said a lot of things in two months. He moved through the crowd toward her, his girlfriend... at least that was what he thought, which, as it turned out, was a very different thing. He spotted her near the center of the courtyard. She was glowing with happiness and beauty Tyler Brooks was already beside her. Chris noticed him and felt a tightening in his chest Tyler was tall, broad-shouldered and effortlessly handsome He controlled everyone in the school…including teachers, and always got away with everything because his father was the biggest donor to the school and also the head of the scholarship board of Virell Academy. He was the bully everyone knew, yet no one dared to challenge him, and one of his regular victims at Virell was Christopher. He had his head dipped toward Emily, saying something that made her laugh, and his hand rested on her waist with the casual confidence Chris kept walking. He reached her and touched her arm lightly. "Hey. Happy birthday." Emily turned "Chris," She saiid, as though she was surprised "You came." "Of course I came." He smiled and held out the parcel. "I wanted to give you this. In front of everyone, like I said." That was when Tyler's laughter cut across everything. It started with him, then rolled immediately through his group, all of them falling into the performance of people who had done this many times before. "What is that, Chris?" Tyler said, stepping forward "Do you possibly think you could entice a damsel like Emily with that wretched little gift of yours? Get away from there before I break a bone." He threatened Chris He shoved Christopher as he said it. Chris stumbled a step and straightened. He was angry. But beneath the anger was something else… confidence. Because Tyler didn't know. For all his money and his watch and his hand at Emily's back, Tyler did not know that he was standing here as Emily Rodriguez's boyfriend, and he was about to find out. "Look, Tyler." Chris kept his voice level. "I am in no mood for your stupid games today. I just want to do something nice for my girlfriend. You don't have to be an asshole every single day," Chris said, grinning. The word landed heavily. . Tyler went very still. The laughter around him died immediately "Your girlfriend?" Tyler repeated it slowly His eyes moved to Emily, then back to Chris, and a dangerous smile spread across his face. "Don't let me ever hear those words coming out of your mouth again. I will bury you alive if you say that again." "Oh." Chris tilted his head. "So you are jealous." He saw the phones already appearing at the edges of his vision, recording, and he told himself it didn't matter. The truth was the truth and Emily was about to confirm it. "Well, just so you know, Emily is my girlfriend." He stretched the parcel toward her again. Tyler's hand came down on his wrist instantly, knocking it aside. The small parcel tumbled to the polished courtyard floor between them. "Emily", Tyler's voice had dropped. "What is this loser saying?" Emily looked at Tyler and gave a soft smile "Don't worry, babe," she said. "Forget about this guy." The word 'babe' hit Christopher. He turned and looked at her fully, searching to see if she was playing The girl who had texted him past midnight. Who had kissed him behind the staircase three days ago. That girl was not on this face. The Emily in front of him had her arm looped through Tyler's now "I don't know what he is talking about, Tyler." She brushed invisible dust from Tyler's sleeve. "I think he got confused somewhere." The laughter started low from somewhere behind Chris. Then it spread through the crowd. Chris felt the heat crawl up the back of his neck. "Confused?" The word came out thin. "Emily, what are you…" "She said she doesn't know you, scholarship boy." Tyler stepped forward, closing the distance "Now are you going to pick up your little gift from the floor, or should I have someone sweep it into the bin with the rest of the trash?" The parcel lay on the floor between them. Chris looked at it for a long moment. Then he bent and picked it up. "Two months, Emily," Chris murmured, his voice was unsteady "I am not confused." "Oh my God." She laughed "Are you seriously doing this right now? At my party?" She looked around at the crowd "Tyler, I think he actually believed it." "Believed what, babe?" Tyler fed her the line perfectly. "That we were …" She waved her hand, not finishing, because she was already laughing again and her friends joined in. Chris stood very still. He understood now. Fully and finally. The texts that always came when no one else was around. The way she had changed the subject every time he mentioned doing something together in public. He had not been her secret boyfriend. He had been her joke. Her case study. Something she and her friends had dissected in group chats he would never see… the scholarship orphan who thought a girl like Emily Rodriguez could actually choose him. "Alright." Tyler rolled his neck and stepped directly into Chris's space, dropping his voice just low enough that the crowd had to lean in to catch it. "I think we have heard enough from the charity case." "Walk away, Hayes. While you still can." He grinned mockingly Chris did not move. "Or what, Tyler?" His voice came out low and even. "You will have your father make a call? That is all you know how to do anyways." Tyler's smile disappeared. For three seconds. Every phone in the courtyard was up now, red recording lights blinking in the string-light dark, and the two of them stood in the center of it… the rich boy and the orphan, and the whole school watching to see who would blink.
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165. The Information
It took Chris less than ten minutes to get to the restaurant. It was not a big one, but this was his first time here too.The restaurant was quiet at this hour.The lunch crowd had moved on, and the early dinner crowd had not arrived yet.That comfortable mid-afternoon silence when the staff were restocking and the place belonged to whoever needed a corner to sit in without being hurried out of it. Chris had chosen a table near the back wall, away from the window, with a clear line of sight to the entrance.He ordered a juice for formality and waited silently with his phone in hand.Fifteen minutes in, his phone rang.Bridget."I have been able to leave campus for now; I am on the bus," she said. Still quiet"I will be there soon. Ten minutes maybe.""Take your time," he said. "I am here. I will be waiting. For you"He put the phone down and looked at the door.She finally arrived twenty-two minutes after the call. Chris was still silently waiting for her, still pressing his phone.
164. The Call
Chris finished his meal and went to the kitchen to clean.Diane called while he was running hot water over the pan."Just checking if you have settled in alright," she said. "Any issues with heating, water pressure, or anything with the appliances?""Everything is working fine," Chris said. "The place is good. I like it," Chris replied"Glad to hear it." A brief pause. "Any questions about the building services?""Actually. Laundry," he said. "Is there a service for that?""There is. The number is on the list by your telephone. They collect from your room, wash, dry, and return. It is billed monthly as part of your utilities, not separately.""That is convenient," he said."It is one of the more popular services," she said. "Anything else?""Nothing for now. Thank you, Diane."He hung up and went back to the main room.He had left the PS5 paused mid-level, the character frozen in combat with an expression of plastic urgency. He unpaused it.Forty minutes later the phone rang agai
163. The First Day
He sat down, switched on the Playstation and set it up. Then he used the wifi to download about five games on the PlayStation. Right after that was done, he immediately began testing the games one after the other.Before he could realise exactly what was happening, it was already 2am. He finally switched off the gadgets and went to sleepHe slept well.The first night in the new apartment, the new mattress, and a quiet night.He woke at 8:30 am, which was later than the last two weeks had permitted.He lay still for a moment and registered where he was.His apartment. Third floor. The desk was visible through the bedroom doorway. The fridge was humming quietly in the kitchen. After about ten minutes of laying in the bed, trying to rest for a bit, he finally stood up and entered the kitchen.He made tea.He opened Binance.Bitcoin: $40,200. Still stable. The market's quiet period was continuing after the crash week's turbulence. He looked at it, decided it required no action, and clos
162. The Work
Chris stayed in the room planning on how to arrange the room with his eyes. Drawing a mind map of the room and how to arrange the things best.The app notification came through at 5:17“Your order has arrived. The driver is at your delivery address.”Chris was in the middle of organising the wardrobes and working out what went where.He put down the shirt he was holding and picked up his phone.He went downstairs.At the reception desk he paused."Do you have porters, please?" he asked.The receptionist shook her head. "We don't, unfortunately. Not a service we currently offer.""Alright," he said. "Thank you."He went outside.A white van was parked in the loading area to the side of the entrance. The driver was leaning against the door, checking his own phone. He looked up when Chris came out."Order for Hayes?""That is me," Chris said.The driver got down. A second man, the assistant, who had been in the passenger seat, came around from the other side. They went to the rear of t
161. A New Beginning
The hotel room was exactly as he had left it this morning. Two duffel bags against the wall, a hotel bag beside them. The desk was clear; the bed was made from the morning service.He called Diane while he stood in the middle of the room.She answered on the second ring."I am ready to move in now," he said."Perfect timing," Diane said. "Everything is set already. Go to the reception when you arrive; they will give you your keys. Once you are settled, the reception will arrange for someone to come up and activate your fingerprint on the scanner. It takes about five minutes." A brief pause. "Is there anything you need before you arrive?""Nothing," he said. "I will be there in a few minutes.""We will be ready; my people will be waiting for you," she said.He ended the call.He stood in the hotel room one final time.He had been here sixteen days. This room had been safe when safe was what he needed.He picked up the first duffel bag.It was heavier than expected, which meant he had
160. Courtroom Success
The court's AV system was engaged. The USB drive was inserted into the court's secure terminal. The courtroom's screen at the side of the bench came to life.The footage ran.Three minutes and fifty-eight seconds of overhead and door-level camera footage. Five individuals in dark clothing and equipment consistent with law enforcement entered an apartment, conducted a systematic search focused on the bed, communicated by radio, and exited.The courtroom watched in silence.When the footage ended, the judge looked at the defence table."Mr Vance," she said. "Your position is that the department had no officers at this address on this date.""That is correct, Your Honour.""And you are suggesting the footage may be fabricated.""Or may depict a different date, or individuals who are not…""The plaintiff's submission includes timestamps embedded in the file metadata," Jessica said. "Which are consistent with the date claimed and which show no evidence of post-capture alteration per the
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