The Extravagant Maverick Parker

A dare from Hailey

Maverick rubbed his chin gently. He was trying to decide whether to upgrade his mental and physical stage or reveal a random skill card given by the system. After around two minutes of brainstorming, his curiosity won. He could not assume the next skill he may unfold from the system.

"Can I unlock the skill card you get? My curiosity is tingling." Maverick scratched his nape lightly as he requested.

[Of course, Master Maverick. Let me help you with it.]

[A SKILL CARD UNLOCKED! You possess outstanding medical skills. With this skill, you are capable of healing various kinds of illnesses. You also understand the differences between traditional and modern medical treatments. Perhaps, you may combine both of them when you heal people. Please use it wisely, Master.]

Those words were like a superpower he used to see in an old film on television. Yet, the fact he just realized was not a mere fantasy. It was a real skill he got from the system. At that point, the system seemed to read his mind, so it added a confirmation statement.

[To see if your medical skills work, you can apply them to Mrs. Hampton.]

"Wh-what do you mean, system?" Maverick stammered in his utterance. He still could not imagine that somebody weak like him was capable of healing an important public figure.

[Just try it. The skill that I give through a random card is genuine and useful.]

By the time he knew the meaning of the responses, he remembered the first skill that was impressive enough. It made his sense of analyzing things more vivid. Then, he pondered, "I'll prove it if this skill is legit."

-**-

On the following day, Maverick joined the morning class, as usual. This time, it was about entrepreneurship and business strategy. The firm voice of Mrs. Anderson conquered the classroom. The attendants of the class were not as many as they used to be, but most of them were quiet and attentive to take notes on the explanation.

In an hour and a half, the class was over. Most of the students were scattered away. They walked freely in different directions. Even, some of them planned to head back home. However, Maverick still had an errand to do, delivering the document to Sophia Hampton.

Before he disappeared from the campus, he decided to have some snacks or coffee in the cafeteria. Although he realized the prices of food there were pretty costly, he did not mind it since he had more than enough money to spend.

As his feet stepped inside, a couple of eyes were pierced by Maverick's existence. It was a rare event for a poor student like him to be in such an exclusive cafeteria of Sunny Drive University. The sole reason was that not all meals were budget-friendly. Although for a few days, there would be a little discount for a sort of items, they were still costly.

After queuing for less than five minutes, Maverick stood behind the counter and mentioned his order. "Can I have a cold caramel macchiato?"

"Medium or large size?" The barista made sure as she inputted the order on the cash register.

"Medium size, please." Maverick confidently chose. He had acknowledged that either iced or hot coffee would be squandered. Yet, what mattered the most was his need for caffeine.

"How would you like to pay?" The barista glanced at him as the query came from her mouth.

Maverick took some notes from his wallet. That scene was accidentally seen by people strolling around there. "By cash," He replied gently. He also gave the money to the barista to proceed with the payment.

"Wait for a while," The female barista said as she accepted the money. She then prepared the order requested, while Maverick decided to wait behind the counter patiently. He was unbothered by why people stared at him astonishedly.

At the same hour, Sally and Hailey looked at Maverick from afar. Their orbs flashed with shock since they never saw Maverick in the cafeteria buying a cup of coffee due to its high cost.

"Well, well, it seems Parker is no longer poor," Sally stated in a high tone. Her words gradually caught others' attention, especially those who had sat down about ten minutes ago.

Hailey sipped her lemonade and nodded. Her stare at Maverick showed she admired the truth. However, she still thought that Maverick was a poor little wrecker on campus.

"Let's prove it if he is not a poor guy," Hailey muttered in her breath. Her expression channelled playfulness and hatred at the same time.

"What do you mean, Hailey?" Sally frowned. She could not get the meaning behind her best friend's words.

Then, Hailey smiled at her sheepishly. She had arranged an impulsive plan to insult and humiliate Maverick. She carefully whispered to her, "Last time, he could pay for his stuff in the grocery store. It means he can treat us to drinks. Maybe coffee or a mojito. It's a rare chance for us to get free drinks from this exclusive cafeteria."

"Free drinks? Uh, come on, Hailey. We are richer than he is. We can buy it on our own." Sally widened her amber eyes as she reacted. She felt Hailey was strange at that point due to the large amount of money they had for monthly needs.

"Don't ruin my good mood, girl. I'm up to make Parker realize his true worth here." Hailey responded in her slightly frustrated tone. She then locked her focus on Maverick, trying to see if the man had dismissed himself.

"Okay then." Sally finally agreed to join Hailey. Moreover, they walked towards Maverick with their disgusted gazes at him, showing that they really sneered at him to the core.

"Oh wow. You could afford a medium-sized coffee here. Can you treat us too, Parker?" Hailey began to tease Maverick who had just received a cup of coffee and its straw.

Maverick turned his head to the girls and smiled faintly. He had a bit of a glimpse that Hayley might attempt to ruin his image through this kind of provocative scene. Consequently, he replied softly, "I'd love to, girls, but maybe next time. I have some errands waiting."

"Errands? A poor guy like you must be a jobless person. Don't act as if you were important, Parker!" Sally raised her tone as she quipped at him.

Hailey shook her head a bit. She already anticipated this kind of situation. Additionally, she was not sure if Maverick had more than enough money on his own. Then, she heated up, "Oh, are you in a rush? Or is it your trick so you don't have to treat us to the coffee?? Oh, this guy is always a poor man here."

At that time, Maverick noticed that many people were looking at him. Some of them began to highlight him in their conversations, and mostly it was about how poor he was as a student in a luxurious university. The commotion grew gradually while he still stood there.

To keep his image safe, he sighed a bit. Inside his mind, he was tired of being seen as a poor student. It made him look pitiful and weak. Since it was not every day for him to prove it, he finally replied, "Alright. You can order any kind of drink you want. It's on me."

TO BE CONTINUED.