Arthur looked at Nicolas and narrowed his eyes. This friend of his was freaking rich. Maybe he could borrow some credits from him...
Nicolas' family run the biggest Chamber of Commerce on this planet. They dealt in everything from real estate to a freaking spaceship. Nicolas generally liked to be low key thanks to being influenced by Arthur.
It was really weird for these two to be friends as they both were from a different levels of society, yet somehow fate brought them together.
'Forget it. I would still like to work it on my own... Besides Nicolas can't just take huge load of credits without consulting his family and It would be better if they never know because If they know then soon my parents will find out. And I really want to avoid that trouble.'
Arthur analyzed the pros and cons of the whole situation and decided against it, as it really wasn't worth the trouble.
"You know that we are soon going to leave high-school and go to a broader world, right?... so I just thought that maybe I should fill my account as much as I can before embarking on a new journey." Arthur spoke randomly without without a change in his expression. He decided to bull shit his way through this one.
"Yeah, that makes sense... but man I really don't understand why your parents give you such less credits. They work in Ministry of Research for god's sake. Its completely funded by the Human Federation, they earn some serious load." Nicolas nodded while being confused about behavior Arthur's parents.
Ministry of Research was a galactic organisation under the jurisdiction of the Federation. All the scientists were carefully chosen for the research and development of current as well as the new technologies. That's why Arthur's mom and dad were super busy and couldn't spend their time with him.
"I think they want to shape my character and make me understand the importance of hard earned money." The previous Arthur didn't care about the reason why his parents sent 20,000 FC because it was more than sufficient for him to spend and he could save every month.
But the current Arthur, who knew just how hard it was to earn money, was aware of his parent's worry.
They were worried about him spending everything thoughtlessly and lose the value for money. Although all their wealth was for their kids, but they wanted their kids to work hard and make their own wealth rather than spend aimlessly.
"Whatever dude. I am just saying that you should ask them for some extra credits. Believe me, they will give you anything now that you are also going to start your academics." Nicolas said in a calm voice. He didn't actually feel that it was much of an issue as he never had any need of spending bulk amount of credits. He liked to live a simplistic life in such a modern time.
"Nope, I want to be self dependent. It's high time that I stand on my own feet rather than asking my mom and dad for money. For fuck's sake I am a grown up now." Arthur replied with a little annoyed tone.
"Okay chill. Whatever you want..." Nicolas paused a little.
"By the way, Edith and Lana were asking about you. They said you didn't contact them in the past week. Arthur, you should never make the ladies pissed. Not the beautiful ones." Nicolas looked at Arthur and spoke slowly. He was preparing his mind to say what he was about to say next.
"Oh... Yeah I will contact them ASAP." Arthur was a little confused at first but soon recovered as he remembered just who Lana and Edith were.
Lana, Nicolas, and Arthur were friends since they were in kindergarten. Lana being the only girl in their little group received all the care and attention. They spoiled her a lot, until she grew up. She became cold and distant.
Just like Nicolas, she also came from a very rich family so she acted a little distant with everyone else. As people tried to befriend her just for the sake of benefits.
She was a cheerful girl from time to time but only in front of them. She was too head strong for her own good.
Edith was the latest addition to their group. She just transferred last year, she was very beautiful but due to being extremely shy, she got bullied a lot.
Lana was the one who helped her in integrating with the new environment and soon they became close friends. Lana was also happy to have her as a friend as due to her background, she had trouble making new friends.
With Lana's encouragement, Edith also quickly mixed in their group. Both Arthur and Nicolas were happy to help Edith. After she started hanging out with them, the bullying stopped completely.
In this way their group of four always stuck together throughout the year. It's just recently that their group dynamics changed... When Lana told him earlier this week that she liked Nicolas. Now they were at a age where they were aware of a new feeling... a new emotion, i.e. love.
Arthur was infatuated with Lana at first, but never confirmed his feelings for her because he felt that he wasn't good enough for her. He wanted to live an extremely laid back life. It was just the kind of person he was and he didn't want to change himself for someone else. He was very stubborn regarding his way of life.
He believed that if he was fated to love, he would eventually find someone for whom he wouldn't have to change himself.
On one hand he wanted to be with her on the other hand he didn't want to become the so called high achiever just for her.
There was one more hurdle that he could never cross...
After knowing that Lana liked Nicolas, he was torn between love and friendship. He didn't want to lose either of them. He thought both Lana and Nicolas would ignore him if they started dating. He just wanted the things to stay the same...
But that's how the world works, right?... change. It is the basis of life.
'This dude was a moron. How can someone be like this?? He didn't want to tell her that he liked her just because he didn't feel like becoming a deserving man.'
'If you like someone, become deserving of their love rather than wanting them to change themselves according to your own need.'
'To love is to care for each other, both of you should change a little so that you can adapt to each other's lifestyle.'
'On one hand he wanted to love her but on the other hand he also wanted to lead a laid back life just because of his stubbornness.'
'He hoped of enjoying love and leisure at the same time.'
'But before he could make his mind to tell Nicolas about this, he died.'
'Don't worry mate, I will fulfill your last wish. You can count on me.'
"Hey Nicolas. I have a big news for you..." Arthur smiled at Nicolas like he was the incarnation of Buddha himself. He was radiating kindness and empathy.
"What?" Nicolas felt a chill in his spine after looking at Arthur's smile. Something told him that a storm was coming his way.
"I know that you have liked Lana since a long time..."
Nicolas almost fell from his chair.
"Wh-What the fuck are you talking about...I-" He was very flustered after Arthur revealed his deepest secret.
"Seriously dude, It was very clear from the way you looked at her... I didn't say anything just because I thought you both needed time to sort out this thing between yourselves."
There was silence all around.
"Fuck." After what felt like eternity it was all that Nicolas could say at this point.
He sat there frozen, there were a multitude of emotions on his face... confusion, awkwardness, fear, and a hint of joy.
He really liked Lana, but he didn't know how to express himself. So he pressed down those feelings so as to not wreck their friendship. Until recently he was tangled. He didn't know which academy they would go to...Maybe they will part their ways here. So he wanted to at least tell Lana about his feelings.
That's why he was going to talk to Arthur about it. But before he could say anything he was literally laser beamed by Arthur.
"So... Do you think I should ask her out? I mean, will she agree?" Nicolas was very nervous. He started shifting on his seat, trying to find a more comfortable position.
"Go ahead and be a man. Tell her straight that you like her and be honest about how you feel about her. I am getting a vibe that you are going to be surprised." Arthur advised calmly.
"Surprised? In a good way or a bad way?" Nicolas asked.
"That's what you gotta find out yourself..." Arthur replied.