Chapter 6. A Rough-Deal Breaking

When a man is happy and ecstatic, then even after being shot at, he will probably find a way to rationalize it as beneficial for he desires more than any other person at that time to stay happy.Once that feeling of euphoria vanishes, then he only continues to sink further and further until his eyes are clouded by the false hope of miraculous alleviation. A self-deluded mirage where one desperately tries to attack the symptom rather than contemplating the possibility of the existence of a cure. 

'Hunger, Poverty, Greed, and Lust have always been the prime driving factors in bringing such a state of despair.'

For Max, his impulses weren't as infallible to bring him down to such an extent. Even so, he wasn't confident in his strength and self-control. It was natural , for it would be nothing short of impractical to expect one who has never faced violence to know how to react. It isn't about the strength of his will or mental fortitude. It is the fact that everything continues to remain a test for a man until it transpires as a mere occurrence for him. The ability to view even the unexpected outcomes as a mere challenge and not confuse it with a doomsday test comes only with experience, something which Max heavily lacked, having lived alone for most of his life.So rather than doing something secretively in such precarious circumstances, Max chose to take direct action. Though he wasn't fond of this approach for it insulted his pride So on the fourth day since this movement had started against him, during lunch break, he surprised the first years by staying affixed to his seat instead of running off to either the canteen or mess hell. Well, they expected him to at least try even though it was a failed venture. The group of students tasked to keep a check on him continued to observe his every action, their eyes brimming with wariness and suspicion.Max wasn't even remotely interested in playing any charade to appease this group. The real crown was deadset staring at him with her doe-brown eyes as he had hoped for. He conjured up a thumbs up to congratulate himself mentally for having succeeded in capturing the attention of the only person, who could help him get out of this dire mess right now."Kate, can we have a little chat? Just you and me alone. " He crossed his arms addressing her. The surprise on Kate's face was far outshined by the aghast expression that had etched the faces of the students surrounding her. Max casually scanned his surroundings, his eyes keeping a close watch on everyone's movement. As he heard the noise of shoes brushing against the ground, he prepared himself for a banal response."Huh. Are you acting dumb purposefully or have truly lost your brain due to scarcity of nutrients? You think any one of us, let alone Kate will talk to a loser like you." Hilary pursued her lips, her face contorting in ire. No matter how many times I keep finding myself in these encounters, these retorts continue to reek of just plain old boring repetitive filth that even Satan may cry. I am no champion of finesse or perfection like that guy (Agnes) but come on! at least try harder.Keeping his intrusive thoughts in mind, Max clocked his head to the side"I have been deprived of nutrients thanks to you all. Though, rather than being worried about myself, I feel sorry for you that even after having done that, you remain short of intellect. Perhaps the effects of your malnutrition upbringing still linger around. I don't know for sure. It is always easier to figure out the action of geniuses than lunatics. " Hilary crunched her knuckles, her face seething red with anger as her eyes looked at him contemptuously. Other students, taken aback just the same, struggled to contain their laughter at the expense of such ridicule. During all this commotion, two eyes constantly stared at each other, intent to figure out the other's next step."What are we waiting for then? I don't have all the time in the world to waste on this morbid squabble ." Without waiting for others, Kate gestured for Max to follow her out of the classroom to which the latter solemnly obliged. Without paying heed to the unfriendly vibes oozing from the students at the gate, he gave them a snarky wink while heading out to set them off. After a slow and uneasy silence for five minutes, the footsteps stopped near the main gate of Central Park.A place unremarkable outside of its lush -greenery, and yet something that will come to be valued as the nexus of all the experiences for Max later down the line. "Let me guess. You want me to control the first years to restore your accessibility. Since you can't expect any kind of favors from senior Asterix, you decided to come to me." She crossed her arms, her face brimming with an already triumphant smile. A smile that seemed to sustain by seeing the helpless others coming to her arms, begging for alleviation. "Ah, you are one of those I see. I see! " He put his hands against his chin"Your claim is not unfounded in reality but right now, I want to talk to you about something else. Would you be willing to entertain my request ?""Sure, amuse me in any manner you want in your parting days." She smiled voluminously, her hair brushing against her face carried by the breeze."You see, ever since I entered Wonavilla, I have been curious about something. " Max fumbled in his pockets looking at her sheepishly " On the very first day when all were standing in the line for the dormitory, why were you supposedly admitted foremost because of your status being 'Ambassador's daughter? What need would a widely acclaimed institute have for giving concessions to the offspring of every possible donor? Surely, an ambassador is not much of a status considering their volume in this nation. ""Furthermore, in my past time, when I dug into student records, there were three more students in the first year itself who belonged to much higher status and still didn't enjoy the concessions. Then I came to find out that on several nights, you have been placed in a single room all by yourself for no other reason than simply because of your whim. The fact that you have never tried to mingle with second years at all and yet established with the rest .""None of this was adding up. But the very moment, I saw you with Asterix, my doubts were confirmed. There was neither any reason nor need for you to be together especially when someone else was heading the first year. Your privileges, your bizarre routine - all are simply rooted in the very fact that you were never admitted here as a new student." As the words came out his mouth, her face shriveled up like a sunflower divorced from sunlight. "You are a repeater, aren't you Kate?  That is the very reason that out of all students here, you are the sole person who strives to project her image onto the masses as something valuable and strong yet when the question of shouldering actual responsibility falls, you are never there. ""You are merely a social parasite." His eyes looked pitiably at her body writhing in unexpected writhe of agony as she fell on the ground, shocked to her core.It was always like this for him. Noticing too much, speaking too much, knowing too much. Yet he wouldn't hesitate to use every arsenal in his possession as toxic as that might be to the other person if by not doing so, he risks being robbed of his own choices.  He recognized the harshness of such an approach but his mind strongly internalized the Shakespearean quote 'Pain pays the income of each precious thing' and for him, there were things far too precious than preventing an insecure girl to writhe in agony.With a sigh, Max took a step towards Kate who flinched like a feline cat backed into a corner by a stray pack of hounds roaming outside. The dream of a carefully crafted life that she had sought to build, was all crushed into dust by the boy facing her. Even as her face trembled at the thought of visualizing her crumbling dreams, her eyes looked at him fierce as ever, barely hiding her belligerent attitude."Relax, Kate. I have no intention of destroying your utopia. Rather, I can guarantee that it will definitely be realized as you desire. " He offered his hand to her which she eyed suspiciously, like an abused cat being offered hand by a stranger."I suppose it is natural for you to be inclined towards distrusting me. " He stretched his arms back interlocking his fingers together. "Even so, do you possess any other choice at this point? So why don't you make yourself dignified before someone else comes along and makes such a dream a definite illusion." With a sour face, she shook away his hand and stood up pushing her arms against the ground at which he smirked."Now, you see. So far, you have been able to maintain your image because second years haven't taken any action or gossiped -probably due to Asterix's directions. " He scoffed at her " I am guessing that is why you got close to her for that girl sure knows how to maintain an iron grip on everyone's neck. Now imagine what will happen, when Asterix gets bored of you. ""She won't ge..." Kate began but stopped seeing a deadset stare in Max's eyes."I wasn't done talking." He stated calmly, though his eyes flared with the dangerous ferocity of a whip "Now then, you see, Asterix has her ambitions of replacing Student Council President so once she attains that, I doubt she will find any value in helping you anymore and all your efforts will be in vain. Now wouldn't that be an anti-climactic end to your reign? Something that so much of your hard work, persistence, lying, and deception to achieve ." "Are you insulting me or going to help me? " She grumbled, stomping her feet on the ground violently."Of course, I wouldn't be having this chat with you if I didn't think of a solution. Don't you think that I could have approached you three days ago as well if I had already figured out the truth? " He pointed out raising his hands in the air, with a smug smile."So I suppose you want your freedom back in exchange for this help." She rolled her eyes. Even though her heart hadn't been relieved yet, her restlessness was certainly mitigated every second."Yes, but not just my freedom but yours as well. " A smile garnished his face but didn't reach his eyes "All you have to do is follow my lead for a while and I...I will ensure that everyone from the second year is expelled from Wonavilla ."A shattering silence enveloped Kate as she raised her eyebrows at him. His face spoke no lies, reeking of utter confidence. This guy...just how high did he think of himself!