Friend or Foe?

The first taste of ice cream in this body was unreal. The cold sweetness melted on my tongue, sending a chill down my spine.

"Oh yeah! Damn, that hits the spot!" I licked the ice cream Damien had bought me as a thank you, savoring every bit of it. I hadn't enjoyed an ice cream cone since I was about five years old and I stole one from the vendor. "Feels like I haven't had good shit like this in almost twenty years."

"Twenty years?" Damien raised a brow at me.

Now that he'd finally cut his hair, I could actually see his face. With his slicked-back dark hair and sharp, calculating eyes, he looked like a young Lucky Luciano—suave, dangerous, and just a little too refined for high school. It suited him too well, not that I was looking.

"Are you sure you're feeling alright? It's just ice cream."

"Ah, it's fine, dummy. You wouldn't believe it even if I told you," I chuckled. This ice cream cone tasted so much better without the fear of being caught for stealing it.

Before he could question me further, a pair of girls approached us. Their uniform skirts were a little too short, their expressions a little too confident. The type that didn't follow rules and knew they didn't have to.

Ah, the bad girls who like to show their knees were here.

"Jack Spencer!" one of them called, all sugar and poison. "Hey there cutie, I heard you actually came back to school, and it looks like it's true. Jason wants to speak to you for a bit. You'll come with us, right?"

Jason? I didn't recognize the name. But my body did. My heart rate spiked, and my palms tingled with anticipation. This was clearly a setup if my body was reacting like this. I want to know exactly what was done by this Jason kid.

And I was ready to fight.

[New Mission: Find out who Jason is

Reward: Good Luck

Penalty: Broken Leg]

"Sure, let's go," I said.

The girls hesitated, clearly not expecting me to agree so easily.

"Jack, don't go," Damien said, his voice edged with concern.

"I'll be fine, Damien. All you have to do is stay nearby. Besides, no one will fuck with you as long as I'm around," I promised.

The girls led me toward the gym storage shed near the football field, where four guys lounged against the walls like they owned the place. In front of them sat a kid with slicked-back hair and intense brown eyes, exuding forced confidence.

Jason Leonetti.

I knew this guy. In my last life, I'd met him a few times accompanying a supplier. He always bragged about ruling his school, but I thought he was just some baby-faced twenty-something nothing. Turns out, he'd really been just a high schooler this whole time.

What the hell did he want with me?

"It's been a while, Jack Spencer. Have you been well?" Jason asked, feigning politeness.

"Stop talking shit and get to the point of why I'm here," I said flatly.

Jason smirked. "Asshole, it's not like we're attacking you. It's nothing much, but your recent change makes you perfect for something. Want to do a job with me?"

"Fuck off."

"Alright, I'll tell you..." His smirk faltered. For a second, he looked like he hadn't heard me right. Then his face twisted in disbelief. "You bitch, what did you just say?"

"Are your ears fucked up? I said fuck off." I crossed my arms. "Do you think I'm crazy enough to work for a druggie?"

The temperature near the shed dropped. The guys behind Jason shifted uncomfortably at the word drugs. I had just said the quiet part out loud.

Jason's face went red.

"You son of a—" One of his lackeys rushed forward, gripping my shoulder hard enough to make my ice cream drop to the ground.

"My ice cream! Fuck, why don't you kids listen these days?"

I grabbed his wrist, twisted my body, and yanked his arm behind his back, locking it in place at an angle that threatened to snap it. He let out a strangled cry, his knees buckling from the pain.

"AH! My arm!"

"Should we just skip the chat and go straight to fighting, Jason?" I asked casually, keeping my grip firm.

Jason and his boys stood up, moving toward me like a pack of hyenas.

"Jack Spencer, you bitch," Jason growled. "You think you'll be safe after this?"

"Why? Are you planning on attacking me all at once?" I smirked, yanking the guy's arm a little harder, making him scream. "Well, I guess I can't blame you guys for being born bitch-made."

"You're fucking insane!"

"Who're you calling insane? You're the ones luring in classmates to do your dirty work." I shrugged. "Alright, you want fair? Jason, let's fight one-on-one. I need that."

Jason's eyes darkened. "You little—"

"What? Are you too much of a pussy to fight me, even though you 'rule the school'?" I smirked. "I promise that if I lose, I'll do whatever you tell me to. But if I win, I'm the boss of this school from now on."

His lackeys muttered among themselves.

"Is this punk serious?"

"Jason, let's just fuck him up!"

"Are you sure it's okay for your friend to get hurt?" I twisted the guy's arm slightly, making him shriek. "Come on, Jason! Tick tock!"

Jason clenched his fists, his face angry. But I already knew the truth—Jason Leonetti clearly couldn't fight. He was all talk, letting his boys handle things for him. If he fought me, he'd lose, and I'd humiliate him in front of his own crew. If he let them fight for him, he'd just prove he was a coward.

A lose-lose situation.

"Fuck off," Jason snapped. "I'll let you off with a warning this time. Let go of his arm and get the fuck out of my sight."

I released the guy, who immediately cradled his shoulder, groaning in pain.

"How boring," I sighed. "Why are you glaring? You heard your leader."

Jason's jaw clenched, but he didn't say another word.

I turned on my heel and strolled out of the shed, leaving them simmering in their own frustration.

[Mission Accomplished! You've been awarded Good Luck for the next twenty-four hours.

You can use this ability now or at a later time]

I smirked.

I certainly wouldn't be using it now.

I turned to find Damien standing about ten feet back, his expression tight with worry. The two girls who had brought us here lingered beside him, watching cautiously.

"See, Damien? Nothing to worry about." I dusted off my hands as if shaking off the remnants of Jason's weak-ass intimidation attempt.

"Yeah, I guess so," Damien said, still eyeing me like I might suddenly drop dead from some unseen injury. "Do you want another ice cream?"

"Kind of," I sighed. My fallen ice cream was still smeared on the pavement, a tragic loss.

Damien reached into his pocket and pulled out a lollipop, handing it to me.

"This is good for now too." I unwrapped it and popped it into my mouth. Ice cream flavor. This body really had a thing for sweets.

"Good thing you're okay," Damien said, his voice softer now.

"Where do we go from here?" I asked, letting the sugar dull the edge of my earlier irritation.

"Um, gym class," Damien replied, leading the way.

[New Mission: Stop the Bad Ending for Your Classmate

Reward: Justice Served

Penalty: Classmate's Suicide

I stopped in my tracks.

What the hell?

The missions with Damien made sense—I had been involved because we were both bullied by the same people. But this one? It didn't feel connected to me at all. Was I really expected to go out of my way to save some random classmate?

I wasn't in the mood to make any new friends.

[Rejection will result in an immediate penalty]

I clenched my jaw. I wasn't rejecting it—I was thinking! Damn it!

Fine. I'd go rescue this mystery idiot or whatever, but I was going to complain about it loudly enough for God to hear me.

"Fucking gym class! I hate it! It's a fucking useless class, and I don't want to go," I snapped.

A sudden crack of thunder echoed through the sky.

Damien blinked up at the clear blue horizon. "That's weird, the forecast didn't call for rain today."

Oh, you have got to be kidding me.

I can't even complain?!

This God had a seriously fucked-up sense of humor—throwing me into a mission without telling me who I was supposed to save or what I was saving them from, then getting mad when I pointed out how ridiculous it was.

I thought I was being pretty reasonable!

"I can't skip class, Jack," Damien said, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." I sighed and followed him toward the locker rooms.

Whatever this was about, I'd have to figure it out fast.