CHAPTER 51: THE HARD WAY

I was almost home, the buzz from arguing with Nina about ice cream still making me smile. My life was so weird now. A week ago, my biggest social interaction was talking to myself. Now I had a... pillar? And a wingman mission. What even was this?

My phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out, expecting a meme from Nina or something.

Unknown Number.

My smile dropped. "You have got to be kidding me," I muttered to myself. I swear, my phone was getting more action than I was.

I answered, bracing myself. "Yeah?"

"KOFI! DUDE! IT’S ME!"

The voice was so loud I had to pull the phone away from my ear. It was Jake. Of course it was.

I hung up.

I didn’t even think about it. Just pressed the red button and put the phone back in my pocket. I needed a second of peace. Just one.

It rang again, instantly.

I let out a sigh and answered, holding the phone a few inches from my head this time.

"Hello?"

"Dude, what the hell? Did you just hang up on me?" He sounded out of breath and confused.

I put on my best, most clueless voice. "Sorry, who is this?"

There was dead silence on the other end. I could almost hear his brain short-circuiting.

"It’s... it’s Jake," he finally said, his voice a lot quieter now. "From class? We literally just talked like, twenty minutes ago."

"Jake..." I said, pretending to think. "Hmm. Sorry, man. Doesn’t ring a bell. I think you have the wrong number."

"WHAT? No, I don’t! You gave me your number! We have a mission, remember? Operation... Operation Don’t Die Alone!"

He was starting to sound genuinely panicked, and I almost felt bad. Almost.

"Look, I don’t know who you are or what kind of weird operation you’re running," I said, trying my best not to laugh. "But you should probably delete this number. Good luck with your... not dying, I guess."

"No, wait, don’t hang up—!"

I hung up again.

I stood there for a second, a huge, stupid grin on my face. That was mean. It was totally mean, but man, it was funny.

My phone rang a third time. I let out a chuckle and answered it.

"Okay, okay," I said before he could even speak. "I’m just messing with you, man. Chill."

A long, shaky breath came through the speaker. "Dude. Not cool. I thought I was going crazy. I was already checking my contacts to see if I typed your name wrong."

"It was just too easy," I said, starting to walk again. "So what’s up? Did you already mess something up?"

"No! I was just... I was doing the homework! The recon!" He sounded proud of himself. "I saw her go to her locker after you guys left, and she was putting a book away. It had this cover with, like, a castle and a dragon on it."

"Okay? And?"

"And I was thinking," he said, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Maybe I could ask her about it tomorrow? Like, ’Hey, Ruby, that book looks cool, what’s it about?’"

I stopped. That was... actually not a bad idea. It was a simple, normal opening. "Huh. Yeah, man. That’s a good plan."

"Really?" he asked, his voice full of hope.

"Yeah, it’s solid. It’s a natural way to start a conversation about something she’s interested in. Just don’t be weird about it."

"Okay, cool. I’ll do it. I’ll be casual." He paused. "So... what’d you find out about the Nazca Lines?"

"I just sent you the link like, ten minutes ago."

"I know! I’m watching it now. This stuff is hella weird, man. You think it was aliens?"

I sighed. This was my life now. "Just watch the video, Jake."

"Right, right. Battlefield research. I’m on it." He sounded so serious. "Thanks again, Kofi. You’re the best wingman ever."

"I’m the only wingman you’ve got," I said. "Don’t make me regret it. See you tomorrow."

I hung up before he could say anything else. I shook my head, still smiling a little. This whole thing was ridiculous. But it was my ridiculous thing now, I guess. At least it wasn’t boring.

---

When I arrived home, I went straight for a bath.

I sank into the hot water, my whole body letting out a sigh. Today was... a lot. Is this what it’s like for normal people? All this talking and feeling and drama? It’s exhausting. My ribs were still sore, but the water helped.

I leaned my head back against the tub. I hadn’t even thought about it since the hospital, but it was still there.

"Hey, System," I said to the empty room. "Show me my stats."

The blue window popped up in front of me, floating over the water. It was still weird seeing it.

[Status Screen]

[Name: Kofi L Dameire]

[Age: 16]

[Status: Recovering (Minor Bruising, Healing Ribs]

[Current Life Assessment:]

[Social Connections: 2 (Nina, Jake)]

[Confidence Level: 4/10]

[Romance Experience: 0/10]

[Friendship Points (FP): 1,500]

I stared at the screen. My eyes locked on [Social Connections: 2]. A few days ago, that was a zero. It felt weird to see it in writing. I actually had... people. And my confidence was up two points. I guess not running away from every conversation helps.

[Romance Experience: 0/10]. Yeah, that tracks.

’But what are these Friendship Points?’

[Friendship Points are the currency of self-improvement. Points can be used for significant ’Life Improvement’ upgrades, such as cosmetic enhancements.]

I just stared at the text. ’Cosmetic enhancements?’

Another box appeared below it.

[Example Upgrades:]

[Perfect Smile (Straightens and whitens teeth) - 5,000 FP]

[Clear Skin (Removes all blemishes and imperfections) - 7,500 FP]

[Height Boost (Minor) (+2cm) - 10,000 FP]

I blinked at the screen. What the hell? I could just... buy clear skin? Or a better smile? I could literally pay to be taller?

My mind immediately went to the haircut. I had just walked into a real shop, with a real person, and paid real money to change how I looked. It felt like a huge step. It was scary, but it was mine.

And this system was telling me I could have just... bought it. Like an upgrade in a video game. It felt... cheap. Like using a cheat code.

Would Nina like me more if I had a "Perfect Smile"? Or if I was a couple of centimeters taller? Maybe. But the thought just felt wrong. Our friendship, this thing we were building, it felt real. Using points to change my face to make her like me more would make it all feel fake.

"Nah," I said out loud to the empty bathroom. "I’m good."

I swiped the window away, watching it dissolve into nothing.

I’ll stick to doing things the hard way. It feels better.