The Technique

Chapter 3: Desperate

Warning!!!

This chapter contains violence and mature content. Reader discretion is advised.

Tacos tasted sour today. Not because of the cook's lack of skill, but because my tongue didn't agree with it.

Kylie and Mike were constantly exchanging thoughts about the next Night at Jackville episode. Their voices were drowned out a bit by the noises in the cafeteria. Well, we weren't allowed to have TVs in our room, so we could only watch at the screen of our phone and laptop. Night at Jackville's episode was posted every Saturday night. But my obsessed friends won't stop talking about it until posted. I wasn't in the mood of talking about it with them.

When I found out the results yesterday, my stomach lurched as if looking at that paper was a poisonous thing. It was my first time coming in second. No one had ever beaten me before. I expected this before coming here. But when I looked at every angle, Greg seemed to be a difficult competitor.

"Buddy!" Mike shouted right in my ear. I was startled and moved a bit away from him. He was staring at me as if I had catsup on my face. Kylie was across him, wrinkling her forehead. I never heard them calling me since I was in my trance.

"What's up?" I whispered.

Mike moved his ass next to me, occupying the space I created. He put his elbow on the table and leaned his cheek against his hand. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"You know what, these days, you often zone out," Kylie said.

Mike nodded. "Yea, a total different Nathan."

"Come on, tell us. What's on your mind?" Kylie raised her right brow.

"Nothing," I answered. I never wanted them to know I was thinking about feeling bad about coming in second. They'd literally laugh at me for being an overacting guy.

Mike wasn't convinced about it, and he continued eyeing me up. "Still thinking about the result?"

My eyes popped out. How could he know that? Am I too obvious? I couldn't utter a single word when I heard that. I only stared at them for a long time.

"Okay, we knew it." Kylie put her hands on the table, feeling contented.

Mike was still staring at me. He pouted and spoke in turned-down volume, "Buddy, just a piece of advice, okay? It is a whole new environment. Everyone's a genius. You must've expected someone would beat you. And hell, coming in second in the pool of geniuses?"

"I know, I know," I defended. "It's just... I need to." Both of them were moved when they heard me.

"What?" Kylie looked away from me and turned her eyes somewhere over my shoulder. She then looked at me with her eyes bigger as if she found out what was bothering me. "Oh my gosh! Don't tell me your mom's pressuring you again!"

"She is never pressuring me," I uttered automatically. Yes, she never pressured me, but that was my own opinion. My friends' viewpoint about mom forcing me to get to the top was the total opposite. They were always telling me that that wasn't normal at all, that my mom was pressuring me intentionally. But I was always defending mom. I knew she just wanted the best for me.

"Well, if I ask some students here if that's not pressuring, and tell me that's not, then I'd believe you." Kylie crossed her arms over her shoulders.

"Me, too," Mike said, half raising his hand.

I brushed my hair with my fingers and heaved a deep breath. "Guys, I know how bad you feel about it, but it's different now. She told me she'd try to look for Dad when I come in first. My family would be completed again."