Chapter XXXVII – Double D’s Game

Arthur knew that today was going to be interesting from the moment Sophie spotted the boys hiding behind a wall in the school courtyard. The siblings were just on their way to school, but it seemed they were already up to their regular shenanigans.

“I’ll go and see what they’re doing,” Arthur said, patting her on the head.

“Watch the hair!” she chuckled before splitting off.

Sneaking up on them, the best he could, Arthur saw Max who was spying around the corner while crouched down. Tjay on the other hand had his arms crossed and was leaning against the wall. He seemed fairly annoyed. Had it not been for Don who was for unknown reasons embarrassed, Arthur would’ve assumed this had something to do with Nabi.

“What are you guys doing?” Arthur asked, making Don jump in place.

Tjay calmly turned towards him. “These two are being wusses.”

“We are just observing the situation,” Max commented while continuing to spy unfazed by Arthur’s sudden appearance.

“So, who’s the target?”

“Apparently some girl Don likes,” Tjay said.

“Not just any girl,” Max said pulling away from the corner and turning towards Arthur. “Hella cute first year, Han Jia. . .”

“Never heard of her,” Arthur stated the obvious.

“Of course, you haven’t. . .” Max sighed. “Sophie and Ari know her, and apparently she’s a cosplayer. Pretty good at it too.”

“Cosplayer?”

“Dresses up like an anime character. . .” Tjay cut in.

“It’s not just anime!” Don yelled out before covering his mouth realizing how loud he was. “Game characters are included too. . . She’s amazing.”

“And way out of your fucking league. . .” Tjay commented brutally but honestly.

“Hey! Cut him some slack,” Max glared at him. “Look at Art. Irene is way out of his league, but that’s not stopping them.”

“We’re not-” Arthur tried to cut in but was interrupted by Tjay’s loud huff.

“You got it all wrong,” Tjay disputed. “Arthur is way out of her league if you ask me.”

The thought of Tjay saying that almost made Arthur chuckle. Though, he couldn’t figure out if Tjay was saying that because Irene and he bicker all the time if it was because he truly believed that, or was it because Tjay lost to Arthur and admitting Irene was better than him would also mean Irene was better than Tjay. Regardless, it was funny to hear them talking about it back and forth.

“He’s right though. . . A girl like that would never go out with me,” Don cut in, interrupting their arguing.

“Not with that attitude!” Max said, placing a hand on Don’s shoulder. “You gotta work on your confidence. It’s not always about good looks. It has to be your charisma and personality that carries you. Then you can aim at the prettiest of girls.”

“I don’t have that in me though,” Don mumbled.

“Cuz you’re inexperienced!” Max was smiling the entire time, excited at the idea of hooking Don up with someone. “Sure, you might not get her, or the next one. However, it’s all about trying over and over until you succeed. You weren’t good at games at first, but with enough practice, you got better. Right?”

“I don’t think that’s how it works. . .” Don kept whispering.

“Of course it is! I mean look at her,” Max pulled Don towards the corner.

Arthur couldn’t help but glance as well. He could tell who they were looking at, as she sat on the bench all alone drawing in a small notepad.

Petite and similar to Sophie in terms of height, she styled her long black hair with twin pigtails. Arthur wasn’t exactly close enough to see any specific details. But Max was right, she was cute.

Max pulled Don back behind the wall as to not be spotted while Arthur kept on looking.

“Dude!” Max whispered loudly, pulling Arthur by the sleeve.

“So you gonna approach her?” Arthur asked, but as soon as he did the bell rang.

“I guess class is starting!” Don said while trying to walk away.

“Ugh!” Max mumbled grabbing Don by the collar of his shirt from behind. “Listen up. . . As soon as lunch break starts, we’re going to one of the clubrooms to practice picking up girls. I’ll ask Iseul to check the schedule and tell me what place is free for us to use. You guys are coming too.”

“Shouldn’t we do it after school?” Arthur asked, not really sure if he wanted to skip lunch.

“If we practice during the break, we can get Don to try and pick someone up after school.”

“Will you be flirting with him?” Tjay asked while starting to walk towards the classroom. “I’m so down to watch that.”

Arthur sighed as Tjay laughed before they made their way for the first period. As expected, today was going to be a fun day.

Irene – Where you guys at?

Max dragged us away. . . – Arthur

Arthur was texting Irene while looking at one of the dumbest scenes he could imagine. Max had Don sit down in a chair, making him pretend to be a girl sitting in a cafe.

Apparently, Don is interested in a girl, so Max wanted us to help him learn how to approach girls. – Arthur

Irene – Way to go Don!

Irene – So does that mean you guys will be hitting up some girls?

Nah. . . I’m currently watching Max set up a scene for him to hit on Don. – Arthur

Irene – Too bad, it’d be fun to watch!

You think we couldn’t do it? – Arthur

Her comment made Arthur chuckle.

“Hey, Art! You gonna help out or what?” Max yelled.

“What the heck am I supposed to do?”

“Come here and play Don’s friend. He needs to learn how to do it when there are two of them.”

Arthur kept receiving messages. Sighing, he got up and sat down next to Don before looking back at his phone.

“What are you doing?” Max asked. “Check your phone later. . .”

“I’m acting the part,” Arthur chuckled. “Most girls nowadays just look at their phones when out with friends.”

“True. . . But-”

“No buts. Just let me play the part, right Don?”

“This is so weird. . .” Don mumbled.

Irene – Oh I know you could pull a few with your looks alone.

Irene – But the question is do you know how. . .

Irene – Anyway, you’ll tell me all about it later, but are you guys gonna miss out on lunch?

Yeah. . . They didn’t really give me much of a choice. – Arthur

“Hey girls,” Max said, leaning down on the table with one hand. “Would you mind if I stole away your friend’s attention for just a moment?” he looked at Arthur weirdly, making a flirty expression while waiting for an answer.

Arthur barely held back his laugh. “Sure. . .” he mumbled before glancing back at his phone.

Irene – I’ll get you something to bite before class. Any preferences?

You don’t have to do that. . . – Arthur

Irene – Wasn’t asking.

Arthur sighed looking up.

“You come here often? I must say, I was taken away by your beauty,” Max kept looking Don straight in the eyes as he sat down at the table, placing his hand on Don’s forearm.

Tjay kept bursting into laughter, almost falling over after every word Max said. Don on the other hand kept averting his gaze awkwardly.

“Just ignore him. . . All we should be focusing on is you and me. So, how about it? You free tomorrow for a date?”

“I- ugh. . .” Don mumbled uncomfortably.

I trust your choice. – Arthur

He finally put away his phone.

“A beautiful girl like you, I know you’ll make the right choice. Tomorrow after school, you and I are gonna grab a drink. How about you give me your number and I’ll text you the location?”

“Sure. . .” Don took Max’s phone as he handed it over.

With a smirk on his face, Max looked at the phone only to see that Don gave him a fake number. “Dude! You really gonna give me a fake number?”

“Ah! Well! You already have my number. . . So I was just rping. . .” he defended himself.

“Ha! Amazing. . . You got rejected while being cringe as fuck!” Tjay kept teasing.

“I didn’t mean to!”

“It’s alright Don. Tjay is just being an ass,” he said getting up. “You think you can do better?”

“Of course I can,” Tjay smirked confidently. “Anyone can do better than that.”

“Well, go on then!”

“Fine!” Tjay got serious, unbuttoning his shirt a bit at the top.

Arthur couldn’t help but feel as awkward as Don while Max took a few steps back.

Tjay approached the table, leaning down with his hand, completely ignoring Art. His attention was purely on Don.

“You and I are gonna grab a drink tomorrow after school.”

Don looked at Tjay a bit scared, unsure if he could refuse him.

“I-” Don started mumbling, making Max burst into tears.

“What a monkey! Do you always approach that threateningly?”

“Monkey?! I’ll have you know, girls love a bad boy.”

“Is that what you are?” Max kept laughing uncontrollably.

“You wanna find out?” Tjay threatened him.

“Big bad Jong Tae-Hyun!” Max kept teasing.

“You little!” Tjay gritted his teeth, but Don stood up panicked, managing to interrupt them. “Ugh! Whatever. . .”

Took a minute or two for the dust to settle, but it was all fun in games.

Eventually, they tried to convince Arthur to give it a go, but he kept saying that he was going to be the friend in these scenes. Don tried multiple times to replicate what Max and Tjay showed him but failed awkwardly. It had more to do with the fact that he was approaching them than it had with what he was saying. Max was constantly smiling, excited to see how he does, and Tjay was outright rejecting him.

Returning to class after spending almost an hour in the club room, Arthur sat down next to Irene grabbing the food she bought him.

“How’d it go?” she grinned.

“I think I’ll never approach anyone,” he chuckled taking a bite.

“Good,” she mumbled smilingly while tilting her head slightly. “So, are we still going after school?”

“Max wants to get Don to approach a random girl after school and he claims we need to support him, so I gotta do that first. Do you mind waiting a bit? If not, I’ll just ditch them since we made plans first.”

“Eat up and don’t worry about it. I’m in no rush.”

“Alright, the moment of truth. See that girl over there? I want you to approach her,” Max said pointing towards a girl that wasn’t from their school. In fact, she looked to be a few years older from what Arthur could tell.

“No way! I can’t do that. . .” Don kept mumbling.

“Dude. . . You gotta try at least.”

“Why don’t you show him how it’s done?” Irene suggested.

“Yeah Max,” Tjay kept smirking.

“I guess I could, but why are you even here?” he asked Irene. “This is a guys gathering! You’re making Don nervous.”

“I already made plans with Art, so I’m just tagging along before I can drag him away. Besides, I doubt my presence is making things any worse for him considering you guys are making this harder than it needs to be.’

“Whatever. . .” Max mumbled looking back at the girl. “Fine, I’ll go.”

Max cracked his neck before heading out towards the girl.

The guys couldn’t tell what he was saying, but she definitely smiled back at him once he got there.

“You think he’s got it?” Tjay asked Irene.

“Maybe,” she chuckled.

Don was fixated on learning, so he observed any gesture that could give him an advantage in the future.

“Listen Don. . .” Irene whispered placing a hand on his shoulder. “You’re a great guy and any girl would be glad to have you next to her. You don’t have to be the same as the rest of them, that’s what makes you cute in your own way. Just ask Sophie and Ari. . . While it is true that approaching girls over and over increases your chances to score a number, the truth is that you’ll eventually meet someone similar to you. So don’t stress too much about this. OK?”

“So you’re saying I should give up on this?” Don asked averting his gaze.

“That’s not what I said,” she kept speaking softly. “What I’m saying is, don’t be so worried about the outcome and just be yourself. I’m sure Jia would like you for who you are.”

“Did Arthur tell you?”

“Nope, Ari did a while back. She noticed you looking at Jia for a while now.”

“Oh. . . Am I that obvious?”

“Does it matter?”

“I guess not. . .”

Max interrupted the conversation with his depressing return.

“Guessing you got rejected?” Arthur asked, but already knew the answer.

“Shut up. . .”

“Don’t be mad at him,” Irene teased.

“As I said, you aim too high bro,” Tjay kept smugly commenting on everything.

“Whatever. . . Not like you guys can do better.”

“You think I can’t pull someone?” Irene asked grinningly.

Max was surprised by her question and just looked towards Arthur who felt awkward at the idea of Irene picking some guy up.

“No?” Max awkwardly replied, not wishing to inspire her to do so.

“We’ll be here all day if you guys keep at it, so I’m just gonna show you how it’s done. If I successfully get a number, I’m dragging Art away though. Okay?”

“You really don’t have to. . .” Max mumbled, but Irene ignored him and walked away from the group. “Sorry dude. . .”

“Why are you apologizing to me?” Arthur said that but understood what he meant.

Truth was, Irene was always the type to accept any challenge. She wasn’t the type to care what others think, and instead liked doing what she felt like at the moment. Arthur was similar in that regard, but that didn’t stop him from feeling awkward knowing she’ll be flirting with someone. While they aren’t together and she can do whatever she liked, he was getting a bit jealous. It left him wondering if that was her goal.

Irene walked towards a guy who was leaning against a wall, looking at his phone. He was taller than Arthur, and probably a year or two older. In terms of looks, it would all come down to preference. However, he was surprised to find Irene walking past him as she approached two girls who were chatting just outside a shoe store.

She engaged in a conversation, making both girls laugh at the same time. Her attention wasn’t only towards one of them, avoiding the awkwardness of her friend just standing there without anything to do.

“No way. . .” Max mumbled.

“Yo, is she a lesbo?” Tjay said as all of them were staring.

“Is that why the two of you didn’t hook up yet?” Max looked back at Arthur who, in response could only sigh while shaking his head.

After a bit of talking, Irene exchanged numbers and even touched the girl’s hand gently. With a beaming smile, she smugly returned to the group.

“Well, there you have it,” she showed off the number.

“I didn’t know you were into girls,” Tjay commented.

“I’m not, but they can certainly be hot. Makes me kinda jealous sometimes that I’m not a guy,” she teased while grabbing Arthur by the arm. “Now that that’s over, we got plans to get to.”

“What about Don?” Max mumbled.

“I think I won’t be approaching anyone today. . .” Don said smilingly. “Irene, do you think I should ask Ari and Sophie to introduce me?”

“Sounds like a great idea! Makes it a lot easier too,” she said giving him a thumbs up. “Besides, I know you two will hit it off.”

“Alright, I’ll do that,” he said confidently.

“All that work for nothing. . .” Max sighed disappointedly, but at least Don had intentions to talk to a girl.

“Can’t win them all,” Tjay placed his hand on Max, feeling empathetic towards him.

Tjay was acting weird lately. He’d often find something to argue over, but at the same time was supportive as well from time to time. Arthur strongly believed that the situation with Nabi shook him far more than he’d like to admit, but he could only hope for it to be resolved soon.

Arthur and Irene eventually left to go their separate way.

“What did you even tell those girls?” Arthur asked curiously.

“Ah. . . I just approached them with friendly intent. I wasn’t actually trying to pick them up.”

“But the whole point was to flirt.”

“I specifically said I’d get a number, and I did,” she chuckled. “Did you think I’d actually flirt with someone?”

“Honestly? Yeah. . .” he averted his gaze while avoiding telling her that he thought she’d approach a guy in the first place.

“You don’t have to worry about stuff like that,” she reassured him, smiling at him while dragging him the entire time.

Arthur wanted to say something but refrained from doing so. Truth was, he was glad to know she wasn’t interested in anyone else.

Chapter End.

Thank you for reading.