Chapter 99: Good Scumbags

Save for his research on the psychological hooks of gambling addiction he intended to use in their new game, Aiden spent the rest of his weekend mundanely and chilling with his Pops.

Monday came around, as did the last week of April.

Complete with the lingering joviality of the dance, and equally, the biting realization for several students that their final exams were just around the corner, there was an imbalance to the energy from students in Silverlake High.

On one hand, you had students whom were walking through the halls with an air of fulfillment to them.

On the other, you had the earnest bunch, most of them worrying about college applications and their future.

Amongst them were students who had AP exams, their staidness that much more pronounced considering they literally had it in the first week of May... which unfortunately, happened to be just a week away as well.

Then, somewhere in between all these, were the relaxed yet steadfast students, most of them generally unperturbed by the schedule of things.

Aiden and the rest of the gang fell into this bunch.

It was also why, instead of discussing the general state of Silverlake High’s students, they were bandying about something else entirely.

"So, the main hook will be the varying rewards system with a near-miss effect, just without the financial risk," Aiden gestured to which Casper, who had his palms clasped behind his head thoughtfully remarked;

"Which means... a low barrier of entry, yet a high progression satisfaction?"

"Yep." Aiden snapped his fingers in acknowledgement to which Theo then added with air quotes;

"We’ll also have to incorporate certain visual and auditory cues to really sell the illusion and keep players in a heightened state of excitement and psychological flow."

"Sensory overload, essentially." Aiden pointed out and Theo nodded in agreement.

"So, like flashy graphics for every upgrade? Like a, uh... treasure chest?" Benjamin curiously asked afterwards, his head tilted slightly and his arms widening in a slow gesture.

"Yeah. That’d work, I bet. A slot machine’s jingly tune would do wonders." Clyde thoughtfully answered instead, a finger tapping his chin.

"Oh~! I have just the track!" Larry raised a finger in clear excitement.

To that, Aiden couldn’t help but fold his arms across his chest whilst looking at his buddies with pride.

’Scumbags, the lot of us. Just the good kind.’ he inwardly chuckled.

Afterall, here they were shamelessly plotting how to rope people into a virtual addiction for the sake of generating some sweet, sweet greens.

But then again, which sort of business model didn’t exactly use one underhanded tactic or the other to thrive.

The upside to theirs, was that at the end of the day, it was solely meant to be for fun and entertainment.

So yeah, Aiden’s remark checked out.

They were in fact, good scumbags... if there ever was such a romanticizing term.

’Or maybe con-artists would be more fitting...’ Aiden curiously squinted his eyes.

Through it all, his buddies had noticed the gradual shifts in his expression, one that prompted Casper to whisper to them, almost as if he was giving a live commentary;

"Guys. He’s doing that proud parent thing again..."

"Oh, now his gear’s shifted." Theo muttered in addition.

"He’s thinking about world domination, I bet." Larry leaned in.

"Or what he has to cook for dinner?" Benjamin pitched in.

"Perhaps brewing more of the brandy? His reserve’s probably non-existent by now." Clyde said.

"I can hear you, you little shits." Aiden suddenly called all five out and they let out low, amused chuckles in response.

Rolling his eyes whilst shaking his head slightly, Aiden was about to proceed to head into the main building before the morning bell rang when his steps came to an abrupt halt.

The cause for it was none other than Clarissa, her hazel-irises searching for a moment.

Then she slowly leaned in and wrapped her hands around his neck whilst looking up at him with a smitten gaze.

This time, Aiden’s buddies alongside several students looked visibly surprised, though it wasn’t as overblown as it would’ve been if they hadn’t been aware that there were definitely sparks between them.

That said, today was perhaps the first time they were openly showing any form of PDA.

"Hell of a greeting," Aiden said to her, his smile tender.

"Mmhmm. Says the man who left without so much as an explanation." Clarissa replied, her lips widening into an affectionate grin.

"And wait for Sergeant Hale to pummel me into toothpaste? No thank you, Your Highness. I’d like to keep my life intact." he arched an amused brow and the lady chuckled in amusement.

Then she asked a moment after;

"So, when are we going on our first date?"

"Well..." Aiden audibly mused, his tone trailing off before he then said suggestively;

"...there is that senior trip to Coney Island?"

"It’s a date!" Clarissa beamed in response.

No sooner had she responded, the bell rung.

Promptly, Aiden’s buddies grinned as they left him with a salute and headed in, as did the others student lingering on the lawns lest they made it late to homeroom call.

Aiden and Clarissa were much the same, though they did walk in slowly whilst holding hands and engaging in a rather mundane discussion till they had to part ways at Clarissa’s locker.

Naturally, it didn’t take long before the news spread that the duo were definitely dating at this point, and neither did the duo deny it.

That said, Aiden had plans to properly ask the lady out just to clear any and all ambiguity about the state of their current relationship.

In any case, as classes came and went, students moving back and forth between classes, it really didn’t take long before the period before lunch break came.

Luckily for Aiden, it happened to be a free period.

To that effect, he had promptly made his way over to the cafeteria to meet with Mrs. Rodriguez before the rush hour during lunch break came.

"Ay, mijo. Sweet boy. How’re you?" the middle-aged lady warmly greeted upon his arrival.

"I’m doing great, Mrs. Rodriguez." Aiden reciprocated and the woman gestured for him to seat.

Doing just that, the youth settled into the only bench in the kitchen and rested his arms on the table as he looked at her whilst she continued adding the finishing touches to the meals she had cooked.

"Actually, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about." he said a moment after to which the woman turned around;

"Hmm?"

"What is it, mijo?" she curiously tilted her head.

"It’s about the drink you made for prom." Aiden gestured with a palm.

"The sparkling water?" she asked, her tone a hint of surprised intrigue.

"Yeah. That." Aiden smiled and then continued;

"It has serious potential."

To that, Mrs. Rodriguez chuckled and waved her spatula gently;

"Ay, mijo. It was only some coconut water, mint and a little carbonation. Nothing so special."

"And that’s exactly why it’s perfect." Aiden replied to which he then said with an assured grin;

"Which is what got me thinking..." he proceeded to explain his idea to the middle-aged lady whose initial amusement soon turned into genuine surprise.

Honestly, given how long she’d been working in Silverlake High, she had to say Aiden was probably the most resourceful individual, much less student she’d ever met.

The sort of plan he had was bound to go up against typical marketing strategies for a beverage brand, yet it was absurd enough that she could see herself falling for it hook, line and sinker.

It really was the sort of thing a scummy businessman would use to get people’s attention. And despite that, she could see his genuine thoughtfulness shining through.

As a result, her surprise soon morphed into a genuine warmth as Aiden concluded a moment after;

"Trust me. Marketing will do a lot of the heavy lifting."

"Which is why... I was wondering if I could use your recipe as the inspiration for the first product." he then asked, his expression hopeful.

Granted Aiden could’ve simply ripped it off without her ever knowing, it would’ve left a bad taste in his mouth given he had a creed of his own he wanted to follow.

Which was why he quickly added;

"You’d obviously get credit for it, but I wanted to ask for your permission first."

In response, Mrs. Rodriguez’s eyes crinkled with warmth as she replied;

"Of course, mijo. You have my blessing."

"Really?" Aiden’s expression turned bright.

"Sí, of course." she walked over and gave his hand an affectionate pat as she continued;

"If you can take something I made for your prom and turn it into something people enjoy, then I would be very proud to see you do it."

To that, Aiden genuinely smiled and said;

"Thank you, Mrs. Rodriguez."

Giving him an acknowledging nod, she then pointed a finger at him with a playful smile;

"But you remember who gave you your first recipe when you become rich, sí?"

"I’ll make sure it’s written into the contract." Aiden laughed in response.

"Good." she nodded approvingly.

"Now go make your fancy water, mijo."

"Will do." Aiden grinned in response then made his way out a moment after.

With that out of the way, he could now finally proceed to taking his first steps towards the beverage business.

But first, he had to sort out his pending Time-limited Quests, AP and Final Year exams in the coming month.