Chapter 874: Roleplay

"Get dressed. Chop chop!" The woman tapped Jonathan’s shoulder three times before happily skipping away.

Jonathan opened his mouth, but the woman was already assisting others before he could say a word.

"..." He gazed down at the pair of uniforms in clear plastic. ’This is nonsense. I don’t want to stay in a place where Penelope Bennet is around.’

This wasn’t the right time for that. One more thing—Dean Pierson was here. Jonathan came here for a reason, and he didn’t want to linger around since he already got what he wanted. With that thought in mind, he squeezed through the crowd to pick up something from his table.

When he got what he needed, he navigated his way to the exit. However, as he approached the exit of the gymnasium, three guys blocked his path.

"Hey, transferee, where are you going?" one of them asked, studying him and deciding he was a transferee just because they didn’t recognize him.

Jonathan smiled amicably. "I’m sorry, but I’m—"

"It’s okay, let’s go," one of the men said, holding Jonathan’s shoulder and turning him around, pushing him along with the other guys. "Come along. Otherwise, the president will be disappointed."

"Come on, come on."

Jonathan opened and closed his mouth, but to no avail. All he could do was get pushed to the men’s restroom to change.

***

At the same time...

"No." Atlas shook his head. "I don’t want to..."

Atlas’s voice faded into the background as the basketball team, who were wearing their jerseys instead of their uniforms, carried Atlas as if he were about to be sacrificed. Atlas’s entire body froze, staring at the high ceiling of the gymnasium, feeling the rough hands holding him up.

"..." For a second, his mind was blank, as if he couldn’t wrap his head around it all. But then, he felt something poking his butt. "Who’s that?"

"Hehe. First Brother, that’s no one," Hugo, who somehow had the time to change into his usual clothes from twelve years ago, laughed. He was still wearing the butterfly wings, as if he had grown attached to them. "Just come along, and then we’ll be done."

"It was you?" Atlas clicked his tongue, noticing that Hugo’s shirt was a little damp. "Is that sweat or water?"

"It’s water. We’re trying to recreate our high school days perfectly!" Hugo mused proudly. "Don’t worry. If you want the real sweat, I can run a lap or two. I mean, we!"

"That’s right, First Brother! If the water prop disappoints you, then we can play one game—just one!"

"I think we should get him a jersey since he played with the team once."

Just as the basketball team was thinking of throwing Atlas a pair of jerseys, they stopped as someone stood in front of them. Atlas’s forehead wrinkled, wondering why they suddenly stopped. When he peeked down, all he saw was Max, wearing his basketball team jersey, and Ginnie beside him.

Max wore a grim expression, looking at Ginnie as she tapped his shoulder.

"Come on," Ginnie cheered, clearing her throat as she tried to get into character.

Max huffed and snapped his eyes at everyone. "Hah! What a bunch of fools! Why are you even wearing that jersey..." he trailed off, his face crumpling bitterly as he clenched his teeth to finish his sentence. "... I, alone, could make this team win!"

"Max, do it with more passion," Hugo blurted out, only to flinch when Max suddenly hissed at him.

"Hey, Max! What are you on about now, huh? Looking for trouble again?!"

"Basketball is a team sport—it’s teamwork! You can’t win just by yourself!"

"That’s enough," the captain intervened, but the team kept expressing their dismay.

"Hah! Is that what you all think?!" Max yelled, and with that, things quickly got heated between the basketball team and Max. Although it was initially just a "role-play," they all immediately got into character because, even on this day, they didn’t like each other.

"Can you please... not argue?" Atlas remarked, but his voice faded into the background quickly. "This role-playing would be perfect... if not for the fact that you guys are still carrying me."

But in the end, the basketball team—and even Hugo—argued with Max while holding Atlas up as if he were some sort of main dish to be served. Atlas, simply resigned to his fate, raised his brows and shrugged.

’I guess this isn’t bad,’ thought Atlas. ’If they’re holding me up like this, then that’s basically avoiding all the people around.’

***

"Slater! Slater!" James ran to Slater when he saw the latter standing in the corner. He was all smiles, but when he reached Slater, his smile stiffened. "Hey, Slater, is everything okay? Why do you look... depressed?"

Slater was already in his uniform, but he kept Penny’s shirt over it. He was still wearing the headband, but one could tell something was wrong.

"I’m not depressed," Slater sighed, snapping his eyes up at everyone, who were busy doing whatever they were doing. "I’m staying in character."

"Huh?"

Slater frowned, looking at James with disappointment. "I’m acting like someone who has no self-confidence, someone who is a victim of bullying."

"Oh."

"Don’t go near me. I know you’re only here because of my sister."

"Huh?"

"You don’t have to pity me or look after me, James," Slater sighed gloomily, squeezing himself into the corner. "I know you’re scared of Penny, but I don’t need someone like you to look after me. Have you forgotten you were one of my bullies? If not for Penny, you would’ve let Keith bully me."

James’ face twitched as he watched Slater sulk in the corner. "Haha. Slater..." he tried to reach out to him, only to see Slater tearing up. "Wow... you’re really into this."

"I am." Slater nodded, wiping his tears. "What do you think?"

"..." James was rendered speechless, slowly clapping his hands while shaking his head. "Slater, how about you pick up a drama class once you come back to work, eh? I can’t believe you just cried in the blink of an eye."

"Hehe."

"Do it again."

Slater nodded but then pointed a finger at him. "Get into character as well. I need help."

"Okay, okay."

With that, just like everyone else, James and Slater remembered some memories of the past and even reenacted them. But eventually, it helped them remember how James and Slater’s friendship started.