Jason and the Enigmatic System

Chapter 1

"Come here!" Dominic bellowed as I hobbled over to his side. "Have you done my assignment?" he demanded, eyeing me expectantly. I nodded and handed him the papers I had prepared. He grinned, saying, "Good boy," and smacked my face.

Zane, his sidekick, glared at me. "What are you staring at, you bastard? Keep your eyes on the floor," he snarled. I quickly obeyed, knowing better than to make a scene. It seemed like I was invisible to most students on campus, or perhaps they just didn't care about someone like me. As Dominic and his cronies sauntered away, I collapsed to the ground, struggling to catch my breath. The last time Dominic had summoned me had been a nightmare—I ended up wetting my pants.

Gathering my bag pack, I trudged toward the school building, my head bowed. Thoughts of transferring out of the school raced through my mind. I was prey to many bullies who exploited me for their own gain. Adjusting my spectacles, I made my way to class, remembering that I needed to drop off Carlos's assignment. Carlos wasn't a bully like Dominic, but he didn't tolerate mistakes in his work.

Back in my dorm, I decided to skip the day's class. There was no way I could attend and complete Carlos's assignment in time. While rushing, I bumped into another student, causing my books to spill onto the ground. "I'm sorry," a gentle female voice said as she helped me gather my books.

"It's fine. I should have been paying more attention," I replied, looking up to see Sophia's face. "Oh my God!" I exclaimed inwardly.

"Sophia!" I blurted out, adjusting my spectacles.

She laughed. "Jason?"

"You know my name?" I asked, surprised.

"Who doesn't? Aren't you the most intellectual student on campus?" Sophia said with a smile.

Glancing at my watch, I realized time was ticking away. "I have to go," I said with a smile.

"Give me your phone," Sophia requested, holding out her hand.

Perplexed, I handed her my phone. "Call me," she said gently before walking away.

Unbelievable! It felt like I had just won the lottery. I couldn't believe that I would be talking to one of the most well-behaved ladies on campus. "Did she just ask me to call her?" I said with a smile as I walked back to my hostel. I had finished Carlos's work when my phone rang. I picked up, and I heard a stern voice shouting at me, "Why are you not here yet, Jason? Do you want me to fail this course?"

"I am done with it... I will be coming over in some minutes' time," I replied, glancing at the wall clock dangling on my wall. I knew I had wasted time. Meeting with Sophia had been eventful, but it had also cost me. I racked my brain, wondering what set of new lies I was going to have to tell Carlos.

I hurried briskly towards his dorm and knocked on the door. There was no response, and my phone buzzed again. "Come find me at the back of the school."

Jeez! This meant another beating for me as my heart raced a bit. I quickly adjusted my rumpled clothes and walked towards the building. I met Carlos and some of his friends smoking and hanging out. "Here comes the nerd!" Diego, a Spanish student and friend of Carlos, said with a smirk. I saw him walking towards me, and I began to sweat. For some reason, Diego didn't like me, and I didn't like him either. I guess the feeling was mutual.

"Where is it?" he asked, looking at me. I dipped my hand into my backpack and brought out a neatly folded paper. He looked through it and nodded. "Scram!" he shouted at me, and I ran away like a scared rabbit, making the girls laugh at me. I knew I had to leave in time before Carlos changed his mind. I remembered I had gotten Sophia's number and decided to give her a call. She was the only good thing that had happened to me in a while. At least, that was what I thought.

"Hello," I said gently, placing the phone to my ear.

"Jason?" a female voice was heard at the other end of the call. I smiled and blushed, seeing that Sophia recognized my voice. "I wasn't expecting you to even recognize my voice. I just wanted to say hi," I said, adjusting my spectacles.

"Do you wanna hang out with me?"

My eyes bulged as I heard the words "hang out." Was she joking with me?

"I would love to," I replied, and Sophia said she was going to text me the address where we were going to meet up.

I immediately raced back to my dorm and changed into something nice. At least, it was my best clothes. I looked at my rough hair, and I smirked. I needed to have a clean shave and cut my hair.

I sat down patiently, awaiting Sophia's call.

I picked up immediately when my phone rang. It was as if I had been expecting her call. "Hey, did you see it?" Sophia asked, smiling at the other end of the line. She knew I was anticipating her call. "I will check it right away."

"Meet me at the school cafeteria or would you prefer the lounge?" Sophia asked.

I rolled my eyes, trying to decide which was better. "Cafeteria," I said with a smile. Seeing Sophia with me would boost my self-esteem, and it would make the students stop looking down on me.

I gently walked out of my hostel, heading towards the school cafeteria. I looked around to catch a glimpse of Sophia, but I couldn't see her. Was she playing mind games with me? I glanced at my wristwatch and realized I had been waiting for fifteen minutes.

Feeling a tap on my shoulder, I turned to see her staring at me. "I'm sorry to keep you waiting. I had some unforeseen issues that needed my attention," Sophia apologized.

Seeing her true to her words was enough for me to forget if she was late or not. "Here, ma'am," I said, pulling out a chair for her to sit on. "What would you like to have?" I looked at her, trying to order some food for us. "Just salad and cream would be fine," she said.

I mirrored her order, not wanting to appear like a glutton on our first date. As we sat in silence, I noticed some students staring at us. "Let them stare," Sophia's voice broke the silence, and I smiled.

"Why me?" I asked her, unsure why she chose me.

"Because you are different from many of the guys around here. Most just want a fling with me," Sophia said, smiling. "Would you like to date me?" she added, and I coughed, grabbing the handkerchief beside my plate.

"Date...date you? Are you serious right now?" I asked with excitement in my eyes.

"Yes, I would love to have someone who will love me for what I am."

"Isn't that Jason? I wonder what Sophia is doing with a loser like him," I heard Violet, one of the elite students on campus, say with a smirk as she walked past me with her friend.

Sophia scolded me a little, "Can you stop looking around and eat your food?"

I looked at her, wondering why she would get entangled with me. She even asked me to date her.

After finishing our meal, Sophia said, "You are mine now. So don't you dare look at any other ladies here?" With a smile, she kissed me and walked back to her hostel. I watched her, jumping up and shouting.

I looked around and saw some guys talking and pointing at me. I was on cloud nine as I walked towards my hostel. But little did I know, I was being played for a fool. After that day, I hardly saw Sophia, and all we did was talk on the phone. She started giving many excuses and would always postpone our dates. I kept doing all her work and assignments, even running her errands. Many people saw me as being stupid, but I was in love. I had to work on Carlos and Dominic's assignments, giving me very little time to concentrate on my studies. I was gradually dropping points on my GPA, and many started wondering what was going on with me.

One sunny afternoon, I decided to check on Sophia in her dorm. My heart raced as I walked and looked around to see if I could find her. Many of the ladies sneered at me, and I heard them call me names. "Dummy. What a simpleton! I am sure he doesn't know his beloved Sophia is sleeping with Dominic as we speak."

I looked at them, wondering if what they said was true. My pace quickened as I walked faster, my heart pounding against my rib cage. I took out my phone to call Sophia. "Why isn't she picking up my calls? Is it true?" I doubted what I had heard.

I reached her dorm and found it locked. Racing out of the female hostel, I headed towards Dominic's home. Fury consumed me, and I didn't even care what would happen if I found Sophia in bed with him. I landed a heavy kick on the door as I walked in. The books I was clutching to my chest all dropped to the floor as I found Sophia in bed with Dominic.

The look of being a fool was visible on my face. "Why?" I said as tears rolled down my face. "You said you love me! That was what you told me. What changed? You don't love me anymore?" I asked, walking towards them. I watched Sophia wrap the white bedspread around her body while Dominic came charging at me. "How dare you come here without my permission? Are you nuts?" He shouted in anger, but I wasn't ready to give in. I had been played for a fool for too long, and I wouldn't be anymore.

I didn't know where the energy came from, and we engaged in a scuffle. I sent Dominic back with a kick to his belly, and he landed on the floor, clutching his stomach. I was going to make him pay for all he had done to me, but just when I thought I had the upper hand, I felt a sharp pain in my side and looked at Sophia, holding the tip of a table knife close to my ribs. "Did you just...just stab me?" I said, gently getting up from Dominic, whom I had pinned down. I walked closer to her as she moved back. Dominic stood up, landing a blow to my head. I fell to the floor as everything became hazy. I was about to pass out when my phone chimed, and a gaming app automatically installed itself. I heard a Super Mario sound and looked at the screen.

[SYSTEM BOOTING IN 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 1]

[SYSTEM SUCCESSFULLY INSTALLED]

[PRESS YES/NO TO ACTIVATE YOUR FIRST MISSION]

My hand slowly moved over my screen as I passed out on the cold floor, my fresh blood pooling around me.