Chapter 4：The thong test (1/2)
5 days later…
”Why hasn't she called?!?” Ben was sitting on his bed with his face buried in his hands. He thought he made it out of the woods. He thought he had a chance to live. But he discovered he was too naive!
”That Divine Line was actually a death sentence!”
He was tricked into a sense of complacency. Ben figured since the line went well, everything would work out with Penelope. Instead, death approached closer and closer like a runaway train.
Over the past week, he'd started class. The first couple of days were fine. He waited for Penelope to call while focusing on his studies. Then with every following day, he lost more and more sleep as reality sank in. His eyes became black as he grew pale and carried a nervous sweat at all times. His face was that of a ghoul!
Though what could you expect from someone on death row? She hadn't called and he was out of moves. There were no PUA Points left and was helpless without them. He wasn't charming. He didn't speak Greek. When talking to a girl, he could barely speak English!
'It's the end. What should I do? I have no cheats from the pick up artist system. How the hell am I supposed to become a pick up artist?' Drowned by depression, Ben lied down in his bed.
A few moments later, he shot right back up. ”Wait…pick up artist. That's not a term invented by the system. That's a real thing. Though I laughed in his face, didn't my idiot cousin Antonio call himself a pick up artist the last time we spoke?”
Ben stood up and paced around the room. ”It's ridiculous to depend on that fool...but what other option do I have?” Ben picked up his phone and called his cousin.
*Ring* *Ring*
”Yo cuz, what's up?” Antonio answered.
”Antonio! You have to help me!”
His cousin was startled. ”What's the matter? Did you get kidnapped?”
”Worse! Listen, I have to meet you! Where are you?”
Ben received Antonio's location, grabbed his metro card, and ran out of the dorm.
***
Inside a Starbucks in Midtown, the front door shot open. Someone entered at such speed that the employees thought it was the cartoon Road Runner. They were relieved when they saw it was a short teenager, then became disturbed again when they saw his brown hair; It was styled in an atrocious huge perm. They only relaxed once they remembered that New York was filled with all kinds of strange characters.
Ben searched the cafe before running to a back table. There sat a young man with tanned sand-colored skin and a shaved head. He was skinny and of average height but gazed around the room with unbridled arrogance, like he was a young noble from an ancient family. Meanwhile, he drank water because he didn't want to spend 2 dollars on a coffee.
Upon reaching the table, Ben grabbed his hands. ”Antonio, I need your help!”
”...Cuz, calm down first. Tell me what happened.”
Ben wasn't sure what to say. 'Should I tell him a voice popped into my head and is forcing me to seduce women? He'll have me committed.' He needed to come with something else, so he took a few seconds to gather his thoughts.
”It's like this. I must seduce women!” Ben couldn't think of a good reason, so he skipped the reason instead.