Maverick Effect (Chapter 17)
Maverick stretched slowly before settling himself on the bed. Jessica and Natalie snuggled back into his arms. He lay with his eyes closed for awhile, long enough for both girls to wonder if he had fallen asleep. Jessica was about to tap him when he spoke, slightly startling both girls.
“Maverick Effect is not easy to explain. In order for you both to really understand this, we’re going to have to go way back. But before I do, let’s get something clear. This information does not leave this room unless I say it does and only the information I say can be. Is this understood?”
He opened his eyes and looked at both of them.
“Yes.”
“Yes it is.”
“Good, then let’s go back to a skinny kid with glasses, braces, and acne just entering high school. We’ll call him the nice guy. Things hadn’t been easy for this kid already, but they kept getting worse. His home life was shitty, his parents didn’t even try to understand him. The youngest of his siblings, the runt of the litter one might say. Never aced school like his siblings, never was that star athlete like his father wanted. Was never the preppy, ivy leauge shoe-in that his mother wanted. Not even the normal, happy go lucky youngest like his siblings wanted. He was just him, his own person. It just so happened that no one liked this person. Even if they would have is irrevelant, they never gave him the chance, or even the time of day. So, this kid with no friends goes off to high school. He wants things to be different than before. Wouldn’t anyone? So, he joins two clubs known for friendships and camradre. He does the best he can in school, despite his personality. But by the time he finishes high school, not a one of those supposed friends, from both organizations, has kept in contact with him, even though they tried to suddenly reestablish contact much later. Despite his best efforts he somehow ends up with some of the worst teachers that the school has to offer and tells them as much. Of course those teachers get mad and flunk him. He ends up going to summer school three out of his four years in high school. He has a few girlfriends in high school. He’s not an ug in the looks department after all. Maybe not drop dead gorgous, but he’s all right looking if you squint the right way. He doesn’t talk to any of them anymore. They all left him. One left because a male friend of hers found he couldn’t manipulte her anymore while she was with the nice guy, so he made up a story and she believed him rather than the nice guy and broke up with him. Another left because she decided that he wasn’t enough into society, so she ‘couldn’t associate with him anymore.’ Another one left him and a month later, took off from home, moved in with some other guy and had two kids by him. Let’s also count all the supposed female friends that the nice guy had. All these girls that would run to him whenever they had a problem, when they needed help with school work, when the newest jerk ex pulled something or other. But when all was nice and dandy, when everything was all peachy keen. Not a word, not a hello, not a phone call, not a damn thing. Of course, as most nice guys do, he kept on giving his help and even was attracted to many of them. Even asked a few of them out. But of course it was always the same answers. She was already with someone new even though she had broken up with the last guy two days ago. He wasn’t their type. They were looking for someone just like him..just not him. So you can see that things just weren’t the best in high school. Now let’s move on to college.”
“Maverick?”
“Yes?”
“That second one…that was Michelle wasn’t it?”
“Yeah, it was.”
Maverick was silent for a long while more. This time the girls waited patiently. Something they had learned early on from Maverick. He took a deep breath and spoke again…
-Damien