"Bro, you're thinking about this all wrong."
Marcus leaned back in his chair, tossing a crumpled paper ball at the ceiling. His green uniform marked him as Awakened - one of the lucky few who'd shown abilities at fifteen and would graduate straight into the Hunters Association. The color made his dark skin look even more striking, and the fitted cut showed off the lean muscle that came with combat training.
The cafeteria buzzed around them with the usual pre-graduation chaos - seniors making plans, underclassmen panicking about exams, the whole mess of another school year winding down.
Shaun stabbed at his mystery meat with a plastic fork, his own white uniform marking him as painfully ordinary. At six-foot-one, he should have looked imposing, but the standard-issue white fabric just made his rail-thin frame look even more skeletal. His mess of white hair stuck up at odd angles no matter what he did to it.
"Easy for you to say. Your stats don't make employers laugh out loud."
"That's exactly my point." Marcus caught the paper ball and immediately threw it again. "You're acting like your Seal is some permanent tattoo. Stats change, man. One good encounter and suddenly you're not the guy employers cross off their list before they even meet you."
"One good encounter with who?" Shaun's voice dropped to avoid the ears at nearby tables. "Look, maybe I could try faking it somehow, get someone to just give me good reviews without actually—"
"Don't even finish that thought." Marcus's expression turned serious. "Remember that guy from last year's class? Tommy Morrison? He tried the fake review route. Got caught by the biometric verification and ended up with fraud charges. He's in prison now, and his Seal shows 'Criminal Record' every time someone scans it."
Shaun's shoulders sagged. Of course it wouldn't be that simple. The Seals tracked everything - hormones, proximity, duration. You couldn't fake genuine intimacy any more than you could fake having superpowers.
"Besides," Marcus continued, "even if you could fake it, you still need to actually know what you're doing. Real encounters after that would expose you anyway."
Marcus grinned and pulled out his phone. "That's where your incredibly handsome and well-connected best friend comes in." He scrolled through his contacts, stopping at a name that made Shaun's stomach flip.
"No. Absolutely not."
"Hear me out—"
"Marcus, no. Not her."
"Lily Chen is perfect for this." Marcus ignored his protests, already typing. "She's graduating with us, she's got the stats to make you look good, and more importantly..." He paused dramatically. "She owes me a favor."
Shaun nearly choked on his drink. "She owes you a favor? What kind of favor?"
"The kind where I kept my mouth shut about her and Professor Williams last semester." Marcus shrugged like it was nothing. "Look, she's not exactly relationship material, but for what you need? She's ideal. Clean history, good reviews, knows what she's doing."
"This is insane." But even as he said it, Shaun felt a flicker of something that might have been hope. "She'd never agree to it."
"Already texted her." Marcus held up his phone, showing a brief conversation. "She said yes."
The world seemed to tilt slightly. "You're serious?"
"Dead serious. Tonight, your place. Your dad's working late, right?" Marcus leaned forward, his expression shifting to something more serious. "Listen, man. I know you're thinking about trying the Awakening again next month, but we both know how that went last time."
The memory hit like a punch to the gut. Age fifteen, standing in that sterile room with twenty other hopefuls, pressing his finger to the Awakening Stone and feeling... nothing. Not even a flicker. The technician's pitying look as they marked him down as "Unresponsive" still burned five years later.
"There's another Awakening ceremony in a month, right after graduation," Marcus said carefully. "You could try again..."
Shaun pushed his tray away, appetite gone. "And when I fail again? They only do ceremonies every five years, Marcus. This is my last shot." He looked around the cafeteria, at all the white uniforms that would scatter to warehouse jobs and retail positions after graduation. "After we graduate, nobody's going to give a damn about helping the pathetic guy with zero stats. The world's too busy, too focused on people who actually matter. Even you'll be off with the Hunters, making something of yourself."
"Come on, that's not—"
"It is though." Shaun's voice was quiet but certain. "Right now, we're all still here together. Still in this bubble where people occasionally give a shit about each other. But once everyone spreads out into the real world? I'll be invisible. Another nobody with nothing to offer."
Marcus was quiet for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Okay. Yeah, you're right. This is probably your best shot."
"She really said yes?"
"She said yes." Marcus pulled a small foil packet from his backpack and slid it across the table. "And being the thoughtful friend I am..."
"Jesus Christ, Marcus." Shaun palmed the condom quickly, heat rising in his cheeks. "Could you be any more obvious?"
"What? It's called being prepared." Marcus grinned. "Besides, you think I'm letting my best friend go in there without backup? This isn't just about stats, man. This is about you finally getting some confidence."
The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. Students began filtering out, heading to afternoon classes that suddenly felt pointless compared to what lay ahead.
"You sure about this?" Shaun asked, standing up with his tray.
"I'm sure you need this more than you need another failed Awakening attempt." Marcus clapped him on the shoulder. "Trust me. By tomorrow morning, you'll be thanking me."
---
Six hours later, Shaun stood in his living room, checking the clock for the hundredth time. His dad was already at the factory, pulling another double shift to keep the lights on. The house felt too quiet, too empty, like it was holding its breath.
A car pulled into the driveway, headlights cutting through the evening gloom.
Marcus's voice carried through the front door before he even knocked. "Hope you're ready for some action tonight, virgin boy!"
Shaun yanked the door open, his face already burning. "Could you announce it to the whole neighborhood?"
"Relax, nobody cares about your business." Marcus stepped inside, followed by a girl who made Shaun's brain temporarily short-circuit.
Lily Chen looked exactly like she did in his embarrassing daydreams - dark hair that fell in waves past her shoulders, a green uniform that marked her as Second Generation Awakened, and curves that made every piece of clothing look like it was designed specifically for her body. Her expression suggested she'd rather be getting root canal surgery.
"Shaun, meet Lily. Lily, meet the guy whose stats are about to stop being a complete joke." Marcus stepped between them with the theatrical flourish of a game show host.
"Charming introduction," Lily said dryly, looking around the modest living room like she was calculating how quickly she could escape.
Marcus lingered by the door, catching Shaun's eye with a meaningful look. "You got everything you need?"
Heat flooded Shaun's face as he patted his pocket where the condom sat like a small, embarrassing lifeline. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm set."
"Perfect." Marcus grinned and headed for the door. "I'll pick you up for school tomorrow. Try not to die of happiness."
The door clicked shut behind him, leaving them alone in the sudden quiet of the empty house. Lily turned to face Shaun, her expression businesslike and completely unreadable.
"So," she said, crossing her arms under her chest in a way that made his mouth go dry. "Let's get started."