〘Date: 2/8 - Friday〙
〘Time: 6:30 PM〙
〘Location: Texas, San Antonio - Royal Hills〙
The time of the party came around, and Allie and I had finally arrived at Matt's neighborhood, Royal Hills. Similar to Daphne's and Chloe's neighborhood, Bonnell Falls, Royal Hills was one of the three richest neighborhoods within San Antonio, sitting near one of the three valleys, Leon Valley.
Matt's home was a spectacle, a six bedroom penthouse with a grand pool in the backyard and three super cars parked in his driveway. Multiple cars filled the streets, people filling the yard and inside the home as everyone celebrated Trinity Valley University's victory with music blasting in the air.
Pushing past a few people, Allie and I managed to squeeze our way to the entrance, one of the bouncers of the party stopping us to check who we were. Upon recognition, they knew we were good friends of Matt and we were allowed inside without paying any fees.
"Everybody turn up! We about to go crazy!" The DJ called out, playing a turn up type of song for the crowd to dance to.
The crowd cheered loudly, everyone on the dance floor dancing energetically to the music blasting from the speakers. Neon lights flashed around, light mist from the smoke machine began to surround the dance floor, adding a bit more flavor to the party.
I began slipping through the crowd with Allie's hand in mine, managing to make it to the kitchen where Matt and his team were, celebrating the big win with a few drinks. Once Matt noticed me, his smile grew even wider, a drunken laugh slipping from his lips.
"Aye, the main man has arrived! My boy!" Matt called out, making his way toward me and dapping me up.
I chuckled softly at him, snapping my fingers and pat Matt on his shoulder. "Congrats man, y'all did it once again for the third year!"
"You already know! My boy Wade with the high jumper!" Matt laughed, turning around to point at Wade, getting him more hyped up.
Wade held up his chain, the pendant spinning and the diamonds embedded within his chain shining multiple colors. "Yooo, you already know I got the best vert of all time. Just a little calm win..."
The women around Wade giggled softly at his nonchalant response, clearly drawn to his jewelry and his star power within the university. I couldn't help but to be slightly impressed, seeing what the Art of Love could do for people not within the bloodline.
"Oh my gosh! Allie!" A familiar voice called out to us from behind, her tone filled with excitement.
Allie turned around, her eyes brightening at the sight of Hannah and she squealed lightly, letting go of my hand to hurry over to her. "Hannah!~ Is Paris here as well?"
"Girlie, you already know she is~ She's over here with the other girls. C'mon, I know you need a break from Ryder," Hannah teased, glancing over at me with a playful smirk.
I smiled at Hannah, chuckling softly at her then turned my gaze toward Allie. "If you need me, I'll be here in the kitchen with Matt."
"Okay!~ C'mon, I got so much tea for you..!" Allie said, holding Hannah's hand, the two of them retreating to the living room.
Matt smirked at me, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and pulled me toward the bar area with his team. "You seem to be in a very good mood as well, my guy! Tell me what's got you smiling this hard.."
I chuckled softly at him, walking alongside him toward the bar area. "Well if you must know, Allie and I had the ultimate pregame before coming here. That's why she's all full of energy as well.."
Matt's jaw dropped down to the ground at the news, his loud laugh reaching through the loud music and he put me in a light headlock. "You see what I told you? All you had to do was listen to the bros and it'll land you some!"
"Yeah, yeah, I hear you," I laughed, pushing myself off Matt and parrying a few of his playful jabs.
Matt and I joined the rest of the team again, each of us enjoying the party within the tight-knit group. Matt kept close guard over me, as if I were MVP of the night, but I knew he only did because most of the student body still viewed me as an outcast.
While we enjoyed the party with drinks and snacks, I noticed Jaiden making his way into the kitchen, Matt and Wade exclaiming as he walked in with his date, one of his music agents. I followed the two of them, my lips stretching into a bright smile as the trio was now together.
"Aye, the music man is here! And I see you brought your lady also?" Matt hummed, patting Jaiden on his shoulder with a teasing chuckle.
Jaiden smiled at Matt, moving some of his hair from his face. "Well, she wanted to come as well to see you all in person. Tonight is a big win after all."
"Damn straight it is! A three peat, back to back to back wins? You know what we call that around here?" Matt asked, looking back at the rest of his team.
"A Trinity Victory!" The football team chanted at the same time, a few laughs erupting from the team.
The quick chant caught a few eyes from the party in the front, a few of them laughing and gossiping about the chant. Jaiden and I couldn't help but to lightly laugh, the chant something that was an inside joke between me, him, and Matt.
"Anyways, c'mon. We are just now starting to get cranked up!" Matt said, making his way back toward the counter and noticing Wade already getting a few strands rolled up. "Aye, make sure it's not too strong. We got an post game interview tomorrow."
"Type. I got you bro, but we got to get tranced for the one time. It's been a while, and I know this is about to hit," Wade said, focusing on rolling up the paper carefully.
Matt chuckled softly, leading Jaiden and his date toward the long table with the other team members. "I know y'all don't smoke, so we gonna keep the blazes over here. If you need a drink, my man, Vance, got you at the bar."
"'Preciate that, man," Jaiden said, giving Matt a fist bump and watching Matt make his way back toward the kitchen counter.
"My boy, Ry! I know you can get faded, does your half sister, uh... Olivia, does she still smoke?" Matt asked, leaning against the counter and looking over at me.
I sat on one of the stools at the counter, nodding my head with a smile and leaned back. "Yeah, and I don't blame her. She has to blend in with the crowd with a terrible job, and she's still helping fight against those...people back at home."
"Damn..." Matt said, reaching over toward me to place an encouraging hand on my shoulder. "Let me tell you, if I were there, the organization issue would be solves in seconds."
"Yeah, right," I softly laughed, pushing his hand off my shoulder, shaking my head. "You would be straight fodder to them, real rap."
"Damn it's like that? Real rap? Not even a chance?" Matt chuckled softly, standing up straight and crossing his arms.
"I mean, you might get one lucky graze on their cheek," I answered, trying to keep my laughter inside.
Wade lowered his head, setting down his lighter and broke into a rare moment of genuine laughter. "Nah, just a gaze is genuinely crazy."
"Yeah when Wade laughs, you know it's grits. Aight, I know when I'm getting washed by some super street thugs," Matt chuckled softly, grabbing the joint from the counter and the lighter, shaking his head lightly.
〔Charisma EXP +100〕
The party continued, more people arriving to join the celebration and the atmosphere becoming more lively by the second. After spending enough time secluded from the party, Matt, Jaiden, and I decided to go join the main crowd to dance.
The moment we stepped onto the dance floor, all eyes were upon us, a few of the girls cheering as Matt took the dance floor first. As he danced, a small dance circle began forming, a few people of the crowd taking their phones to record the moment.
"Pump that nasty track!~ Rewind play it back!~ Sing low, shake it loose!~ Feel the bass!~ Feel the bass!~" A few girls chanted as he danced to the music.
Jaiden and I were hyping him up, watching as he grooved to bass driven beat. Matt's body seemed to flow as if he were in another world at the moment, lost in the rhythm. Soon, Matt dragged me into the circle, causing me to immediately become flustered.
"Oh my gosh..~ Is that Ryder..?~" Paris giggled, watching the dance circle from the couch with Hannah and Allie.
Allie covered her mouth, hiding her laughter and nodding her head. "It is...I haven't seen him dance since elementary school..~"
"I'm curious to see what kind of moves this Prince Charming has," Hannah chuckled, taking a sip of her drink, watching me with an intrigued stare.
〔System Notification: Dancing to the music will boost your recognition and Talent.〕
〔University Reputation: 29%〕
I looked at my phone quickly, noticing the notification and knew I had to lock in at this moment. I was now within the hierarchy, finally playing its game and now I had to conquer it through the Art.
The beat began to slow down, my gaze shifting around the dance circle, seeing the white flashes of light from their phones as they recorded the moment. I looked over at Matt, seeing him give me a nod with a bright smile on his face.
'It's all or nothing from here,' I thought to myself, taking a deep breath and exhaled.
Once the beat began to come back, I began to dance, my arms moving like water as I rode the waves of the beat. Matt nodded his head to my rhythm, his smile growing even wider than before. Jaiden also began to ride the wave as I began to get into the groove, the music seamlessly taking me away.
"Okay! Hey! I ain't know you could move like that, boy!" Matt laughed, clapping his hands as he watched me break it down on the dance floor.
Cheers were scattered across the dance circle with Allie's cheers being the grandest of them all. Soon, the entire dance circle began to join in on the cheers, each of them getting progressively more hype by the moment.
Once the song ended, my body immediately stopped moving, yet the freedom of the moment still lingered. I couldn't help but to smile, the feeling of being cheered for boosting my already wild adrenaline.
"Nah! We gotta get you on the dance floor more! That robot move you did and then the moonwalk, nah nah nah!" Matt cackled, ruffling my hair and put me in another playful headlock.
I laughed as I tried to escape his hold, trying to push myself off him. "Yo, man! You don't have to do all this!"
Jaiden chuckled along with us, a wave of happiness seeing me actually breaking out of my shell. Playfully, he decided to step in to help me escape Matt's headlock, only to be put in one himself.
〔Talent EXP +120〕
〔University Reputation has increased to 40%〕
After my impressive showcase, I heard a few voices calling my name from the couch, their voices reaching my ears amidst the crowd and music. I looked over, noticing Paris, Allie, and Hannah waving for me to go over to them, their eyes gleaming with mischief.
Matt looked over as well, a knowing smirk stretching on his lips. He let me go, keeping Jaiden in a headlock and chuckled lowly. "Go ahead and secure your bag, my boy. Jaiden and I will be cheering from the sidelines."
"C'mon, M. You gotta let me go at some point..! You're using your strong arm..." Jaiden grunted softly, trying to escape Matt's strong arm.
Matt chuckled softly at Jaiden, looking down at him and began to take him back to the kitchen, loosening his hold upon Jaiden. "My bad, big dawg. I did not know I was holding you that tightly."
I watched as the two retreated back to the kitchen, a soft smile forming on my face and a light exhale escaping through my nose. Soon, I began to make my way toward the couch, the three girls making room for me to sit down with them.
"Sooo..~ When were you gonna tell me you had moves like that? We could definitely use another choreographer," Paris teased gently, walking her fingers up my arm until her hand finally reached my cheek.
I looked over at Paris, giving her a sly smirk. "Some things are better found out organically. Wouldn't be as surprising if I had told you I was great at dancing."
"Right because I wouldn't believe you if you randomly told me that fact," Hannah chuckled softly, looking over at me and with drunken, yet playful smirk.
"That's the main reason I didn't say anything," I said, letting out a soft laugh then felt Allie resting her chin upon my shoulder.
"I try to tell you all that he has Talent..~ It's just that he never applies himself, until now. Let me tell you, he really applied himself earlier before we got here," Allie hummed dreamingly, letting out a soft, teasing giggle as she glanced at me.
"Ohh, I was wondering why you seemed so happy. Now I understand it," Paris figured out, finally putting the pieces of the puzzle together, her smile widening even more at Allie's statement.
Hannah nearly choked on her drink, coughing lightly and glancing over at me with her arm over her mouth. "You two had sex?"
Allie glanced at Hannah quickly, bursting out into laughter at how quickly Hannah picked up on her suggestion. "Y'know, sometimes I'm just scared of how fast you pick up on things."
"Listen, I'm a very active girl, and I know when a fellow sister was just crushed into blissfulness~ Besides, I could smell it on you the way you didn't even bat an eye at any of the other fine ass men here," Hannah said, shrugging her shoulders with a chuckle.
"At least you're self aware," Paris giggled softly, playfully nudging Hannah with her elbow.
Hannah rolled her eyes, getting up from the couch with a smile on her face. "Whatever, Parry..~ I'm gonna go get another drink and then finally shoot my shot with Wade. Wish me luck!~"
"Oh, yeah...she's definitely getting curved. Wade is way too nonchalant for her type," Paris chuckled, leaning back against the couch and getting comfortable against me.
"Sadly that's the reality..~ I feel like she needs a guy more sporty like her. Plus she's a tomboy, so I'm sure she has a roster just ready to choose from," Allie agreed, leaning her head against my shoulder and letting out a soft hum.
〔Love Finder Alert: New info learned about Hannah Cole.〕
〔Type of Girl (Hannah): Tomboyish〕
I glanced at my phone again, noticing that Phroa had recorded Hannah's type during their conversation. I noticed upon the Love Finder's radar, a red dot appeared upon the screen, indicating the tracked woman was someone I was very compatible with.
Immediately, I knew that the dot on the screen was Hannah. I've always thought that Hannah was attractive, and she obviously thinks I am too, but we've barely interacted without Paris being the bridge. At this moment, I knew she was a potential date for me, but I decided to put a pin on her for now.
The three of us continued to chill with each other, each of us making small talk and bouncing between random topics. The vibe began to calm down gradually, a portion of the party deciding to head home, causing the crowd to grow smaller and more breathable.
As we continued to talk with each other, we noticed a figure approaching us, his steps uneven and wobbly. He looked at us with pure disgust, bumping other people out of his way to approach the couch with his lackeys behind him.
"Ugh...just when I thought this party was starting to become peaceful..." Paris softly groaned, covering her face with her hand to avoid making eye contact.
I stared at the man who stood before us, my eyes slightly flashing with a lingering anger from the incident at the stadium. "What do you want, Tony?"
Tony ignored me, his gaze immediately finding Paris and he stepped toward her. "What the fuck are you doing all laid up on this failure? Didn't I tell you today to never fuck with this loser again?"
"Get on somewhere, Tony and leave us alone. We broke up two week ago, just get over it!" Paris complained, burying her face against me to evade Tony's insufferable stare.
"Yeah, plus you're the one who cheated on her so you don't have any right to be upset," Allie added, sticking up for Paris with an annoyed glare at Tony.
Tony scoffed at Allie, brushing past her comment. "I don't speak to those lesser than me. Especially those who can't even land an extra role in her own mentor's movie."
Allie slightly flinched back at his words, the disappointment of being rejected by my mother hitting her like a truck, this time harder since it came from Tony himself. She didn't have a comeback for him, only sinking down in defeat with a soft whine.
"Now that you know where you stand," Tony began, reaching his hand out to grab Paris.
I immediately grabbed his wrist, stopping his hand from coming close to Paris's body. Tony looked at me, his expression shifting into a mix of disbelief and annoyance, his slightly red eyes gleaming with a drunken rage.
"Get your hand off me, Failure. Who the fuck do you think you're touching?" Tony growled, his tone low and filled with hostility.
"I suggest you get back before you walk yourself into something you can't run from," I said dangerously, my tone matching his hostility, only with a more tribal anger to my voice.
Tony smirked at my confidence, snatching his hand away from me and pushing my head back by my forehead. "Ain't nobody scared of you, Mama's Boy."
Being taunted by Tony for the last time, I sprung up from the couch, my sudden movement causing a few eyes to look over at us. The onlookers began whispering amongst one another, a few of them taking their phones out to record.
"Oh...you get lucky with two dates and now you feel like a man huh..? You think anyone...is scared of Ryder Dawn? Son of just another actress?" Tony taunted even more, pressing his finger against my chest and pushed me back again.
At this point, the voices began to drown out in my head, my vision tunnelling only on Tony's face. My blood began boiling, my patience wearing thin and only behind held by a single thread. I tried to keep calm, to keep myself from succumbing to my own anger, but it was growing increasingly impossible.
"Look, lil bro. Just get out the way, and save yourself the embarrassment. Plus we all know that Paris went out with you for pity points, and Allie is just only using you for your mother. You're an outcast, a parasite within our perfect university," Tony continued, his taunting smirk lingering upon his drunk face.
"You don't fit in our hierarchy...a leech like you doesn't belong here. All you do is leech off Matt and Jaiden, and even they only keep you around out of pity. You're a useless son of a bitch, who should've never—"
Without letting him finish his drunk rambling, I caught him off guard with a swift sucker punch straight to his jaw, causing him to stumble and the room broke into immediate chaos. I began landing blow after blow upon Tony's face, each strike filled with unrestrained anger and hatred.
Soon, the chaos caught the ears of Matt and the others, a few guys rushing through the crowd to break up the fight between me and Tony. However, the emotions were too high and I broke out of their hold, unable to tell if they were with Tony or not, and struck one of them in the jaw with a clean Super Kick.
"Oh shi— Yo, yo, yo! Ryder, bro stop! It's us!" Matt called out, evading one of my wild kicks.
In the midst of the chaos, Tony jumped behind me, putting me in a sleeper hold. The commotion only grew louder as everyone fought to get the two of us separated. Managing to pull us apart, a few of the bouncers began to take Tony outside, getting him away from me.
The heat was only at its peak at this point, taking a few seconds to catch my breath while Matt and Jaiden tried to figure out what happened and the reason for the fight. Tony and I continued to yell and provoke each other while being separated from one another.
"C'mon, pussy! Come on!" Tony yelled, trying to break out of the bouncers' hold.
I huffed heavily, wiping my face then suddenly sprinted out the door, leaping toward Tony and crashing into him and the bouncers, the four of us falling onto the ground while the screaming continued in the background.
I tried to strike him again, but Matt and Jaiden managed to get me off him while Tony slipped behind his own bodyguards. Matt and Jaiden fought with me to keep me from breaking out, using their combined strength to successfully hold me back, ending my blind rage.
"Yo, bro! Cool it, it's over!" Matt exclaimed, trying to keep me calm while holding me back from Tony.
"Yeah, man, just take it easy..!" Jaiden co-signed, holding me back with Matt with all his strength.
"Nah, nah. Ain't no calm down no more, ain't no take it easy no more! You wanna talk about hierarchy then let's talk about it!" I called out to Tony, pushing myself off Matt and Jaiden, pacing back and forth looking at Tony while catching my breath.
Allie, Paris, and Hannah hurried outside with a few other bystanders, the three of them watching the commotion with worried expressions. Allie knew how bad my anger was, afraid that I would snap at any moment again.
"I don't think you understand something, actor boy...You act as if you don't know that my mom, Whitney Dawn, is currently the greatest actress to ever exist on Earth at the moment and is a Destiny Woman. Not to mention my grandmother, Krystal Dawn is still considered one of the greatest actresses to every exist and is also a Destiny Woman!" I began, laying it all out for Tony to understand who I truly was.
"Then there's my grandfather, Roy Dawn, one of the most successful business owners of all time right now! So yeah, my family's stacked when it comes down to the hierarchy, a world you desperately want to be a part of," I continued, stopping in my tracks to face Tony directly.
Tony scoffed at me, using his hand to mock me while rolling his eyes. "Yawn, what a fucking snoozefest. Nearly put me to sleep with your family tree explanation. All you've done was state the obvious."
I stared at Tony, my gaze becoming more primal, a toxic grin slowly stretching across my lips. "Yeah, you're right... everything I've said up until now was the obvious. Everyone knows about the Dawn Family...but what do you know about the Moji Tribe."
Suddenly, everyone froze at the name of my Bloodline. Matt, Jaiden, and Allie all looked at me with genuine disbelief that I was going to reveal something this massive to the general public.
Tony stared at me with a skeptical gaze, glancing at his lackeys to make sure they heard what he did as well. "What could you possibly know about the Moji Tribe? If you think spitting more facts will get you—"
"The Art of Love. That nine book series about the different aspects of love, that series was written by my Aunt, for ME! Every protagonist of each book is a different Destiny Woman corresponding to a certain trait, and those same women are a part of MY Bloodline!" I began, stepping forward and losing my reserved facade.
"Those books are mine! Every skill you learned from those books are mine! Everyone who bought and read those books belong to ME because you all learned those skills from my people— the same people who, in some way, acknowledge ME! The same way YOU will finally acknowledge me!" I continued, still letting out all of my inner frustrations.
Allie could see my Hawaiian Heritage coming out of me the way I spoke, her heart beating quickly with a mix of admiration and submissiveness to the tone of my voice. She had hoped to see my tribal side once again, but she couldn't help the instinctive fear that coursed through her veins when my anger began to show.
"Yeah, you might run the university we attend, but that is only a fraction of what true power looks like. You won't survive out there with the real tyrants, with real monsters, with real fiends that won't hesitate to dismantle your body for results," I said lowly, staring at Tony with a deathly serious gaze.
"Aye, aye...don't worry though, Mr. Extra Position in my mom's movie. You seem to want to live that type of life so badly, so every time I see you, don't matter the time or place...it's on sight," I declared, solidifying Tony as a permanent enemy.
Tony grunted softly, his entire prospective upon me changing within an instant. Part of him was in denial, wanting to doubt every word I said, but the dots aligned perfectly from the books down to who my mother was.
Knowing his mistake, he immediately sobered up, his brain unable to make any smart comeback. All he could do was back away slowly, retreating from the party with his bodyguard and lackeys following behind him.
Matt walked toward me, still in slight shock of the entire situation, but couldn't help but to have more respect for me than he previously had. "Damn, bro...Are you straight?"
"Yeah, yeah...In fact, I've never felt any better. To finally have all that off my chest. Yeah, I made a new enemy, but finally...that chip on my shoulder is gone," I said with a soft exhale, calming myself down from all the chaos.
"You still good to party now that the unwanted are gone?" Matt asked, a mischievous smirk curling upon his lips.
I smiled back at Matt, shrugging my shoulders and chuckled lightly. "Why not? The night is still young."
"Hell yeah, my boy! Aye, DJ! Crank that music back up!" Matt called out, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and leading me back into his house.
The crowd followed behind, a few peers of the student body growing more respect for me after my brawl with Tony. Since I had revealed who I truly was, I knew there was no hiding my heritage anymore but I knew the war against Tony and his hierarchy was long from over.
Now that I had directly challenged the hierarchy, straying from the path lead out for everyone of Trinity Valley University, I knew I had to follow through with dismantling the hierarchy of the university by destroying Tony's reputation as King of TVU.
〔Talent EXP +120〕
〔University Reputation has increased to 45%〕