Chapter 6: Outsmarting the System
Nathan leaned against his locker, gripping his phone. He had spent the last week building his business, only for Jordan to snitch to the teachers and get some of his customers caught.
I should've expected this.
Jordan wasn't just competing—he was trying to eliminate Nathan entirely.
But Nathan wasn't going to back down. If selling openly was now too risky, then he'd just have to change the game.
The Underground Market
Nathan spent the rest of the day watching how teachers were cracking down on snack reselling.
Teachers had been confiscating snacks in classrooms.
Some students had gotten detention for being caught.
A few had even been warned that repeated offenses would get them written up.
But Nathan noticed one key detail: Teachers weren't catching everyone.
The students who were getting caught were the obvious buyers—the ones pulling snacks out in the open during class.
That gave him an idea.
A Secret Network
Instead of selling directly like before, Nathan recruited middlemen—students who would take orders and distribute the goods.
At lunch, he approached his first potential partner, a quiet but sharp guy named Miles.
Miles raised an eyebrow. "You want me to sell for you?"
Nathan smirked. "Not exactly. I'll handle the inventory—you just take the orders and pass them along. Every sale you bring in, you get a cut."
Miles thought for a moment, then shrugged. "As long as I don't get caught."
Nathan grinned. "Don't worry. That's the whole point of this system."
By the end of the day, he had three middlemen working for him.
Miles covered the upperclassmen.
Jay handled the freshmen and sophomores.
Maria was in charge of students in the after-school clubs.
Now, instead of being the face of the operation, Nathan worked behind the scenes, making it much harder for teachers (or Jordan) to take him down.
Jordan Strikes Again
At the end of the week, Nathan checked his earnings.
[Balance: $112.75]
He grinned. Not only had he passed $100, but his business was now running itself.
Then, he heard the rumors.
"Did you hear? Jordan's dad owns vending machines downtown."
Nathan's smile disappeared.
Jordan wasn't just playing school games anymore—he had access to real business connections.
And he wasn't done yet.
At lunchtime, Jordan walked up to Nathan's table, smirking.
"Looks like you're still in business," Jordan said.
Nathan leaned back. "And it looks like you're still watching me instead of focusing on your own."
Jordan laughed. "We'll see how long that lasts. Just a warning—things are about to get a lot harder for you."
Nathan's gut told him that Jordan wasn't bluffing.
But no matter what came next, he was ready.