Jay couldn't help wondering what kind of plan Max was cooking up. He clearly wasn't following any kind of normal student playbook. Still, Jay sent the text, and within minutes, the girls had responded with a location for the eting.
A short while later, they found themselves walking down the local high street. It wasn't anything fancy, not the main city strip, just the cluster of shops and hangouts in their part of town.
The eting spot? A bowling alley.
It sat at the edge of a small park, tucked behind the last row of shops. Honestly, it wasn't a bad spot for an ambush. Lots of places to hide, plenty of blind corners. If Seaton was planning sothing shady, this was the perfect setup.
"You worried?" Max asked, breaking the silence.
"About Seaton?" Jay said. "Yeah. But not in the usual way."
Max glanced at him.
"If they tried to attack us... I don't know if I could hit them," Jay admitted. "I've never hit a woman before."
"Oh, a gentleman," Max said with a smirk. "Though probably a smart move in your case. With your strength, you pick soone up and slam them, they might not get back up."
The image popped into Max's head, and yeah... it wasn't a good one. Still, he knew better than to underestimate girls. In his experience, they could be even more dangerous than the guys, just in different ways.
Too many tis he'd seen promising gangs collapse, strong leaders fall apart, and it almost always had sothing to do with a woman.
The bowling alley ca into view, a faded pink sign buzzing faintly over the entrance. It was nearly empty, which made sense, school was still in session, and this was more of a weekend family spot than a weekday hangout.
As soon as they walked in, it was easy to spot them, three high school girls, seated casually in the dining area off to the side, waiting.
They were all wearing stockings and short skirts, each with brightly colored hair in different shades, but the one who stood out the most had pink hair and an eyebrow piercing. Just by the way she carried herself, it was clear she was the leader.
Do schools these days allow anything? Max thought. Back in my day, we'd have been kicked out just for showing up with dyed hair… tis really have changed.
As soon as Max and Jay stepped in, the three girls stood. The two on the sides imdiately pulled out chairs for them. One of them practically shoved Jay into his seat, then ran her hands over his arms like she was inspecting a sculpture.
"Oooh, you're built," she said, eyes wide. "You must work out a ton."
"No, I… I an…" Jay stamred, his face turning red. Words just stopped working.
On Max's side, one of the girls clung to his arm, pressing close. He glanced down at her with a flat look.
"Are we here to talk or to flirt?" he asked. "Because when I agreed to this eting, I didn't realize you were just gonna throw yourselves at us."
The girl pulled back instantly, rolling her eyes and scoffing as she went to sit down. The one next to Jay, though, stayed close, still clinging to his side like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Then the pink-haired girl stepped forward. Her vibe shifted, cool, confident, in control.
"So you're the one who took down Dipter," she said, holding out her hand. "Na's Aki. Head of Seaton Academy."
Max shook her hand as they both sat down, eyes locking for a mont in silence.
"And you're the leader of Seaton," Max said. "Let's skip the small talk. You want an alliance with us, right? So the other schools won't ss with you?"
"Correct," Aki said. "Most schools around here are co-ed, but even then, most girls don't end up walking the kind of path we walk. That's what makes us valuable. Being part of our group is an attractive offer, whether people admit it or not."
She leaned forward slightly.
"A lot of the girls at my school? They've been pressured, almost forced, to link up with guys from other schools. 'Date them,' or beco part of so twisted package deal when joining other gangs. Apparently, in the eyes of street gangs and the ones above them, girls are just… assets."
Max didn't flinch. He understood all too well. Like he'd thought earlier, won could destroy a gang from the inside, without ever throwing a punch. All it took was the right look, the right words, and a few well-placed lies.
Plenty of guys would choose the girl over the gang. And by the ti they realized they'd been played, it was already over.
"Before I agree to anything," Max said, sitting up straighter, "I've got a few questions. And so terms."
Aki's expression shifted. Barely. But Max caught it, her eye twitched. She was nervous about what he'd ask. That ant there was sothing she didn't want on the table. Sothing she hadn't been willing to offer Dipter, either.
Even though she was the one who ca asking for the alliance, if the terms weren't right, she'd walk away.
"Do your girls have a way of making money?" Max asked. "An inco stream, sothing steady?"
Out of everything he could've asked, that one clearly caught her off guard. But it also intrigued her.
"We have our ways," Aki replied coolly. "There are a lot of sick n out there. Most of them older. So just catcall when they see us on the street, others slide into DMs if a girl posts a photo on Instagram."
"The thing is," Aki continued, "if we're out of uniform, dressed up with makeup on, no one can really tell how old we are. We agree to et these guys at a hotel, and right before they try to make a move, we bust in with a cara and start snapping photos."
She said it like it was just another part of the job.
"Most of them have wives, girlfriends, or so reputation to protect. They don't want word getting out about what they tried to do. So we extort them, take the money, and move on. We've never actually sent the photos out or told their families."
Aki leaned back slightly, totally calm. "We're not in the business of ruining lives, just making enough to survive."
She said it all so confidently. No sha. No second-guessing. Max didn't care about the morality, what mattered to him was what it ant.
That's perfect, he thought. They're self-sufficient. I won't have to put them on the payroll. And if they've got cash… I can move forward with my plan. Seaton's location is ideal. If we take over Clapton High, we'll form a perfect triangle across the city, control a massive chunk of territory.
He placed both hands flat on the table, his tone shifting.
"Alright, here are my terms," Max said. "All your girls need to sign up at the closest Bloodline Gym in your area. Out of your own pocket."
Aki raised an eyebrow.
"You need to learn how to defend yourselves. It's for your own good. Eventually, soone will try to fight back, or worse, co after you for revenge."
He leaned in slightly, a flicker of excitent in his eyes.
"Second, every mber has to buy rch from the gym."
Aki blinked. "You want us to… buy rch?"
"Correct," Max said. "The rch is part of the group's identity. Soon, the na Billion Bloodline is gonna be everywhere. I'm sure you've already heard, we hit Clapton High. Word's spreading fast. If your girls wear our rch, people will know you're with us."
He paused, then let out a small sigh like he was preparing to drop sothing big.
"And… I want you to be models," Max added.
A beat of silence passed.
"What?" Aki said flatly, eyebrows raised. The two other girls looked just as confused, trading wide-eyed glances like they hadn't heard him right.
"You want us to model... your gym clothes?" one of them asked slowly.
Max nodded, completely serious.
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