Disappointing High School Teachers

Time passed slowly, and soon it was time for school to start. Since it was his first day of high school, Robert personally drove him there.

After they arrived at the school, before Link got out of the car, Robert said to him, "All right. If you get into trouble at school, figure out how to handle it yourself. I hope it's the teachers and the parents of those bastards coming to me, not you coming to me crying."

"Of course, Dad!" Link had already grown accustomed to his father's style. He treated boys and girls in completely opposite ways.

For girls, he demanded that they be good little daughters. For boys, it was this very Texas-style approach—especially since Robert also had the manner of a military man.

According to the usual novel formula, there should have been beautiful female teachers at school, letting the protagonist Link build himself a harem.

But reality was that the teachers were either broad in every direction or over forty. As for the principal, he was another guy with sparse hair.

As he and the other new students listened to the teachers' talk, Link grew bored and began looking over the students.

There were only a little over a hundred freshmen in the new term, thanks to the fact that this town was not particularly small. The entire school only had around eight hundred students altogether.

That was because the town was not small. In some sparsely populated towns in the United States, an entire school could have only a little over a hundred students.

Most of these students were white, but there were also Asians and Black students. That was perfectly normal in the United States.

Compared with the uniform, oversized tracksuits across the Pacific Ocean, the clothing worn by high school students here was far more individualistic. Some wore slightly see-through clothes, while others had piercings.

While the teacher was speaking, these people sat crookedly in their seats, lowering their heads, whispering to one another, or pulling small mirrors from their pockets to fix themselves up.

When the teacher finally finished his meaningless speech and class was dismissed, a Black guy sitting beside Link, acting quite familiar, said to him:

"Bro, I'm Kevin Naber. I've got a good book here. Wanna broaden your horizons? My brother left it behind. Want to share it?"

"If you mean magazines like Playboy, I've got plenty at home." Link shrugged. "My dad subscribes to them. You know, for secrecy's sake, he likes to hide them in my room."

"Whoa, that's seriously enviable. Why don't I have a dad like yours?" The other guy immediately got what Link meant and looked envious. "So you can read those magazines without spending any money?"

"If you want to borrow them, then the answer is no. And you know, how can girls in magazines compare to real girls?"

"Fine." The Black guy, who had been about to say something, immediately looked disappointed. Then he caught the meaning in Link's words. "You mean you can ask girls out?"

Link shrugged. Before he could continue, he saw Kevin's eyes go wide. His gaze was fixed on Link's side. Link also sensed someone beside him, and before he could turn his head, he heard a familiar voice say:

"Link, you really came to Lola High School. That means you'll still help me with my tutoring, right?"

"Of course, Lena," Link said. "With such generous pay, why would I refuse?"

"Good. Then after school, we'll still go back to my house together."

"No problem."

After that brief exchange, Lena left the classroom. Once she was gone, Kevin impatiently asked in a loud voice, "Link, do you know that girl?"

"Of course. We used to be classmates."

"So are you two dating after school?"

"No, I'm just helping her with her studies." Link said casually, "It's only a part-time job. She pays me."

Kevin had always been called a nerd, but he clearly had a restless heart as well. He raised his brows, his expression as sleazy as could be. "Oh? And what kind of payment does she give you?"

Seeing the look on his face, Link was speechless. He did not respond and instead began looking over the classmates around him.

Overall, while they were all still young, quite a few had potential above the standard. Each one radiated the unbeatable advantage of youth, and their overflowing vitality could be felt.

Of course, some girls were also sizing Link up. Although he looked a little young, he had a handsome face and a decent temperament, so he ranked near the top of the girls' choices.

Before long, the bell rang and an unfamiliar male teacher entered. As the teacher walked into the classroom, Link's first American high school class began.

Besides required classes, American high school students could also choose elective courses. Their daily schedule was much like college: after one class ended, they went to another classroom for another course.

Because of that, every time a class ended, Link had to sling on his backpack as if preparing for battle and rush from one classroom to the next.

The hallways were filled with students hurrying to change classrooms, while the teachers were the most relaxed of all. Kevin, meanwhile, followed Link the entire time. He clearly considered Link someone capable and was preparing to cling to him.

He was even thinking that with Link's help, he might have a chance to complete his first adult experience within a year.

Black people in the United States seemed to have a natural talent for rhyming. The way Kevin spoke sounded like rap, which Link found interesting, so he temporarily accepted him as a sidekick.

After the morning classes ended, there was a one-hour lunch break from 11:40 a.m. to 12:40 p.m. Most students went to the cafeteria during that time to take care of lunch.

Link and Kevin planned to buy lunch together. It seemed like no big deal, but in reality, it was full of unspoken American high school rules.

People who did not get along, did not know each other, or were not familiar with one another could not sit at the same table to eat.

The people who could sit together for lunch were close friends, bad influences, good brothers, besties, and the like. It was proof of their relationship.

No one said it aloud, but everyone knew the rule. Though Link, who was used to the casual atmosphere across the Pacific Ocean, found this unspoken rule ridiculous, everyone in high school knew and followed it. Link could only adapt to his surroundings.

After buying lunch, students gathered with their respective cliques at tables in designated areas of the cafeteria. The divisions were extremely obvious.

Link bought a vegetable salad, a steak, and a glass of juice. Kevin bought a burrito, along with some chickpeas and a cup of yogurt.

After quickly finishing lunch, Link put his tray in the designated spot and directly asked a staff member, "Where's the library?"

Kevin, beside him, could not help saying, "The library?! Link, are you kidding?! This is high school. Why would you go somewhere as boring as the library? I was counting on you to introduce that beauty to me. Maybe she knows some pretty besties..."

"Give it up. You have no chance." Without even looking at him, Link said, "For someone like you, the most practical way to get a beauty of that level is to figure out how to make money, then have them come to you themselves. As for picking up girls..."

Link did not continue, but the answer was obvious.