Chapter 1: Pilot

“Come now, you should stop looking at her,” Andrew said as he looked over towards his friend who laid down with his back on the ground. Shane spit out a mouthful of blood and laughed.

“I guess you can only take advantage when I am distracted. You still cannot beat me fair and square,” Shane retorted. He dusted himself off and stood up to take a better look at Andrew’s neighbour. Maddison Grey, or Maddie as people knew her, was just exiting a truck that was driven by one of the most popular boys at school. She got off and kiss Caen, on the lips. The buff boy smiled from ear to ear as he thoroughly enjoyed the kiss.

“Are you still so obsessed with her? Why don’t you just tell her how you feel? You know tomorrow is the last chance you would get. You still have no idea where she is going to college. Who says you will ever run into her again after we’re done with high school?” Andrew asked while getting ready to defend himself. He knew what was coming next. Shane was upset because he saw his high school crush in the arms of her boyfriend again. Andrew knew he was going to take the brunt of the punishment that was meant for Caen again.

“You’re still young, my boy. You will never understand the feelings of a man. Good things like this takes time and I have a plan,” Shane said. He knew very well that he was lying and the only reason he never said anything about how he felt about her, was because he was afraid.

He used to fantasize about the day when he would heroically find Maddie in a pinch, and like a white knight, he would come to her rescue. She would jump into his arms, embrace him and let him kiss her gentle red lips for eternity.

Andrew saw that he was distracted again and sprinted at him. He jumped in the air and planted his two feet square on Shane’s face. Blood started to flow from Shane’s nose. Andrew would always do that. He would wait until there was a perfect opportunity and then plant Shane on the ground.

“Alright, I give. You win again,” Shane said as he stood up. He wiped the blood from his nose and shook Andrew’s hand.

Shane reached out and took his glasses and then put it on. The two boys ran out of Andrew’s yard and headed towards a lake that was close by. That was their daily schedule. They would wake up every day and do their chores at their respective houses since the schools were closed and they were waiting for their results. Around 10 am, Shane would go out and complete his piece jobs to earn some cash. When he was finally done, he would go over to Andrew and they would train for about an hour or two, where they would physically fight to enhance each other’s skills. Thereafter, they would visit the local lake and bathe until darkness fell. Of course, they would first rinse themselves from the blood on them at the outhouses that was near the lake.

“You know, it has been five years and she still doesn’t even know your name,” Andrew said as the two naked boys stood under a shower. They were tired from all the activities they did during the day.

“It doesn’t matter. I will make her notice me one day. I am sure of that,” Shane said. Andrew could only hopelessly shake his head. He didn’t want to see his best friend suffer like that forever. He was in love with Maddie from the first day they started high school. For the whole five years, Shane never let his eyes wander to another female. Andrew felt that it was a waste, since Shane was far from ugly. He had a handsome face and sturdy body because of all the physical activities he used to do, but he would wear glasses because of his poor eye sight. He also had slumped shoulders, so his presence was basically non-existent. If only he would change his demeanour, a lot more girls would be interested in him, but he had his eye on the one girl who didn’t even notice him.

Andrew was Maddie’s neighbour and Shane would go to his house for play dates for as long as the two of them could remember. Maddie would always greet Andrew since they were neighbours and their parents used to get along as well. Shane would always cling around Andrew, but Maddie never even paid any attention to him. He was an invisible background character in her story. Shane knew that, but it never broke his spirits. He was glad just to be in her presence. Andrew knew that it was a lost cause and that it was hopeless to even try to reason with a man in love.

“Have you decided where to apply yet?” Andrew asked him. Shane nodded. He meticulously followed some of Maddie’s friends around and would listen to whispers about her applying to colleges such as Rutherford and Sommerset University. Shane was by no means an average student and he also applied to the same universities. He kept this a secret from everyone, even his best friend Andrew.

“I applied to some of the best universities in the country, but I just hope that by some luck I would get in somewhere,” Shane said sheepishly. Andrew snorted because he knew that Shane was just talking nonsense.

“With your grades you could get into any college of your choice,” Andrew responded. Since Waterfalls High School was such a competitive high school, quite a number of learners would score an average percentage of over 90 percent in all their subjects. The school was one the best in the district and in the top 20 of all schools in the country. It was almost impossible for just anyone to get a place at Waterfalls, but Shane managed to get a scholarship to attend the school. His father migrated from another country when Shane was young and found work in the city of Ertonbridge.

His father was earning quite an amount of money and made sure that he gave his son the best education that money could offer. However, his father got into an accident about two years ago and couldn’t work anymore. Shane took it upon himself to study his ass off and by grace, he managed to secure a scholarship that took care of his tuition. That allowed him to stay on at the school, and two years later, he finally finished it. They were just waiting for their results.

“Although you’re never in the top five learners of the school, you constantly score in the top ten. So I know you’re academically gifted. Or else, how would I have made it this far?” Andrew said as the two boys bursted out laughing.

“You are pretty useless without me,” Shane said as he hit Andrew’s shoulder. The two boys were almost getting into a fight while they were in the shower, but was interrupted by a knock on the door.

“They just saved you,” Andrew teased as he pointed at Shane’s nose. Shane knew what he meant. The two of them would regularly fight, and by some miracle, Andrew would always win. Shane took it as a sign that the universe always favoured him more.

The two boys played in the lake for the better part of an hour. Of course since they were playing around, they didn’t have a care in the world about who was walking past them. They were as care-free as can be.

It was finally time for the two of them to get home. The two boys parted and Shane ran off in the direction of his home. Andrew returned to their perfect palace, which was located in the upper-class district. Shane would always come around, no matter his status. At first people used to look at him in disdain because he came from a rather mediocre background. After a while when they saw that he befriended Andrew Bennet, one of the richest heirs in Ertonbridge. Andrew was a shy kid, but once he befriended Shane on their first day of high school, the two boys became inseparable. No one could understand why a boy with Andrew’s status would give someone as ordinary as Shane a chance to hang out with.

Shane gradually grew into a background character in the main story of Andrew. People, of course those who actually notice him, saw him as Andrew’s lackey, but no one would disrespect him because he was close friends with Andrew. Shane was thankful that his five years of high school went by without him feeling the force of the bullies that he used to feel at his previous school.

Andrew was someone that Shane would give his life for. He made his days bearable since his father’s accident. It made Shane appreciate all the little things even more. That was one of the core things that brought the two boys together.

When Shane arrived at the house, the cheerful expression he had on his face, suddenly turned solemn. He knew what awaited him in the house.

Shane lived in a rather regular neighbourhood. It wasn’t as upscale as Andrew’s but it was far from the worst. He dragged his feet as he approach the door.

“If we do not have 60 000 dollars in six months, the bank will come and take the house,” Sheridan Lincoln said to her husband Brian.

“Do not worry about it so much. We came through worse, and we always managed to pull through. The same thing will happen again this time. Just have some faith,” Brian responded.

Shane stood outside with a sad, yet determined, expression on his face. His parents would never talk about their financial instabilities when Shane was around, but Shane would occasionally hear about all the problems that their family were going through. However, it never sounded as bad as that, although his father tried to play it off as nothing.

He knew, that no matter what, he had to succeed. If not for his sake, but also for his parents. That is why Shane studied so hard for his final examination. He had to get into a good school so that he made a lot of money. He wanted to make life for his parents easier. He felt like they didn’t deserve what they were going through. Especially when they were the backbone of the small community where they lived.

Shane realized that they were really in debt. If he couldn’t get his hands on 60 000 dollars, his family would be in real trouble. Where were they going to stay? He knew that no matter what, he would have to get into university and make more money as soon as possible. That was one problem he couldn’t depend on Andrew’s help. After all, Andrew had already done so much for him, it wouldn’t be fair if he also put his family’s problems on his shoulders.

“I’m home,” Shane said as he forced a smile on his face. His parents saw him and immediately pretended as if everything was alright. Shane could still see the worry on their faces, but he knew that worrying wouldn’t solve any of their problems.

“Did you have fun again today at Andrew’s?” Sheridan asked. Shane nodded and he also added: “Tomorrow is the big day. Let’s hope I’m not going to disappoint you again.”

Sheridan looked at her son and couldn’t help but laugh at his words. What was Shane thinking? When has he ever disappointed them? No parent could ask for a better son than him. Especially when he went out of his way to make sure that his parents wouldn’t worry about food and other unforeseen expenses. Every day after school, it didn’t matter how tired he was, he would go around and do work for some extra cash at the surrounding areas. They were in no way poor, but Shane always felt the need to pull his weight.

“Thank you for the food. I’m going to bed now,” Shane said as he wiped his mouth when he was done.