"It is rather odd how fast that issue was resolved however the one thing we don't have on them is proof." Kevin's words met with nods of agreement from the rest. Claire parted her lips, her tone laced with uncertainty. "Back when I went to the carnival with Andrew, he told me something I think should interest you all. He told me that when you're following someone, try to get in their minds and see whether they feel like they're being watched."
Her words met with looks of dumb founded faces and intrigue. "Sounds like the words of a professional stalker. So I guess we won't be watching him then."Jason sighed as he was still trying to get his bearings. 'Looks with how serious they're taking this whole thing, it might not be complete bullshit like I thought.' Eliot spoke, his tone stern. "If he said that then tailing him would give way our plans, it would be best to instead keep watch of someone relatively close to him, Brittany."
Coach Calvin came in, tearing the tension that settled within the group. "What is this meeting about since I don't see any of you playing chess?" His tone inquisitive as he looked from face to face, each one of them with a pensive intent to them. "Oh, we were just talking about strategies Andrew had given me is all coach." Jason was the one who stepped up, a nervous smile etched on his lips.
"Andrew? I thought that he quit chess after the fiasco he gave me back then. If he's actually interested in coming back then tell him to meet me in my office." Jason gave a nod which dismissed Calvin, the coach's eyes landing to another match not far from them. "Your idea of watching Brittany, it's going to be hard when she's constantly around Andrew, besides, with her annoying attitude, I don't think I might stop myself should that bitch start with her antics."
Eliot and Claire glanced at each other, ready to divulge. "Well there's something about Brittany. Believe it or not she's different from her usual self. She even approached me for an apology as well as wishing to be my friend. Her demeanor nothing like her old self." Claire's words caught the attention of the other two gentlemen. "You're saying that she changed out of the blue with no reason? As well as apologized?"
Jason mused, his tone in a state of disbelief. "This could be related to Andrew, after all she's been gaining attention as of late, praises and such from not only students but teachers as well." Kevin now clutching his chin, falling into thought. "Well we have to be quick with Brittany as she starts to fall into this madness with Andrew.We could catch something and reveal this to the world."
After Kevin's words landed, they started to talk about their plan on dealing with Brittany and Andrew. "Could you rope your uncle into this Claire? After all he seems to be pretty skeptical of Andrew as well when I interacted with him back at the precinct." Claire flashed a nod her purse lips giving her a determined air.
. . .
"It would be boring for my boyfriend to be rather…mundane when my name is in the mouths of nearly everyone in college." Brittany posed, the two in the school cafeteria. Every once in a while people would steal glances at the two, even others walking up to Brittany and congratulating her on her victory in the tennis tournament.
"What do you think I should take on?" Andrew took a sip, soundless as if he was afraid that it would irk Brittany. "How about… debate. I'm sure that you could be a natural at that with how speechless you leave me." Andrew gave a nod immediately, a smile landing on Brittany's lips. 'Let's see how you operate outside of your usual comfort zone dear. I hope that you don't let me down dear.' She inwardly mused as the two started to make their way to the debate bloc.
Entering the place, spotlights landed on the main stage,two opposing teams talked about points rehearsed while the pair took a seat and watched. They weren't alone as the hall was half-packed with students alike, some focusing on the debate, others there in body with their minds elsewhere. The debate dragged on for an hour before coming to a close, the team with the name of Socratic Savants coming out on top of the Persuasion Prowess team.
The debate hall buzzed with leftover energy as the final round between the Socratic Savants and the Persuasion Prowess wrapped up. The moderator's gavel had just come down on a tight victory for the Savants, and the two teams were shaking hands with forced politeness while spectators clapped and gathered their things. A few stragglers lingered in the wooden benches that lined the sides of the room, chatting or checking phones.
Andrew made his way to the main bench where the moderators were, now empty. His presence quickly caught the attention of the students making their way down the podium, the overhead fixtures dimming.
The club president, a sharp-eyed senior named Marcus with wire-rimmed glasses, spotted the newcomer immediately. "New faces! Perfect timing. We're doing walk-on auditions right after this. You here to join? If so then expect competition." His hand panning over the benches where other students made their way to them, clearly with he same goal as Andrew.
Andrew gave a casual nod, stepping further into the light of the overhead fixtures. "Yeah. Figured I'd see what it's like."Marcus grinned, waving him forward. "Great. We just finished a public forum round on whether AI should have legal person-hood. Savants took it. Any of you catch any of that?"
"Not really," Andrew said. "Walked in at the end." Those behind him broke into murmurs, mostly refusing. "No problem. We keep auditions simple and brutal, real debate style. You get tossed straight into a practice round. Two-minute constructive, one-minute rebuttal. Topic's already loaded: 'Resolved: That governments should prioritize environmental regulations over short-term economic growth.' You and your group argue affirmative. Sound good?"
Andrew shrugged, unphased. "Sure."Marcus turned and called across the room. "Hey, Rachel! Fresh meat. Pair him with someone from Prowess for a quick cross-ex. Let's see if he sinks or swims. Pick the rest as you please."
A tall girl with a tight ponytail-Rachel, clearly one of the Persuasion Prowess veterans-stood up from her team's table, smirking as she adjusted her notes. "Affirmative on environment versus economy? Easy prey. Let's do this."
Brittany's smile deepened just a fraction from the benches. She leaned back, legs crossed, looking thoroughly entertained. Andrew didn't glance her way. He simply walked to the front, took the empty lectern on the affirmative side, and waited.
Rachel wasted no time. She launched into her opening as negative: "Prioritizing environmental regulations is noble in theory, but it crushes jobs, drives up energy prices, and hurts the very people governments claim to protect. History shows every major green policy from the Paris Agreement onward has delivered more economic pain than planetary gain—"
Andrew listened without interrupting, hands resting lightly on the lectern. When his turn came for the short rebuttal, he leaned in slightly.
"Rachel's right that short-term costs exist," he said, voice calm and measured. "But she's pretending the long-term ledger doesn't. The real flaw is in the framing. You're treating economy and environment as a zero-sum game when data shows they're not. Countries that invested early in renewables—like Germany's Energiewende—saw net job creation in green sectors that outpaced losses in coal. The 'pain' argument ignores the far greater pain of unchecked climate feedback loops: flooded cities, collapsed agriculture, mass migration. That's not ideology; that's actuarial tables. Your side keeps quoting yesterday's GDP numbers while the planet's insurance premiums skyrocket. If we wait for perfect short-term optics, we'll debate this on a sinking coast."
Rachel blinked, then recovered with a sharp follow-up question. "So you admit there are job losses. How do you justify sacrificing workers today for hypothetical tomorrow?"
Andrew didn't flinch. "I don't sacrifice them. I retrain them. Every major transition in history—agriculture to industry, fossil fuels to… whatever comes next—required exactly that. The alternative is pretending coal miners in 2025 are more important than the millions who'll be displaced by rising seas in 2040. That's not compassion. That's kicking the can so hard it breaks someone else's foot later."
The room had gone quieter. Marcus raised an eyebrow from the side. Rachel opened her mouth for another shot, then closed it, clearly recalibrating. From the benches, Brittany let out a soft, amused huff of air, her small smile widening into something almost proud. She shook her head once, as if to herself, and muttered under her breath, "Of course he sees it."
Andrew stood there, relaxed, waiting for the next exchange like he'd been doing this for years. No notes. No nerves. Just that same quiet certainty he'd shown courtside when he'd dissected her toss and footwork.
Marcus cleared his throat. "Well… damn. Welcome to the club, Andrew. We'll run a full round later, but I think you just auditioned yourself onto a team. Which side do you want—Savants or Prowess?" Andrew glanced briefly toward Brittany on the bench. She gave him the tiniest nod, still smiling. He turned back. "Surprise me."
Unlike Andrew's eye-catching dominance, the rest quickly fell into pits carefully crafted by Rachel and Brittany watched it all unfold like a favorite show of hers. 'Perfect as always my dear, huh?' What she had expected from Andrew was one of two things, his vagueness or short statements but this side of him was unknown to her.
Andrew on the other hand ended up being paired with the Persuasion Prowess team. "I've never quite heard of you. Were you part of some debate in your last school or what?" Marcus's gaze answered Rachel's question.'So this is Andrew, Brittany's girlfriend.' Her eyes narrowed, questions arranged in her mind melting away.
"In that case I'll be looking forward to working with you Andrew. Maybe you could surprise not just me but the rest of the team in this weekend's debate. Be here by ten, no later." Andrew gave a nod before making his way back to the benches where Brittany rose in correspondence. "Not bad dear however did you have to show off that much? Your peers couldn't keep up." A light laugh filling the space as the two left.
"That's how you like it." His words flat like an observation. 'Looks like he's reading me as well. Truly amusing.' The two broke up after that, Brittany heading back to tennis while Andrew went back to the debate bloc, trying to familiarize himself with the faces and a proper registration on the team.
. . .
"On point as always Brittany." The umpire's criticisms of Brittany had died and what replaced them were nothing but praises. Her opponents as much as they didn't like it had to face the reality of facing Brittany who would win in stunning fashion."However don't get a bit carried away, the fourth serve was more flashy than actual function. If your opponent capitalized on this you would have fallen into a precarious situation."
Seated at the bleachers were Eliot and Claire, the two focused on Brittany who chatted away with their coach. "Looks like she really did pick up some of Andrew's perfect motions with that game of hers. It felt like she could read her opponent's next actions and countered them perfectly." Eliot grunted, the two watching Brittany leave the court.
"Isn't that how Andrew usually lays as well with his chess matches? However unlike Andrew, Brittany has some hesitations here and there in her games. Certain yes but there's a delay within her body." The air in the court began to die, once the barely populated seats flocked with students who now poured out of the bleachers. "Looks like Brittany is becoming something of a celebrity, huh?"
Eliot said as he caught a whisper of one student praising Brittany's gameplay. "Yeah, which is good for us as she'll grow dull with eyes constantly on her making it easier for us to keep an eyes on her." The two now rising and leaving as well. "Well, that is if she's not with Andrew."