Chapter 4 Playing the Long Game
The rest of the weekend played out almost exactly as I remembered from the show.
Evelyn, my "grandmother," showed up on Saturday, radiating disapproval and expensive perfume. She barely spared me a glance, too busy criticizing Alan for existing. Charlie, as usual, endured her visit with the patience of a man who had long since accepted his fate.
Then came the poker game.
Charlie had his usual crew over—his friend Andy, a couple of music industry guys, and some dude named Stan who I was pretty sure had mob connections. They had cigars, whiskey, and the overconfidence of men who thought they knew how to play.
And then there was me.
I kept up my usual act—quiet, clueless Jake—until I got a seat at the table.
And then?
I cleaned up.
Charlie watched in mild horror as I methodically dismantled his friends, calling every bluff, raising at just the right times, and walking away with a stack of chips that would make a Vegas shark proud.
By the end of the night, Charlie just stared at me.
"Kid," he said slowly, "are you some kind of card-counting prodigy?"
I shrugged. "I dunno. I just play by the numbers."
He looked at me for a long moment, then smirked. "Alright, remind me never to bet against you."
That was fine by me.
I had just proven a simple fact:
I could play along with the storyline… but I could also win at it.
Monday Morning: Harpers Don't Do School
The weekend passed in a blur, and before I knew it, Monday had arrived.
And with it…
School.
The thought hit me as I stared at my reflection in the bathroom mirror that morning.
I wasn't really Jake Harper. I wasn't some average kid who barely scraped by in math class. I was a genius. A literal prodigy. I had a mind that could process complex equations before breakfast.
Why the hell was I wasting my time in middle school?
Could I skip a few grades? Probably. Could I go straight to college? That was an even more interesting thought.
With my intelligence, I could test out of high school today if I wanted.
I had options. Real options.
But then I thought about it.
Skipping ahead meant changing the storyline. It meant making waves, drawing attention. And I wasn't sure if I wanted that yet.
Did I want to stay in school and play dumb for a while?
Or did I want to take a risk and start pushing things my way?
I had a decision to make.
And whatever I chose… it was going to change everything.