Chapter 101: Double Date!
Hugo trudged down the hallway, his face twisted into a deep frown like someone had just stolen his last snack.
He was still bitter about something he'd seen earlier—a perfectly round bun in the common area.
It was so round, so smooth, it reminded him of moons. And moons, naturally, reminded him of Luna. That thought alone was enough to sour his mood even more.
He pushed open the door to his dorm room, half expecting some peace and quiet to brood in. Instead, the smell of melted cheese and tomato sauce hit him square in the nose.
There, sprawled across his bed with one hand clutching a greasy slice of pizza and the other resting on his stomach, was Collins.
Two more unopened pizza boxes sat beside him like loyal guards.
"Hey," Hugo mumbled, shutting the door behind him.
Collins waved lazily with the hand holding the pizza, a chunk of pepperoni flopping to the floor. "Yo. Welcome to the party."
Hugo raised an eyebrow as he pulled out a chair and sat down, his eyes flicking to the pizza. "What party? You're eating pizza alone."
"A pizza party for one," Collins said dramatically, taking another bite. "Trust me, it's better than the day I've had."
Hugo smirked. "Oh yeah? How was the big date with your mom?"
Collins let out a long, exaggerated groan, like someone had just punched him in the stomach.
"Don't even get me started. First, she insists on going to this café that only serves vegan food. VEGAN. Do I look like someone who eats quinoa willingly?"
Hugo laughed, his mood starting to lift. "I don't even know what quinoa is."
"Exactly!" Collins said, pointing at him with a slice of pizza.
"Also, she insisted on ordering water for both of us. Said soda rots the soul or something. Then, when I tried to crack a joke about salads being the devil's conspiracy, she gave me a thirty-minute lecture on balanced diets. Like, who does that on a family date?"
"Sounds rough," Hugo said, trying to keep a straight face. "But at least you got out of it alive."
"Alive? I aged ten years!" Collins wiped imaginary sweat from his brow. "Oh, and then the waiter kept calling me 'sir.' My mom thought it was hilarious and tipped him extra for being polite!"
Hugo laughed, his earlier bitterness starting to fade. He glanced at the pizza boxes again, his stomach growling. "So... are you gonna share, or what? You're not planning to finish all of that by yourself, are you?"
Collins's eyes narrowed as he slapped Hugo's hand away when he reached for a slice. "Oh no, you don't. You're not getting a slice."
"What? Why not?" Hugo asked, offended.
"Because last time you didn't give me a slice of your pizza," Collins shot back.
"That was different!" Hugo shot back.
"How was it different? Food is food!"
"Don't forget you said, and I quote, 'Don't talk to me at all for the rest of the day.'"
"And you listened? That's on you!" Collins said, grinning smugly.
"You can't be serious," Hugo said, leaning back in disbelief.
"Dead serious," Collins replied, pulling another slice from the box and taking a massive bite.
"Friendship means nothing to you, huh?" Hugo said, shaking his head.
"Not when pizza's involved," Collins said, wiping his hands on a napkin. Find adventures on empire
The banter went on for several minutes, Hugo arguing that friendship should override petty grievances, and Collins countering with a detailed manifesto about food justice.
In the end, Hugo slumped in his chair with a sigh.
"Alright, whatever. You win. Keep your pizza, you selfish pizza tyrant."
"Thanks, I will," Collins said, popping open another box and pretending to examine the slices like a king inspecting treasure.
Trying to distract himself from the betrayal, Hugo asked, "What's the surprise you mentioned earlier?"
Collins smirked. "Guess."
Hugo groaned. "Do I have to?"
"Yup. Go on, take a shot."
Hugo rubbed his chin, pretending to think deeply. "You... finally got serious and have a girlfriend? No, wait, that's impossible. You won the lottery. No, no, wait—you're joining the circus as a pizza juggler!"
Collins burst out laughing, nearly choking on his slice. "What is wrong with you? No, none of those!"
Hugo grinned mischievously. "Alright, my final guess: you discovered you're secretly royalty and your real dad is the king of Pizza Land."
"Enough!" Collins wheezed, shaking his head. "I can't take it anymore! I set up a double date with Tily and her sister, Lily. Thursday night."
Hugo froze. His jaw dropped. "What?"
"Double date. You. Me. Lily. Tily. Thursday night. You're welcome."
Hugo's heart skipped a beat, and dread quickly replaced the initial joy he had felt at the news. Thursday.
The same day his death countdown mission was set to expire. If he didn't, uh, "succeed" with Lily or any girl by then, he was done for.
He'd be dead by midnight.
He forced a weak smile. "Sounds… great. I'm looking forward to it."
"You don't sound like it," Collins said, raising an eyebrow. "You look like I just told you we're skydiving without parachutes."
"No, no. I'm just… surprised," Hugo said quickly, standing up and heading for his room. "I need to, uh, prepare."
"Prepare? For a date? It's not a job interview!" Collins called after him, laughing.
Hugo shut the door to his room and immediately opened his system interface. The glowing countdown stared back at him: 5 days remaining.
He flopped onto his bed, staring at the ceiling. "I don't want to die," he muttered.
Tomorrow. He'd figure something out tomorrow. For now, he needed rest.
Just as his eyes were starting to close, Collins's voice rang out from the other room.
"Hey, Hugo! I ordered too much pizza. If you still want some, come get it!"
Hugo's stomach growled. He sighed, dragging himself off the bed. "Guess I'm pizza-less no more."
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Power stone Goal!
50 PS - 1 Bonus chapter
100 PS - 2 Bonus chapter
200 PS (Quite an achievement as of now) - 3 Bonus chapters.
Castle - 20 Bonus Chapters!