Chapter 132

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*- John*

This is the 132nd episode of *unORDINARY*.

## Summary

Darren is engrossed with texting his girlfriend. He's pleased to learn that she'll be back in town the upcoming Friday. She complains of being burnt out after all the work she was made to do at the company's new location. They plan a dinner date for the weekend, and Darren mentions he'll call her later. The exchange closes out when Darren is asked if he likes her new hat and receives a selfie of Leilah at the beach wearing it with her bikini. Darren is so engrossed with the lovely image on his phone that he doesn't notice Remi thanking him for taking care of Isen. When he realizes his nosebleed is apparent to her, Darren orders her and Blyke to get lost.

John watches over Seraphina as she rests. Arlo asks him for a word in private. John glares at him for a moment before the two move to a private classroom. Arlo demands to know why his best guy was sent to the infirmary during the search for Seraphina. It was sheer luck that there was someone else who had a lead to finding her. John replied that he had no way of knowing Arlo was also searching for her, especially considering that he refused to follow orders to do so. Arlo is told that he has no right to get angry about John taking his advice to "Find her yourself" going awry. When John mentions that he was only doing what was necessary, Arlo asks what was necessary about getting Isen's ability by beating him to such an extant. John feels that he had every reason to do so, considering how Isen mistreated him and pried into his past only to perform an about face when he learned the scary truth. While John posits that Isen deserved that beating, Arlo asks if it wound up resolving the situation of Seraphina's kidnapping. To Arlo's frustration, John remained stubbornly quiet.

Arlo wonders why John only stops being such an uncooperative pain long enough to make a bad situation worse. He tells John to stop aimlessly assaulting people like some kind of madman and start acting like the high-tier he is. His mood worsened at the mention of tiers and ranks, John asks Arlo what he'd do if he refuses. Was Arlo going to give dragging out his miscreant self out to a field and ambushing him another try? John says that all he ever wanted was a calm and peaceful life away from the pain of the rankings, and he would still have it if Arlo hadn't come along and destroyed it. Two years of hard work, taken away over some trifle about the hierarchy. Arlo insists that letting John continue neglecting his responsibility as an elite was never an option. John grabs Arlo by the jacket and reminds him that hierarchy rules state that the winner of their big fight was the one with the rights to call the shots. John makes it very clear that he wants absolutely nothing to do with Arlo's kingdom. Letting Arlo keep his throne and avoiding him in public was a generous courtesy on his part. But when Arlo fails the one task he was given, all he does is disrespect his superior by pushing unwanted philosophies. As far as John is concerned, it's Arlo's system that's to blame causing Seraphina to suffer. John shoves and curses him out, too disgusted to look at him any longer.

But his gaze shifts back when Arlo shows no sympathy for his predicament. Arlo tells John that there was no living apart from the system they were all born into. The only way to maintain any semblance of a peaceful life is for the elite to take charge and enforce order. Arlo isn't willing to be blamed for noticing John's irregular behavior or for not following some trivial behind-the-scenes command. Arlo turns the blame back to John for getting himself into this mess. If John had just taken his proper place and used his power to *any* end at all, his troubles could have been avoided. John is able to recall the times at school were he had nothing to do with the hierarchy as the happiest period of his life. It was only until Arlo decided to force him back into the fray that it all started going downhill. Just as Arlo tells him to quit his little victimization routine, John tells Arlo to shut up. As far as he's concerned, the hierarchy, and all of its adherents, were the source of life's problems. And the one enforcing that system was the worst of all. The only action John vows to take is to tear that system down. John swears to personally dismantle Arlo's precious hierarchy. Arlo scoffs at the ridiculous-sounding notion, and asks how John could possibly accomplish it. John doesn't answer, but warns Arlo to enjoy his throne while he still can.

## Appearing Characters

* Darren
* Leilah (photograph)
* Blyke
* Remi
* Seraphina
* John
* Arlo
* Meili (flashback)
* Ventus (flashback)
* Crail (flashback)
* Skrev (flashback)