Chapter 47 - Club Recruitment

Back in Joyville International, a different storm was brewing. It was very easy to tell the special stream students apart from the rest of the classes. Jasper didn't know how he had missed it earlier, but they were given a special pin badge which they had to wear, even if they didn't wear uniforms. Scarlet and Alex's badges were hidden underneath their collars, but Jasper's was displayed on the sleeve of his shirt because the badge kept knocking against his collarbone in an annoying manner.

From afar, nobody could tell what class or grade they were from, but when the duo walked around to check out the different clubs, they immediately garnered the attention of everyone in it. Alex made a list of clubs she shortlisted and Jasper only circled one. The gardener's son decided to accompany his childhood friend as she checked out the various art clubs.

The first club they went to was the digital arts club, and it wasn't even two minutes before Alex fled the scene. She didn't understand computers and the students in the club seemed more interested in playing computer games than designing something cool.

Next, they arrived outside the Sketch Club. The teacher was a nice lady who offered them tryouts. Alex spent the next ten minutes with a piece of charcoal before deciding that she wanted something livelier in which she can move her hands to. Although the teacher was slightly disappointed that Alex didn't want to join the sketch club, she recommended them to try the calligraphy or pottery-making club.

Alex dropped by the calligraphy club first as it was just next door. The teacher was an old man who was partially deaf and didn't speak a word of English so the Wilde princess gave up and moved on to the pottery making club.

The pottery making club was low on budget and the teacher apologised that due to the lack of interested students they had a risk of closing down. Alex took a look at the pottery wheel and frowned. She then asked the teacher where she could try sculpting something and experience various visual art styles.

The pottery club teacher thought for a long time before looking around suspiciously.

"Don't tell anyone I told you this. There will be an art competition coming up and it is actually a selection of artistically talented individuals. If your work gets selected, you will be invited to join the exclusive Art & Sculpture club. For the truly artistic people, you wouldn't want to miss it."

"Thank you," Alex nodded gratefully. With that, they left in search of the club that Jasper wanted to check out.

Of all the clubs, this one stood out to Jasper the most because it was exactly what he needed at this point. With the pocket money he will be getting from Mr Wilde after interning at the company, Jasper intended to grow it. However, there wasn't an investment club so the closest to it was an entrepreneur's circle.

A circle was slightly different from a club as it didn't have regular activities. Instead, there was only a teacher advisor and the students ran the club. Jasper heard that the president of the club was an upperclassman who was also known to have a bad reputation. However, he ignored that completely and decided to look for classroom 3-F anyway. What could possibly go wrong?

Alex wasn't too sure that she wanted to enter the classroom when they found it. The place looked worse than the pottery club. The walls and door were full of vandalism, the class sign was broken and the desks were pretty much smashed. She didn't know what kind of students would study in such a rundown classroom but her question was soon answered when someone opened the door.

"What do you want?" the upperclassman with a wild crew cut and multiple ear piercings asked. Alex wasn't sure if that was accepted as part of the school's dress code. Jasper ignored the punk's appearance and shoved the application form in the boy's face.

"I'm here to apply to join the entrepreneur circle."

The punk raised a brow and flipped the paper. "Are you serious?"

Jasper nodded.

The punk sighed. "Did nobody tell you what we are?"

Jasper shrugged and the punk rolled his eyes. "Listen up. I don't know what kind of things you're expecting but this circle is a place for losers like us to hang out. There is no real circle or discussion or any of that shit. Go home if you don't want to get trashed."

The gardener's son didn't move from his spot and Alex looked worried. "I want to apply for the entrepreneur's circle!" he yelled.

The punk got irritated and turned around to grab Jasper by the collar. When he did so, he noticed the badge on Jasper's sleeve. "Special stream? Oh, you're here to mock us, aren't you? This is your last warning while I'm being nice. There isn't a circle here... Go. Home."

Jasper wouldn't budge. "Why do you call it the Entrepreneur's Circle if nobody is serious about it? Aren't you guys here to make money?"

The punk laughed. "Look at us, do you think we can make money? We can't even study properly. All we do here is play poker, gamble, and fight. Even the teachers are too scared to even come near us, we're beyond saving. If it wasn't because our parents had a little more money than the average folks we would have been thrown out for being a disgrace to the school."

Jasper fell when the punk released his collar. Alex rushed to help him up but the boy refused. The fire in his eyes was lit and Alex couldn't understand why Jasper was so insistent on joining a circle that didn't exist.

"Wait for me in the classroom," he told the Wilde princess quietly. "If I'm not back by five, please call Claire and let her know."

Alex didn't want to leave Jasper but she was too afraid to follow him when he entered the classroom. Instead, she ran towards the counsellor's room where she knew Danny was.

In the classroom, the irritated punk cursed when Jasper entered.

"I thought I told you to chase him away?" the leader of the punks growled and kicked the lackey who couldn't get such a simple job done right.

Jasper received a glare from the boy who just got kicked and watched the leader jump off the teacher's table. That was definitely a fourteen-year-old upperclassman. The height difference was slightly unnerving, but Jasper stood his ground with a calm smile.

"You're the leader here?"

The delinquent snorted. "And you? The hotshot from the special stream? Did you leave your girlfriend outside to call on the teachers?"

Jasper shook his head. "I told her to leave because she would only get in the way of a man to man discussion. I want to make a deal with you. I want to borrow the Entrepreneur Circle's name."

The delinquent leader was surprised. "Oh? And why should we let you?"

Jasper stuck his hand in his pocket and felt for his wallet. He threw the wallet to the leader who caught it with ease.

"I can make money. I want to use the circle to make more. If you play along with me and help me out, everyone gets a share of the profit. What do you say? I'll even help you with studies just enough for you to graduate."

The boys in the classroom froze. Then one of them laughed and the others followed. 

"Do you really think we're capable of studying or making money? Don't be stupid... Even if you are smart, we're not going to be able to help with anything. Nothing's going to change even if we accept your application."

Jasper smiled. "Two weeks. Give me two weeks to prove to you that we can work together. Do you have a Math textbook? There should be a topical test coming up soon."

Someone found a ratty copy of the textbook and threw it at Jasper who didn't flinch. He calmly picked the book up and flipped through it.

"Algebra? I guess you're up till factorising now. In two weeks, all of you are going to pass the topical test. No skipping my lessons. If there is even one failure, I will not pursue this any further. However, if everyone passes the topical test, I want to be accepted into the circle and made the unofficial chairperson."

Nobody knew what to say. For as long as they remembered, their teachers and parents have given up on them. Right now, there was a boy younger than them claiming that he could do what the a.d.u.l.ts couldn't manage for years?

The leader of the delinquents couldn't hold it back any longer and laughed aloud. The situation was just beyond ridiculous now.

"Fine, I'll agree to your terms. There isn't anything for us to lose anyway, so just be prepared for disappointment."

Jasper grinned wolfishly. "Lessons start tomorrow at ten. Also, does anyone have a mobile phone I can contact? Let's make a chat group."