The Jack-Off

You wake up on Thursday morning surprisingly refreshed, five minutes before your alarm is meant to go off. Those extra few minutes make all the difference. You get through your morning rituals at a leisurely pace, taking the time to grab an extra banana after breakfast, and you cruise into your econ lecture feeling like a million bucks.

Helen and Mal are in their usual seats, and the girls turn, smiling and waving to you, brightening your day further. Then, you spy Jack. He’s come into the lecture hall from the other entrance. The two of you eye the open seat between the girls. That’s your usual seat. That’s the seat that he wants so badly, the one you took from him a couple of weeks ago. Silently, by some unspoken agreement, the two of you both rush down the steps of the lecture hall from opposite ends, squeezing past the other students, making a dive for the chair.

Miraculously, you both end up claiming it at the same time, each of you grabbing hold of the chair with your hand. You stare at each other, at an impasse.

“Oh, you want this chair?” he says. “Too bad, it’s mine now. I got here first. Finders, keepers. Go cry in the back of the classroom.”

“That’s some bull. We got to the chair at the same time,” you say. “I’ve been sitting in this chair longer than you’ve been on campus. Give it up, Jack.”

“I don’t see why I should,” he snipes back. “The girls like me here. You know what? I’d wager they like me a lot more than you.”

You raise an eyebrow. “You give yourself too much credit. I’m sure they’d pick me anyday over your arrogant ass.”

“Oh right, because you’re so good with the girls,” Jack laughs. “Ironic, coming from the guy who hasn’t even managed to complete the Freshman 15.”

“Yeah, but that’s only because I got here later than the rest of you,” you say. “Give me a fair chance and I'll steamroll you.”

“Look who’s talking,” he replies, making that classic bitch, please face. “Now look at me. Only one of us has got the model looks. It’s no contest. Don’t embarrass yourself.”

You give him a good look in the face, inspecting the contours of his flawless skin carefully. You laugh, unimpressed.

“I say we let the girls speak for themselves,” you counter, and you turn to Helen and Mal, who have been silent up until now. Helen looks between the two of you and shrugs her shoulders helplessly. Then, she points at Mal, who’s been eating this up like candy. Mal grins.

“You boys talk shit but you’ve got nothing to back it up,” Mal says. “You know what I think the two of you should do? Put your money where your mouth is. Make a bet. See which of the two of you is the real chick magnet. Winner is the one who’s slept with more girls by the end of Burn Night.”

“Fuck yeah, that’s what I’m talking about,” Jack laughs, slapping the desk. “You’re going to be so toast, Knight, you’re not going to know what hit you. I’m already way ahead of you. You’re never catching up.”

“Wait, hold up, anything before today shouldn’t count,” you say. “You’ve had way too much of a head start.”

“Not my fault you don’t have enough game,” Jack smirks.

“Seriously? That makes no sense,” you say. You turn to Mal, appealing for a more impartial evaluation.

Instead, her smile grows wider and she shakes her head. “I like the rules Jack set. Whoever’s slept with more girls between the start of orientation and the end of Burn Night wins.”

“See, told you,” Jack laughs, and it is the most grating sound in the world. And Mal! How could she betray you like this?

“But!” Mal says, holding up a hand. “I’m only setting the rules this way to keep the bet close. It wouldn’t be fun otherwise.”

She gives you a wink, and immediately, a grin slides across your face.

“What’s that, Jack? Did you hear that?”

“Shut the fuck up,” he says, gritting his teeth. “You won’t be smiling with that shit-eating-grin come end of Burn Night. I’m way over plus ten up on you. This might feel good now, but you’re going to be eating your words real soon. ”

You frown. You’re sure you’d trounce Jack in a fair bet, but now that Mal has screwed things up, there’s no way the odds are fair. But wait…

“Hold up, I never said I was in,” you reply. “What are the odds? What are we betting?”

“Hah, look who’s trying to wriggle out of it now,” Jack laughs. “You’re scared you’re going to lose. You’re pussying out. Dude, I knew it. Even your sister has the hots for me. Both of ‘em. Lisa and Gina. Hot damn. And you just know I’d tap them both. I’ve got you scared now, haven’t I?”

“Sometimes, I wonder if you even have a brain,” you say. “I’ve seen the way Leona looks at me. {if LeonaNumber == 1} You saw us at the basketball game. {endif} {if LeonaBJ == 1} You saw us last night. {endif} Come on. You don’t want to go there.”

“Is that even a threat? You know why Leona gives you so much as the time of day,” Jack says, shaking his head. “It’s only because of Gina. Once she catches word of this bet, she’ll shut you out faster than Walter Johnson.”

You, Helen, and Mal all give him a confused look.

“Only pitcher to have more than a century of shutouts in the MLB,” Jack clarifies. He shakes his head. “Whatever. Point is, you’re never getting anywhere with her. Ever. EVER.”

He thumps his fist on the desk with such **** that the whole thing rattles. Shit. You smile, knowing that you’ve got something to work with here.

“Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but you know it’s going to happen someday soon. Me and Leona, we’re like this,” you say, pressing two fingers together and rubbing them together slowly, {if LeonaBJ == 1}and it’s not even a lie. {elseif}lying through your teeth. {endif} “Oh man, you’re going to a nasty wake-up call…”

“No. That’s never happening,” Jack says, his grip on the chair now so tight that his knuckles are ash white. “No. Not even in your dreams. Never happening. No, you… you… you know what? I’m so sure of it, that I’ll bet her on it. Yeah, you heard that right. You win the bet, you get to have Leona. She’ll be yours for the day.”

Your eyes widen. What the fuck? But Jack’s not done yet.

“But in exchange, I want Gina. If I win, I get to have her. I get to do anything that I want with her for a day. How’s that for some odds?”

Jack gives you a wicked grin, knowing that he’s got you an impossible position now. Back off, and you look like a coward. Go through with this, and… well, the risks… but… the rewards… you’re getting dizzy just thinking of the consequences.

“That’s a lot of big talk,” you laugh, trying to play it off cool. “It’s not happening though. Our sisters would never agree to it.”

Jack stares at you, as if wheels are turning in his brain. Then, he laughs.

“Alex, have you met them? I’m texting Leona right now. She’ll say yes within the minute,” he says. “I’ll leave your sister to you. Don’t pussy out.”

With that, he whips out his phone, and you blink. Whoa. He’s really doing it. You feel yourself pulling out your phone and typing out a text. You… struggle to craft the message.

“Holy shit,” Mal says, nudging Helen, the widest grin you’ve ever seen planted on her face. “Where’s the popcorn? This is amazing!”

“Yeah, amazing,” Helen says, looking a tad less impressed. She raises an eyebrow at you. You shrug back at her.

Then you press send on your message. Ten seconds later, Jack’s holding his phone up at you.

“Told you she’d agree,” he laughs. “She knows you’re never beating me. Not with odds like I’ve got.”

You stare at your phone, holding out hope. (But what are you hoping for? You’re not even sure at this point.) Then comes Gina’s reply, not five seconds later.

Yes.

“She’s in,” you say, showing Jack your phone.

He grins back at you.

“Oh, we are so in business,” he says.

“Hold up, hold up,” Mal says, because she’s typing on her phone too. “I’m writing up the bet. You’ll need someone to judge the evidence, and someone who can confirm the record at the end. And I’m obviously the best person for the job…”

“You’re just as horny as they are,” Helen grumbles, but Mal ignores her, forging on.

“So here’s the exact wording that I’ve got. Let me know if you both agree:

“This is a bet between Alex Knight and Jack King to see which of them gets to sit in the seat between me and Helen. It’s also a bet between them to see which of them has got the game to back up their big talk. It’s also a bet to see who gets to bang who’s sister. Henceforth, it shall be referred to as ‘The Jack-Off’. Here are the rules.

“One. The winner of the bet is the man who has slept with, meaning, had penetrative, penis-in-vagina sex with the most women, between the start of orientation and the end of Burn Night, at 6 am the next day, as it customarily ends. That’s in just over four weeks, if you’ve lost track, with one week in there for the exams.

“Two, if Alex fails to win, then Jack will be free to do whatever he wants with Gina Knight for twenty-four hours, with his time beginning at the end of Burn Night. If Jack fails to win, then Alex will be free to do whatever he wants with Leona King for twenty-four hours, with his time beginning at the end of Burn Night.

“Third, all evidence will need to be submitted to me, Mallory Arkey, for approval. I get to make the final call on any disputes. This also applies to the twenty-four hour period after Burn Night. You guys are free to do whatever you want… but if you cross certain lines, you’ll cross me too. You don’t want to do that.”

With that, she gives the two of you a disturbingly wide smile, and holds out her phone.

“Sign here,” she says, “when you’re ready to seal the deal.”

Jack immediately takes the phone, scribbling his signature on it.

“You know why it’s called the Jack-Off?” he says. “It’s named after me, because I’ve already won.”

He holds up the phone to you. You stare at the bet, and at Jack’s oversized signature. Can you beat Jack? Will you sign the deal? Join the Jack-Off? Get the chance to fuck Leona and do any fucking thing that you want to her for twenty-four full hours, and risk having the same happen to Gina? Can you fuck that many girls in the next few weeks?

Is this even what you want?

Is this who you want to be?

Warning: there are a lot of major decisions that you can make in this game, but this one’s the biggest one of them all. The Freshman 15 is meant to be a pretty easy challenge to complete. Beating Jack will not be easy. Accepting the Jack-Off is playing the game on hard mode.

Joining the bet will have in-game consequences. Obviously, the scenes that you get after Burn Night will depend on your performance in the rest of the game. But picking this option will also open up certain scenes and lock you out of other ones. Most importantly, if your goal in the game is to have a long-term relationship with one of the characters (i.e., you want to see Alex happily ever after with one girl), then DO NOT PICK THIS OPTION. Picking the Jack-Off is committing to being a playboy.

This also means that picking the Jack-Off will give you the chance to raise The Count above what you’ll otherwise be able to attain. You’ll see why in the coming chapters. Equally important to remember: If you should accept the bet, you are in a competition with Jack. This means that, for the purposes of winning the bet, denying Jack the opportunity to sleep with a girl is equally as valuable as sleeping with a girl yourself. You have already had chances to do this (or to set up for this) in earlier chapters, even if you might not have realized it. You will (probably) have to do much more of this in the future if you want to win the bet.

You have been warned. Pick the path that you want to pursue. Good luck, chase your dreams, have fun, and let me know what you decide in the comments!

P.S. If you’re in doubt, you can always do another playthrough and explore the other option later :)