Reborn in 1994: Internet Empire

5: Off to college

It had been a crazy few months for Max, Trae, and their families. Over the span of a few weeks since starting, Max and Trae had amassed a ludicrous amount of money from their business venture. Word had spread throughout the school that the newest video games were being sold at ridiculously affordable prices, without the slightest drop in quality. 

Every week, they would earn at least ten grand from their sales, assuming business was light. When there was a surge in sales, probably because of the release of a new game, they would take home easily double the previously mentioned amount. Trae would keep his stash hidden, but secretly give his mother money in the disguise of small lottery wins. Within the month, his mother was able to seriously spruce up their dilapidated house. 

Momma Clio was incredibly happy at the time that Max was spending on his computer, as she was apparently winning some serious money from secret lotteries as well. She saved this money with the intent of putting Max in the most prestigious college she could think of; which was the great New York International University. Meanwhile, Max had been hinting to Momma Clio that people made money by investing in properties as early as they could, so they could either resell them at a higher price in the future or rent it out.

 With the amount of time that Max had spent reading online and researching, she could not help but believe him. Taking her son’s words to heart, with the small fortune she was making, she bought out a single apartment in a prime location for people to rent. All that was left for her to wait for the value of that place to increase over time. With everything that has happened, Max realized that he now had three important things: capital, passive income, and a loyal partner in Trae. He was now ready to move onto the next phase of his plan: finding more powerful allies.

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       The year seemed to fly by in a flash. Trae and Max had been hustling to increase the amount of capital they had for their new venture. From cracking video games to developing their own sellable software, these two worked hard to get from their already seemingly large amount to having hundreds of thousands in their respective in separate bank accounts. Still, Trae had a hard time imagining how they could possibly get back at a group backed by a multinational company owned by some of the richest people in America. 

       “So man, how are we gonna go on from here? We got a lot of money, sure, but if we are going to go for the throats of millionaires, then we need a lot more than that,” Trae said skeptically. 

       Max casually dropped piles of clothes into his luggage case and clipped it shut. 

       “Yeah, we do. It takes a lot to combat a large scale company. So for now, we gotta make the right friends,” replied Max. 

       “What do you mean?”

       “We got to find a company that we can invest in; a company that we can call allies. If we do that, we will be in a position similar to “The Wolfpack”, only at a smaller scale. We can grow it over time.”

       Max pulled up the handle of his luggage case and clicked it secure. 

       “Other than that, how did you even manage to pass NYIU’s exam?” he asked Trae. 

       “Bro, come on gimme some credit. I’m smart aren’t I?” Trae asked, giving Max a light punch in the shoulder.

Max chuckled and shoved Trae back. 

       “Sure man, sure!” he said in a skeptical tone. 

       The young men laughed as they gathered their things, ready for their new journey into college. Momma Clio and Trae’s mother rushed into Max’s room, interrupting their conversation. 

       “You boys better be ready! We gon’ be late for your first day in college!” Momma Clio said, waiting by the door. 

       Trae’s mother walked right up to Trae and started fixing up the collar on his shirt. 

       “Ma’! Quit fussin’ I look fine!” Trae said, embarrassed. 

       “The hell you don’t! I ain’t having my boy lookin’ like some hooligan on his first day of school!”

       Max chuckled as he watched Trae get fussed over by his mother. Finally, the four got into Momma Clio’s brand new car and rode off to NYIU. 

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       It was like a totally different place compared to when they visited for the incoming freshman tour. Everything was completely decorated with banners and posters, dedicated to welcoming the freshmen. All around the main entrance of the university, cheerleaders lined up to instill the first moments of the incoming students with cheer and pep. Max and Trae, as experienced as they already were with the workings of the world and money, couldn’t help but let their eyes run all over the place in wonder and awe. Everything was vibrant and new to them. They looked up at the massive yet modern buildings that stood in front of them. The roofs of the buildings were held by impressive white pillars and took up almost the entire width of the front lawn. The grass was mowed and shined a vibrant deep green. All over the lawn, students sat or lay down in groups, and watched the festivities that came with the welcoming. They walked with a huge crowd of freshmen and were bombarded with cheers from both the pep squad and the upperclassmen. After successfully weaving through all the people, they finally made it to one of the maps that stood in front of the main hall, at the top of the set of stairs that matched the length of the building. 

       “Alright, so we are here!” Max said, pointing to a red dot on the map. 

       He traced his fingers along the walkways on the map until it reached an outlying building somewhere near the back of the school.

       “...and here are the dorms!” he said, excitedly.

       “Alright, let’s get goin!”

       The two followed the path to the dorms, occasionally asking for directions from the odd upperclassmen that they passed by. Eventually, they made it to the dorm. It was a beautiful beige colored building that stood at five stories high. The large windows of the main lobby revealed students sitting and chatting, or listening to mp3 players while studying. They walked in through the high arches and walked through the main glass door just beyond them. With that, they went to the main help desk, which at that moment was manned by incredibly peppy upperclassmen. 

“Why hello there freshmen! Where are you guys headed?”

Max stepped forward and handed them a thin pile of papers. 

“Hello. We are moving into room 204. Can we ask where that is?”

After inspecting both students’ receipts and paperwork, she turned her attention back to them. 

“Max Burner and Trae Owen, congratulations on moving in! The room is on the second floor! You can find stairs just over there to your right!” she said, grinning vary widely, which kind of unsettled both of them. 

“Great! Thanks,” replied Max, as the two made their way to the stairs. 

“I swear, some people look like total robots,” Trae said jokingly. 

“Well yeah, you think she was a senior?”

“It’s pretty obvious. You see those eyes? Lifeless!” he said, impersonating a zombie.

Max laughed and returned his attention to the room, which they almost skipped over. The numbers were copper plated and expertly fixed onto the door itself. 204. 

“Yup, this is it!” 

Max took the key and opened the door, revealing a surprisingly spacious room with two desks and a bunk bed. The room had its own small bathroom, complete with a sink, toilet, and shower. It also had a neat counter just near the door, with its own sink. Along the counter lay a microwave oven, and a small gas stove which lacked a gas canister. In the sink lay two plates, and two sets of utensils as well. The two were surprised at the quality of life that the students were given. It was definitely only the best at NYIU. When Max turned, he saw that Trae had already dropped his things in the bottom bunk bed. Trae looked at him triumphantly and winked. 

“Losers weepers man,” Trae chuckled.

“Yeah, whatever.”

The two dropped all their stuff and started unpacking. Within the hour, it was as homie as it was in one of their own houses. 

“Alright man, so we don’t get our computers your mom drops by here tomorrow,” Trae said, as he lay in his bed; his eyes covered by an old shirt. 

Max sat in his desk pondering on what the next course of action should be. Suddenly, a t-shirt slapped against the side of his face. He jumped and looked over at Trae, who was now propping himself up on his arm. 

“Look man! We worked our asses off for nearly a year to get here! It wouldn’t kill you to take a little break!” he said, adamant. 

“But we gotta-”

Another shirt slapped against Max’s face.

“But nothing! Get outta here and take in the new scenery! You gotta learn to switch off if you know what’s good for you!”

Trae’s annoyed face turned into a smile within seconds. Max shook his head but then smiled back.

“Thanks for lookin’ out for me man.”

“No problem. Now get goin’!”

Max stood up, and walked out of the door, being careful not to slam it. 

Suddenly, when he turned around, he crashed into another student, completely oblivious to the fact that the latter was sprinting down the hall. Their heads thudded into one another, as they both fell backward, landing on their rears.  

“Hey! Watch it asshole!” said a young lady, still reeling from the head on collision. 

Max gathered his composure from the shock. As soon as his eyes left the ground and focused on the figure that he had crashed into, he lost composure for a completely different reason.