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Max, unlike most of the kids at camp, had the privilege of not living near the grounds. His parents were the kind of busy which meant summer was the perfect excuse to send him to sleepaway camp, as far away as they could afford (which they could definitely afford farther, but they didn’t see the point in somewhere that wouldn’t pick him up from home). So, he spent four years at Camp Campbell as a camper, and one year as a junior counselor getting paid $5 an hour to round up annoying little kids. He didn’t even think him working there at 14 was legal but he really didn’t care.
Not living near the camp meant he was able to live an entirely different life in school. Before camp he was already a bit more tolerable in school, less of the world is worth nothing attitude. Then, as the years went on the separation only got worse. At camp he was his usual cynical self, not being as much of an asshole as he was when he was 10. At school he was incredibly popular, everyone knew his name, he had some decent friends, and during his freshman year he was even on the cheerleading team.
So, no, he was not exactly ecstatic when he learned Neil and Nikki were moving to his school from a city two hours away. Nikki’s mom and Neil’s dad had gotten married after some awkward two years of being on and off hookups, then they moved in together. Apparently, Neil’s dad had gotten a better paying job at the university in the city Max lived in.
Now, don’t get him wrong, he was excited to be able to see them more often, they were his best friends after all (not that he would ever admit that). The only problem was the school. Living in a different city meant he wasn’t in Camp district (he knew it was a stupid name) like the other campers, but instead he was in Pine Peak district (Arguably a worse name, he knew).
The thing about Pine Peak was that it was smaller compared to Camp district. Hell, they only had four high schools, but because of where it was they had bigger and better schools. It was kind of like his friends were in a trailer park and he was in a gated neighborhood. This, of course presents the problem of: what do these poor, poor rich kids do when they have everything they could ever want?
Well, Max knew just the thing!
They make illegal underground fight clubs. No, he wasn’t kidding about that. The four schools really did run a very illegal underground fighting and betting ring, one where students who don’t participate in some kind of activity that brings good, very public publicity to the school end up bringing good, very private publicity to the school.
And Max was the absolute best.