Chapter 22

Adulting was hard.

The first time around, Xander had discovered that even after he’d become an ‘adult,’ it wasn’t like he was much different. The only actual difference he could point to was doing fewer stupid things as he learned from his life experience. Even as an old man, except for a slower pace, occasional difficulty finding the right words, and wrinkles, he was much the same person he’d been when he was younger.

There was something that worried him now: was he trying to grow up too soon?

Most teens he knew weren’t thinking about their future, though Xander realized if he had done so the last time through, many things would’ve been better. An example was starting to build his war chest now, instead of waiting until he was in his thirties. Having money could’ve made Xander’s life much easier. It would’ve given him freedoms he couldn’t take advantage of in his past life.

For example, stuff like quitting instead of working for a jerk boss because he couldn’t afford to leave. Or, giving his poker passion a shot and seeing if he could make a living doing that instead of a nine-to-five. Later in life, he might have gotten that much younger trophy wife.

’Hey, sue me. I would still be the same guy when I’m fifty as I am now, and I like hot women,’ Xander thought. Well, trophy wife or not, at least he might not have ended up alone (though he admitted that money wasn’t the only reason for that problem).

His grandfather had been right about how to build wealth: working hard was the key to getting a good start. Xander’s issue was his age: at fifteen, he had limited options because he wasn’t old enough to get a construction-related part-time job under state labor laws. That was why Xander was working for his grandfather, who was technically paying Xander ‘off the books.’

The few hours a week he spent cleaning up helped. What made him more money was when he and his mom painted his grandfather’s houses. Once he was old enough to drive, he planned to see if he could do that instead of being his grandfather’s gofer.

The money he’d earned so far kept growing. After his grandfather finished his dad’s homes, Xander rolled those funds into building a small spec home. With his grandfather as the contractor, he received the friends-and-family rate. Though with that deep discount, Xander had to accept that his house was last on his grandfather’s priority list as far as resources were concerned.

That meant that instead of it taking three or so months to build, it could take five or more. By the time he turned sixteen, Xander had two homes built and sold, and he also had the funds to construct something nicer with a higher profit margin.

The truth was, his grandfather was seriously helping him out. Grandpa Davidson’s goal was to help Xander earn enough money to pay his own way through college or buy his first home.

Home ownership was probably the best investment a young adult could make. Xander had rented most of his life the last time through, which was one of his regrets. He could’ve paid off the loan on a house and had an appreciating asset instead of pissing all that money away. And it wasn’t like the person renting him the homes was losing money on the deal, so Xander was paying a premium on top of that.

Adulting was hard for someone his age, but it would pay off in the long run.

The foursome turned out to be a watershed for Xander. Connie stopped dating Bobby after that night and appeared to be single. The truth was that she and Tina shared Xander for the remainder of their senior year, while maintaining the appearance that Tina was Xander’s girlfriend.

Come fall, he returned to square one as the girls left for college.

Tina had gone east to Carnegie Mellon University. As a sexually active female, those nerds wouldn’t know what hit them.

Connie enrolled at the University of Arkansas and joined a sorority, and within a few weeks, she was dating a great guy.

So Xander was looking for a new girlfriend when school started back up.

In the spring, he’d run track and made it to the regionals in the hundred, two hundred, and shot put, where he was bested. But it did earn him his second varsity letter. Only one other freshman did as well, with a varsity letter in cross country and another in track, where he ran the 3,000 meters.

At the start of his sophomore year, Xander showed up to school in his letterman jacket. And he was the starting halfback on the football team—the only sophomore who played varsity.

On the first day at lunch, Pam and Kelly dragged him off to their own table.

“Ladies,” Xander said in greeting.

“Xander,” Pam said.

Kelly blushed.

“Why the privacy?” Xander asked.

“We’re here to prevent a bloodbath,” Pam said.

Xander leaned back in his chair, surprised.

“Bloodbath?”

“You’re the sophomore rizzling,” Pam said.

“I thought that was Mike.”

It seemed Kelly had been struck mute.

“Normally, that would be true, but he didn’t date a senior last spring and isn’t now a starter on the varsity football team. Plus, you’ve filled out and don’t look nearly as skinny,” Pam said.