“Aaah!” A voice screams, waking Taylor from his sleep. The scream came from somewhere nearby so he looks up to see what happened.

After looking up, he sees a girl next to him on the bed, her face full of horror.

“What did you do to me!” She screams, grabbing the blanket to cover herself before moving to pick up her clothes and quickly putting them on.

After she was dressed, she screams once more, “You beast!” Then she hurriedly left the room.

Taylor watches all of this with a blank stare. What the fuck happened? He thinks to himself. Taylor sits up to see that he doesn’t have any clothes on and quickly finds his clothes on the ground and gets dressed. Once he’s out of the room he sees Jared sitting and watching the television.

Jared sees Taylor walk out of the room and gives him a knowing grin. “Damn, get a few beers in a dude, and he really can do anything,” Jared says with a laugh.

“What the fuck happened last night?” Taylor asks with a bewildered face.

“What the fuck do you think happened last night? From what I saw, I think you took that girl’s virginity,” Jared says, trying hard not to laugh.

Taylor recalls the previous evening happening in a blur. He had approached Sylvie to talk, then the night just started advancing more quickly. A few images of a scene in a bedroom came to Taylor’s mind and his eyes open with shock.

“Fuck; that girl took my virginity,” Taylor can’t help but say aloud.

Jared bursts out into laughter. “Asshole! Who gives a fuck about your virginity? For you it’s a prize; for her… well I guess that depends on what kind of man you are,” Jared says, amused.

Taylor looks to Jared. “Do you have her number?” Taylor asks, not wanting to regret anything.

“Tasha probably has it. Just a moment,” Jared says before calling out to his girlfriend. “Tasha! Come out here for a moment,” Jared calls out.

Tasha walks out of the room, annoyed. “What? I’m getting dressed for work,” She says, shifting her clothes into place.

“Do you have that girl’s phone number? Birthday boy’s girl?” Jared asks before taking a sip of beer.

“She’s not my girl,” Taylor says, unsure of how to feel about the situation.

“Yeah, I got it. Just a moment,” Tasha says before going back into her room to get her phone. After coming out she reads out the number for Taylor to put in his phone.

“Thanks,” Taylor says before moving to the door and leaving the apartment.

…

…

“And where the hell were you?” Taylor’s mother calls out after hearing the door open. “I was worried sick. Who the hell told you, you could stay out all night? And what’s that smell? Have you been drinking? Your dad is gone for the weekend and you decide you’re going to stay out and party all night? This is isn’t how we raised you!” Taylor’s mother begins to scold immediately after Taylor walks into the house.

Taylor looks to his mom with weary eyes and says, “Mom, I know. I’m sorry. But I’m really tired right now. Can we talk about it after I get some rest?”

Taylor’s mom looks to him and sighs. “Alright, kid. I’ll let you off for now. Go on and get some rest. We’ll talk about this once you wake up,” she says, gesturing for Taylor to go to his room.

“Thanks mom,” Taylor says before taking off his shoes and going to his room to collapse onto the bed.

…

…

After sleeping for a long time, Taylor’s eyes open to find it was already the evening. Knowing what was waiting for him outside his room, and not wanting to think about the previous evening, Taylor thinks it would be better to wait it out a little longer and find something to do. Although he was feeling hungry, he tried to ignore it before deciding to look around his room for something to pass the time. He could play some computer games, but it would be no fun without sound; unfortunately he currently lacked a headset. Then his eyes drew to the book he had bought at the garage sale. Thinking it might be a good way to pass a few hours, Taylor picks up the old book and opens it to continue reading from where he left it.

In life, a person makes a myriad of choices. All connected, leading us to who we want to be. Within life, a person’s choices are limited from birth, but that is not a weakness, it is strength. For in that limitation is simplicity, and in those simple choices is clarity.

When you walk towards a door, what are you walking towards? When you lift your hand, what do you intend to do? When you turn your back, are you certain?

But these questions are irrelevant to most people. For many, it’s about what you have, what you need, and what you want. As for what this book offers you; that depends on you.

“What the fuck kind of book is this?” Taylor whispers to himself. But intrigued, he couldn’t stop himself from continuing to read it.

Cultivation is about gathering the surrounding chi and trapping it in your body. Take it and mold it, until it is yours. But when you steal from the Earth’s chi, you make a contract with it and with the more chi you take the fewer choices you will have; continue at your own risk.

After that, the book described a series of breathing exercises to gather chi in your body.