I've mentioned before that things like The Game and The Mystery Method are too well-known to be used very effectively anymore. People have seen the magic trick. They know the moves. They know the canned lines and the obvious social engineering. I've said it before and I'll say it again: study this shit to know it, but never use it as a substitute for genuine confidence, wit, and humor. You've also got to learn how to roll with unexpected situations, as one young man learned in the following story.

I was out the other day for the first time in a while. I've been sick, so a lot of the past few weeks have been dedicated to watching documentaries and playing video games (and, of course, posting on Seddit). So, with a fresh shave and haircut, I went out with one of my dearest and closest friends, Chloe.

Chloe is almost perfect looking, save for a couple scars from when she had some ill-advised and poorly done facial piercings. She's petite -- barely 4'11'' -- with fantastic tits, an ass to die for, and the perfect blend of mulatto and southeast Asian features. She's also one of the smartest women I know, and one of the most socially-aware people I've ever met. Honestly, despite her being eight years younger than me, I'd probably marry this girl if I was the monogamous type. We met on Reddit a couple years back and have been in a casual, non-exclusive, but fantastic relationship ever since.

So, there we were, in a club out by Lincoln Park in Chicago. It's a goth/industrial club, so the scene is very dark and full of alternative-looking people. Fortunately, I'm into that. I was drinking some shitty poor people beer (I think it was Old Style or PBR) and casually watching Chloe dance, just enjoying the atmosphere. Occasionally, I'd turn to watch the movie they had playing at the bar -- Blade Runner this time. Mostly, I was set for a low-key evening. Chloe would get her dance on, I'd relax and enjoy the music, and we'd eventually make our way back to my place where we'd fuck like crazy and pass out.

Before that, though, something interesting happened.

Chloe came back and took a seat next to me at the bar. And out of nowhere, this kid -- dressed in a crazy steampunk-looking outfit with all kinds of doodads dangling off of him -- opens on her with a classic: "Sorry to interrupt, but I need a female opinion. You can help too, buddy." He says to me. "Is it okay for guys to wear eyeliner?"

Chloe and I both look at each other, a huge grin stretching across both of our faces. She's pretty well-versed in PUA culture, having been a victim of it for so many years, so she knows all the old tricks. I'm sure it looked ominous as hell to this poor kid who was only trying to use an opener he'd read about. The delay in response obviously sets the kid off his game, and he looks really uncomfortable all of a sudden. I put my arm around him and say, "Son, what are you drinking?"

"Uh... I don't dri--"

"Wrong answer." I tell him, cutting him off. I flag down the bartender and buy the kid a PBR, handing it to him. He seems hesitant at first, but Chloe puts her hand on his wrist and says, "Don't be that guy, man."

I love this girl.

He, now having physical contact with a hot chick, swigs the beer and coughs a little at the taste. She laughs, slaps him on the shoulder and says, "Man up, playa!"

I'm grinning like the devil at this point. He's trying, and I really want to help him out since he's all alone out there armed with a goofy outfit and a couple of bullshit lines he picked up from a pickup manual somewhere. So I take him around and start introducing him to the people I know around the bar. "If you want to make this shit a lot easier for yourself, get to know the locals first." I tell him.

We bullshit with a couple of the people I know for a bit. I basically tell everyone that he's a buddy of mine and that I'm showing him around. This prompts people to actually engage him in conversation, but he just clams up for most of it. After a couple of these interactions, I say to him, "You were doing great when you came up to my friend. You were confident, you were direct. The line was cheesy as hell, but it was an opener. What happened?"

He looks at me and shrugs. "I dunno, man. You kinda threw me off my game."

I laugh and pat him on the shoulder. "You gotta learn to roll with it, son. You can't let other people throw you off."

"I know... I'm new to this."

I nod and beckon him to follow. "Come on, kid. I'll make it up to you."

There's a group of girls in the corner by the DJ. I walk up to one of them and take a seat next to her, holding out my phone to take a picture of us. She giggles and poses for the camera, I take a quick snapshot, and I say, "Here, I'll send it to you."

She holds out her hand and takes my phone, enters her number, and hands it back. I send her the photo, and she says into my ear, "I'm actually impressed at how smooth that was."

I grin and point at the kid. "That guy right there? That guy taught me that move."

I flag him down and switch seats with him. The girl follows me, but the kid's got two more to choose from. She chats me up for a minute before I finally say, "Look, I'm gonna be totally honest: I just needed to get my buddy out of his shell. Would you mind just talking to him for a little bit?"

She looks a little perturbed. "So... You weren't just trying to pick me up?"

"Well, I mean, we could do it in the bathroom real quick, but I'm pretty sure the toilet's flooded..."

She laughs and punches me in the arm, but looks intrigued at the same time. "You earned that."

"Probably. But yeah, would you mind? He's a really good kid."

"If I talk to him, will you text me later?"

"Can we do it someplace that isn't flooded?"

She laughs again and nods. "Of course."

I brush her chin between my thumb and forefinger and say, "Then it's a deal."

So she goes back over to the kid, and I return to Chloe, who's been watching this entire time and getting the biggest kick out of it. She looks at the girl and says, "You pawned her off on the peacocking guy?"

"He's a good kid."

She shrugs and says, "I would've fucked her if you asked."

I respond, "Yeah, but he needed it more."

She smirks and stands on her tiptoes to kiss me. I kiss her right back. And, as per usual, I took her back home and we ended the night with our usual romp of awesome sex, followed by Redditing together on our laptops.

It was a good night.