Better Luck Tomorrow

In Southern California, Ben Manibag is a somewhat stereotypical East Asian high school student in being naturally bright academically. He realizes that grades are only a small part of what will get him into the college of his choice, he thus putting in that little extra effort in whatever he does to become good if not truly exceptional in everything he attempts. One of those things which he places some effort into in becoming good at it is free-throwing, he in the process making the school's basketball team. The one thing that placing extra effort in in order to reach his goal that probably won't work is getting the girl of his dreams, his Biology class lab partner and cheerleader Stephanie Vandergosh. Ben doesn't much like Stephanie's boyfriend, Steve Choe, a student at another school, that dislike not so much jealousy but thinking that Stephanie can do better than Steve, who he believes is cheating on Stephanie behind her back. Ben primarily hangs out with the other really bright East Asian in his school, Virgil Hu, and by association Virgil's cousin Han Lue, who is the polar opposite of Virgil. Ben catches the attention of one of the school's alpha males, Daric Loo, among his achievements being the editor of the school's newspaper and head of the school's academic decathlon team. Daric gets Ben and by association Virgil and Han into some lucrative scams with him, but it's one incident in particular that may have potentially negative consequences but that doesn't end up as Ben had initially thought that turns Ben's perspective as the four form an unofficial but well-known and powerful gang. The question becomes whether Ben will be able to reconcile this new life with those other goals in his life.