Playing with Others

As usual, something Max wasn't aware of, his first day of classes was an eye-opening experience thanks to Devon. She introduced him to many things he had no idea existed, one of them being the convenience of vending machines in the school hallways. Between classes, students could grab a snack before lunch arrived.

On the way to the cafeteria, Devon bombarded Max with questions about himself. One thing she seemed particularly interested in was whether he knew how to fight. Her curiosity made her wonder if a real fight would be as dramatic as those in the movies.

"Did you stop competing in tournaments?" Devon asked as she picked up her lunch tray and got in line to receive her portion for the day.

Max sighed as he grabbed his own tray. "Continuing to fight was doing me more harm than good. After my parents passed away, I immersed myself in martial arts so deeply that I lost myself. My new sensei fought to pull me out of that abyss."

"That's..." Devon paused, falling silent. She understood the feeling of loss, having lost her mother just a few years ago.

For Max to share the story of losing both his parents—a pain far greater than her own—showed how mature he was in accepting his grief.

The previous night, when he visited Miguel's family, Max reflected on his pain. He realized that there's no way to "cure" it. The grief would always live with him.

His parents' memories remained, especially the memory of that day—a haunting, unchangeable moment etched in his mind. The most vivid memory he carried was also the darkest one, one he could never forget.

That's why, with those he wanted to trust, he allowed himself to be sincere when the moment arose. Maybe it would help ease the burning pain he still carried inside.

Breaking the silence, Devon finally spoke. "I lost my mom too. And yeah, we both know that pretending to be strong when they're gone... it's all bullshit."

"Sorry to hear that," Max said with a serene look, meeting Devon's gaze. "I shouldn't have ruined the conversation by bringing this up."

"You didn't. I asked," Devon replied.

Max gestured for her to move forward. "Let's talk about it later. For now, let's just get our food."

…

At lunchtime, Max wasn't in the mood to argue with anyone, so he decided to spend his time in the cafeteria. While many students avoided it in favor of more appealing spots like the fields, Max found some solace there.

Picking up his tray, he looked at Devon, who murmured, "They say school is like a reform center, and honestly, they're not wrong..."

"The problem is we've never been to one," Max replied, spotting a table with two empty seats. "Let's sit there. Better to sit with strangers than with unpleasant people."

Walking over to the table, Max stepped forward and asked the group already seated, "Mind if we take these seats?"

The three students were chatting amicably, though one of them seemed withdrawn, hiding a scar on his lip.

"No, go ahead," one of them said.

Max nodded politely, and Devon, distracted by her reading, muttered, "This assignment is such crap..."

"The food here isn't much better," Max added, only now remembering why he disliked eating at school.

"Max, what a surprise!" Miguel's enthusiastic voice came from another table as he turned around, spotting Max.

"Oh, hey. Didn't see you there," Max said casually. "This is Devon." He gestured toward her, and she gave a slight nod to the group before focusing back on her reading.

"I'm Demetri, and this is Eli," one of the boys said. He was curious why Max chose their table, but instead of overthinking it, he asked outright, "Hey, Miguel's rich friend, mind if I ask something? Why would you pick the weirdest table in the cafeteria when you could easily sit somewhere else? Don't tell me your friendship with Miguel is stronger than that with Sam or Aisha."

Devon, who was poking at the gelatin on her tray, lifted her gaze. "Who are they?"

"Forget that," Demetri said, shaking his head at himself for being so awkward around strangers. "Just answer the first question."

"As I said, I didn't even notice Miguel was here. Plus, you were the quietest group, so I thought it'd be nice for everyone to have a peaceful lunch together."

"Fair enough. Eli doesn't talk much anyway," Demetri replied, raising his eyebrows as he began to understand Max's point.

"Not eating?" Devon asked, noticing Max's untouched tray.

Max shrugged. "I'm just drinking this. We'll survive until we leave and get something better later."

Miguel watched Max for a moment, noting his calm demeanor. His first impression was that Max was a laid-back and composed individual. His plain but neat attire reflected that indifference toward others.

Just then, Max noticed three girls at another table. One of them locked eyes with Devon for a few seconds before quickly looking away.

Samantha LaRusso glanced at Max, offering a faint smile before averting her gaze, seemingly uncomfortable.

Is that pity? Max wondered, turning his eyes away.

Miguel, sitting across from him, also seemed lost in thought until Demetri broke the silence. "Dude, don't torture yourself. They're the rich girls."

"He's right. You're better off not getting involved with them," Max said, agreeing with Demetri's words, as he appeared well aware of his limits—something many ignored, often leading to trouble.

"Not bad advice," Eli finally spoke, his voice low. His scars made him seem reserved, but Max's eye scar made him look tougher.

Miguel looked at Max and asked, "Do you know them?"

"Not at all," Max replied simply. "But I do care about keeping my friends from getting caught up in dangerous currents. From what I see, she's a spoiled girl who gets everything with her words. I wouldn't recommend going near her."

Devon, smirking slightly, added, "I had the satisfaction of beating her in a debate in front of over five hundred people. She quit after that. Used to be nice, but now she hangs out with 'friends' who aren't really her friends. Puberty must be messing with her."

Miguel and the others were left speechless by Devon's brutally honest comment.

Max wasn't surprised; after all, Devon's sharp tongue could crush even the speeches of adults.

Miguel, nervous, looked at Demetri and then asked the guys next to him, "Have you ever talked to them?"

"Yeah, all the time." Demetri replied sarcastically and exaggeratedly. "We hang out after school, kiss, grope each other, stuff like that. Eli, next to me, is the king of the dance floor. He sleeps with more girls than anyone, right, Eli?"

Miguel, upon hearing that response, regretted asking again. But Demetri, who had forgotten that two other people were sitting in front of him, said, "Do you know what table you're sitting at? You gave up any hope of losing your virginity before college."

Of course, these comments didn't bother Devon. Any unnecessary nonsense she heard went in one ear and out the other, but Miguel coughed uncomfortably, knowing there was a girl at the table with them, and that she might be his friend's girlfriend.

"Although I don't want the jelly, it would be a waste to throw it away. Do you want it? We haven't touched it." Max looked up, and the moment he saw the withdrawn Eli, he heard him say, "Damn, Yasmine is looking at us."

Eli, next to Miguel, murmured, "She's probably making fun of me."

Miguel exaggerated, thinking those thoughts were extreme, and pointed out, "They're not making fun of you."

Devon turned around, and after seeing the girls' smiles, returned her gaze forward. "Ignore it, she's probably making fun of one of us."

Max, who understood Eli's complex, said, "It's not as bad as you think. It's just like with dogs; you show weakness, and cruel people, like animals, use it to hurt you."

Eli looked at Max and, after a long silence, murmured, "I don't have the confidence you have..."

"But you can get it."

"Impossible..."

"I'm tired of this situation. Should we look for them outside of school?" Max looked at Devon, who seemed very calm, and smiled mischievously when he asked her.

"Forget it, I'm not going to fight anyone."

Devon immediately rejected the idea when Max suggested she fight someone she barely knew.

"Yeah, I guess it was extreme..."

Max looked at Miguel, raised an eyebrow slightly, and murmured, "So if there's no fight, we'll leave. Take whatever food you want with confidence."

Eli looked at Max's untouched tray of food, so he took the things he liked most, not caring about anything else.

Devon, who had packed her things, said, "Have more confidence in yourselves, join some sport, and I'm sure what others think of you will stop mattering."

"I'd listen to Devon, she's right." Max smiled warmly as he walked away from the cafeteria.

But before Max could leave, Miguel caught up with him and said, "Max, wait."

"What's going on?" Max turned around.

Miguel extended his hand and said, "My sensei is opening a dojo, it would be good if you checked it out and decided to join. You'd learn how to defend yourself from him, you know, he's the guy who saved me from those bullies."

Max took the flyer that said Cobra Kai, and as he put it away, he said, "Maybe I'll visit."

"Great." Miguel was very excited, and then he left.

Devon, who saw the flyer, murmured, "That would be interesting..."

"I don't know..." Max handed the flyer to Devon, and they both walked to the debate room.

...

When lunch was over, Brucks came back with a furious expression. "Later, behind the school, I'm going to knock your teeth out."

Max, who had deliberately forgotten about the idiot from lunch, eagerly awaited what action that guy would take.