The Confrontation

As they were about to enter the classroom, Lilla bumped into Max while keeping her eyes on her phone.

"What the heck! How dare you? Where are you looking?" Lilla sneered.

"Well, that's my line," Max said.

"Yeah, you should pay attention to where you're going," Cedric added.

"Oh, shut up. Why would our school accept nerds like you, ruining my mood early in the morning?" Lilla scolded them both before turning to leave. Then, a voice stopped her.

"Shouldn't you apologize before going?" Max asked, his face stern.

"What?" Lilla was taken aback. She was used to Max taking her insults quietly, but now he was standing up to her, looking her straight in the eyes. "Are you out of your mind? Move out of my way."

"I saw everything. Why don't you just apologize? It was you who bumped into them without paying attention," Gwen said, stepping forward.

Lilla's anger flared. She had finally worked up the nerve to ask Max to stay after school so she could confess her feelings, but now this girl was ruining everything. "This has nothing to do with you. Shut up and get out of my freaking way!" she shouted.

The commotion woke Danny from his nap. He lifted his head to see what was going on. When he saw Lilla shouting, he thought, 'Who dares to bother my girl? This might be a good chance to teach them a lesson.'

Seeing Danny approach, Lilla smirked evilly. She knew how much he liked tormenting Max. Now, Max was messing with her, and Danny would make him pay. "What is happening here?" Danny began to shout but stopped when he saw Max standing there.

Gwen felt a pang of guilt. Although she had seen Danny and his gang bully Max countless times, she had never intervened. She knew it wouldn't help and would only make things worse for Max, who had begged her and Cedric not to get involved. He didn't want them to suffer because of him. But seeing Danny approach, Gwen felt a wave of sadness and helplessness. Max had just gotten out of the hospital and wasn't fully recovered. She felt useless in situations like this.

A look of shock crossed Danny's face. After the last incident, his father punished him severely, warning him not to cause any more trouble. He knew that if his father heard he had beaten up Max again, it would be his funeral. His father valued reputation above all else.

Danny hesitated, unsure of what to do. The tension in the hallway was palpable as everyone waited to see what would happen next. Max stood his ground, his eyes locked on Lilla, who was now unsure of herself. Cedric and Gwen watched, ready to step in if things got out of hand.

Finally, Danny backed down. "This isn't worth it," he muttered, turning away. Lilla, seeing her backup retreat, looked flustered and quickly left the scene.