The principal was now back in his seat while Max remained in the office for a little while longer. There were still a few more details that needed to be ironed out between them. Beyond that, Max was also interested in finding out if the principal knew anything else, specifically, how a seventeen-year-old student like Dipter had the kind of money to pay off someone in his position.
According to the principal, he was receiving a yearly bonus of $100,000, an amount that, apparently, was enough to buy his silence and cooperation.
Sure, to Max, with the full financial power and influence of the Stern family behind him, that kind of money wasn't exactly shocking. It explained how he'd been able to reach people even higher up the ladder than the principal. Still, the idea of a fellow student casually spending that much raised more questions than answers.
What stood out most, however, was how the principal refused to question any of it. His silence wasn't out of professionalism, it was rooted in fear. He was afraid of why a teenager would go to such lengths to secure freedom within a school, and even more afraid of whoever might be backing Dipter from behind the scenes.
Regardless, the outcome was in Max's favor now.
He would enjoy the same privileges. No matter what happened at school, what messes he created or how far he went, the administration would do its best to bury it. Just like they had done with Dipter.
Honestly, I probably could've just relied on Aron for this, Max thought to himself. But I wonder... is there a line he wouldn't cross? Something even he would consider too unethical?
"Are you sure about what you're doing?" the principal asked again. "You really want to stay in this school after everything that's happened? I'm telling you, expelling you might be the best option, for everyone. We won't get the police involved if that's what you're worried about. These aren't normal kids we're dealing with."
"Yes, yes," Max waved him off dismissively, as if it were no big deal. "Just remember, it's important that you continue playing your part. Keep doing exactly what you've been doing."
"Keep taking your bribes. I don't want them getting suspicious or asking too many questions."
"If I had to guess, I'd say the students don't want this escalating any further either, right? Dipter, Ko, all of them would rather sweep this under the rug, as long as I stay quiet."
"If I don't get the police involved, and they don't, it's a win for everyone."
The principal couldn't deny that. Max was absolutely right. The students wanted this incident forgotten just as much as the school did.
"Just tell them you managed to talk me down with a simple threat, that I agreed not to speak out in exchange for some leniency," Max continued. "And as for the hospital bills, you can tell their families to forward all medical expenses to me. I'll cover them."
"That way, their parents won't have anything to complain about either."
The principal and Mr. Macanzie had to admit, it felt like the situation was finally resolving itself, with no one getting into further trouble and no one getting hurt more than they already had.
Still, they couldn't shake the worry: how much deeper could this school sink now that it had come to this?
Meanwhile, Max was pleased with the outcome. There were two reasons he hadn't acted rashly before.
The first was his body. He wasn't in the same condition as his old body. He was lucky he could even fight as well as he had. The classroom fight had proven that. If Joe hadn't stepped in to help him, Max would've lost that battle.
Going up against Dipter and the rest of the school on his own wasn't a good idea, not then, and certainly not now, not with his current strength.
The second reason was the risk of getting expelled. He didn't know just how far the Stern family's influence reached, and what sort of consequences might follow.
But pushed to the edge of his patience and anger, he had called Aron, and it had worked.
Now, he was in a position where, at the very least, he didn't have to worry about this anymore.
"Alright, I'll leave this here for you, for the hospital bills," Max said, placing a card with a number written on it onto the desk. It wasn't his own number, but Aron's.
Just then, the bell rang, signaling the end of the period and the start of the next.
"I guess I should be getting back to class," Max added with a small grin. "It's going to be a lot easier, and a lot quieter." With that, he turned to leave.
But just as he reached for the door handle, Mr. Macanzie called out from behind him.
"Wait… Max," he said. "How were you able to do all of this? I mean, if you could've done this the whole time, why did you go through all of that? Who are you?"
Max paused, his hand still on the door, and answered without looking back.
"That's… what I'm trying to find out as well."
With those words, he opened the door and walked back into the hallway.
The students Max had injured were being taken for further check-ups at the local hospital, thanks to his generous offer to cover all their medical expenses.
Oddly enough, most of the delinquents seemed pleased with this. Despite being sore and bruised, they essentially got a free day off school and weren't going to complain.
Well… most of them, anyway. The few with broken fingers and especially those with holes in their hands might've preferred sitting through class instead.
As Max walked through the hallways, every student's gaze was fixed on him. A noticeable number of them even moved aside to clear the path, pressing themselves against the walls.
'Now this reminds me of when I was back in school,' Max thought, suppressing a laugh, until suddenly, someone grabbed his hand and pulled him to the side.
Turning around, he was met with the familiar sight of a woman's back.
"What the… this again?" Max muttered under his breath, as he was dragged into an empty classroom. The door shut firmly behind them.
"Do you do this a lot?" Max asked, now face to face with his ex-fiancée, Sheri.
"What happened to you?" Sheri questioned, her eyes wide with concern. "Did you get hit so hard that it completely changed your personality?"
"I saw what you did… how were you even able to do all of that?"
Max didn't have a convenient answer. He could've said he had been secretly training, but what was the point of even speaking with his ex-fiancée? Hadn't she already cut him out of her life?
With that thought, Max decided to stay silent. He turned toward the door, reaching for the handle.
"Wait, Max, I'm worried about you!" Sheri called out. "Please tell me… you didn't use any of the money, did you?"
Max's hand froze on the door handle.
'She knows about the money.'
"Max… you didn't use the money, did you?" she asked again, more urgency in her voice this time.