Max kept his eyes glued to the directions on his phone. Honestly, he still had no idea where he was even going. The streets and neighborhoods all looked the same to him, completely unfamiliar, like a maze with no exit.
The only good news was that enough time had passed since his fight and injury. If anyone had been looking for him, they'd probably given up by now. After all, there was still school tomorrow. And with how strict the government was about attendance, punishing parents with fines if their kids didn't show up, it wasn't easy to miss a day without a solid excuse.
Sure, some kids managed a day or two off here and there, but for a huge group like that? Not exactly easy to explain away. Which meant the streets were relatively safe for him, for now.
As Max walked, he moved his shoulder slightly, testing it, and immediately regretted it. He could feel the tight pull of the stitches holding his skin together.
'With this young body, it shouldn't take more than a day and a half to heal up,' Max thought grimly. 'But even if the wound closes up fast, everything else... the soreness, the stiffness...'
He gritted his teeth, feeling the dull ache running through his muscles. It was clear as day.
'I can't go back to school tomorrow. No way. I probably shouldn't step back in there for a few days, not until I come up with a real plan.'
Max figured he could skip a few days of school by faking a cold. Even if the other students knew the real reason behind it, it would still buy him the time he desperately needed. Right now, in the state he was in, there was no way he could take them on.
And tomorrow? Yeah, tomorrow his body would hurt even worse than it did now.
Besides, even if the school tried to hit him with a fine for skipping, it wasn't like it mattered, he could easily afford it.
'With the principal in my back pocket now, he wouldn't report it anyway,' Max thought. 'Still, today taught me something important.'
'Dipter and his little crew... they're way more ruthless than I first imagined. I can't treat them like a bunch of dumb kids anymore. I have to treat them like what they really are, an actual criminal group.'
And if they were a real gang... Max had to think like he was fighting real criminals too.
'If I were still in the underworld, stuck in this situation… how would I get rid of a group like theirs?'
Lost deep in his thoughts, Max almost missed the sound, quick footsteps coming up fast behind him.
His heart slammed into his ribs.
'Crap, did they really not give up after all this time? I'm not even sure I can lift my leg to fight right now...'
He spun around sharply, ready to throw hands, or worse, but stopped when he saw who it was.
The figure skidded to a halt, throwing both hands up in surrender.
They both froze, caught off guard by the vicious, cold look flashing across Max's face.
"Max! It's me, it's Abby," she said quickly, her voice trembling a little. "Sorry! I didn't mean to startle you or anything. I just... I just wanted to walk with you. Maybe talk for a bit too."
Max wanted to say no. He wanted to tell her to leave him alone, to stay far, far away.
But honestly? He didn't even have the energy for that anymore. So instead, without a word, he just turned around and kept moving.
Abby hesitated for only a second before hurrying to walk by his side, matching his pace.
"Besides," she said, trying to sound cheerful, "with me here, I don't think they'll dare to do anything. If they come at us, I'll scream so loud it'll wake the whole neighborhood!"
At her words, Max couldn't help but let out a faint, half-hearted smile. It barely reached his lips.
She had no idea.
She had no idea that, although she wasn't the direct cause, she was part of the reason Max had been forced to suffer in silence.
That they wouldn't do anything to her, that was exactly why Max had taken the beating. Why he'd endured everything without fighting back. So nothing ever happened to her.
"Max, can you please tell me what's going on?" Abby asked, her voice soft but trembling. "It's those guys at school, right? The ones who were bullying you and Sam?" Her hands fidgeted nervously. "We can do something about it, together. We could go to the teachers, or even talk to the police officers who came to the school. They can protect us."
Hearing that, Max could only offer the same worn-out response: a half-lift of the corner of his mouth. It wasn't a smile, it was the ghost of one.
Such a naive way of thinking.
Only someone who had never really been through something like this would believe that those in charge could simply fix everything. Someone who had no idea about the twisted things happening behind the scenes, hidden away where no teacher, no officer, could, or would, reach.
Abby kept talking, her words rushing out as if she could build a bridge to him with enough ideas. She offered everything she could think of: for Max to stay at her house, to get her parents involved, even transferring schools.
But Max stayed silent. Each well-meaning suggestion only piled onto the frustration already boiling under his skin.
And then, Abby just... broke. The tears spilled over, sliding down her cheeks and hitting the ground with soft, painful splashes.
She stopped walking, and that forced Max to stop too. For the first time, he turned to really look at her.
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, Max," Abby choked out between sobs. "I know everything I'm saying is probably useless. Maybe you've thought about all of it a hundred times already... but I'm trying. I'm trying to help you and it's the only thing I can think of!"
Her shoulders shook violently as she cried, and Max could feel it, the rawness, the honesty behind every word.
"I want to do something... anything to help you," Abby cried out, her voice shaking with every word. "I wish... I wish the two of us could just run away. I don't want any of this to happen to you... Max, why does it have to be you?"
Her sobbing grew heavier, more broken. Watching her cry like that, Max felt something inside him snap. He couldn't take it anymore.
Without thinking, he walked ahead, reached out, and gently pulled her hand away from her tear-soaked face. Then he used the sleeve of his shirt to carefully wipe away her tears.
"Enjoy your life," Max said, looking straight into her eyes. His voice was steady but softer than it had been all night. "Don't get involved in this mess. Live your life. Study hard, get a job, get married if you want, or don't.
"Have kids, get pets, experience all of it. Right now, it feels like this situation is your whole world... but it's just a tiny part.
"Your world isn't everyone's world, Abby. And no matter what happens, the world will keep moving."
His words spun around inside Abby's head, swirling with the pain and confusion she was already feeling. She didn't fully understand what he meant.
All she wanted was to go back, to the days when they used to sit around playing games together, laughing until their sides hurt, dreaming about a future they could share.
Talking about living together, about chasing stupid hobbies and enjoying every moment.
When had everything changed so much?
"It's best if you think of it like this from now on..." Max said, his voice low. "Max died. The real Max died that day, along with Sam."
Turning around without waiting for her reply, Max continued walking, leaving Abby standing there alone under the streetlight.
He didn't know if his words had gotten through to her, or if they only hurt her even more, but she wasn't following him anymore.
The night air felt heavier with every step, but eventually, Max made it back to his apartment.
As he approached the entrance, he spotted a familiar figure standing outside, stiff as a statue.
Arms tense at his sides, face unreadable, it was someone Max was expecting, and someone he had a lot of unresolved feelings toward.
"Aron," Max said, his voice cold but steady.
I have a lot of questions to ask him.