The next day at school, Max sat quietly at his desk, eyes drifting toward the two empty seats in the room.
One of them was right beside him, Sam's old desk. He didn't let anyone sit there. No transfer students, no one. That seat belonged to Sam. It stayed empty as a reminder. Of mistakes. Of things Max couldn't undo.
And now, on the far side of the classroom, near the window that looked into the hallway, there was another empty seat.
Joe's.
I got the full story from everyone at the gym, Max thought, and from Steven too. But I still don't know who it was that broke in that day. From what they said... it sounded like they were looking for me.
After hearing what happened, Max hadn't hesitated. He told Steven not to worry about any of the hospital bills. He'd cover everything, for Joe and for the other students who got hurt.
He remembered the look on Steven's face when he said that. It wasn't just relief, it was something deeper. Like Steven had wanted to say more… but didn't.
I was planning to tell him the good news that day, Max thought. That I was officially making him the director of the Billion Bloodline gym chain. But after what happened… that wasn't the time.
He stared at the desks again, jaw tight.
I need to find out who did this. I can't let what happened to Sam… happen again to Joe. Or to anyone.
And if something like this is already happening in the early days of the Billion Bloodline… it won't take much for everything I've built to fall apart.
The students had said it wasn't a kid, not someone from another school. It was a fully grown adult.
So who the hell was it? Max thought.
And why were they coming for him?
While Max was lost in thought, his hand brushed against something tucked into the slot beneath his desk, where pencils and textbooks usually went.
He pulled it out. A small piece of folded paper.
Opening it, he read:
[There's always a lot on your mind. At times like this, take a step back and think clearly.
You used to always tell me during our games that I was too focused on what I was doing and not what everyone else was doing.
You said, Look at the whole map!
I don't know if this advice will help you now, but I want to at least make you smile. So here's a joke:
Why don't skeletons fight each other?
Because they don't have the guts. 😎]
Max stared at the note for a moment… and then, despite everything, a wide smile spread across his face.
A dad joke. Man, I haven't heard one of those in forever, he thought.
Something about it, maybe the tone, maybe the memory it brought back, lifted the weight on his chest just a little. And more importantly, it helped him think.
Take a step back. Look at the whole map.
He folded the note gently, placed it in his jacket pocket, and leaned back in his seat.
Who put this here? he wondered. And how did they know exactly what I needed to hear?
When lunch arrived, the door to the classroom slid open.
Two girls stepped in, scanning the room quickly before making a beeline straight toward Max's desk.
Without waiting for a word, they each dropped a lunchbox on his table.
"There you are!" Cindy said, beaming. "Good thing we caught you. Someone told us your usual crew wasn't here today, so we figured now's our chance."
The two girls, Cindy and Abby, were almost never seen apart. But it was the first time they'd ever made a move like this.
Max raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected this today.
"What's wrong?" Cindy said, crossing her arms. "So we're only allowed to talk to you when you need something from us? Yeah, it doesn't work that way."
Max let out a small breath. "It's fine," he said. "We can eat together."
There wasn't a threat at school anymore, at least not inside it. Things were calm for now, and that meant Abby and Cindy were safe. But Max knew this new danger? It was something outside the walls. Something harder to see.
Still, Cindy was right.
Their relationship had been one-sided for a while now. He'd only ever gone to them when he needed help. That kind of thing doesn't last forever.
As they sat down, Abby gently steered the conversation, asking Max how his day had been, what was on his mind. She even offered to help with his studies if he needed it.
She wasn't pushy. Just present.
And somewhere between her questions and her quiet support, Max realized she could tell, he was carrying a lot.
By the time lunch was ending, both girls stood to leave.
"It was nice just doing something normal like this, Max," Abby said with a soft smile. "You've got a lot on your mind lately, and I don't blame you. So here's something to help take it off, even for a second."
She leaned in a little.
"Why can't you give Elsa a balloon?"
Max blinked. "Elsa? Who's Elsa?"
Abby smirked. "Because she'll let it go!"
She burst out laughing while Cindy groaned and rolled her eyes, pulling her friend by the arm as they walked off.
Max sat there for a moment, confused, then it hit him.
"…Let it go," he repeated, and for the second time that day, a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
As he watched them leave, he remembered the times he'd seen Abby cry, more than once, and too often in the short time he'd known her. And yet now, she was smiling. Laughing.
She looks better when she smiles, Max thought.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
Just before the end of lunch, Max made a decision.
He scrolled through his contacts, thumb hovering for a moment before tapping the name: Stalker.
The call rang once.
"After school today," Max said, voice low but certain, "I need you to set something up for me."
A pause on the other end.
"Yeah… I want a meeting at the juvenile detention center. There's someone in there I need to talk to."
His eyes narrowed.
"I think they've got answers I'm missing."