When she returned to the classroom, Devon noticed a boy named Brucks, who didn't share classes with the teacher that she and Max had, sitting in a corner of the room.
"That idiot. I'm going to kill him."
Curious about what that bully would do, Devon deliberately walked beside Max to see just how far Brucks's courage would take him.
This idiot! I waited there for thirty minutes, expecting him! And when I came back here, he completely ignored me, as if he hadn't promised me lunch! I swear, later I'll give him the beating of his life. Damn it, blind fool, useless moron, crap.
Brucks's thoughts were unheard by anyone but himself, but his glare spoke volumes.
This made Devon feel uneasy—she never thought Nick could be so malicious.
So there are still bullies here, huh? I thought this school was strict about that. The top bullies and delinquents from last year were expelled. Well, maybe not all of them. I don't know—they just disappeared, and I didn't care back then, Devon reflected, noticing how Brucks's unpleasant gaze wouldn't leave Max.
"I have plenty. Want candy? Or maybe check out the Cobra Kai gym?" Max smiled at Devon, who seemed increasingly worried about her friend's safety.
But Max remained calm, radiating confidence.
"Oh…" Devon didn't know how to respond, but fortunately, the teacher returned at that moment, and the class resumed. Like any tired teacher, he continued with a PowerPoint presentation.
"So, here are the rules."
"It's obvious that bringing weapons to school is strictly prohibited."
"Girls, your skirts need to be this long."
"In case of an emergency, this is the route to evacuate safely. Remember it well—your survival depends on it. By the way, only use this route during emergencies. Understand? Since there are no cameras there due to maintenance, we've caught couples engaging in inappropriate activities. Those students are now expelled."
Yeah, couples should go extinct. That way, no one would bother me there, Devon thought, feeling a bit smug. But her face remained expressionless, as if nothing around her mattered. She hadn't even touched the candies Max had kindly offered her.
"If he really wants to hurt you, wouldn't it be better to report him to a teacher? I know a few you can trust." Devon wasn't a bad person. She genuinely believed Max was good at fighting, but the best fight was one you didn't have.
These candies are cherry-flavored... Devon stared at the candies, secretly grabbed them, and stashed them away without looking at Max, who seemed to be dozing off—or pretending to.
While Devon pondered, Max's thoughts drifted further and further away until he found himself imagining how to beat up Brucks.
From what he could tell, the guy was huge. Even if he didn't know how to fight, his size was a significant threat. But that wasn't Max's biggest concern—this was exactly the kind of fight he enjoyed.
Would that be considered some kind of disorder?
Devon was about to try a candy when she noticed Brucks's intense glare fixed on Max, who appeared to be asleep.
There was no need to read Brucks's thoughts to know he was furious and wanted to hit Max. But obviously, he wouldn't actually do that, right?
"Just this once." Devon thought she should intervene somehow.
If that idiot apologizes and promises to buy me lunch, I'll forgive him tomorrow. Brucks muttered to himself, feeling humiliated.
Devon's thoughts lingered through the first half of the second study session until it was time for a short break, when many students grabbed snacks.
Brucks stood up, walked over to Max, and said, "Hey, blind fool, I won't hit you if you buy me something from the vending machine. I've been hungry ever since you didn't get me anything."
"Of course, I'll get you something," Max replied with a nod and stood up.
"I'll be keeping an eye on you!" Brucks then returned to his seat.
Devon, who usually didn't take much interest in other people's problems, was now eager to see how this situation would unfold.
Would Max back down this time?
Why doesn't Max just come back with some food for that idiot? It'd save him a lot of trouble, she thought.
Just as she was contemplating this, she noticed that Max never returned until the teacher walked into the classroom for the last session of the day.
Devon, who had been following the story closely, saw how Brucks became even angrier when he noticed Max sipping on a soda.
"I got you this strawberry cake. I thought you'd like it," Max said as he walked through the door, carrying several items in his hands.
"No…" Devon froze. He wasn't supposed to have bought her something—he was supposed to get something for Brucks, who seemed to be failing miserably at bullying Max at every turn.