A few days later, Max resumed his life while trying to explain all the details of his idea for Cobra Kai. Of course, Devon didn't understand much, but she quickly agreed when she learned about the number of students joining the dojo.
Some were accepted immediately, but a grand opening was scheduled for later, once the renovations were complete.
Max, who had initially refused to go to school because of his appearance, decided to head out this time. He went straight to his parking garage.
There, a bright blue Camaro RS awaited him—a gift he'd barely used until now.
"Alright, my dear companion, let's take you for a ride," Max murmured as he settled into the driver's seat and started the engine.
Vroom!!!
The roar of the engine was music to any car lover's ears. For Max, it didn't matter much what he drove, but he couldn't deny how stunning his cars were.
Over the past few days, he'd tried to forget what had happened that night, but knowing it was something he had to live with, he realized it was impossible to ignore. He'd fought with all his might to take someone's life.
Still waiting for news about that matter, Max shifted his focus to returning to school. On his way, he decided to pick up Devon from her house. Driving through the quiet morning streets, he couldn't help but wonder if school would ever feel enjoyable. The limited things he could do there often left him questioning its value.
Arriving at Devon's house, Max parked but didn't get out. Instead, he turned off the engine and sent a quick text to his friend:
"[Good morning, Cobra Star. Come out so we can head to reform school.]"
Moments later, Devon emerged, wearing an oversized black hoodie, and made her way to the car.
"How was your weekend?" Max asked as she climbed into the passenger seat.
The question didn't catch Devon off guard. She had spent her weekend at home, reading and working on research for an important debate club topic, which meant they hadn't hung out as usual.
"Don't even ask—it was a complete headache. Researching animal experimentation and sifting through all the nonsense people exploit." Devon sighed. She had thought it was a good idea to drag Max into the debate team, but she ended up doing most of the work since he knew so little about the subject.
Max assumed she'd get tired of the club and fully commit to Cobra Kai, but instead, Devon kept working tirelessly on the upcoming debate.
Reflecting on this, Max felt a twinge of guilt for not helping her, but arguing wasn't as thrilling as physical fights.
"We're on the opposing team. I've got some valid points that might help us win," Max said, steering toward a coffee shop. Without caffeine, he'd likely fall asleep during class.
Devon, deep in thought, replied, "Experimenting on animals is justified when the research serves a fair purpose, but some people misuse it, like with chemical weapons testing. There's no solid data on those practices, so they won't have much to counter us with."
Max frowned slightly and asked, "From what I read this weekend, nearly all Nobel Prize winners in medicine since 1901 have relied on data obtained from animal models."
"Obviously. We share 95% of our genes with mice, making them an effective model for human application," Devon responded, backing her argument with real data about animal experimentation.
"Do you think we'll win?" Max wasn't feeling too confident, so he wanted to hear Devon's thoughts. He pulled up to the drive-thru and ordered two lattes.
"Absolutely. Those arguing against it won't have many valid points to counter us," Devon replied, brimming with confidence about the debate.
When Max picked up the coffees, he handed one to Devon, who was reviewing her notes. Truthfully, their relationship had evolved into one where they did almost everything together.
"There are chocolate donuts—want one?" Max asked casually.
"We shouldn't be eating so much sugar in the morning. Do you even know what we need to study for the debate?" Devon countered.
"Just relax. Let's split the topics—medicine, social issues, and human evolution. That's all we need for this debate. Don't stress out so much," Max reassured her as he ordered a box of chocolate donuts and handed it to Devon, who seemed bewildered by his obsession with sugary breakfasts.
It was worth mentioning that Max wasn't a fool. He was incredibly smart and proud of his ability to remember everything he learned. Devon had confirmed this on several occasions when she quizzed him about things she'd forgotten.
"We exercise a lot, so eating donuts will just give us more energy for the debate," Max said, taking a big bite of the oversized donut in his hand.
Devon shook her head, smiled, and started eating without paying much attention to Max as he drove. Since there was no need to rush to school, they took the scenic route, arriving with plenty of time to prepare.
"Do you know the guy who's on our team?" Devon asked as they walked past the lockers.
Max turned his head and murmured, "Not a clue. We left that day early because we had plans to visit the dojo."
"Yeah, I remember," Devon said, not being too social with the debate club members.
"Besides, how am I supposed to know a guy I've only seen once?" Max replied.
Devon raised her eyebrows but said nothing.
"But I think I remember him," Max added. He couldn't forget the kid with glasses.