Martine walked into the living room of the new place, where Matt was lying on the black couch, focused on his smartphone.

The one-bedroom apartment they shared was simply furnished. In the living room, next to the couch, there was a light wood coffee table and a couple of chairs of the same color. A bookshelf was against one of the white walls, while on either side of the flat-screen TV, there were some surrealist paintings in a Dalí style.

A bookshelf was against one of the white walls, while on either side of the flat-screen TV, there were some surrealist paintings in a Dalí style [https://img.wattpad.com/633936a93b339533d880efa48e21a34697df4af7/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f496241795255794f6248414341673d3d2d313530303035303738342e313830643635666330306430646134383435353135343034313530342e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]

Martine was dressed in a plain white T-shirt and gray sweatpants and noticed the weird expression on Matt's face. Her curiosity got the better of her.

«What's up, babe?» she asked as she sat next to him on the couch.

Matt was wearing a gray hoodie and black shorts. He sighed. Then, he put his phone down and turned his gaze toward her.

«I just saw a post about a school reunion,» he explained while his fingers drummed on the edge of the couch. «They invited me to go, and it's stressing me out...»

«Why?» Martine asked, tilting her head and furrowing her dark eyebrows.

Matt looked away, shifting his gaze to the left as if recalling past events.

«I don't know if I can face those guys again,» he started, wrinkling his nose. «They made my life hell, and it still hurts when I think about it,» he continued, looking back at Martine.

«I get it, but it's been fifteen years, and you're a different person now,» his girlfriend said, leaning toward him and shaking her head slightly.

«I know,» Matt replied, sighing again. «But the things they did, I remember them like it was yesterday, and...» he kept going, but Martine interrupted him with a hug.

Matt hugged her back and held her close, closing his eyes. After a moment, Martine pulled away but stayed very close.

«Listen, Matt,» she started after kissing his cheek. «You don't have to face them alone. I can come with you if you want,» she suggested, shrugging a little.

Matt smiled weakly, kissed her on the forehead, and caressed her cheek.

«Thanks, Martine, but I think I'll meet Marijan and the others first,» he said, touching his face out of stress. «Maybe I'm just overthinking it,» he added, shaking his head slightly.

A few hours later, as he walked to Marijan's place, the words of his old classmates started echoing in his head again. But once he knocked on the door, Marijan greeted him right away with a big smile. He was wearing a tight green crewneck T-shirt that highlighted his small, lean frame.

«Matt! You're finally here, how's it going?» he said, hugging his friend, who returned the smile, tilting his head back.

«Hey, Marijan, good to see you,» Matt replied as he hugged him.

«Come on in. We're giving it our all today,» Marijan added as he led the way to the living room.

Marijan's living room reflected his passion for tech. Besides the huge TV on the wall, there were a couple of monitors on a side desk, along with a powerful gaming PC with LED lights. On the desk, there were books on computing, headphones, controllers, and chargers scattered about, while a coffee table had peanuts and other snacks the guys were munching on.

On the desk, there were books on computing, headphones, controllers, and chargers scattered about, while a coffee table had peanuts and other snacks the guys were munching on [https://img.wattpad.com/975e4de0dd4f733f3a24c3424c89fb9c02d2e948/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f516e6f58595a523631494c337a413d3d2d313530303035303738342e3138306436363032363938666535393837363931383931333638392e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]

When Matt entered, he saw Cyrus, Frederick, and Rick already deep into a FIFA tournament, each playing with their customized player.

Dressed in his slightly unbuttoned denim shirt, Cyrus was chewing on some licorice, while Frederick, in a white tank top showing off his arm tattoos, was rolling a joint. Rick, on the other hand, wearing a dark gray V-neck T-shirt, was snacking on some peanuts.

«About time you showed up, Matt,» Cyrus greeted, sitting next to Rick, waving him over. «We really needed one more player.»

«Yeah, grab a controller,» Rick added, smiling and continuing to eat peanuts. «Fred and I were about to tie.»

Frederick moved a bit to the side and made room for Matt.

«Let's see if you still got it in FIFA,» he said with a smirk.

«Alright, you guys ready to see some shitty gameplay, gentlemen?» Matt said as he sat down on the couch between Frederick and Marijan.

After about an hour and several matches, Marijan got up and turned off the TV, and Frederick noticed Matt's expression with his brow slightly furrowed, leaning forward.

«Hey, you good?» he asked, lighting another joint and glancing at Matt, who tilted his head toward him, surprised by the question.

«I'm just a little nervous...» Matt replied, leaning back on the couch and nibbling on a cashew.

«What happened?» Frederick asked after exhaling a cloud of smoke, grabbing another handful of almonds, and popping them in his mouth.

«Me and Marijan got invited to a pizza, like a school reunion,» Matt explained, looking down after chewing his cashews. «Those bullies I told you about years ago are gonna be there,» he continued, looking at Marijan, who was still leaning against the wall.

Marijan messed with his hair as he listened to Matt's words, while Cyrus got up to open a window and let the smoke out of the room.

«What kind of stuff did they do? You never really went into detail,» Frederick asked, glancing at Matt as he left the joint in the ashtray and grabbed some almonds.

Matt took a deep breath and rubbed his face with both hands.

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«They beat me up for no reason and constantly tormented me,» he replied, shaking his head. «Every day was hell,» he explained, furrowing his brows and looking at the coffee table.

Cyrus made a disgusted face as he sat back down, crossing his arms.

«They deserved a damn lesson, Fred,» he said firmly. «If they haven't changed, I'm walking into that restaurant and smashing that Jacob's face in!» he added, biting down harder on his licorice.

Frederick smiled and adjusted the filter of the joint while sitting next to Cyrus, Rick scratched his neck while laughing. Matt, on the other hand, leaned his head back and relaxed against the backrest again. He closed his eyes for a moment, remembering past events. Then he opened them, looking over at Cyrus.

«If it wasn't for you and Marijan, I don't know how I would've gotten through it,» he said, shrugging.

Marijan pulled away from the wall and sat down next to Matt, still messing with his hair and grabbing a few Brazil nuts.

«I couldn't just stand by, Matt,» he replied, getting comfortable again. «And I couldn't understand why they hated you so much.»

Matt lowered his head, looking at one of the joysticks, then lifted it again after a bit.

«I feel better knowing you'll be there too,» he replied while looking at him and pressing his lips together. «But I heard those five assholes have turned into criminals,» he continued, leaning forward and furrowing his brow. «I'm scared they haven't changed at all,» he concluded, sharpening his gaze.

Marijan nodded slowly, watching him from his left. Then he sighed and scratched his ear.

«Yeah. I was about to tell you, but you beat me to it.»

After a few seconds, Matt's expression hardened. He suddenly got up from the couch and turned to face Marijan and Frederick.

«I'm not gonna get intimidated this time,» he said, narrowing his eyes and shaking his head slightly in irritation. «If they try to bully me again, I...»

Sensing the shift in the atmosphere, Rick immediately got up from his chair and interrupted him.

«Hey, take it easy,» he said, placing his right hand on Matt's left shoulder. Matt turned toward him, and as their eyes met, the tension started to melt away.

«No one's gonna touch you as long as we're here,» Rick continued, with a determined look in his eyes.

A deep breath escaped from Matt's mouth, while Frederick exhaled one last puff of smoke from the joint he was holding.

«Here's the deal: we eat first, and then we'll go with you, alright?» he suggested, leaning over to extinguish the joint in the ashtray on the coffee table.

«I'm cool with that,» said Cyrus, biting his licorice, while Rick, still standing, nodded silently.

«Yeah, that's a good idea,» Marijan added, smiling with his eyes.

Matt looked at each of his friends, and feeling the tension dissolve completely, nodded back.

«Thanks, guys. You're amazing.»

Frederick smiled, stood up, and slapped him on the back.

«Are you kidding? It's the least we can do!»

Meanwhile, in the small apartment where they heard the gunshots that killed Johnny, Jacob and Enzo were discussing cocaine deals. The apartment was pretty much the same, sparsely furnished. It was chosen specifically for their illegal activities and to hide from the cops.

Dressed in a tight black Nike T-shirt and dark jeans, Jacob sat at a round gray table covered with stacks of cash and bags of cocaine [https://img.wattpad.com/9b734c0c1e0af42c55488daee0d5a03d350ba5a1/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f5578376e3678474574456f4c64673d3d2d313530303035303738342e313830643636306438393433376634303737343533303337333439362e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]

Dressed in a tight black Nike T-shirt and dark jeans, Jacob sat at a round gray table covered with stacks of cash and bags of cocaine. Across from him sat Enzo, wearing a gray XXL Balenciaga T-shirt and black sweats.

«How's the distribution going?» the Cobra leader asked, looking up from the table.

«Everything's running smoothly,» Enzo replied with a satisfied grin as he opened one of the cocaine bags and prepared a line. «Demand's still growing. Try it, it's top quality,» he advised, glancing up at Jacob, who just responded with a lip movement.

Enzo took a bill, rolled it up, and blocked one nostril with his finger while bringing the end closer to the powder. Then, he took a deep inhale, and his eyes popped open for a second. The guy with the thick beard then tilted his head back and tapped the side of his face as he stood up.

«It's pure as hell,» he said, smiling with his face tilted up to the white ceiling, making noises as he inhaled.

Jacob watched him with an amused look and took a line himself. This one was longer. He blocked one nostril with a finger and sniffed. He felt a burn in his nostrils and squinted his eyes.

«Holy shit,» he said, slamming his fist on the table as the stuff started to kick in.

Jacob rubbed his nose and shook his head, all under Enzo's amused gaze, but suddenly someone knocked on the door with five taps.

«Huh?» Enzo jumped, immediately spinning around, drawing his gun, and pointing it at the door. He then closed his left eye to aim.

«What the fuck are you doing?» Jacob whispered, shaking his head. He quietly stood up from his chair and took a step toward him. «Must be Bruno,» he continued, stopping next to him, glancing sideways, then giving a quick look at the door.

As soon as he heard the fifth tap, Enzo remembered it was their signal and tucked the gun behind his back. The coke was already starting to make him paranoid. He rubbed his nose and shook his head a bit to shake it off as he walked to the door. But before opening, he checked through the peephole.

«It's him,» Enzo confirmed, turning toward Jacob and then opening the door.

Bruno appeared in the doorway, wearing his usual jewelry, gold chains, and a dark vest over a tight black tank top that showed off his slim physique.

«Hey, guys,» he greeted, walking past Enzo and giving him a high five. «You guys getting high without me?» he asked, shifting his gaze to Jacob and then back to Enzo, who closed the door.

«Help yourself, bro,» Jacob replied, sitting back down and holding his hand out toward the coke.

«Maybe later,» Bruno shot back, shrugging. «I gotta tell you something first,» he continued, plopping his ass on the table.

«What's up?» asked his leader, leaning back in his chair and raising an eyebrow.

«Remember George, our middle school classmate?» Bruno asked, looking at Jacob first, then Enzo.

«George? What the hell does he want from us now?» Enzo asked, leaning toward Bruno and then sitting back down in his seat, across from Jacob.

«He's setting up a school reunion, and he wants us to come...» Bruno explained, spreading his arms a little, but Jacob shook his head.

«I ain't got time for reunions,» he said, shifting his gaze back to the cash. «We've got more important shit to do...»

But Bruno didn't give up and sighed; he shot a quick look at Enzo and pressed his lips together. Then, he turned his attention back to his boss.

«Listen, Jacob,» he said, keeping his gaze locked on him with his head tilted. «It could be the perfect chance for us to take a break, even if just for a little bit,» he continued, making some hand gestures.

He glanced back at Enzo like he was looking for his approval.

«Plus, we could talk some of our old classmates into joining us in the fight against the Spyders,» he added, still waving his hands.

Jacob thought about his words for a few seconds and then gave a smug smile.

«You really think they have the guts to do what we do?» he asked, chin lifted and his dark eyebrows furrowing even more.

«No, but you know what? They might be useful. Cannon fodder against the Spyders...» Bruno suggested, swinging a leg.

«Yeah, we could promise 'em a nice chunk of cash,» Enzo chimed in, putting his hands on the table. «Who cares if they live or die,» he said, shrugging and glancing at his leader.

Jacob bit his lip and started rubbing it with his finger, like he was considering Bruno's proposal and Enzo's words.

«Matt gonna be there too?» he asked, tilting his head toward Bruno. «That pussy might be a way to blow off some steam...» he added, cracking a grin.

«Sure,» Bruno answered with a smile, resting an elbow on the table. «George said everyone's gonna be there. I'm looking forward to having some fun with him,» he continued, squinting his eyes.

«Then it's settled,» Enzo confirmed, standing up from the table and taking another line. He sniffed it and started pacing back and forth. «Manu and Oliver coming?» he asked, after shaking his head a little.

«Yeah, we're meeting at eight-thirty tonight,» Bruno replied, after taking his dose and standing up.

«Perfect,» Jacob said, resting his elbows on the table and interlocking his fingers. «This is gonna be a blast,» he finished with a grin.

After fifteen years the fateful night was about to roll in. Destiny was about to bring them back together again. Once again.