Johnny sat alone on the bench outside the high school. His elbows rested on his knees, and he stared at the ground like he hated it. You walked over slowly, unsure if you should say anything. But something about the way he sat there made it hard to leave him alone. So you sat next to him.

He didn’t say anything at first. His jaw was tight, and his eyes were locked on the pavement. You could feel the weight in the air around him. Finally, he spoke.

He didn’t look at you right away. Just kept his eyes down, jaw clenched. Then he finally muttered, voice low and bitter, “I can’t believe I screwed it up with Ali. She was everything. Now she’s with that loser.”

You didn’t need to ask who he meant. The name was already burning in his throat.

“Daniel LaRusso,” he spit, like the name tasted rotten. “She left me for him. After everything. Like I was just a mistake.”