The night of the reunion rolled around, and the five Cobras pulled up to the spot flexing their scooters and sports cars. The restaurant was tucked into a side street in Dragonhill, the ritziest part of town, but still right on the edge of Tigereast, practically at the base of the hill. So, not exactly a high-end joint. All their old classmates, except for Matt and Marijan, showed up like ten or fifteen minutes early.

Jacob and the crew, though, made their entrance a cool ten minutes late to show off. After parking in the lot, Jacob and Enzo stepped out of Jacob's Mercedes AMG GT 4-door Coupe, oozing attitude.

Enzo adjusted the collar of his black silk Dolce & Gabbana shirt, left open under a tailored anthracite Tom Ford blazer. Jacob, on the other hand, slammed the car door like just being there was a pain. He rocked a dark gray double-breasted Gucci blazer over a crisp white Brioni shirt.

«I swear, if this turns into a drag, I'm out in an hour,» Jacob grumbled, leaning back against his Mercedes, arms crossed.

Enzo smirked at the comment and turned to his leader on the left.

«Relax, bro. All we gotta do is walk in, make 'em feel small, and bounce,» he replied, earning a sly grin from Jacob.

A little later, Oliver and Manu showed up on Manu's Honda SH, followed by Bruno on his Yamaha T-Max. Oliver hopped off Manu's scooter in a dark blue Armani Exchange sports jacket over a Versace polo.

«You sure this place is good enough?» Bruno asked, still on his SH, taking off his helmet. He had on an Etro silk shirt left open over a white Ralph Lauren tank.

«Indeed. Doesn't look like much,» Manu added, parking next to Bruno. He sported a black Saint Laurent leather jacket and ripped Amiri jeans.

Manu then got off and popped the seat open.

«Hope Jasmine made it here,» Oliver said, stashing his helmet under the seat while Manu held it up. «Bet you fifty I hook up with her in the bathroom tonight.»

Manu snickered, shoved his helmet inside, and slammed the seat shut. Then, he glanced at Oliver with a teasing grin.

«Don't make me laugh, rookie,» Manu said, giving him a light shove on the arm.

«Hurry up, I'm starving,» Enzo called from up front, waving for them to follow.

Then, the five Cobras strutted toward the restaurant, heads high and chests out. They walked slow, like they were on a runway. After some quick hellos to the others, they noticed two faces were still missing. Matt and Marijan. Whatever. The Cobras walked in and nodded in approval at the choice.

The place had a sleek vibe. Round tables with white linens, velvet-upholstered chairs, modern art on the walls, and potted plants scattered around. But even with the buzz of laughter and chatter from the old classmates, Jacob felt worlds away from them.

Look at 'em, he thought, watching a group nearby reminiscing about their childhood and catching up on their adult lives. Must be so easy living their lame little lives.

The happy and carefree faces annoyed him. Their innocent eyes had nothing in common with the tough reality he and his crew knew too well.

Meat for the grinder, huh? The second they see a blade, they'd be outta here like scared rabbits, he thought with a smirk. Yeah, keep laughing, keep laughing...

Meanwhile, Rick was stuck in Friday night traffic, driving his BMW X5 with Cyrus, Frederick, and Marijan crammed in the backseat. Matt rode shotgun. They pulled in a few minutes after Jacob's crew, and once Rick parked, Marijan and Matt got out.

«We'll be back in an hour tops. Just enough time to eat and dip,» Matt said, leaning into Rick's window. He wore a burgundy V-neck and a dark blue cardigan, while Marijan had on a light blue shirt and black pants.

«Cool. We'll hang here,» Rick replied before Matt and Marijan headed inside, greeted by a few classmates.

Rick, Frederick, and Cyrus leaned against Rick's BMW X5 instead.

Frederick propped up in the middle, pulled another joint from his cigarette pack, and looked around before lighting it. After making sure there were no cops nearby, he grabbed his lighter from his pocket and lit up. He was rocking a gray polo and ripped jeans.

«How many of those do you smoke a day, Fred?» Rick asked, turning to him after catching a whiff of the smoke. Rick had on a white button-up shirt and dark jeans.

«About twenty. Why?» Frederick replied, coughing a little.

At Frederick's answer, Rick shook his head and stepped a bit farther away before leaning against the bumper.

«No comment,» Rick said, raising his hands slightly like he was surrendering.

Frederick grinned at the jab, and a few minutes later, Cyrus's phone buzzed. Matt's childhood friend pulled it from his shirt pocket and read the message. Cyrus was wearing a green button-up and light jeans.

«Matt says those jerks are there too,» Cyrus said, tossing a quick glance at his friends on his right before sliding the phone back into his pocket.

Both Frederick and Rick turned to him but stayed quiet, just taking in the news. Rick adjusted his position on the bumper while Frederick kept puffing away. Cyrus, meanwhile, tilted his head back to look at the sky. It was a clear night, the moon was full, and not a single cloud was in sight.

«I still remember Matt telling me about those guys,» Cyrus continued, crossing his arms. «They thought they could run the show. Let's see if they've got the guts to try again.» he went on as he looked at the restaurant's red door and facade with a sharp glare.

«I doubt they'll even come close,» Frederick replied, exhaling smoke and shrugging. «Matt's solid, and he's got a killer right hook.»

Rick glanced away from Frederick and toward the restaurant window.

«Let's not get carried away. We're here for the reunion, not to start anything,» he retorted, turning to Cyrus. «Keep it chill, alright?» he added, waving a hand.

«Yeah, yeah,» Cyrus replied, nodding and rolling his eyes.

After saying hi to the last of his old classmates, Matt noticed Bruno, Enzo, Manu, Jacob, and Oliver glaring at him with hostile looks.

Matt walked over to the group and extended his hand, acting like he didn't pick up on the tension. The Cobras, despite their cold expressions, shook his hand anyway. Their grips were icy, almost like they were trying to intimidate him.

«Hey, guys. Been a while. How's life treating y'all?» Matt asked with a forced grin as Marijan watched from behind with a narrowed look.

«Busy,» Enzo snapped, adjusting his jacket as he sat at a table near the window next to Manu.

Matt could still feel the tension but nodded anyway.

«Yeah, I guess we all went our separate ways after school,» Matt replied, glancing from Enzo to Jacob, who leaned against the wall by the table, giving Matt a quick sideways look.

«Some more than others,» the Cobras' leader muttered, arms crossed and an air of indifference plastered on his face.

Matt shrugged, looking around, and shifted the conversation.

«Well, anyway, it's good to see everyone after all this time. You guys keep in touch with anyone from class?» Matt asked, looking around the group.

Oliver, sitting at the far end of the table near Bruno, lifted his head and gave Matt a dismissive once-over.

«Not really,» he answered vaguely, clearly trying to shut the conversation down.

Matt decided to let it slide. He forced a faint smile and walked over to Marijan, giving a subtle shrug. The two then moved to another table. As soon as they left, Enzo and Oliver leaned into each other, whispering while sneaking glances at Matt.

«Matt's different now, huh?» Enzo said, smirking as he tilted his head toward Oliver.

«Yeah, but I'll never forget what a coward he was back in the day,» Oliver muttered, narrowing his eyes and shrugging.

«Didn't think he'd have the guts to show up here after everything we did to him,» Jacob chimed in, raising his chin.

«Same,» Bruno added, pressing his lips together. «But look at him. Dude's acting all confident now.»

«For real. Check out those shoulders,» Manu nodded toward Bruno, gesturing with his head.

Jacob kept staring at Matt, watching his confident strides, chest puffed out. His fitted maroon shirt highlighted his new posture and his pecs, which annoyed Jacob. It annoyed him a lot.

«Who does he think he is?» Jacob hissed, dropping his arms to his sides and leaning forward. «Nah, nah. We gotta remind him where he really stands,» he muttered, leaning in toward Enzo, who grinned.

«Yeah, we'll have some fun tonight,» Enzo said as he watched the waiters bustling back and forth.

On the other hand, Matt was chilling with the rest of the old classmates, and after like ten minutes, the pizzas finally showed up. Matt sat down and bit into his first slice, enjoying it for a second before it all went south.

«Yo, Chinese guy, can't even eat a slice without making a mess, huh? Haha,» Bruno threw out there after setting down his slice.

Matt glanced at his clean clothes and leaned back, caught off guard, but he shrugged it off, even though the word «Chinese» bugged him.

«He still hasn't figured out how to eat like a normal person after all these years,» Enzo chimed in, leaning toward Bruno.

Matt just closed his eyes and reminded himself not to let the trash talk get to him. 

«What a jackass. Haha,» Enzo kept at it.

Matt's eyes widened slightly at the uncalled-for insult. He bit into his pistachio-and-mortadella pizza and let out the fakest laugh ever. Bruno and Enzo exchanged a look, maybe thrown off by Matt's reaction. Enzo raised an eyebrow and took another bite of his pepperoni pizza, but Bruno folded his napkin and tossed it on the table.

«That laugh was so fake,» he muttered to Jacob loud enough for everyone to catch. The leader of the Cobras glanced at Matt while sipping on a plastic cup of Coke.

Meanwhile, Matt and Marijan, sitting across from each other, caught the comments and exchanged a look. It was obvious things were spiraling, but Marijan decided to step up to back Matt.

«Yo, leave him alone, for God's sake!» he snapped, leaning back.

«Mind your business, shorty! Never been able to stand your ass,» Jacob immediately replied, leaning his head toward Marijan.

«What'd ya say?» Marijan shot back, narrowing his eyes and dropping the piece of pizza as he looked at Jacob.

The other classmates at the table shifted uncomfortably in their seats, unsure what to do or say. Everything was happening so fast that no one dared to step in to prevent what was about to happen. 

«Eat your fuckin' pizza, dumbass!» Matt fired back with a wave of his hand and snapped his gaze to Jacob, his eyes wide. «What the hell you even show up for?» he asked, boosting his tone.

The restaurant went dead quiet as everyone turned to watch the scene unfold.

Dumbass? Did he just call me a dumbass? Jacob thought, his eyes narrowing as he wiped his mouth with a napkin.

Matt and Jacob locked eyes for a solid five seconds, neither flinching nor looking away. They looked like boxers waiting for the bell, with Jacob seated to Matt's left, across the table. 

Enzo, standing in front of Jacob and to Matt's left, started staring at the two of them as they locked eyes without blinking. His gaze shifted back and forth between them.

Who does this guy think he is? Does he even know who he's messing with?  he thought, eyeing Matt, who was leaning in slightly with his head tilted forward.

«What're ya'll tryna do? Act tough?» Enzo then threw out a taunt, dropping his fork and knife on the table. That got Matt's attention. He blinked once and shifted his gaze from Jacob to him.

«Now I'll show you,» Oliver added, sitting at the head of the table, pulling his chair back and standing up.

«GET OUT!» Matt yelled with a stone-cold voice, shooting a fiery glare at everyone, and then finally at Oliver, to his left.

The loan shark froze on the spot, like Matt's tone had flipped a switch, and rested his hands on the table. He glanced at Jacob to his left, but Jacob ignored the warning. Instead, the Cobra leader got up, circled the table and moved in with a threatening vibe. Matt shifted his chair slightly toward him, while Marijan's eyes darted between them, ready to step in if things got ugly.

Do it Matt, Marijan though as he held his breath.

«Oh yeah? What're you gonna do about it?» Jacob said, tilting his head in challenge.

«This!» Matt barked just before Jacob got in his face.

Matt's face tightened, and he sprang up from his chair in a flash, kicking his left leg back. Then, he threw a powerful right uppercut and let out that signature sound boxers make when they land a crushing blow.

Caught off guard, Jacob took the blow straight to the chin. The hit was so strong, that he staggered backward, his legs flying out as he crashed hard to the ground, brushing past a chair. He groaned, blood trickling from his mouth.

No way, Enzo thought, watching Jacob hit the floor in front of him.

After delivering the punch and making his point crystal clear to the bullies, Matt quickly fell into his boxing stance. Chin down, hands up near his mouth.

Bring it, you jerks, Matt thought, clenching his fists and glaring.

The Cobras weren't about to let it slide, and Matt knew it. This was just the beginning.