Chapter Ten: Emma's Amazing

Max lingered for a moment, letting Emma's words settle in. She made it sound so simple, but there was a depth to what she'd said that struck a chord. For so long, Max had been chasing goals that felt distant, almost unattainable. But now, with every rep, every sprint, every little moment of progress, he was starting to believe that maybe, just maybe, he could become the person he'd always wanted to be.

The sound of a system notification snapped him out of his thoughts. The faint, glowing text hovered in his vision:

[New Quest: Push Beyond Limits]

Prove your determination by completing a personal best in the weight room. Reward: Skill Upgrade + Confidence Boost.

Max suppressed a smile. The timing of these notifications always felt uncanny, like the system somehow knew exactly when he needed a little push. He quickly dismissed the notification, not wanting Emma to notice anything unusual.

"You spacing out on me, Max?" Emma called, her teasing tone breaking his focus.

"Uh, no! Just thinking," Max said, shaking his head. "About what you said. I think you're right—I need to believe in myself more."

Emma's smile widened, her confidence radiating. "Good. It's the first step. Trust me, once you start believing, the rest gets easier." She paused, spinning the volleyball in her hands. "But don't get too comfortable. I'm expecting to see some serious progress next time we're both here. Deal?"

Max laughed. "Deal. But you better watch out. I might just end up out-lifting you."

Emma raised an eyebrow, feigning offense. "Oh, is that a challenge? Because if it is, you've got a long way to go, buddy."

"Hey, I'm just saying. Give me some time, and we'll see," Max replied, feeling a surge of playful competitiveness.

"Alright, we'll see," Emma said with a wink. She tossed the volleyball in the air and sent it sailing over the net one last time before practice wrapped up.

As the gym started to clear out, Max grabbed his bag and headed for the exit. His dad would probably be waiting in the car, ready to grill him about how football practice went. But for once, Max wasn't dreading the conversation. He felt good—lighter, even. Emma's encouragement had done something no weightlifting or system notification had managed to do yet: it made him feel like he could genuinely believe in himself.

Before he reached the door, he glanced back at Emma one last time. She was gathering the volleyballs with her team, laughing and chatting like she didn't have a care in the world. Max didn't know if he'd ever be that confident, but he figured if he kept at it, one day, he just might.

With a renewed sense of purpose, Max walked out of the gym, ready to tackle whatever the system—or life—threw at him next.

Max settled into the passenger seat of his dad's car, his body still buzzing with a mix of post-workout soreness and satisfaction. He slung his bag onto the floor and was about to zone out to the music playing on the radio when his phone buzzed in his pocket.

Pulling it out, he saw a notification from an unfamiliar number. His heart skipped a beat when he opened it and saw Emma's name at the end of the message.

Emma: Hey Max! Hope I'm not bothering you or anything, but I was wondering if you wanted to hang out sometime? Maybe grab some food or something after a workout? Let me know! :)

Max stared at the screen, rereading the message at least three times to make sure he wasn't imagining it. She actually texted him. His fingers hovered over the keyboard as he tried to think of a cool, casual response, but all he could feel was a weird mix of excitement and nerves.

"You good over there, kid?" his dad asked, glancing at him from the driver's seat.

Max quickly locked his phone and nodded, trying to keep his voice steady. "Yeah, just, uh... one of the guys from practice texting about tomorrow."

"Uh-huh," his dad said, clearly unconvinced but not pressing further.

Max exhaled and unlocked his phone again, typing a response with shaky thumbs.

Max: Hey Emma! Yeah, that sounds awesome. When were you thinking?

He hit send and immediately felt like he'd somehow come off too eager—or not eager enough. As he stared at the screen, waiting for those three little dots to appear, his dad chuckled.

"Never seen you this focused on your phone before," his dad teased.

Max shot him a quick glare. "It's nothing, okay?"

But the second the reply came through, Max couldn't hide the tiny smile that crept onto his face.

Emma: How about tomorrow afternoon? We can hit the smoothie place by the gym—my treat!

Max's stomach did a flip. She was asking him to hang out, and she was offering to pay? He couldn't believe his luck.

Max: Tomorrow works for me. Looking forward to it!

"Whoever you're texting, they must be pretty important," his dad said, smirking.

Max shook his head, trying not to let the grin on his face give anything away. "Like I said, it's nothing."

But as they pulled out of the gym parking lot, Max couldn't help but feel like it was something—something that could turn out to be even better than the weight he'd just lifted.