Jackson didn't spend much time talking with Devon; he still had to return to the house where he would be living from now on.
According to his uncle, this was where his parents had grown up, so Jackson wanted to spend some time in this place to figure out what he wanted to do with his life later on.
On his way home, Jackson sat in the back seat of an Uber, staring at the scenery.
Beep-Beep!
Lost in his thoughts, Jackson pulled out his cellphone and checked who was calling him.
"Ryan…"
"Zz… Since you're in the city, are you interested in fighting this month?" When Jackson answered the call, Ryan—his only friend in California—presented his new plans.
By Ryan's tone, anyone would think he was a cool guy, but even Jackson had to admit that this friend of his, whom he met at a mixed martial arts tournament, had his negative side.
"I can be there, but I'm not fighting." Jackson refused.
"Come on, man, you've got challengers from all over California. You can't turn them down, you'd make our professional tournament league look bad." Ryan insisted that Jackson fight.
Jackson's fights, which had been uploaded to the internet, became a sensation on social media because of the problem that happened afterward, and somehow, some fighters wanted to bring heavenly justice to the sport.
Jackson, of course, didn't want to be part of someone else's theater. "Did you call just for this?"
"Of course not, damn it, you know me, man." Ryan quickly changed the subject as he told him about what he had been doing lately.
Every month, Jackson and his friend spent their time organizing a mixed martial arts tournament that had a name on social media, where those who fought had to pay for their entry ticket and won at least twenty thousand dollars.
Besides the tournaments he participated in, Jackson had that illegal fighting league with Ryan in his own city.
From New York to California, the fights they organized were a sensation for young fighters who wanted to prove their skills.
That had strengthened Jackson's friendship with Ryan, even though they had never lived together for more than a month.
At his golden moment, Jackson fought every month, taking the best prize without any problem.
But now part of him wanted another perspective. Besides, his master had forbidden him to fight illegal matches unless he was absolutely sure, and now Jackson's head was a total mess.
"Since I'm not planning to fight soon, I could go to the races." Jackson suggested as he got out of the Uber, then walked toward his house, which was more like a mansion with a pool, and was surprised by the cars in the garage.
Parked inside and outside the garage were a Ferrari F8, a Lamborghini Aventador SVJ Roadster, a four-door Jeep, and a Ford Mustang Shelby GT500.
"You have racing cars?" Ryan doubted Jackson liked those things.
But Jackson, who had just looked at his garage, showed confidence and said, "I think I have a few at home, I'll show you later."
"All right, I'll see if I have room to visit you."
Jackson ended the call after saying goodbye to his friend, then walked toward the first vehicle, and only then did he see a man taking out the trash to a community bin.
"Good morning, young man, are you going to be my new neighbor?"
Jackson smiled awkwardly and said, "The only one who will live here."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Daniel LaRusso, a pleasure."
"I'm Jackson, nice to meet you." As soon as he heard this man's name, he remembered the old story his uncle had told him and immediately knew who he had in front of him.
Daniel, interested in this boy who seemed the same age as his daughter, asked, "Where are your parents?"
"My uncle takes care of me, he's usually away because of business." Jackson always thought there was no need to mention that he didn't have parents since no one would really care.
He gained nothing from it—just a simple apology and an even more uncomfortable moment.
"Great, since we live next door, you can look for me if you need something, anything, don't hesitate." Daniel kindly offered to help in case Jackson really needed it.
But Jackson had learned a lot from living alone, and even though he wouldn't need an adult's help, he thanked him politely and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Mr. LaRusso, but you don't have to worry, I know how to take care of myself."
"Of that I have no doubt. Well, Jackson, have a good day." Daniel walked away after greeting his new young neighbor, who seemed very polite.
Jackson, on the other hand, murmured, "Who would've thought I'd meet my uncle's former rival? The world is really small."
…
Inside the LaRusso mansion, Amanda looked at her husband and asked, "Why did you take so long?"
"Oh, I was greeting our new neighbor," Daniel said while washing his hands.
"They bought the mansion next door?" Amanda seemed surprised; she didn't know that house was about to be inhabited.
"He's a young man, quite polite." Daniel didn't see anything wrong with Jackson, which was normal since he had learned to control his emotions for more than a year now.
"What are you talking about?" At that moment, a girl around Jackson's age walked into the kitchen.
Amanda looked at her daughter and said, "We have a new neighbor your age, by the way. His name is Jackson. Your father says he's nice."
Sam looked at her father, questioning him with her eyes.
"I only said he's polite, I'm not implying anything." Daniel defended himself quickly to avoid being misunderstood.