At first, Maxi couldn't sleep, but after counting 1,000 sheep, he was finally able to drift off.
He even had the pleasant experience of a dream.
In this dream, he had a lot of fun. He felt joy and did many things with a friend, but sadly, the dream eventually came to an end.
It felt bad, and Maxi was on the verge of crying because he wanted to continue the dream. He knew it was special. He could remember almost everything about it, except for the person he played with. All he remembered was that the person was female.
"Wake up, Maxi. I made a cake for your first day of school," Sophie called toward Maxi's room.
Even though he was almost in tears a moment ago, Maxi quickly forgot his sadness and rushed downstairs, eager to eat the delicious cake.
"Where's Dad?" Maxi asked curiously. His father was usually around when he woke up.
"He started working at the construction site again since you'll be in school most of the day," Sophie explained.
"What does Dad do?" Maxi asked, still curious. He was at that age where he didn't know many things and was always eager to learn.
After breakfast, Sophie drove Maxi to his school.
She accompanied him to the classroom, and they sat down at a table.
On the first day of elementary school, parents often accompany their children.
Five minutes before class began, a blonde woman around the same age as Sophie sat down next to them with her child, who was also blonde.
"Hi, my name is Isabell Schneider. Do you want to be my friend? My mom said if I make a friend today, we can go to McDonald's," the little girl declared without hesitation, which embarrassed her mother.
"I'm sorry. She's a little too honest sometimes. You're welcome to join us for a meal if you'd like. I'm Angelika Schneider," the woman quickly apologized.
"No problem. My little boy here can be the same sometimes. We'd love to join you. I'm Sophie Orion," Sophie replied, shaking Angelika's hand.
"Introduce yourself, Maxi. Don't be rude!" Sophie gently reminded her son, giving him a small pat on the back.
"Sorry! I'm Maximus Orion, but that's too much of a mouthful. Just call me Maxi. I'd love to be your friend," Maxi said, trying to sound formal but coming off a bit awkward.
"Just speak normally," Sophie reminded him with a smile.
"Okay, Mom," Maxi responded happily.
"What are your hobbies? I like football and running," Maxi said enthusiastically, not giving Isabell a chance to respond before he shared his own hobbies.
"I like painting and music. You can call me Isa. Also, you have beautiful eyes," Isabell said excitedly. This was the first time anyone had asked her about her hobbies.
"Wow! I love painting and music too! I've wanted to learn to play the piano since I was four, but my mom hasn't let me yet," Maxi shared, his excitement matching Isa's.
The two immediately hit it off, talking more about their hobbies and what they loved to do.
The teacher noticed their conversation but didn't mind since the first day was all about introductions and getting to know each other.
After school, Angelika and Sophie took their children to the nearest McDonald's.
While eating, the children continued chatting about their hobbies.
Suddenly, Maxi whispered something to his mother.
Sophie nodded with a smile.
After getting her approval, Maxi blurted out, "Isa, do you want to come over and play on Wednesday?"
Isa looked expectantly at her mother, who nodded in response. Isa then smiled brightly and nodded too.
"I have an idea. Maxi has a football tournament on Saturday and Sunday. You could come watch if you're free," Sophie suggested to Isa and Angelika.
Once again, Isa looked at her mother, who nodded in agreement.
It was settled: they would play together on Wednesday, and Isa would come to watch Maxi's tournament over the weekend.
Before parting ways, Sophie and Angelika exchanged phone numbers and addresses. Surprisingly, they discovered they lived close to each other.
The rest of the day went by as usual for Maxi.
On Tuesday, Angelika took Maxi and Isa to school together.
The school days that week were mostly filled with introductions and getting to know the other children. Lessons wouldn't start until the following week.
Finally, it was Wednesday.
Sophie picked up both Maxi and Isa after school and brought them to her house.
They spent the afternoon painting together, but things soon escalated.
A drop of paint landed on Maxi's trousers, and in retaliation, he flicked some paint onto Isa's shirt. This led to a playful paint fight until Sophie intervened, finding both children covered in paint but laughing uncontrollably.
Later that evening, Sophie gave Maxi a small scolding, but even though she was upset, she was glad Maxi had made a friend so quickly.
The rest of the week felt uneventful for Maxi. The only highlights were football practice and talking with Isa.
Then, Saturday finally arrived.
The tournament was held at the Olympiahalle in Munich. The participating teams were FC Bayern München, TSV 1860 München, SpVgg Unterhaching, SpVgg Helios München, FC Ismaning, BSC Sendling, SV Heimstetten, and, of course, FC Wacker München.
The likely winners were expected to be FC Bayern München, TSV 1860 München, or SpVgg Unterhaching.
When they arrived at the Olympiahalle, located in the Olympiastadion, the entire U11 team of FC Wacker München gathered and headed to the locker room together. They changed into their blue jerseys and black shorts.
At approximately 9:30 a.m., all the teams lined up on the field, which was covered in artificial turf, with perimeter advertising boards around the sides. The setup was like futsal, but on artificial grass.
After the introductions, the first match began: FC Bayern München vs. SV Heimstetten.
Before the match started, Maxi walked up to the audience area and sat with Isa, Angelika, and Sophie.
Maxi chatted with Isa while watching the game.
Bayern's youth team dominated, crushing Heimstetten 8-0. This was expected, as Bayern tends to recruit the most promising young talents from Munich, Bavaria, and even parts of Austria.
Maxi's team, FC Wacker München, would play in the fifth match of the day, facing BSC Sendling.