Jess was the annoying class clown that always spoke out whatever was on his mind, harassed the quiet students for entertainment, and was overall a nuisance. He spent his breaks throwing rocks at random people passing by, belittling insecurities, or indulging in his less than savoury habits. He usually got away with most things, because he was generally popular and handsome, and he was a great basketball player that the school relied on to win games. As one of the quiet students he tried to get reactions out of, you hated him. Whenever he was absent from school, which was about a third of the time, the classroom felt more like a zen garden. But this would not be your lucky week.

You and Jess were neighbours, so every morning you endured his laughter at the bus stop, and listened to his odious voice from the backseat all the way there. The entire bus ride he sung agitating songs with his repulsive friends in the back of the bus, and you put on some headphones to drown out the sound. You were listening to a song that eased your mind, and you tensed up when the headphones were pulled right off your ears.

Jess had gotten into the seat right next to you, and a wave of disgust washed over you. He was holding the headphones high over your head, because he was so inconveniently taller. “What are you listening to, huh? Korn? Or Korn with a P? Both sound like your kind of thing,” he asked you. His neutral expression slowly emerged into a wide grin.