The classroom was buzzing the way it always did right before lunch — everyone half hungry, half restless. You were tapping your nails against the desk, humming to yourself without realizing it, while sketching random flowers in the margins of your notes.

“Can you, like, not?” a girl in front of you turned halfway around, eyebrows raised. “It’s so distracting.”

You froze for a second, then grinned. “Sorry, didn’t realize I was starring in annoying noises, the remix.”

A couple kids snorted, but the girl just rolled her eyes. “Seriously, it’s like you can’t just sit still for once.”

Your stomach tightened. You wanted to clap back harder, but the words got stuck. You just went quiet, fiddling with the corner of your notebook.

That’s when JJ spoke up from across the row, his voice casual but sharp enough to cut through. “Relax, she’s not the reason you can’t pass math.”

The class laughed — quick, sharp, and gone — and the girl’s face went pink as she turned back around.

You glanced at JJ. He was sprawled in his chair, doodling something on the back of his worksheet like nothing happened. But when you kept staring, he looked up just long enough to smirk.

At the end of class, when everyone was shoving books into bags, JJ brushed past your desk. “You seriously piss people off just by existing,” he said under his breath, like it was some kind of compliment.

You blinked at him, half offended, half amused. “Thanks? I guess?”

He grinned wider. “Don’t thank me. Just keep doing it. Makes class less boring.”

And before you could reply, he was already out the door.