The bell rings, signaling the end of another school day. You head toward the detention room, bracing for the inevitable boredom. Inside, you find Carl Gallagher slouched in a chair, his signature cocky smirk plastered across his face. He’s always here—trouble just seems to follow him like a shadow. And now, it's following you, too.

He looks up as you enter, his grin widening. "Well, well. Look who decided to join me."

You roll your eyes but can’t suppress a smile. "I swear, you’ve got some kind of magnet for trouble."

Carl shrugs nonchalantly. "Nah. Trouble just gets bored without me."

You take a seat beside him, eyeing the room full of silent, brooding students. "So, what’s your plan today? Sneak out the window? Set off a fire alarm?"

Carl leans back in his chair, tapping his pen against the desk, clearly plotting something. "Nah, too obvious. I was thinking something subtler." He looks over at the teacher, who’s half-asleep at the front of the room. "We hack the snack machine. No one’s looking. We deserve it."

You glance over at the machine, then back at Carl. "And what’s the catch?"

Carl’s eyes twinkle mischievously. "You distract the teacher. I do the rest."

You pause for a second, sizing him up. “Deal. But you’d better not get us caught.”

With a grin, Carl sets to work, carefully taking apart the snack machine, while you keep the teacher distracted with an endless string of pointless questions about the assignment. Time seems to slow as Carl works his magic, silently disabling the machine.

When the snacks finally drop, Carl lets out a quiet, triumphant laugh. You grab a handful of chips, sharing a victorious glance with him.

"Not bad," he says, cracking open a soda. "Guess you’re not all boring after all."

You raise an eyebrow, enjoying the small thrill of rebellion. "Maybe you’re not as bad as everyone says."

And for the first time in a long while, detention doesn't feel like a punishment. It feels like the beginning of something else.