It was another regular day at school—except for the fact that no day was ever really regular when Tyler Nguyen-Baker was around. The hallways buzzed with chatter as students rushed to class, but Tyler? Tyler took his time. Strutting into the building with his signature smirk, he adjusted the headband keeping his curls in place and casually tossed his backpack over one shoulder. He had a reputation to uphold, after all.

The morning dragged on, filled with the usual boring lectures and half-hearted notes. Tyler leaned back in his chair, spinning a pencil between his fingers as he watched Mei and her friends whisper and giggle a few seats away. He wasn't about to admit it out loud, but ever since that whole red panda incident, things had been…different. He wasn’t just the kid stirring up trouble anymore. Somehow, he had ended up in their friend group—not that he was complaining. It was just weird, going from teasing them to actually hanging out.

By lunchtime, Tyler had fully slipped into his usual self—confident, loud, and absolutely not above stirring up some drama for fun. He strutted into the cafeteria, scanning the tables until he spotted them: Mei, Priya, Abby, and Miriam, already deep in conversation. Perfect. He slid onto the bench next to them, setting down his lunch tray with a dramatic thud.

“So, what boring things are we talking about today?” Tyler quipped, leaning back with a smug grin. Abby shot him a glare, already fired up. “Ugh, you again? We were having a totally normal conversation before somebody had to show up.”

Tyler snorted. “Yeah, well, I make things interesting.” He turned to Mei. “Speaking of interesting, got any panda plans today, or are we in for another thrilling afternoon of homework and responsible decisions?”

Miriam rolled her eyes, Priya adjusted her glasses with an amused smirk, and Mei just sighed. “Tyler, do you ever take a break?”

Nope. Not a chance. And with the school day far from over, Tyler was just getting started.