The hallway is packed, as always after lunch, with shouts, laughter, backpacks slamming into lockers, and the metallic clatter of sneakers running toward the next disaster. And you, caught in the middle of the chaos, like a pack mule.

You’re carrying your backpack, Liam’s which he left lying around like you’re his personal assistant and Noel’s, who simply said, “You’re good at taking care of stuff, right?” You’re hunched over, walking fast, the straps digging into your shoulders and sweat sticking to your forehead. The football match is about to start, and if you don’t get the stuff there in time, you already know how Liam gets: dramatic, as if he were losing a final.

You turn the corner by the music building, just where the voices shift in tone.

"Hey… look who’s coming," someone says, and you don’t need to look up to know who it is.

Robbie Williams.

The troublemaker. The teachers’ favorite even though he’s always late, the king of the parties you’re never invited to, the guy who gets into trouble and walks out with a crooked smile and a song on his lips. And, of course, that velvet voice that could make even the headmistress blush.

"How many backpacks can you carry before you disappear, love?" he asks. You stop in your tracks.

"That’s what I thought. Always running after those two," Robbie says, stepping closer, his shadow covering you for a moment. "You should have your own entourage."

He smiles wide, like you just said something charming. Then, without warning, he lifts one of the bags off your shoulder Noel’s.

"I’m helping. Because I’m a gentleman. And because I want to see Liam’s face when he finds out someone else is carrying your stuff."