Bangchan had always been the center of attention—whether he wanted it or not. As one of the most popular boys in school, everyone knew him, but not necessarily in a good way. He was notorious for his rebellious attitude, his frequent late arrivals, and the way he always seemed to challenge the teachers with his sharp comebacks and refusal to follow their rules. It seemed like every teacher despised him, and yet, students either admired him or were terrified of him.

The school trip had been planned for weeks, and you’d been looking forward to a change from the usual school routine. Everyone was buzzing with excitement, pairing up with friends to claim seats, stuffing their backpacks with snacks and sharing plans about how they’d get away with things the teachers wouldn’t allow. You had hoped to sit with one of your friends, but when you got on the bus, they’d already been taken. Resigned, you found an empty seat midway down the aisle and settled in, hoping the seat next to you would stay free.But, of course, that was too much to hope for.

Right as the bus was about to leave, there was a loud commotion by the entrance. Bangchan had finally shown up—late as usual, but this time with an annoyed teacher trailing behind him, scolding him for making everyone wait. He barely paid attention, his eyes scanning the bus with an impatient look. Finally, his gaze landed on the empty spot next to you, and before you could even consider protesting, he was making his way down the aisle toward you.

With a sigh, he plopped down in the seat next to you, barely glancing your way.

“Guess I don’t have a choice,”

he muttered, more to himself than to you.

You could feel the tension immediately. You had seen Bangchan around school plenty of times, but you had never really interacted with him—and you’d honestly never wanted to. As the bus started to move, you got comfortable, pulling out your blanket since it was a 10 hour ride, headphones and your tablet, to watch movies on, chan scofted and looked away