The classroom was in utter chaos.
Students were talking over each other, desks had been pulled together into small groups, and laughter rang through the air like a festival. It was as if the teacher had given them permission to act like wild animals.
Of course, that wasn't the case.
The teacher was late, and that alone had turned the class into a free-for-all.
Faith sat at her usual spot with Stephanie and Alex, flipping through a book as they chatted about their latest favorite novel. Stephanie, as always, had strong opinions about the main character's love interest.
"I'm telling you, he's the perfect mix of charming and mysterious," she argued, pointing at a paragraph in the book.
Faith scoffed. "He's manipulative. There's a difference."
Stephanie rolled her eyes. "You just don't like romance in general."
"That's not true," Faith countered. "I just prefer when characters make logical decisions instead of throwing themselves into unnecessary drama."
Alex, still glued to her phone, finally spoke up. "Speaking of drama, have you guys decided on the excursion trip yet?"
Faith blinked, momentarily thrown off. "Wait, that's coming up already?"
Stephanie nodded eagerly. "We have to decide soon. Where are we going?"
Faith tapped her fingers on her desk, thinking. The school usually let students vote on the location, but it was always a battle between educational sites and amusement parks. She personally didn't mind something that had a mix of fun and learning, but she knew most of her classmates would just pick the most exciting option available.
"Please don't say a museum," Alex mumbled, not looking up from her phone.
Stephanie groaned. "Yeah, I swear if it's another 'historical site' I'm going to scream."
Faith smirked. "Oh? And what would you suggest instead?"
"An amusement park. Or a beach resort. Something where we don't have to use our brains," Stephanie declared.
Faith shook her head, amused but not surprised. "You just want an excuse to skip actual schoolwork."
"Exactly."
Before Faith could argue, her eyes landed on something unusual.
Abdullah was sitting at Cole's desk.
That wasn't the strange part Abdullah often stole seats when he felt like it.
What caught her attention was the chessboard sitting in front of him.
Curious, Faith scanned the room, searching for whoever was playing against him. Just as she was about to give up, someone stepped into her line of sight.
Ben.
Faith sighed internally. Of course, it was Ben.
As if he had been waiting for her to notice, he turned and smirked before making his way over to her desk.
"What do you want?" she asked, already exhausted.
Ben leaned slightly forward, grinning. "I came to see you, love."
Faith's eyes twitched. "Don't call me that."
Ben tilted his head. "Don't be like that."
Before Faith could come up with a response that would permanently shut him down, Stephanie interjected.
"Why weren't you in school last week?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.
Ben turned to her and gave a dramatic sigh, as if she had just asked the most exhausting question in the world. "Hey, little cuz. How've you been?"
Faith and Alex froze.
They turned to Stephanie in sync, eyes wide.
Faith blinked. "Wait. Are you two related?"
Ben nodded casually. "Yep. She's my little cousin."
Before he could elaborate, Stephanie interrupted. "We're the same age."
Faith and Alex were still processing this bombshell.
"How did I not know this?" Faith asked, turning to Stephanie.
Stephanie shrugged. "You never asked."
Ben smirked. "And let's be real, we don't exactly talk that much in school."
Faith narrowed her eyes. "Still. You're cousins?"
"Yes," Ben confirmed.
Stephanie sighed. "Unfortunately."
Abdullah, who had been listening from the chessboard, interrupted. "Your time's running low, Ben."
Ben groaned and quickly rushed back to his game.
Before Faith could gather her thoughts, the door swung open, and the teacher walked in.
"Attention!" the teacher called out. "Settle down for class."
Students reluctantly returned to their seats, although the room still buzzed with quiet chatter.
Faith sat down, her thoughts running a mile a minute.
She had just learned that Stephanie and Ben were cousins, Ben had somehow managed to annoy her in under a minute, and she still hadn't figured out where Cole was.
Just as she was about to drop the thought, the sky outside darkened.
Thick clouds rolled in, dimming the classroom.
The air grew heavy, and within moments, rain came pouring down, hammering against the windows with force. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and the entire room seemed to sink into an eerie gloom.
A gust of wind rattled the windows, making the class murmur in hushed tones.
And then
The door creaked open again.
Cole strolled in.
Dripping wet from the rain, he casually walked in like he had all the time in the world.
But that wasn't what made Faith's eye twitch.
It was the fact that he was holding a box of doughnuts in one hand—and casually eating one with the other.
The entire class went silent.
The teacher, clearly exhausted already, pinched the bridge of their nose. "Cole, sit down."
Cole nodded, unfazed, and made his way to his seat.
Faith watched, absolutely boiling inside, as he sauntered over to his desk.
He did not just show up late, drenched in rain, with doughnuts, and have the audacity to look completely unbothered.
As if sensing her irritation, Cole glanced in her direction and took another slow, deliberate bite of his doughnut.
Faith clenched her jaw.
The teacher sighed. "And no eating in class!"
Cole, still chewing, swallowed and said, "The class isn't really happening anyway. It's too dark to see the board, and the rain's too loud for anyone to hear you."
The class erupted into laughter.
Faith wanted to throw something at him.
Cole grinned, leaned back in his chair, and passed a doughnut to Abdullah and Ben, as if he had just walked into a casual gathering instead of a lesson.
The teacher sighed again, clearly deciding to pick their battles.
Faith, meanwhile, was still fuming.
Not because Cole had shown up late. Not because he had brought food like this to some sort of café.
But because she had forgotten to ask Ben where he was earlier.
And that made her even angrier.