but for him. The room hums with low conversation, chairs scraping, voices overlapping-the usual first-period noise-but none of it holds my attention. It never does w

say actually carries weight. It doesn't. It never does. Their presence alone is enough to sour the air. Kieran moves at the center

to place-sweet on the surface and entirely misleading underneath. "At the sight of Ka

stead, they sit, arms folding in qui

rf

ing slightly as I tap his head with my fingers, just enough to irrita

sitation, his voice steady, confident in

forced to lean back slightly, a flicker of confusion crossing his face

re confused," I say be

ords

them a seco

ssary. Reckless, even. But there's n

om somewhere behind him, his tone calm, almost cu

ore Kieran can respond-before I can reconsider

e hits

eath, the kind of collective shock that ripples thro

n fre

couldn't be more precise,

appened, turning smoothly and sending him a wink over my sho

murmurs from behind me, her voice

a quiet chuck

en unison as the teacher steps in, glancing around w

gave before the end of last semester?"

t not. I fall firmly into the latter. There is nothing exc

me show everyone what you w

smile already in place as he makes his way to the fron

y pride. "A flash camera pen. If I press this button, it emit

ng around. "Shou

shouts in near

"Always prepared, Robert. Tha

rly as impressive as he's making it sound, but there are rules to frien

r breath, her tone carrying just

ful yellow that almost feels excessive this early in the morning. The desks are arranged in pairs, white and yellow to match the rest of the room, and the hum of the air conditioning units fills the background. It's not a la

lways observant, carries that soft intelligence that doesn't need to announce itself, while Bianca mirrors the ease of someone who belongs without tryin

one already laced with disapproval, "w

stretched out, hands resting behind his head like this is his living

urse

slowly. "That's an

a lazy kind of confidence, flashing a

there's a hint of amusement there that

his own existence, and the teacher moves on

yd

dence she carries into everything. She straightens, clears her throat theatrically, and then launches into her performance withou

erupts int

nald d

earned over the break?" he

she replies

F

pushing herself up and returning

er than anyone els

Mr. Dona

energy using citric acid," she explains, already setting up a small demonstration. She connec

s immediate-ge

ld says, clearly pleased. "

o her seat without drawing a

ays next, turning

my hand as I make my way to the front, aware

, eyeing it with mild irritatio

t answ

y and meet Kieran's eyes, offer

ack