The classroom was alive with the hum of conversation, a familiar background noise that had become second nature after years of sharing the same space. Sixteen students filled the room, sixteen people who had studied, argued, laughed, and grown together since their first year in high school.
Faith sat at her desk, idly tapping her pen against her notebook. The scent of chalk and old textbooks lingered in the air, mixing with the faint smell of morning dew from the open windows. It was just another day in their second-to-last year, the calm before the inevitable storm of final exams.
But as much as things had changed over the years, some things remained frustratingly the same.
Like him.
Her eyes flickered across the room, landing on Cole.
He was slouched lazily in his seat, his chair tilted back at a dangerous angle, staring at his notebook as if it personally offended him. Beside him, Abdullah sat with his usual calm demeanor, flipping through a martial arts magazine. Their third friend, Ben, wasn't in class probably out sick or skipping, as usual.
Faith quickly looked away, gripping her pen a little too tightly.
It wasn't hatred she felt toward Cole. No, that would require too much effort. It was more of an irritated indifference. A lingering frustration that had never quite gone away.
Because for as long as she could remember, Cole had been a problem.
In the first year, Faith liked order. She liked planning. She liked knowing things were being handled properly.
That was why, when the elections for class representative were announced in their first year, she had stepped up without hesitation.
She had spent days preparing her speech, outlining her goals, ensuring that every word reflected her commitment to making their class the best it could be.
Then Cole walked up, hands in his pockets, and delivered a speech that was the exact opposite of hers.
He didn't talk about structure. He didn't talk about discipline or organization.
He talked about making school fun.
About teamwork. About creating memories beyond textbooks and grades.
Faith had watched, horrified, as student after student raised their hand in his favor.
And just like that, she lost.
She had been frustrated, of course. But part of her had been willing to wait and see. Maybe—maybe—he would surprise her.
Maybe he would take the role seriously.
For a while, he did.
At first, he showed up to meetings. He wrote notes. He even organized a study group once.
But the enthusiasm faded quickly.
By the second month, he had stopped attending meetings. By the third, he couldn't even remember where the class documents were.
And then came The Incident.
The entire class had been following an outdated timetable, one that had never been updated, despite it being Cole's responsibility.
No one noticed until they all showed up at the wrong classroom for an exam, earning them collective punishment.
Faith could still remember standing in the hallway with the rest of her classmates, waiting for their teacher to decide their fate, when Cole casually leaned against the wall and sighed.
"Yeah… I don't think I care about this job anymore."
The entire class had turned on him instantly.
And just like that, the boy who had wanted to be class rep, the boy who had fought for the position, had thrown it all away because he got bored.
Faith had never been so irritated in her life.
Naturally, since she had come second in the election, she was chosen as his replacement.
And she had been fixing his mess ever since.
Present Day
Alex's voice broke through her thoughts.
"You're making that face again."
Faith blinked, turning toward her childhood friend. Alex was leaning back in her chair, arms crossed behind her head, watching her with a knowing smirk.
"What face?"
"The I'm thinking about strangling Cole, face."
Stephanie, seated behind them, grinned. "It's her favorite expression."
Faith rolled her eyes. "I don't think about strangling him."
"Sure you don't."
Faith exhaled, tapping her fingers against her desk. "I just… I don't understand how someone can work so hard to get something and then throw it away."
Alex chuckled. "He's just like that. You know he's never been the responsible type."
"Then why did he even run for class rep?"
This was something that had bothered Faith for years.
Cole wasn't the type to chase responsibilities. He avoided extra work whenever possible.
So why had he fought for a position he had no interest in keeping?
Stephanie twirled her pen between her fingers. "I heard from Abdullah that he actually was determined to be class rep at first. Something about wanting to prove he could lead."
Faith frowned. "Then why did he stop caring?"
Alex shrugged. "Because it was more effort than he expected?"
Stephanie smirked. "Probably realized he couldn't slack off whenever he wanted and decided to give up."
Faith shook her head. Infuriating.
She was about to respond when the classroom door slid open.
Their homeroom teacher, Mr. Daniels, stepped in, setting his materials on the desk.
"Alright, settle down," he said, his deep voice cutting through the noise. "Let's get started."
Faith straightened, pushing all thoughts of Cole out of her mind.
There were bigger things to focus on.
Finals were approaching.
And she wasn't going to let him take up any more of her mental space.