Ethan and Daisy stepped through the front gates of the school, blending into the sea of arriving students. They walked toward the main building together until Daisy split off, heading down the hallway toward her own classroom. Ethan continued down the corridor to his own homeroom.
The moment he crossed the threshold, Finn, who was already lounging at his desk, looked up. Spotting his friend, Finn smiled and waved cheerfully. Ethan returned the smile and walked over. The classroom was mostly empty, save for a few early arrivals scattered across the rows.
Ethan dropped his backpack onto his chair. Finn stood up, offering a firm handshake.
"Welcome back, Ethan," Finn said.
"Thanks, man," Ethan replied, shaking his hand before sliding into his seat.
Finn sat back down, turning his chair slightly to face Ethan. "So, how was the trip to New Jersey?"
"Oh, you know... it was great," Ethan nodded smoothly, keeping his voice casual.
As the two of them caught up, the classroom door swung open again. Madison walked in first, her posture upright and focused, heading straight for her desk. Allen followed a step behind her, slipping into his own seat.
Allen had spotted Ethan the exact second he walked through the door. Madison, however, only noticed him a moment later.
She glanced over at Allen, leaning in slightly. "Where was Ethan all this time anyway?"
"Visiting some friends out of town," Allen whispered back.
Madison gave a slow nod.
Before Ethan and Finn could dive deeper into their conversation, the sharp chime of the morning bell rang out. A second later, the classroom door opened, and Mr. Henry walked in, moving with his usual measured stride toward the lectern.
"Good morning, students," Henry announced, resting his hands on the podium. "I hope you are all doing well—and more importantly, that you are all preparing for the upcoming exams."
"Sir, how can anyone be doing 'well' when exams are breathing down our necks?" a boy near the back groaned.
A wave of laughter rippled through the room. Henry cracked a rare smile. "And that, statistics show, is precisely why I tell you to study every single day."
His sharp eyes swept across the classroom, scanning the rows until his gaze locked directly onto Ethan.
"Ethan," Henry spoke up, his tone shifting slightly. "You've been absent for quite a while."
Ethan stood up smoothly, adopting the posture of a perfectly ordinary, apologetic student. "Yes, sir. I had to go out of town to visit a friend."
Mr. Henry gave a slow nod, his eyes remaining fixed on Ethan for a beat too long. "I see. Traveling can be good, but with exams right around the corner, I strongly advise you to avoid distractions and wasting valuable time."
"Understood, sir," Ethan replied politely, nodding like any regular teenager would.
"You may sit."
As Ethan sat back down, Henry leaned his right elbow on the lectern, letting out a long, heavy sigh.
"Sir, is something wrong?" one of the students asked, noticing his exhausted expression.
Before Henry could answer, another student chimed in, "Looks like Mr. Henry is not in the mood to teach today!"
Henry chuckled softly, giving a slight nod. "You might be right about that."
"Does that mean we can go home early?" someone shouted from the back, causing the entire class to burst into laughter.
"Nice try, but no. I can't let you leave the school premises," Henry countered, raising a hand to quiet them down. "However, I can arrange an alternative for this period. Since finals are next week, why don't we use this hour for an open revision session? You can ask me anything you're struggling with."
A collective groan echoed through the room. "No, sir! We need a sports period!" a student called out.
Suddenly, half the class joined in, enthusiastically agreeing. "Yeah! Give us a sports break, sir!"
Henry was taken aback, looking around at the uncharacteristically eager faces. "Well..."
"Just this once, sir! Give us the class for sports!"
Henry held up his hands, relenting. "Alright, alright. But only this once."
"Yes!" The classroom erupted in cheers.
"Don't get your hopes up just yet," Henry warned, cutting through the excitement. "First, I need to get approval from the principal."
The room instantly fell completely silent.
"Stay quiet and remain in your seats. I'll be back in a minute," Henry instructed. Before turning on his heel to leave, his eyes drifted back to Ethan one last time.
The second the door closed, the room buzzed with excitement. "One last football match before exams! Let's go!"
A few minutes later, the permission was granted, and the students flooded out onto the sunny school grounds.
Henry sat alone on a wooden bench at the edge of the field, watching the chaos unfold. The boys were already furiously running a football match, while a group of girls set up a volleyball game on the adjacent court.
Suddenly, the sharp vibration of a ringtone broke his concentration. Henry pulled out his phone, and his eyebrows raised when he saw the caller ID.
It was Beast.