30 A Secret Crush

Kamon never intended to find out. She had merely been walking past the school library when she spotted Patcha—the same Patcha who usually rolled her eyes at romance dramas—standing by the window, giggling. 

And next to her, flipping through a book with a charming half-smile, was Prem. 

Kamon stopped in her tracks. No way. 

Patcha, the girl who roasted anyone who blushed at a compliment, was staring at Prem like he was the last piece of mango sticky rice on Earth.

She narrowed her eyes. Interesting. 

Just then, Prem said something, and Patcha giggled again. 

Kamon's jaw dropped. 

Since when did Patcha giggle? 

This was breaking news. 

She considered walking away, but her inner gossip radar refused to let her. She crouched behind a bookshelf, peeking over the top as Patcha twirled a strand of her hair. 

Twirling hair? Who even was this girl?

Then she heard it. 

"You're really smart, Prem," Patcha said, her usual sharp voice replaced with something... soft. 

Prem chuckled. "Not really. I just like physics." 

Patcha swooned. 

Kamon gasped so loudly that the librarian glared at her from across the room. She quickly ducked down. 

Patcha has a crush on Prem. 

Later that evening, Kamon sat at the kitchen table, attempting the impossible—helping Tee with his algebra homework. 

Tee scowled at the page. "Why do they keep asking me to find x? If they lost it, they should find it themselves!" 

Kamon sighed. "Tee, this is literally the simplest question." 

"If it's so simple, you do it!" 

"*I already know the answer!*" 

"Then why do I have to do it?" 

"Because it's your homework!" 

Their dad, who was reading the newspaper, chuckled. "I was never good at algebra either." 

Tee immediately pointed at him. "Aha! That explains my bad grades! It's genetic!" 

Their dad laughed. "Nice try, but you're still doing that homework." 

Kamon smirked. "See, even Dad says so." 

Tee groaned and flopped onto the table dramatically. "This is child labor." 

"You're twelve," Kamon deadpanned. "It's math, not a coal mine." 

After much suffering, Tee finally attempted his math problem—mostly to get Kamon to stop lecturing him. 

But the moment he finished, he looked up with a mischievous grin. "By the way, I heard you got a new nickname." 

Kamon narrowed her eyes. "What are you talking about?" 

Tee turned to their cousin Tawan, who was scrolling through her phone. "Tawan, what was it again? What does he call her?" 

Supaporn barely looked up. "Sweetie, I think?" 

Tee smirked. "Yeah, sweetie." 

Kamon rolled her eyes. "And?" 

Tee leaned forward dramatically. "How much is a sweet?" 

Kamon blinked. "What?" 

"A sweet. Like a piece of candy. How much?" 

"...20 baht?" 

Tee clapped his hands. "Exactly! That's cheap! If he really liked you, he should call you something expensive. Like…" He thought for a moment. "Like… my bag of rice!" 

Tawan nearly choked on laughter. "Oh, I never knew that!" 

Kamon facepalmed. "Tee, I swear—" 

Tee continued. "Or how about Gold Bar? Or Imported Mango? Something valuable, not just Sweetie!" 

Tawan nodded, playing along. "Yeah, Kamon. Raise your standards." 

"Both of you need to stop talking," Kamon muttered. 

Tee winked. "Just looking out for you, Sweetie." 

The next day at school, Kamon was trying to mind her own business. 

Unfortunately, her brain refused to let go of Patcha's secret crush. 

She found herself watching Prem more than usual, wondering what exactly made him so special. He was smart, sure, and had that effortlessly cool vibe—but was he that crush-worthy? 

Apparently, her staring was noticed. 

"Kamon," Patcha said suddenly, crossing her arms. 

Kamon turned, startled. "Huh?" 

Patcha narrowed her eyes. "Why were you staring at Prem?" 

Kamon blinked. "What? I wasn't—" 

Patcha scoffed. "Don't play dumb. I saw you." 

Kamon hesitated. "Look, Patcha, it's not—" 

"Are you seriously trying to steal him?" 

Kamon's eyes widened. "What?" 

Patcha glared at her. "I knew it. You always have to be the center of attention." 

Kamon felt a flash of anger. "Excuse me? Just because I looked at him doesn't mean I like him!" 

Patcha crossed her arms. "Right. And I suppose it's a coincidence that you suddenly find him interesting?" 

Kamon groaned. "Patcha, listen to yourself! You're acting ridiculous!" 

Patcha's jaw tightened. "Forget it." She turned on her heel and walked away. 

Kamon sighed, rubbing her temples. 

Great. Just great. 

The hallway was quiet, save for the faint squeak of sneakers on the polished floors. Nat, Kanya, and Pim huddled behind a row of lockers, each sporting a ridiculous mask—Nat's was a giant purple cat, Pim's a flamingo, and Kanya had a mask resembling a half-melted ice cream cone. They peeked out from their hiding spot, eyes narrowed in anticipation.

"Are you sure she's going to meet him?" Nat whispered, adjusting the fuzzy cat ears on her mask, causing it to wobble. 

Kanya, wearing a mask that barely fit her face, gave a confident nod. "She has no idea what's coming."

Pim adjusted her flamingo beak, snorting as she tried to suppress a laugh. "She'll never recognize us like this. We're totally undercover!"

Noon walked by, blissfully unaware of her three "stalkers." She was heading toward the courtyard, looking down at her phone, seemingly oblivious to the fact that her biggest fans were trailing her.

"Now's our chance!" Nat whispered. The trio began to move in sync, their footsteps exaggerated, trying to be as stealthy as possible, but their masks kept getting in the way, making it hard to see where they were going.

Kanya grinned, barely containing her laughter. "I'm a genius, aren't I?"

"I still can't believe you thought we'd look 'discreet' in these," Pim said, gesturing to their bizarre masks. "How exactly is this a disguise?"

Kanya shrugged, pushing up the ice cream cone mask that was slowly sliding down her face. "Fashion disguise. You wouldn't understand, it's a thing."

Nat snickered. "Yeah, Kanya, fashion disguise. Totally. I mean, I thought your mask was supposed to be a melting ice cream, but now it looks like a sad waffle cone with a broken scoop."

"I'm setting trends here," Kanya shot back, unfazed. "One day, everyone's going to be wearing these."

Meanwhile, Noon strolled into the courtyard, her attention still glued to her phone. Nat, Kanya, and Pim exchanged glances and then crouched behind a potted plant as Noon passed by, unaware of the tiny, mismatched army following her. 

"I think we're getting closer," Pim whispered, peeking from behind the plant, her flamingo beak making a small "cluck" sound.

Suddenly, the doors to the courtyard swung open, and in walked Phakit—the handsome boy with effortlessly tousled hair and a killer smile. He glanced around, scanning the area. Kanya's eyes sparkled. "It's happening! This is the moment!"

That afternoon Noon walked around the school building, the noise from the courtyard fading. The area behind the classroom is shaded by trees, with a few students occasionally passing by. She stops when she sees a figure standing there, hands nervously tucked into his pockets. 

"So, you're the mystery admirer?" Noon asks crossing her arms, smirking.

"Uh… yeah. Kinda." Phakit clearly nervous, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Kinda?" She asjs Noon raising an eyebrow.

"Okay, no—yeah. It's me. I just… I didn't know how else to say it, so I wrote the letter." Phakit exhales, then looks at her.

Noon's smirk softens slightly, sensing the genuine nervousness in his voice. 

"So what exactly are you trying to say?" Noon asks playfully.

"I like you, Noon. And I was wondering if… maybe you'd go out with me sometime?" Phakit says taking a deep breath.

A beat of silence. Noon blinks, surprised at how straightforward he is. Then, she tilts her head, pretending to think. 

"Hmmm… depends. Are you gonna let me score a goal in football first?" 

"No way. But I'll buy you snacks after every game. Deal?"

Noon grins, pretending to consider, then finally nods.

"Deal." 

Phakit exhales in relief, smiling. Just then, Noon's friends peek from around the corner, barely hiding their excitement.

Sure! Here's how the scene continues:

---

The three girls, still wearing their ridiculous masks, had been following Noon and Phakit from a safe distance, struggling to keep up with their awkward, uncoordinated movements. As Noon approached Phakit, her smile widening, the trio had finally reached the moment of truth.

"Okay, this is it!" Nat whispered, her purple cat mask wobbling with every step. "Let's go!"

They stormed up to Noon and Phakit, but as they reached the courtyard, Nat tripped on the edge of a bench and landed face-first in a flowerbed. Kanya and Pim, not wanting to be outdone, both slipped, landing in a heap on top of each other. For a second, the scene looked like a bizarre circus act. 

Noon and Phakit stopped in their tracks, staring at the chaotic mess of mismatched masks and tangled limbs. Kanya, brushing dirt off her ice cream cone mask, stood up dramatically.

"You!" Kanya pointed at Noon, her voice fierce despite her mask barely staying in place. "We've come to demand a fight!"

Pim immediately straightened up, nodding fiercely. "A challenge! To settle this once and for all!"

Nat, still dusting off the flower petals from her mask, stood up with a dramatic flourish and pointed at Phakit. "Yes! We want to prove our worth. It's a matter of… honor!"

Phakit, looking from one strange masked girl to the other, raised an eyebrow and gave a soft laugh. "A fight? With who, exactly? You three?"

Kanya puffed out her chest, trying to look intimidating, but her melting ice cream cone mask slid to one side, causing her to quickly push it back up. "Yes, with us! We're—"

"We're not afraid of you!" Nat interrupted, her purple cat mask slipping down again as she dramatically adjusted it. "We're coming for your… uh, place in the universe!"

Phakit shook his head slowly, amusement playing in his eyes. He turned to Noon with a grin. "Noon, do you know these... warriors?"

Noon looked at them, a mix of confusion and suppressed laughter bubbling up. "Uh, no. I've never seen them before in my life."

The three girls froze, their mouths dropping open in horror. "What?" Kanya asked, her voice a mix of disbelief and annoyance. "What do you mean, you don't know us?!"

"Nope," Phakit shrugged, turning to the trio with a playful smirk. "I have no idea who you are. But I'd love to get to know you... once I figure out where you got those masks."

Kanya glared at him, furious but trying not to show it. "You... you don't know who we are? We've been following you around—er, I mean, we're just... here for a friendly challenge! In fashion!"

"You know," Pim added, trying to salvage the situation, "fashion challenges are a thing. You should look into it. We're trendsetters."

Phakit chuckled, glancing at Noon. "Well, as fun as this has been, I really can't help you with that. I'm not sure I'm prepared for a 'fashion' fight today."

Noon smiled sweetly. "Maybe next time, ladies?"

The trio stood there, deflated, as Noon and Phakit walked off, their laughter echoing down the hallway. Kanya, Pim, and Nat watched them go, the weight of their mission crashing down on them.

"Okay," Kanya said after a long silence, adjusting her melting ice cream mask again. "Maybe... maybe that didn't go exactly as planned."

"Yeah," Nat sighed. "You think?"

Pim, still grinning under her flamingo mask, patted Kanya on the back. "Hey, at least we tried, right?"

Kanya straightened up, brushing off the awkwardness. "Next time, I'll get the perfect mask. Just wait. You'll see. I *will* make fashion history."

Pim and Nat exchanged looks before bursting into laughter once again.

---

This scene builds on the comedy, showing their failed attempt at confrontation and giving Phakit a playful, confident role in denying them.

Just as Noon glanced up and spotted Phakit, the three girls tried to rush forward but tripped over each other in their awkward, mismatched masks. The flamingo's beak hit the ground with a loud "clunk," and Kanya's ice cream mask flopped sideways, causing her to stagger.

Noon's eyes flickered over to the three girls as they stood up in a heap, finally realizing something was off. She looked at the trio, her eyebrow raised in confusion. "Uh, hey, what are you doing?"

Without missing a beat, Kanya quickly straightened up and adjusted her mask. "Fashion disguise," she said with exaggerated confidence, her voice overly dramatic. "I'm a trendsetter."

Nat and Pim stared at her, eyes wide. Pim's flamingo mask was crooked, and Nat had somehow managed to pull her mask halfway down, revealing a very guilty face.

"Is that... supposed to be... fashionable?" Noon asked, struggling to keep a straight face.

Pim nodded solemnly, adjusting her flamingo beak. "Totally."

"Yeah," Nat added, trying to salvage some dignity. "We're just… blending in. Super undercover."

Phakit, noticing the commotion, smirked from a distance and walked over to Noon. "Is everything okay here?"

Noon, now cracking up, shook her head and gestured to the trio. "I think they're just... making a statement."

Kanya puffed out her chest. "We're redefining fashion. Keep your eyes open. You'll see."

Phakit laughed, shaking his head as he walked past them with Noon, both of them shaking their heads in amusement.

Nat turned to Kanya, trying to hold back laughter. "You sure about that 'fashion disguise' thing?"

"Absolutely sure," Kanya replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Just wait for the next trend."

As

the trio watched Noon and Phakit leave, the reality of their "undercover mission" hit them. Kanya adjusted her ice cream cone mask, still grinning. "We'll be trendsetters soon enough."

Pim and Nat glanced at each other, then burst into laughter. "Yeah, Kanya. Sure we will."