Chapter 4

Rei trudged himself to school pathetically. He hadn't walked to school in forever. Only stupid fools like Nagi and Arato liked walking. 

By the time he reached school, he was sweaty and demoralised. He stepped into the hallway crowd he hunched, afraid of being recognised. 

After some minutes of hunching, he noticed no one was looking his way. Huh. That was a relief. He hurriedly rushed to his class. 

Even entering his class, no one spared a glance towards him. Spotting Adrian in the back, deep in a thrilling debate about—homework?—Rei made a beeline for him.

"Psst!" he hissed. Adrian whipped around so fast Rei worried for his neck. His eyes widened, then—

Bark-like laughter. "Oh—oh my—what happened to you?"

Rei's face soured. "Stop laughing at my misfortune."

"Seriously, what happened? Did you run away from home or what?" Adrian asked.

Rei ruffled his hair, trying to make himself less recognizable. "Actually, my parents were so angry they took all my luxury stuff from me. Turns out... all my stuff was luxury, so now I have to wear … this." He stood dramatically, arms wide to showcase Arato's daily rags. "When did you get out yourself? I left before you and it was–"

It was then Rei began to notice people all around were staring at him, laughing and talking between themselves. "Adrian, I'm getting a weird vibe –"

A phone buzz cut Rei off. It was Adrian's phone. "Wait a minute, Rei." 

Rei rolled his eyes, but waited. Adrian's sudden choke sounds surprised him. "Ohhh, dude," Adrian gasped between cackles. "You're famous."

Rei froze. "What do you mean... famous?" His stomach dropped. "Famous how?"

Adrian, still losing it, turned the screen toward him. The video played with a caption: "GTA Ending for School's Richest Kids💀"

The clip opened with flashing sirens and there was Rei—in all his limited-edition, head-to-toe designer glory—losing an Olympic-level wrestling match with the police. The costume's oversized silk trousers caught on the car door, making him fall face flat onto the pavement with a tragic, cartoonish thump.

Adrian was in the frame too, swaying drunkenly with a huge grin and giving the officer a thumbs-up.

A second clip showed Rei trying to escape being put into the police car —sideways— only to slip again and fall awkwardly in their hands. His trousers even slipped down and you could see his designer white Calvin Klein briefs.

The comments were merciless:

@QueenBee89: "Bro fought the cops and the pavement won 💀"

@PartyGuru: "Someone tell me why he look like a boss fight with 1 HP left 💀"

@SheATen: "Tighty Whities! 😂"

@NotMyMainAcc: "Drip so hard, pavement had to cop it 💀"

@DiorOrDie: "That fall was limited edition too 🤑"

@Sanae: "LMAO MY BOY REI OUT HERE PERFORMING"

Rei choked when he saw the account which posted it. "S-Sanae—posted this?!" Adrian nodded, grinning ear to ear.

 "Oh yeah. She probably captioned it too.'"

Rei's eye twitched. "How are you not angry?"

Adrian chuckled. "I look drunk and hot, and you flashed everyone. I think I'll take my losses." 

Rei threw Adrian's phone back and stormed off to find Sanae. Not only had she abandoned them at the station, but this too?

He didn't have to look far because Sanae stood by the classroom, phone in hand, dressed effortlessly in designer casuals—because of course she was. She barely looked up before breaking into a knowing smirk. "Rei! My viral superstar!" before "Ew, what are you wearing?"

Rei stormed up, flushed and fuming. "What—the hell—was that, Sanae?!"

"Was what?"

"That ridiculous video of me and Adrian."

Sanae, grinning wider, twirled her phone. "Relax, you're hilarious. The whole school loves you now."

"I don't care." Rei flailed. "You set me up."

"Rei!" she said admonishingly. "I didn't know they were gonna be there myself."

Rei pointed accusingly. "And what about that smug face when you left us at the station?"

Sanae gasped, all mock offense. "Hey! I invited you to a party and you managed the rest all on your own." Sanae chimed in, "Plus, you got more clout from that clip than you ever did flexing your wardrobe."

Rei stared, aghast. "I—" He stopped, the horrifying realization dawning. "Wait... How many views does it have?"

Sanae, positively beaming now, spun her phone to show the screen. "2.3 million. Congrats, you're trending."

Rei's voice dropped, the hurt seeping through his disbelief. "...Sanae. You can't just post an embarrassing video of a friend for clout." His brows knit, eyes searching her face. "Did you even think about how this could trash my reputation?"

Sanae's gaze turned sharp, her grin curdling into something colder. She let her eyes rake over his new outfit with undisguised disdain. "Please. As if you haven't already done that yourself with that wardrobe."

The jab hit harder than it should've. Rei's mouth fell open, and for a moment, all his fire sputtered out. "What's up with you, Sanae?" he asked, his voice quieter now—hurt, confused. That was low. Even for her.

She didn't answer, just walked away laughing.

Rei stormed back to the class, angry and almost in tears. Adrian caught his look and frowned. "Are you that upset?" Rei sat down and nodded before dropping his head on the table. 

Adrian walked over to check on Rei, "Are you okay?"

Rei shook his head on the table. Adrian sighed. "I'll talk with Sanae to take down the video, okay?" 

Rei raised his miserable head. "Thanks Adrian, you're the b–"

"Phones away, everyone to your place – Sit down, Adrian!" The teacher just entered. She was a strict woman who particularly didn't like Rei and his 'kind'. "And raise up your head, Rei, your petty snivelling doesn't impress anyone.." 

Rei was feeling petty and bit back. " Well someone didn't get some action tonight." He didn't even sit up straight, just lifted his head.

The teacher stopped writing on the board. "Oh, don't worry, Rei. I'm sure the action you got tonight in jail can compensate for everyone."

Rei gasped. Even the teacher? You walked into that one, Adrian mouthed.

Nagi watched the video again, and again. First he didn't understand why they were taking Rei's things – maybe he maxed out a credit card– but now he did. His face twitched in a desperate attempt to laugh, but he restrained himself.

He opened up his video editing app in class, pulling up the infamous clip. He rewinds to the exact moment Rei trips and the flash happens. He pauses and grins—this is gold.

With a few taps, he overlays a meme song that's been trending lately—a playful, fast-paced tune that's been used in every meme across the internet. He looped the moment of Rei's pants flash, making sure it's timed perfectly with the beat of the song.

The bell rang, signalling the end of class. Rei let out a sigh of relief, gathering his things with the practiced grace of someone who wasn't about to explode in frustration. The last few minutes had been agonizing, but now, he could escape.

Adrian slapped him on the back, offering some quick, unhelpful comfort. "You'll be fine," he said. Rei barely nodded, watching Adrian leave for his next class. He wasn't in Adrian's next class so he just watched him go. Rei took the opportunity to check up on his video and how bad it had gotten. Alone now, he pulled his phone from his bag, already dreading what he might see. He hadn't checked it during class, but the moment his thumb brushed the screen, his blood ran cold.

He didn't expect to see several memes of himself flashing everyone. Which nutterhead had done this? He threw his cheap borrowed phone on the floor and was about to stomp on it, when he remembered he wasn't going to get a new one. 

Rei sighed and picked his phone up and stormed out of the classroom . He was going all the way down to biology to force Sanae to take it down herself – 

He stormed out of the classroom, anger and humiliation mixing into a bitter concoction that only he seemed capable of brewing. But just as he reached the crowded hallway —a rush of air against his legs.

Rei looked down in horror as he felt the cold breeze against his skin. His hands flew to his waist, his breath catching in a sharp gasp.

No. No way.

Someone had pantsed him. He could hear his giggling offender run away and everyone around just stared at his – Oh shit – very transparent Versace lace boxer briefs. 

 His heart dropped, and his face flushed a deep, searing crimson. His eyes darted to the crowd around him. They were all staring. Every single one of them.

Rei's hand shot down to cover himself, but it wasn't enough. Panic surged through him as he struggled to pull up Arato's ill-fitting, complicated joggers. The fabric wouldn't budge.

"No no no no no!" Rei muttered under his breath, yanking at the pants desperately, his fingers slick with sweat. His whole body trembled as the giggles and whispers of the crowd around him grew louder. These people! Did they think they were in a high school comedy show or what? Why were they just standing there?

Then, out of nowhere, Adrian appeared. Adrian quickly stood behind him, his arms wide to shield Rei from the stares. One of Adrian's friends, a girl with short, messy hair, darted forward to help, yanking Rei's joggers up with a hurried, awkward pull. Rei's entire body was shaking, mortified beyond belief. 

"You okay?" Adrian asked, his voice quiet but sincere. He knew how much Rei prioritised his image.

Rei couldn't even look at him, too embarrassed to meet anyone's gaze. I'm not okay. I'm not even close to okay.

"Come on," Adrian said softly, guiding him away from the gathering crowd. "Let's go talk to Sanae. We'll get the video down."

Rei could hardly breathe as they made their way through the halls. His mind was still reeling. He had to get that video gone. 

They reached the biology classroom and Rei swung the door open. Sanae was sitting at her desk, tapping away at her own phone, blissfully unaware.

"Sanae!" Rei snapped, barely holding onto his composure. "Delete it!"

Sanae looked up, her eyes widening slightly as she saw the fury in his eyes, but she didn't seem as worried as he thought she would be.

"Rei, relax, it's just a joke. Everyone's laughing about it."

"Just a joke?" Rei's voice wavered with frustration, but beneath it, the rawness of his humiliation cut through. "This is not funny. You need to take it down. Now."

Adrian stood silently behind him, arms folded. His gaze flickered between Rei and Sanae, but he said nothing, seeing Rei was already handling this.

Sanae shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I—I can't just delete it. It's already viral. You're all over social media." She bit her lip. "Sorry, but I can't help you."

Rei's frustration boiled over. "You made it viral! You think this is funny? You think I think this is funny?"

Before she could answer, the door slammed open and a voice rang through the room.

"Rei? I know you're not in Biology. Get Out!" The teacher's voice—sharp and irritated voice —cut through the tension like a knife.

Rei opened his mouth to argue, but Adrian placed a hand on his shoulder, pulling him back slightly.

"Just go, Rei. We'll figure this out later," Adrian murmured, a quiet hint of sympathy in his voice.

Rei's mind was racing as he turned to leave, but of course – he had no sense of self preservation and eyed the teacher. 

The teacher wasn't having it. "If you don't get out of here, lace boy –" Everyone burst out laughing. Even Adrian. Rei gasped. Not this teacher too. He left quickly though.