Chapter 24: Exam Day Disaster

Yuna's POV

Exams. The ultimate test of survival.

I stared at my test paper, waiting for it to attack. It didn't. In fact, it looked…..manageable? Huh. Maybe the last-minute studying actually worked.

I tapped my pencil against my desk, scanning the questions. Multiple choice, problem-solving, essay—yeah, this was definitely designed to ruin lives. But somehow, the answers started coming to me.

Maybe being forced to play house in the middle of reviewing had some kind of weird brain-boosting effect. Who knew?

Beside me, Erika was already scribbling at the speed of light, her handwriting getting more and more violent. I could hear her muttering formulas under her breath like she was summoning a demon.

Meanwhile, I casually worked through the questions, finishing one section at a time. At some point, I snuck a glance at Erika. She was gripping her pencil like a weapon, eyes darting back and forth between her paper and the ceiling, as if divine intervention was going to drop the answers into her brain.

She caught me looking. "What?" she whispered.

I smirked. "You okay there?"

"I swear if you finish before me—"

"I mean… I might."

Her glare could burn through a brick wall.

And yeah. I did finish before her.

Since checking my answers sounded like a painful way to ruin my confidence, I decided to put my pencil down and rest my head on my arms. Just a tiny nap wouldn't hurt, right?

Wrong.

Because apparently, my peaceful slumber personally offended Erika.

The moment the exam ended, I stretched with a yawn, feeling refreshed—only to be met with Erika's expression of pure betrayal.

"You slept?" she hissed.

I blinked. "Yeah?"

"You don't even pay attention in class!"

I shrugged. "Maybe I learn through vibes."

She looked like she was about to throw her test paper at me.

Before she could actually strangle me, we packed up and made our way to the band room, where everyone else was already waiting.

Leo was lying face-down on the couch. "I wrote my name, at least."

Milo was slumped in a chair, staring into the void. "That test took years off my life."

Ethan let out a dramatic sigh. "I survived, but at what cost?"

Lena, the only one who seemed fine, was leaning against the table, scrolling through her phone.

"You guys are so dramatic. Exams aren't that bad."

Milo turned to her with the deadest expression possible. "Says the one who didn't take math."

"True." She smirked.

The door swung open, and the last one to walk in was Kai. Unlike the rest of the guys, he didn't look like he had just barely crawled out of an academic grave.

His uniform was still neat, his bag casually slung over his shoulder, and he had that usual bored expression.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "You actually are secretly smart, aren't you?"

Kai rolled his eyes. "I never said I wasn't."

Erika groaned. "You two are exhausting."

I ignored her and leaned against the table.

"So, how was your test, genius?"

Kai didn't answer my question. Instead, he gave me a look. "How was your sleep?"

I blinked. "Huh?"

"After the test. You looked comfortable." His voice was casual, but his eyes had that annoying amused glint.

Wait. Wait.

Was he—?

Oh, this was fun.

I grinned. "Aw, were you checking on me?"

Kai sighed. "Forget I said anything."

Like I was going to let him off that easily. "You know, Aunt Rosa already misses you. Maybe she wants you back for another sleepover."

That got the whole room's attention.

Immediately.

Leo, who had been dramatically lying on the couch, suddenly sat up. "Wait. Sleepover?"

Ethan turned to Kai. "Dude. You didn't tell us you had a sleepover with Yuna."

Kai pinched the bridge of his nose. "I didn't."

Noah, looking half-dead, still managed to smirk. "You sure? Because that's not what it sounds like."

Erika, sipping her drink, looked way too entertained.

Lena, ever the agent of chaos, gasped. "Kai. Did you and Yuna share a room?"

Kai gave me the deadliest side-eye known to man.

I, being the mature and responsible person that I am, grinned even wider. "Technically, yes."

The room exploded.

Leo gasped. Ethan laughed so hard he almost fell out of his chair. Milo just muttered, "Unbelievable."

Kai groaned. "I hate all of you."

Erika just patted his shoulder. "Welcome to our daily suffering."

And just like that, the band room was filled with laughter and chaos—except for Erika, who was still suffering from an actual existential crisis over exams.

The exams were over, but the week wasn't.

Which meant that while most students celebrated their temporary freedom, our band had no such luxury. Because apparently, we had practice. And not just any practice—an intense one, according to Erika, who had taken it upon herself to enforce a strict schedule.

I, of course, was still thoroughly enjoying my role as the band's self-proclaimed visionary director.

"Alright, people, places! Let's go from the top!" I clapped my hands, standing dramatically in the middle of the practice room like some kind of Hollywood filmmaker.

Leo, who was sitting behind his drum set, lazily twirled a drumstick.

"More drama, Yuna! Be a tyrant!"

I gasped. "Brilliant."

I spun around and pointed at Kai, who was tuning his guitar with a level of focus that honestly didn't match the rest of us.

"Kai! Play with more passion!"

Kai barely glanced up. "I haven't even started playing yet."

"Then start playing with passion."

Lena, the band's totally unbothered manager, sighed. "I still don't know what you do here."

I grinned. "Inspire greatness."

Erika, who was leaning against the door and looking this close to throwing something at me, let out a long-suffering sigh.

"She's just making things harder."

Milo, tuning his bass, didn't even look up.

"She's making things weirder."

I ignored them all.

"Alright, focus!" Erika clapped her hands, giving me a pointed look.

"Less directing, more actual contributing."

"Fine, fine," I sighed dramatically and took my spot at the side, watching as they started playing.

And to be honest, they were good.

Especially Kai.

The moment his fingers moved over the guitar strings, the energy in the room shifted. He played with a kind of effortless precision, each note crisp and clean, as if it was the easiest thing in the world.

Even Leo, who was usually more focused on making dumb jokes than drumming, snapped to attention, matching Kai's rhythm like they'd been playing together for years.

Milo, still looking half-asleep, played his bass smoothly, adding depth to the sound. Ethan, despite his earlier dramatics, kept up on the keyboard, and Lena was scrolling through her phone, occasionally nodding in approval like a CEO observing a successful business venture.

Meanwhile, Leo… was clearly getting too into it.

"Leo!" Erika snapped as he started hitting the drums harder, throwing in an unnecessary solo.

He immediately slowed down. "Sorry, sorry. Got possessed for a second."

"It was too much," she deadpanned.

"It was passion."

"It was loud."

Lena, still scrolling, muttered, "At least he's actually playing this time."

Leo had the audacity to look offended. "I always play!"

"You always mess up," Milo corrected.

"Okay, sometimes."

Practice continued like that for the rest of the week—music, chaos, and me occasionally forgetting what I was supposed to be doing.

At one point, I wandered off to buy snacks and completely forgot to come back. They had to send Erika to retrieve me, and she was not happy about it.

"You were supposed to be helping," she grumbled, dragging me back.

"I was helping. By making sure the band doesn't starve."

"You bought only for yourself."

"Details."

By Friday, we were all exhausted.

So when an announcement suddenly blared over the speakers, telling everyone to gather in the gym, we were not happy.

"What now?" Leo groaned. "Haven't we suffered enough?"

Milo sighed. "Apparently not."

Kai, ever the calm one, simply slung his guitar over his shoulder and started walking. "Let's just get this over with."

Ethan stretched. "If it's another school-wide speech about 'discipline and excellence,' I might actually pass out."

Lena hid her phone and sighed . "If it's boring, I'm leaving."

Erika, already mentally preparing to babysit all of us, sighed. "Just behave for once."

I grinned. "No promises."

And with that, we all made our way to the gym, completely unprepared for whatever was about to happen next.

To be continued.