Chapter 3: You Again?

The classroom smelled like marker ink and old textbooks.

Pai pushed open the glass door slowly, stepping inside before anyone else had a chance to crowd around. He kept his hoodie pulled up — habit more than fashion — and slid into a seat near the back, sketchbook tucked under one arm like a shield.

He wasn't here to make friends.

Not today.

Not ever.

Still, there was no escaping the sound of movement beside him. The soft rustle of fabric. The quiet clink of something metallic — a pen, maybe — being set down.

"You again?" Thana said, voice low and just slightly amused.

Pai didn't look at him. Didn't react. Just flipped open his sketchbook and stared at the blank page like it held answers he couldn't find anywhere else.

Thana leaned back in his chair, arms folding across his chest. "You always act like I'm going to bite."

Pai finally glanced up, brow furrowed. "That's usually what people say right before they do."

Thana chuckled — not loud, but enough that Pai felt it somewhere behind his ribs. Like it wasn't just sound. Like it meant something.

Before either of them could say more, Professor Chaya walked in, her presence instantly quieting the room. She carried herself like someone who knew exactly how much power she held — calm, confident, commanding attention without needing to ask for it.

"Good morning," she said, placing a stack of papers on the desk. "Today, we begin our collaborative project. You'll be working with literature majors to create short webcomics — ten pages, five panels minimum. You'll develop both visual and narrative elements together."

A murmur rippled through the class — excitement, nerves, the usual mix.

Pai stayed still.

He already knew what was coming.

And sure enough…

"Group One: Nara and Jin."

Fine.

"Group Two: Mintra and Kan."

Okay.

"Group Three: Wut and Tao."

Pai exhaled quietly.

Then —

"Group Four: Pharit and Thanat."

Pai's fingers tightened around the edge of his sketchbook.

Across from him, Thana tilted his head slightly, watching him like he expected a reaction.

Pai gave him nothing.

Professor Chaya caught his eye as she passed out the list. Her smile was small, almost imperceptible — like she knew exactly what she was doing.

Because she probably did.

Outside, the wind rustled the leaves of the rain tree.

Inside, Pai was already regretting this semester.

Class blurred around them.

Students moved between desks, chatting about ideas, sharing notebooks, already planning their stories. Across the room, Wut high-fived Tao like they'd just won the lottery. Pim waved at Thana from the other side of the room and mouthed, "Lucky bastard."

Pai ignored her.

He kept his gaze fixed on the blank page in front of him, pencil tapping lightly against the desk. He wanted to draw. Wanted to lose himself in lines and shadows where no one could ask him questions or try to understand him.

But Thana kept shifting beside him, adjusting his notebook, tapping his pen against the edge of the table.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Pai exhaled sharply. "Can you stop that?"

Thana raised an eyebrow. "Stop what?"

"That," Pai muttered, nodding toward the pen. "You're distracting."

Thana didn't move the pen. In fact, he tapped it harder.

"I think I'll keep it."

Pai narrowed his eyes. "You're annoying."

"And you're predictable," Thana replied, finally setting the pen down. "You always react the same way when I talk to you."

Pai blinked once. Then again. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Thana leaned back in his chair, folding his arms. "You pretend like you don't care. But you do. You just don't know how to show it."

Pai swallowed, throat suddenly dry.

He wasn't used to people seeing things in him that he hadn't meant to show.

Not anymore.

Not since TK.

He looked away first.

Thana didn't push further.

Instead, he opened his notebook and started writing.

Pai watched him for a second — the smooth stroke of his handwriting, the way his brow furrowed slightly when he thought too hard — then turned back to his own paper.

He flipped to a fresh page.

Drew a line.

Then another.

And another.

Until a shape began to form beneath his fingers.

A boy sitting at a desk.

Too close for comfort.

Too observant for safety.

He stopped halfway through the face.

Couldn't bring himself to finish it.

By the time class ended, the tension between them hadn't faded.

It had only gotten heavier.

Pai packed his things slowly, dragging out the process just to avoid eye contact.

But Thana didn't leave.

He stayed seated until Pai finally stood, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

As he moved to walk past, Thana spoke.

"You're better than most of us, you know."

Pai paused.

"What?" he asked, voice quieter than he meant it to be.

Thana looked up at him, expression serious now. "Your art. You draw like you feel everything."

Pai stiffened.

"No one else noticed," Thana added, lowering his voice so only Pai could hear. "But I did."

Pai didn't respond.

He just walked away.

Fast.

Head down.

Heart pounding.

Later, alone in his dorm, he sat on his bed and pulled out his sketchbook.

He flipped to the page from earlier.

Stared at the unfinished drawing.

And then, very slowly, he added one more line.

A pair of glasses.

Faint.

Just barely visible.

Just enough to know who it was.

Just enough to prove he'd been paying attention, too.