At the School:

Behind him, unnoticed, Wichian entered the canteen alone, carrying his lunch tray with that quiet, unreadable expression. He didn’t scan the room. He didn’t need to. This was routine—find an empty seat, eat quickly, leave faster.

Without realizing, he sat directly behind Sorawit. Their backs are barely a foot apart. Neither noticed the other. Neither dared to look.

That delicate quiet was suddenly cracked by the sound of footsteps—rushed, nervous. Kia and Tina entered, both clutching their own beating hearts.

“Tina... I’m scared. What if he... rejects me?” Kia whispered, trembling with a folded letter clutched tightly in her hand like a lifeline.

Tina gave her a sharp look. “So what if he does? At least he’ll know how you feel. Just a few more months left. Do you want to graduate with regret choking your chest?”

Kia glanced over, locking eyes on Wichian eating quietly by himself.

“I know what you’re saying but—”

“No buts. Go. Now.”

Taking a deep breath, Kia stepped toward Wichian’s table. Every step felt like walking barefoot over glass. When she finally reached him, she sat down shakily across from him. Wichian slowly looked up, surprised, his chopsticks frozen midair.

“Phi Wichian…” Her voice cracked slightly. “Are you free for a second? Can I talk to you?”

The sound of her soft voice, specifically the words "Phi Wichian", made Sorawit go still. He lifted his head, eyebrows knitting together. Slowly, he turned to his friends. “Shh. Listen,” he muttered. Pete and Tor fell silent, sensing the shift in the air.

“Yes?” Wichian said, voices polite but distant. “Is there something you need?”

Kia’s fingers trembled as she extended the letter. “I... I know you don’t see me the way I see you. But I couldn’t let the school year end without saying it. I like you, Phi Chian.”

Sorawit’s heart skipped a beat. His fingers curled tightly around his glass until the plastic buckled under pressure. His breath grew shallow. Cold.

Then—

“Wow…” Sorawit’s voice rang through the canteen like a blade. “A whole soap opera is happening behind my back.”

The entire canteen fell silent. Dozens of heads turned.

Wichian looked up, startled. Kia shrank in her seat.

Sorawit slowly turned in his chair, eyes glinting with an unsettling mix of cruelty and pain. “Congrats, Mr. Wichian,” he said, voice dripping venom. “Another fan joins the club. I’m honestly jealous. Really.”

“Wit—please,” Wichian tried to intervene gently.

But Sorawit was far beyond reason. “Wait! Don’t go, my dear future sister-in-law!” he grinned and snatched the letter from Kia’s stunned hands before she could react. “Let me help you seal the deal.”

“Wit, stop,” Wichian said, standing up now, urgency rising.

Sorawit’s stare froze him in place. “Why? Scared I’ll ruin things with your little girlfriend?”

He unfolded the letter with a loud rustle, holding it high as though it were a declaration of war. Then, with mock tenderness, he began to read aloud.

-------

“Dear Phi Wichian,

I have been in love with you since last year. I didn’t have the courage to talk to you. But with only months left, I don’t want to leave with regrets. You’re the calmest and loveliest person I’ve ever seen. I fell for you watching your sketch, how you lose yourself in your art. I want to stop wasting time. Phi Wichian, will you be my boyfriend?”

--------

He finished it with a grin that didn’t reach his eyes, teeth clenched too hard. His laughter was dry and bitter.

“Amazing, right?” he sneered. “Honestly, he’d be a fool not to say yes. But just one thing—” He turned to Kia, voice lowering into a sinister softness. “You called him ‘lovely’ and ‘calm’? Guess you haven’t seen the version I know.”

Kia stared, confused. “Sorawit...?”

“He broke a father and son apart,” Sorawit snapped, jabbing his finger toward Wichian without looking at him. “He got his mom to divorce his dad. Married her boss, climbed the ladder. Now? He’s turning into the perfect golden boy to steal my dad’s heart too.”

Wichian froze. His lips parted, but no words came out. Just silence. Just pain.

“Sorawit, you don’t mean that,” Kia whispered. “Wichian would never—”

“I do mean it,” Sorawit hissed. “You’re blinded by his quiet face and sad puppy eyes. But at home? He manipulates everything. Plays the victim so well, even though I believed it once.”

“Wit…” Wichian’s voice finally came, a quiet plea. “That’s not what happened. You know it’s not.”

“Do I?” Sorawit snapped, eyes glassy now. “Or do I only know what you made me believe?”

The silence was unbearable. Kia, overwhelmed, stood up. Her eyes darted between the broken boy and the boy he just broke.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered to Wichian before leaving—this wasn’t what she wanted. She couldn’t bear to see his face anymore. Not like this.

And as she disappeared from the canteen, Wichian stood still. Alone again. Even lonelier than when he walked in.

Sorawit sat back down, head lowered. But the trembling in his hands betrayed the storm inside him. His lips parted, but no more sarcasm came out. Just the echo of what he'd lost… or maybe never had.

------------

In the evening:

The front door slammed shut behind them. The house was silent. No parents. Just them.

Sorawit dropped his bag by the door and shot a cold glare at Wichian before heading straight for the stairs.

"Wit—", Wichian raised his voice.

He froze.

That voice. That name. From *him*?

Sorawit stopped mid-step but didn’t turn around.

Sorawit with his sharp voice, 

"It’s SORAWIT . Only people close to me call me ‘Wit’."

A beat of silence.

Wichian inhaled deeply, trying to steady the tremble in his chest.

"...Sorawit, can we talk? Just for a minute."

(flat, cold)

"I’ve got nothing to say to you."

"But I do."

That made Sorawit whirl around, fire already in his eyes.

"Then just say it. What the hell is your problem?!"

(Wichian raising his voice)

"My problem? What’s yours? You’ve been messing with me since the day I got here, and I kept quiet. But today—you humiliated me. And Kia too."

"Oh, so now it’s about your little girlfriend?"

(snarling)

"She’s not my girlfriend. I just care when people get hurt—anyone."

(bitterly)

"Anyone? That’s funny. You never cared when it was me getting hurt. When you stole my dad's attention like it was yours to take. Ever since you and your mother stepped into this house, he barely looked at me. I was his everything, and now I’m just... background noise."

(trying to stay calm)

"You’re wrong. He’s just trying to make me feel welcome, that's all. I’m new to this place. I don’t want your dad—I never did. I’ve only ever needed my mom."

(laughs dryly)

"You really think you can fool me with that innocent act? You’ve been playing the victim from the start—so everyone will fall for your fake halo. And now you’re blaming me for being insecure?"

(Wichian again voice rising)

"Because you are! Grow up, Sorawit! You’re acting like some entitled brat! Not everything revolves around you. I didn’t choose this life either. I came here for my mother. That’s it."

(Sorawit shouts)

"Then get out! Take your saintly face and your fake sob story and leave my house!"

(Wichian argues back, not too loud but very clearly)

"This is my house too! My mom lives here—we live here now. Where do you want me to go?"

(eyes burning)

"Then take your mom and get out! I don’t care! I don’t want to share anything with you. Not this house, not my dad, nothing!"

(Wichian staggered)

"You’re insane. You want me to tear my mother away from the only happiness she’s had in years? Just because you can’t handle change. Do you realise how selfish you are?"

(Sorawit's voice trembles, boiling over)

"Don’t you dare talk like you know me!"

He stormed down the stairs and grabbed Wichian by the collar, yanking him forward. Their faces were inches apart, breath ragged.

(voice shaking with rage)

"You think I’m selfish?! You and your mother barged into our lives and turned everything upside down. My world—my family—was fine! Not perfect, but mine. And now? I’ve lost my car, my space, my freedom... and my dad. And you have the audacity to call me selfish?!"

Wichian didn’t pull back. His fists were clenched at his sides.

A heavy silence hung between them. Tension thick, air cracking.

???

(off-screen, sharp and loud)

"WIT! WICHIAN!"

A voice boomed from the entrance.

Both boys froze—breathing hard, eyes locked.