Early morning.
The classroom door flew open with a loud bang.
The noise startled everyone in the International Trade class, but honestly, they didn't need to look. They knew exactly who it was—Ryan, of course.
The door wobbled back and forth, creaking as if it were crying for mercy. But Ryan, with his earbuds in and music blaring, couldn't have cared less. Without a glance at anyone, he strolled towards the back of the classroom, completely unbothered.
"Thud!"
A notebook landed heavily on Emily's desk, startling her. She looked up, and her face immediately brightened with a surprised smile. "Oh, you're here! I thought you wouldn't be back in class for a few more days."
Ryan sat down in the seat next to her, his face expressionless. "Home was boring."
"Did you finish reading the notes?" Emily asked.
"No."
"No?" She gasped in disbelief. "Why didn't you read them?"
"Are you serious? Just because you tell me to, I'm supposed to do it?" He glared at her. "I didn't read them on purpose!"
"You're going to fail the exams! You've already failed three subjects," she muttered, frustration creeping into her voice. One more failed class and he wouldn't get his degree.
"I don't care."
"But—"
"If someone cares, they should fix it themselves," Ryan said dismissively, laying his head down on the desk, clearly intending to nap.
Idiot!
Emily felt a surge of frustration and wanted to kick him. How infuriating! He was definitely doing this just to get under her skin, wasn't he? Of course she cared—she didn't want him to fail and become a laughingstock.
"Hey, stop sleeping!" Emily gave him a hard shove.
"What does it matter to you?" Ryan snapped back.
"You can't fail." She glared at him out of the corner of her eye. If he was so tired, why did he even bother coming to class? "Starting today, you need to review your work. And pay attention in class too!"
"You're so annoying!" Ryan growled, lifting his head. He had actually shown up to school, and she should've been thrilled, but instead, she was nagging him to death.
"I know I'm annoying," she admitted, pouting in frustration. "But what will you do if you really fail?"
"Who cares?" he said coldly. "I'll still graduate, and I'll still go into the family business. It makes no difference."
"No way!" she said firmly.
"What?"
"If that happens, people will laugh at you. They'll say you only got in because of your mom. People will mock you behind your back."
"I don't care," Ryan scoffed, his voice icy. She didn't get it. No one would dare laugh at him, not to his face. People would treat him with respect. That's how the world worked.
"Well, I care." Emily bit her lip, staring at him with determination. "You're supposed to be the best, the brightest. You've always been that way, ever since we were kids."
Ryan glanced at her lazily, half-amused. "Whatever. If you care so much, then you go and do all the hard work."
Saying that, he slouched back onto the desk, ready to doze off again.
"Hey!" She shoved him again. "Don't sleep! No matter how hard I work, even the smartest person can't make a pig pass an exam!"
Thwack!
A sharp flick landed on Emily's forehead, catching her completely by surprise.
Ryan glared at her, his face darkening. "You're getting bolder lately, huh?" Damn it, she really had him wrapped around her finger.
"I'm not." she whined, rubbing her forehead where he had flicked her, looking pitiful. "I'm doing my best to help you pass, but you have to cooperate a little. You can't just sleep all day and expect to pass."
She quickly grabbed his arm, flashing an overly cute smile. "Please, just cooperate a little. It won't even be hard—you'll pass easily."
"And what do I get out of it?" Ryan's voice dropped, his eyes narrowing.
"Huh?"
"I asked, what's in it for me? Why should I help you?" Ryan's question hung in the air, but before Emily could answer, his eyes suddenly locked onto something across the room. A cold, dark gaze had pierced through the space between them.
Ryan immediately recognized it—Howie. The two boys stared each other down, the air between them thick with tension.
"The benefit is that you'll pass, of course!" Emily chuckled, trying to bring back the lightness in the moment.
"Not enough," Ryan muttered.
"What?" Emily's mouth fell open, completely caught off guard.
Suddenly, Ryan lowered his head and pressed a hard, swift kiss onto her lips. It was brief but filled with a sense of defiance.
"You—!" She pushed him away, her face flushed with shock. Glancing around, she sighed in relief, realizing they were sitting in the back row where no one seemed to have noticed—no one except Howie. He stood frozen, staring at her with an icy, heartbroken look, as if he'd witnessed everything.
"Even a kiss isn't enough." Ryan reached out and turned her head back toward him, forcing her to face him and not Howie. "I want a gift."
"A gift?" Emily blinked in confusion, momentarily forgetting about Howie.
"If I pass, you have to give me a present. Deal?"
"Okay…" She scratched her head, willing to agree to anything just to get him to focus on his grades. "What do you want?"
"I don't know yet."
"You don't know?!" She widened her eyes in disbelief. "Then how am I supposed to pick something?"
"If I tell you what I want in advance, what's the point of it being a gift?" He scowled, shooting her a look of annoyance. "Just make sure you remember."
Emily chuckled sheepishly, "Alright, fine, I promise."
Without another word, Ryan slouched back over his desk, ready to sleep again.
"Wait, you're sleeping again? Weren't you just saying…?" She stared in disbelief. This guy was impossible.
"Who cares, as long as I pass. Stop nagging me!"
"But—"
"Shut up, or I'll turn in blank exams for every subject, just to spite you!"
Emily scratched her head with a wry smile. What kind of world was this? She was the one worried about him failing, not herself. Yet there he was, sleeping through every class like it didn't matter. She couldn't help but seriously doubt whether his promise to study was just a stalling tactic.
However, as it turned out, Emily had misjudged him.
In the following days, Ryan actually did start studying. He showed up to class every day, even though he spent more time sleeping than listening. He went to the library with her, although his soft snores often drew stares from other students. He even had her tutor him nightly, though he flat-out refused to read his notes or books, claiming he only wanted to listen to her voice. By the end of each night, her throat was dry from explaining, while he barely managed to stay awake.
He must have been a pig in a previous life.
Many times, Emily felt a surge of frustration, wishing she could yank his hair and kick him for good measure. What was so great about sleeping?
But then—
He looked so peaceful. His lips curved slightly upward in a faint smile, and he slept with the innocence of a child, slouched over his desk.
As she found herself staring at the sleeping Ryan, a sudden chill crept up her spine. She sensed a sharp, cold gaze on her from behind.
Startled, she turned around.
It was Howie again.
He had been doing this a lot—appearing wherever she was, silently watching her with that icy, unsettling stare.
Emily frowned, pushing away the growing unease in her chest and forcing her eyes back to her book. She tried her best to ignore it, but that shadow of discomfort lingered.