The late morning sunlight poured into the classroom, highlighting the faint chalk dust in the air. The room was noisy, as usual, with students laughing, chattering, and sharing notes. Zane Wilkins leaned back in his chair at the back of the class, lazily twirling a pencil in his fingers.
Zane had everything he could ever need—a loving, doting family, good looks, and enough charm to get him out of trouble. Yet, he never felt like enough. His parents praised him for things that didn't matter and ignored the things that did. School was just another stage for him to play the part of the confident, carefree boy.
In contrast, Leo Han sat quietly at the front of the room, completely immersed in his notebook. He was a mystery to Zane—a boy who didn't seek attention, who never seemed to care what anyone thought of him. His calm, mature demeanor set him apart, making him a target in Zane's eyes.
"Hey, Zane," Darren whispered, nudging him. "You see what Mr. Perfect is scribbling up there?"
Zane's eyes flicked to Leo. The boy's hand moved steadily, his pencil gliding across the page. He seemed oblivious to everything around him, including Zane's sharp gaze.
"What's he even doing?" Zane muttered. "Doesn't he ever take a break from being boring?"
Darren snickered. "Maybe he's writing a love letter to himself."
Zane smirked, but there was an unease he couldn't quite place.
After class, Zane waited until Leo was alone. He walked up to him, Darren trailing behind.
"What's in the notebook, Han?" Zane asked, leaning casually against Leo's desk.
Leo looked up, his expression calm and unbothered. "Just sketches."
"Sketches, huh?" Zane reached for the notebook, but Leo closed it and placed his hand on top.
"You wouldn't be interested," Leo said, his voice even.
Zane raised an eyebrow, irritated by the lack of reaction. "How do you know what I'm interested in?"
Leo looked at him, his eyes steady. "Because people like you don't care about things like this."
For a moment, Zane was stunned into silence. No anger, no insults—just quiet truth. It was disarming in a way he didn't understand.
"Well, maybe I do care," Zane said, his tone defensive.
Leo gave him a small, almost pitying smile. "Then maybe you should stop acting like you don't."
Darren's laughter broke the moment. "Come on, Zane. Let's go. He's not worth it."
Zane hesitated, then turned away, frustration bubbling under his skin.
The tension between them came to a head during lunch a few days later. Zane, still irritated by his earlier encounter with Leo, decided to make him the center of attention.
"Hey, Han!" he called across the cafeteria, loud enough for everyone to hear.
Leo looked up from his tray, his calm eyes meeting Zane's.
"What do you even do when you're not being perfect all the time? Do you ever have fun?"
A few students snickered, but Leo didn't react. He simply continued eating.
Zane frowned, annoyed by the lack of response. He walked over, standing beside Leo's table. "What, too good to talk to the rest of us?"
Leo set his fork down and looked up, his voice quiet but firm. "What do you want, Zane?"
Zane shrugged. "Just trying to figure out what makes you so special. You're not even from around here, are you? Living off someone else's charity, right?"
The cafeteria went silent.
Leo's expression didn't change, but there was a faint sadness in his eyes that Zane didn't expect. "You don't know anything about me," he said softly.
Zane opened his mouth to retort, but before he could, a teacher stepped in.
"Zane! Principal's office. Now."
The Days After
The next morning, Zane walked into the classroom expecting to see Leo in his usual seat at the front. But it was empty.
"Huh," Darren said as he sat down. "Wonder where Mr. Perfect is."
Zane shrugged, though he couldn't help feeling curious.
By the third day, Leo's absence was impossible to ignore. Zane leaned over to Darren during math class. "You think he's sick or something?"
"Who knows," Darren replied. "Not like anyone here talks to him enough to ask."
Zane tried to shake it off, but the nagging feeling wouldn't go away. Leo's quiet presence had always been there, like a constant he hadn't realized he relied on.
That afternoon, during lunch, Zane overheard two teachers talking in the staff room as he passed by.
"Such a shame about Leo Han," one of them said. "I heard his aunt pulled him out of school. He's working now, apparently."
