At school.
The moment the two stepped into class, Vy came rushing over—her face pale with worry.
"An Phong! Oh my god, are you okay? Why did you just disappear last night? Your mom was freaking out! She called you so many times and you never picked up!"
An Phong froze, guilt flickering in his eyes."…I'm sorry. I made everyone worry. Something came up, so I had to go out for a bit."
"Something came up?" Vy's voice rose, trembling between anger and relief. "At least leave a message or something! Do you know how scared everyone was?"
An Phong sighed and pulled his phone from his pocket. The screen was black.The thing had been dead all night.
Vy caught sight of it and exhaled sharply, still glaring. Then her eyes flicked to the boy standing behind An Phong. Uy Phong. The same guy who'd caused a scene with her days ago—and now, somehow, he was with An Phong.
Awkward. Uncomfortable. Suspicious.
"Wait a second." Vy narrowed her eyes, lowering her voice. "Why are you two… coming in together?"
The air froze.
An Phong blinked; Uy Phong tilted his head, lips parting as if to speak. But before he could, An Phong cut in smoothly:
"We just happened to bump into each other at the gate, so we walked in together. And about last night—I'll explain it to my mom when I get home."
He gave a small smile, steady and polite. "Thanks for worrying about me, Vy."
Vy stood silent for a few beats. Her gaze softened, then she sighed and muttered a quiet, "...Fine." But the tension didn't fade.
An Phong walked back to his seat; Uy Phong followed, unfazed, hands in pockets. Vy watched their backs, her brow furrowing. A sliver of doubt glinted in her eyes.
***
PE class.
As usual, Uy Phong was out on the basketball court, light on his feet, every move sharp and confident. The sunlight hit him just right—too effortlessly cool for his own good.
An Phong sat on the sidelines, eyes half-focused on the game."He's still going strong, huh? Doesn't even look hungover. Figures—he had the energy to make breakfast this morning and tease me on top of that…"
Vy turned toward him, puzzled. "You say something?"
"Nothing." An Phong shook his head.
Vy raised an eyebrow but let it go, turning back to gossip with the other girls.
Then one of them squinted at An Phong from head to toe."Wait, An Phong—did you buy a new gym uniform? Why's it so big on you? You look like you borrowed it from someone twice your size!"
The others burst out laughing.
"Oh my god, true!""Yeah, it's way too loose!""Totally doesn't fit his usual style!"
Vy frowned, eyeing him again. But before she could speak, a familiar voice cut through the chatter:
"My water bottle—where is it?"
It was Uy Phong, suddenly appearing behind them. The group startled as if he'd materialized from thin air.
An Phong immediately handed over the bottle beside him. Uy Phong took it, gave a brief nod of thanks, then tilted his head back and drank deeply.
Every girl there stared. Something about the scene—the casual handoff, the easy rhythm—felt… too natural.
Then one of them whispered, half in shock, half amusement:
"Wait… isn't that his size of uniform? It's literally the same as Uy Phong's!"
"Pffft!" Uy Phong choked mid-sip, spraying water everywhere.
Silence.
A dozen eyes turned to him and An Phong. Suspicion bloomed in the air.
Vy's gaze darkened. Her voice dropped low."You two—what exactly did you do last night?"
Both boys froze. Their eyes met for half a second. They didn't even need words; the panic said it all.
They were so screwed.
***
A few minutes later.
After hearing their "explanation," Vy's face went from disbelief to full-on storm cloud.
"You—absolute jerk!" she shouted, pointing at Uy Phong. "How dare you lure An Phong to your place overnight?! And you—An Phong! What were you thinking?! He calls, and you just go? In the middle of the night? Do you know how dangerous that is?!"
"I'm sorry…" An Phong mumbled, head low.
Vy huffed. "I'm mad at you, but I'm furious at him! You shameless, arrogant, hormonal—ugh! You tried to corrupt a minor!"
Uy Phong blinked, scandalized. "Excuse me?! I'm a minor too! And I didn't do anything! Corrupt what, exactly?!"
"Oh yeah?" Vy crossed her arms. "You got drunk out of your mind and made him take care of you! How's that not shameful?"
"Fine! I admit it, okay? It's my fault! What do you want me to do—show up at his house and apologize to his mom at lunch?!"
An Phong quickly stepped in, waving his hands. "Stop! Please—both of you, just stop arguing already!"
Both turned on him at once."Stay out of it!"
An Phong: "…" (mentally deflating like a balloon).
Uy Phong grumbled under his breath, glaring off to the side. "Whatever. He came willingly. It's not like I dragged him."
Vy shot back, "But you started the whole thing in the first place!"
"Unbelievable! I said sorry already—what more do you want?!"
Vy glared daggers. Uy Phong rolled his eyes and walked off, muttering curses under his breath.
"Get back here, you—!" Vy started, but An Phong gently grabbed her wrist.
"Vy, don't. Please."
She stopped, breathing hard, then turned to him with an intense stare."Be honest with me. He didn't… do anything weird to you, did he? Didn't touch you or—god forbid—anything worse?"
"Huh? No, of course not!" An Phong blurted out, flushing.
"An Phong." Vy leaned in, her tone like an interrogation lamp. "Look me in the eye and swear. Because if that pervert laid one finger on you, I swear I'll tear him apart and feed him to the sharks."
An Phong's mouth opened, then closed. He shook his head vigorously.
Vy studied him for a long moment, then sighed and patted his shoulder."Alright. I'll let it go for now. But seriously, I still can't believe this. And don't forget to apologize to your mom when you get home."
"Yeah… I will."
"Good." She hooked her arm through his. "Come on, back to class."
As she dragged him along, An Phong's mind replayed the memory of last night—two bodies awkwardly tangled under one blanket, the warmth, the accidental closeness. His ears burned just thinking about it.
If Vy ever found out the full story, he thought grimly, I'd be dead on the spot.