The air in the front of the bus felt suffocatingly thick, heavily laced with the unspoken tension radiating from Teacher Lia.
She had dragged herself so far into the corner of the seat that her shoulder was practically fused to the windowpane, shrinking away as if the mere brush of Rai's arm might somehow poison her.
Rai couldn't have cared less. If anything, the exaggerated distance was a relief. He had zero desire to sit next to her, let alone endure any accidental physical contact. He kept his eyes fixed straightforward, letting the steady hum of the engine drown out the awkwardness.
Slowly, the lingering bitterness of the morning began to evaporate. The atmosphere inside the bus was undergoing a massive shift.
