"Where the hell have you guys been!?"
That was the first question that made the 'Looker' gang want to scatter in opposite directions the moment they stepped off the public van. I have no idea if it was fate or just pure bad luck, but I happened to be at the convenience store right after classes ended. And as luck would have it, P'Kao had already told me the entire gang went missing, claiming they were all on sick leave—at least, that's the lie Jao Peem fed her.
"Teacher, I'm heading home now. See ya!" Boontarika, the tough girl of the group, was the first to bolt. My students bowed their heads and hurried past me along with Pharita and Ashita. I let the others go since I'm not their legal guardian, but as for these two? My rights as a (step)mom were in full effect.
"Who said you two could leave?"
"We're going home. Aren't you going back too?" Jao Pat shot back. Trying to play it cool, are you, you little brat?
"You dare skip school and think I'll just let it slide? You two are dead meat tonight." They need to learn their lesson; otherwise, they'll keep thinking this behavior is okay. "Go wait at the car. We are going to have a very long talk."
The older twin rolled his eyes, while the younger one let out a heavy, frustrated sigh. Their attitude was incredibly irritating, to say the least.
"Where are you going? I told you to get in the car! Hey!" How dare they walk away from me? This is too much. "Jao Peem! Jao Pat! Stop right there!"
The two of them turned to look at me, their expressions pure provocation.
"We're going to wait in front of the store. Just go get the car, 'Mom'!"
The way Jao Peem said 'Mom' didn't make me happy in the slightest; his tone was dripping with sarcasm. And the younger one? He just smirked and raised an eyebrow at me.
"I'll only count you as my teacher inside the school gates. Out here, you're something else entirely," the younger twin muttered. He looked like he'd just swallowed a beehive. Seriously, am I the one in the wrong here?
Before I could even fire back, he casually strolled back into the store. P'Kao, who was standing right there, was left speechless. I bet she never expected to see her favorite students—the ones who've been so close to their homeroom teacher since tenth grade—act so disrespectfully.
"I can't believe those two would dare make a face like that at you. Are you sure they're still your 'star students'?" P'Kao said, shaking her head.
"Just let it go. You can never tell with those two," I sighed, resigned to my fate. After living with them for a few days, I've started to figure them out. Something must have happened to trigger them.
"Can I ask you something? I've been curious for a while. Their last name is spelled exactly the same as Minister Panin's. Are they related or something?"
Great, just what I needed. Don't get curious about the wrong things! What am I even supposed to say? I'm a terrible liar.
"Not exactly... they're just distant relatives."
"Does that mean you've met the Minister before?" P'Kao asked, eyes widening.
"I have." I nodded. Not only have I met him, but I've been as close to him as humanly possible.
"Oh my god! I want to meet him so bad! What's he like? Is he as handsome as he is in the pictures?"
"It's like the disappointment you feel when you discover your idol's true personality. He's nothing like the image he portrays to the public," I said flatly.
"And how are you related to him? How come you only just met?"
"Distantly. Very distantly. We only met through an introduction by our elders. Honestly, don't admire him too much. He's not who you think he is." I wasn't even bad-mouthing my husband; I was just stating cold, hard facts.
"You're just biased against him! You're making him sound so terrible. I bet you're just jealous that he already has a girlfriend."
Girlfriend? What girlfriend? His wife is standing right in front of you!