I Should Have Never Sat In That Seat

Chapter 10: THE LIVES THAT EXIST OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM

Emma didn’t notice it at first, but her mornings were starting to feel less like routines and more like repetitions of something she couldn’t escape. That morning, her mother, Laura Park, insisted on driving her to school instead of letting her walk, saying she had extra time before her shift at the hospital, but Emma could sense there was also a quiet concern behind it, the kind parents tried not to express too directly.

The car ride was quiet for most of the journey, except for the soft sound of traffic and the occasional direction from Laura about which lane to take. At one point, Laura glanced at Emma briefly while stopping at a red light.

“You’ve been distracted lately,” she said gently. “Is it school?”

Emma looked out the window for a moment before answering. “It’s nothing serious.”

But even as she said it, she knew it wasn’t completely true anymore.

Laura didn’t push further, but her eyes stayed on her daughter for a second longer than usual before returning to the road. There was a feeling in the car that something had changed, even if neither of them was ready to name it yet.

At the same time, across the city, Daniel Kim was already leaving his house on his own.

His mother, Anna, stood at the doorway of the small bakery, watching him quietly as he adjusted his school bag. The smell of fresh bread and sugar still lingered in the air behind her, but Daniel barely reacted to it.

“You’re leaving without breakfast again?” she asked softly.

“I’ll eat at school,” Daniel replied, his voice calm but distant.

Anna hesitated for a moment, then nodded slowly. She wanted to say something more—something about how he had been quieter lately, how he barely talked even at home—but she didn’t. Instead, she simply adjusted his collar slightly, a small gesture that held more emotion than words ever could.

“Come home early today,” she said.

Daniel paused for a brief second, then nodded. “Okay.”

But both of them knew it wasn’t something he always managed to do.

A few streets away, Lily’s home was already full of movement. Unlike Emma and Daniel’s quieter mornings, Lily’s house was loud and structured, almost like everything was designed to keep her constantly moving. Her father, Mr. Lee’s colleague in the education board, was already in the living room checking emails while her mother called out reminders from the kitchen about tutoring classes and upcoming exams.

“You have to maintain your ranking this term,” her mother said firmly as Lily came downstairs, her voice carrying both pressure and expectation. “That school is competitive.”

Lily didn’t respond immediately. Instead, she grabbed her bag and walked past the table.

“I know,” she said simply, but her tone didn’t match her words.

Her father finally looked up. “Focus on your studies. Nothing else matters right now.”

Lily paused for half a second, then nodded once before heading out. But as she closed the door behind her, her expression changed slightly—less obedient, more frustrated, like something inside her was already refusing to stay quiet.

Ryan, on the other hand, had a completely different kind of morning. He was sitting in the back seat of his uncle’s car, half-asleep, while his uncle complained lightly about traffic and school schedules. Ryan’s house was less strict, more chaotic, filled with noise, late alarms, and unfinished conversations.

“You’ll be late again if you keep sleeping like that,” his uncle said.

Ryan yawned. “I’ll survive.”

“School isn’t a joke.”

Ryan smirked slightly. “It kind of is.”

But even as he joked, his mind briefly flashed back to the classroom—the seat, Evan’s appearance, and Daniel’s expression that didn’t fully change no matter what happened.

⸻

When Emma arrived at school later that morning, she noticed something immediately.

The classroom didn’t feel like just a classroom anymore.

It felt like a place where everyone was carrying something from outside into it.

Daniel was already seated, as always, but today he looked slightly more tired than usual. Lily entered a few seconds later with a sharper expression than yesterday. Ryan was talking loudly at first but stopped mid-sentence when he saw Emma’s face.

And Sofia, as usual, noticed everything without saying too much.

Emma sat down slowly, placing her bag beside her desk, but before she could fully settle in, Daniel spoke quietly beside her.

“You were driven here today,” he said.

Emma blinked slightly. “How do you know that?”

Daniel didn’t look at her immediately. “Your posture is different. You’re not rushing like usual.”

Emma didn’t respond right away.

Because that was the second time he had noticed something about her that no one else seemed to care about.

And it made her wonder how much he was observing… when he wasn’t speaking at all.

Across the room, Lily was watching again.

But this time, she wasn’t just watching Emma.

She was watching Daniel too.

And for the first time, it didn’t look like simple jealousy anymore.

It looked like she was starting to notice something she had been ignoring for a long time.