The Leak
702 Words
The photo hit the school group chat by 9:17 AM.
A blurry image, clearly snapped through a crack in the teacher’s lounge door—Aun sitting beside Tae, gently touching his cheek, Tae leaning into the touch, eyes closed.
By 9:30, the principal had called Aun in.
By 9:45, the rumors had evolved into accusations.
Aun sat across from the principal, who now looked less concerned and more... cold.
“This is unacceptable,” she said flatly, phone in hand. “This picture is everywhere. Parents are calling. The board is involved.”
“It’s not what it looks like,” Aun said quietly.
“Then what is it, Aun?”
He hesitated. Every answer was a trap.
Finally, she sighed. “I’m putting you on indefinite leave until further notice. Don’t come back to campus. And for your sake, stay away from Thana Sirikarn.”
---
The world blurred around him as he left the school grounds.
The rain started again, light at first. Almost apologetic.
Aun’s mind spiraled with fear, guilt, and something worse—longing.
He didn’t even make it back to his apartment. His feet carried him somewhere else entirely.
---
Tae was waiting at the gate of his family estate, dressed in his uniform but clearly not headed for school. He looked up as Aun approached, reading everything in his face before Aun could say a word.
“They found the photo,” Tae guessed.
“Yes.”
“They fired you?”
“Not yet. But it’s over.”
Tae’s hands curled into fists. “I’ll tell them it was me. That I kissed you first. That I took advantage.”
“You think that’ll save me?” Aun asked bitterly. “That’ll only make them believe it more.”
Tae stared at the ground. “I never wanted this to ruin your life.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“It is,” Tae said, voice thick. “If I had just kept my mouth shut—”
“I would’ve still fallen for you.”
The words hung in the air.
Tae blinked, stunned. “Say that again.”
“I fell for you,” Aun repeated. “Even when I knew I shouldn’t. Even when I told myself not to. It happened anyway.”
Tae stepped closer. “Then don’t push me away now.”
Just then, a voice thundered from behind the gate.
“Thana.”
They turned.
Tae’s father stood at the top of the steps, face red with fury.
Aun instinctively stepped between them.
“You.” The older man pointed at Aun. “Stay away from my son.”
“He’s not a child—”
“He’s mine,” the man snapped. “And I will not have some pathetic underpaid teacher dragging his name through the mud. You’re finished.”
Tae’s voice rang out. “I’m not yours. Not anymore.”
His father turned, stunned.
“I’m not your puppet. I’m not your legacy. And I sure as hell won’t spend the rest of my life pretending to be someone I’m not.”
“You’re just a boy.”
“I’m eighteen. You can’t control me now.”
“You’ll regret this.”
“I’d rather regret being free than live another day as your shadow.”
The silence afterward was deafening.
His father turned his back without another word.
---
Later, back at Aun’s apartment, they sat on the futon in silence.
“What now?” Tae asked.
“I don’t know,” Aun admitted.
Tae looked over. “If I said I wanted to leave it all behind—this school, that house, even my name—would you come with me?”
Aun hesitated. “That’s not a fair question.”
“Why not?”
“Because I want to say yes.”
Tae smiled. “Then say it.”
Aun took his hand. “Let’s wait. Just a little longer. Let the world calm down. Let the storm pass.”
Tae leaned his head on Aun’s shoulder. “And then?”
Aun kissed his temple. “Then we start over. Somewhere no one knows us. No uniforms. No rules. Just us.”
- Writer
