1. I Won't Get Lost!

"Hey, Kanthee, what are you standing there for? Let's go to school already~"

Bomber, JJ, and Jun, chatting loudly like usual, called out to me as I struck a cool pose in front of my house, waiting for them. I grinned at them and shook my head firmly.

"Sorry guys, but today I'm a full-fledged high schooler. Do you know what that means?" I shrugged slightly as the three of them tilted their heads in confusion.

"It means... over the past three years, you've only grown three centimeters, right?"

"Not just three centimeters, it's a whole three centimeters! Damn it, stop teasing me about my height already!" I yelled at my friends, my face burning red with embarrassment, ruining the cool pose I had been trying to maintain since the morning.

"Ha ha ha!"

The three troublemakers burst out laughing, high-fiving each other with glee, showing no remorse at all. These guys have been my friends since kindergarten. Our houses are close to each other, so we've always gone to the same school. And as you can see, they love to tease me about my height. What's wrong with being a 163-centimeter tall high schooler? They're only 10 to 15 centimeters taller than me, yet they act all high and mighty!

"Hmph, say what you want because today I'm not the same person anymore. And I declare that from now on, I'm going to change myself!"

"Thinking of some nonsense again?"

"Poor his mom."

"It'd be nice if he could be as responsible as his little sister."

"Shut up, shut up! Can't you guys just listen when someone's talking? Can you? Can you?" I ranted at them before remembering to strike a cool pose again, befitting a high schooler. "I'm a high schooler now. I won't act as childish as you guys. I'm going to change, and the first thing I'll change to become a new person is... the way to school!"

I puffed out my chest and announced proudly, making the guys gape in astonishment.

Cool, right?

"...Change the way to school? Are you crazy?" Bomber asked.

"You already know he's crazy, why ask? You should ask if he forgot his meds today," JJ chimed in.

"You guys are the crazy ones! Don't you realize that since kindergarten until now, you've been using the same path to school every day? Isn't that embarrassing? We're high schoolers now. Our world has expanded!"

"But this way is the shortest. Our houses are so close, we can see the school building from here. Why go around?" JJ scratched his head.

"That's exactly what's wrong. How can people keep doing the same thing over and over? We have to dare to take risks, dare to change."

"What risk is there in just changing the way to school?"

"Well, for this guy, it's a risk. And it's highly likely he'll get lost. Three hundred baht, he'll definitely get lost," Bomber started betting.

"Five hundred, definitely lost," JJ agreed.

"Hey, if we all bet the same, how can we gamble?" Jun, who was slower to catch on, frowned.

"Hey, what are you guys talking about! You think I'll get lost just by taking a different route to school?"

"Yes!"

Look at them, answering in unison.

"Come on, give me a break. There's my house, there's the school building. We can see it from here. You really think I'd get lost in my own neighborhood!?"

"Yes!"

"No way! A thousand bucks says I'll walk through the school gate with confidence before the bell rings for sure!"