The room was too quiet.
Andrea sat on the edge of her bed, suitcase open in front of her, half-packed and already messy.
Clothes everywhere.
She stared at them like they belonged to someone else.
Three weeks.
Three weeks in the middle of nowhere with people she didn't like…and one person she didn't understand.
She grabbed a hoodie and shoved it into the suitcase.
Then another.
Then stopped.
Her phone lit up beside her.
A message from a class group chat.
"Bus leaves at 7. Don't be late."
She locked the screen.
"I won't be," she muttered to no one.
A pause.
Her eyes drifted to the mirror across the room.
For a second… she just looked at herself.
Same face.
Same girl.
Still.
The girl I was before.
She zipped the suitcase harder than necessary.
"Everything packed?" her mom asked from the doorway.
Andrea nodded, pulling on her jacket.
"Yeah."
Her mom stepped inside, looking around like she expected something to be missing.
"You're gone for three weeks," she said softly. "That's a long time."
Andrea shrugged.
"It's just a school thing."
Her dad appeared behind her mom, arms crossed.
"Call if you need anything," he said.
"I won't," Andrea replied automatically.
Silence.
Then—
"Have fun," her mom said, trying to smile.
Andrea picked up her bag.
"Yeah. I'll try."
She walked past them before the moment could turn into something else.
Before it could feel like something.
Cold morning air.
Too early. Too loud.
The bus was already half full when Andrea arrived.
People talking. Laughing. Music leaking from headphones.
She climbed in, scanning quickly—
And there he was.
Tom.
Already sitting.
Already watching her.
Of course.
He leaned back in his seat, one arm stretched over the backrest, completely relaxed like this was his world.
Like she was walking into his space.
Andrea walked down the aisle anyway.
Slow. Controlled.
When she reached him, she didn't hesitate.
"Move."
He raised an eyebrow.
"No 'hi'?" he said.
"Move," she repeated.
A smirk.
But he shifted, letting her pass.
She took the window seat immediately.
Distance.
Important.
For about three seconds.
Then—
The bus started moving.
And suddenly it was real.
For a while, there was nothing.
Just the hum of the engine.
Andrea leaned her head against the window, staring outside.
Trying to disappear into it.
"Do you always look this miserable?"
His voice.
Close.
Too close.
She didn't turn.
"Do you always talk this much?"
A quiet laugh.
"Only when I'm bored."
"Then be bored."
Another pause.
He leaned slightly closer.
"I don't think you're as quiet as you pretend to be."
That made her look at him.
Finally.
"And I don't think you're as interesting as you think you are."
Something in his expression shifted.
Not offended.
Amused.
"Good," he said. "That would've been disappointing."
Andrea blinked.
"What?"
"If you were like everyone else," he added. "Just staring and saying nothing."
She frowned slightly.
"I don't stare."
He tilted his head.
"You do."
A beat.
Andrea looked away first.
Again.
But this time—
It felt different.
Gravel crunched under the bus tires as it pulled to a stop.
Cabins.
Trees.
Too much space.
People started getting up, grabbing bags, pushing past each other.
Andrea stepped off the bus, adjusting her jacket.
The air smelled different here.
Cleaner.
Colder.
Unfamiliar.
She didn't like it.
"Alright!" the teacher called, holding a clipboard. "Listen up!"
No one really did.
"CABIN ASSIGNMENTS!" she shouted louder.
That worked.
"Two people per cabin. One bed each."
Andrea relaxed slightly.
Good.
Distance.
Safe.
"Names are final. No switching."
Of course.
Andrea crossed her arms, waiting.
"Andrea Johnson…"
Here we go.
"…Cabin 12."
She nodded slightly.
Then—
"…with Tom Kaulitz."
Silence.
Again.
Then chaos.
"No way—"
"AGAIN??"
"Are you serious?!"
Andrea didn't move.
Didn't react.
Didn't breathe.
"You've got to be kidding me," she muttered.
Behind her—
A laugh.
Low.
Amused.
Tom stepped up beside her.
"Guess they really want us to bond."
She turned to him, eyes sharp.
"This isn't funny."
"I'm not laughing at you," he said.
"You are."
"Yeah," he admitted. "A little."
Andrea grabbed her bag and started walking.
"Where are you going?" he called after her.
"Cabin 12."
"Wait up," he said, catching up easily.
They walked in silence for a moment.
Then—
"Relax," he added. "It's just three weeks."
Andrea stopped.
Turned.
Looked at him.
"Exactly."
Something in her tone made him pause.
For the first time—
He didn't have a comeback immediately.
Cabin 12 stood at the edge of the clearing.
Quiet.
Isolated.
Andrea stepped inside first.
Then stopped.
One bed.
Not two.
One.
She turned slowly.
"You've got to be kidding me."
Tom stepped in behind her.
Looked.
Then laughed.
"Oh, this is gonna be fun."
Andrea dropped her bag on the floor.
"This is a nightmare."
He leaned against the doorframe, watching her.
"No," he said quietly.
"This is where it gets interesting."