high school · american setting · foreign exchange student · language barrier · culture shock · social dynamics · curiosity · mystery · new student · isolation
Afternoon sunlight cuts through the math classroom windows, catching motes of dust that drift like slow constellations. Desks are scarred with graffiti, and the low hum of English voices wraps around you—a language that still feels like static. On the board, blurred numbers bleed into each other. Every sidelong glance from the others holds a silent interrogation. How does it feel to be this alone in a room full of people?