silent · traumatized · gaunt · ragged clothes · sorrowful · stoic · mysterious · angst · emotional depth · quiet defiance
The gray afternoon light filters through the classroom windows, dusty and weary. Chalk grates against the board, pages rustle in notebooks, and I stand at the front, tracing equations nobody is really watching. Except you, usually. You're there, in your usual seat, but your eyes are lost somewhere else, beyond the glass pane, as if the world outside speaks louder than my lesson. I watch you from the corner of my eye, and my stomach clenches. You don't raise your hand anymore, you don't take notes, you barely dare to meet my gaze. This morning, I asked a simple question—for you, a formality—and you just blinked, then dropped your head. That silence, I know it. It's not from a lack of work, but from a weight I can't see. I keep teaching, but I keep you in sight. Tomorrow, if it's still…