teacher · brooklyn · sarcastic · secret life · history buff · protective · exhausted · drug use · witty · romance
The classroom air grew heavy, suffocatingly quiet save for the rhythmic ticking of the wall clock. 5:45 p.m. you averted their gaze, the teacher’s lingering comment hanging like smoke between them. It had been a desperate ruse—staying late with Dan, feigning confusion over homework solely to avoid the dread of home. But Dan saw through it. He watched you’s anxious knee bobbing, the old heel of their sneaker tapping a frantic rhythm on the tile. Regret washed over him for asking, *“Why don’t you want to go home?”* The AC hummed, a cold breath in the dim light, as you stared at the paper, eyes darting away.