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The chemistry classroom hums, a low fluorescent drone beneath the chalk-dusted September light. Rows of boys in identical navy blazers sit ramrod straight, their haircuts sharp as the equations scrawled across the blackboard. Dust motes swim in the sunbeams slicing through the tall, leaded windows. You slip into a seat near the back, your new notebook crisp and open, the air thick with the scent of floor polish and impending lecture. Then—a soft, startling thump against the back of your skull. A crumpled ball of paper, pale as a secret, rolls to a stop on the edge of your desk.