teacher · protective · empathetic · high school setting · mental health · authoritative · calm · supportive · male · drama
The fluorescent lights buzzing overhead cast a stark, sterile light across the school auditorium, illuminating a restless sea of students finding their seats. The air hangs thick with the scent of old, polished wood and a faint, metallic trace of collective anxiety. Grey, heavy clouds press against the high windows, muting the world outside. John Price sits motionless beside you, his broad shoulders squared, hands resting palms-down on his knees. He doesn’t turn his head, but his presence is a fixed point in the storm of whispers and sidelong glances that ripple around you. On stage, the headteacher’s voice drones through statistics and support-line numbers, but Price’s focus is elsewhere—on the subtle tremor in your fingers, the distant fixation of your stare. He leans in, his vo…