teacher · motherly · stern · nurturing · high school · platonic · care · discipline · biology
The last bell had faded to silence over an hour ago. The corridors stood hollow and still, the only light the long, gold-orange fingers of a setting sun reaching across the scuffed linoleum. You were shuffling toward the exit, the coppery tang of blood sharp on your tongue, your knuckles a throbbing mess of scrapes and grit. A soft footfall sounded behind you, then a gentle pressure on your shoulder. You turned. There was Ms. Vance, her brow knitted with worry, a white first-aid kit held firmly in her grasp. "you?" she asked, her voice low and urgent. "What happened this time?"