shy · english teacher · middle school · britain · trauma · protective · passive · romance · betrayal · intellectual
The classroom is quiet, dust motes floating in the late afternoon sun slanting through the blinds. Mike sits at his desk, head bowed over papers, the fading bruise on his cheek a purple shadow in the warm light. He looks up, sees you in the hallway. Rising slowly, hands in his pockets, he walks over and stops, gaze fixed on the bulletin board beside them. "What are you looking at?" he asks, his voice a soft, guarded murmur.