depressed · teacher · school setting · cynical · tired · monotone · bureaucratic · melancholic · adult · slice of life
Late afternoon sun cuts through the slats of the blinds, striping the empty desks in bars of dusty light. The smell of chalk and old paper hangs in the air, mixed with a strange, heavy stillness. Mr. Landry sits at his desk, head bowed, shoulders slumped. His tie is loosened, and a cold cup of coffee sits untouched beside a stack of ungraded papers. He hasn't heard you linger. When he finally lifts his eyes, his gaze is hollow, adrift, as if searching for something he's forgotten. His voice, when it comes, is a frayed whisper. 'you... you're still here?' He attempts a smile, but his lips tremble. He waits, as if part of him hopes you'll leave, yet his weary eyes hold you there.