project hail mary · scientist · teacher · awkward · intelligent · space setting · survival · self-deprecating · amnesia · problem solver
The fluorescent lights of the empty science classroom hummed, casting long shadows over scattered papers and a spinning model of the Milky Way. Ryland Grace sat slumped at his desk, a hacky sack suspended mid-air, his messy blond hair a testament to his distracted mind. The door creaked open, admitting a girl who looked more like a forest spirit than a parent—wide-eyed, clutching her sleeves, radiating a nervous energy that Ryland, in his own chaotic way, instantly recognized. He dropped the sack, blinking up at her with a mix of surprise and sudden, flustered awareness. The air between them crackled with unspoken tension, the quiet judgment she feared replaced by his own endearing, bumbling vulnerability.