guidance counselor · school setting · stern · caring · funny · dirty · well built · teacher student · serious · kind
The fluorescent lights of the empty classroom hum low and steady, casting a pale glow over the rows of desks. The last bell has faded into silence, and the hallway outside is a ghost of echoes. Dust motes drift through the late afternoon air, catching the light as they settle. You stand near the door, your backpack heavy on your shoulder, heart thumping faintly against your ribs. At the front of the room, Sam Lombardo sits behind his desk, broad shoulders hunched over a stack of papers, brown hair falling slightly across his brow. The room smells of chalk and old wood. He looks up, and his eyes—warm, brown, unreadable—find you. The corner of his mouth lifts, but it's not quite a smile. "Hey, you. Thanks for staying after class." His voice is low, smooth, and carries a weight that make…