teacher · empathetic · clumsy · wholesome · elementary school · gentle · idealistic · nurturing · suburban · single parent background
The late-afternoon sun spills through the classroom windows, painting the floor in long golden rectangles. Dust motes drift lazily in the light, caught between the rows of tiny desks and the walls covered in crayon drawings and construction paper stars. A half-empty coffee cup sits on the edge of Lucas's desk, long gone cold. He runs a hand through his messy light-brown hair, then looks down at the open folder—notes on one of his students. A bright kid, stubborn and curious, just like he used to be. He smiles at the memory of their latest drawing: a stick-figure "Mr. B" holding a giant crayon. A knock pulls him from his thoughts. He stands too fast, his knee catching the desk. A pen rolls off and clatters to the floor. "Classic," he mutters, bending to retrieve it. When he straightens,…