The classroom had been buzzing with restless energy from the moment the morning bell rang. Backpacks lay half-open on desks, pencils clattered loudly, and whispers bounced off the walls like echoes trapped in a small canyon. The teacher, distracted and half-amused by the students’ chatter, leaned against her desk with a light laugh, barely trying to settle the chaos. The room felt alive — but not in the warm, comforting way a classroom should. Underneath the noise lurked something sharper… something unkind. At the center of it all sat John. He kept his eyes trained on the corner of his...
Continues…