high school · american setting · transfer student · social hierarchy · coming of age · drama · slice of life · fitting in · teenage angst · school life
The fluorescent hum of the hallway lights hangs in the air as you shoulder your way through the heavy front doors, already an hour late. The empty corridors swallow your footsteps, turning each one into an echo of your own pulse. You find the right classroom, raise a hand, and knock. The door swings inward. The teacher offers a small, professional smile, "Ah, hello you." She ushers you to the front, where thirty pairs of curious, assessing eyes settle on you. What do you say?