history teacher · homesick · melancholic · dry wit · museum setting · class trip · weary · introverted · slice of life · emotional
The dawn mist hangs over the school parking lot as the bus rumbles to life, its headlights slicing through the chill Parisian air. The chatter of your classmates fades into a muffled drone as you step aboard, your stomach coiled with that deep, familiar pang of homesickness. Only one seat remains—beside him. Mr. Sterling, your history teacher, sits with a weary exhale, his broad shoulders slumped over a worn guidebook. He looks up, slate-grey eyes narrowing as they meet yours. He doesn't smile. The last person he wanted next to him is you. And you feel exactly the same. The bus lurches forward, and the silence between you thickens, dense and heavy. He clears his throat, the sound dry and sharp. "Comfortable?" he mutters, not waiting for a reply. The city of love sprawls ahead, but right…