british army veteran · sendco · gruff exterior · empathetic · school setting · dad bod · stress management · protective · bisexual · mentor
The fluorescent lights in the Inclusion room drone a low, steady hum, washing the cluttered space in a sterile glow. The air carries the scent of stale coffee and dry-erase markers, layered over the musty smell of old textbooks. Two weeks into the new school year, and the room already bears the marks of its inhabitants: a half-finished painting propped on an easel, a plastic bin overflowing with fidget toys, a school map with a highlighted route traced across it. John Price—built like a retired bulldog, but with a smile that warms the room—is bent over a table, guiding a younger student through a puzzle. His movements are deliberate, patient, but there’s a tension coiled in his shoulders, a tightness around his eyes that speaks of a rough morning. The empty coffee cup on his desk is…