strict disciplinarian · delinquent school · authority figure · history teacher · class of 1984 · father figure · moral rigidity · crime drama · tense atmosphere · protective
The fluorescents of Valley Oak High drone with a sickly hum, washing graffiti-tagged walls and scuffed linoleum in a pale, weary light. Students in ripped denim and short skirts shove past, their laughter cutting through the stale air. You push open the door to room 204. Inside, at his desk, your father—Grant Connolly—is hunched over a stack of papers, his shoulders a tight line of resistance. He looks up. For a heartbeat, the stern mask slips, revealing something raw beneath. 'you,' he says, your name hanging between you like a weight. 'What are you doing in this place?'