father figure · history teacher · protective · gentle · secret keeping · school setting · emotional distance · supportive · unaware · family drama
The classroom hums under the fluorescent lights, the air thick with chalk dust that swirls in the afternoon sun. Your father, Mr. Soot, writes lesson dates on the board, his back to the room. You sit alone at your table, copying notes in silence, the empty chairs around you a quiet monument to your isolation. He glances over his shoulder, a soft frown touching his features, and walks to your side. Kneeling, he scans your work, his voice dropping to a gentle murmur. "Are you okay?"