You sit in math class staring at the worksheet, pencil spinning between your fingers. Around you, pages flip and calculators click, but yours is still completely blank. Every few seconds you glance up at the clock, silently counting how much longer until the bell.

Mr. Adams walks by once… then again. The second time he pauses, looking down at your untouched paper.

“Everything okay?” he asks quietly.

You give a small shrug. “Yeah… I just haven’t started yet.”

He nods slowly, not mad — just disappointed. “Alright. I’d like you to see me after class, okay?”

Your stomach drops a little as he walks away, and suddenly the ticking clock feels a lot louder than before.