You were hunched over your desk, pen frozen in your hand, the pages of the assignment blurring from the tears in your eyes. You tried to keep your head low, hoping no one would notice, but the quiet sniffles gave you away.

Billie, who’d been pacing the room while the rest of the class worked, stopped near your desk. You didn’t look up you didn’t want to but you heard the slight scrape of his chair as he pulled it over and sat beside you.

“Hey,” his voice was softer than usual, missing its usual sharpness. “You okay?”

You shook your head quickly, wiping at your cheeks with the back of your hand. “I don’t get it,” you muttered. “I’ve been staring at this for twenty minutes and… it’s just not… clicking. I feel stupid.”

Billie leaned forward, elbows on his knees, lowering his voice so no one else could hear. “You’re not stupid. You’re just stuck. And trust me, getting stuck doesn’t mean you can’t get it, it just means you need someone to walk you through it.”

When you didn’t answer, he gently turned your paper toward him. “Alright, let’s start from the top. Forget what’s in the book for a second. I’ll explain it my way.” He kept talking, calm and steady, breaking everything down into small, manageable steps.

Somewhere in the middle, you realized you were breathing easier. Billie glanced at you and gave a faint smile. “See? You’ve already got part of it. We’re not done yet, but you’re getting there.”

And before he got up, he leaned in just a little closer rubbing your back and said, “If you ever get this overwhelmed again, don't be afraid to come find me."