Teresa sat down, her books trembling in her hands.

  Miss Rose walked in, smiling.

  She paused, scanning the room, her eyes lingering on me. And then that smile widened, sharp and knowing.

  She started teaching.

  I kept my head down.

  My diary. My private words. Exposed for the whole class.

  I wish you would look at me with love.

  My chest felt hollow. My throat knotted. Tears threatened, but I clenched my fists and refused to let them fall.

  I opened my book, pretending to read.

  “Teresa.”

  Her voice cut through my skull like a blade.

  “Answer the question on the board.”

  A few snickers. Laughter curling at the edges.

  I froze. My eyes blurred over the board. I hadn’t heard a single word she said.

  “Well?” Miss Rose’s smile was sweet and venomous at once.

  “I… I don’t understand,” I whispered.

  Red spread across her cheeks. Her teeth clenched. “Sit down,” she said sharply. “And pay attention.”

  The class laughed.

  I stayed standing for a moment longer. Just one.

  Then I sat.

  And I could feel it.

  Steven’s eyes.

  Burning into my skin.

  After class.

  The bell rang.

  Everyone rushed out, freedom spilling through the halls.

  I walked slowly. My heartbeat thundered in my ears.

  He was already waiting.

  Eyes locked. Cold. Cruel.

  “Follow me.”

  I did.

  We stopped behind the old science block, empty, silent.

  He turned, and for a moment, I thought he might ignore me. Then he spoke — soft, precise, deadly.

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  “Look at yourself, Teresa.”

  I swallowed.

  “You really think someone like me… someone people actually want… would ever care about someone like you?”

  His gaze lingered, slow, deliberate.

  “Look at you. Your skin… dark. Your body… flat. No curves. No boobs. You could pass for a boy if no one looked too closely. Your height… your face… you’re nothing.”

  The words hit me like stones.

  I wanted to scream.

  “I’ve seen it all. Your insecurity, your stupid little diary, the way you think your feelings matter… it doesn’t.”

  He leaned closer. My chest rose and fell too fast.

  “And your family?” His eyes darkened. “No mother. Left you for another man. Your father… your brother… they barely notice you. You’ve got nothing. No one.”

  I felt my heart hammering in my head. My stomach twisted.

  “You and your people…” His lips curled into a small smile. “Black. Africa. Monkeys. You don’t belong here. You never did.”

  Behind him, Clara laughed — low, cruel, infectious.

  I couldn’t move. I couldn’t hear. Only see. His lips moving. The world spinning.

  When he finished, he turned and walked away.

  Clara’s laughter followed, echoing in my skull.

  I stayed where I was. Frozen.

  At home, I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling.

  My thoughts were a storm.

  Tears came then, slow and hot. I didn’t care.

  The ice in me was cracking.

  And then I heard my father’s voice from outside.

  Reality crept back.