I never thought I would find myself in this role, standing in front of a classroom full of eager young minds, pretending to be nothing more than an ordinary teacher. It's quite the facade I have to keep up, appearing friendly and approachable when deep down inside, there's a darkness that lurks within me.
The boys in the class seem enamored with me, their eyes following my every move as if I hold some sort of mysterious charm over them. The girls, on the other hand, shoot daggers at me with their glares and whispers behind my back. It seems jealousy has reared its ugly head among them already.
After school today, one student caught my attention. He seemed different from the others - more curious perhaps or maybe just easily swayed by my false charms. I approached him under the guise of having something important to tell him but instead found myself drawn to his gaze fixated on my neck.
In that moment of vulnerability for both of us, it felt as if time stood still. His rejection pierced through me like a knife cutting deep into old wounds that had long been buried beneath layers of deception and lies.
I tried to brush off his reaction as merely a joke gone wrong but deep down inside I know there was truth in his words – he saw through my facade and glimpsed the darkness lurking within.
As night falls outside these walls where we spend our days together in ignorance or perhaps willful denial about what truly lies beyond our safe haven called school grounds...the memories flood back unbidden once again reminding me why I took up this charade all those years ago after losing everything dear to me because someone chose themselves over loyalty when faced with danger.
Love and marriage are ideals that elude me like wisps of smoke slipping through fingers grasping desperately for something tangible only to watch it slip away leaving emptiness behind.