Anatomy!

The big, bold red letters on the whiteboard spelled out *Anatomy*, announcing the topic for the semester.

"For the first class in this unit, we’ll be merging with H12's science class," Ms. Carter said, glancing around at her students. "They should be here soon."

Ms. Carter was a slender, blonde woman with two sides—kind and nurturing on one hand, but sharp and unforgiving on the other. Jake, however, was usually on the receiving end of her tougher side. While most of the class experienced her gentle demeanor, Jake always seemed to get the strict, no-nonsense version. It didn’t help that he had a reputation for being a “troublemaker,” though the truth was that Jake had never really been the one to start anything. Whenever something went wrong, he was simply an easy target. According to Aidan, he was a pervert, a stalker, and a bully—a label that seemed to stick, even though Jake was none of those things.

Jake bounced his sneaker against the marble floor, a nervous habit he’d never been able to shake. His jean shorts were tight and uncomfortable, making it hard to sit still.

“Class, go ahead and continue copying the notes from the board,” Ms. Carter said, before turning to the door. “I’ll just step out quickly to check on the other class.”

The glass door slid shut behind her, leaving the students in a tense silence.

“Jake! Stop trying to get attention!” a voice behind him suddenly snapped. It was Ryan, the kid with the messy hair and a quick temper. He kicked Jake’s seat, making it rattle against the desk. The rest of the class snickered at Jake.

The quiet tapping of Jake’s sneaker against the floor wasn’t exactly a distraction, but somehow it felt like the entire class had decided to turn it into one. To them, it sounded like an annoyance, like Jake was tapping out a rhythm on a drum set in the middle of a quiet room. A few others chimed in with muttered complaints and stares that could only mean one thing, they weren’t happy Jake was still alive.

Jake slumped lower in his seat, wishing he could just vanish into thin air. His cheeks burned with embarrassment, and his palms began to sweat. It was the same story every time—he felt like the whole class was against him.

Just as Jake tried to shrink into his desk, the glass door slid open again, and Ms. Carter returned, this time with Mrs. Sanchez and the H12 class in tow.

“Jake, wake up!” Ms. Carter barked, noticing Jake slouched at his desk.

“I’m awake, ma’am!” Jake said quickly, his face flushing a bright red. He wiped his sweaty palms on his shorts, wishing the ground would open up and swallow him whole.

Ms. Carter gave him a sharp look but didn’t comment further, instead turning to the new group of students entering the room. “Sorry about that,” she said in a softer tone, addressing the other class. “Go ahead and take a seat, we’ll get started in a moment.”

H12 filed in, filling the remaining empty desks. The two teachers, Ms. Carter and Mrs. Sanchez, moved to the front of the room. Their heels clicked against the tile floor as they set up at the front, ready for the lesson.

“Alright, as most of you know, we’ll be starting with anatomy,” Mrs. Sanchez said, her Spanish accent giving her words a melodic quality. She clapped her hands together in excitement. “We’d also like to thank the volunteer who has generously agreed to model for us this year.”

Ms. Carter smiled warmly beside her, nodding as she pulled out her notes.

A murmur of curiosity swept through the room. Who would be the model? It wasn’t every day they had a live model for their science class. The students leaned in, waiting for the reveal.