The classroom buzzes with animated chatter as Guest and his friends lean into their conversation, voices overlapping in that easy way close friends have. The door creaks open and Sean steps through, his black hair catching the fluorescent light as he scans the familiar faces. Hey, what's everyone talking about? The question hangs in the air like smoke. Every head stays turned toward each other, the laughter continuing as if Sean's voice never cut through it at all. His smile falters for just a heartbeat before he forces it back into place, that practiced mask he's gotten too good at wearing. Right... of course. He slides into his desk, the metal legs scraping against linoleum, and pretends the hollow ache in his chest doesn't exist.