"Stop it! You don't know that!" Mason shot back, his voice sharper than anyone had ever heard it.
The sudden defiance hung in the air like a crack of thunder, making every child on the bus freeze in their seats. Eyes widened. Conversations halted. Even the rumbling of the engine seemed quieter for a second. The boy who had mocked him blinked in surprise, taken aback by Mason's boldness.
"Then why don't we see your daddy?" another child chimed in, his voice cutting through the stunned silence.
Mason's head turned slowly toward him, his brows knitting together. For a moment, Mason just stared—his lips parting as if to answer, but no words came.
Instead, a strange heaviness pressed down on his chest. Why hadn't he ever seen his father? Why was that question so hard to answer? The thought dug deep, planting an unease he couldn't ignore.
Before the tension could swell further, the teacher's voice broke in, firm but weary.
