[ Scene opens in the school compound during break time.
The bell rings, and pupils flood out of classrooms with laughter and chatter. In the staffroom, some teachers sip tea while others mark exercise books. The atmosphere is lively.]
Maya sits quietly at a corner desk, marking essays. Her pen moves quickly, but her tired eyes show she's been at it too long.
Clinton enters, holding two chilled sodas. Heads turn slightly he's not just any teacher. He's the proprietor's son, a fact everyone in the staffroom is aware of. His mother owns the school, and that shadow of authority always follows him. Still, Clinton carries himself casually, like he doesn't care about the whispers.
Clinton :[dropping into the chair beside Maya, smirking] You look like you're punishing yourself with those essays.
Maya: [without looking up] Says the man who only teaches one subject and still complains.
Clinton chuckles, slides a soda toward her, and opens his own with a crisp hiss.
Maya: [raising an eyebrow] And what's this for?
Clinton: [leaning back lazily] Teacher's survival kit. Drink it before you collapse. My mum would be upset if I let her best English teacher faint.
Maya shakes her head with a smile, takes a sip, and avoids his gaze.
Maya (teasing): So you're using your mother's name as an excuse now?
Clinton :[grinning, lowering his voice] No... just using it to make you smile. And it worked.
Maya chuckles, but quickly bends her head over the books again. Clinton leans closer, his tone shifting.
Clinton :[softly] You know... most people treat me differently because of my mum. They either fear me or want something. But you... you're not like that.
Maya: [looking up, surprised] And what exactly am I like?
Clinton: [smirking, but with warmth] Real. Honest. Someone I can actually talk to.
Maya is caught off guard. She looks away, fiddling with her pen, hiding the blush rising to her cheeks.
From that day, the staffroom whispers grew louder. Teachers noticed their closeness, pupils giggled whenever they saw the two walking side by side. But Maya didn't mind. She wasn't just with the proprietor's son she was with Clinton, her bestie.
Curtains falls.