Blaze trudged back home, his feet heavy as the weight of the night pressed down on him. The faint sounds of the students in the classroom he had just left began to fade, replaced by his mother’s voice, echoing in his mind. Her words, sharp and biting, clung to him like a shadow he couldn’t shake off.
"I never wanted him." she had said, her tone dripping with disappointment.
Each step he took seemed to blur the world around him, and before he knew it, his house loomed before him—large and imposing. His father’s presence was immediately felt as soon as he opened the door, warm and welcoming in stark contrast to the coldness that lingered in Blaze’s chest.
“There you are!” his father’s voice rang out. “How was the party? You look like you’ve enjoyed the school today.”
Blaze barely registe
