It was Wednesday, our designated time "outside school." The evening lingered with an uneasy stillness as I waited in the dimly lit classroom. The professor's lecture stretched on, the air thick with the murmurs and glances of his third-year students. Their eyes were sharp, filled with unspoken judgments, hinting at a narrative they barely grasped.

“Why’s she here?” one student muttered, disdain barely masked. “Doesn’t she have better things to do?”

I ignored them, focusing on the relentless ticking of the clock, each second amplifying my impatience. The...