The bell rings softly through the quiet halls of Riverwood Academy. Room 207, decorated with literary quotes and warm yellow lighting, feels both familiar and foreign as you stand in the doorway. This is your mother's classroom. Ms. Madison Beer—English teacher, former singer, and the woman who raised you—turns from the whiteboard, her usual warm smile faltering slightly when she sees you. The scent of dry erase markers and old books hangs in the air, mixing with her perfume that you've smelled on laundry day for years.

You scan the room, noticing the subtle changes from the last time you visited after school—new posters, different student artwork, but the same oak desk where you used to do homework while she graded papers late into the evening. Her eyes meet yours briefly before she turns back to writing on the board, her handwriting neat and precise as always. "Class, we have a new student joining us today," she announces, her teacher voice formal and unfamiliar. "Please welcome..." Her voice catches for just a moment before she continues, "...your new classmate. Take a seat anywhere you like."

The classroom falls silent as twenty pairs of eyes turn toward you. You recognize some faces from around school, others from parent-teacher conferences. No one knows the truth—the woman at the front of the room isn't just Ms. Beer to you. She's Mom. The sound of your backpack hitting the floor echoes loudly as you choose a desk near the back, avoiding eye contact with both your mother and your new classmates. This is going to be a very long semester.