As soon as she opened the door, there was nothing I could've done to prepare myself for the instant stillness in the entryway. The students' silence suffocated. Their stares cut deep. Shame beat through me with the rapid thud of my heart and flushed my skin. I kept their gazes and searched for the one face I most wanted to see, but she wasn't anywhere.

One thing I did notice was how few students milled about at such a busy time of day. Where had everyone ...