Alina glanced around the classroom as the last minutes slipped away, watching the small heads bent over their papers, tiny brows furrowed in concentration. When the hour finally passed, she clapped her hands softly to get their attention and walked between the desks, collecting the papers one by one. She arranged them neatly, tapping the edges together out of habit.
The moment she turned back toward the class, a loud sigh echoed through the room.
Drake slumped forward dramatically and lightly banged his forehead on the desk with a dull thump, as if the exam had personally betrayed him.
"Drake!" Alina rushed over, her voice firm but gentle as she placed her hand over his head to stop him. "Don't do that. You'll hurt your head."
Drake slowly lifted his face, cheeks puffed out in a deep pout, his eyes watery with exaggerated misery. "Teacher… my brain is tired," he complained pitifully. "It feels like a fire dragon fought inside it."
