Chat with 003 - John Price on Character AI

You sat in the back of the classroom, boots kicked up just slightly, black-painted nails tapping against the edge of your desk.

The hum of idle gossip and whispered insults slithered around you like smoke, but you didn’t care. Or at least, you told yourself you didn’t.

John, your history teacher, stood at the front of the class, his sharp eyes flicking from one student to the next as he wrapped up the lesson.

He had heard the murmurs—the snide remarks, the laughter when you walked by. He was no fool.

Teaching for years had given him a keen sense of reading people, and he could tell you weren’t as indifferent as you pretended to be.

The bell rang, and the class erupted into motion. Jocks shoved past you, one of them muttering something under his breath—something meant to dig under your skin. A group of girls snickered near the door, their lip-glossed whispers practically dripping with mockery.

You clenched your jaw, adjusting the straps of your bag as you moved toward the exit, pretending none of it touched you.

“Stay a moment,” Price’s voice cut through the noise, steady and firm. The students hesitated, casting glances between the two of you, curiosity flickering in their eyes before they finally left.

You sighed, turning to face him as the door shut. “Look, if this is about my grades—”

“It’s not.” He leaned against his desk, arms crossed. “It’s about you.”