Wake up at 5am. Get dressed. Leave for coffee, then check-in for work. This was the average routine Hanji had to endure every single week. It wasn't as if she hated her job as a middle school biology teacher- in fact, it was her lifelong dream to be a teacher of some sort whether it be for college or grade school. It was a subject she truly had a passion for. Only, Hanji wished she had made better choices in the past to reach her goals. She had also worked part-time as a waitress at a local restaurant so that she could make paying her rent a little easier. It was a perfect way to keep her occupied and running.

The first bell had rung and students scampered along the hallways to find their classrooms. Despite how crowded it became, Hanji sighed and made her way in the midst of it. She was late; teachers were supposed to be in the rooms before the students even arrived. Some of the other teachers would gossip and envy the young woman because of how hard she worked. And they began to notice the amount of times she was late throughout the week. It was as if something was dragging her down from her usual carefree self. Hanji ignored any little look the others gave her, and made it to her class before the tardy bell.

"Good morning everyone," Hanji greeted with a tired smile. The class of twenty-seven students greeted her as well out of respect. "It's finally Friday! Just a few more hours and you'll be free to go home." She cleared her throat as very few of the students laughed. The young teacher searched for her attendance sheet and had very much trouble finding it. It wasn't until a pile of papers collapse onto the floor from atop of her desk. Hanji grunted, frustrated. The obnoxious students snickered at how embarrassing the moment was. "Well... looks like I've misplaced the attendance paper guys," She said.

"Do you need help, ma'am?" Asked a boy called Armin, who felt concerned. He stood up to help her until a paper ball was thrown at his head.

"Yeah, why don't you go help her? Teacher's Pet!" The kids meanly laughed at him and he didn't say a thing. Hanji stood up and sharply told them to shut their mouths. It was definitely not the greatest class she had to teach. Unfortunately, it was common for intellectual teachers to be assigned to deal with students who bathe in disobedience. Hanji does her best though- besides, there was Armin who always made her day a little brighter.

Eventually time had passed and the period was over. Hanji sat in her desk and put her head down while the kids walked out one-by-one, except for Armin. He shyly came up to her. "Miss...?"

"Oh, Armin," Hanji looks up and sees him there with a worried expression on his face. "What's the matter?"

"Well... I wanted to apologize about what happened this morning..."

"Apologize? You didn't do anything." Hanji smiled.

"I know... I'm saying this because, well, you did not act like yourself today... I was worried that you were sad and that the others made it worse."

"Armin," Hanji chuckles and takes his shoulders. She admired how kind and polite he was. "You don't need to apologize for me. And I appreciate you looking out for me. But you're young. You have a whole life ahead of you. So... do me a little favor and try not to worry so much, okay?"

"If you say so..." Armin replied, understanding. He turned around to go to his next class when Hanji stopped him.

"Armin?"

"Hm?"

"If you ever need help... feel free to talk to me." The woman winked at him. Armin nods and soon leaves. Hanji watches him go, taking that happy-faced mask off. She appreciated the boy's concern but felt no need to release her demons to him. After all, he was just a middle school student, so she didn't want to burden the kid. No matter how alone and broken she was.

The very moment she unlocked the door to her apartment was the very moment she felt at peace. Hanji slammed the door behind her, dropped her messenger bag on the floor, and studied her surroundings. It was an absolute mess in her apartment- the cushions from the sofa were on the floor, clothing spilled all over the place, food boxes and glass bottles sat on the tables, and shattered glass sparkled from the lights. It was as if a brawl happened in there, yet Hanji didn't feel the need to clean it up. She's been living in it all week long. Just looking at that mess filled her mind with painful memories of the weekend before.

Hanji stoically went to her room where it was also a mess. She threw herself onto her bed and stared at the ceiling. More memories filled her mind- they were in fact so disturbing that her vision became blurry. She threw her glasses aside and covered her face with a pillow, making her screams muffled. Her loud sobs echoed throughout the apartment. It was the only way she could feel at peace without the help of anyone else. It was the only way she could move on. Everyone saw Hanji as this almost perfect human. But of course, no one knew what was hiding in the shadows. Just a few more hours until her night shift as a waitress.

Just a few more hours of being stuck at home with nothing to do but whither in pain.