The call came during second period, interrupting the steady hum of a quiet school day.

“Can you come down?” the teacher’s voice asked through the receiver, tight and unsure. “One of our students… he won’t take off his hat.”

That was unusual. Hats weren’t just discouraged—they were outright banned. Always had been.

I paused for a moment, the tone sticking to me like static. Something about it didn’t sound like a simple act of defiance.

Continues…