One afternoon, as the last student left the conference room, Tadeo took Raúl by the arm to prevent him from leaving the classroom. " Raúl, "said with a warm smile, "I noticed your dedication and enthusiasm for the subject. If you ever have questions or need help, feel free to contact me. I’m here to support you." Raul’s eyes opened in surprise.  He stuttered a thank you, with a voice barely greater than a whisper. Tadeo goodness filled him with happiness and at the same time with misery.

From that day on, their interactions became commonplace. Tadeo’s office hours, once a quiet time to grade jobs, became a vibrant space where he and Raúl delved into discussions about literature, philosophy and life itself. Tadeo thought things were going great and that the bond he had created with Raúl would only get stronger. Little did he imagine that every second that Raúl was out of his sight, he was the victim of abuse and mistreatment at the hands of his peers.

Whenever Raul was away from Tadeo’s sight, his companions took advantage of the moment to act like a child, throwing his things, pushing and criticizing him, all in such a way that when the teacher saw him, I didn’t suspect anything, and they could still be around the handsome redhead. Because Raul was used to abuse, I kept quiet and every time Tadeo asked him about his school life he said everything was going great. Initially Tadeo believed Raúl that everything was fine, but as they deepened their intellectual exchanges, Tadeo not only discovered the rich tapestry of Raúl’s mind. Behind the calm exterior was a deep thinker, a soul hungry for knowledge, connection, affection and belonging. He realized that something was wrong and wanted to support Raúl in some way, but he did not dare to bring it up for fear of driving the young man away.

Over time, however, the ill-treatment Raul received for being close to Tadeo continued. He preferred to remain silent, thinking that, in this way, they would end up getting tired and could go unnoticed. However, they only got worse, to the point where one day he ended up in hospital, missing a full day of school. Anyone after this would have been so frightened that she would dedicate herself to doing what they asked, but Raul had an insatiable thirst for knowledge that only Tadeo could feed properly, so he did not want to leave him.

The next day, a thin gray figure slowly made his way through the halls of the building with crutches. With his eyes lowered, he continued straight ahead, and the moment his gaze saw the redhead at the end of the corridor he froze instead. Tadeo turned and saw Raul among the students. The smile on his lips faded as soon as his eyes saw the crutches on which Raul stood. Tadeo began to move towards Raúl to find out what was happening, but he was gradually arrested by groups of students who wanted to ask him questions. Raul for his part, took this opportunity to go away, so when Tadeo managed to stay alone, he no longer found it.

After that moment Tadeo tried to approach Raúl all day, but it seemed that the universe was totally against them being together. However, Tadeo would not give up so easily; I plan his class so I can have a moment alone with Raúl. What a surprise to see Raúl’s place empty. Because the room was on the top floor, Raul was allowed to take the online class from the library until his health improved. The disappointment in the face of the tall redhead made the hearts of all his students hurt throughout the class.

With a tear in his eye Raúl admired Tadeo through the screen, his mind trying to absorb his words like a sponge while trying to find a way back to the moment when the two of them were not talking, before his college stay was a part of hell. But deep down he knew that it was going to be impossible, the relationship that began to grow between them was very significant for him; and yet he had to end it, he was terrified to think that the aggressions would begin to address Tadeo and not only him.

As weeks passed and Raul’s injuries healed, his heart filled with grief and worry. The loneliness was overwhelming him, he saw Tadeo during classes divided by a screen and they made him want to cry; but every time he saw him in the corridors, he could not help running away from him. For his part Tadeo was totally depressed, with a fake smile painted on his lips he passed through his classes trying to see that family figure that so pleased him and every time he failed, he simply hoped that tomorrow would be the day when he saw him again.

The morning after the doctor told Raul that he was completely cured, he entered the main building, hoping not to run into anyone and be able to take his classes calmly. However, on his way to his first reading he was cornered by a group of senior students, cornered by them tightly holding his backpack waiting. 'Keep it weird,' they told Uni 'Remember what will happen if you approach Professor Tadeo again without permission,' they shouted as they walked away. Raul bowed his head and went on his way. No one expected that scene to be seen by Tadeo, who could only bite his lips and clench his fists helplessly.

 It was time for Tadeo’s class and when Raúl saw him in front of the class, he realized that his fascination with him only deepened despite being far away. Sitting in the back row, his eyes fixed on his teacher and notebooks full of meticulous notes, he bowed his eyes and began to cry, knowing that walking away would hurt him even more than the harassment of his peers.