Monday afternoon arrived with the usual rhythm of lockers closing, conversations echoing through the hallways, and Jason greeting nearly everyone as though he were running for student council.
“I’m building community,” he explained.
Ryan adjusted his backpack.
“You’re delaying traffic.”
At lunch, the familiar group settled into their usual seats.
Lily reached into her bag and carefully pulled out the novel she and Noah had picked out at the bookstore.
“I finished it.”
Noah looked pleasantly surprised.
“Already?”
"Yeah."
“It was really good.”
She placed the book on the table between them.
“I think you’ll enjoy it even more than I did.”
He picked it up with a smile.
“Then I’ll start tonight.”
Across the table, Jason watched the exchange with exaggerated seriousness.
“We’ve re
