KATHERINE POV
*the archer- Taylor Swift*
Saying goodbye to my mates had been more difficult than I imagined. I had smiled and waved like everything was fine, but the ache in my chest told a different story. Every time my mind wandered back to Keegan, Kyle, Kendrick and Kingsley, it felt like a pang—a deep, sharp pulse in the center of my heart that made it hard to breathe. It was ridiculous. I’d be back with them soon. But still, the empty space at my side where I usually found one of them, a hand brushing my waist, a smirk thrown my way, their signature warmth pressing into mine—it was gone, and I felt it like a shadow missing in the sun.
Luckily, Marley and Tessa had been my saving grace during the car ride. Chirpy and full of chaotic energy, they didn’t leave a single minute of silen
