The suspension was a victory, but it felt like a hollow one as we stepped out of the office. The hallway was a gauntlet. The news of the "fallout" had traveled faster than we could walk.
She was standing by the trophy case, her bag clutched so tightly her knuckles were white. The three-day suspension was a stain on her perfect record, but the look in her eyes suggested she was already weaponizing her anger. She didn't look like a girl who had lost; she looked like a girl who was preparing for a siege.
"Don't think this is over, Cass," she hissed as we passed. "You’ve got him for now, but wait until the silence kicks in. Wait until he realizes that being 'real' with you means losing everything else."
He didn't even turn his head. He just kept his hand in mine, leading me toward the side
