Sunday evening came wrapped in that heavy quiet that always settled over the Winfield house when everyone had said too much already. Cass had spent the afternoon hiding in her room, pretending to study while blinking back tears she refused to admit she shed. Her mother had slammed doors twice and muttered loudly about responsibility and embarrassment like Cass had personally placed the weight of the world on her shoulders.
By the time the sky darkened to a deep blue, Cass felt emptied out. She needed air. She needed anything that was not the suffocating walls of her home.
She grabbed her jacket and slipped out the back door before her mother could yell again. She crossed the yard and headed down the street with no real plan. She just wanted quiet. She wanted to breathe without feeling wa
