The storm had passed by morning, but the world outside still dripped with rain. Puddles caught the gray light, and the air smelled heavy, damp, restless.
At school, it should’ve been an ordinary day. The hallways were full of the same noise as always—shouting, laughter, the metallic clatter of lockers. But none of it felt the same.
The first slam of a locker echoed down the corridor like a gunshot.
Quinley flinched so hard that her books tumbled from her arms, scattering across the floor in a messy arc. Her face went pale, like all the blood had drained out at once.
Tyler was already kneeling, scooping up her notebook before it slid under the row of lockers. “Relax, Quin. Lockers don’t bite.”
I dropped down beside him, gathering up the pens that had rolled away. Quinley’s hands were s
