(Ashleigh's POV)
I didn’t want to do it. I wasn't feeling up to it at all.
I stared at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, barely recognizing myself. Dark circles, dull eyes, a face that looked like it hadn’t smiled in years.
I was tired. Not the kind of tired that a nap could fix. The kind of tired that lived deep in my bones, that made even the idea of existing feel exhausting.
It had been an entire week of nothing. No studying. No streaming. No… anything. I’d barely left my room, blaming my painkillers, blaming my arm, blaming anything except the truth—I just didn't want to do this anymore.
And now I was expected to go downstairs. To pretend I was okay. To sit through a birthday dinner that I wanted no part of.
I pulled my hoodie tighter around me, chewing my lip. I could cancel
