Jade's POV
The hallways of Crescent High always felt colder after a storm. The air still held a damp chill, clinging to the edges of the lockers and windows like an unwelcome shadow. Most students rushed between classes, eager to avoid slipping on the wet floor or getting caught by a teacher for lingering.
But for me, something had shifted.
After last night in the library—after that conversation with Hunter, and the flashback to a time we’d once played as children—I’d found myself walking the halls with a little more steel in my spine.
The past was still raw. I wasn’t ready to forgive him, and I didn’t even fully understand how I felt. But I wasn’t the same timid girl who flinched at every cruel laugh or snide comment anymore.
I was more.
My boots clicked quietly on the linoleum as I
