Malia
Mondays were bad enough, but dragging myself through the doors that day had felt like walking into a storm I couldn’t see. I hadn’t even taken two steps into class before Ethan waved me over, sliding his notebook across my desk without a word.
“You forgot to do the worksheet, didn’t you?” he muttered, not looking at me as he adjusted his glasses. His voice was calm but clipped, that particular tone that meant he was irritated but too polite to snap outright.
“I… might’ve,” I admitted, sliding into my seat.
“Unbelievable.” He sighed, tapping his pen against the margin. “I covered it, but you owe me one. And don’t give me that look. I know you’ve been spacing out all morning.”
I swallowed, heat pricking my ears. He wasn’t wrong. Since my first period that morning, every time I ha
